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Library Instruction Committee: Barbara Francis Library instruction at the University of Florida probably had its early start as the academic faculty recommended the use of books to students. In the early days, textbook recitation was the teaching method of choice in both the East Florida Seminary and the Florida Agricultural College. However, a Florida Agricultural Experiment Station report form 1896-97 stated that “We use text-books, but in every department the text-book is secondary to the living word of the trained teacher and to the work of the student in library and laboratory. We have recitations, but in the recitation we endeavor that the student shall realize and assimilate the thought,… or the principle rather than to make him a conduit through which shall flow a noisy stream of memorized words.” (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Report 1896-97. Lake City, Florida Agricultural College) Around the turn of the century, the lecture method and oral questioning began to supplant textbook recitation in many of the courses, although some faculty still felt that the pupils could learn more by reading a book than by listening to an explanation. As time went on there came to be a combined lecture and recitation system. (Samuel Proctor. The University of Florida: Its Early Years, 1853-1906. Gainesville, University of Florida 1958) In the late 1930s, one and one-half reference librarians tried to cover much of the 88 hours per week that the UF library was open. A general reorganization of the library in 1947 enlarged the Reference Department, and soon divisional reading rooms were established. Reference librarians taught library use to classes or groups of students. By the late 1950s, teaching the use of the library included lectures to classes in Finance, Statistics, Insurance, Education, Physical Education, Music, and to special groups interested in foreign materials. Two staff members taught one of the required courses in Journalism on the use of books and libraries, in four sections. (Adams, Katharine B. The Growth and Development of the University of Florida Libraries, 1940-1958. Washington, D.C., Catholic University of America, 1959) A basic library skills credit course (LIS 2001) began in 1956 and continued for 30 years until it was discontinued about 1986. As the branch libraries were established, lecture to academic classes continued to increase. Brochures about the libraries and services were produced, bibliographies were prepared, tours were given, and at least one library provided an audio tour. A course in the literature of chemistry, which had been offered in the Chemistry Department since 1930, began to be taught by librarians about 1952. Today, library instruction offerings make an impressive list. Library sessions in academic classes and other invited classes are given in every public services department. Orientations, tours, and other library-initiated sessions are offered. The Chemistry Literature course continues to be taught. Handouts include brochures explaining the Libraries and their services, bibliographies, and “how-to” information. Basic and advanced LUIS training is offered. Instruction in the use of CD-ROM indexes and other computer services is given in academic classes and library-initiated sessions. Media have been incorporated into instruction as slide sets, a videotape “tour”, overhead transparencies, and displays. A hypercard stack to teach the use of LUIS is in preparation. Many public services librarians, as well as some technical services librarians are involved in these efforts. However, the Libraries still have no organized way of reaching every student. We tend to have most offerings on both ends of a scale but not much in the middle, i.e. introductory tours and orientations are offered frequently, and many advanced sessions are incorporated into upper-level undergraduate and graduate and professional level classes. There is little instruction in research or information-finding skills and critical evaluation of sources, or special help for foreign and culturally diverse students. The technical advances in the Libraries have outpaced the delivery of services teaching students how to use the materials. Some of the librarians have noted problems with teaching advanced skills because the students do not have the basics. Experience at the reference desks tells us that many patrons do not possess the basic skills necessary to do library research. They do not understand the difference between using the library catalog in LUIS to find books on a subject, and using an indexing or abstracting service in print or CD-ROM to find current periodical articles. Each person working at the desk has to teach the very basics of LUIS in every shift. Although the evidence is folkloric, it is worthwhile to note that some patrons who ask for help at the reference desk admit to being seniors and never having had to use the library previously in the career at UF. Although these students may learn their way around the library, they are likely to leave the university with no idea of an effective library research process which would allow them to meet their information needs in the future. The following listing details current library instruction offerings at the University of Florida. The list was compiled by the Library Instruction Committee members from records and by interviewing teaching librarians. An appendix to this report provides historical summaries of instruction in various library departments. Construction Entrepreneurship (BCN 4751)
General information Building Construction: Site Analysis Orientation of new graduate students in Geography
Florida Future Scientists
Biology seniors (David, Francis 4203) Student Handbook
Jounalism-- Geography-- History-- Business-- Anthropology-- Sociology-- Health Education-- Political Science-- Literature and Languages-- Counseling--
Psyclit
Beginning Drawing Building Construction/Urban Regional Planning Thesis Group
Indexes LUIS- “If You Can’t Find It” Reading (RER 5355) English Language Institute
How to Use LUIS Music for Elementary Child (MUE 3210)
By request or when a need is seen by librarian
International Business Law Introduction to the IBM PC
Guides to locating and using materials (26 different publications) Chemistry Literature (CHM 4060 taught by librarians since before 1973) Mechanical Engineering Design
Faculty Reception for Science and Engineering faculty
Basic Training (several sessions offered beginning of each term) Agricola Publication cycle Welcome to MSL brochure
