# Presentation: 103244

## End-User Education and the Librarian

- John Auditore
- NIH Library
- JA120R@NIH.GOV

## Topics of Discussion

- Introduction
- Instruction Services at the NIH Library
- Why We Train End-Users
- Management of Instruction Program
- What We Teach
- Factors to Consider in Developing Strategies for Teaching & Learning
- An Example of  a NIH Seminar
- Conclusion & the Future

**Notes:**
Topics of Discussion
Introduction
Instruction Services at the NIH Library
Why We Train End-Users
Management of Instruction Program
What We Teach
Factors to Consider in Developing Strategies for Teaching & Learning
An Example of  a NIH Seminar
Conclusion & the Future

## Introduction

- The NIH Library
- Mission
- Vision

**Notes:**
The mission of the NIH Library is to support the biomedical and behavioral research needs of the NIH community with a comprehensive range of scientific, medical, and administrative information and suppport services.

It is our vision the NIH library will be the focal point of information access for the NIH community, valued in particular for providing access to vast electronic collections.  

Specifically, In regards to user education, our vision states that the library will provide an accessible, broad-based, state-of-the-art instructional program to assure NIH staff are able to identify, retrieve, and critically evaluate the information resources and sources available to them in the library or on the network

## Objectives of End-User Education

- In-house training to improve teaching
- Evaluate instructional program
- Investigate alternatives to formal classes or tutorials
- Exploit slide presentations on the WWW
- Explore ways to increase awareness of program

**Notes:**
we have developed the following objectives for end-user instruction for 1997:
Include in-house training to improve teaching ability of instructors

Continually evaluate instructional program to be sure it meets the needs of users

Continually investigate alternatives to formal classes or individual tutorials
Exploit slide presentations for instructional use on the WWW

Explore ways to increase awareness of the instructional program

## Objectives of End-User Education

- Target sites for seminar presentations
- Develop objective criteria to measure searching competency as a tool for search expertise evaluation

**Notes:**
Target sites for seminar presentations (invite departments/laboratories to schedule a presentation during routine conference meetings)

Develop objective criteria to measure searching competency as a tool for search expertise evaluation

## End-User Instruction

- Managing information is essential in biomedical research
- Brief history of instruction program at the NIH Library

**Notes:**
Since March of 1993, the NIH Library has provided its users with unlimited, direct network access to Medline and alomost 30 other National Library of Medicine databases.  Over 7,000 NIH staff members have been issued NLM acxcess codes.  In addtion we provide desktop access to PsycINFO, Biological Abstracts, Embase, MathSciNet, Beilstein Database and more than 100 full text journals.  We are planning to add Science Citation Index within the next few months.

Since the 1980’s, the NIH library has provided instruction in database searching and information management.  A variety of teaching formats have been used including all day sessions, hands-on instruction, programmed instruction, lectures, seminars and private tutorials.    The advent of user friendly interfaces, such as Grateful Med and OVID, accelerated the need for user education in the library.

With Online searching growing as technological literacy improves and remote online systems become increasingly accessible. End users want to conduct their own searches. The role of the educator and the expectation of the end user have both changed in this area. The intent, management of instruction, content,  teaching strategies, and an example of a typical seminar will be reviewed in this presentation. 

## Why We Train End-Users

- Online industry supplies information that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere
- Training is necessary to access this information
- Role-shift for the Librarian:  from intermediary-teacher to teacher-consultant

**Notes:**
Why We Train End Users (Intent)

End user online searching is necessary for the following reasons: 

The online industry supplies information that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere, especially in terms of currency, speed and flexibility. 

To access this information through effective and satisfying searches, training is
necessary. There is a trend towards self-service and user autonomy in many libraries, including at NIH.

The information industry's view of the end user has changed. Formerly end-users
delegated an information problem to an intermediary (i.e. librarian), but now acquires information independently, regardless of the method used. The librarian's role has shifted from intermediary-searcher to teacher-consultant.

## Management of Instruction Program

- Administrative Concerns
- selection of suitable online services
- management of learner access

**Notes:**
Management of Instruction Programs

Primary administrative concerns are the selection of suitable online services and the management of learner access.  At the NIH Library Team approaches are used to select electronic resources and provide end-user instructional services.

