USAIN/CBHL 2024 Biennial Meeting

From AI Workshops to Off-Campus Partnerships: A Library’s Journey of Engaging with Extension Agents
Livia Olsen (Kansas State University Libraries)
Carol Sevin (Kansas State University Libraries)

This presentation will explore the impact of using developments in AI as a library outreach tool. K-State Libraries AI team began conducting workshops on using generative AI which sparked the interest of many groups, including Extension agents, who wanted to learn more about AI and how to use it in their own contexts because they saw the library as a place to help them learn more. The team was invited to present a professional development workshop about the basics of AI to a group of family and consumer science extension agents. K-State is focusing more on external audiences and the team saw this engagement as a way to build off-campus relationships. A “get to know each other” session was included in the workshop for the extension agents to learn more about how the library can serve them and for the librarians to learn more about the work of Extension. This engaging, reciprocal outreach opportunity would not have arisen without people’s interest in generative AI.

In addition to sharing this experience, we will reflect on the challenges and disappointments that we faced, because not everyone is interested in engaging with the library about AI. Additionally, we will address the following questions: What will be the lasting outcomes of this engagement with Extension? Will this interest and engagement last as AI becomes more ubiquitous? Is our project a translatable idea that can be replicated or adapted by other libraries or institutions?

The Librarians Role in a Nutrition Class at Louisiana State University
Randa Morgan (Louisiana State University)

In the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at Louisiana State University, the ability to discern between original research and review articles is crucial for students to successfully graduate. However, despite its significance, students routinely struggle with the challenge of locating original research articles each semester. This necessitates a profound grasp of information literacy concepts, including synthesis, and critical evaluation. This paper thoroughly explores the crucial nature of this skill set, providing an in-depth examination of the methods employed to address these challenges within the Nutrition 3110 classes.

The discussion encompasses the rationale underpinning the teaching of distinctions between original research and review articles, outlining the specific content covered and clarifying the integral role of a librarian throughout the instructional process. This discussion also opens a dialog about students receiving information literacy instruction and what happens to those students who manage to sidestep the classes that teach it. Everyone assumes someone is teaching them these skill sets when the reality may be different. Additionally, the presentation sheds light on the development and practical utilization of a handout designed for one-on-one consultations, offering a tangible example of the teaching strategy in action. The exploration extends to the role of evidence synthesis-type papers, underscoring their relevance while also not using them for the assignment.

The presenter candidly shares firsthand experiences and initial struggles with the assignment, acknowledging the broader difficulties that students may encounter when faced with similar tasks. This presentation not only provides a comprehensive understanding of the pedagogical approach taken but also offers valuable insights into the practical implementation of strategies aimed at equipping students with the skills essential for navigating the intricate landscape of scientific literature within the domain of nutrition and dietetics.

Herding Cats: A Librarian's Guide to Launching a Veterinary Medicine Program
Karen Burton (Clemson University)

There is a chronic shortage of veterinarians around the country, and in a state with no vet school this shortage is even worse. The obvious home in South Carolina for a much-needed new School of Veterinary Medicine was Clemson University, the R-1 public land-grant university that already offered a veterinary science program for undergraduate and graduate students. As the current liaison for that program, I was asked to be involved in preparing the libraries for this new addition to our university. I benchmarked our collections and services that could potentially support veterinary medicine against our peer institutions with a vet school and produced a report that offered purchasing recommendations to effectively support a veterinary medicine program. This report included plans for hiring necessary personnel, options for library space usage, and a projected budget for the electronic resources, books, and journals we would need to purchase. I will share how I managed the project, what information I used for benchmarking, software and tools used, and I will offer a framework for future benchmarking projects that could potentially be used for any new program.

I will also address the importance of open communication between the libraries and the administration for a new program as it relates to program accreditation. The subject of the library’s role in accreditation for the new School of Veterinary Medicine, as well as the timeline, was something I had to initiate conversations about in order to make hiring and acquisitions plans to meet those accreditation requirements by certain deadlines. This timeline begins years before the first student is accepted, and may not be on the library’s radar when they are asked to branch out into a new program dependent on accreditation, but is certainly an important aspect all librarians need to be aware of.