Colloquium to be held May 21st, 2009 at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington

When an instructor assigns a research project, what roles do library services, library resources and librarians play in a successful outcome for the students? What are the expectations, assumptions (and misunderstandings) between instructors, students and librarians in this process? And, finally, what do students really experience when they use our services and resources?

For the past two years, two anthropologists and thirty-five librarians have been observing search behaviors, shadowing, filming and interviewing hundreds of students and faculty at six different CARLI libraries to answer these questions. Their findings have significant implications for library services, instruction, web usability, marketing, library space design and more.

If you’re interested in hearing the results of these research projects, and getting tools for conducting similar studies in your own library, plan on attending this one-day colloquium co-sponsored by the CARLI Public Services Working Group and the Illinois State Library through a Library Services and Technology Act grant.

full agenda

registration and location .