- Email: [email protected]
Incorporating Undergraduate Advising in Teaching Information Literacy: Case Study for Academic Librarians as Advisors
Incorporating Undergraduate Advising in Teaching Information Literacy: Case Study for Academic Librarians as Advisors by Courtney L. Young
The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) provides program guidelines for student learning and development outcomes. These recommended academic advising guidelines parallel those of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education. Both standards focus on student behaviors and outcomes in higher education. The parallels that exist between academic advising and academic librarianship are confirmed by the case study described in this paper, in which an academic librarian served as an undergraduate academic advisor for one year.
Courtney L. Young is Reference Librarian and Assistant Professor of Women's Studies, Penn State University Libraries, Beaver Campus Library, 100 University Drive, Monaca, PA 15061, USA.
The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 34, Number 2, pages 139–144
INTRODUCTION The parallels that exist between academic advising and academic librarianship are evident in national standards for student outcomes developed by the relevant professional organizations. The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) provides program guidelines for student learning and development outcomes.1 This Academic Advising Program (AAP) assists “students in the development of meaningful educational plans” by incorporating student learning, student development, and enhancement of “overall educational experiences.” The AAP can consist of up to sixteen “Desirable Student Learning and Development Outcomes” (see Supplementary Table 1). These recommended academic advising guidelines for higher education parallel those of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education” (see Supplementary Table 2). These standards, comprised of five standards and twenty-two performance indicators, support the development of lifelong learners.2 The information literate person can “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” The building blocks for these behaviors and outcomes are accomplished via advising sessions, semester course assignments, bibliographic instruction, or reference service. Both the ACRL and CAS standards focus on student behaviors and outcomes in higher education (Table 1). These standards also recognize that the advisor and the librarian have a role in the student's development of these outcomes. In these processes, students are assisted in making decisions based on goals developed and revised in collaboration with the advisor or librarian. Both recommend strategies for gathering, examining, and interpreting information related to the students' educational experience. Both rely on institutional policies and procedures and refer students to other campus services and resources when appropriate. Both are invested in student development of shortterm and long-term goals resulting in an information literate member of a global society. Academic advisors teach students about various courses of study, provide strategies for selecting an appropriate major, and apply those academic goals to course work and future careers. Academic advising introduces students to services at their institution designed to help them be successful. Academic lib-
March 2008 139
Table 1 The Correspondence of Information Literacy Competency Standards and Outcomes and CAS Academic Advising Standards and Outcomes ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards Performance Indicators Standard One: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
CAS Standards For Academic Advising Program “Desirable Student Learning and Development Outcomes and Achievement Indicators” Intellectual growth Effective communication Career choices Achievement of personal and educational goals
Outcomes include developing a thesis statement and formulating questions based on information needs; defining a realistic overall plan and timeline to acquire the needed information; reviewing the initial information need to clarify, revise, or refine the question. Standard Two: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
Outcomes include employing critical thinking in problem solving on selection of major and course selection; describing career choice and choices of academic major and minor based on interests, values, skills, and abilities; using personal and educational goals to guide decisions. Intellectual growth Effective communication Independence Career choices
Outcomes include using specialized online or in person services available at the institution to retrieve information needed; using surveys, letters, interviews, and other forms of inquiry to retrieve primary information; using various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats. Standard Three: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
Outcomes include using complex information from a variety of sources including personal experience and observation to form a decision or opinion; demonstration of ability to use campus technology resources; documenting knowledge, skills, and accomplishments resulting from formal education, work experience, community service and volunteer experiences. Intellectual growth Effective communication Enhanced self-esteem Clarified values Collaboration Healthy behaviors Independence Satisfying and productive lifestyles Appreciation of diversity Career choices
Outcomes include extending initial synthesis, when possible, at a higher level of abstraction to construct new hypotheses that may require additional information; recognizing the cultural, physical, or other context within which the information was created and understands the impact of context on interpreting the information; participating in classroom and other discussions; Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
Outcomes include applying previously understood information and concepts to a new situation or setting; demonstrating an appreciation for diversity and the impact it has on society; making connections between classroom and out-of-classroom learning
Effective communication Collaboration Enhanced self-esteem Independence Meaningful interpersonal relations Spiritual awareness
140 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
Table 1 (continued) ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards Performance Indicators
CAS Standards For Academic Advising Program “Desirable Student Learning and Development Outcomes and Achievement Indicators” Satisfying and productive lifestyles Appreciation of diversity Leadership development Healthy behaviors Social responsibility Career choices
Outcomes include articulating knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance; communicating clearly and with a style that supports the purposes of the intended audience; choosing a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes of the product or performance and the intended audience. Standard Five: Understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
Outcomes include developing relationships with academic advisors, faculty members, students, and other institution staff to be engaged with the institution in meaningful ways; exhibiting ability to visualize a group purpose and desired outcomes; articulating long-term goals and objectives.