Brochure about Price Library of Judaica Liberation Theology (G., Stahmer) This appendix contains historical summaries of library instruction in public services departments for which the listing of current offering cannot indicate the extent of the instruction. These informal summaries were contributed by member of those units: Architecture and Fine Arts Library Just as the holdings for some periodical titles are enclosed in brackets to indicate scattered issues held, it might be appropriate to place [bibliographic instruction for government publications] in brackets to indicate… a less than comprehensive program but various activities over a long period of time. As with most library histories, the one for bibliographic instruction for government publications is tied to the organizational, programmatic, and physical changes that have occurred over the years. Previously a part of the Serials Department, the Documents Department, was in the Technical Services Division of the Library from the mid-1950’s until late 1989 when it was transferred to Public Service. During the Department’s early years, most reference and instruction were provided by the staff of the Reference and Bibliography Department where those activities were centered. Documents sources were included in class presentations when appropriate, especially by the social science and business administration librarians. A short unit on government publications was included in the LIS 2001 class, a credit course taught by Reference librarians. Documents librarians sometimes participated in this instruction and/or assisted with updating the information to be presented. In the later years of the class before its demise, those classes met in the Documents Department during a class session for onsite instruction by the Documents librarians who wanted to participate. After moving into Library West in 1967, the Documents staff gradually assumed more responsibility for providing service for the documents collection. This included class presentations requested by faculty. Faculty usually made the requests to individual librarians, and the majority of the classes were graduate level. Professors requesting class presentations about government publications represented a range of academic departments, i.e., history, political science, sociology, real estate, economics, engineering, building construction, urban and regional planning, and health science education. Although some of the presentations were a one-time occurrence, others were recurring term-to-term or year-to-year with a few continuing today. Some ceased when faculty left or retired. Occasionally, classes were taught jointly with staff from reference or other collections. For a number of years, Margaret LeSourd, Urban and Regional Planning Documents Librarian, Retired, made class presentations on sources for site development for a building construction course. This instruction is being continued in the Documents Department. Because of the specialized nature of government publications, the presentations were customized for the classes. Generally, the focus was on U.S. federal documents with a mention of other areas if applicable or requested. Documents in general, basic indexes, and specialized sources for material particularly pertinent to the course were covered. Special handouts for the classes were prepared, and sample documents of interest to the class were displayed. If a class was a repeat, the presentations were updated to include new material. In the 1970s, a Library Energy Committee, composed of librarians from various collections including the Documents Department, was active in producing a bibliography of energy sources in the Library’s collections. Members of the committee also made several presentations to participants in AID-sponsored international institutes on alternate sources of energy conducted by Erich Farber [et al.] at the TREEO Center. Government publications were a major part of those presentations as were sources in the Reference Department, Agriculture Library, and Engineering and Physics Library. A number of handouts in addition to ones prepared for classes were made for general use. Some related to specific titles (i.e., Federal Register); others were broader in scope. Gary Cornwell and Mary Engebretson, former Business Reference Librarian, collaborated on lengthy bibliographies related to business including documents as well as reference sources. Some of these general handouts are still being used to assist users in accessing information located in government publications. --Sally A. Cravens
The educational program in the Health Science Center Library started some time before 1970 when Esther Jones, now Head of Public Services, began as a reference librarian. The program in the early day prior to 1970 and shortly after was handled by Elizabeth Eaton, then Head of Reference. She taught the Medical and Pharmacy students and had an audiotape tour. IN 1975, Esther Jones became Head of Reference and she did all the teaching, adding sessions for Nursing, Dental, then Veterinary Medicine students. IN the 1980s sessions were added for the Health Related Professions; Occupational, Physical, and Respiratory Therapy, Community and Clinical Dietetics, Physician Assistants, and Dental Hygienist. As more reference librarian positions were added she shared the teaching lead, gradually dispersing all of it. She coordinated the teaching until the Spring of 1990 when a new position was designated as Information Specialist/Education Coordinator. Barbara W. Francis requested to be reassigned to this position (which also includes reference desk coverage, on-line searching, assistance in the Informatics Lab, and collection management in three subject areas). This position reports directly to the Head of Information Services. There are 7 librarians who teach classes and non-professionals are included in giving tours and LUIS sessions. In 1990-91 we reported the following statistics to the Association of Academic Health Science Library Directors for the Annual statistics of medical school libraries in the United States and Canada: Educational Programs Attendance: 1,083 Contact Hours: 138 Orientations: Attendance: 194 This directory included educational program statistics for the first time in 1985. --Barbara W. Francis
The Humanities and Social Sciences Reference Department in the Library West taught a basic library skills course for many years (LIS 2001). The course was directed by Carol Kem, Barbara Wittkoph, and others. Various reference librarians were assigned to teach sections of the course each semester. The course was an elective, not required for any academic programs. It was dropped from the course listings in (or around) 1986. Some reasons that are given for discounting the course were: lack of interest and enrollment; too much time required for preparation for too little return; course lacked real academic content. Various attempts to coordinate BI for the Humanities and
Social Sciences continued through the 1980s including the formation
of several committees composed of reference staff and bibliographers.
