Farzaneh's & Ruya's Excellent Adventures: Exploring Teaching & Learning Opportunities in Second Life
  Susan A. Vega García, Associate Professor and Head of Instruction at Iowa State University Library; and Rano Marupova, Instructional Technology Specialist at Iowa State University Library

García and Marupova presented on their "first-life" experience exploring educational possibilities within the virtual world, Second Life. Second Life is an online, 3D, interactive, virtual reality program in which most of the content is user generated. With the able assistance of avatars Farzaneh and Ruya, the audience was able to explore virtual destinations, such as Alliance Virtual Library, Aldrich Chemistry Library, and a Smithsonian exhibit on Latino music.

García and Marupova demonstrated how Second Life has the potential to provide educational content as well as a virtual venue for students to meet, attend classes, and collaborate on projects. For educators, Second Life is chock-full of Professional Development opportunities like seminars and conferences. If you are looking for a great educational tool and a teaching/learning environment with the capacity to engage learners in novel ways, you may want to explore the virtual world of Second Life.

Photo and Report by Leslie Ross

 Embedded in the Future: Integrating Library Tools in Students' Online Research Environments
  Julia Bauder, Data Services Librarian, Grinnell College; and Elizabeth Rodrigues, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Grinnell College

Embedding simple discovery and help tools in course management systems and Web sites such as Google Scholar makes library collections and services more visible and accessible to users.  Julia and Liz demonstrated how to implement three free tools that place library resources in our students' preferred Web environments: database search widgets that can be added to course management sites, subject guides, and Facebook; LibX, a browser toolbar that gives students direct access to library resources without having to go to the library Web site; and a pop-out chat reference tool. 

For a helpful guide to using and installing these tools, please see: Links and Downloads from "Embedded in the Future":  http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/general/newhomepage/ilaacrllinks.html

 Photo and Report by Phil Jones

The Perpetual Question: Future-proofing Library Experience for the First College Year
  Beth McMahon, Reference & Instruction Librarian, Central College; and Cyndi Boertje, Tutoring Coordinator, Central College

McMahon and Boertje presented Central College's new peer-teaching model that portrays the library as a relevant and meaningful part of academic life to the first-year students that come to Central. Students arrive at Colleges and Universities with the idea that they are able to gather all the information they need by themselves, and that Librarians are obsolete. Using peer-teachers this model emphasizes the notion that skills learned in this one semester course will resonate throughout the student's academic life.

The course also establishes closer links between information literacy and writing. The use of peer-teachers also models, to first-year students, the notion of scholarly inquiry and the possibility of academic achievement, since peer-teachers, together with librarians, are responsible for teaching some of the content of the classes. Since the library component of this one semester class is embedded in the curriculum of the class, peer-teachers also collaborate with the faculty teaching these classes. Again this interaction with faculty models, for first-year students, how collaboration can be achieved.

  Photo and Report by Germano Streese

Giving Distance Users What They Want
  Dan Gall, Coordinator of Library Services for Distance Education, University of Iowa; and Amy Paulus, Head of Access Services, University of Iowa

The University of Iowa Libraries' recent efforts to survey and assist distance learners were presented by Dan Gall and Amy Paulus. Distance education in several formats is offered by the University of Iowa through the Center for Credit Programs in the Division of Continuing Education.  The goal of the survey, conducted from June to September 2008, was to determine how best to provide services to a distributed population.  Questions focused on the areas of students' Internet connection options, preferences for getting materials, and preferences for means of requesting and receiving help.  222 of about 2000 students responded to the survey, most located in urban counties in Iowa, with some in rural counties and other states.

Nearly half (44.5%) of the respondents replied that they did most of their research and information gathering for courses at home, with work (20.5%) and public library (19.0%) locations being fairly popular as well.  Internet connection methods used were faster than expected on average (though Dan noted this may reflect some response bias as the survey itself was sent electronically).  79.6% of respondents use cable/DSL, with just 5.0% using dialup.  There was interest in both synchronous (telephone or chat/IM) and asynchronous (email) methods for contacting librarians.  The most popular responses for learning about how to use library resources were short online tutorials (28.0%) and visits by a librarian to a location where a face-to-face component of the course was held (27.7%).  Students expressed a desire to avoid snail mail delivery of materials whenever possible.

Delivery of articles to distance education users has taken different formats over the years.  In 1997, the methods used were mailing and faxing.  Once electronic delivery began in 2002, that quickly became the most popular, and the last request from this user group to have an item faxed was in 2005.  Since 2006 and the implementation of the ILLiad system, all articles have been delivered electronically.  Connecting the SFX link resolver for article access to Interlibrary Loan has made this easier.  Books are delivered to the students through UPS-both books owned by Iowa and those borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.  The University of Iowa's electronic access to course reserves through ICON (Iowa Courses Online Network) is set up the same way for distance courses as for local courses.  Future services under development or consideration include integrating book delivery requests with the online catalog, adding streaming video content to ICON, and implementing screen sharing systems to aid in providing help to distance users.

 Photo and Report by Kris Stacy-Bates