Effective communication Enhanced self-esteem Clarified values Independence Meaningful interpersonal relations Leadership development Appreciation of diversity Social responsibility Spiritual awareness
Outcomes include identifying and discussing issues related to censorship and freedom of speech; demonstrating an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and does not represent work attributable to others as his/her own.
rarians teach students to identify, access, and evaluate information and research sources, and apply that process to their learning. Reference and bibliographic instruction introduces students to resources at their academic library designed to help them be successful. All of these information skills are necessary for the development of knowledge and academic success. Over the past thirty years, three institutional models of academic advising have been used: a faculty-only model, an academic adviser model, and a blend of the two. One study noted broader participation in advising is good for academic institutions. In discussing the findings of their study on academic advising satisfaction, Lowe and Toney note that “the nature of the institution has become much more complex. As a result, advising has evolved from a faculty responsibility into one that involves the entire campus community.”3 That same philosophy is fundamental to information literacy: “Incorporating information literacy across curricula, in all programs and services, and throughout the administrative life of the university, requires the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators.”4 As members of the campus community
Outcomes include functioning on the basis of personal identity, ethical, spiritual, and moral values; understanding and practicing principles of academic integrity.
who traditionally support these goals through library instruction, reference service, and collection development, librarians can broaden their participation by taking on more formal student advising responsibilities.
REVIEW
OF THE
LITERATURE
The library literature is limited with regard to academic librarians serving as academic advisors in undergraduate programs. One article appeared in College and Research Libraries News. Paul Studdard provided a brief overview of his role as an advisor, describing how his training as an academic librarian lends itself well to academic advisement. 5 Advisement activities for Studdard include mentoring students with an emphasis on being accessible, assisting with appropriate course selection for the student, and providing guidance with choosing a major and subsequent professional goal. He points out “librarians are skilled in listening to others and determining their information needs.” This ability to conduct a good reference interview allowed Studdard to research and grasp graduation requirements as well refer students to standard career reference resources as they prepared to graduate.
March 2008 141
Studdard asserts that advising has a positive impact on the advisees, the librarian, and the university. Advisees are able to benefit from the multiple responsibilities most academic librarians have in public, technical, and administrative services. A librarian with responsibility for reference, instruction, and collection development frequently has contact with classroom faculty from multiple departments. These liaison relationships are valuable when advising students interested in those areas. Librarians benefit from the additional opportunity to participate in the campus academic community and have increased educational impact. The university benefits from the successful and timely matriculation of students. Beyond the library literature, there is considerably more written with regard to the role of advising and who should serve as an academic advisor. Harvey W. Wall described the nuts and bolts of good academic advising. Of necessity, the academic advising function will include schedule planning, appropriate choice of major, and explanation of the curriculum requirements for that major. It will involve teaching students the proper clerical functions to effect their favorable progress through the institution. It will touch on, but not primarily or exclusively, personal adjustment and career choice issues. Finally, good academic advising will teach the student how to locate appropriate specialized services, such as financial aid, career development, and personal counseling, when these services are deemed necessary.6 Wall, whose thirteen years experience as director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies at Penn State, advocates an approach to academic advising inclusive of classroom faculty and professional advisors. This approach incorporates student development of technical, critical thinking, and decision making skills.
Despite limited library literature on advising, many aspects of academic advising literature parallel academic librarianship goals. When defining effective advising and its role in the institution, Lowe and Toney state that “students' needs for timely, accurate information and comprehensive support” are necessary.7 Academic librarians attempt to achieve the same outcomes when working with students. This includes selecting and maintaining appropriate materials for the collection in a variety of formats, as well as providing library instruction and reference assistance for developing a research strategy. It is also noted “The academic advisor serves as a facilitator of communication, a coordinator of learning experiences, and a referral agent.”8 The role of the academic librarian mirrors that of the academic advisor. She serves as a facilitator of access to scholarly communication, a coordinator of library learning experiences, and an information referral agent.
