Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College Online Compliance Certification
Judgment of Compliance |
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X |
Compliance |
Partial Compliance |
Non-Compliance |
NARRATIVE/JUSTIFICATION FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE
Every SKCTC student has access to, and most students receive, instruction in the use of the library as part of a structured college class. The main exceptions are students in some of the exclusively vocational programs and those who take most of their courses online. Students in English 101 and 102, as well as General Education courses, receive library instruction routinely as an element of their course work, and this is frequently true of students in communications courses as well. An online quiz is often used to assess the extent to which students have understood such presentations [1]. Instructors in other courses request library instruction for their students on an intermittent basis. During the spring semester, 2005, library instruction sessions were offered to five general education classes taught to vocational students on the Harlan campus, and it is planned that this will be expanded and continued in order to reach more of those students in a classroom setting. A total of 54 library instruction sessions was offered to 1,377 students by the SKCTC library staff during 2004-05 [2].
Students also receive library instruction individually when they come to use the library. All staff members are trained and knowledgeable in showing students how to use the online catalog, the library databases, computer software, and the library collection itself.
For students using remote access, library usage almost always occurs via the library webpage [3]. Every effort has been made to make the information there readily understandable and comprehensible. The first element in the “Databases” menu is a choice entitled “Which Database Should You Use? [4],” which gives brief, plain-language descriptions of the various databases and their strengths. The databases themselves feature online help which guides an individual through the process of using them. Students can access these databases using passwords; the library maintains cards containing lists of the needed passwords, so that students can easily keep track of how to gain access from home. The “Resources” menu features sections on citing and evaluating sources; the Kentucky Virtual Library, whose website is easily accessible using a direct link from the library webpage, also has modules designed to help remote access learners with this process [5]. Staff from throughout KCTCS have worked to make the libraries’ online catalog as self-explanatory as possible, but it also features online help functions. Under “Partners,” links are provided for direct access to the catalogs of other academic Institutions, as well as the webpages of area public libraries. And contact information is provided, so that students might get in touch with professional librarians on the nearest campus as needed.
The library staff provides instruction in the use of library materials to SKCTC faculty and staff from time to time as part of Southeast’s professional development program. Topics have included library databases; the first such sessions offered on the Harlan and Pineville campuses were held in November, 2004, and were well-received. Two of the library staff offered a workshop in the use of NetLibrary e-books at the 2004 In-Service training, and the same two offered a workshop in the use of the Ebsco databases during the 2005 In-Service [6]. In order to reach adjunct faculty, one of the professional librarians attends each of the campus orientation sessions for adjunct faculty every year and gives a brief presentation on library services.
The library staff also provides library instruction to
community groups from time to time. Examples include recent presentations to local school children by the
Whitesburg librarian, an internet workshop offered by a Middlesboro librarian
this fall, and continuing education courses in
research taught by a
While the library staff does plan to expand efforts to increase library usage in general, library instruction is readily available to individuals, groups, and remote users. The importance which Southeast attaches to information literacy is underscored by the fact that one of the twelve core competencies for KCTCS’s General Education program commits the college to teaching all students to “Develop and perform basic search strategies and access information in a variety of formats, print and non-print.” [8] Both student exit surveys and the student surveys which are conducted each fall semester indicate that students are satisfied with, and knowledgeable about, the libraries of SKCTC. The most helpful survey in this regard is the student survey of 2003-04; answers to the sixth and seventh questions show that the good majority of students regarded themselves as knowledgeable of materials and databases [9]. The exceptions were students on the Harlan campus, who had no real library at the time, and students on the Pineville campus, whose library had not been weeded and updated at the time. Subsequent surveys show tangible improvement in this area at those two campuses [10].
In addition to the library, Southeast also houses the Appalachian archives. The Appalachian Archives is open to everyone; extensive effort is directed toward encouraging college faculty to promote student use of its resources. Instruction in the use of the Appalachian Archives is carried out on an individual basis as part of the interview process with each potential archives patron. Appalachian Archives staff query patrons with regard to their individual research interests and offer suggestions as to which collections best fit their research needs. Patrons are then instructed in how to safely use archival materials and how to effectively search the archives database.
Outreach continues to be an ongoing effort by the Appalachian Archives staff. SKCTC faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the community, are regularly invited to participate in open house tours of the archives; workshops are also offered intermittently at off-campus locations. At the beginning of the fall 2005 term the Appalachian Archives archivist also conducted a faculty in-service training session on the collections within the archives and how they might be used [11].
The Appalachian Archives also provides the background and practical application setting for the Historical Information Management Program. The HIM Program offers a series of online courses in the use and management of archives, museums, and records management leading to a certificate of proficiency in each area. Each certificate consists of five core courses designed to thoroughly prepare the student to both use and work in an archives, museum, or records management program [12].
Supporting Documents |
Links to Supporting Documents |
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You must be connected to the World Wide Web to access the following links. (Click on the link to access the document.) |
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1 |
Introduction to College Online Library Quiz and GE 100 Syllabus |
Library Quiz: GE 100 Syllabus: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
2 |
KCTCS Libraries and Learning Resources Workgroup Report 2004-2005 and Individual Campus Library Instruction Information |
KCTCS Libraries and Learning Resources Workgroup Report 2004-2005: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ Whitesburg Library Instruction Outline: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ Middlesboro Orientation and Presentations 2004-2005: |
3 |
SKCTC Library Webpage |
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4 |
Database Selection Guide from the SKCTC Webpage |
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5 |
KYVL’s “How to Do Research” |
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6 |
Evaluations of Professional Development Sessions |
Professional Development Activity Harlan: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ Professional Development Activity Pineville: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ In-Service 2004: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ In-Service 2005: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
7 |
Documents Regarding Community Oriented Presentations |
Harlan Works Class Agenda 2005: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ Harlan Works Evaluations 2005: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/
http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
8 |
Core Competencies for the KCTCS General Education Program |
Page 69 of the KCTCS catalog: http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ 2004-2005 KCTCS catalog: |
9 |
Student Survey Results |
http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
10 |
Harlan Student Survey Comparison |
Comparison of Harlan Campus Library Student Survey Results, 2003 and 2006 http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
11 |
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http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
12 |
Historical Information Management Program Flyer |
http://www.secc.kctcs.edu/SACS/SupportingDocuments/ |
