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Teaching to the whole student: Building best practices for collaboration between libraries and student services
Research Strategies 20 (2007) 284 – 299
Teaching to the whole student: Building best practices for collaboration between libraries and student services Deborah Tenofsky University of Cincinnati, Head of Reference and Instructional Services, 401C Langsam Library, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0033, USA Available online 14 February 2007
Abstract Universities are experiencing changes in the expectations of first-year students. These students are members of the Millennial generation, whose expectations of college life and support services differ from generations of the past. This article will discuss how to integrate the library into the lives of the first-year students to create a holistic instruction program. It will review the literature for examples of the characteristics of the Millennial generation and how libraries have changed instruction to fit these students' needs. It will highlight the best practices in collaboration between the University of Cincinnati Libraries and campus support services that meet the students' expectations and the goals of the library and the university. The article demonstrates ways that other libraries can collaborate with their campus services to create a holistic approach to the students' first-year experience and provides several assessment tools and methods that can be used to strengthen collaborations and instruction programs. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Academic libraries; Library instruction; Millennials; First-year experience; Student services
1. Introduction Most of the students entering college today were born in the mid to late 1980s and differ significantly from the generation of students who preceded them, typically referred to as “Generation X.” Generation X students were characterized as goal driven, seeking pragmatic outcomes; for example, they attended college for professional credentials, not necessarily to E-mail address: [email protected]. 0734-3310/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.resstr.2006.12.023
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become lifelong learners. “Millennials,” on the other hand, are described as the possible “next, great generation” (Howe & Strauss, 2003, p. iii). They are characterized as team oriented, highly motivated, and respectful of authority. Their expectations of college are high. They believe colleges and universities should not only educate, but also nurture and guide. In order to succeed at this, institutions will need to continue developing programs that focus on educating the “whole student,” e.g., creating a seamless learning environment encompassing both classroom life and residence hall life. Over the past decade, institutions of higher education have emphasized collaboration between academic and student service units on campus. Libraries, too, are positioning themselves to play key roles in these collaborative efforts in order to meet the expectations of the Millennial students. The University Libraries, University of Cincinnati (UL), created a holistic approach to meeting the expectations of the Millennial first-year students. University Libraries' instruction program taught to the whole first-year experience starting with prospective students who were in high school and ending with course-integrated information literacy instruction. In order to achieve the goals of the program, UL developed substantive collaborative efforts with several key support services on the University of Cincinnati (UC) campus.
2. Literature review: best practices in library and student services This literature review focuses on defining the attributes of the Millennial generation and describing the library's role in instructing first-year students. Starting in the late 1990s, articles began to appear in the literature anticipating the coming of the Millennials (also referred to as “Generation Y,” or the “Net Generation”). Many authors displayed concern of the incoming students and their expectations of college. DiGilio, Lynn-Nelson, and Reis (2004), for example, summed up the thoughts of a variety of authors: “If we start now, we will be ready not only for the Millennials, but the generations that will follow them. Time is truly of the essence and is certainly on our side” (p. 20). 2.1. Millennial characteristics In 1998, Don Tapscott (1998) wrote a book, Growing Up Digital, which identified several characteristics associated with the Millennials. Tapscott interviewed children and adults about their viewpoints and use of technology, and concluded that “these kids are learning, playing, communicating, working, and creating communities very differently than their parents. They are a force for social transformation” (p. 2). He argued that society must “listen to our children” (p. 305) and adapt according to their needs and experiences in order to gain from their extraordinary talents. Howe and Strauss (2000, 2003) developed the current descriptions of the Millennials in Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation and Millennials Go to College. In these works, Howe and Strauss describe the Millennials as having seven key characteristics: Millennials are: “special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving” (2003, pp. 51–52). Howe and Strauss (2003) argue that these students “are beginning
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to manifest a wide array of positive social habits that older Americans no longer associate with youth, including a new focus on teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct” (p. 14). Oblinger and Oblinger (2005) build on this work in Educating the Net Generation, which focuses on technology and its relation to teaching Millennial students. In the introduction, the authors describe students' use of technology as, “simply a means to an end” (p. 1.3). Ramaley and Zia echo Howe and Strauss by focusing on the learning characteristics of these students, summarizing that “virtually all those who study the Net Generation believe that their preference for experiential, hands-on learning is a distinguishing characteristic” (p. 1.3). In chapter 10, Wager describes how campus support services could improve to meet the needs of the Net Generation by strengthening the relationship between the service providers and technologists and using technology wisely (p. 10.17). Lippincott describes how libraries could enhance their services to meet these students' needs and emphasizes that students' desire to use Google instead of library resources says something about their preferences. Lippincott notes that it will be important to become “more cognizant of Net Gen students' reliance on visual cues in using the Internet and build Web pages that are more visually oriented” (p. 13.3). Lippincott proposes ways that libraries could improve services by “making use of the imagination, creativity, technical skills, and perspectives of Net Gen students” (p. 13.9). She concludes that librarians should merge the students' technology skills with best practices from library pedagogy to provide rich college experiences and develop lifelong learners (p. 13.13). Jukes (2005) argues that students today differ from students in the past, and that professors need to change their teaching styles to meet emergent learning needs (p. 25). 2.2. First-year experience Gardner, Barefoot, and Upcraft have written extensively on the first-year experience. Upcraft and Gardner published the seminal book on the first-year experience, Freshman Year Experience: Helping Students Survive and Succeed in College (Upcraft, Gardner, & Associates, 1989). In Upcraft, Gardner, and Barefoot's (2005) most recent collection, Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student: A Handbook for Improving the First Year of College, they highlight how student service programs can improve student learning and satisfaction with college life. One chapter of the book, written by Watts, specifically discusses how the library reached out to support students in the classroom. Watts describes “the place of the library” within the first-year experience, and provides recommendations that librarians can use “to make the library central to the educational experience of first-year students” (p. 352). Watts concludes that “course-integrated instruction with information-seeking process is a necessity … to become lifelong learners” (p. 355), and that librarians should be at the center of campus programs aimed at fostering an environment that challenges and supports first-year students (p. 355). Another valuable resource for first-year materials, maintained by Gardner, Barefoot and Upcraft, is the University of South Carolina's National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 2002–2006). This institution's Web site (http://www.sc.edu/fye/) acts as a vast resource for first-year experience materials.