“Despite limited library literature on advising, many aspects of academic advising literature parallel academic librarianship goals.”
CONTEXT
FOR THE
CASE STUDY
The campus, with an enrollment of 800 traditional students and adult learners, is part of a multicampus university. Students can begin the first two years of over 160 university degrees to be completed at another campus in the system, or complete one of
142 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
five baccalaureate degrees conferred at the campus. These degrees are Business, Information Sciences and Technology, Communications, Applied Psychology, and Letters, Arts, and Sciences. In 2005, there was a need for an additional academic advisor in the applied psychology program. The program had thirty-nine students enrolled for fall 2005 and thirty-six students enrolled for spring 2006. In identifying an advisor in the program, the Director for Academic Affairs approached the reference librarian with this opportunity. Librarians have faculty status in the university. Since arriving at the campus in the spring of 2004, the librarian has worked closely with faculty and students in the applied psychology program to provide reference assistance, library instruction, and develop the collection. Serving as an academic advisor in the program is a natural extension of the teaching and research services she provides in the campus library. Academic advising is an important part of the undergraduate experience at the university. Both the advisor and the advisee have a role in this experience, with the student being held responsible ultimately for their completion of all graduation requirements. In accepting the additional responsibility as an academic advisor, the author learned more about the university curriculum, student services, and the students enrolled in the program. Serving as an academic advisor also benefited her position as reference librarian. This included providing reference service disguised as advising, and advising disguised as reference service.
“In accepting the additional responsibility as an academic advisor, the author learned more about the university curriculum, student services, and the students enrolled in the program.”
LIBRARIAN
AS
ADVISOR
Academic Advising All of advisees assigned to the librarian were adult learners age twenty-four and over in applied psychology. Most were two years or less from graduation, and all were previously advised by a member of the applied psychology faculty. Four of the advisees were already acquainted with the librarian through previous course-related instruction and reference desk consultations. In preparation for advising, the librarian met with both the campus' applied psychology program head and the undergraduate advisor coordinator in August 2005. The program head provided the Bachelor of Arts semester schedule which recommends a sequence of courses including degree and graduation requirements for applied psychology majors. In addition to traditional classroom course work, all students in the program complete a twelve credit internship program. The undergraduate advisor coordinator provided general nuts and bolts information for advising at the university. These included the general advising and scheduling calendar, the advisor handbook, and training on the university's enrollment management system. As an academic advisor, the librarian gained a better understanding of university policy and procedure and the academic
concerns of students by assisting an advisee transfer in two courses from a community college toward her degree requirements. She showed an understanding of expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success by advising a student not to take a program required course online based on that student's recognized technological limitations. Suitable career objectives, as demonstrated by student abilities and interest, were established by working with students to determine where to complete their internship as required for graduation and serving as an academic reference for a graduate school candidate. The librarian planned a course of study and advised about courses, adjustments, and prerequisites by reviewing advisee degree audits and meeting with each student during and beyond the scheduling period to ensure courses were going well and graduation requirements were in progress. Advisees were referred to other resources to defer grades and search for internship opportunities. Finally, the librarian kept informed and current regarding the program by communicating frequently with the program head, undergraduate advisor coordinator, and internship advisor. Librarianship from Academic Advising The most surprising part of serving as an academic advisor was its impact on the librarian's position as a reference librarian. Adding the responsibility of academic advisor provided her with opportunities to further develop relationships with faculty in the applied psychology program as well as other degree programs on campus, improve reference service to the campus and university, and increase her visibility to students within the program. The librarian attended several meetings geared toward advisors on campus. This includes a training session on enhancements to the enrollment management system and the advising day for students interested in pursing a university degree offered at another campus. She met with and provided library instruction for more psychology faculty. In 2004–2005, the librarian primarily worked with the program head, but in 2005–2006, she also taught library instruction sessions for a full time instructor and an adjunct instructor for applied psychology. Many of the students in these courses scheduled reference consultations after the instruction session. After the first scheduling and advising period, three of the librarian's advisees sought assistance with library research projects. While all three students were in courses with library instruction components taught by the librarian, one of those students did not seek out the librarian's assistance until after she became her advisor. “Ad Hoc Advising from Librarianship” In the current electronic course registration era, students do not have to meet with an advisor to schedule for courses in the upcoming semester. Not all students take full advantage of the opportunity to consult with their advisors on scheduling and other course related questions beyond the first semester. For the student who does not meet with their advisor or procrastinates registering for classes, there can be some confusion with regard to program requirements, general education requirements, and the basic mechanics of how to schedule for classes. The librarian worked with several “unassigned” advisees in applied psychology and other degree programs. As an area on campus with computers and people to ask for help, “self-advised” students come to the library to schedule the
