Yes / Bradford, like most British universities, carries out many school and college outreach events to accustom students to the idea of coming to university and to introduce them to the resources available here. Bradford’s student body includes many first generation students.

Public health educators serve as a vital interface between medical and public health authorities and community members for the dissemination of important information related to disease prevention and health promotion. Public health educators deliver packaged educational programs, develop their own original programs, field impromptu health questions, and conduct community health assessments. This dissertation research employed a survey in January 2011 to illuminate the information-related attitudes and activities of health educators working in public health departments in Appalachia. The research questions explored how these health educators find and use information, how they perceive their information needs and their abilities to find and evaluate information related to their work, their satisfaction with the information resources available to them, and the impact of the economic and health status of their county or region on their information behavior. Key findings include that respondents are frequent information seekers with high-speed Internet access, but they need better access to information and data related to their work. Respondents use the web heavily but have concerns about evaluating online information. Information literacy training must accommodate their workflows and budgets. Library resource use is currently low but has the greatest potential for meeting their complex needs. Suggestions include multi-dimensional collaborations between health educators and information professionals and a new, more information-centric role for health educators.

In Fall 2022, Auburn University Libraries faculty and staff hosted an orientation event for newly arrived international graduate students. Highlights of the event included tours of major library service points, a shared meal, and a meet and greet for graduate students and subject librarians. A key takeaway for both groups was an increased awareness of the differences that exist between U.S. academic libraries and those in other countries. The authors discuss elements of the library orientation that worked well, and address lessons learned that will be used to improve future events.

In the past, little has been written about the practical aspects of outreach. This thesis investigates the value of outreach and how it is put into practice in British Columbia's community archives. Interviews with managers of four community archives were conducted. The findings reveal that three of the interviewees regard outreach as a high priority and a fundamental part of regular activity. For these respondents, outreach activities have been positive and beneficial. They have successfully used outreach to augment and assist with acquisition, preservation and use of archival records. Only one interviewee presented a passive and cautious approach towards outreach. Results of this study indicate that outreach activities are not influenced by the administrative setting or the budget of the archives. This study identified the essential components necessary for the implementation and delivery of successful outreach initiatives as: a regular source of funding, incorporation into an annual work plan, district goals and objectives that are relevant to the mandate of the institution, attention to the target audience, community co-operation and support, and evaluation of results. This study reaffirms the value of archivists practising outreach, and provides encouragement to those who are looking for concrete methods of approaching outreach.

In the past, little has been written about the practical aspects of outreach. This thesis investigates the value of outreach and how it is put into practice in British Columbia's community archives. Interviews with managers of four community archives were conducted. The findings reveal that three of the interviewees regard outreach as a high priority and a fundamental part of regular activity. For these respondents, outreach activities have been positive and beneficial. They have successfully used outreach to augment and assist with acquisition, preservation and use of archival records. Only one interviewee presented a passive and cautious approach towards outreach. Results of this study indicate that outreach activities are not influenced by the administrative setting or the budget of the archives. This study identified the essential components necessary for the implementation and delivery of successful outreach initiatives as: a regular source of funding, incorporation into an annual work plan, district goals and objectives that are relevant to the mandate of the institution, attention to the target audience, community co-operation and support, and evaluation of results. This study reaffirms the value of archivists practising outreach, and provides encouragement to those who are looking for concrete methods of approaching outreach. / Arts, Faculty of / Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS), School of / Graduate

Welcome! The Journal of Graduate Librarianship’s Practitioner Panel allows us to hear directly from the graduate librarian community via social media, where we regularly post questions and invite your comments on practical issues relating to graduate librarianship. To join the conversation and share your comments about community topics, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or X (formerly Twitter)—or keep an eye on the JGL website, where we also post all Practitioner Panel questions.

The Charles C. Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University serves a student population of roughly 15,000 in addition to a faculty and staff population of around 5,000. In order to effectively reach these populations, the library has developed an outreach strategy which uses Constant Contact for newsletter and other mass email messaging, and Springshare for blog posting. This session will explore the Sherrod Library’s usage of these two services, our best practices, and what has and has not worked for us. In addition, Participants will be given the opportunity to share their own experiences via an online quiz and will leave with ideas to better their own practices.

As public libraries increasingly turn to digital solutions to enhance their outreach activities, it is important to understand the use and perceptions of these new solutions. This thesis explores how new digital solutions are being used and perceived by library employees when working with library outreach activities. The study uses a survey method to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data from library employees in Sweden. Findings reveal that public libraries have implemented various new digital solutions to enhance their outreach activities, including digital versions of typically physical services such as ebooks and digital audiobooks. However, newer solutions like live streams are still in the trial stage. The most common advantages of using digital solutions for library outreach activities are increased accessibility, user flexibility, and improved access to information. However, the cost of providing digital solutions is a significant barrier for public libraries, limiting their ability to provide adequate access to information for all community members through digital means. Library employees exhibit a predominantly positive attitude towards digital development within library settings, recognizing the necessity of new digital solutions for the future of libraries. Nevertheless, a preference for personal meetings and skepticism concerning the advantages of digital service compared to physical service suggest a slower adoption rate in the later stages of the diffusion of innovations process.

Modern day society is characterised by the availability of technology and the abundance of information in all formats that require all individuals using it to poses information literacy skills (ILS).ILS enable people the ability to locate, analyse, evaluate access and retrieve the desired information to satisfy a need. Research on IL in academic and school libraries has gained momentum in the field of Information Science where as little has been documented concerning public libraries and IL. This therefore calls for more research on IL in public libraries. Public libraries serve a wide and diverse community of which students are a part. In instances where school libraries are either non-existent or not developed, students seek assistance from the public library within their community. This study sought to investigate the role of public libraries in enhancing the ILS of senior secondary school students in the Central District in Botswana. The fact that school libraries in Botswana are underdeveloped to produce competent and confident students equipped with ILS that could be used in the work environment and continuous lifelong learning, motivated the study. A concern that there exists a gap in research concerning public libraries and IL within the Botswana context necessitated this study. The study used a survey research design where both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were adopted. This involved the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. The purpose of a mixed methods approach was based on the idea that qualitative results could assist in explaining and interpreting the findings of a quantitative study. Data collection involved three sets of closed ended questionnaires and observations in all schools and public libraries. The population of the study consisted of public librarians, teacher librarians and students. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate statistics. The findings of the study revealed that the public libraries in the Central District in Botswana are above average in terms of materials and use. It brought to light that senior secondary school students use the public libraries for school purposes and get assistance when they seek for it. Public librarians do not have special classes aimed at enhancing the ILS of students. The public libraries offer IL in the form of computer training, they do this as, and when students register, just like the other members of the community. The library’s contribution to enhancement of the students’ ILS, (study skills, reading skills and use of reference works) is somewhat limited. Limited resources, lack of reading culture, low budgets, and lack of support from government negatively challenge the full potential impact of IL enhancement. / Information Science / M. Inf. Sc.