The instruction team is composed of eight librarians from the Information and Education  Services section of the library.  Members of the team meet to discuss the goals and objectives of the instruction program, produce materials, schedule training and evaluate the program.  Members are polled for their areas of expertise.  

## Management: The Team Approach

- Each Team member must:
- provide instruction in 2 or more programs or topics
- provide tutorial instruction
- develop, teach and evaluate seminars
- develop instructional materials
- learn new software/programs in a timely fashion

**Notes:**
Each member of the Team is required to 

provide instruction in at least two supported programs or topic areas

provide tutorial instruction

develop, teach and evaluate seminars

develop instructional materials

Learn new software or new versions of existing software in a timely manner

## Management:  Criteria in Selecting Services 

- Database availability
- Systems support
- Ease of use
- Suitability for target audience

**Notes:**
Some of the basic criteria used by the Electronic Resources Team in considering electronic services to offer the NIH community include:

database availability and cost 
system supports,  for example we do not extensively use CD-ROM systems because of difficulties in our large and complex network systems at NIH
ease of use    we almost exclusively support menu-driven systems. 
suitability for the target audience.

## Management:  Important Issues

- Staffing
- overload at the reference desk
- Evaluation
- to monitor and improve program
- Responsibility _after_ instruction
- provide access to encourage application
- updates on new development
- How to reach more people in a time/cost effective manner

**Notes:**
Additional management issues we have had to include:
One concern, if end user searching is integrated into library service, is that the reference desk may become overloaded with questions from end-users. If demand warrants it, specialist staff may be needed and a separate service offered. 

The teaching of end user online searching needs to be evaluated to monitor and improve the program and provide information about it to team members.

Thought must also be given to the responsibility of educators to end-user after instruction. This may include providing access to encourage the application of their knowledge and skills, updates on new developments and trouble shooting.  However, many colleagues think librarians worry too much about this issue.

An important issue is how to reach more people in a time/cost effective.  Large group instruction only works when attendance is high. One-on-one training is in demand.

## What We Teach at NIH

- All GratefulMed programs and PubMed
- Searching the WWW for biomedical information
- Reference management software
- OVID databases
- Online full text databases
- Beilstein

**Notes:**
Content:  Seminars offered at the NIH Library in 1997
Content of seminars offered at the Library is developed to facilitate comprehensive access to information in support of the NIH mission. The NIH mission is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. The goal of NIH research is to acquire new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease and disability, from the rarest genetic disorder to the common cold.

We teach seminars and offer tutorials both on and offsite for the following database and software:

Introduction to Internet Grateful Med
Searching the Web for Biomedical Information Sources
Reference Management Software Demonstrations
Introduction to PubMed   
Databases/Full Text Journals via OVID
Introduction to Beilstein   

## What We Teach at NIH

- How to Keep Current with Current Biomedical Literature
- Searching Biological Abstracts, EMBASE & PsycINFO
- Searching Science Citation Index

**Notes:**
How to Keep Up with Current Literature (Uncover, etc)

Searching Biological Abstracts, EMBASE, or PsychINFO

Searching Science Citation Index (Compact Disc Edition)

We also train end-users by providing handouts and via our instructional Services Web page.

## Factors to Consider in Developing Strategies for Teaching & Learning

- End-User characteristics
- End-User needs
- Learning objectives of users
- Resources available

**Notes:**
Factors to Consider in Developing Strategies for Teaching and Learning
Teaching strategies should respond to 
user characteristics 	conceptual, behavioral and affective difficulties (example:  NIH end-users are well educated but vary in computer and language skills))
user needs	what type of information is needed by the individual (example:  Many NIH end-users need intensive instruction in searching for three dimensional chemical structure
learning objectives of users 	what do they want to learn? How do they use information  (example: Clinical researchers need specific information on searching for novel or experimental drug data for use in patient care)
available resources  what resources are available that best fit the needs of the users  (example:  our mathematicians need desktop access to mathematical databases such as MathSciNet)

Adult users tend to want only enough information to meet their immediate needs, and hence favor short modular training and flexible timing of instruction.  Many models of adult education can be found in the literature.
In addition to what they have in common with other educators, librarians teaching online searching also have a role in changing their students' views of knowledge, in modifying their students' information-gathering behavior, in developing an  enthusiasm in students about the search process and in refining their students' evaluation of the information found. Ideas for appropriate instructional techniques should be gained from the literature on teaching and learning, especially in the areas of adult learning and conceptual change learning.