next semester. These students, when they asked for help scheduling classes at the reference desk, were referred to the librarian by library staff. She was able to assist these students but always recommended an appointment to meet with the assigned advisor. In a few cases, the students were not even aware who their advisor was. Although these students usually were not in the applied psychology program, the librarian was able to apply her knowledge of the available advising resources to teach students how to schedule for classes and select courses appropriate for their academic success. Working with these students on the fly was like conducting a reference interview. With a reference interview, the librarian determines what the researcher is looking for, evaluates the assignment as given by the instructor, what sources have been consulted, what resources might be appropriate for the topic, how to use the recommended resources, and how to evaluate the information found. In these situations, questions were asked to determine the student's intended course of study, evaluated with their permission their current degree audit to learn what courses were already completed or in progress, recommended courses for further study, and taught them how to schedule the classes selected. Not all opportunities to blend librarianship with advising were the result of direct campus referrals. As a member of the libraries' virtual reference service team, the librarian also was able to assist students enrolled at other campuses who logged into the service with similar scheduling questions.
OBSERVATIONS
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
The role of an academic advisor parallels that of an academic librarian. Both put lifelong learning and academic success of students first. Both rely on a variety of resources, both locally and across the institution, to support those goals. Both take into consideration the changing academic needs of students while at the university and beyond. Both spend time with students to assess their academic needs and recommend strategies for meeting them. Academic advising is an opportunity to bring information literacy skills to students. In the same way that librarians collaborate with students to learn how to develop a search strategy, use the online catalog, and search databases, academic advisors work with student to navigate undergraduate degree options, understand the degree audit, and access the enrollment management software.
“Academic advising is an opportunity to bring information literacy skills to students. In the same way that librarians collaborate with students to learn how to develop a search strategy, use the online catalog, and search databases, academic advisors work with student to navigate undergraduate degree options, understand the degree audit, and access the enrollment management software.” The knowledge librarians have of many disciplines makes advising students easier with regard to completing course requirements. Library instruction and knowledge gained about
March 2008 143
course assignments from the reference desk allow a librarian advisor to match and educate advisees about course selections. Reference interview skills provide a strong foundation for asking students the right questions related to academic interests, study skills and habits, and learning style. This in turn allows librarians to advise students about course selection and academic expectations.
CONCLUSION Academic librarians should be given opportunities and encouraged to advise undergraduate students. Academic librarians are appropriate members of the university community to effectively meet the demands of an increasingly customer service oriented university environment. Advising provides librarians another opportunity for collaboration with classroom faculty and reinforces the shared educational outcomes of students as outlined by ACRL and CAS. Academic librarians offer discipline expertise and expert knowledge of local departments and programs. This understanding of expected standards of achievement directly supports the advising program. Ongoing positive interactions in support of educational goals are a cornerstone of advising and academic librarianship. This reflects the institutional shift of advising as a discrete facultyonly activity to a collaborative process developing students academically, professionally, and personally.9 Academic librarians welcome the questions of students and opportunities to teach strategies for locating information. These information advising skills directly apply to academic advising skills.
144 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
APPENDIX A. SUPPLEMENTARY DATA Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2007.12.003.
NOTES
AND
REFERENCES
1. Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS), “Academic Advising: CAS. Standards and Guidelines,” http://www.nacada.ksu. edu/Clearinghouse/Research_Related/CASStandardsForAdvising. pdf (accessed August 28, 2006). 2. Association of College and Research Libraries, “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education,” http://www. ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm% 23f1. (accessed July 17, 2006). 3. Anna Lowe & Michael Toney, “Academic Advising: Views of the Givers and Takers,” Journal of College Student Retention, 2 (2000/ 2001): 93–108. 4. Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, “Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report,” http://www.ala.org/ ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.htm (accessed July 17, 2006). 5. Paul Studdard, “Academic Librarians as Advisors: Working with Students to Plan Their Future,” College & Research Libraries News 61 (October 2000): 781–782, 792. 6. Harvey Wall, “Personal Perspectives on the History of Academic Advising,” NACADA Journal 8 (Fall 1988): 65–76. 7. Lowe and Toney, “Academic Advising,” p. 94. 8. ibid, pp. 103. 9. ibid, pp. 95.