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2.3. Millennials and library instruction There is a growing interest among librarians in learning to design instruction amenable to Millennial students. Regalado (2003) describes how librarians played a role in building confidence in college students' lives. Gardner and Eng (2005) report on the changing function of the academic library based on Generation Y user feedback. More specifically, instruction librarians are producing articles applying the Millennial characteristics to course-integrated instruction. Manuel (2002) wrote that “it behooves librarianship to acknowledge and accommodate Generation Y's learning style preferences, as well as their worldviews, earlier rather than later” (p. 196). Wilson (2004) applies elements of effective teaching to the characteristics of Millennials. Holliday and Qin (2004) use the characteristics and pedagogical methods to study undergraduates' information retrieval skills. They found that students used online resources as their primary means of researching, which only allowed them to retrieve basic information. If librarians continued to apply process-oriented or critical thinking pedagogies to instruction sessions, then students could move beyond their first hits and discover the additional wealth of library resources and services (p. 366).
3. Discussion The University of Cincinnati Libraries were instrumental in creating collaborations across the UC campus. Librarians sought out key players on campus in order to create meaningful partnerships. Librarians were striving to meet the goals of UL and UC with an emphasis on developing student-centered programs. In 2003, UL staff created the University Libraries' Strategic Plan 2003–2005 (University Libraries, 2003). The overarching message behind the Strategic Plan was enhancing UL services and resources to meet users' needs. This unified and pivotal message of improving quality service embraced all work at UL. With this foundation, when UL staff formulated collaborative efforts on campus they were using similar language and working toward the goal of high quality service. In 2004, UC launched UC|21 (Office of the Present, University of Cincinnati, 2004), the University of Cincinnati's strategic plan. It consisted of six goals, including placing students at the center. UC|21 gave more strength to the holistic approach. Academic and support services around UC renewed their commitments to the students, especially those in their first year. 3.1. Provost's Office and first-year experience The University Libraries maintain an extraordinary relationship with the Provost's Office at UC. Several librarians have consistently worked in very close collaboration with individual vice provosts on a regular basis. This allows for a high level of campus administrative support. The provosts understood the library needed to be an active player in order to have a successful first-year experience program, thus they instituted a first-year experience program at UC, including UL hiring a first-year experience librarian, creating an Information Commons
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that instituted peer-to-peer instruction, and solidifying ties to the newly formed First-Year Experience and Lifelong Learning Department. In 2003, librarians and a Provost presented a panel session at the 11th National ACRL Conference (Bailey, 2003) on the relationship between librarians and the first-year experience. Provost Linda Cain noted in the presentation that, “It takes a campus to educate a student,” and she urged librarians to look at their roles as educators who have a lot to contribute (para. 12). These efforts became the foundation for UL's holistic first-year experience instruction program. In 2000, UL librarians taught approximately 200 first-year experience students. In 2004, UL librarians taught over 2,000 students enrolled in approximately 100 first-year experience sections from five different departments' courses. The goals of the program evolved from advertising library services to integrating critical thinking pedagogies into course-integrated instruction sessions that improved student learning and developed lifelong learners. The program continues to grow and is seen to have a very comprehensive approach. 3.2. Prospective students The holistic experience for students starts even before they attend UC. UL collaborated with the Office of Admissions to orient prospective high school students to the university. Library staff hosted tables at information fairs and orientations and these sessions proved to be a valuable experience for the library and for students: on one occasion, a prospective student and her father left the session and came to the library for a personal tour. This example demonstrates how UL was able to make a large university small and exceeded the expectations of this Millennial student, and hopefully many others. 3.3. New student orientation New Student Orientation is a vital and collaborative effort related to first-year students. In 2003, UL contacted the Orientation Services Department, University of Cincinnati Information Technologies Department (UCit), and the Office of Admissions to strengthen UL's role in new student orientation. As a result, UL built a vibrant and robust orientation program that included educating approximately 4,000 students each year. Orientation, Admissions, UCit, and UL formed a partnership to orient incoming students to library and technology resources. The program divided the large group of three hundred students into four smaller groups who move through several short mini-sessions, including an introduction to library services, a live chat session, an introduction to library resources, a tour of the library stacks, and a hands-on e-mail and Blackboard session. The goals of orientation were simple: UL is a friendly place, UL has friendly staff who can answer questions, and UL has resources that will meet your research needs. These goals acted as a cornerstone that librarians used to build the rest of the first-year experience. The collaborations created from new student orientation acted as a springboard for other orientation collaborations, for example, transfer and distance education student orientations. In 2005, UL collaborated with the Office of Transfer and Lifelong Learning and added transfer orientations to the orientation schedule. It was felt that transfer students never gained specific
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knowledge of UC libraries, even though they might have gone through an orientation at their first institution. Although the sessions were shorter the students received the same information as the incoming first-year students. 3.4. Course-integrated instruction Once new students started school, UL continued the holistic experience through first-year experience and college success skills courses. UL worked with the First-Year Experience and Lifelong Learning Department and several academic departments to create extensive library instruction sessions for these courses. UL staff taught approximately one hundred of these sessions in an average fall quarter. The library assignments in these sessions were based on team building exercises that meshed with the Millennial learning styles. Through this method students learned basics of library research and terminology, including Boolean operators and search strategies. In addition to the first-year experience courses, UL staff taught English Composition sections and many other subject related classes. The goals for these sessions were more advanced than those in the first-year experience courses. Students were expected to search for resources in a variety of databases, to evaluate the resources, and to organize them into their research papers. Many of the English Composition presentations incorporated problem-based learning techniques that utilized the preferred teamwork learning style of the Millennials. Librarians collaborated with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning to educate faculty and other staff members on the best practices of problem-based learning as it related to the library. The course-integrated library sessions contributed significantly to this holistic approach.
