C OLLABORATING ACROSS
C AMPUSES AND C ONTINENTS
Welcome to the Future!
Kimberly Brady, MSI, AHIP
Education & Research Librarian, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences
Nita Bryant, PhD
Library Liaison for the Social and Behavioral Sciences,
James Branch Cabell Library
Virginia Commonwealth University

I NTERNATIONAL P ROGRAMME IN
A DDICTION S TUDIES (IPAS)

A cross-campus library collaboration supporting the information needs of:

An online interdisciplinary program taught by 3 universities on 3 continents

A diverse and geographically dispersed student population


Challenges, Tools, and Solutions
Lessons Learned and Future Directions

S TUDENTS : G EOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

Social and Behavioral
Sciences Liaison
Health Sciences
Librarian

C ROSS -C AMPUS C OLLABORATION

Benefits:


Complementary subject and resource knowledge
Experience with different audiences

Challenges:


Scheduling meetings
Managing time constraints

I NSTRUCTIONAL T OOLS

LibGuide:

High use

High librarian visibility

Screencasts & Video
Tutorials

Blackboard (Course
Management System):

Embedded, “highly visible”

E-mail

T OOLS : VISIT OUR PROGRAM L IB G UIDE

T OOLS : B LACKBOARD
Librarians enrolled as
‘instructors’
Access to all course materials
Grasp course scope& sequence
Anticipate information needs
“Ask a Librarian”
Discussion Board widely used
Greater
Visibility!

C HALLENGES AND L ESSONS L EARNED

Time Differences

Complicates timely response to queries

Live Chat was offered but not used

Web Conferencing impractical across time zones

Due Dates vary by time zones

C HALLENGES AND L ESSONS L EARNED :

Course Reserves

Large numbers of readings

Insufficient time to process

Terms do not align with
US semesters

C HALLENGES AND L ESSONS L EARNED

Copyright & Licenses

Course Reserves: not all required readings were compliant with VCU’s policies

Software license limitations affected users outside US borders

F UTURE D IRECTIONS

Collaborate with University of
Adelaide, King’s College London libraries so students are directed to best sources available

New collaborative opportunities emerged from this program

We are providing similar support to
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows at VCU’s
Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies http://guides.library.vcu.edu/humphrey

W HAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD ?
Collaborations will be increasingly:

Cross/multi/inter-disciplinary

Multi-institutional

Multi-national

H OW CAN WE MEET THE FUTURE ?

Be proactive

Identify emerging opportunities

Approach colleagues with relevant complementary subject and resource knowledge

Identify potential barriers (institutional, organizational, time, distance, schedules)

Build rapport with program faculty – essential!

U SE DISTANCE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Create a Program LibGuide

Leverage Course Management Systems like
Blackboard

Create “Ask a Librarian” Discussion forum

Use email to announce new tutorials, answer questions, provide consultations

Leverage existing online tutorials, create program specific tutorials using available software

F INAL LESSON LEARNED : E XPECT SUCCESS !
The challenges are NOT that big!

Much was accomplished in a very short time using existing distance education technologies.
The payoffs ARE!

Students say we are an integral part of their course experience

Faculty have appreciated the program support

The experience has been personally/ professionally rewarding

M ORE I NFORMATION
VCU Libraries IPAS: Addiction Studies LibGuide: http://www.guides.library.vcu.edu/ipas
VCUlibraries on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/vculibraries
Kimberly Brady, MSI, AHIP
Education & Research Librarian, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences Virginia
Commonwealth University kkbrady@vcu.edu
Nita Bryant, PhD
Library Liaison for the Social and Behavioral Sciences, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia
Commonwealth University nbryant@vcu.edu
Flickr Creative Commons Image Attributions:
Slide 7: “Legs over Shinjuku,” by Nestor’s Blurrylife. ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/nestorlacle/3606781229/
Slide 18: “Stop Sign,” by Steve A. Johnson. http://www.flickr.com/photos/artbystevejohnson/6673406227/
Slide 19: “Handshake,” by buddawiggi. http://www.flickr.com/photos/buddawiggi/5987710858/