Information Services and Library Promotion at TUT Library

International Week 2012, March 19-23, TUT Library

Information Services and Library

Promotion at TUT Library

Taimi NurmisteHead of Information Services

Department


Aims of Information Services

The primary aims of information services:• to support the learning, teaching and

research activities of TUT• to keep the university community

informed of the library`s services and possibilities

• to develop direct communication between the library and the academic departments

• The subject librarians system is one effective way in which these aims can be achieved


What is a Subject Librarian?

A Subject Librarian is an information specialist who acts as a primary liaison between one or more academic departments and who is appointed to organize library information services in a particular subject field


Subject librarians system developments

• The subject librarian system with two Subject Librarians (chemistry and power engineering) was designed in 1970– 1975 the Reference Services Department

was created to provide reference services in all collection areas

– 1990–2002 several structural changes of the Library departments took place

– 2002 Information Services Department was formed as an independent department

• ISD today: 7 Subject Librarians, 1 Librarian, Head of the ISD


Subject Librarians Background• SL-s for civil engineering, chemical and

materials technology, mechanical and power engineering are all graduated TUT

• SL-s for information technology and social sciences, science, economics and law have no academic qualifications in the field in which they are spezialized, but they have had a long practice in the field they serve

• Subject Librarians contacts


On the Academicians Alley


Tasks of Information Services• Help desk service• Faculty support • Participating in collection

development • User training • Exhibitions • Developing Library`s webpage• Promoting library services and

resources


Information Resources

• Access to 100 Databases– e-Books (80 000 titles)– e-Journals (65 000 titles)

• e-Catalogue ESTER, Estonian databases• EBSCO A-to-Z• Digital Collection of TUT Library

– dissertations of TUT; digitized textbooks etc

• General reference collection • Map collection


Help Desk

Duties of the SL-s include: • Participating in Help desk service

by providing assistance with any questions about Library services and collections to all library patrons

• Assisting in information searching, answering questions:– by phone and via e-mail– through Ask a Question web form– online by LibChat (brief questions)


Information Consultant on Duty


LIBChat


Faculty support

Subject Librarians are responsible for:• Establishing relationships with the

faculty, identifying which information services may be required by the faculty and delivering these services

• Developing effective two-way communication and collaboration between the library and the academic department

• Developing subject gateways


Work with Faculty

The role of the Subject Librarian includes:• Taking book orders• Selecting journals and databases• Setting up Trials and organizing

presentations of new databases• Providing information for accreditation• Assisting to embed Information Skills in

curriculum/class/assignment• Providing help guides and tutorials


Subject librarians are involved in:• Providing specialized assistance for the

faculty staff – to identify journals for manuscript submission– to find author guidelines etc.

• Providing individual and group consultations for postgraduated students – Where to publish; How to sign up for alerts– Citation analysis advice: Web of Science

How to find Impact Factor, H-Index etc.


Workshops for Faculty


Collection Development activities• Participating in collection development

for print and e-resources• Coordinating book purchase• Organizing pre-purchase exhibitions

– Suggestions may be made also via an online form all the year round

– Academics can see their book orders on the Library`s webpage

• Keeping up-to-date journal and databases collections


Communication

• Key factor in developing relationships with academics

• Subject Librarians have to make themselves known and available to the faculty

• The ways of communication with departments:– faculty visiting and – academics visiting the subject librarians– via phone, via individual e-mail, via

distribution lists and subject listservs


Promotion

• It is important to make everyone aware of the library

• Promotion keeps the academics and students up-to-date with the latest developments of the library

• There are many ways to promote the library:– The best thing – our new library building– Library`s website– Orientation tours and training sessions– Handouts, posters, flyers, slogans, calendar


More Promotion Channels

• Special Events– E-books reader promotion week – Library Days in October, TUT Open Days

• Information slaids on the LCD panels• Library news and events on the TUT

web page– Articles in the TUT newspaper Mente et

Manu – TUT student handbook A-to-Z

• Weekly lists of new books on the web page

• Workshops


Open Day at the TUT


Exhibitions as a medium of promotion

Subject Librarians present exhibitions:• in the gallery of the library entrance

to promote books on a specific topic• The permanent exhibition on the 5th

floor “The most…” presents the most interesting books and journals in our collection

• Exhibitions and posters are designed by our Library’s artist Tiia Eikholm

• Calendar of exhibitions


In the Library gallery


Library’s Webpage

• The latest webpage with TUT template-based design was launched in 2010

• Each department of the university has to create and publish their content by themselves in the Saurus Open Source Software

• Subject Librarians have to manage pages– for Faculty; for Students– News and Events; Exhibitions – Information Sources; TUTL Digital

Collection


TUTL Homepage


Guides on the webpage

Subject Librarians provide several user guides

• Helping users become familiar with the library’s services, resources and facilities

• Providing tips on advanced searching– How to find …How to search…How to cite…

How to evaluate …– How to access library databases outside

the campus network through the VPN (Virtual Private Network)

– How to reserve an individual or group study room


New web-based Service


Tutorials and Videos

• Virtual Tour on the Library’s webpage: – TUTL new Library (by CrioNova)

• Video TUTL opening ceremony• Videos created in collaboration

with education technology centre of TUT and the library’s system operator:– How to use self check-out machines?– How to use the self check-in

machine?

• Tutorial How to use e-catalogue ESTER?


Social Networking

• RSS Feed accessed from the library’s webpage

• Twitter account accessed from the TUT webpage

• Subject Librarians blog “Ainespetsid” created by the Subject Librarian for Science– http://ainespetsid.wordpress.com/

• Collaborating with librarians of Services Department by developing Facebook created by librarians of Services Department


Blog of the Subjects Librarians


Events at the Library March 19-24• International Staff Week• TUT Open Day for high school

students– Library Tour, promotion desk in the hall

• New Trial: Polpred• New books and Journals Exhibition• Exhibition One Hundred Books for

Understanding Contemporary Japan• Online registration for library class:

Explore the Information Kiosk


Explore Library Information Kiosk


New Competencies needed The digital environment require new skills:• Marketing skills, e-communication skills• Practical skills for delivering training,

using new technologies:– Moodle, Web 2.0, Social networking tools– Flickr, YouTube, Blogger

• Presentation skills – Powerpoint, SlideShare,

Google applications

• English language skills


More involvement in Teaching• Subject Librarians have become increas-

ingly involved in the teaching of IL skills• Librarians have not usually been trained

to teach, we are doing this mostly through self-directed learning

• Workshops and especially summer schools of Subject Librarians of university Libraries provide support, e.g.– adults teaching methods– pedagogical skills for effective teaching


Summer Schools (7)

The main objectiv: to create a network for sharing professional skills

Summer Schools organized by our Library:• Virtual Communication in the university

environment (by K. Aedma)• Young scientists and Library:

Expectations and Reality (last year)– Vice-Rector for Research of TUT and

postgraduate students participated

• Workshop at Helsinki Uni of Technology


Future Plans

• to create a patron survey – an effective tool for promoting library services (in Oct)

• to evaluate how the faculty and students use our e-resources and how satisfied they are with Subject Librarians support, incl– Website (e-resources through the homepage) – Databases (access, usage)– Library instruction, Help guides, TV-panels

• to embed more IL tutorials in Moodle cources


Be visible!

• The importance of visibility and promoting the activities of the Subject Librarians are important

• Ensure that everyone in a faculty is aware that they have their very own librarian as an adviser who may offer services for their specific questions

• If the academics are not going to come to us, we have to go to them!


Thanks!

NB!When the new website arrives,

some links in this presentation will stop working.

Documents

Information Services and Library Promotion at TUT Library