The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) provides program guidelines for student learning and development outcomes. These recommended academic advising guidelines parallel those of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education. Both standards focus on student behaviors and outcomes in higher education. The parallels that exist between academic advising and academic librarianship are confirmed by the case study described in this paper, in which an academic librarian served as an undergraduate academic advisor for one year.
Courtney L. Young is Reference Librarian and Assistant Professor of Women's Studies, Penn State University Libraries, Beaver Campus Library, 100 University Drive, Monaca, PA 15061, USA
The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 34, Number 2, pages 139–144
INTRODUCTION The parallels that exist between academic advising and academic librarianship are evident in national standards for student outcomes developed by the relevant professional organizations. The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) provides program guidelines for student learning and development outcomes.1 This Academic Advising Program (AAP) assists “students in the development of meaningful educational plans” by incorporating student learning, student development, and enhancement of “overall educational experiences.” The AAP can consist of up to sixteen “Desirable Student Learning and Development Outcomes” (see Supplementary Table 1). These recommended academic advising guidelines for higher education parallel those of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education” (see Supplementary Table 2). These standards, comprised of five standards and twenty-two performance indicators, support the development of lifelong learners.2 The information literate person can “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” The building blocks for these behaviors and outcomes are accomplished via advising sessions, semester course assignments, bibliographic instruction, or reference service. Both the ACRL and CAS standards focus on student behaviors and outcomes in higher education (Table 1). These standards also recognize that the advisor and the librarian have a role in the student's development of these outcomes. In these processes, students are assisted in making decisions based on goals developed and revised in collaboration with the advisor or librarian. Both recommend strategies for gathering, examining, and interpreting information related to the students' educational experience. Both rely on institutional policies and procedures and refer students to other campus services and resources when appropriate. Both are invested in student development of shortterm and long-term goals resulting in an information literate member of a global society. Academic advisors teach students about various courses of study, provide strategies for selecting an appropriate major, and apply those academic goals to course work and future careers. Academic advising introduces students to services at their institution designed to help them be successful. Academic lib-
March 2008 139
Table 1 The Correspondence of Information Literacy Competency Standards and Outcomes and CAS Academic Advising Standards and Outcomes ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards Performance Indicators Standard One: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
CAS Standards For Academic Advising Program “Desirable Student Learning and Development Outcomes and Achievement Indicators” Intellectual growth Effective communication Career choices Achievement of personal and educational goals
Outcomes include developing a thesis statement and formulating questions based on information needs; defining a realistic overall plan and timeline to acquire the needed information; reviewing the initial information need to clarify, revise, or refine the question. Standard Two: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
Outcomes include employing critical thinking in problem solving on selection of major and course selection; describing career choice and choices of academic major and minor based on interests, values, skills, and abilities; using personal and educational goals to guide decisions. Intellectual growth Effective communication Independence Career choices
Outcomes include using specialized online or in person services available at the institution to retrieve information needed; using surveys, letters, interviews, and other forms of inquiry to retrieve primary information; using various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats. Standard Three: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
Outcomes include using complex information from a variety of sources including personal experience and observation to form a decision or opinion; demonstration of ability to use campus technology resources; documenting knowledge, skills, and accomplishments resulting from formal education, work experience, community service and volunteer experiences. Intellectual growth Effective communication Enhanced self-esteem Clarified values Collaboration Healthy behaviors Independence Satisfying and productive lifestyles Appreciation of diversity Career choices
Outcomes include extending initial synthesis, when possible, at a higher level of abstraction to construct new hypotheses that may require additional information; recognizing the cultural, physical, or other context within which the information was created and understands the impact of context on interpreting the information; participating in classroom and other discussions; Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
Outcomes include applying previously understood information and concepts to a new situation or setting; demonstrating an appreciation for diversity and the impact it has on society; making connections between classroom and out-of-classroom learning
Effective communication Collaboration Enhanced self-esteem Independence Meaningful interpersonal relations Spiritual awareness
140 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
Table 1 (continued) ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards Performance Indicators
CAS Standards For Academic Advising Program “Desirable Student Learning and Development Outcomes and Achievement Indicators” Satisfying and productive lifestyles Appreciation of diversity Leadership development Healthy behaviors Social responsibility Career choices
Outcomes include articulating knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance; communicating clearly and with a style that supports the purposes of the intended audience; choosing a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes of the product or performance and the intended audience. Standard Five: Understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
Outcomes include developing relationships with academic advisors, faculty members, students, and other institution staff to be engaged with the institution in meaningful ways; exhibiting ability to visualize a group purpose and desired outcomes; articulating long-term goals and objectives.
