Libraries in the Digital Age

One of my biggest aspirations is to some day work in an academic/research library in a role that allows me to work directly with students and aid in research methodology. This subject is personally very important to me because of the struggle I had with resource knowledge when I began college. As a first-generation college student, I didn’t know the difference between lower- and upper-division, let alone that the library was chalk-full of research databases or how to use them. In her article “Collaborations Between Librarians and Faculty in a Digital Age” Campbell quotes “Students need to be taught how to use research tools so they can turn information into knowledge.” Students are going to Google and being overwhelmed with the amount of information they receive and unaware as to how reliable or relative it is – they are settling for mediocre information to create ideas.

Campbell writes about the idea of “librarians as co-teachers,” where librarians work with teachers to create research techniques that specifically apply to their class. As an intern at Palomar College Library, I have been able to see instruction being taught first-hand by the faculty-librarians. The most basic of ideas like searching with effective keywords are being taught to students, many for the first time. Another new concept that is being introduced to students is the wide variety of research databases the library provides to students – for free! (Still blows me away that I had no idea about these while in college.)

Having suffered from my own ignorance while in college, I hope to one day have an influence in creating resources and introducing to as many students as possible, maybe in a similar situation, who could really use the help.

Campbell, M. (2010). Collaborations Between Librarians and Faculty in a Digital Age. Education Digest, 75(6), 30-33.