Librarians Participate in Ball State’s Diversity Research Symposium

Brenda Yates Habich and Lisa Jarrell presented a workshop at Ball State’s first Diversity Research Symposium: Exploring Diversity Research and Writing Across Disciplines held on Saturday, November 14, 2009. The session, entitled “Publishing Diversity-Related Research,” described ways to identify journals for submitting manuscripts for publication. The librarians highlighted the many useful resources provided by the University Libraries to support scholars’ diversity-related research.

Habich and Jarrell discussed strategies for identifying journals that publish diversity-related research and described methods for determining the relative importance of a given journal in a discipline. They provided lists of impact scores for journals in a variety of fields, as well as other indicators of journal quality. “We wanted to provide people with a sense of what journals are out there and how to identify the best possible places for publication,” said Lisa Jarrell, Instructional Services Librarian.

The session was repeated twice throughout the day-long conference and attracted a number of participants. The audience members represented various universities, including the University of Louisville and the University of Cincinnati. Many Ball State faculty members also attended, representing various areas of study such as Architecture, English, and Social Work.

University Libraries Collaborate with Honors College Peer Mentor’s Program

Recently, the Ball State University Libraries took part in the Honors College Peer Mentor’s Program by conducting 25 instructional sessions during September and October for new Honors College students and their mentors.

The Honors College is made up of freshmen through seniors who have met specific admission requirements, take a rigorous selection of Honors classes, and write a thesis. This year, more than 300 new students are enrolled in the Honors College.

Besides being assigned to specific advisors as freshmen, students also take part in the HONRS 100 course that provides a peer mentor for new students and an opportunity for students to work in small groups. The beauty of this design is that it provides for an in-depth orientation to the Honors College curriculum and expectations, and to Ball State’s campus. This semester, Library Information Services’ librarians had an increased role in helping these new Honors students learn about the library for important resources they are likely to need for their courses and various personal interests.

With the support of Dean James S. Ruebel, Associate Dean John W. Emert, and Dr. Laurie K. Lindberg, Coordinator of the Honors Peer Mentors Program, mentors coordinated with Brenda Yates Habich, Information Services Librarian and Lisa J. Jarrell, Instructional Services Librarian to arrange a time for their groups of new students to come to Bracken Library. The session was planned with individual mentors as a time for students to have a physical tour of the main library, followed by a “computer tour” in order for the students to learn how to locate various materials they will need for their research and learning. The librarians introduced students to different locations in Bracken where they can find CDs or DVDs, print posters for presentations, check out books and laptops, and find realia for use in their studies and presentations. The librarians also familiarized the students with the numerous academic databases available for their research.

This partnering enabled the honors students to become familiar with librarians who can assist them with their research. Several of the participating students commented that the tour and orientation helped them to feel more comfortable using Bracken Library and that they felt better informed about the resources available to them.

For more information, contact Brenda Yates Habich, Information Services Librarian, BHabich@bsu.edu, 765-285-3324.

What Classroom Faculty at Ball State University Say about Library Instruction Services … Dr. Martha J. Payne

Dr. Martha J. Payne shares her perspective about the value and importance of the library instruction sessions at the Ball State University Libraries.

Library Instruction for English 103 and 104 is valuable because the Reference librarians are more familiar with the expanding databases than the classroom instructor is. In addition, the librarians help students determine search terms to help them find appropriate sources for their research topics. Last semester, librarians in Periodicals helped my students use the microfilm for past newspaper articles and the microfilm readers. Every time I bring my students for instruction, I, too, learn something new.

This is an excerpt from an article, which first appeared in The Library Insider 5(3): 4; March 2007.

What Classroom Faculty at Ball State University Say about Library Instruction Services … Dr. Michael W. Doyle

Dr. Michael W. Doyle shares his perspective about the value and importance of the library instruction sessions at the Ball State University Libraries.