4. Suggestions for gaining successful collaborations The suggestions below are based on strategies that proved valuable to our success at UL. These are not put in any rank order, and librarians can apply any or all of them as necessary for individual institutions. 4.1. Creating a unified library message One of the advantages at UL was the Strategic Plan. This allowed all of the librarians to speak with one unified message. A unified message reassured the campus community that the library was serious, committed, and willing to move forward with collaborative efforts. Even if a library does not create a strategic plan, librarians can meet together to craft a common set of understandings or goals for the instruction program. 4.2. Be proactive and use all staff resources University Libraries did not wait for the institution to come to the library. Library staff were proactive and sought out key partners on campus. This did not mean that all staff members
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must be at every table, but each staff member used their connections to leverage meaningful collaborations. Library staff communicated regularly regarding collaborative efforts that allowed staff to be aware and knowledgeable of the progress of the partnerships. 4.3. Position librarians in key places Several librarians at UL were masters at positioning themselves with the key players on campus, including the Deans of Colleges and the Provost Office. These librarians knew the political culture of the institution. They were aware of which initiatives were on the horizon and who was involved with those projects and were invited to planning meetings, and volunteered to serve on committees to foster initiatives. This outreach initiative proved to be one of the most valuable when fostering new collaborative efforts. 4.4. Work with existing collaborations and start small One of the best strategies was to start with the successful collaborations that existed in the library. Instruction staff identified who were the major stakeholders in the instruction program and created new initiatives based on those relationships. Once those pieces were successful, librarians brought in more and more partnerships and created the holistic program. 4.5. Be student centered Expectations on college campuses changed based upon Millennial students' desire to be self-reliant using technology, their ability to work in groups, and their need be guided through their campus experience. In order to have a successful first-year experience program, libraries had to transform services, including instruction, to being student centered. Librarians, for example, incorporated more group activities into course-integrated instruction sessions.
5. Assessment University Libraries applied a number of assessment tools and methods that assisted in the evolution of the first-year instruction program. These methods, typically subject to Institutional Review Board approval, provided a means to gather valuable information from library users in order to analyze, to evaluate, and to improve the quality of service provided to them. 5.1. Use existing resources The library relied on data gathered by the Orientation Services Department. Each year this department surveys all of the students who attend new student orientation. One section of the
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survey asked questions related to the library portion of orientation. University Libraries received very high praise for orientation. 5.2. Use existing groups Since 2002, the University of Cincinnati Libraries has participated in undergraduate orientation for new freshmen. UL orients approximately 3,700 students each summer about library services and resources. It was critical to gather information on these students' satisfaction with the orientation sessions in order to continually adapt library services to meet their needs. In 2005, UL created an anonymous, four-question Web-based survey using SurveyMonkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com). The survey was brief in order to fit into the mini-session time slot and to not overburden the students. The survey was conducted from June through August 2005. One quarter of the students who attended the orientation library sessions were asked to complete the survey (570 students completed the survey) (Appendix A). The survey results found that students enjoyed the UCit section of orientation the most (35.4%) and the Student Technology Resource Center second (29.1%). These two sessions included interactive components as well as fast-paced, colorful videos, which may be one factor in the high rating. The students rated self-checkout as the most useful resource in orientation (43.2%). Librarians were puzzled by the response to this service, but in relation to Millennial student descriptors such as self-reliance and technology savvy this made sense—it was an interactive service that they could control themselves. They wanted to know more about general library services and resources, multimedia resources, and campus information. The survey provided the library with many useful comments that will be incorporated into next year's orientation session, e.g., “allow time for an interactive use with the programs in order for us to get a feel for how it works before starting college”. 5.3. Debriefing with staff At the end of each orientation session the library and UCit staff held a debrief pizza lunch to discuss the accomplishments and challenges of that year's orientation. Staff answered the questions, “what worked” and “what needs improvement” during orientation. Staff identified many aspects of the orientation session that were positive and needed change; for example, UL staff stated that students liked the chat classroom seating; librarians noticed that students paid more attention and responded well to movement and interaction. This feedback was incorporated into the other suggestions from the surveys to improve the program. 5.4. Course-integrated instruction The University Libraries' Instructional Program aims to teach students to make effective use of information sources and systems. Each year librarians in the program teach approximately
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13,000 students. Many of these sessions reach undergraduate students taking first-year experience courses in the fields of Criminal Justice, Human Services, Education, and Arts and Sciences. Librarians create and distribute pre- and post-test survey instruments in these firstyear courses. These instruments have been administered each fall quarter since 2003 to approximately 800 students. The tests were administered on paper and were anonymous. The pre-test was given by the professor before the students attended their library session, and the post-test was taken at the end of their second library session. The tests investigated the students' ability to understand and retain specific library terminology and search strategies (Appendix B). Results from Fall 2004 indicated that 56% of the Arts and Sciences students passed the pre-test and 76% past the post-test (a 20% increase between tests), and 55% of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services passed the pre-test and 70% of them passed the post-test (a 15% increase). Thus, a significant number of students increased their library knowledge due to the UL course-integrated instruction sessions (Appendix C). Students were given evaluations at the end of several English Composition library sessions. These assessment tools were designed to evaluate the quality of library instruction and the overall satisfaction with the session as well as to gather some information on how well the students learned the material. These evaluations were used to improve teaching and to improve the English Composition instruction sessions.
6. Conclusion Millennials may possess characteristics and expectations far different from past generations. Some of the characteristics assigned to this generation include computer literate, team oriented, and self-assured. Many will text message their friends, watch television, listen to music, and complete their homework all at the same time. They may want to be entertained and visually stimulated, otherwise they grow bored and disinterested. Many of these characteristics stun and amaze their parents and professors whose lives tend to move at a slower pace. However, if universities want to educate and retain these students, then campus culture and teaching pedagogies will need to evolve to meet the Millennials' requirements. Librarians can make a difference in these students' lives. They are educators who have an understanding of both faculty and students and are willing to be flexible and to improve services and teaching based on feedback from the students. As Millennials and other constituents expect higher expectations from higher education, it is important that librarians “be at the table” on campus-wide initiatives. Library work is associated with good organizational and communication skills that foster exceptional campus collaborations and librarians can assist in creating a seamless transfer of information across the university. These collaborations will benefit not only the library and the students, but also the institution with its retention efforts. Librarians are pivotal in this digital age to helping establish a campus-wide set of instructional services for all.
