In March I've been able to really dig in to the research assignments given to me by Jill. This week I wrapped up my report on methods of reference service assessment, and have submitted it for Jill's review. Now I'm focusing on methods libraries can use in assessing the outcomes of information literacy instruction. Much has been written about the need for assessment, and how to build information literacy courses that focus on inforamtion literacy competencies. There are alos recommendations on the use of rubrics as yardsticks against which information literacy can be measured. I'm also looking for actual tools and methods for gathering data needed to evaluate a student's information competence.

While user satisfaction surveys measure how much the student liked the information literacy course, and how they feel the course helped them, it doesn't actually meausre that student's information skills. Other libraries have created tests for students to take to measure their fluency that were administered either as assignments in classes or as a study performed by the library. I will include information on these tools in my report to Jill.

I'm learning a lot through my weekly assignment at the reference desk. It's good to get some hands-on experience with user queries. Each new patron question is a new opportunity for me to learn about a resource, a new-to-me search strategy, or how the library and its resources are organized. When there aren't any patrons at the desk, I talk to the librarians about different library subjects -- collection development, ebooks, budgeting, and career advice are all examples.

At this point in my fieldwork, I have completed 66 hours twoard my 100 hour course requirement. At my current rate of 8 hours per week, I will have completed 100 hours by the end of April