Library Intelligencer

Research Library Virtual Resources and Instructional Initiatives: Survey Results Published by ARL
Washington DC–The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published the results of a survey that explores ARL member libraries’ innovations in virtual resource development and instructional programming.

ARL libraries are setting a rapid pace for experimentation as they replace or supplement traditional information literacy classes with a variety of library engagements in classrooms, through course management systems, and in the virtual spaces inhabited by students and faculty. Respondents to this survey conducted by ARL during the late winter and early spring of 2008 described a widely varied landscape of instruction initiatives.

The survey invited all ARL libraries to describe innovative and noteworthy experiments in three areas: instruction programs, virtual resource development, and space initiatives. Of the 123 member libraries, 77 participated in the survey, for a response rate of 63%. Responses to the first two elements of the survey (instruction and virtual resource development) are being reported now; responses to the third element, space initiatives, will be reported separately.

Innovations and noteworthy experiments were defined in the survey as either “a new service for the library,” or “unique in academic librarianship.” Respondents briefly described the initiative, provided supporting documents and URLs, and offered assessment data where it existed. What is new or innovative for one library may be a standard and long-practiced approach at another institution. Whatever one’s perspective however, it is clear that considerable change is underway. Research library engagement in, and support for, student learning and academic success is producing an instruction landscape that is varied, evolving, and shaped by local cultures and opportunities.