GSE friends and colleagues…
Many of you know me already, but for those who do not, I am the UB Libraries’ liaison to the Graduate School of Education (GSE). That is to say, I am your own personal librarian.
The GSE is a well-recognized leader in terms of online instruction. Accordingly, many of the services I provide are directed to your online teaching needs. An example of this is the instructional videos I provide to help your students with coursework that involves the digital research environment. The nature of the videos I am describing here is always determined by the specifics of course assignments; I do not waste your students’ valuable time with irrelevant or superfluous information. I will characteristically begin by creating a short, two-minute headshot video to introduce myself, to emphasize that GSE students do have their own librarian, and to show them how to contact me. As an example of this, below is an introductory video I recorded for Dr. Kroll’s ELP-537 class last spring:
Next, I characteristically record a screenshot video that shows students exactly how to go about the research that is required for their coursework. I might highlight particular areas of a course syllabus to establish relevance, and then conduct a detailed search based on the pertinent subject matter or specific source materials that faculty want their students to use. I might instruct students on using disciplinary databases, constructing effective search strategies, retrieving research materials that are not available online, determining the impact of researchers or journals, managing bibliographic records, or anything else faculty may wish. As an example of this, below is an instructional video I created for Dr. Stone-Johnson’s ELP-500 class, also from last spring:
As you can see, this is not a high-production enterprise; my instructional videos are quick and dirty (try not to read too much into that last descriptor). The emphasis is on concision, and focus is always on students’ immediate needs. GSE faculty usually post my videos on their UBlearns course sites; sometimes they will distribute links to them through email. As a result, I am commonly contacted by students for additional assistance as it relates to their specific research topics. I conduct research consultations with GSE students by email, over the telephone, or in person: whatever works best for them and their busy schedules. The best way to reach me is always by email: cvh2@buffalo.edu. I regularly monitor my UB email account on evenings and weekends.
If you wish for me to record an instructional video for your course, please provide me with as much lead-time as possible, especially during the first few weeks of any given semester. I will need a copy of your syllabus and the details of any assignments that require library-related research, and I will want to discuss the desired learning outcomes of those assignments.
I wish you all smooth sailing as we begin the new semester.
Chris Hollister
Education Librarian
524 Lockwood Library, North Campus
cvh2@buffalo.edu
(716) 645-1323
