CAMPUS PARTNERSHIP IN INFORMATION LITERACY: THE CASE OF

FACULTY AND LIAISON LIBRARIAN

PROF. DR. AHMAD BAKERI ABU BAKAR & FAZLI OMAR

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

INTRODUCTION

Knowledge of one's information needs and the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and

effectively use information to address issues or problems at hand

Understanding the needs of the target groups will help the information professional to develop and

devise marketing strategies that are appropriate to attain effective results

Although the students know pretty well in their subject domain, however it does not guarantee the

level of success once they search for information.

as public access to information becomes increasingly sophisticated, information literacy skills are as

valuable for day-to-day decision making, as they are for formal learning in the classroom.

LITERATURE REVIEW

With the establishment of the liaison programme, the liaison librarians are answerable to the

faculty directly (Rodwell and Fairbarin 2008).

The newly created positions of liaison librarians have to fulfill adequately their designated

purposes, otherwise the librarians may lead to incalculable losses for the academic libraries.

The partnership can be sustained if the services are effectively marketed. However, it can also be

affected by the academic level, discipline and attitude of the individual academics (Dale, 2006).

Several libraries have adopted the level of satisfaction of their clients as the basis for measuring

success in library services marketing and it cannot be marketed unless those services have been

developed such that they are able to satisfy the needs of the library clients

LITERATURE REVIEW

The importance of marketing in libraries was aptly stated by De Saez (2002) that “marketing

concepts and techniques can contribute a dynamic approach to total strategy development for

libraries and information professionals that will ensure effective management, the achievement of

goals and the creation of a confident blueprint for the future”

Examining the changes in the way the information services are delivered to the faculty by liaison

librarian, the liaison librarians must possess the ability to handle information literacy and also must

be competent in communication (Ahmad Bakeri, 2009)

The effectiveness of IL classes depends on the liaison librarian team having a shared understanding

of how information literacy is developed, and the provision of appropriate staffing resources to

develop and deliver the programmes (Ivey, 2003)

OBJECTIVE

In the case of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), the liaison librarians are placed

under a newly established entity, the liaison programme which is started only in 2000

The Library’s quality objective is to fulfill at least 95% of requests for information literacy

workshops as a means to enhance customer learning and research needs.

For the balance score card target on customer satisfaction is to achieve at least 80% level of

student satisfaction on the usefulness and helpfulness of the information literacy programme.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of information literacy programme based

on the new partnership between the faculty and the library.

METHODOLOGY

This study uses a survey questionnaire for the purpose of data gathering.

The questionnaire was distributed right after IL classes conducted by liaison librarian from January

to December 2012. The IL classes involved are LE4000, LQ4000/LQ4400, basic skills, advanced

skills and post graduate seminar.

There were a total of 152 sessions for undergraduate and postgraduate with a total participant of

5384 from January – December 2012.

The survey indicated that from 5384 participants attended the information literacy classes, 5133

(95.3%) evaluation forms were successfully collected and filled-up by the users.

FINDINGS 1: NUMBER OF REQUEST FULFILLED

Kulliyyahs Postgraduates Undergraduate

Session No of

students

Session No of

students

% fulfilled

INSTEAD 2 10 3 57 100%

KENMS 3 28 9 173 100%

KIRKHS 4 37 26 554 100%

AIKOL 8 123 24 404 100%

KOE 2 6 37 1360 100%

KICT 1 1 13 250 100%

KAED 2 34 8 286 100%

CELPAD

(LE4000)

- - 117 1897 100%

CELPAD

(LQ4000/LQ4400)

- - 10 164 100%

OTHERS - - - - -

TOTAL 22 239 130 5145 100%

FINDINGS 1: NUMBER OF REQUEST FULFILLED

The result shows that AIKOL is the highest for class session for postgraduate student which is 8 sessions

for 127 students.

For undergraduate student CELPAD (LE4000) is the highest for class session which is 117 sessions for

1897 students.