Peter Malanchuk, Carol Kem, Pam Pasak, Delores Jenkins and others created
various reference guides and other printed tools. In the early 1980s,
Peter Malanchuk and Carol Kem created a slide/tape presentation to teach
basic skills needed to locate information in Library West. The information Literacy Program in the Humanities and Social Sciences focuses on the remaining student groups who do not currently receive basic or advanced BI. These groups include: incoming freshmen, transfer students from community colleges, returning, older or other non-traditional student and international students. Incoming freshman are by far the largest group. These students are being reached now with basic library orientations and tours. Efforts are being made to train graduate assistants who teach freshman English, who will then take responsibility for teaching basic library skills to their classes. Suzy Shaw (Systems), Mary Gay Anderson (Documents) and Carol Kem (Collection Management) received a grant from the Office of Instructional Resources to begin developing a Hypercard application to teach new users to search the LIS on-line catalog. A grant proposal was submitted to the Apple Corporation’s Apple Library of Tomorrow (A LOT) program in August 1991 to provide public access Macintosh workstations in seven library branches to provide user access to computer assisted instruction in library skills. Another grant application has been submitted seeking DSR funding to provide “Research Assistant” a commercial Hypercard application that teaches the entire research process. Outreach to other campus programs such as Freshman Orientation and Freshman Preview (through the Student Services Office) is being planned. Statistics HSS 1990-91 (Fall, Spring, Summer) BI in Academic Classes: 61 sessions reaching 1,060 students Other tours/Orientations: Weekly during semesters reaching 50 students --Molly Molloy
Instructional efforts to art/architectural clientele have varied depending upon the situation of AFA staffing and academic departmental leadership. In 1984 a converted effort was made to introduce all incoming architecture students (about 12 sections of 20+ students) to AFA Library. At the same time, an instructional session, occasionally team-taught with Ray Jones, Social Sciences librarian, was offered to students enrolled in a pre-thesis research class. Robin Poynor’s classes were generally provided a focused tour (modern art). There were occasional tours or instructional sessions for a class in every discipline except Building Construction. A tour of AFA Library is an introduction of majors to a subject-specialized collection and should not be confused as a “general” tour. We rarely deal with non-majors in tour/orientation situations. The involvement of Architecture classes, which has not ceased, while being influenced by the new department chair who is from Colombia Univ., home of the preeminent architectural library. By 1986 five or six department chairs served by AFA changed and the deans of Architecture and Fine Arts changed as well. Architecture, in fact, has had four chairs and will have a fifth beginning in the fall. There have been three deans of the Architecture College since 1984. Parallel to this has been immense change in the staffing and overall responsibilities of AFA Library staff. Hence, the lack of continuity and the leadership changes 1/88-8/88 and 7/89-6/90 there was no assistant librarian to help with instruction and other duties at a time when collection development funding increased over 100%. Numerous handouts to assist students have been made in the past to develop self-sufficiency in an environment where providing dedicated reference is problematic. The handouts follow a standard easy-to-use format. Extensive guides to ‘submerged’ collections (drawing, preservation project) have also been created. The handouts can be point-of-use tools as well. --Ed Teague
Librarians in the Education Library have offered Bibliographic Instruction for at least 30-35 years and probably longer. Instruction has been given at the undergraduate and graduate level for many years at the request of faculty. The number of classes vary from year to year, depending upon faculty and student interests and needs. During the 1950’s and 1960’s a formal one-hour per term of library instruction was required by the College of Education for all doctoral students. In addition to a lecture, an assignment in library research was given. This was required because a faculty member who taught educational research felt that all students should be able to do library research. After his death, the College dropped this requirement. Presently the Education Library offers instruction at various
levels at the request of the faculty. Orientation and tours are conducted
in the library for undergraduate and graduate students in all departments
of the College of Education. Requests are also received from outside
the college from such groups as agricultural education, special admissions
students and the English Language Institute. --Linda Sparks
The Legal Information Center has no formal bibliographic instruction program. Reference librarians provide library orientation to beginning students each semester. Students have formal training in legal bibliography and research techniques through a required course in Legal Research and Writing during their first semester. For many years the librarians were responsible for the legal research course. Betty E. Taylor taught this course for more than a decade beginning in the mid-1950s. Her assistants later took this responsibility and taught the course until the late 1970s. Now, seven full time faculty members in a Legal Research and Writing program teach Legal Research and Writing, a required first semester course, followed by Appellate Advocacy in the second semester. Librarians provide tours and instructional sessions in formal classes from the law school as well as the campus at large. Each year students from a number of courses taught outside of the law school, such as Education Law, Communications Law, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, gather for tours and orientation sessions at the Legal Information Center. Librarians also provide instructional sessions to law classes such as Art Law, Sports Law, Family Law and Environmental Law. The course offerings vary each semester, so classes are not provided on a systematic basis to each class. During 1990-1991, librarians reached approximately 400 students in 25 classes. --Rosalie Sanderson