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Acknowledgments The author would like to thank James Krusling for his work with the first-year experience course coordination and pre- and post-test assessment, and Katie Kallmeyer for editing assistance. Appendix A. University of Cincinnati University Libraries Orientation Survey 1. What part of this orientation was most useful to you? (Choose as many as apply) □ Circulation □ Resources □ Chat with a Librarian □ Student Technology Resources Center □ UCit □ Library Tour □ Other (please specify) 2. What library service or resource will be of most use to you? (Choose as many as apply) □ Self-Checkout □ Multiple library locations □ Adding money to Bearcat Card □ Printing □ Chat with a Librarian □ Multimedia Resources □ Student Technology Resource Center (STRC) □ Where to get help □ Locations of books and magazines □ Computer access □ Computer account information □ Other (please specify) 3. What would you like to know more about? 4. How could we improve the University Libraries/UCit orientation to better suit your needs? Appendix B. University of Cincinnati University Libraries Pre- and Post-Tests FYE Research Skills Survey—Pre-evaluation 1. Books in a college library are normally located through the use of: A. The card catalog B. Periodical indexes C. Printed lists which are updated each month D. An online library catalog
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2. A place in a library staffed by someone who answers questions and provides help in using the library, conducting research, and locating information is: A. A reference desk B. A computer lab C. A periodicals room D. A security office
3. Choose the most accurate statement: A. All information is available on the Internet B. The Internet contains a mix of information of varying quality C. The Internet contains mainly popular information sources D. The Internet contains nothing of value
4. Where is the best place to begin research on a term paper? A. In the book stacks B. In the periodical department C. In the reserve collection D. In the reference collection
5. Which would you normally not find listed in a library catalog? A. A book B. An article C. A government document D. A video
6. Anything you find on the Internet is yours for the taking. ____ TRUE ____ FALSE
7. The most accurate statement about Boolean operators is: A. They retrieve information by responding to infrared commands B. They manage the switchboard in college libraries C. They are words like: AND, OR, and NOT which are designed to limit or broaden a search. D. They are replacements for the old card catalogs
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8. When performing a search in an Internet Search Engine which of the following should retrieve the most results: A. election OR presidential B. election AND presidential C. election NOT presidential
9. To find articles in periodicals you will use: A. A library catalog B. A printed or online index C. An encyclopedia D. An Internet search engine
10. Which of these would be a citation to a journal article? A. Smith, R. Bones. New York: Big Press, 1999. B. Smith, R. “Bones.” Paleoanthropology 10.1 (1999): 34–66 C. Smith, R. Bones.org. 6 Nov. 1999
11. Performing a subject search in a library catalog is likely to produce the same results as a keyword search. ____ True ____ False
12. Which of the following is not a feature of OhioLINK: A. It is an online central catalog of the holdings of member libraries B. It links libraries from all around the country C. It provides online access to research and reference databases D. Its services are available only to faculty, students and staff of OhioLINK participating institutions
FYE Research Skills Survey—Post-evaluation 1. Books in a college library are normally located through the use of: A. The card catalog B. Periodical indexes C. Printed lists which are updated each month D. An online library catalog
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2. A place in a library staffed by someone who answers questions and provides help in using the library, conducting research, and locating information is: A. A reference desk B. A computer lab C. A periodicals room D. A security office
3. Choose the most accurate statement: A. All information is available on the Internet B. The Internet contains a mix of information of varying quality C. The Internet contains mainly popular information sources D. The Internet contains nothing of value
4. Where is the best place to begin research on a term paper? A. In the book stacks B. In the periodical department C. In the reserve collection D. In the reference collection
5. Which would you normally not find listed in a library catalog? A. A book B. An article C. A government document D. A video
6. Anything you find on the Internet is yours for the taking. ____ TRUE ____ FALSE
7. The most accurate statement about Boolean operators is: A. They retrieve information by responding to infrared commands B. They manage the switchboard in college libraries C. They are words like: AND, OR, and NOT which are designed to limit or broaden a search. D. They are replacements for the old card catalogs
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8. When performing a search in an Internet Search Engine which of the following should retrieve the most results: A. election OR presidential B. election AND presidential C. election NOT presidential
9. To find articles in periodicals you will use: A. A library catalog B. A printed or online index C. An encyclopedia D. An Internet search engine
10. Which of these would be a citation to a journal article? A. Smith, R. Bones. New York: Big Press, 1999. B. Smith, R. “Bones.” Paleoanthropology 10.1 (1999): 34–66 C. Smith, R. Bones.org. 6 Nov. 1999
11. Performing a subject search in a library catalog is likely to produce the same results as a keyword search. ____ True ____ False
12. Which of the following is not a feature of OhioLINK: A. It is an online central catalog of the holdings of member libraries B. It links libraries from all around the country C. It provides online access to research and reference databases D. Its services are available only to faculty, students and staff of OhioLINK participating institutions
Comments:
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Appendix C. Information Literacy Instruction Assessment: Survey Results
References Bailey, V. (2003). Libraries and the first-year experience. C&RL News, 64(6). Retrieved September 23, 2005, from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2003/june4/learningmake.htm DiGilio, J. J., Lynn-Nelson, G., Reis, R. M. (2004). The millennial invasion: Are you ready? Information Outlook Washington, 8(11), 15–16, 18–20. Gardner, S., & Eng, S. (2005). What students want: Generation Y and the changing function of the academic library. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 5(3), 405−420. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from Project MUSE. Holliday, W., & Qin, L. (2004). Understanding the millennials: Updating our knowledge about students. Reference Services Review, 32(4), 356−366. Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation. New York: Vintage Books. Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials go to college. Great Falls, VA: American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers and LifeCourse Associates.
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Jukes, I. (2005). Understanding digital kids (DKs): Teaching and learning in the new digital landscape. The InfoSavvy Group. Retrieved October 23, 2005, from http://www.thecommittedsardine.net/infosavvy/education/ handouts/it.pdf Manuel, K. (2002). Teaching information literacy to Generation Y. Journal of Library Administration, 36(1/2), 195−217. National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. (2002–2006). Retrieved September 23, 2005, from http://www.sc.edu/first-year_experience/index.html Oblinger, D. G, & Oblinger, J. L. (2005). Educating the net generation. Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Retrieved October 15, 2005, from netLibrary. Office of the President, University of Cincinnati. (2004). UC|21 at a glance [Brochure]. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati. Regalado, M. (2003). Competence, confidence, and connections: Aiding the transition to college. College and Undergraduate Libraries, 10(2), 89−97. Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital: The rise of the net generation. New York: McGraw-Hill. University Libraries, University of Cincinnati. (2003). University Libraries' strategic plan 2003–2005. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati. Upcraft, M. L., Gardner J. N., & Associates. (1989). The freshmen year experience: Helping students survive and succeed in college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Upcraft, M. L., Gardner, J. N., & Barefoot, B. O. (2005). Challenging and supporting the first-year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Wilson, M. E. (2004). Teaching, learning, and millennial students. New Directions for Student Services, 2004(106), 59−71.
