Research Challenge of the WeekLibrary Instruction and Informal Learning Spaces

Brittany Soder - Undergraduate Library Research Assistant

What is RCOW? RCOW by Numbers | 2017-2018

12 tweets

48 student submitted

questions

11 Tumblr posts

Engagement

In November 2017, the local newspaper featured Kelsey Hammer’s RCOW on the squirrel population at UNC. Hammer was interviewed, as well as a local scientist to elaborate on her research.

The Research Challenge of the Week (RCOW) brings together student questions and practical research skills. UNC students can pose questions and then graduate assistants at the Undergraduate Library select questions to answer, utilizing library resources and modeling the research process in an informal learning space.

Why are my suitemates

such nerds?

Where did my motivation go?

Where’s Waldo?

• Voice in library • Seeing the research process outside of the classroom

• Exposure to different types of resources

Student Benefits• Reference training with creative questions

• Forces staff out of their research comfort zone

• Allows for staff to learn different UNC Library resources

GA Staff Benefits

Questions asked by students

Tumblruncrcow.tumblr.com

Student Newspaperdailytarheel.com

Twitter@rbhouseul

We post one tweet a week. Our answers range in length from one word to 250 words. Our engagement flucate between 3 to 11 likes, as well as a couple of retweets.

Tumblr is a weird place. Our “notes,” range from 1 to 9. These notes could be a like or a reblog. One post from two years has gotten 24 notes in the past month.

Why’s my poop

green?