This document discusses student support services provided by Information Skills Advisers at London South Bank University. It describes the role of Information Skills Advisers in providing workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-on-one support to students. Specific services discussed include Skills Days for practicing research and referencing skills, assignment and referencing surgeries for targeted help, and plans to expand collaboration and offer additional pre-enrollment and catch-up sessions. Student feedback on Skills Days and referencing surgeries was overwhelmingly positive.

1. Student-centred support:
Personalising information literacy at
London South Bank University
Alison Skoyles & Ros Smith

2. Our presentation
• London South Bank University and its students
• Information Skills Advisers – our role
• Skills Days
• Assignment and Referencing Surgeries
• Planning for the future

4. Information Skills
Advisers
• Inductions
• Workshops
• Drop-ins
• Skills Days
• Assignment surgeries
• Referencing surgeries
• 1:1s
• Helpdesks

5. Skills Days
• Drop in
• 09.30am to 7.00pm
• Workbooks – referencing and practising search
skills. Individual study, or with support from
library staff.
• Initially, Skills Days were run three times a year
but now they are run much more frequently.

6. Skills Days feedback
The staff were very
approachable and
enormously patient, it
was a great help to me in
producing my 1st
assignment which I have
recently submitted.
To make this session
frequent until students can
use it effectively most
especially for students
coming from Africa.
It should be a
more regular
event.
Arrange many more
sessions regularly.
Busy students will
make time in their
schedules to attend.
Please can these
sessions run more
regularly ie once a
month over
perhaps two/three
days.
The librarian is really
helpful.
The library was very
useful and it came at the
right time.

7. Assignment Surgeries
• Started Autumn 2011
• We needed some time that allowed students to ask
specific questions
• They were always held in conjunction with Skills for
Learning and IT staff rather than the Library only.

8. Referencing Surgeries
• Drop in
• 4 referencing styles at LSBU:
o LSBU Harvard
o OSCOLA
o Numeric
o APA
• Started this year, 2 weeks run so far
• 1-3pm, and a couple of 5-6pm for one week.

9. Referencing surgery
comments
Staff were really
fantastic and helpful.
They were very patient
and willing to support
me even through the
silly little things that I
am supposed to know. It
was a good and very
supportive session.
Referencing
Surgeries are
very helpful.
Doesn’t matter
which year you
are in.
Very helpful
surgery; has made
me feel much
more confident.

10. Planning for the future
• Ideas Sharing Day
• More collaboration with Digital Skills team and Skills
for Learning
• Sessions/workshops outside of the library
• Re-working Skills Days
• Pre-enrolment sessions
• Catch-up sessions for late registration students

11. Contact details
Alison Skoyles and Ros Smith
Information Skills Advisers
London South Bank University
skoylesa@lsbu.ac.uk
ros.smith@lsbu.ac.uk