Teaching to the whole student: Building best practices for collaboration between libraries and student services Deborah Tenofsky University of Cincinnati, Head of Reference and Instructional Services, 401C Langsam Library, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0033, USA Available online 14 February 2007
Abstract Universities are experiencing changes in the expectations of first-year students. These students are members of the Millennial generation, whose expectations of college life and support services differ from generations of the past. This article will discuss how to integrate the library into the lives of the first-year students to create a holistic instruction program. It will review the literature for examples of the characteristics of the Millennial generation and how libraries have changed instruction to fit these students' needs. It will highlight the best practices in collaboration between the University of Cincinnati Libraries and campus support services that meet the students' expectations and the goals of the library and the university. The article demonstrates ways that other libraries can collaborate with their campus services to create a holistic approach to the students' first-year experience and provides several assessment tools and methods that can be used to strengthen collaborations and instruction programs. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Academic libraries; Library instruction; Millennials; First-year experience; Student services
1. Introduction Most of the students entering college today were born in the mid to late 1980s and differ significantly from the generation of students who preceded them, typically referred to as “Generation X.” Generation X students were characterized as goal driven, seeking pragmatic outcomes; for example, they attended college for professional credentials, not necessarily to E-mail address: [email protected]. 0734-3310/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.resstr.2006.12.023
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become lifelong learners. “Millennials,” on the other hand, are described as the possible “next, great generation” (Howe & Strauss, 2003, p. iii). They are characterized as team oriented, highly motivated, and respectful of authority. Their expectations of college are high. They believe colleges and universities should not only educate, but also nurture and guide. In order to succeed at this, institutions will need to continue developing programs that focus on educating the “whole student,” e.g., creating a seamless learning environment encompassing both classroom life and residence hall life. Over the past decade, institutions of higher education have emphasized collaboration between academic and student service units on campus. Libraries, too, are positioning themselves to play key roles in these collaborative efforts in order to meet the expectations of the Millennial students. The University Libraries, University of Cincinnati (UL), created a holistic approach to meeting the expectations of the Millennial first-year students. University Libraries' instruction program taught to the whole first-year experience starting with prospective students who were in high school and ending with course-integrated information literacy instruction. In order to achieve the goals of the program, UL developed substantive collaborative efforts with several key support services on the University of Cincinnati (UC) campus.
2. Literature review: best practices in library and student services This literature review focuses on defining the attributes of the Millennial generation and describing the library's role in instructing first-year students. Starting in the late 1990s, articles began to appear in the literature anticipating the coming of the Millennials (also referred to as “Generation Y,” or the “Net Generation”). Many authors displayed concern of the incoming students and their expectations of college. DiGilio, Lynn-Nelson, and Reis (2004), for example, summed up the thoughts of a variety of authors: “If we start now, we will be ready not only for the Millennials, but the generations that will follow them. Time is truly of the essence and is certainly on our side” (p. 20). 2.1. Millennial characteristics In 1998, Don Tapscott (1998) wrote a book, Growing Up Digital, which identified several characteristics associated with the Millennials. Tapscott interviewed children and adults about their viewpoints and use of technology, and concluded that “these kids are learning, playing, communicating, working, and creating communities very differently than their parents. They are a force for social transformation” (p. 2). He argued that society must “listen to our children” (p. 305) and adapt according to their needs and experiences in order to gain from their extraordinary talents. Howe and Strauss (2000, 2003) developed the current descriptions of the Millennials in Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation and Millennials Go to College. In these works, Howe and Strauss describe the Millennials as having seven key characteristics: Millennials are: “special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving” (2003, pp. 51–52). Howe and Strauss (2003) argue that these students “are beginning
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to manifest a wide array of positive social habits that older Americans no longer associate with youth, including a new focus on teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct” (p. 14). Oblinger and Oblinger (2005) build on this work in Educating the Net Generation, which focuses on technology and its relation to teaching Millennial students. In the introduction, the authors describe students' use of technology as, “simply a means to an end” (p. 1.3). Ramaley and Zia echo Howe and Strauss by focusing on the learning characteristics of these students, summarizing that “virtually all those who study the Net Generation believe that their preference for experiential, hands-on learning is a distinguishing characteristic” (p. 1.3). In chapter 10, Wager describes how campus support services could improve to meet the needs of the Net Generation by strengthening the relationship between the service providers and technologists and using technology wisely (p. 10.17). Lippincott describes how libraries could enhance their services to meet these students' needs and emphasizes that students' desire to use Google instead of library resources says something about their preferences. Lippincott notes that it will be important to become “more cognizant of Net Gen students' reliance on visual cues in using the Internet and build Web pages that are more visually oriented” (p. 13.3). Lippincott proposes ways that libraries could improve services by “making use of the imagination, creativity, technical skills, and perspectives of Net Gen students” (p. 13.9). She concludes that librarians should merge the students' technology skills with best practices from library pedagogy to provide rich college experiences and develop lifelong learners (p. 13.13). Jukes (2005) argues that students today differ from students in the past, and that professors need to change their teaching styles to meet emergent learning needs (p. 25). 2.2. First-year experience Gardner, Barefoot, and Upcraft have written extensively on the first-year experience. Upcraft and Gardner published the seminal book on the first-year experience, Freshman Year Experience: Helping Students Survive and Succeed in College (Upcraft, Gardner, & Associates, 1989). In Upcraft, Gardner, and Barefoot's (2005) most recent collection, Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student: A Handbook for Improving the First Year of College, they highlight how student service programs can improve student learning and satisfaction with college life. One chapter of the book, written by Watts, specifically discusses how the library reached out to support students in the classroom. Watts describes “the place of the library” within the first-year experience, and provides recommendations that librarians can use “to make the library central to the educational experience of first-year students” (p. 352). Watts concludes that “course-integrated instruction with information-seeking process is a necessity … to become lifelong learners” (p. 355), and that librarians should be at the center of campus programs aimed at fostering an environment that challenges and supports first-year students (p. 355). Another valuable resource for first-year materials, maintained by Gardner, Barefoot and Upcraft, is the University of South Carolina's National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 2002–2006). This institution's Web site (http://www.sc.edu/fye/) acts as a vast resource for first-year experience materials.