The predecessors of the Marston Science Library were the Chemistry Library, Engineering and Physics Library, and Physics and Astronomy Reading Room, and Hume Library, as well as science and mathematics collections from Libraries East and West. In the Chemistry Library, the Chemistry Literature course was the primary form of instruction. This credit course began in 1930 in the Chemistry Department, and has been taught by librarians since Roger Krumm came to the Chemistry Library about 1952. Carol Drumm later taught it. The library provided other library sessions in academic classes upon request, and did handouts on how to use major Chemistry reference sources. In more recent years LUIS training sessions and demonstrations of on-line searching of Chemical Abstracts were added. In the Engineering and Physics Library, Roger Krumm taught library sessions in academic classes on request, and later Barry Hartigan and other librarians also gave these sessions. Handouts were sometimes produced in connection with these classes. In 1975, Alice Primack produced a Student Handbook for the Engineering and Physics Library, which contained a description of the collection services and a map of the library. This handbook was updated regularly. In the late 1970s, Alice prepared 6-9 page guides to the literature of astronomy, physics and engineering. These were reissued in various revisions. Barry Hartigan was active on the committee that developed an Energy Bibliography in 1982, and lectured on this subject on request. When the on-line library catalog was developed, training sessions were scheduled in the E & P Library and the Reading Room. In Hume Library, very little instruction was done before 1968 when Bill Weaver joined the staff as reference librarian. Bill then did most of the instruction, assisted by Ann King and later also by Anita Battiste. There was a conference room/classroom on the fifth floor until it had to be taken out about 1969 to make room for the periodicals collection. By the mid-1970s the library was offering tours and library sessions for academic classes on request. Bibliographies were prepared, and Bill Weaver wrote a library guide, with maps and instructions on how to use the library. Since about 1970 a faculty member in Entomology, Dr. Tom Walker, has taught a credit course in the entomological literature and use of the library. Some library instruction was done in Libraries East and West in conjunction with the science and mathematics collections that were housed there. Delores Jenkins taught library sessions in academic classes in geology, environmental sciences, mathematics, oceanography, and zoology. She frequently team-taught with Ann King or Barry Hartigan. Bibliographies and other handouts were provided for these subject areas. With the opening of the new Marston Science Library in
February of 1987, instruction is coordinated by Alice Primack. Tours
and orientations, LUIS training sessions, CD-ROM classes, library sessions
in academic classes, and special sessions are offered. An MSL Seminar
Series has two presentations each year on the science and engineering
literature. Three series of handouts have been developed: subject guides,
index guides, and miscellaneous guides. A videotape introduction to
the library provides a “tour” and orientation to the library,
and a slide set has also been developed. The library participates in
special programs including Florida Foundation for Future Scientists
and the OIR-sponsored thesis-dissertation workshops. The Chemistry Literature
course continues, and a library module has become part of another Chemistry
course for seniors in physical chemistry. One or two library sessions
are regularly included in several other academic courses. Statistics
for the 1990-91 academic year show a total of 82 instructional sessions
serving 1,087 people. Both suffer a lack of space at present. Whereas in the past, groups could come in person for introductions/presentations to these collections, now it must be done on a one-on-one basis, or in an outreaching fashion. Mary Jame Diacoff, Belknap collection, has given presentations to classes from the theater and dance departments for approximately 15 years. Costume, or general theatre, or Shakespearean works could be covered. She has often worked with one of the English professors, Carolyn Smith, in preparing presentations that have Shakespeare as the central topic. She has also given presentations to theatre faculty, introducing them to the extremely wide range of resources that compromise the Belknap collection. Her most favorite mode of presenting the variety of materials is the use of one work, i.e., Dracula, as the focal point and to show every possible resource in their collection which touches on this work: playbills, interpretations, costumes, etc. She plans on carrying to the classroom this kind of information dissemination simply because now there is no room in their library facility to do so and, perhaps more important, because she enjoys doing it. Dr. Alexander of the Florida history library bemoans the fact that now there is no possibility of bringing in groups for presentations. She has been involved in the kind of activity on an informal-or, rather, as needed, basis, for years. Now it will be done on a one-on-one basis. Individual researchers make heavy use of the collection. General informational handouts have been prepared for each of these collections. --Kate Lee |
