EDUCAUSE Quarterly Articles and Libraries and Technology

In order to evaluate student opinion as well as the impact on students of an active learning methodology of two face-to-face presentation styles, during a 50-minute session of library research skills, participants attended either a traditional presentation or a modified one, incorporating the use of the PRS. The Personal Response System is a wireless technology in which students, equipped with clickers, respond to a variety of questions posed by the librarian in the course of the presentation. Both types of sessions, offered by the same librarian, included the same research skills content.  Created for the purpose of evaluating various aspects of the library presentation, a questionnaire completed by all students was analyzed.  In the evaluation, the PRS group not only indicated a greater enjoyment of the session but found the presenter to be well organized.  The authors also discuss aspects of using clickers versus employing a traditional classroom setting.

The reviewer finds that the authors make a strong case that the library should be made a full partner in the institution's missions of teaching, research, and service, arguing that the benefits the library can bring are undeniable.

Libraries must consider changes in both policy and technology to remain relevant to the next generation of students.

Libraries' large data collections and varied digital assets demand tools and facilities for easy user access, data analysis, and storage

Business intelligence can expand access to collections, improve their management, and provide easy generation of database reports.

This is the entire issue of the EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine, Volume 24, Number 1, 2001.