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Address:
Kuopio University Library
P.O.BOX 1627
FIN-70211 KUOPIO
FINLAND
Tel: +358 17 163 406
Snellmania library
Kuopio University Library
Snellmania
Savilahdentie 9 A
P.O.Box 1627
FIN-70211 KUOPIO
Tel: +358 17 163 406
Fax: +358 17 163 410
Canthia library
Kuopio University Library
Canthia
Harjulantie 1 B
P.O.Box 1627
FIN-70211 KUOPIO
Tel:
+358 17 163 423,
Fax: +358 17 163 437
KUH Medical library
Kuopio University Hospital Medical Library
P.O.Box 1777
FIN-70211 KUOPIO
Tel: +358 17 163 426
Fax: +358 17 163 429
Research Centre Neulanen library
Research Centre Neulanen library
Neulaniementie 4
P.O.Box 88
FIN-70701 Kuopio
Tel: +358 17 201281
Fax: +358 17 201265
Contact persons:
Arja Juntunen
(Head of Services)
Library in Snellmania
Tel.:
+358-17-16
3475
Jarmo Saarti (Library Director)
Library in Snellmania
Tel.:
+358-17-16 3400
Heikki
Laitinen (natural and environmental
sciences, computer science, information technology, pharmacy, nutrition,
ergonomics, postgraduate students)
Library in Snellmania
Tel. +358-17-16 3414
Tuulevi
Ovaska (medicine,
exercise medicine, international students)
Kuopio University Hospital Medical Library
Tel.:
+358-17-
163427, 173770
Maarit Putous
(social sciences, business, health care, nursing, public health, health
management, health economics)
Library in Canthia
Tel.:
+358-17-163421
For training sessions for the personnel of the Kuopio
University Hospital:
Tel.:
+358-17-173 770
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The elementary course of the information
retrieval has been a part of the curriculum as a compulsory study module from
the inauguration of the University in the 1970’s.
The library is responsible for providing and administration of the teaching.
The teaching of the information retrieval skills has been under continuous
development: but increasingly the trend is to move to web-based teaching and
towards the discipline-specific approach.
During their training, the students must master information literacy skills in
relation to all the different types of publications: e.g. they must be able to
assess independently the scientific reliability of the different types of
publications obtained over the network.
In the University of Kuopio the teaching of information literacy was first
organized as distance education in 1999.
A pilot project was the teaching of the nursing science information retrieval.
In distance education, the design of field-specific courses has
been one major objective from the outset. At the university level, it is
difficult to provide a general course of information retrieval for all the
students.
Discipline-specific teaching of information literacy skills provide the
opportunity to concentrate on the actual information needs of the students who
in turn have better opportunities to learn tools to estimate which information
sources they need.
When the starting point for the teaching of information literacy skills is a
discipline-specific point of view, it is easier to achieve cooperation with the
departments at the University.
It is possible to discuss the timetable of the teaching or how it can be
integrated into parallel study modules.
The most important advantage of the distance education is its ability to
be tailored to fit the individual.
Even though the teaching totally provided over the network, the meeting of the
tutor (information specialist) and student is more personal. In the classroom
setting where there can be from 100 (lectures) to 10 (training lesson) students,
the teacher very seldom has time to devote to an individual student.
However, as can be seen from the feedback of the web-courses, students almost
always assess the personal-level of tutoring as positive: they do not feel left
alone.
Furthermore it seems that the learning results are better in web-teaching.
Information retrieval courses (from 2005)
Information Retrieval and Library Skills course
for undergraduates (only in
Finnish)
(ECTS credits: 1,0)
Target group:
undergraduate students
Level:
basic
Teaching language: Finnish
Kuopio University Library arranges an
Information Retrieval and Library Skills course
compulsory for all
undergraduate students aiming at degree. This course is also arranged in
English, next time during Autumn term 2006.
It consists of :
- one lecture of the basics in information retrieval (e.g. the thesaurus,
systems of classifications, Boolean operators, the evaluations of the
reliability of the information and the types of publication),
- field-specific database exercises and
- as a final test a personal assignment.
Information Retrieval and Reference Management course for postgraduates
(ECTS credits: 2,5
Credits: 1,5)
Target group: postgraduate students
Level: advanced
Teaching language: Finnish
Time: Every year during the Autumn term. The course replaces
previous courses "Information Retrieval for Postgraduate Students" and "Personal
Bibliographic Software."
Contents:
Search strategies and search query formulation. How
to search subject-specific literature databases and Nelli portal. How to do a
citation search and find journal impact factors. How to manage citations and
produce reference lists using RefWorks program.
Teaching methods and assessment:
Hands-on training sessions (10
hours for all students and 3 x 4 hours in discipline-specific groups in
microcomputer class), and personal assignment. The
participant must attend all hands-on sessions and do personal assignment to pass
the course.
Information Retrieval and Library Skills for International Students, Autumn Term
2006 (ECTS credits:
1,0 Credits: 1,0)
Target group: international undergraduate students
Level:
basic
Teaching language: English
This course is compulsory to all undergraduate students aiming at a
degree, optional for others.
Time: Every year during the Autumn term.
Contents:
The course includes
- Lecture (2 h):
Introduction to Information Retrieval and Library Skills
- Three training sessions on databases:
· Library
collection databases Kuopus and Linda (1 h)
· Nelli
portal (2 h)
· The
main scientific literature database in each field (1 h)
- Personal assignment
on the student’s own topic (e.g. a seminar essay, a master’s thesis) and
approved of by the library teacher. The topic is recommended to be used at the
training sessions, but the proper search on the student’s own topic is done
independently.
Teaching methods and
assessment: An introductory lecture,
training sessions (three
appropriate databases )and a personal assignment including a report.
In addition to these
courses are also arranged:
· Short
training sessions of current information retrieval and library skills topics.
These sessions are informed on the university media.
· Training
sessions aimed at the personnel of the Kuopio University Hospital.
Kuopio
University Library teaches information retrieval to groups not
affiliated with the University of Kuopio and consults in library and
information management issues. Charges for these services are negotiated case by
case.
Previous courses
Useful information about the
training activities of the Kuopio University Library are
available in English in the following paper, presented at Creating
Knowledge IV - Empowering the Student through Cross-Institutional Collaboration.
International
conference at The Royal Library and University of Copenhagen. Copenhagen, 16-18
August 2006:
Arja Juntunen - Anne Lehto - Jarmo Saarti - Johanna Tevaniemi, Supporting
Information Literacy Learning in Finnish Universities – Standards, Projects,
Educating Online (p. 15-17).
Keywords:
information retrieval – information retrieval courses for university students
- compulsory courses for university students
- credit
earning courses for university students -
training for hospital staff - web-based teaching - information literacy -
discipline-specific IL teaching - information retrieval skills – library skills – information searches
- search strategies - search techniques - field specific databases - scientific literature databases
- use of scientific databases - reference
management - use of references - customisation - modularity |
