The starting point of the research project was this question: what do undergrads really do when they write research papers? (not just when they’re in the library but during every step of the research process)

The team used a number of methods, including “retrospective interviews” where they asked students about papers they have recently completed and had the students “chart” their progress (from receiving the assignment to turning it in) on a poster. Interviews were video-recorded and transcribed. Some fascinating findings from the interviews:

• they found that very few students went to the optional library session (surprise!)
• very few students consulted a librarian – it wasn’t on the map for many of them (another surprise!)
• one student talked with her family a number of times before deciding on a paper topic. I found this fascinating in light of all the literature on millenials and their learning habits. I’ve read time & again about how millenials have closer relationships with their parents compared to previous generations, but I have never seen any research to support this claim (not that it isn’t out there, I just haven’t seen it. Back to that whole “not getting out from under the library literature” again.)

Another method the research team used was “mapping diaries” where students were asked to record where they went during an average day. These diaries included times and a sequence of events. The presenters recounted some of the data from these mapping diaries and confirmed, not surprisingly, that undergrads live by very unconventional schedules! Some observations from the mapping diary exercise:

• students are on the go all the time
• they do more than just attend class
• activities are interlaced throughout the day
• students eat meals at odd times, sometimes just snacking where they are
• they carry their belongings with them
• students use technology throughout the day and in multiple locations
• their days are a mix of activities so they need a mix of services and facilities
• there is no “average” day for a student: every day is different!

The questions that followed from these observations:

• what do students need for a day like this?
• how can the library best meet those needs?
• what makes a place attractive to students?

The research team went on to hold a “design workshop” to ask students to design the ideal library space. Some of the results were fascinating! Some of the things students asked for: windows that can open, long tables, bar stools, a place to eat with good snacks (!), meeting rooms with tables that can convert to smaller tables, a section with new books, books that are easy to find, a quiet but not silent space, semi-modern but not too weird looking (!!), a not-utilitarian space, a glassed-in super quiet silent study area, a place to be happy when you’re there, even if you’re studying (!!!), a computer lounge with wifi and nintendo, study rooms with sound proof walls, a display of old titles, mahogany shelves, sculptures, art, movies, video games on a big screen, no fluorescent lighting, a simple design with no distractions, a massage room (there’s an idea I can get behind), lots of ventilation, desk staffed by helpful people, plush carpet/big chairs/ottomans/couches for nappers. Sorry for the long list but having just undergone a building project at my library, I found ALL of these ideas thoroughly fascinating!

The team’s observations based on the design workshop results:

• students’ ideas were fanciful but practical (mostly)
• they want spaces that are flexible/convertible/convenient that can change to meet their changing needs (and I got the sense that this meant not just flexibility in the long term, but flexibility in the short term as well — like desks that can be converted depending on their needs)
• they want comfortable, ambient, pleasant spaces
• coffee and food ranked high!
• students want access to all the technology they need (including things like wifi & gaming)
• they want support – the term “helpful people” was mentioned more than once!
• they want resources: books, magazines, DVDs, etc.

When asked what kind of library website they would like, some of the answers they received included:

• a space to connect to people (chat/forums)
• links to professors’ sites
• a site that meets their course needs
• a calendar with due dates
• a site that includes entertainment

I have to admit, I practically fell off my chair in delight when I heard this wish list! With our resent preoccupation with providing 2.0 tools on our websites and “socializing” our libraries (which, as you probably know, I’m all for!), it’s just nice to continue to hear from students that these are some of the things they want too!

Another method the research team used was what they called “in search of the elusive undergrad” and involved two techniques: late-night interviews at the student centre (they put up a sign that promised free snacks (including Red Bull!) if they answered a few questions) and dorm room observations.

Observations from the student union interviews:

• most students most used library resources
• students had no problem finding materials
• many encountered problems when it came to organizing and writing their papers
• most were aware of the writing centre on campus
• most went to their professors for help, not to librarians. Why? Because librarians are not “specialists”.
• when asked if they thought to seek help from a librarian most responded that they didn’t need help finding books (oh my).
• the overriding perception? Librarians = help with print resources.

Observations from dorm interviews:

• students are messy! Rooms are littered with lots of technology and gaming equipment.
• students use print and paper too
• students are multitaskers: IM, listening to music, doing an assignment, playing 5 hands of a card game in the background! (the dorm room photographs the presenters used to illustrate this and other observations were awesome!)
• there is usually chaos in the dorm: music, cell phones, gaming, facebooking, lots of socializing, IMing, lots of people moving from room to room, very communal.
• there is not much book-reading going on!

The overall findings and implications of this research? Students are procrastinators, yes, but they don’t wait until the last minute to do their research (they just write their papers at the last minute!); they do use Google, but they don’t use the first 3 results of a Google search (which is what we often bemoan, isn’t it?); students are not afraid to approach the reference desk to ask for help, but they associate librarians with books and don’t know enough about all the ways we can help them; they do not distinguish between the staff who check out their books at circ and those who answer questions at the ref desk (we have serious PR work to do!).

