Hal Kirkwood

Business Library Web Sites Revisited: An Updated Review of the Organization and Content of Academic Business Library Web Sites

This article updates the findings from a study by Hal Kirkwood in 2000 of the organization and content of academic business library Web sites. The authors examined 75 sites, focusing on five general aspects of the sites: organization, terminology, instructional elements, integration of resources across formats, and annotations. Results of the study show that business library Websites have dramatically improved in the 7 years since the original study.

Embedded Librarianship and Virtual Environments in Entrepreneurship Information Literacy: A Case Study

The librarians in the Management & Economics Library at Purdue University participated in a unique collaboration with a faculty member. A professor assigned to teach an entrepreneurship course and a marketing course connected the assignments across the two courses. The respective teams were required to communicate and share information with each other for their final projects. The librarians provided support through instructional sessions, embedding themselves with the teams, and assisting with assignments for a deep information literacy component.

The Learning Commons as a Locus for Information Literacy

Many institutions of higher education are designing spaces to facilitate learning. Libraries have created information or learning commons to support this activity. This article draws from the literature and best practices to explore this new direction. Academic libraries have focused on student learning and the teaching of skills and strategies that develop information literacy competency. Although there is an assumption that learning commons facilitate student learning, there is a need to more closely connect this new environment with information literacy and pedagogy and to demonstrate its merits in enhancing learning. A basic premise is that each learning commons that is planned well will be unique. This is because a key component of the planning process is to understand the campus perspective, student learning styles and preferences, and the role of the campus library. The combination of those factors will result in a learning commons that supports its own institutional priorities and profile in a specialized manner. This article is in the form of a panel discussion that explores possible relationships between the learning commons and student learning, pedagogy, and information literacy. The “panel members” are the authors who represent three different perspectives that should be interrelated when planning learning commons. These perspectives are (1) the scholarly perspective that provides an empirical foundation for decision-making, (2) the perspective of a library administrator who builds the relationships needed for successful external collaboration, and (3) the perspective of a librarian who implements the vision for a learning commons. The panelists discuss a number of topics including (1) the scholarly basis for a learning commons as a focal point for enhancing student learning, pedagogy, and information literacy, (2) how a library administrator can create and communicate a vision that focuses on information literacy and student learning, (3) how a practicing librarian can promote information literacy, pedagogy, and student learning through a learning commons, and (4) engaging all stakeholders to promote consideration of pedagogical approaches through the learning commons. Finally, there are recommendations for research and practice about the learning commons and information literacy.

Strategically Leveraging Learning Space to Create Partnership Opportunities

The Management & Economics Library at Purdue University began a major physical and conceptual renovation four years ago. The conceptual renovation involves a rethinking of library faculty and staff roles and responsibilities based on the librarys and universitys strategic directives. The LearnLab space is being used as a springboard to create new partnerships, to implement our new roles, and to transform the perspective of an academic librarys present capability. This article will highlight the variety of opportunities that have arisen by leveraging the LearnLab space.

Academic Issues in E-Journal Selection and Evaluation

Abstract

Challenges in Collection Development for Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a high-risk high-reward endeavor that relies on the effective use of information. An entrepreneur’s success is often based on a mixture of luck, a good idea, acquiring the right pieces of information, and then acting on it to make a competitive decision. At Purdue we are investigating ways of providing greater access to relevant entrepreneurial information. Specifically, the Management & Economics Library is collaborating with Purdue Extension to provide resources to dedicated workstations at the off-campus Extension Office sites. The Extension Offices’ role has been changing over time as technology has affected the agriculture industry. They see themselves as a source for small business support and regional economic development. The Management & Economics Library at Purdue is attempting to leverage its resources with technology support through the Purdue Extension Offices. Purdue University, as a land-grant institution, has a strategic initiative to support the greater community and state. The articles in this section all have at their core a focus on the effective utilization of resources for entrepreneurial success. Carissa M. Holler Phillips leads off with an analysis of research conducted by students for a business plan project. Sylvia James presents an introduction to the effective use of information when identifying potential sources of private equity. At the University of Toledo, Julia A. Martin provides insight into a collaboration and resource/collection development initiative with a local economic development center. Karen Resch McKeown, from ProQuest, presents details on the research they conducted to design and develop their ProQuest Entrepreneurship database. The mix of articles presents a variety of perspectives on the development, use, and study of information resources relating to entrepreneurship. Perhaps some insight can be gained to help develop your own entrepreneurial collection or information intensive project.

Business information literacy integration into a freshman summer bridge course for underrepresented minorities

ABSTRACT This article presents the collaboration between a professor of management and a faculty librarian within a summer bridge course designed to provide underrepresented minority students with advanced preparation prior to their freshmen year at Purdue University. The course is a combination of academic preparation, applied life skills, and information literacy to make the course relevant to the students in the short and long term. The instructors detail how the course is designed around a problem-based framework to facilitate improved learning of relevant tools and critical thinking skills within a business information literacy context.