Virginia Tech Libraries
Jennifer Nardine -- July 15, 2014
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Virginia Tech
• Public Land Grant University Founded in 1972
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“Land Grant” means land given by state for educational use with
expectation that it would benefit the state
• Originally call Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• Male only
• Military institution
• Now about 35000 students, 2 campuses plus
extension
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VT Libraries
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~3 million items
Subs to over 300 databases
Microfilm, journals, scores, data sets
Special collections – American Civil War,
Appalachia, Food
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Vet Med and Art & Arch
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Newman Library
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5 public floors & 1 for offices
Sorted by US LC call #
Divided into quiet and noisy
Food/drink allowed; cafe
WiFi throughout building
Wireless printing
Open 24/5
3 classrooms, 2 standard &
1 flipped
Strategic Plan 2013-18
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Information commons design & implementation
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Programmatic partnerships across campus
Learning lifecycle curriculum/curriculum mapping, new literacies review
Develop strategy for supporting locally generated digital content
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Peer rovers, advisory boards, class surveys, reference surveys, chat transcripts
Develop online learning platform including web-based modules
Support internationalization
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launch online platform for new and legacy materials, integrate with virtual community platforms,
repository, Digital humanities, seed $ for eresearch collab, epublishing, event capture, virtual
communities
Collect and analyze learning and research needs of students & faculty
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Weeding, new furniture, new collaborators,
Language lab, diversity council, close work with international center and LCI
Support online learning by increasing eholdings, eapprovals, DDA
Develop digital project space
Create instructional design team
Org Chart
Learning Division
Learning Services
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Learning Services
• Courses
• Online sources
• Internal/professional training
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Courses
• Most are face-to-face
• FYE program
• Some “one shot” & some multiple session
• Online graduate class 5124
• English, works with other course & required for all
English students
• Stand-alone/optional for all other groups
• Engineering (Chemical, Computer, Civil,
Mechanical)
• Business
• Sciences (Chemistry, Biology)
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LibGuides
• New investment to compliment CMS
• Designing modules for courses and
subject areas
• Librarian with subject expertise or who is
teaching the class builds the guide
based on template
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Internal training
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ILC – library
Non-teacher training – library
CIDER, NLS - university
LEO – regional
Research/publication/presentation at
regional, national, international levels
Information Literacy
• ACRL New Standards
• Metaliteracy: ability to create and consume information in many
formats, engagement with info ecosystem, greater self-direction,
learning throughout and past school
• Based on 6 frames which define threshold concepts:
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Scholarship is a conversation
Research as inquiry
Authority is contextual and constructed
Format as a process
Searching as exploration
Information has value
Scholarship is a conversation: no one right answer, discursive practice
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Identify contribution a piece makes to disciplinary knowledge
Summarize changes in perspective on a topic over time
Contribute to conversation on proper level
Predict that individual work doesn’t represent the only perspective
Critically evaluate contributions
Recognize entering middle of conversation, not a completed one
Research as Inquiry: iterative and based on increasingly difficult ?s
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Research through the lens on inquiry (iteration)
Give evidence of understanding that methods of research leading to new knowledge creation vary by
need, circumstance and type of ?
Formulate questions for research based on gaps in current info available
Communicate effectively with collaborators, learn from different viewpoints
Engage in self-directed learning with broader worldview thru global reach of technology
Authority is Constructed and Contextual: depends on info origin, need, context of use
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Determine how authoritative info is for given need
Identify markers of authority and understand limits
Understand that disciplines have acknowledged authorities/standards, which can still be challenged
Authoritative info may be formal or informal, may include dynamic user-generated info
Recognize that they themselves may be seen as authority, recognize inherent responsibility
Evaluate user response, being aware of nature of different feedback mechanisms
(tradition and social media platforms)
Format as process: characteristics of format during creation process
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Understand that format and method of access are different things
Recognize that different creation processes result in distinct attributes (ISBN vs doi)
Articulate purpose of various formats & their characteristics
Identify which format best fits need
Decide which format to use when sharing own creations (articles, blogs, etc)
Transfer knowledge to new formats as environment evolves
Searching as exploration: non-linear, iterative, broad range of sources, flexibility in choices
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Determine the scope of question or need
Identify others that might produce info on a topic and how to access it
Demonstrate importance of matching info need and search strategy to correct tools
Recognize some tools may be searched with basic and advanced strategies, and why
Are inclined to find citation management/sharing features (info mgt strategies)
Information has value: time, original thought, resources used (value varies by viewer) cc
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Give credit to original ideas of others through citation/attribution
Recognize the meaning of intellectual property in the US
Understand that IP is a social construct that varies by culture
Articulate purpose/characteristics of copyright, open access and public domain
Know how to find open source material
Differentiate between new production and re-use/mix of open sources
Manage online presence responsibly
Decide where their info, as creator, should be published.
Translating this to action
• Online versus face-to-face versus blended
• Traditional vs Flipped classes
• Active learning
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Thank you
Jennifer T. Nardine,
Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech University
Libraries
jnardine@vt.edu
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