Sam Houston State University (SHSU) provides students, faculty, and staff access and user privileges to the library and other learning/information resources and services. SHSU also provides access to regular and timely instruction in the use of the library and other learning/information resources. Both scheduled and on-demand instructions in the use of technology, the use of the library, and in the use of other learning/information resources are available to all users to support the educational, research, and service missions of the University [1] and the library [2]. All group instruction sessions and individual research and instructional consultations from the library are available in person, as well as virtually through synchronous and asynchronous formats.
Library Services and Resources
During the regular fall and spring semesters, the Newton Gresham Library building on the University’s main campus in Huntsville is open daily for 101.5 hours per week [3], and the library information center at The Woodlands Center (TWC) is open for 57 hours per week [4]. Physical library resources and services are accessible to all students, faculty, and staff during these hours.
During hours that the library building is open, a professional library staff member or librarian is always available for in-person, phone, and email assistance to facilitate access and provide on-the-spot instructions for using the library and its resources. Tours of the main campus library and workshops on using library resources are also available on a set schedule and by demand [5].
For program- and discipline-specific instructions, subject librarians are available to provide face-to-face in-class instructional sessions on using library resources [6]. These sessions are provided upon faculty request, for which the appropriate subject specialist librarian will work with the faculty member to ensure that resources and research strategies covered in the instructional session meet the learning objectives of the course and of the relevant student assignments. Similar instructional sessions are also regularly provided every semester for academic support programs such as SH ELITE [7], McNair Scholars [8], Dissertation Boot Camp [9], and Graduate Bridge to ASPIRE [10].
On an individual basis, all of the librarians are available for research and instructional consultations by appointment [11] to both students and faculty. In addition, a specialized One to One program, in which a dedicated librarian is assigned to each student to provide tailored instructional support for search strategy formulation, resource selection, and other research related needs [12], is offered to students working on honors theses, graduate theses, dissertations, and other in-depth research projects.
The great majority of the library resources are available online, which enables all students, faculty, and staff from the institution to access these resources virtually at any time. During the hours that the library is open, a librarian or trained professional staff member is available to ensure virtual library users receive the same level of research and instructional support as in-person users [13], assisting users and providing quick on-the-spot instructions on researching using library resources virtually through chat/instant messaging, text, email, and phone.
The library also provides a number of virtual instructional services to address users’ questions and research needs while the library is closed. Asynchronous instruction is available through Online Tutorial and Instruction Modules on the library website, including an information literacy tutorial [14], which was accepted by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) into its PRIMO database as peer-reviewed quality instructional material [15]. This tutorial, which includes a quiz and a certificate of completion, and the interactive Goblin Threat! Game on copyright, citation, and plagiarism, are both regularly adopted by first-year English composition instructors as course assignments [16].
In addition, the library offers a growing collection of subject and topic-specific online research guides [17], a YouTube instructional video channel [18], and short guides covering Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [19]. The library tour is also available online through a virtual photo format [20].
For library instructions tailored to online courses and programs, librarians are available to be “embedded” into Blackboard, the institution’s learning management system, to provide both synchronous and asynchronous instructional sessions, videos, research guides, and other content as requested by the teaching faculty [21]. To best assist distance learning students unable to meet in person at the main campus or at TWC, librarians can also provide individual consultations and instruction for the One to One program virtually through email, phone, and Skype, the professional video/voice over IP (VOIP) software provided by the institution.
To strengthen the library’s mission in supporting and enhancing the development of critically thinking, educated, and informed lifelong learners [2], the library began offering a one-credit course, NGLI 1101 – Research in the Digital Age [22] [23], during the fall and spring semesters starting in fall 2014. The course is offered in an online format as part of the undergraduate core curriculum [24].
Other Learning and Information Resources
The Division of Information Technology (IT@Sam), the Newton Gresham Library, and the Office of Academic Instructional Technology and Distance Learning (SHSU Online) all support and provide technology that enhances access to learning and information resources. Support for these learning and information technologies is abundant and readily available both online and via individual instruction. All of these support services are available without charge.
IT@Sam promotes and supports the use of technology in student learning in a variety of ways. All classrooms and residence halls have high-speed connections to the University’s computer network and access to the Internet. IT@Sam serves as the faculty’s technical advisor for the design, purchase, and utilization of classroom-based technologies. Classrooms are equipped with appropriate technology to enhance student learning. An example inventory of classroom technology at SHSU is provided [25]. Available for faculty use are technology carts containing a computer and projector that supplement classrooms without built-in projectors. Wireless connectivity is available from most locations on campus.
Guest access to the wireless network is available, as well as a virtual private network (VPN) for faculty and staff to function via a secure communications connection. The University provides each faculty member, staff member, and student with a personalized computing environment, including network storage, software applications, and email. Remote desktop access is provided to each faculty member, staff member, and student via any computer connected to the Internet that is capable of connecting to a Microsoft windows terminal services server. IT@Sam’s webpage provides users with an overview of the network, as well as software and support available to students, faculty, and staff [26]. In addition to the webpage, a knowledge base to enable self-service for typical technology questions and issues is offered [27]. All students are allocated 500 megabytes of personal storage space on a university networked drive, which includes space for a personal website.
IT@Sam maintains in excess of 100 software applications on the campus network including, but not limited to, email clients, messaging clients, productivity software, creativity software, and browsers. These applications are accessible to all students, staff, and faculty with a computer account and are accessible from more than 1,000 computers that are owned and maintained by the University. In addition, academic departments may request to make available specific software packages on the campus network for classroom or laboratory use. Face-to-face and online tutorials, as well as training by appointment, are available to students, faculty, and staff [28] [29].
IT@Sam operates 16 general use computer labs across campus, some of which are open 24 hours per day, manned by more than 35 trained lab assistants. In addition to training in the use of the software available on the network, lab assistants are able to assist students with CD-R writer use, email setup, multimedia CD use, scanner use, sound recording, webpage creation, network drive mapping, and wireless setup.
IT@Sam staffs a service desk, which is available 14.5 hours per day Monday through Thursday and 9.5 hours on Friday while classes are in session and 9 hours per day Monday through Friday during interim periods. The service desk may be accessed by phone, email, or the support website [30]. Support is provided for university-owned hardware, centrally managed software, and computer account issues. An IT Service Management System (ITSM) is used to log problems, document requests, and communicate with end users.
SHSU also uses the Blackboard Learning System as its course management system. All courses are loaded into the Blackboard system, and faculty can create content, post course materials, communicate with students, facilitate group projects, and evaluate student progress through its interface. Comprehensive how-to guides for both instructors and students are available online [31] [32]. Students participating in courses using Blackboard become proficient in various forms of electronic communication including email, discussion boards and forums, and real-time chat environments. Several distance learning video conferencing rooms are provided to support academic instruction and research programs.
Students at SHSU start using various technologies as part of their university experience before they begin taking classes at the University, and this hands-on use of technology continues throughout their college career. Students may apply online using the State of Texas Apply Texas application form, pay the application fee online, and register for an orientation session all before stepping foot on campus [33] [34]. Upon acceptance to the University, all students also receive a computer account, which is immediately available to conduct business via email with University offices, to access online training resources, and to access a variety of modern software resources. These uses of technology help to serve as the students’ introduction to SHSU and to the learning environment they will encounter.