This study identifies challenges that native Chinese-speaking undergraduate engineering students face in researching and writing an academic paper in comparison with their native English-speaking peers. With growing enrolment of Chinese students in North America, the question of how best to enhance these students' learning experiences through library instruction and services is increasingly important. In this study, researchers recruited 17 participants (eight native Chinese-speaking and nine native English-speaking students) from a communication in engineering course at McGill University, and conducted a preliminary interview, an online survey, and an in-depth interview to gather data about each student's research experience. The online survey findings, which were used to inform the in-depth interview questions, were reported in a previous publication. The current article presents the qualitative findings from the in-depth interviews only. Findings show that native Chinese-speaking students have unique informationrelated challenges in the areas of searching, evaluating information, reading, writing, and citing. Challenges with specific elements of searching (such as locating full text) and writing (such as creating an outline) were shared among members of both groups. Recommendations for librarians, engineering instructors, and staff in other units serving international students are also provided.
Since their inception, virtual reference services have evolved considerably and are now a significant component of library services in many types of library environments. The current paper reports on a study undertaken at a research-intensive academic library that analyzed and evaluated a decade-old virtual reference service. The main goal of the study was to obtain a broad and comprehensive picture of the current service, grounded in the actual day-to-day provision, usage, and organization of the service. The group of librarians involved in the study developed a feasible, efficient, and adaptable methodology for assessing and evaluating a virtual reference service. The developed methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative methods can be used and applied for a similar evaluation of the service in any type of library environment.
Academic libraries are challenged with managing collection budgets for purchasing multidisciplinary ebook packages while equitably distributing funds for print and electronic monographs across subjects. McGill Library's science and engineering monograph holdings were analyzed using OCLC's WorldShare Collection Evaluation (WCE). Researchers mapped Conspectus subject divisions and categories to relevant university departments and evaluated holdings in comparison with department metrics to provide a fuller picture for collection development decision making. Findings show that WCE can be used in combination with circulation data and enrollment and staffing numbers to provide insight into the purchasing and use patterns of monographs down to the department level
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