Browsing by Author "Maxson, Bronwen K."

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    ALFIN en México: Information Professionals' Approach to Teaching Information Literacy
    (SALALM LXIII, 2018-07-02) Maxson, Bronwen K.; Reyes, Betsaida M.; Hicks, Alison
    According to IIE, the numbers of international students studying in the US has been growing every year for the past 12 years. Since 2% of all international students come Mexico thus the study will focus on this country. In particular, the researchers are interested in information literacy practices of Mexican librarians and information professionals. The objective of this paper presentation is twofold: to share preliminary survey results and second to add to the body of knowledge regarding the current landscape of Mexicans librarians’ approach to information literacy. This presentation suggests that learning about students prior experiences with information literacy in Mexico could have a positive impact both for the student and the librarian. The student’s experience is validated and built upon and the librarian can modify their current teaching methods to adequately bridge the disjunctions, if any, that students may experience when studying in a North American research university.
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    Boolean redux: Performance of advanced versus simple Boolean searches and implications for upper-level instruction
    (2020-08-21) Lowe, M. Sara; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Stone, Sean M.; Miller, Willie; Snajdr, Eric
    Building off an earlier study, which examined whether or not it was beneficial to teach Boolean logic to introductory students, the present study examines the efficacy of Boolean OR searching in more advanced search strategies, for example, capstone projects and graduate theses and dissertations. Results show that both simple and advanced Boolean searches yield relevant results. Based on relevance, there is no compelling evidence that either search is superior. To capture all the literature on a topic, however, it is important that upper-level students know the relevant databases for their discipline and perform multiple searches. Results can help inform whether teaching Boolean search skills to upper-division students in disciplinary contexts is time well spent.
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    Creating a digital mindfulness resource guide for students
    (Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians L'Association canadienne des bibliothécaires en enseignement supérieur (CAPAL), 2022-06-06) Lockwood, Kayla; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Thornhill, Kate
    College can be a stressful experience for students due to high costs of education, food insecurity, time management, and individual health conditions. With the recent global pandemic, the University of Oregon (UO) has pivoted many of its in-person mental health services to remote operations that include teletherapy, remote workshops, and other online resources such as mobile apps to provide students access to health services. One of the goals of UO Libraries’ instruction program is to teach students to critically evaluate information they find in various locations and formats. Specific to this effort, UO Libraries supported a DREAM Lab student employee to review campus-supported apps, create a digital mindfulness app evaluation rubric to aid students in decision making about their data privacy and care, and ultimately to create an online guide for the UO community. The student’s process included talking to institutional partners and medical professionals, researching the associated risks of data privacy and security within mHealth apps, researching mHealth app evaluation methods, and carefully reading the data privacy standards of suggested apps. The guide creators are assessing the guide’s impact on the student community through an embedded survey, as well as usage statistics. Preliminary results will be shared at the CAPAL Conference.
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    Creating a Spanish campus map at the University of Oregon
    (REFORMA National Conference, 2021-11-06) Maxson, Bronwen K.; Quarles, Heather
    This poster will describe the process and stakeholders involved in an effort to create a Spanish GIS map at the University of Oregon during the COVID-19 pandemic through an online asynchronous partnership with Spanish Heritage Language Students. The presenter(s) will describe the impetus for the project, their pedagogical approaches, the campus partnerships that made this project possible, and the process for structuring student work in two sections of Spanish 228, Herencia latina II: Nuestras voces en contexto. The presenters will suggest ways for other academic librarians to consider how to make their online spaces more inclusive.
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    El diseño de la alfabetización informacional sobre la comunicación científica
    (XXXV Coloquio Internacional de Bibliotecarios, Feria Internacional de Libro de Guadalajara, México, 2021-11-29) Maxson, Bronwen K.
    Bronwen Maxson, y sus colegas, Alison Hicks del University College de Londres (UCL) y Betsaida Reyes de la Universidad del Estado de Pennsylvania, han realizado un estudio sobre las prácticas de los profesionistas de la información y bibliotecarios en México durante 2018 con respecto a la alfabetización informacional, es decir, el desarrollo de habilidades informativas. Bronwen hablará sobre el estudio que se publicó en octubre de 2021, la justificación del estudio, la metodología, los resultados y los temas para futuras investigaciones. El estudio tiene implicaciones para los bibliotecarios que enseñan alfabetización en comunicación científica.
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    Engaging Users through Accessible and Pedagogical Guides
    (Emporia SLIM, 2020-04-29) Maxson, Bronwen K.; García, Mandi
    Online library research guides are often created as a pathfinder with too much text but not enough pedagogical guidance, and a static lists of links that lack context. Pedagogical-style guides can increase engagement and retention of learned information literacy skills through more engaging research guides. Building on studies carried out at IUPUI (formerly, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), the presenter will share how the UO Libraries is using process-driven guides with infographics and other multimedia to communicate that research involves multiple interrelated steps and takes time to carry out. The presenter will share ways to make the guides more inviting and accessible through video with captions, graphics with accessibility features that go beyond the alt text field in image descriptions, an intuitive navigational layout, and adding a personal message. Attendees will learn how accessible and engaging guides can support diversity, equity, and inclusion and support learner success.
