It pains me to say...

A few weeks back I discussed Google Scholar. In fact, within the blog I cited a research article that proved Scholar being better than some library resources. I must admit that since that blog, I have become somewhat of a Google Scholar junkie!! If I am trying to locate an article, as of late, I try Google Scholar first. Generally, if the article I'm looking for is available through Wayne State University, it's the first result listed. I have become so accustomed to going to Google Scholar in search of articles that I've begun recommending it to other WSU students.

Last Friday, a student was in need of some articles that he thought he had to pay to access. Upon providing me with the title to one of the articles, I went to locate it through Google Scholar. Of course, the article was listed at the top of the results and it was available at Wayne State. Two databases were listed as having the article available and they were Wilson Select Plus and Business Source Complete. After clicking the Wilson Select Plus link it was discovered that the article was not accessible through them after all. Through Business Source Complete, however, the article was accessible and in a PDF format.

Naturally, the student wanted to know how I was able to access this and other articles. Spending some time talking to him, I learned that he attempted to access these articles through the internet. Most times, articles listed through the internet will lead you to the journal from which it can be found and purchased. People don’t realize the link leading to the journal and/or article will only provide them with an option to purchase it.

Still, he had an interest in learning how he might be able to access these articles on his own. Initially, I recommended and even walked him through the steps of obtaining the articles from Google Scholar. My inner librarian kicked in, and I decided that it would be best to show him how to access the article(s) through Wayne’s library resources.

It pains me to say this, but using Google Scholar was better than using WSU's library resources. First, I went through WSU’s citation linker to type both the article and journal title into the search fields. Next, the journal title(s) where the article was available to be accessed appeared. Selecting one journal title led us to the journals homepage and the publications available throughout the years. Using Wayne’s library resources to try and access that article proved to be very challenging. Plus, citation linker is only useful if the name of the journal title is provided. Meaning, just providing the title of the article will not produce any results for a student to access that article.

Moreover, as a Graduate Student Assistant in the School of Library & Information Science at WSU, I was disappointed. This experience gave me a clear and new understanding as to why students may prefer making Google their first resort. I’ve spent nearly three months advocating for the usage of library resources over Google. Not that I still wouldn’t advocate for library resources but there has to be a way to simplify accessing articles through Wayne. Everything Wayne State provided about the article, Google Scholar did with less clicks and shorter time. We live in a generation where people want instant gratification. The average college student is not going to go through the process of accessing article titles if their library resources resemble Wayne State’s. Bottom line: Both the student and I concurred after trying Wayne and Scholar to go with Google Scholar for its simplicity and understandable format.

Feelings

Well, today is Good Friday and of course Wayne State is very much open. All in all, today is going smoothly and it's a beautiful day out. Monday of this week marked the beginning of 2010 Fall Registration. I am super excited because time is flying...I have one more semester to register for classes and that's 2010 Winter. I remember when I first started my MLIS Degree in the Fall of 2008. So much has happened since then and I wouldn't change anything. One of the major things that occurred in Fall of 2008 was the start of the MLIS Online Degree. Wayne State's Library & Information Science Program, as it was known in 2008, has grown tremendously. In 2009, the program became the School of Library & Information Science. Recently, a student within the SLIS began an email discussing the interest in parity between on-campus and online courses. Naturally, the the middle of the discussion quickly became on campus vs. online courses. This was my response:

Hello everyone,

I've seen/read nearly all of the responses to Ben's original post. I must say that I am very impressed to see my fellow students, with such passion might I add, articulate their beliefs/opinions regarding on campus/online courses. I too believe that the School has begun to tailor the degree more so to the needs of online students, as of late. I want to work in Public Libraries, essentially I want to become a Childrens Librarian. It was disheartening to see the lack of on campus classes being offered for the 2010 Spring/Summer semester(s). While I was blessed to find one being offered by the College of Education, I was amazed at how the SLIS is offering an abundance of online courses instead.I have been very fortunate in taking face-to-face courses, so encountering this "issue" for the 2010 Spring/Summer Semester(s) was a little surprising. I am not here to say which course style is better. I prefer face-to-face interaction/teaching because that is what most benefits me. I have only taken one online course and that was 6080 and I had a STRONG dislike for it. On the other hand, there are things that I learned from that class that I am still applying to my other LIS classes today. I would also like to add that in attending on campus classes I recognize that my mere attendance in those classes and doing homework aren't hardly enough. What should set any of us apart is the ambition and drive that each of us posesses, be it on campus/online, to adapt and thrive in a competitive profession.

Come Again?

