LOEX 2009 The Savvy Researcher: Teaching Information Management Skills to Graduate Students 

When the world grows smaller...?

Interactive session: LOEX 2008

Graduate students are overwhelmed with the planning and organization process it takes to complete a thesis or dissertation. Librarians have traditionally focused on the need to teach information literacy and research skills, however as the complexity of technology and multi-disciplinary/inter-disciplinary research evolves it seems increasingly necessary to add a third prong, information management skills. Informally surveying the needs of graduate students elicited an interwoven pattern of concerns: current awareness services, fair use and copyright concerns, scholarly communications issues, advanced searching skills, and citation management.

In response, the University of Illinois pioneered a drop-in series called The Savvy Researcher. The workshops encourage students in learning how to think like a librarian. In a broad context this can mean establishing the resources, tools and expertise to foster lifelong learning skills. But how can this be broken down into a teachable moment? How many researchers have thought, “If I only knew in the beginning, I could have…” To address this question, one of the most popular workshops, “InfoHacks,” prepares students to think ahead during the literature review process in utilizing technology advances in order to keep track of searches, citations and online reading. Another area where emergent service needs are prevalent surrounds scholarly communication education. The workshop entitled “Practical Copyright: Considerations for Teaching and Research” encompasses learning outcomes that address basic copyright in the classroom and how to apply fair use standards using reasonable scenarios. The University Library Scholarly Communications Committee partnered to develop the workshop, helping to set precedent in establishing relations not only across the library but also with campus partners. Both lesson plans will be modeled for attendees during the workshop. Using a strategic combination of marketing techniques and active learning in the classroom, word of mouth has spread across campus. Students are attending the drop-ins in unprecedented numbers, once abandoned by the Library as poorly attended and ineffective.

This interactive workshop will illustrate ways to add the drop-in to an existing instruction repertoire. Attendees will develop a lesson plan to implement at their institution based upon the proven format of the Savvy Researcher series.  By starting with a version of speed dating we call PowerLearn, participants will brainstorm and share ideas on information management topics that graduate students and faculty are yearning for from the library. Next, participants will develop their own learning outcomes and active learning modules based upon the Savvy Researcher model and will share these with attendees using the mirror think-pair-share technique. Finally, the workshop will close with a Pecha Kucha entitled, “Every path has it’s puddle: We wore rain boots so you don’t have to.” Ideas generated in the interactive workshop, although intended for graduate students and faculty, can be modified to address the unique needs of the undergraduate. Each topic can be developed into a 60-minute workshop or scaled down to be used as a module within course-integrated instruction.

I am currently the Instructional Services Librarian in Central Reference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library. My role as instruction coordinator includes designing, teaching and assessing a variety of library instruction geared towards graduate students and faculty including course-integrated sessions for graduate level ESL students and the Savvy Researcher, an open workshop series covering such topics as current awareness, RefWorks, information organizational strategies and much more. I also run new student tours each semester, while maintaining a variety of virtual tours including a new podcast tour in Chinese. A large part of the programming administered by Central Reference is supported by a fabulous group of Graduate Assistants currently making their way through GSLIS. Most recently, I developed a peer-learning program in which the GA's gain instruction experience using a 3-tier model. My research interests include information literacy for graduate students and online learning. In my copious spare time, I like to collect and give talks on the virtues of community cookbooks.

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