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    Hay muchos Méxicos: Mexican Information Professionals Discuss Information Literacy
    (SALALM-LXVI, 2019-06-29) Maxson, Bronwen K.; Reyes, Betsaida M.; Hicks, Alison
    Information literacy as a term and as a field of study is well established in Mexico. Scholars like Lau, Hernandez Salazar, Tiscareño Arroyo, Cortés-Vera and others are working to advance the knowledge in this area. Many highlight the importance of professor-librarian collaborations (Lau, 2001 & Cortés-Vera and Tiscareño Arroyo, (2014) as the key to bring information literacy to the forefront and integrate it into the curriculum. Building on the work presented at SALALM in 2018, we seek to increase awareness amongst US librarians of the practices of information professionals and librarians in Mexico. In summer 2018, we listened as librarians from five higher education institutions in Mexico City shared their experiences with us. We employed open-ended questions during recorded focus groups sessions to purposely foreground the voices of the participants. We then transcribed and coded our recordings to look for shared concepts and categories. Based on the analysis of our data, we will discuss how these professionals approach information literacy.
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    Hay muchos Méxicos: A New Approach to Designing International Information Literacy Instruction
    (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020-10-19) Hicks, Alison; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Reyes, Betsaida M.
    The globalization of campuses has led to increasing numbers of international and exchange students. However, librarians often develop instructional opportunities for students from other countries with little understanding of how academic information literacy (IL) differs around the world. Using Mexico as an example, this study employs survey and focus group methods to examine how Mexican librarians understand and teach for IL within higher education.1 Findings from this study are subsequently used to explore the design of more culturally-appropriate learning experiences for international students in the United States.2 Notes 1. The authors chose the phrase “teaching for information literacy” to reflect and align with their constructivist approach to teaching as well as their recognition that information literacy is shaped and situated by the social context. Including “for” also recognizes that learning is a process of meaning-making rather than assimilation, and that our role is to coach, mentor, or guide learners to make connections and build upon their past experiences rather than to deposit knowledge in them. 2. What identifies a student as international can be nuanced. This paper does not focus on these differences.
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    Instructional Collaborations in Diverse Cultural and Multilingual Contexts: Information Literacy Initiatives for the 21st Century
    (Association of College & Research Libraries, 2021-04-16) Maxson, Bronwen K.; Espinosa de los Monteros, Pamela; Alonso-Regalado, Jesús; Thornhill, Kate
    The growing importance of 21st century literacies in higher education is expanding the instructional reach of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LAC) librarians in instructional courses. LAC librarians are actively pursuing creative pedagogical approaches to support curricula and research that address important areas of linguistic diversity and social justice as well as critical issues including decolonization, global citizenship dispositions, and U.S. migration/immigration. This panel will highlight the diverse LAC pedagogy and instructional practices of three LAC librarians from the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM) who will discuss their instructional design to information literacy instruction that is unique to area studies and also expanding into other areas such as digital scholarship and data services. This moderated panel will exchange ideas and approaches and reflect together on the potential of information literacy instruction to support global and critical issues.
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    Lessons from a research trip to Mexico
    (De Gruyter, 2022) Maxson, Bronwen K.; Reyes, Betsaida M.
    As practitioners who work closely with international students, the researchers sought to understand the information literacy (IL) preparation that students coming from Mexico may have experienced prior to studying at US institutions. US researchers have done some work with Mexican information professionals related to collection development and cultural exchange, but less is known about their current training for and attitudes toward IL instruction. The researchers designed a cross-cultural and cross-national study to interview library and information professionals in Mexico to learn how they teach IL. On the surface, this seemed like a straightforward project: develop a research instrument, apply for IRB, and go. The reality proved more challenging as the researchers navigated the nuances of conducting research in another country. Throughout the project, the researchers engaged with questions about logistics, institutional review board requirements, their own positionality, cultural appropriateness and appropriation, and emotional labour. This chapter will detail the lessons learned about conducting research internationally, giving insights to other researchers who want to work in a similar context, suggest additional methods and approaches to avoid some of their pitfalls, and discuss the rewards of engaging with peers in another country.
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    The Power of Peers: Approaches from Writing and Libraries
    (Reference Services Review (Emerald), 2019) Maxson, Bronwen K.; Neely, Michelle; Roberts, Lindsay M.; Stone, Sean M.; Lowe, M. Sara; Macy, Katharine V.; Miller, Willie
    Purpose - This case study discusses different strategies for implementing peer teaching as well as different roles for peer teachers in both academic libraries and writing-intensive courses. It explores connections to critical pedagogy, sociocultural theory, open educational practices (OEP), and high-impact practices (HIPs). Design/methodology/approach - The methodologies for implementing the three scenarios discussed in the paper differ widely. All approaches include some form of student feedback through focus groups, exit surveys, or end-of-class assessments. Findings - In both library and writing program settings, students have experience with and a favorable opinion of peer-assisted learning strategies. Practical implications - These case studies provide concrete examples of how to develop different types of peer teaching interventions. The cases also detail benefits as well as challenges to implementation. Social implications - Providing opportunities for peers to lead through teaching others has the potential to boost an individual’s sense of confidence, leadership, and improve their own learning, as well as giving students experiences to build upon and apply to their everyday lives and future careers. Originality/value - While peer teaching is widely implemented in many disciplines, such as STEM, its adoption in academic libraries has sometimes been viewed as controversial. This case study adds to the body of literature demonstrating that peer teaching is possible and desirable.