Changes in learning styles:
implications for user education
Judy Reading
OULS User Education Co-ordinator
Changing Times
ALLCU 30th ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
Wadham College, Oxford
14-16 July, 2008
What is “user education”?
What do we offer here?
We aim to:
 Ensure all our readers are given a clear and helpful
introduction to the Library services as appropriate to
their needs.
 Ensure all members of the University and its libraries
are offered effective support and guidance in
identifying and using appropriate information
resources.
 Develop and promote information expertise as a
general and transferable skill for students and
researchers of the University at levels appropriate
to their needs.
see www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/training
What is different now?




Resource environment
Student expectations and behaviour
Researcher expectations and behaviour
Library staff – up to the challenge?
Environmental scan 2007
Sophisticated and
complicated
resource
interfaces…
Our electronic resources, catalogues, indexes
and full-text resources
www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/oxlip
Our popular competitors
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/gg_final_keynote_11012008.pdf
Research suggests

“In general terms, this new form of
information seeking behaviour can be
characterized as being horizontal,
bouncing, checking and viewing in
nature. Users are promiscuous, diverse
and volatile…” p. 9
Young people
Information literacy deficit may be disguised by
IT facility
 Can they evaluate information for relevance
accuracy or authority?
 Do they understand their information needs
and develop good search strategies?
 Do they prefer natural language to
considered key words?
 Do they read or just click, skim and print or
copy?
Oxford students






Are not homogeneous
Prefer to find out for themselves?
Find Library training and induction useful?
Feel confident in locating information in their
subject?
Make very intelligent observations when
asked for their feedback
Do not necessarily understand basic things
about how information is organised
Gleaned from Freshers Fair survey and feedback
at our Research Students Toolkit Event
www.rin.ac.uk/researchers-discovery-services
Academics and researchers




Most researchers are using a range of
resource discovery tools, selecting an
appropriate tool for a specific inquiry and
using a range of resources
The main frustration is not with the research
discovery services but accessing the material
identified
Generally researchers are satisfied with
research discovery services but there is
overlap and it can be difficult to know where
to start
They are largely self-taught and
confident in their skills
www.rin.ac.uk/training-research-info
Key findings




Many researchers are expert searchers
and have adapted to new environment
Some lack the skills they need
Even those that feel competent may not
be effective
Library training is rarely integrated
with institutional environment
and policy
Our relationship is changing




Are they coming into the Library any
more?
Do they know what we do?
Do they care 
Are they using quality information?
What do we need to do?




Nurture our relationship with our readers
Ensure support is online so when they try and
find out for themselves the information is
there
Develop services which will offer the ease of
use of popular services as well as quality
content
Make sure we know what our readers
are thinking and doing
Developing web guides
helps readers locate
relevant resources from
their desktop
Our printed guides are
in pdf, word and in
many cases MP3
versions on the web
www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/guides
These database
profiles have been
designed for
experienced
researchers
We have developed a very popular training
event for research students – but the aim is
to embed information literacy in all courses
WISER: Workshops in Information
Skills and Electronic Resources
www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/wiser
Popular courses
include Keeping up
to date, Remote
access, Electronic
resources …
Skills training demand





Reference management
Critical appraisal and systematic reviews
Expert overviews of relevant material
One to one support for specific projects
Needs to be high-quality, relevant,
practical, tailored and hands-on…
Information literacy
meets Library 2.0 /
edited by Peter
Godwin and Jo
Parker – London :
Facet, 2008 9781856046374
Oxford Podcasts
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/
Vere Harmsworth Library Blog
Future plans





Revising guides
Developing online tutorials
Developing podcasts
Improving communication with readers
Embedding information literacy across
the University courses…
Useful references



See
www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/services/training/librarians
And the CILIP Information Literacy Group
website at www.informationliteracy.org.uk
Join lis-infoliteracy at www.jiscmail.ac.uk