Tierney Lyons, MLS, a reference librarian at Penn State Worthington Scranton, co-authored an article that will be published in an upcoming issue of the peer-reviewed international library journal, The Electronic Library.
The article, Health Sciences Information Literacy in CMS Environments: Learning from our Peers, identifies practical information for librarians considering Course/Learning Management Systems (CMS) content development or reevaluation of online offerings.
In this article, Ms. Lyons and her co-investigator, Stefanie Warlick, Assistant Library Director at James Madison University, examine academic libraries with health sciences information literacy programs within CMS through a literature review and an online survey.
Trends and issues identified within the literature were utilized to develop the survey. The co-authors analyzed the collected data to determine how librarians incorporate CMS into information literacy.
Analysis focused on strategies used in development and delivery, benefits and challenges of CMS and pairing its content with traditional instruction methods.
"An overarching theme is the ease and accessibility of CMS, especially for distance learners and those with time restrictions," Lyons and Warlick explain. "However, although online tools and learning spaces are readily available and beneficial, librarians maintain in-person instruction."
The two identified a shift from primarily positive published reports by early adopters to more constructive feedback that stems from longer-term CMS experience and note that assessment practices of online library instruction need additional attention to provide a more robust approach.
The article will appear in the 2013 volume 31 of The Electronic Library and can be accessed at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0264-0473.
The co-investigators also presented the findings of this study at the Medical Library Association conference in Minneapolis, MN and its Mid-Atlantic Chapter meeting in Chapel Hill, NC.
In addition, Ms. Lyons wrote about her experiences as an embedded librarian in the learning management system for the Nursing and Allied Health trade publication, NAHRS Newsletter. The article will appear in the January 2013 issue, http://nahrs.mlanet.org/home/newsletter.
The Electronic Library is devoted to new technology applications and implications in libraries throughout the world. It provides a vehicle for the latest research and ongoing developments in today's digital library and information environments in different countries, and offers practical advice, useful information and descriptions of specific applications around the globe.