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS OH MY!!!
To some this heading may appear silly and random, but with the evening I’ve had it is fitting. Since my shift began at 4p, working at the Undergraduate Library has been quite the experience. Here are the top questions that I’ve been asked this evening that left me somewhat perplexed:

1. I have an interview and I am looking for room 1600. My mom is trying to park the car, where can she park?
When the patron asked the first part of her question I directed her to room 1600. However, the second part of her question was met with some confusion. First, I had no clue where her mother was on campus. Next, my mind froze and I couldn’t think of any visiting parking structures off the top of my head. The patron ended up walking away, appearing unsatisfied with the help that was offered.
Final Thoughts: I could’ve suggested the meters as possible parking spots but again everything related to parking went out of my mind when asked on the spot.

2. I’m looking for books on authenticity, do you have any here?
I checked the catalog and indeed found some books on that subject matter for this patron. Of course, when he discovered that many of the titles we owned were located at Purdy-Kresge he became disinterested. He expressed a desire to only view books here at the UGL, and even complained about having books from other libraries on campus appear in the results. The patron’s complaining was interesting considering he didn’t request to find books only at the UGL originally. I ended up finding three books here for the patron that he decided to check out.
Final Thoughts: Purdy-Kresge is less than five minutes away from the Undergraduate Library. Perhaps the patron could’ve found better materials suited for his assignment there vs. at the UGL…either way it was his decision.

3. I’m looking for scholarly sources from articles?
This question left me positively STUMPED!! I couldn’t understand her question and that increased my inability to answer the question. Eventually, the patron walked off, irritated at my confusion to answering her question.
Final Thoughts: If the patron came with a better understanding of what she wanted/needed maybe I could’ve helped her more. I could’ve done a better job asking her open-ended questions to ascertain what she may have needed.

4. Can homeless people use this library?
I replied yes to this question and stated that as long as patrons who appear to be homeless aren’t bothering people (i.e. students, or staff) they are not prohibited from using our library or its services.
Final Thoughts: All WSU libraries have rules and policies that openly embrace “community users.” Regardless, if it turns off certain patrons’, members of the community have a right to access all the services our libraries may offer.

How's My Voice?

Yay! Wayne State University is on Spring Break this week! Unfortunately, I have still had to come to campus to work at the library, which has been very quiet. I even contemplated not doing a blog this week in honor of Spring Break. Since I have to spend most of my day here, it made sense to just go ahead and do one. A co-worker suggested that I read an article that she thought I would enjoy. My blog for this week will focus on the article, why it’s important and what I valued about it.

First, the name of the article was Voice in teaching: Improving your classroom connection and it was written by Bob Schoofs. Schoofs is an arts and humanities librarian who was reviewing some student evaluations of his teaching at the end of the term (Schoofs, 2010). One comment struck him the most as it indicated that his voice was pretty boring (Schoofs, 2010). What really struck Schoofs was the fact that this was an aspect of his teaching that he should be able to improve (Schoofs, 2010).

Next, he began to consult with faculty members in relevant departments such as Education. To no avail, Schoofs didn’t discover any resources that required nor encouraged any vocal training for teachers. After meeting with a theatre professor, he was able to get expert help about developing more dynamic, expressive patterns of speaking (Schoofs, 2010).

Also, one of the tools Schoofs used was a tape recorder, which enabled him to analyze things like his pitch, pattern, and rhythm (Schoofs, 2010). He strongly suggests that regular, daily practice of things like rhythm and melody, pitch and pause has enabled him to develop new habits of speaking.

Moreover, this article is very important because it discusses the effects of bad vocal speaking in teaching. According to the article, twenty percent of teachers have had to take time off work because of voice problems compared with a national average of 4 percent (Schoofs, 2010). Besides that evidence, this article really promotes the idea of advancing and improving areas of weakness.

Finally, what I most valued about this article was the emphasis it put upon vocal training amongst teacher and librarians. Having a BFA Degree in Theatre, I’ve learned the importance of strong and effective speaking. As a storyteller, I try my best to implement those “theatre skills,” into the storytelling for my children audience. Last year, I had the opportunity to sit and listen to an intern read a story to some children. Overall, there was no excitement about any of the words she was reading, no inflections, just the sound of her monotone voice. I am not professing to be an expert in vocal training or storytelling, but how a person reads/speaks will greatly influence the attention of his/her audience. A great tip that Schoofs provides the readers is reading aloud to a pretend audience (i.e. family or friends) for 20 or 30 minutes once or twice a day. Bobb Schoofs initiative to improve his speaking abilities is admirable and should be a lesson to all in any profession.

References

Schoofs, B. (2010). Voice in teaching: Improving your classroom connection. College & Research Libraries, 71 (3), 143-144.