Effective communication Enhanced self-esteem Clarified values Independence Meaningful interpersonal relations Leadership development Appreciation of diversity Social responsibility Spiritual awareness
Outcomes include identifying and discussing issues related to censorship and freedom of speech; demonstrating an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and does not represent work attributable to others as his/her own.
rarians teach students to identify, access, and evaluate information and research sources, and apply that process to their learning. Reference and bibliographic instruction introduces students to resources at their academic library designed to help them be successful. All of these information skills are necessary for the development of knowledge and academic success. Over the past thirty years, three institutional models of academic advising have been used: a faculty-only model, an academic adviser model, and a blend of the two. One study noted broader participation in advising is good for academic institutions. In discussing the findings of their study on academic advising satisfaction, Lowe and Toney note that “the nature of the institution has become much more complex. As a result, advising has evolved from a faculty responsibility into one that involves the entire campus community.”3 That same philosophy is fundamental to information literacy: “Incorporating information literacy across curricula, in all programs and services, and throughout the administrative life of the university, requires the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators.”4 As members of the campus community
Outcomes include functioning on the basis of personal identity, ethical, spiritual, and moral values; understanding and practicing principles of academic integrity.
who traditionally support these goals through library instruction, reference service, and collection development, librarians can broaden their participation by taking on more formal student advising responsibilities.
REVIEW
OF THE
LITERATURE
The library literature is limited with regard to academic librarians serving as academic advisors in undergraduate programs. One article appeared in College and Research Libraries News. Paul Studdard provided a brief overview of his role as an advisor, describing how his training as an academic librarian lends itself well to academic advisement. 5 Advisement activities for Studdard include mentoring students with an emphasis on being accessible, assisting with appropriate course selection for the student, and providing guidance with choosing a major and subsequent professional goal. He points out “librarians are skilled in listening to others and determining their information needs.” This ability to conduct a good reference interview allowed Studdard to research and grasp graduation requirements as well refer students to standard career reference resources as they prepared to graduate.
March 2008 141
Studdard asserts that advising has a positive impact on the advisees, the librarian, and the university. Advisees are able to benefit from the multiple responsibilities most academic librarians have in public, technical, and administrative services. A librarian with responsibility for reference, instruction, and collection development frequently has contact with classroom faculty from multiple departments. These liaison relationships are valuable when advising students interested in those areas. Librarians benefit from the additional opportunity to participate in the campus academic community and have increased educational impact. The university benefits from the successful and timely matriculation of students. Beyond the library literature, there is considerably more written with regard to the role of advising and who should serve as an academic advisor. Harvey W. Wall described the nuts and bolts of good academic advising. Of necessity, the academic advising function will include schedule planning, appropriate choice of major, and explanation of the curriculum requirements for that major. It will involve teaching students the proper clerical functions to effect their favorable progress through the institution. It will touch on, but not primarily or exclusively, personal adjustment and career choice issues. Finally, good academic advising will teach the student how to locate appropriate specialized services, such as financial aid, career development, and personal counseling, when these services are deemed necessary.6 Wall, whose thirteen years experience as director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies at Penn State, advocates an approach to academic advising inclusive of classroom faculty and professional advisors. This approach incorporates student development of technical, critical thinking, and decision making skills.
Despite limited library literature on advising, many aspects of academic advising literature parallel academic librarianship goals. When defining effective advising and its role in the institution, Lowe and Toney state that “students' needs for timely, accurate information and comprehensive support” are necessary.7 Academic librarians attempt to achieve the same outcomes when working with students. This includes selecting and maintaining appropriate materials for the collection in a variety of formats, as well as providing library instruction and reference assistance for developing a research strategy. It is also noted “The academic advisor serves as a facilitator of communication, a coordinator of learning experiences, and a referral agent.”8 The role of the academic librarian mirrors that of the academic advisor. She serves as a facilitator of access to scholarly communication, a coordinator of library learning experiences, and an information referral agent.
“Despite limited library literature on advising, many aspects of academic advising literature parallel academic librarianship goals.”