## A Seminar at NIH

- Promotion
- Orientation
- Training
- Education
- Materials

**Notes:**
Example of a Seminar at NIH Library (with slide illustrations)

Promotion:                  Advertisements:	library listserv,  posters, advertisements in newsletter,  handouts,  Instruction Homepage

Orientation:       The seminar begins with a general introduction to the database,  its usefulness, advantages and disadvantages, comparison with other similar systems,  and database searching  (for example: Boolean searching principles).

Training: & Education:	Training includes: 
navigation of the interface 
command language when applicable
terminal use
???hands-on  (tutorials only)

Education includes such topics as: 
concept formation (search strategy formulation, how to combine sets in a logical fashion)
analysis of search statements, including such considerations as controlled vocabulary or free text searching)
synthesis (how to locate materials identified as useful, ability to transfer searching skills learned from one database to another.

## Evaluation of Seminar

- Instructor knowledge
- Clarity of presentation
- Materials
- Length of session

**Notes:**
Evaluation of Seminar
A survey designed to evaluate the seminar is handed out at the end of each session.  It evaluates:
Instructor Knowledge
Clarity of presentation
Materials
Length of session

Also includes area to comment on:
Is the knowledge acquired in this session useful in your daily work?
Would you recommend this session to a colleague?
How did you find out about this session
Ideas for additional topics to be presented
Additional comments.
Materials
Detailed handouts  (We have considered take-home exercises)

## What Worked in 1996

- Bringing  instructional services to users at their offices and labs
- Presentations offsite allowed opportunities to talk with users, observe their research, evaluate their equipment and software, and information needs
- Majority of our end-users benefited from hands on activities.
- Instructions on Home Page

**Notes:**
What worked in 1996

Bringing  instructional services to users at their offices and labs

Presentations offsite allowed opportunities to talk with users, observe their research, evaluate their equipment and software, and information needs   We were able to focus on users’ needs  [EXAMPLE:  Parklawn library week activity]

Hands on opportunities:  the majority of our users benefited from hands on activities.

Instructions  on Home Page

## What Didn’t Work in 1996

- Staff time to devote to teaching and the preparation of materials
- Large group presentations without enough equipment
- Poor attendance
- Facility Considerations

**Notes:**
What didn’t Work in 1996

Staff time to devote to teaching and the preparation of materials 

Large group presentations without enough equipment

We were not able to handle all technicalities,  need more technical information

Poor attendance at some seminars

Facility Considerations:  training room cannot handle large groups well

## The Future

- Web based tutorials
- Chat
- Target sites for seminar
- Workshop for research festival
- Obtain more feedback
- Develop self-critiquing process
- Training in teaching

**Notes:**
The Future
Web based tutorials?  
Exploit  slide presentations on our home page.  You can easily convert a Powerpoint presentation into html and save on web page.  We are currently working on placing a tutorial on the web page and will evaluate its use via statistics.
Use Chat 	presently under investigation?
Target sites for seminar and instruction announcements and presentations.  
For example a letter has gone out to selected laboratories detailing the services available from the library and offering to introduce staff to some of the exciting new web-based information services that can be useful adjuncts to their research.
We offer staff the opportunity to schedule a seminar with us - either during one of their regularly scheduled staff conferences/meetings, or at another preferred time.  We also offer the use the NIH Library Training Room.
Began in early October,  we have received positive responses from 2 out of 5 requests sent.
Workshop for research festival
Obtain more feedback from those instructed
Develop self-critiquing process
	For example, videotaping your session
Training in teaching

## Credits

- Tamsin Adams-Webber
- Candace Cupps Canto
- Stephanie Publicker
- Edwin Sunderland
- Susan Whitmore