The document discusses the transition from traditional library research instruction to instruction focused on using the Summon discovery tool. It describes how pre-Summon classes focused on teaching students to search individual library databases to find specific sources, while post-Summon classes teach students how to critically evaluate search results and engage with different scholarly formats uncovered through a single search. The document also notes the debate around whether users should have to learn library systems or if systems should be intuitive to use.
Isla Kuhn JIBS User Group Resource Discovery event February 2013
1. Cambridge University Library
Summon – a game of 2 halves
Emma Coonan, Research Skills & Development Librarian
Cambridge University Library
Isla Kuhn, Deputy & Reader Services Librarian
Cambridge University Medical Library
2. Cambridge University Library
From ‘finding’ to ‘decoding’:
a Summon before-and-after snapshot
Emma Coonan, Research Skills & Development Librarian
Cambridge University Library
3. Before and after Summon
2011: ‘How to find things on your reading list’
2012: ‘How to decode your reading list’
4. The „reading list‟ session
• First step in modular Research Skills provision
• Target audience:
o students in directed learning phase
o newcomers to Cambridge library system
• Essay writing rather than extended research
• Tracking down known items, not discovering
‘unknown unknowns’
5. 2011: „How to find things ...‟
Aims
• To discover how to decipher your reading list
• To learn how to find incomplete references
• To find out where to search for what
• To save yourself time and energy in getting to the sources
you need
‘Phrenology’ by dylan17, flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0
7. 2012: „How to decode ...‟
Learning outcomes
• understand reading list structure and purpose
• know how to critically evaluate a reading list
• understand the various material formats
• recognise and reconstruct incomplete references
10. 2011: System does not match user expectations
Tip: if you‟re being asked
to read a chapter, you
need to look up the book
title on LibrarySearch
Davidson, D., ‘Locating literary language,’
in Literary Theory after Davidson, ed. Reed
Way Dasenbrock (University Park:
Pennsylvania State UP, 1993)
11. 2012: Engaging with the found material
Beware of “white rabbits”
- ideas and arguments that lead
away from your topic
• Maintain your critical distance from the text
• Keep asking: how does this contribute to my
understanding/my argument/my essay/my research?
12. Cambridge University Library
Summon – the other side of the coin
Isla Kuhn, Deputy & Reader Services Librarian
Cambridge University Medical Library
13. Dave‟s Law
users should not have to become
mini-librarians in order to use the library
http://www.daveyp.com/blog/archives/1800
14. But in the words of Ben Goldacre…..
"I think you’ll find it’s a bit more
complicated than that…"
http://www.badscience.net/2008/12/i-think-youll-find-its-a-bit-more-
complicated -than-that-and-other-excellent-christmas-gifts/
16. Advice to rest in bed versus advice to stay active
for acute low-back pain and sciatica.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007612.pub2/abstract
17. 1. clinical trial.pt. 24. or/13-23 46. exp Bed Rest/
2. randomized.ab,ti. 25. exp Spine/ 47. bed rest.mp.
3. placebo.ab,ti. 26. discitis.ab,ti. 48. or/39-47
4. dt.fs. 27. exp Spinal Diseases/ 49. 24 or 38
5. randomly.ab,ti. 28. (disc adj degeneration).ab,ti. 50. 12 and 49
6. trial.ab,ti. 29. (disc adj prolapse).ab,ti. 51. 48 and 50
7. groups.ab,ti. 30. (disc adj herniation).ab,ti.
8. or/1-7 31. spinal fusion.sh.
9. Animals/ 32. spinal neoplasms.sh.
10. Humans/ 33. (facet adj joints).ab,ti.
11. 9 not (9 and 10) 34. intervertebral disk.sh.
12. 8 not 11 35. postlaminectomy.ab,ti.
13. dorsalgia.ab,ti. 36. arachnoiditis.ab,ti.
14. exp Back Pain/ 37. (failed adj back).ab,ti.
15. exp Low Back Pain/ 38. or/25-37
16. backache.ab,ti. 39. exp activities of daily living/
17. (lumbar adj pain).ab,ti. 40. activities of daily living.tw.
18. coccyx.ab,ti. 41. day to day activ$.ti,ab.
19. coccydynia.ab,ti. 42. daily activit$.ti,ab.
20. exp Sciatica/ 43. ordinary activit$.ti,ab.
21. sciatica.ab,ti. 44. normal activit$.ti,ab.
22. spondylosis.ab,ti. 45. stay$ active.ti,ab.
23. lumbago.ab,ti.
18. Horses for courses?
Postgraduate
vs
Undergraduate
Known Knowns (eg reading lists)
vs
Unknown Knowns (eg self-directed research)
Just enough
vs
Everything
But……
20. Thank you
Isla Kuhn
Cambridge University Medical Library
ilk1@cam.ac.uk / @ilk21
www.slideshare.net/ilk21/jibs-2013-summon
Emma Coonan (in absentia)
Cambridge University Library
Emma.Coonan@lib.cam.ac.uk / @LibGoddess
www.slideshare.net/LibrarianGoddess/before-and-after-summon