Technology Competencies: a Path to Training, Sarah Houghton-Jan
Sarah talks a lot about technology competencies on her blog, which I read dutifully, but I guess the importance of tech competencies didn’t really hit home to me until I was in a room, listening to her draw out the details (which she did exceptionally well!). Three opening points made a lot of sense to me:

• technology competencies are a list of things that staff need to know in order to do their jobs
• you don’t need competencies if every single staff member is an expert on everything
• don’t need competencies if every single staff member is a self-directed learner

Obviously, no one can claim either of the last two points to be true at their institutions, hence the importance of fleshing out a list of technology competencies for your staff! Have a look at her presentation for more details on the questions to ask, the competencies cycle, getting staff buy-in, brainstorming activities, tips for organizing your competencies and, finally, some words about competency assessment.

10 Ways to Keep Techies Happy, David King
David’s slides, while great, don’t do justice to his fun, entertaining, and slightly irreverent presentation style! Here are my top three ways to keep techies happy from David’s excellent list of 10:

• Do your part – don’t automatically assume it’s a techie task just because it’s on a computer (anyone can pick up and move a computer!)
• Tell them when you don’t get it – this goes for both techies & non-techies. Don’t pretend to understand what the other is talking about (if you actually don’t!) and don’t let your lack of knowledge be a scapegoat for not trying something. Amen!
• Admit that we’re all geeks – we’re all experts in that little part of the library in which we operate (there are cataloguing geeks, interlibrary loan geeks, reference geeks, instruction geeks, etc. You get the idea!). Let’s collaborate to build something better!

I furiously took as many notes as I could during Helene’s session because this is something I’d love to do at my library! Here are some of Helene’s “lessons learned”:

• Build the programme for late bloomers: don’t expect everyone to jump on board from the get-go, so make sure the programme can accomodate those who want to get in on the fun later!
• Allow participants to blog anonymously.
• Communicate weekly using 1.0 methods: Helene sent emails to the participants every Monday and Friday. Makes sense because not everyone will be comfortable with RSS (and blog feeds) early on.
• Focus on discovery and encourage challenges: Helene recommends making the exercises easy enough for everyone but with enough of a built-in challenge for those who want to take things further. This will also encourage staff to use each other as resources and work through the exercises together.
• Remember that it’s not about acceptance and doing it right, it’s about exposure. Not everyone will love every tool they experiment with and that’s OK. Learning 2.0 is about exposing the participants to the tools and technology, it’s not about making them love all those tools!
• Give your staff permission and time to play: the programme would simply fall apart without both!

1. Expand the brand.
Michael used the example of Starbucks and their attempt to reinvigorate their brand: it’s not just about coffee anymore, it’s also about comfy chairs, providing a space where people can come together to work, and organizing events (book talks, to be specific; Mitch Albom is doing a book tour & all his stops are at Starbucks venues). Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Michael also highlighted the importance of putting ourselves “out there” – promoting the profession & telling stories about what happens in our libraries. His extremely powerful example was that no one cares if 1000 people walk through your front door; what people care about are the experiences these people have when they are in your library.

2. Break down barriers.
I love this one, I really do. One look at the library signage stream on flickr says it all. Our focus should be on not making more work for our users (Karen Schneider: “the user is not broken”. Love it. Heard it more than once at the conference) because it’s not the users that are broken, it’s our policies, systems, and services. Not all, by any means, but many.

3. Adopt a 2.0 Philosophy
Grab the longtail and harness the wisdom of crowds! Discover new realms (Second Life Library 2.0), value experience & play (Learning 2.0). Helene Blowers is up next to talk about the latter in more detail

4. Create a culture of trust
Trust your users and makes sure your staff knows you can trust them. This is a difficult one for libraries/librarians, I think, because it necessitates a fundamental shift in philosophy on so many levels (especially the user trust issue). Yes, we’re the “experts”, yes we’ve got information organization covered par excellence, and yes we’re damn good at connecting people to information. What Library 2.0 does is push us to the next level where we can facilitate connections between people, whether that means opening up your catalogue to user comments or seeing the value in tagging & folksonomies, none of it can be embraced without that culture of trust.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of other bloggers here doing a bang-up job of blogging the sessions! Check out the il2006 tag on Technorati for all the details. Plus there’s the il2006 Flickr tag for the visuals, which have been plentiful & entertaining! You’ll find some of my pictures in that tag stream too.

My second workshop is done, now I get to kick back and enjoy the rest of the show! Thank you to everyone who attended the IM workshop – it was fun and I certainly learned a lot, hope you all did too! For those who there, here are the resources I rushed through at the end of the session:

• IM roadmap
• setting up an IM account
• IM tips for staff
• IM canned messages

And for those of you who gave me your cards for more info about the log script and the stats database we’re using, I’ll be in touch soon!

Hello from Monterey! Setting up for my RSS preconference workshop at Internet Librarian. Had a great session with 19 RSS-enthusiasts, can’t wait to see how they’re going to use these tools at their libraries!