Put simply, I could not adequately teach certain aspects of the courses I offer here at Ball State without the invaluable instructional workshops that you and your estimable colleagues have provided my students over the past eleven years. I have arranged for you to present specialized hour-long workshops on conducting historiographical research for my graduate seminars and on doing research in Indiana history for my upper-level undergraduates. Together you and I have produced three-page handouts that detail essential sources and databases on these topics for distribution to my students, and you have expertly initiated them to the most efficient means of locating relevant citations. There's never been any problem in scheduling these workshops, even when they have had to be arranged near the start of a semester when you have been inundated with other instructors' requests. I can hardly express how highly I regard your services. Thank you!


This is an excerpt from an article, which first appeared in The Library Insider 5(3): 4; March 2007.

What Classroom Faculty at Ball State University Say about Library Instruction Services … Dr. Pete J. Ellery

Dr. Pete J. Ellery, Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology, shares his perspective about the value and importance of library instruction sessions at the Ball State University Libraries.

I continue to use the Libraries’ services for two main reasons. First, the opportunity to work one-on-one with a librarian that has an in-depth knowledge of the information sources needed in research is invaluable. Students and faculty need this kind of support when conducting research, and this is especially important for students who are novices in research. The second reason is that I find that it is not only the students who learn new things; I do, too! I am always amazed at how many new information sources in my profession, or library technology resources are available each time I take a group to the library, and I find this process keeps me current as well.


This is an excerpt from an article, which first appeared in The Library Insider 5(3): 4; March 2007.

What Classroom Faculty at Ball State University Say about Library Instruction Services … Dr. Laura A. Snyder’s Perspective

Dr. Laura A. Snyder, Department of English, shared her perspective about the value and importance of the library instruction sessions at the Ball State University Libraries.

I have been delighted with how Library Instruction Services has tailored sessions to my students’ needs. When I bring classes to Bracken Library to address their various research projects, I know that Instructional Services’ librarians will provide the students with specific, detailed research strategies that help them with the general assignment I’ve given. Furthermore, the librarians also help me to stress how the specific research strategy we are employing is indicative of a pattern for research — from general reference sources in books and databases all the way through specific articles in journals and databases — that is useful across the curriculum.

This is an excerpt from an article, which first appeared in The Library Insider 5(3): 4; March 2007.

Ball State University's Student Participation in Library Instruction is High

The University Libraries’ Library Instruction Program introduces new researchers to the world of online and print resources in addition to providing advanced searching techniques to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. It uses a multi-faceted approach of classroom and one-on-one instruction in the libraries as well as visiting academic classrooms on campus.

Bracken Library is equipped with two e-classrooms devoted to library instruction sessions. A review of e-classroom use during the Fall Semester 2006, as gauged by computer log-ins during the sessions, revealed interesting details about class participation and the University Libraries’ efforts to provide students with the tools and skills needed for research.

Forty-two percent (2,023) of the freshman class of 4,838 attended instruction sessions last fall. Entry-level students are the focus of the outreach efforts with the goal of providing Freshmen with basic research skills upon which they can build throughout their academic careers. This high level of involvement underscores the broad participation of introductory English classes and collaboration with their faculty.

The number of participants follows an inverse relationship; that is, as students progress from one year to the next and gain confidence in their research abilities, they participate less in formal library instruction sessions. Participation rates for students in Ball State’s other classes logging-in to the e-classrooms were Sophomores, 19%; Juniors, 14%; and Seniors, 9%.

Ten percent of the University’s graduate students were involved in e-classroom sessions during the same period. While smaller in number than the sweeping efforts with the Freshman class, upper-level instruction sessions are devoted to area-specific resources and provide the greater depth needed for concentrated academic pursuits.

The numbers cited above provide an interesting picture of the University Libraries’ Library Instruction Program. Equally insightful and important are comments garnered from faculty whose students make use of the sessions. They underscore the value of the skills and knowledge students gain during the sessions and reinforce the partnerships forged between the faculty and librarians.

For more information, contact Jeremiah S. Kinney, Library Teaching Assistant in Ball State University Libraries’ Information Services, JSKinney2@bsu.edu, (765) 285-8017.

This newsletter article first appeared in The Library Insider 5(3): 4; March 2007.