1. A Case Study on Learning and Teaching Support Provided by Earlham College Library.
- Author
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Nagasawa, Tayo
- Subjects
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ACADEMIC libraries , *TEACHING , *LIBRARY administration , *LIBRARY reference services , *HIGHER education research , *COLLEGE teachers ,EARLHAM College. Library - Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the content and context of learning and teaching support provided by Earlham College Library as part of a series of research projects on the educational function of college and university libraries. The Earlham College Library was selected because in has provided diverse programs to support learning and teaching since the 1960s and its practices have influenced many college and university libraries in the U.S. Methods: This research conducts a descriptive case study presenting a detailed account of the learning and teaching support provided by Earlham College Library. The data are interview data, archival records, administrative documents, reports, dissertations, data on physical artifacts, and observational data. Results: Programs to support learning and teaching are initiated to respond to the actual and potential needs of clients and to integrate library programs into existing services provided by the college body. The programs use techniques such as repeatedly publicizing the existence and the educational role of the College Library and its reference librarians and providing support to courses in which research papers have been assigned. In terms of programs that support learning, it was found that undergraduates appreciated course-related instruction on specific topics, but were not as likely to accept similar instruction for multiple courses or course-related instruction on general topics. Faculty members were found to recognize on improvement in the quality of their student's performance as a result of their enhanced information retrieval skills. The evaluation of programs that support teaching revealed that faculty members were able to develop a clearer sense of the role of the College Library and its reference librarians in the educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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