POSTER SESSION Abstracts

Go to Poster Session title list

Behind the Scenes: Creating Content for MEDLINEplus
by Sharon Bressert & Edith Starbuck, Univ. of Cincinnati.

Assisted by a contract from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the University of Cincinnati Academic Information Technologies and Libraries developed MEDLINEplus, http://www.medlineplus.gov, a consumer health Web site that would point only to authoritative health information in full text. The sites made available from the topic pages primarily are from government agencies, but some voluntary health organizations that meet strict criteria from NLM are also included.

The early activity centered on the development of pre-determined health topics. As of July, 2000, there are almost 400 topics on the MEDLINEplus Web site. Each has been developed and rigorously reviewed by a team of experts. Work is primarily done in a virtual environment, communicating and submitting reports by e-mail and holding teleconference meetings with the rest of the MEDLINEplus group on a regular basis. We will demonstrate the scope of the project and focus on the process of content assessment, page creation, and final review for release to the public from the perspective of a contributor and a reviewer.

Information Literacy at CWRU: Interim Results of a Pilot Program
by William Claspy, Case Western Reserve Univ.

Case Western Reserve University has a new library building and one of the most advanced campus networks in the country. We also take pride in offering a wide variety of information technology courses and faculty-initiated bibliographic instruction. However, neither the university nor the library has addressed the concept of information literacy, nor integrated information literacy instruction into the curriculum. We fear undergraduates at CWRU are leaving the university under-equipped to effectively meet the information demands of the workplace or of graduate or professional education. The library has begun to position itself on campus as leaders in providing this critical instruction. Having attended the ACRL Institute for Information Literacy Ohio Immersion program, we now are in the process of instituting pilot programs with several departments on campus to address ACRL's information literacy competency standards. This poster will be a progress report and highlight what we see as key ingredients to making such programs effective.

The Invisible Web
by Susan DiRenzo & Nancy Pitre, Univ. of Akron.

There are a large number of databases, archives, and other information sources containing valuable information that cannot be identified and/or located by traditional Internet search engines or directories. We can help you locate this invisible information on what is commonly called "the invisible Web". We'll offer some tips and tricks for getting you started on your journey to navigate "the invisible Web".

OhioLINK Use & Institution Type: Focus on Undergraduates
by Kathy Schulz, Wittenberg Univ.

A presentation of findings from three separate, though related, investigations concerning OhioLINK book transactions: (1) an analysis of OhioLINK book traffic by institution type (University, College, Two -Year); (2) an in-depth look at the use of OhioLINK by undergraduates and an analysis of the factors associated with their OhioLINK usage/nonusage, including undergraduates' use of their local collections, institution size, and library size; and (3) a survey of OhioLINK users at Wittenberg University to gauge undergraduate attitudes concerning OhioLINK.

An Online Directory of Curriculum Materials Centers: A Collaborative Project Report
by Steve Aby & Aimée deChambeau, Univ. of Akron; Bill Meloy, Cleveland State Univ.; Wai Yin Mok, Utah State Univ.

A curriculum center is a model school library collection of teaching and learning materials. It is usually housed in either the library or college of education, and the collection is used by education majors for their instructional design and teaching methods courses, for the development of sample lessons and units of study, and for their practice teaching experiences. The objectives of this project were to make the directory of Ohio CMCs available on the Web, automate the updating of the directory, and provide mechanisms for searching and for creating reports from the directory information. Toward this end, a collaborative relationship between the ALAO CMC Interest Group and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Akron was established. This poster session presents the establishment of this cooperative venture, the methods used to develop an online directory to satisfy the objectives listed above, and the resulting product - an online directory of CMCs.

Online Library Tutorials 101: Getting the Job Done
by Carol Brown, Wright State Univ.

The Wright State University Libraries, as part of a larger campus effort to establish first-year academic competencies, supported an information literacy competency by developing a series of Web tutorials and user guides to assist students getting started with research in the libraries. The tutorials are based on a set of FAQ user guides about library resources and services. The added strength of the tutorials is that they present information in a series of lessons, include an assessment feature, and produce a certificate of completion so that instructors can utilize them as part of a class assignment.

Our objective in these efforts was to reach as many students as possible in as many formats as possible. From students who are never on campus, to those who are here but may need additional help, the tutorials are available for the librarians and faculty to incorporate into their instructional efforts.

Problem - Based Learning Inside & Out: Multiple Roles for Librarians
by Jolene Miller, Medical College of Ohio.

As an active learning technique, problem-based learning (PBL) benefits students by encouraging them to apply what they have learned in class to real-world problems and by improving their information literacy skills. Librarians working in institutions with problem-based learning are most familiar with these students through reference encounters. Our participation in problem-based learning, however, should not be limited to the reference desk. Librarians can and should play multiple roles in their institutions' problem-based learning curricula. This poster will describe five levels of librarian participation in problem-based learning (reference assistance to students, information literacy training for students, consultation with departmental faculty regarding available resources, facilitation of PBL groups, and analysis of resource utilization), emphasizing the opportunities and challenges of each.

Updated 9 Oct 2000
Comments?