The objective of fulfilling at least 95% of requests for information literacy workshops as a means to

enhance customer learning and research needs was achieved 100%

The division had successfully score 99.9% which is higher than what has been set at 90%.

FINDINGS 2: SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDS CONTENT & FACILITATOR BY UG & PG

Content of the Class Evaluation of the facilitator

Useful and

appropriate

for my

research

needs

Clear and easy to

understand

Comprehensive enough Overall

rating of the

content

Able to deliver the

content accordingly

Manage the

class well

Able to communicate

effectively with the

students

Overall rating of

the facilitator

UG

4.64 4.56 4.51 4.56 4.63 4.62 4.62 4.62

Average

4.57

4.62

PG

4.66 4.63 4.56 4.61 4.71 4.71 4.72 4.712

Average

4.62

4.71

FINDINGS 2: SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDS CONTENT & FACILITATOR BY UG & PG

The result shows that both undergraduate and postgraduate students satisfy with the useful and

appropriateness of content for their research need which score the highest 4.64 and 4.66

consecutively.

For the facilitator’s evaluation, the undergraduate student satisfy with the ability to deliver the content

accordingly which score the highest 4.63.

Meanwhile, the postgraduate student satisfy with the ability to communicate effectively with the

student which score the highest 4.72.

Postgraduate student is more satisfied towards the content and facilitator as compared to

undergraduate student which score 4.62 and 4.71 subsequently.

The objective to achieve at least 90% of customer satisfaction on contents and facilitators of IL classes

was achieved 100%.

FINDINGS 3: SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDS CONTENT & FACILITATOR BY ALL KULLIYYAH

Content of the Class Evaluation of the facilitator

Useful and

appropriate for my

research needs

Clear and easy to

understand

Comprehensive enough Overall

rating of the

content

Able to deliver the

content

accordingly

Manage the

class well

Able to communicate

effectively with the

students

Overall rating of

the facilitator

CELPAD 4.64 4.56 4.51 4.55 4.63 4.61 4.61 4.62

AIKOL 4.69 4.67 4.61 4.63 4.70 4.74 4.75 4.71

KENMS 4.64 4.60 4.54 4.54 4.66 4.58 4.56 4.58

KICT 4.57 4.53 4.52 4.53 4.67 4.68 4.72 4.69

KIRKHS 4.69 4.64 4.60 4.64 4.72 4.73 4.75 4.74

INSTED 4.68 4.67 4.63 4.69 4.75 4.80 4.79 4.80

KOE 4.54 4.51 4.46 4.48 4.65 4.63 4.65 4.63

KAED 4.70 4.63 4.62 4.59 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.73

FINDINGS 3: SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARDS CONTENT & FACILITATOR BY ALL KULLIYYAH

The result shows that KAED score the highest which is 4.70 for the useful and appropriate of the content

toward research whereas CELPAD score the lowest which is 4.51 for the comprehensiveness of the content.

Furthermore, INSTED score the highest which is 4.79 for the ability of facilitator to communicate effectively

with the students. Following that, KAED score the same satisfaction level which is 4.75 for all three criteria

of facilitator which are the ability to deliver the content, manage the class well and the ability to

communicate effectively with the students.

On the other hand, AIKOL and IRKHS also share the same score which is 4.75 for the ability to communicate

effectively with the students.

For the average satisfaction with the content and facilitator, INSTED scores the highest which is 4.67 and

4.79 consecutively.

CONCLUSION

The IL classes conducted by liaison librarians have positive impact to the knowledge and skills of

the students.

The respondents agreed that the classes were beneficial for their study and research needs.

Furthermore, the classes also empowered the best marketing channel for the library to promote its

collection for both printed as well as online resources.

Being the facilitator and instructor for IL classes is an added competence value for liaison

librarian’s roles and soft skills which enable them to face the library customers with confidence.

THANK YOU

Q & A