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2.3. Millennials and library instruction There is a growing interest among librarians in learning to design instruction amenable to Millennial students. Regalado (2003) describes how librarians played a role in building confidence in college students' lives. Gardner and Eng (2005) report on the changing function of the academic library based on Generation Y user feedback. More specifically, instruction librarians are producing articles applying the Millennial characteristics to course-integrated instruction. Manuel (2002) wrote that “it behooves librarianship to acknowledge and accommodate Generation Y's learning style preferences, as well as their worldviews, earlier rather than later” (p. 196). Wilson (2004) applies elements of effective teaching to the characteristics of Millennials. Holliday and Qin (2004) use the characteristics and pedagogical methods to study undergraduates' information retrieval skills. They found that students used online resources as their primary means of researching, which only allowed them to retrieve basic information. If librarians continued to apply process-oriented or critical thinking pedagogies to instruction sessions, then students could move beyond their first hits and discover the additional wealth of library resources and services (p. 366).
3. Discussion The University of Cincinnati Libraries were instrumental in creating collaborations across the UC campus. Librarians sought out key players on campus in order to create meaningful partnerships. Librarians were striving to meet the goals of UL and UC with an emphasis on developing student-centered programs. In 2003, UL staff created the University Libraries' Strategic Plan 2003–2005 (University Libraries, 2003). The overarching message behind the Strategic Plan was enhancing UL services and resources to meet users' needs. This unified and pivotal message of improving quality service embraced all work at UL. With this foundation, when UL staff formulated collaborative efforts on campus they were using similar language and working toward the goal of high quality service. In 2004, UC launched UC|21 (Office of the Present, University of Cincinnati, 2004), the University of Cincinnati's strategic plan. It consisted of six goals, including placing students at the center. UC|21 gave more strength to the holistic approach. Academic and support services around UC renewed their commitments to the students, especially those in their first year. 3.1. Provost's Office and first-year experience The University Libraries maintain an extraordinary relationship with the Provost's Office at UC. Several librarians have consistently worked in very close collaboration with individual vice provosts on a regular basis. This allows for a high level of campus administrative support. The provosts understood the library needed to be an active player in order to have a successful first-year experience program, thus they instituted a first-year experience program at UC, including UL hiring a first-year experience librarian, creating an Information Commons
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that instituted peer-to-peer instruction, and solidifying ties to the newly formed First-Year Experience and Lifelong Learning Department. In 2003, librarians and a Provost presented a panel session at the 11th National ACRL Conference (Bailey, 2003) on the relationship between librarians and the first-year experience. Provost Linda Cain noted in the presentation that, “It takes a campus to educate a student,” and she urged librarians to look at their roles as educators who have a lot to contribute (para. 12). These efforts became the foundation for UL's holistic first-year experience instruction program. In 2000, UL librarians taught approximately 200 first-year experience students. In 2004, UL librarians taught over 2,000 students enrolled in approximately 100 first-year experience sections from five different departments' courses. The goals of the program evolved from advertising library services to integrating critical thinking pedagogies into course-integrated instruction sessions that improved student learning and developed lifelong learners. The program continues to grow and is seen to have a very comprehensive approach. 3.2. Prospective students The holistic experience for students starts even before they attend UC. UL collaborated with the Office of Admissions to orient prospective high school students to the university. Library staff hosted tables at information fairs and orientations and these sessions proved to be a valuable experience for the library and for students: on one occasion, a prospective student and her father left the session and came to the library for a personal tour. This example demonstrates how UL was able to make a large university small and exceeded the expectations of this Millennial student, and hopefully many others. 3.3. New student orientation New Student Orientation is a vital and collaborative effort related to first-year students. In 2003, UL contacted the Orientation Services Department, University of Cincinnati Information Technologies Department (UCit), and the Office of Admissions to strengthen UL's role in new student orientation. As a result, UL built a vibrant and robust orientation program that included educating approximately 4,000 students each year. Orientation, Admissions, UCit, and UL formed a partnership to orient incoming students to library and technology resources. The program divided the large group of three hundred students into four smaller groups who move through several short mini-sessions, including an introduction to library services, a live chat session, an introduction to library resources, a tour of the library stacks, and a hands-on e-mail and Blackboard session. The goals of orientation were simple: UL is a friendly place, UL has friendly staff who can answer questions, and UL has resources that will meet your research needs. These goals acted as a cornerstone that librarians used to build the rest of the first-year experience. The collaborations created from new student orientation acted as a springboard for other orientation collaborations, for example, transfer and distance education student orientations. In 2005, UL collaborated with the Office of Transfer and Lifelong Learning and added transfer orientations to the orientation schedule. It was felt that transfer students never gained specific
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knowledge of UC libraries, even though they might have gone through an orientation at their first institution. Although the sessions were shorter the students received the same information as the incoming first-year students. 3.4. Course-integrated instruction Once new students started school, UL continued the holistic experience through first-year experience and college success skills courses. UL worked with the First-Year Experience and Lifelong Learning Department and several academic departments to create extensive library instruction sessions for these courses. UL staff taught approximately one hundred of these sessions in an average fall quarter. The library assignments in these sessions were based on team building exercises that meshed with the Millennial learning styles. Through this method students learned basics of library research and terminology, including Boolean operators and search strategies. In addition to the first-year experience courses, UL staff taught English Composition sections and many other subject related classes. The goals for these sessions were more advanced than those in the first-year experience courses. Students were expected to search for resources in a variety of databases, to evaluate the resources, and to organize them into their research papers. Many of the English Composition presentations incorporated problem-based learning techniques that utilized the preferred teamwork learning style of the Millennials. Librarians collaborated with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning to educate faculty and other staff members on the best practices of problem-based learning as it related to the library. The course-integrated library sessions contributed significantly to this holistic approach.
