Developing Library GIS Services for Humanities and Social Science: An Action Research Approach

Kong, Nicole; Fosmire, Michael; Branch, Benjamin

doi:10.5860/crl.78.4.413

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Multiple researchers have used action research to assess information literacy instruction (e.g., Insua, Lantz, & Armstrong, 2018;LeMire, Sullivan, & Kotinek, 2019;Margolin, Brown, & Ward, 2018). In addition, researchers have used action research for other types of assessment including the enhancement of services (Kong, Fosmire, & Branch, 2017) and planning library spaces (Brown-Sica, 2012; Brown-Sica, Sobel, & Rogers, 2010). Using action research to determine a way to assess our consultations would allow us to build upon the hallmarks of the assessment cycle, while incorporating the aspects of action research that would keep our research design flexible as we encountered new information.…”

Section: Action Research and Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of Methods to Assess Team Research Consultations

Kogut¹,

Melgoza²

2020

EBLIP

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Objective – Due to the individualized nature of consultations and institutional constraints, research consultations can be challenging to assess. At Texas A&M University Libraries, subject librarians use research consultations to teach information literacy to upper-division engineering student teams working on a technical paper project. This paper describes an action research project designed to evaluate which assessment method for consultations with student teams would provide the most actionable data about the instruction and the consultation logistics as well as optimize librarian time. Methods – For three semesters, we simultaneously used up to four consultation assessment methods: one-minute papers, team process interviews, retrospective interviews, and questionnaires. We followed the action research cycle to plan the assessments, implement the assessments, reflect on the data collected and our experiences implementing the assessments, and revise the assessments for the next semester. Each assessment method was distributed to students enrolled in an engineering course at a different point in the technical paper project. The one-minute paper was given immediately after the consultation. The team process interviews occurred after project deliverables. The questionnaire was distributed in-person on the last day of class. Focus groups were planned for after the assignment was completed, but low participation meant that instead of focus groups we conducted retrospective interviews. We used three criteria to compare the assessments: information provided related to the effectiveness of the instruction, information provided about the logistics of the consultation, and suitability as an assessment method in our context. After comparing the results of the assessment methods and reflecting on our experiences implementing the assessments, we modified the consultation and the assessment methods for the next semester. Results – Each assessment method had strengths and weaknesses. The one-minute papers provided the best responses about the effectiveness of the instruction when questions were framed positively, but required the most staff buy-in to distribute. The team process interviews were time intensive, but provided an essential understanding of how students think about and prepare for each progress report. Recruiting for and scheduling the focus groups required more time and effort than the data collected about the instruction and logistics warranted. The questionnaire provided student perspectives about their learning after the assignment had been completed, collected feedback about the logistics of the consultations, was easy to modify each semester, and required minimal librarian time. Conclusion – Utilizing multiple assessment methods at the same time allowed us to determine what would work best in our context. The questionnaire, which allowed us to collect data on the instruction and consultation logistics, was the most suitable assessment method for us. The description of our assessment methods and our findings can assist other libraries with planning and implementing consultation assessment.

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Section: Action Research and Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of Methods to Assess Team Research Consultations

Kogut¹,

Melgoza²

2020

EBLIP

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“…Not only have general GIS support and services become popular among these large libraries, but their GIS service has become more integrated with certain disciplines also. The Purdue University library's GIS service has co-developed a program with the school's humanities and social science department to better serve the university mission (Kong et al, 2017).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Provision and Sustainability of GIS Services

Gao¹,

Wang²

2020

IJoL

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This paper presents a case study of how one academic library provides services and support for the Geographic Information System (GIS) needs of students and faculty. The case study involves an American university library that has provided GIS services to meet the needs of students and faculty while lacking the formal position of a dedicated GIS Librarian. The library’s variety of GIS-related support is described in the paper, and an overview of resources for librarians to develop their GIS skills is also shared. The paper offers insights and lessons learned about the level of services that can be offered by academic libraries in GIS-related research and training for students, faculty, and staff.

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“…Nicole Kong, the library's GIS specialist, collaborated in this NEH grant application as a co-PI because it fits the mission of the library's GIS service to provide geospatial information access and technology support across disciplines, and because of the library's history of supporting spatial humanities at Purdue University (Kong, Fosmire, and Branch 2016). The institute was co-directed by Dr. Kim Gallon, an assistant professor of history at Purdue University, and Dr. Angel David Nieves, an associate professor and co-director of digital humanities initiative at Hamilton College.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When teaching GIS for the humanities students, three basic skills are needed to get them started with their spatial projects, including spatial thinking skills, data skills, and technology skills (Kong, Fosmire, and Branch 2016). In many one-shot instructions, librarians are able to introduce the basic concept of spatial information and examples of spatial humanities projects, thus teaching the spatial thinking skills.…”

Section: Challenges and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the one-shot: Intensive workshops as a platform for engaging the library in digital humanities

Powell

Kong²

2017

College & Undergraduate Libraries

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This article explores how librarian participation as instructors in week-long intensive classes-a common workshop format in Digital Humanities (DH)-can advance a variety of library objectives, while also uniquely supporting the DH community. Intensive workshops fall between the one-shot session and credit course formats more commonly found in library instruction. Drawing on case studies from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) instruction at DH institutes at the University of California Berkeley and Purdue University, the authors explore the origins of librarian involvement, course topics, pedagogy, and library services. Based on their instruction experiences in the DH summer institutes and student surveys, the authors argue that intensive instruction workshops provide a good potential platform for library involvement in Digital Humanities.

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Developing Library GIS Services for Humanities and Social Science: An Action Research Approach

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

An Evaluation of Methods to Assess Team Research Consultations

An Evaluation of Methods to Assess Team Research Consultations

The Provision and Sustainability of GIS Services

Beyond the one-shot: Intensive workshops as a platform for engaging the library in digital humanities

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