Posters Sessions

Disinformation, Then and Now: Teaching College Students Information Assessment Through a Historical Lens

Marybeth Gill @ University of Maryland

Teaching information literacy skills is crucial to combatting the propagation of misinformation and disinformation in the digital age. But the spread of falsehoods is nothing new. Indeed, historical parallels offer unique learning opportunities that are pertinent to our own time. Through a multi-disciplinary teaching approach, information literacy instructors can use history to shed light on the ways in which disinformation has gained traction in the past, lending important perspective to our current challenges, and offering meaningful pathways to critical thinking skills instruction.

Creating a Curated OER LibGuide

Ellie Svoboda @ University of Denver

Getting faculty excited about the OER movement can be a challenge on any campus but especially on specialty campuses. This poster will detail how to create a curated OER LibGuide that can be tailored for any discipline as well as how to use the guide in a classroom setting. The curated health sciences OER guide from the Strauss Health Sciences Library shall serve as a model.

The Business of Chat Reference: Analyzing Instant Messaging Data at Indiana University/s Business/SPEA Reference Desk

Justina Kaiser @ Indiana University

Indiana University's Business/SPEA Information Commons hosts a reference desk run by library science graduate students and business librarians; along with in-person interactions and individualized meetings, it also offers an instant-messaging feature with multiple access points. Justina Kaiser performed systematic analysis on ten years' worth of data generated from the messenger last spring; the results help to demonstrate the usage of the messenger over time, critical access points, and how the reference assistants engage with the participants.

Digital History & Modular Instruction on Canvas

Rachel Hoster @ University of Michigan

This poster session provides an overview of a learning module geared towards undergraduate students of history, created and hosted on the digital learning platform Canvas. Over the past few decades, history pedagogy has moved towards having students begin to engage in historical practice, the center of which is the interpretation of primary source materials. Developing an understanding of primary sources is at the heart of the module. Through walkthroughs and tutorials, it encourages students to think critically about sources and consider factors such as value, vocabulary, and authority as they handle historical materials.

Whose Instruction Session is it, Anyway: Improv Comedy and Student-Centered Library Instruction

Amber Pierdinock @ University of Maryland

There is a lot to learn about library instruction through the lens of improv comedy, beyond public speaking skills and thinking on your feet. Using some of the most common rules of improv: always say "yes, and," listening is crucial, there are no mistakes, and always support your scene partner, this session will examine how techniques used in improv comedy can assist in effective, student-centered library instruction.

Revamping the Reference Referral: Information Strategies for Student Workers

Heidi Keppen @ University of Michigan - Dearborn
Anna Granch @ University of Michigan - Dearborn
 - Poster [pdf]

At an all-service Library Info Desk, student assistants are often the first point of contact for library users with reference questions. These students need to be able to determine when and how to refer reference questions to supervisors or librarians for more specialized assistance. In an effort to improve the quality of service for reference questions at the Library Info Desk, student assistants completed a series of training modules designed to increase their familiarity with basic information literacy strategies and understanding of the types of reference questions that should be referred.

Undergraduate Socioeconomic Backgrounds and Conceptions of Credibility: Developing a Methodology to Investigate a Potential Link

Julia A. Maxwell @ University of Michigan
 - Poster [pdf]

As part of an IMLS grant-funded information literacy assessment project in fall 2019, undergraduate students took pre- and post-surveys in one-shot library instruction sessions held during college writing requirement courses. In the survey, students were asked to justify their decisions surrounding source credibility. Using survey responses that relate to student conceptions of credibility in conjunction with data about socioeconomic background, a methodology is being developed to investigate an association between perceptions of credibility and student socioeconomic backgrounds. This poster models the stages of this research project, the methodologies currently being developed to evaluate this potential link, and the preliminary findings.

Using Likert Scales and an Open-Ended Survey Question to Identify the Effect of Library Instruction of Undergraduates’ Source Evaluation Practices

Gina Genova @ University of Michigan
Regen Le Roy @ University of Michigan
 - Poster [pdf]

As part of an IMLS grant-funded instruction assessment project in fall 2019, primarily first-year undergraduate students took a survey both before and after a one-shot information literacy session in first-year writing courses. In the survey, students were asked to decide whether or not a given source was credible and explain their decision. The students' responses have been coded, and preliminary analysis has begun. The poster will present background information on the assessment project and themes that have arisen from the preliminary analysis of the students' assessments of source credibility.

Research as Experimental Practice: Library Instruction for Arts Based Research

Tath J. Haver @ University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Arts Based Research is broadly defined as inquiry that blends theories of interpretation with making. We can call Arts Based Research "research by other means", but what is information literacy for students doing research with unorthodox and inventive methods? What tools or perspectives do they need that libraries can provide and how can we teach to them? How do new forms of searching change our methods of instruction and instructional design? This poster introduces methods in Arts Based Research, and investigates the instructional and information literacy needs of students performing research by unexpected means, and its implications for instructional design.

Research Support and Instruction for International Graduate Students

Teresa Lewandowski @ University of Maryland
 - Poster [pdf]

International graduate students face unique roadblocks when it comes to library use and research support. This is particularly troubling for PhD candidates, who are faced with the expectation of producing a thesis as well as authoring and publishing academic papers during their studies. This poster provides an overview of the challenges international graduate students face in the research process, as well as strategies for librarians to support these students, thereby increasing the likelihood of persistence and success.