Marketing information literacy education in a scientific community Case – Kumpula Science Library Antti Virrankoski University of Helsinki Libraries.

Marketing information literacy education in a scientific community

Case – Kumpula Science Library

Antti Virrankoski

University of Helsinki Libraries

Information is the currency of democracy (Thomas Jefferson)

Information literacy is the currency of library

Information Literacy as Currency in a Scientific Community

highly dependent on how librarians get their message

through Why is it so important for students and researchers?

Why is it so important for university (for society)?

Why is it so important that libraries take charge in IL

teaching?

In order to get the message through, librarians need PR

skills and marketing Not forgetting to have a good product first…

About Kumpula Science Library

Helsinki University Campus Library of Natural Sciences Geography, geology, physics, chemistry, computer science

& mathematics

IL education has mainly been conducted by the

departments Strong tradition of independent department libraries and co-

operation between researchers and librarians (strong bond)

Science Library was established 2001 The bond between department and library has weakened

Science Library is on its’ way gaining a bigger role in

educating students

For this we need a good product and even better marketing

- Re-bonding (making customers co-workers again)

The Changing Role of Library and Librarians (Clifford & Lynch 2000, 60-68)

Information environment

Change Library Librarian

1st wave Automation of traditional operations

Memory of mankind Few IT-experts, traditional skills

2nd wave Integrated library system

Standardization, harmonizing operations

ICT affects everyone’s tasks, skill level differences, user training

3rd wave e-library Changes in organization and process future orientation

Librarians as IL teachers

4th wave? e-scienceInteractivityIncreased focus on the customer

Networks Librarians as a part of teaching and research processes, Creative solutions

The Lost Bond

During the ”diaspora” (2001-2008) the role of library and a

librarian have changed (previous slide) The departments have become less dependent on library Library left the department – IL teaching remained

Previously it would have been a natural part of library’s

responsibilities

The role of a librarian lacks behind Perhaps a ”giant leap” over the 3rd wave?

Marketing IL education in Kumpula campus

Three way strategy (in addition to the ”normal” PR)

1. co-operation

2. availability

3. assimilation

Co-operation

In all possible levels and occasions Libraries planning the IL teaching alongside with the

department (as co-workers) Lightens the weight in departments’ teaching responsibility Chance to show librarians’ IL skills and value-added to the

department Chance to enlighten the true essence of IL Chance to get an inside view to the departments’ main

function (teaching processes) Let the product do the marketing itself

Case Kumpula I: Supporting the information seeking of

candidate students in Department of Geography

in the University of Helsinki

Full co-operation between library and department of

geography Teaching responsibility will be transferred to library Pilot from which the Science Library gathers as much

feed back as possible (from both sides)

Availability

Librarians got to be ready when needed Library must be open as much as possible (closed doors

= worst case scenario) PR, marketing and information providing are essential High quality IL education itself is best possible PR Letting the word get around (happy customer – best PR) Providing as much IL education as possible

Assimilation

To convince that IL teaching (and other library processes)

is an essential element of main processes (education,

research and societal interaction) in university To point out where and how IL teaching supports the

researchers or students (or a single research process)

Case Kumpula II: marketing presentation to our ”customers”

Presentation to the board and faculty decision makers

(customers) Who is behind the processes

Introducing the staff

How much work and staff behind services

Library as a part of students’ career Timeline from beginning to end Where lies the importance of library services in each step

of the way? What it means (for a student) to have good IL skills

Timeline and library interventions in university studies in Kumpula campus

First contact Usually library tour

ICT Driving Licence For new students (1st year)

Faculty responsible for teaching (Library supports and co-

operates)

Helsinki university libraries responsible for the material

(information seeking –part)

Timeline and library interventions in university studies in Kumpula campus

Providing text books Cataloguing, database management, collection

management, customer service etc.

Making collections available and supporting use of material

IL support for candidate and master’s level students IL support for postgraduate students Hands-on guidance (if needed)

Lifecycle of a research paper

Researchers IL-skills result of IL education in previous university studies (graduate

and post-graduate level IL support)

Better IL skills, better quality graduates, better researchers

Also valid in ”real life” labour market

IL teaching for researchers

Material Printed and e-material

Lots of library work behind usability and availability

Acquisition, cataloguing, database management etc…

Some feedback and observations

”I only wish that our (department) staff had so clear a

vision of their work, processes and meaning to the

scientific community” The amount of contacts and questions towards library

have been increasing Departments are slowly realizing that IL teaching (done

by library) could be off their work load

Other ways…

To show real interest in your customers User studies Research on their information behaviour

A true win-win situation

Customer information

Increasing professional competence as an information

specialist

Perhaps some respect as a ”colleague” in science…

Researcher visits Customers view on library services, information search, own

subject area etc.

A peak to a researcher’s work