For our TLAM practicum, Jacob and I are working at the College of Menominee Nation Library. My main project is to design LibGuides to help students with their research papers, while Jacob is working in the Special Collections.
LibGuides are websites created by librarians to help users find resources tailored to their specific needs. Throughout this week, I have worked with Library Director Maria Escalante and Library Assistant Debra Downs to determine common questions and topics of interest for their students.
Many students have questions about citing their sources and how to search for relevant articles and books. They also have questions about specific subjects, such as Menominee history and the tribe today, sustainable development, and nursing. For each of these different topics, I built a guide that directs students to important books in the library catalog, provide links to online resources such as databases and encyclopedias, and offer short video tutorials and images to help illustrate key points.
Working here has helped me learn about how to tailor my work to a particular community. Previously, for my library job in Madison, I have edited LibGuides that others have made in order to keep them current, but I have never had the opportunity to sit down with local librarians and find out what kind of needs exist at their library, and then design research guides to help best fit those needs.
It is important to note that the College of Menominee Nation Library is not only a college library–recently, it combined with the public library and now serves the wider community as well as the students. In order to meet the needs of public users as well as student users, I created a guide called “How to Use the Library.” We wanted to have an easy way for community members without computers at home to learn about online resources like the catalog. This guide includes screenshots as well as text to help guide users. The library has access to great resources that we want everyone to feel they can use.
Addressing the needs of community members as well as students is an important mission for the College of Menominee Nation Library, and I have been lucky to have this practical, hands-on learning experience. I have very much enjoyed working here and learning about the library and the community, and I’m looking forward to another exciting and informative week!
–Jenny Nygren McBurney