patron outreach sessions2

Questions, please contact Julie Pepera Gale Customer Training Consultant at: [email protected]

Conducting Patron Database Community Outreach Sessions

Learning to conduct and organize patron outreach sessions in your community.

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Why conduct patron information sessions on FEL databases?The Florida Electronic library has already paid for these resources for everyone to use.

- This is a free resource for all citizens of the state of Florida.

- There is excellent content in these resources, including free magazines and newspapers.

- Usage is down among public library users and without usage you may lose the resources.

- Information Literacy is a skill that all citizens deserve to learn and there is no one else teaching it.

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Creating Patron database training sessions.

Targeted Sessions work best!

- Librarians who have conducted patron training sessions have had the greatest attendance when they have invited specific groups in for scheduled sessions.

- Specific groups already have an interest in the content of the databases and in learning the skills that they build.

- Specific groups already have meeting times when you can visit them or that can come into the library.

- Targeting groups allows you to tailor the sessions to their interests.

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Possible Target GroupsEntrepreneurs - PowerSearchBoys and Girl Scout Troops – Kids Info BitsAfter School Organizations – Kids Info Bits; PowerSearchChurch Youth Groups – Kids Info Bits; PowerSearchAdult Education groups – PowerSearch; Health and Wellness Resource CenterCareer Centers - PowerSearchTeachers – Kids Info Bits; PowerSearch; www.galeschools.com

Homeschoolers – Kids Info Bits; PowerSearchParent Teacher Associations – Kids Info Bits; PowerSearchCollege Bound Seniors – Academic Research; PowerSearchDebate Teams – PowerSearch; AARP – Health and Wellness Reference CenterChamber of Commerce – Business Resource Rotary Clubs - PowerSearch

Other ideas?

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How to conduct a training session

1. Explain why they need to learn how to use databases.

- Scholarly Journal Articles and College Research (This is a skill needed, but not taught, in College).

- Basic Information Literacy (What’s a Journal article, what’s a Reference Title, the difference between these and regular books) .

- Reliable Content (Why isn’t Google so great to use to conduct research.) .

- Newspapers and Magazines that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise (New York Times, Wall Street Journal).

The next slides you can use in your training

sessions!

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Information Literacy

It is different from just reading because it concerns how people use and judge information.

It is important in making life decisions, such as who and what sources to trust.

Databases are REQUIRED to write papers in college, but their use is not taught.

Example Slide 1: Convincing the Crowd

Academic Journals

Magazines Websites Reference Books

ALL of these are in the Gale resources, and all are useful in a different way!

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Google Versus Gale

Your third grader is writing a paper on the state of Michigan and needs basic information

on the state. They type “Michigan” in Google. The

results are NOT helpful because they are not age

appropriate or specific enough.

Over 33 Million Results!

First result state government site for adults not children.

Second result for the university.

Random articles on university

sports.


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Google Versus GaleEasy to

click browse to

results!

List of important

people from Michigan

Brief history at their level.

Entire sections on flags, maps

and graphs.

Get safe, reliable content at the right level without overwhelming results!


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2. Demonstrate the databases.

- Get into the database if you can

- Show all of the features and tools they will need.

- Show them how to search.

- Explain what a search results set looks list.

- Give them an articles. (Print one out if you can!)

The next slides you can use in your training

sessions!

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Important Tools to Point Out: Home Page Level

Example Slide 4: Demonstrating the Database

Type in your search term

here, just like Google.

Browse down to narrow your

topics here.

The toolbox gives you articles and

worksheets on Information Literacy.

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Important Tools to Point Out: Search Results Level


Use the content tabs to look at different

types of information.

Check out the

reading levels.

Click on the title to read the full text article.

Look at the document type to see

what kind of article it is.

The citation information tells

you what book the article comes from.

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Important Tools to Point Out: Article Level


Read full text

article online.

Have the article read

to you!

Print the article here!

Email the article to

read later.

Download the audio version to your Ipod

Graphs and images in the text.

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3. Do a practice search and assignment.

- Have them play with the database if they can.

- Take current assignments from the crowd.

- Use real life tests.

The next slide you can use in your

training sessions!

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Sample Practice SearchYour fourth grade student is writing a paper on any American president of his choice. Help him

get three different types of sources for his paper.

KidsInfo Bits People US Presidents John

Adams

1. "John Adams." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Columbia University Press, 2000.

2. "Unnecessary war: how far should president go to preserve "an honorable peace"?(American

History Play)" Wilmore, Kathy Junior Scholastic March 10, 2008 v110 i14 p18(4)

3. Image. "John Adams." (National Archives and Records Administration)

Example Slide 7: Sample Assignments and Searches

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Creating a Contact ListLink to

contacts for email

and phone.

Talk to the Planning and

Projects person?

Look up groups and community organizations in your area using

Yahoo Local and Google.

.

Start searching

for contacts now!

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Invitation Emails

Introduce yourself and your library.

Explain what databases are.

Dear Julie,

Invite their group to the library to watch a training session.

Contact Information.

Sample invitation

emails will be provided!

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Conclusion: What you should have gotten from today.

An enhanced knowledge of the FEL databases from Gale, the content in them and how to best use them.

The ability to conduct a training session for your patrons on how to use the FEL databases and why to use them.

A lesson plan to follow during your patron training sessions.

Power Points to use during patron training sessions.

Sample questions and database examples to use during your patron training sessions.

A list of contacts in your community that you will be able to send invitations to set up patron training sessions for their groups.

Ideas for additional groups to contact to set up more patron training sessions.

A sample letter to send out as an invitation.

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Thank You