CONTEXT
FOR THE
CASE STUDY
The campus, with an enrollment of 800 traditional students and adult learners, is part of a multicampus university. Students can begin the first two years of over 160 university degrees to be completed at another campus in the system, or complete one of
142 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
five baccalaureate degrees conferred at the campus. These degrees are Business, Information Sciences and Technology, Communications, Applied Psychology, and Letters, Arts, and Sciences. In 2005, there was a need for an additional academic advisor in the applied psychology program. The program had thirty-nine students enrolled for fall 2005 and thirty-six students enrolled for spring 2006. In identifying an advisor in the program, the Director for Academic Affairs approached the reference librarian with this opportunity. Librarians have faculty status in the university. Since arriving at the campus in the spring of 2004, the librarian has worked closely with faculty and students in the applied psychology program to provide reference assistance, library instruction, and develop the collection. Serving as an academic advisor in the program is a natural extension of the teaching and research services she provides in the campus library. Academic advising is an important part of the undergraduate experience at the university. Both the advisor and the advisee have a role in this experience, with the student being held responsible ultimately for their completion of all graduation requirements. In accepting the additional responsibility as an academic advisor, the author learned more about the university curriculum, student services, and the students enrolled in the program. Serving as an academic advisor also benefited her position as reference librarian. This included providing reference service disguised as advising, and advising disguised as reference service.
“In accepting the additional responsibility as an academic advisor, the author learned more about the university curriculum, student services, and the students enrolled in the program.”
LIBRARIAN
AS
ADVISOR
Academic Advising All of advisees assigned to the librarian were adult learners age twenty-four and over in applied psychology. Most were two years or less from graduation, and all were previously advised by a member of the applied psychology faculty. Four of the advisees were already acquainted with the librarian through previous course-related instruction and reference desk consultations. In preparation for advising, the librarian met with both the campus' applied psychology program head and the undergraduate advisor coordinator in August 2005. The program head provided the Bachelor of Arts semester schedule which recommends a sequence of courses including degree and graduation requirements for applied psychology majors. In addition to traditional classroom course work, all students in the program complete a twelve credit internship program. The undergraduate advisor coordinator provided general nuts and bolts information for advising at the university. These included the general advising and scheduling calendar, the advisor handbook, and training on the university's enrollment management system. As an academic advisor, the librarian gained a better understanding of university policy and procedure and the academic
concerns of students by assisting an advisee transfer in two courses from a community college toward her degree requirements. She showed an understanding of expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success by advising a student not to take a program required course online based on that student's recognized technological limitations. Suitable career objectives, as demonstrated by student abilities and interest, were established by working with students to determine where to complete their internship as required for graduation and serving as an academic reference for a graduate school candidate. The librarian planned a course of study and advised about courses, adjustments, and prerequisites by reviewing advisee degree audits and meeting with each student during and beyond the scheduling period to ensure courses were going well and graduation requirements were in progress. Advisees were referred to other resources to defer grades and search for internship opportunities. Finally, the librarian kept informed and current regarding the program by communicating frequently with the program head, undergraduate advisor coordinator, and internship advisor. Librarianship from Academic Advising The most surprising part of serving as an academic advisor was its impact on the librarian's position as a reference librarian. Adding the responsibility of academic advisor provided her with opportunities to further develop relationships with faculty in the applied psychology program as well as other degree programs on campus, improve reference service to the campus and university, and increase her visibility to students within the program. The librarian attended several meetings geared toward advisors on campus. This includes a training session on enhancements to the enrollment management system and the advising day for students interested in pursing a university degree offered at another campus. She met with and provided library instruction for more psychology faculty. In 2004–2005, the librarian primarily worked with the program head, but in 2005–2006, she also taught library instruction sessions for a full time instructor and an adjunct instructor for applied psychology. Many of the students in these courses scheduled reference consultations after the instruction session. After the first scheduling and advising period, three of the librarian's advisees sought assistance with library research projects. While all three students were in courses with library instruction components taught by the librarian, one of those students did not seek out the librarian's assistance until after she became her advisor. “Ad Hoc Advising from Librarianship” In the current electronic course registration era, students do not have to meet with an advisor to schedule for courses in the upcoming semester. Not all students take full advantage of the opportunity to consult with their advisors on scheduling and other course related questions beyond the first semester. For the student who does not meet with their advisor or procrastinates registering for classes, there can be some confusion with regard to program requirements, general education requirements, and the basic mechanics of how to schedule for classes. The librarian worked with several “unassigned” advisees in applied psychology and other degree programs. As an area on campus with computers and people to ask for help, “self-advised” students come to the library to schedule the
next semester. These students, when they asked for help scheduling classes at the reference desk, were referred to the librarian by library staff. She was able to assist these students but always recommended an appointment to meet with the assigned advisor. In a few cases, the students were not even aware who their advisor was. Although these students usually were not in the applied psychology program, the librarian was able to apply her knowledge of the available advising resources to teach students how to schedule for classes and select courses appropriate for their academic success. Working with these students on the fly was like conducting a reference interview. With a reference interview, the librarian determines what the researcher is looking for, evaluates the assignment as given by the instructor, what sources have been consulted, what resources might be appropriate for the topic, how to use the recommended resources, and how to evaluate the information found. In these situations, questions were asked to determine the student's intended course of study, evaluated with their permission their current degree audit to learn what courses were already completed or in progress, recommended courses for further study, and taught them how to schedule the classes selected. Not all opportunities to blend librarianship with advising were the result of direct campus referrals. As a member of the libraries' virtual reference service team, the librarian also was able to assist students enrolled at other campuses who logged into the service with similar scheduling questions.
