Library Faculty Newsletter: Spring 2017

Small Group Advising and Instruction

Walden Library's New Liaison the School of Public Policy and Administration

News is the News!

New and Improved Evaluating Resources Guide!

CFE Library Webinar Recording

Where do Quick Answers Come From?

Doctoral Student Referral Form

Upcoming Library Labs & Webinars

Featured Library Resource

Fun Corner

Library Lab Suggestions

Faculty Feedback

During 2017 the liaison librarians will be piloting ways to provide library information literacy instruction to small groups of students. These small group sessions will differ from our webinars in that we will be able to have conversations with students rather than just presenting information to them.

The small groups will allow for conversations where students can learn from a librarian and from each other.  Liaisons have been invited by faculty to participate in a few faculty-led dissertation group sessions, which have received positive feedback. If you have a group of students who may benefit from small group advising or library drop in office hours please contact us at libraryliaison@mail.waldenu.edu! 

What sources do you consult when looking for news?  Social media?  National or local newspapers?  Word has it you should never assume anything is true.  We are living in what is called the Post-Truth Era.  

The Library has a new guide that talks about fake news.  Learn how to question your sources, see examples of fake news, and learn tips for identifying what is real and what is fake.  Protect your credibility and be a smart consumer of news!

Did you miss the CFE Seminar Series Webinar that was recently presented by the Library?  You can watch the recording!  This workshop provides an introduction to Library resources in the context of real assignments both in active courses and in course development.

Information Literacy Best Practices for Curriculum Support and Development seminar presented by Anne Rojas and Audrey Butlett, hosted by the Center for Faculty Excellence. Seminar Recording

How does the Library comes up with new Quick Answers?

Mostly, we rely on our librarians to suggest Quick Answers that will help meet the needs of our students and staff. However, there is also a nifty tool called Spy Query.

With Spy Query, the search box captures everything typed into it that did NOT get any results. This way we can see what users are trying to find without success.

Last summer a librarian analyzed 26,841 unsubmitted queries from May, June, and July. From that analysis she compiled a list of topics that users sought, and then created Quick Answers to meet those needs.

Here are the top three Quick Answers created from that analysis, and how many views they’ve had since their creation:

• Does the Walden Library have examples of a doctoral proposal or prospectus? 
  • Created 9/14/16, viewed 662 times
• Can I use a database to search for theories?
  • Created 7/5/2016, viewed 480 times
• Does the Walden Library have citation management software?
  • Created 7/20/2016, viewed 453 time

Spy Query also reveals some odd things that users are trying to find in the Library! These aren’t related to library skills, so you won’t see these becoming Quick Answers!

• how to make a hanging mobile
• am i a grad student or an undergrad
• don't go to Memphis
• A double wishbone front suspension system
• does citrus help
• I am so confused

Do you have a suggestion for a Library Quick Answer? Send it our way! libraryliaison@waldenu.ed

If you have a doctoral student who is struggling with research, information literacy, or any other library related skill, please fill out the Student Referral Form. We will reach out to the student and do our best to assist them. 

Please provide us with any suggestions about the newsletter or any other ideas you may have!

We are very happy to welcome Taylor Leigh to our liaison team.  Taylor will be working with the School of Public Policy and Administration students and faculty. Taylor currently lives in Georgia but will be moving to California in April with his family and their pets. You can contact Taylor by email at taylor.leigh@mail.waldenu.edu

Are you seeing questionable resources cited in student work? Are you concerned that students don't know how to tell an authoritative source from a biased website? Evaluating resources is an important step in the research process and part of being information literate. 

To that aim, we've updated our Evaluating Resources Guide with more information about when specific resource types are appropriate to use and how to evaluate any resource. From this guide, users can also get to our brand-new Fake News Guide.

Please feel free to share these Library Labs with your students!

Did you know that in addition to guides and webinars the library also has a growing collection of tutorials? You can share these in your courses or direct students to our website. If you have a topic you think would make a good tutorial let us know! 

Disco Party at the Library of Congress

Yes, there actually is going to be a disco party with Gloria Gaynor at the Library of Congress.

In May, Gaynor is coming to the Library of Congress, where she'll perform in the Great Hall as part of the Library's Bibliodiscotheque, a series of films, lectures and events celebrating the disco era, capped with — what else? — a late-night dance party in the historic Jefferson Building. 

Fun fact, if you didn't already know, Gloria Gaynor is a Walden University graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology!

Is there a research topic you feel your students are struggling with, or an assignment that requires intense and in-depth research? Perhaps there's a resource that students are struggling to navigate? Please provide us with some suggestions for library lab topics you'd like to see us cover, and we'd be happy work with you to create it.