4. Suggestions for gaining successful collaborations The suggestions below are based on strategies that proved valuable to our success at UL. These are not put in any rank order, and librarians can apply any or all of them as necessary for individual institutions. 4.1. Creating a unified library message One of the advantages at UL was the Strategic Plan. This allowed all of the librarians to speak with one unified message. A unified message reassured the campus community that the library was serious, committed, and willing to move forward with collaborative efforts. Even if a library does not create a strategic plan, librarians can meet together to craft a common set of understandings or goals for the instruction program. 4.2. Be proactive and use all staff resources University Libraries did not wait for the institution to come to the library. Library staff were proactive and sought out key partners on campus. This did not mean that all staff members
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must be at every table, but each staff member used their connections to leverage meaningful collaborations. Library staff communicated regularly regarding collaborative efforts that allowed staff to be aware and knowledgeable of the progress of the partnerships. 4.3. Position librarians in key places Several librarians at UL were masters at positioning themselves with the key players on campus, including the Deans of Colleges and the Provost Office. These librarians knew the political culture of the institution. They were aware of which initiatives were on the horizon and who was involved with those projects and were invited to planning meetings, and volunteered to serve on committees to foster initiatives. This outreach initiative proved to be one of the most valuable when fostering new collaborative efforts. 4.4. Work with existing collaborations and start small One of the best strategies was to start with the successful collaborations that existed in the library. Instruction staff identified who were the major stakeholders in the instruction program and created new initiatives based on those relationships. Once those pieces were successful, librarians brought in more and more partnerships and created the holistic program. 4.5. Be student centered Expectations on college campuses changed based upon Millennial students' desire to be self-reliant using technology, their ability to work in groups, and their need be guided through their campus experience. In order to have a successful first-year experience program, libraries had to transform services, including instruction, to being student centered. Librarians, for example, incorporated more group activities into course-integrated instruction sessions.
5. Assessment University Libraries applied a number of assessment tools and methods that assisted in the evolution of the first-year instruction program. These methods, typically subject to Institutional Review Board approval, provided a means to gather valuable information from library users in order to analyze, to evaluate, and to improve the quality of service provided to them. 5.1. Use existing resources The library relied on data gathered by the Orientation Services Department. Each year this department surveys all of the students who attend new student orientation. One section of the
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survey asked questions related to the library portion of orientation. University Libraries received very high praise for orientation. 5.2. Use existing groups Since 2002, the University of Cincinnati Libraries has participated in undergraduate orientation for new freshmen. UL orients approximately 3,700 students each summer about library services and resources. It was critical to gather information on these students' satisfaction with the orientation sessions in order to continually adapt library services to meet their needs. In 2005, UL created an anonymous, four-question Web-based survey using SurveyMonkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com). The survey was brief in order to fit into the mini-session time slot and to not overburden the students. The survey was conducted from June through August 2005. One quarter of the students who attended the orientation library sessions were asked to complete the survey (570 students completed the survey) (Appendix A). The survey results found that students enjoyed the UCit section of orientation the most (35.4%) and the Student Technology Resource Center second (29.1%). These two sessions included interactive components as well as fast-paced, colorful videos, which may be one factor in the high rating. The students rated self-checkout as the most useful resource in orientation (43.2%). Librarians were puzzled by the response to this service, but in relation to Millennial student descriptors such as self-reliance and technology savvy this made sense—it was an interactive service that they could control themselves. They wanted to know more about general library services and resources, multimedia resources, and campus information. The survey provided the library with many useful comments that will be incorporated into next year's orientation session, e.g., “allow time for an interactive use with the programs in order for us to get a feel for how it works before starting college”. 5.3. Debriefing with staff At the end of each orientation session the library and UCit staff held a debrief pizza lunch to discuss the accomplishments and challenges of that year's orientation. Staff answered the questions, “what worked” and “what needs improvement” during orientation. Staff identified many aspects of the orientation session that were positive and needed change; for example, UL staff stated that students liked the chat classroom seating; librarians noticed that students paid more attention and responded well to movement and interaction. This feedback was incorporated into the other suggestions from the surveys to improve the program. 5.4. Course-integrated instruction The University Libraries' Instructional Program aims to teach students to make effective use of information sources and systems. Each year librarians in the program teach approximately
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13,000 students. Many of these sessions reach undergraduate students taking first-year experience courses in the fields of Criminal Justice, Human Services, Education, and Arts and Sciences. Librarians create and distribute pre- and post-test survey instruments in these firstyear courses. These instruments have been administered each fall quarter since 2003 to approximately 800 students. The tests were administered on paper and were anonymous. The pre-test was given by the professor before the students attended their library session, and the post-test was taken at the end of their second library session. The tests investigated the students' ability to understand and retain specific library terminology and search strategies (Appendix B). Results from Fall 2004 indicated that 56% of the Arts and Sciences students passed the pre-test and 76% past the post-test (a 20% increase between tests), and 55% of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services passed the pre-test and 70% of them passed the post-test (a 15% increase). Thus, a significant number of students increased their library knowledge due to the UL course-integrated instruction sessions (Appendix C). Students were given evaluations at the end of several English Composition library sessions. These assessment tools were designed to evaluate the quality of library instruction and the overall satisfaction with the session as well as to gather some information on how well the students learned the material. These evaluations were used to improve teaching and to improve the English Composition instruction sessions.
6. Conclusion Millennials may possess characteristics and expectations far different from past generations. Some of the characteristics assigned to this generation include computer literate, team oriented, and self-assured. Many will text message their friends, watch television, listen to music, and complete their homework all at the same time. They may want to be entertained and visually stimulated, otherwise they grow bored and disinterested. Many of these characteristics stun and amaze their parents and professors whose lives tend to move at a slower pace. However, if universities want to educate and retain these students, then campus culture and teaching pedagogies will need to evolve to meet the Millennials' requirements. Librarians can make a difference in these students' lives. They are educators who have an understanding of both faculty and students and are willing to be flexible and to improve services and teaching based on feedback from the students. As Millennials and other constituents expect higher expectations from higher education, it is important that librarians “be at the table” on campus-wide initiatives. Library work is associated with good organizational and communication skills that foster exceptional campus collaborations and librarians can assist in creating a seamless transfer of information across the university. These collaborations will benefit not only the library and the students, but also the institution with its retention efforts. Librarians are pivotal in this digital age to helping establish a campus-wide set of instructional services for all.