OBSERVATIONS
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
The role of an academic advisor parallels that of an academic librarian. Both put lifelong learning and academic success of students first. Both rely on a variety of resources, both locally and across the institution, to support those goals. Both take into consideration the changing academic needs of students while at the university and beyond. Both spend time with students to assess their academic needs and recommend strategies for meeting them. Academic advising is an opportunity to bring information literacy skills to students. In the same way that librarians collaborate with students to learn how to develop a search strategy, use the online catalog, and search databases, academic advisors work with student to navigate undergraduate degree options, understand the degree audit, and access the enrollment management software.
“Academic advising is an opportunity to bring information literacy skills to students. In the same way that librarians collaborate with students to learn how to develop a search strategy, use the online catalog, and search databases, academic advisors work with student to navigate undergraduate degree options, understand the degree audit, and access the enrollment management software.” The knowledge librarians have of many disciplines makes advising students easier with regard to completing course requirements. Library instruction and knowledge gained about
March 2008 143
course assignments from the reference desk allow a librarian advisor to match and educate advisees about course selections. Reference interview skills provide a strong foundation for asking students the right questions related to academic interests, study skills and habits, and learning style. This in turn allows librarians to advise students about course selection and academic expectations.
CONCLUSION Academic librarians should be given opportunities and encouraged to advise undergraduate students. Academic librarians are appropriate members of the university community to effectively meet the demands of an increasingly customer service oriented university environment. Advising provides librarians another opportunity for collaboration with classroom faculty and reinforces the shared educational outcomes of students as outlined by ACRL and CAS. Academic librarians offer discipline expertise and expert knowledge of local departments and programs. This understanding of expected standards of achievement directly supports the advising program. Ongoing positive interactions in support of educational goals are a cornerstone of advising and academic librarianship. This reflects the institutional shift of advising as a discrete facultyonly activity to a collaborative process developing students academically, professionally, and personally.9 Academic librarians welcome the questions of students and opportunities to teach strategies for locating information. These information advising skills directly apply to academic advising skills.
144 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
APPENDIX A. SUPPLEMENTARY DATA Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2007.12.003.
NOTES
AND
REFERENCES
1. Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS), “Academic Advising: CAS. Standards and Guidelines,” http://www.nacada.ksu. edu/Clearinghouse/Research_Related/CASStandardsForAdvising. pdf (accessed August 28, 2006). 2. Association of College and Research Libraries, “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education,” http://www. ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm% 23f1. (accessed July 17, 2006). 3. Anna Lowe & Michael Toney, “Academic Advising: Views of the Givers and Takers,” Journal of College Student Retention, 2 (2000/ 2001): 93–108. 4. Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, “Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report,” http://www.ala.org/ ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.htm (accessed July 17, 2006). 5. Paul Studdard, “Academic Librarians as Advisors: Working with Students to Plan Their Future,” College & Research Libraries News 61 (October 2000): 781–782, 792. 6. Harvey Wall, “Personal Perspectives on the History of Academic Advising,” NACADA Journal 8 (Fall 1988): 65–76. 7. Lowe and Toney, “Academic Advising,” p. 94. 8. ibid, pp. 103. 9. ibid, pp. 95.