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Acknowledgments The author would like to thank James Krusling for his work with the first-year experience course coordination and pre- and post-test assessment, and Katie Kallmeyer for editing assistance. Appendix A. University of Cincinnati University Libraries Orientation Survey 1. What part of this orientation was most useful to you? (Choose as many as apply) □ Circulation □ Resources □ Chat with a Librarian □ Student Technology Resources Center □ UCit □ Library Tour □ Other (please specify) 2. What library service or resource will be of most use to you? (Choose as many as apply) □ Self-Checkout □ Multiple library locations □ Adding money to Bearcat Card □ Printing □ Chat with a Librarian □ Multimedia Resources □ Student Technology Resource Center (STRC) □ Where to get help □ Locations of books and magazines □ Computer access □ Computer account information □ Other (please specify) 3. What would you like to know more about? 4. How could we improve the University Libraries/UCit orientation to better suit your needs? Appendix B. University of Cincinnati University Libraries Pre- and Post-Tests FYE Research Skills Survey—Pre-evaluation 1. Books in a college library are normally located through the use of: A. The card catalog B. Periodical indexes C. Printed lists which are updated each month D. An online library catalog
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2. A place in a library staffed by someone who answers questions and provides help in using the library, conducting research, and locating information is: A. A reference desk B. A computer lab C. A periodicals room D. A security office
3. Choose the most accurate statement: A. All information is available on the Internet B. The Internet contains a mix of information of varying quality C. The Internet contains mainly popular information sources D. The Internet contains nothing of value
4. Where is the best place to begin research on a term paper? A. In the book stacks B. In the periodical department C. In the reserve collection D. In the reference collection
5. Which would you normally not find listed in a library catalog? A. A book B. An article C. A government document D. A video
6. Anything you find on the Internet is yours for the taking. ____ TRUE ____ FALSE
7. The most accurate statement about Boolean operators is: A. They retrieve information by responding to infrared commands B. They manage the switchboard in college libraries C. They are words like: AND, OR, and NOT which are designed to limit or broaden a search. D. They are replacements for the old card catalogs
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8. When performing a search in an Internet Search Engine which of the following should retrieve the most results: A. election OR presidential B. election AND presidential C. election NOT presidential
9. To find articles in periodicals you will use: A. A library catalog B. A printed or online index C. An encyclopedia D. An Internet search engine
10. Which of these would be a citation to a journal article? A. Smith, R. Bones. New York: Big Press, 1999. B. Smith, R. “Bones.” Paleoanthropology 10.1 (1999): 34–66 C. Smith, R. Bones.org. 6 Nov. 1999
11. Performing a subject search in a library catalog is likely to produce the same results as a keyword search. ____ True ____ False
12. Which of the following is not a feature of OhioLINK: A. It is an online central catalog of the holdings of member libraries B. It links libraries from all around the country C. It provides online access to research and reference databases D. Its services are available only to faculty, students and staff of OhioLINK participating institutions
FYE Research Skills Survey—Post-evaluation 1. Books in a college library are normally located through the use of: A. The card catalog B. Periodical indexes C. Printed lists which are updated each month D. An online library catalog
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2. A place in a library staffed by someone who answers questions and provides help in using the library, conducting research, and locating information is: A. A reference desk B. A computer lab C. A periodicals room D. A security office
3. Choose the most accurate statement: A. All information is available on the Internet B. The Internet contains a mix of information of varying quality C. The Internet contains mainly popular information sources D. The Internet contains nothing of value
4. Where is the best place to begin research on a term paper? A. In the book stacks B. In the periodical department C. In the reserve collection D. In the reference collection
5. Which would you normally not find listed in a library catalog? A. A book B. An article C. A government document D. A video
6. Anything you find on the Internet is yours for the taking. ____ TRUE ____ FALSE
7. The most accurate statement about Boolean operators is: A. They retrieve information by responding to infrared commands B. They manage the switchboard in college libraries C. They are words like: AND, OR, and NOT which are designed to limit or broaden a search. D. They are replacements for the old card catalogs
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8. When performing a search in an Internet Search Engine which of the following should retrieve the most results: A. election OR presidential B. election AND presidential C. election NOT presidential
9. To find articles in periodicals you will use: A. A library catalog B. A printed or online index C. An encyclopedia D. An Internet search engine
10. Which of these would be a citation to a journal article? A. Smith, R. Bones. New York: Big Press, 1999. B. Smith, R. “Bones.” Paleoanthropology 10.1 (1999): 34–66 C. Smith, R. Bones.org. 6 Nov. 1999
11. Performing a subject search in a library catalog is likely to produce the same results as a keyword search. ____ True ____ False
12. Which of the following is not a feature of OhioLINK: A. It is an online central catalog of the holdings of member libraries B. It links libraries from all around the country C. It provides online access to research and reference databases D. Its services are available only to faculty, students and staff of OhioLINK participating institutions
Comments:
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Appendix C. Information Literacy Instruction Assessment: Survey Results
References Bailey, V. (2003). Libraries and the first-year experience. C&RL News, 64(6). Retrieved September 23, 2005, from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2003/june4/learningmake.htm DiGilio, J. J., Lynn-Nelson, G., Reis, R. M. (2004). The millennial invasion: Are you ready? Information Outlook Washington, 8(11), 15–16, 18–20. Gardner, S., & Eng, S. (2005). What students want: Generation Y and the changing function of the academic library. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 5(3), 405−420. Retrieved September 8, 2005, from Project MUSE. Holliday, W., & Qin, L. (2004). Understanding the millennials: Updating our knowledge about students. Reference Services Review, 32(4), 356−366. Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation. New York: Vintage Books. Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials go to college. Great Falls, VA: American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers and LifeCourse Associates.
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Jukes, I. (2005). Understanding digital kids (DKs): Teaching and learning in the new digital landscape. The InfoSavvy Group. Retrieved October 23, 2005, from http://www.thecommittedsardine.net/infosavvy/education/ handouts/it.pdf Manuel, K. (2002). Teaching information literacy to Generation Y. Journal of Library Administration, 36(1/2), 195−217. National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. (2002–2006). Retrieved September 23, 2005, from http://www.sc.edu/first-year_experience/index.html Oblinger, D. G, & Oblinger, J. L. (2005). Educating the net generation. Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Retrieved October 15, 2005, from netLibrary. Office of the President, University of Cincinnati. (2004). UC|21 at a glance [Brochure]. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati. Regalado, M. (2003). Competence, confidence, and connections: Aiding the transition to college. College and Undergraduate Libraries, 10(2), 89−97. Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital: The rise of the net generation. New York: McGraw-Hill. University Libraries, University of Cincinnati. (2003). University Libraries' strategic plan 2003–2005. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati. Upcraft, M. L., Gardner J. N., & Associates. (1989). The freshmen year experience: Helping students survive and succeed in college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Upcraft, M. L., Gardner, J. N., & Barefoot, B. O. (2005). Challenging and supporting the first-year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Wilson, M. E. (2004). Teaching, learning, and millennial students. New Directions for Student Services, 2004(106), 59−71.