ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 912 / C & RL News INNOVATIONS M aking term p ap er co u n selin g m ore m ean in gfu l By Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah B ibliographic In stru c tio n C o o rd in a to r N o rth ea stern U niversity M an y lib raries h av e special sessions a t th e e n d o f th e s e m e s te r w h e n s tu d e n ts a re ask ed to co m e into th e lib rary fo r assistance o n th e ir te rm p a p e r p ro j­ ects. T h e ratio n ale b e h in d su ch sessions in clu d es p ro v id in g b e tte r , a n d m o re p erso n a liz ed assistance to th e s tu d e n ts as th e y stru g g le to s ta rt o r finish th e given assig n m en t fo r th e se m ester. O n e can say th a t in th e ir day-to-day activities, lib rarian s p ro v id e te rm p a p e r c o u n selin g in th e sen se th a t th e y h elp th e s tu d e n ts in d ire ctly o n th e b e s t ap p ro a ch to co m p le te th e ir p a p e r s . H ow ever, te rm p a p e r c o u n ­ seling is u n iq u e in th e sen se th a t s tu d e n ts are p ro v id e d th e u n iq u e o p p o rtu n ity to co n su lt w ith lib rarian s o n a o n e -to -o n e basis, an d fo r lo n g e r p erio d s th a n th e y w o u ld sp e n d w ith librarians a t th e r e fe re n c e desk. U sually, u n less th e r e a re ex tra sta ff m e m b e rs to h e lp o u t w ith th e h eav y circu latio n c a u se d by e n th u sia stic resp o n se s to te rm p a p e r co u n selin g a n n o u n c e m e n t, th e re fe re n c e d esk can b e an av en u e o f disaster, a n d th e effectiv en ess o f th e p ro g ra m s can b e d rastically re d u c e d . A clear exam ple is th e e x p e rien c e at th e M o risset L ibrary, O ttaw a, C an ad a, w h e n “o n th e last few days [o f e n d o f s e m e s te r te rm p a p e r co u n selin g sessions], som e s tu d e n ts h a d to b e tu r n e d away.”1 A t X avier U niversity o fL o u isia n a, N ew O rlean s, th e re fe re n c e lib rary has e x p e rim e n te d w ith vari­ ous te rm p a p e r co u n selin g te c h n iq u e s w hich, ju d g ­ in g from th e rea ctio n s o f faculty m e m b e rs an d s tu d e n ts , have ea se d th e b u r d e n o f la st-m in u te 1T. S ch o b ert, “T e rm P a p e r C ounseling: In d i­ vidualizing B ibliographic In s tru c tio n ,” R Q 22 (W in ter 1982): 146. anxiety o v er c o m p letio n o f th e p a p e rs, n o t to m e n tio n th e im p ro v e m e n t o f th e q u ality o f th e p ap e rs. T h e follow ing is a d escrip tio n o f o u r ex p e­ rien c e a t Xavier, as w ell as th e ratio n ale b e h in d th e te c h n iq u e s w e explored. T e rm p a p e r co u n selin g is a se m ester-lo n g p ro c ­ ess. C o u rse o u tlin es given to stu d e n ts a t th e b e g in ­ n in g o f th e s e m e s te r clearly in d ic ate th e resp o n si­ bilities o f th e stu d e n ts in th e irv ario u s classes. T hus, th o se w h o se classes re q u ire a te rm p a p e r learn a b o u t su ch an ob lig atio n in th e early p a r t o f th e se m e ste r. M o st s tu d e n ts a re in th e h a b it o f w aiting u n til a few days b e fo re th e te rm p ap e rs a re d u e to s ta rt w o rk in g o n th e s e p ro jects. S tu d en ts co m in g to th e lib ra ry a few h o u rs b efo re te rm p a p e rs are d u e is n o t an u n c o m m o n sight. O u r p rac tice is to se n d o u t n o tic es as early in th e s e m e s te r as possible, u rg in g s tu d e n ts to s ta rt th in k in g ab o u t th e ir te rm p a p e rs , a n d to co m e in to th e lib rary fo r all th e assistan ce th e y m ay re q u ire . T h e w o rd “all” is u se d to e n tic e th e s tu d e n ts , b u t as th e y co m e in, th e y are to ld w h at th e y can e x p ect from th e sessions. S a m p le notices. At least fo u r n o tic es a re s e n t in th e se m e ste r. T h an k s to o u r old, b u t still so m ew h at useful, v ersio n o f th e P rin tm a s te r p ro g ra m , w e can g e n e ra te a p ag e-lo n g n o tice, using a p p ro p riate g rap h ics— m asks for M ard i G ras, p u m p k in s for H allo w een , tu rk ey s fo r Thanksgiving, fo r ex­ a m p le — a n d re p ro d u c e th e m o n th e p h o to c o p y m ach in es, so th a t w e can sa tu ra te th e cam p u s w ith th e m . O u r first n o tic e is usually like this: “I t ’s n o t to o early to sta rt th in k in g a b o u t th o se te rm p ap ers. C o m e to th e lib rary for all th e assistance you may re q u ire .” N aturally, th is does n o t se n d in a flock o f stu- November 1989 / 913 dents to the library, most probably because an early start on a term paper takes some o f th e fun out of the frenzy that accompanies the completion of projects u n derpressure. However, a considerable num ber o f students wander in, asking for assistance in an almost apologetic mood: “My paper is not due till the end o f April, bu t I want to get an early start on it.” Others, however are not bashful to admit that they came in response to the notices on cam­ pus. The second notice, which goes out around mid­ term s, reads as follows: “Be smart. Start working on your term paper(s) today!!! The reference librari­ ans are ready to assist you. Come to the reference room today. No appointm ent necessary.” The inclusion o f the last statem ent is to get the students into the library. After the initial meetings, various times are arranged with them as they start on their term papers. (If you are familiar with the oldest version o f Printmaster, you know all this will not fit on one screen. Well, we do two screens, and then reduce it on th e photocopy machine from 8 by 17 to 8 by 11). The num ber o f students answering this notice is significantly higher than those show­ ing up after the first. T he reasons? Some o f the fun o f the sem ester has already eroded. Add and drop are nothing b u t labels that became hard-to-accept realities, and students remaining in their classes fall into various categories: those who love them; those who cannot afford to drop, o r let their courses drop by any means; and those who can drop, b u t tired of the constant and systematic maneuvers o f drop and add, have exhausted all the means o f escaping the realities o f college graduation requirem ents. Courses that are hated have to be taken for the students to become diploma-bearing members o f the pack. To be on the fair side, it is proper to say that many students responding to the second call are genuinely interested in getting an earlier start on their papers. Two weeks after midterms, students begin to sense the end o f the semester. They suddenly becom e concerned about completing th eir end of term projects, and at the same tim e devise strate­ gies of combining term papers and studying for final examinations. This is th e best tim e to send more notices about term paper counseling. The tone o f the notices can be heightened to reflect both anxiety and hope. At the third notice, the library should b e p repared for heavier traffic be­ cause that is the period w hen your message is most likely to sink very deeply in the minds o f your students. Unlike those Few days after course out­ lines w ere handed to them , and you tried to get them to work, these last weeks are closer to dead­ lines, and do not compromise very well with post­ ponem ent. A message such as this will be taken to heart: “Have a peaceful end o f semester. Start working on those term papers today. Come to the library for all the assistance you may need.” The traffic to the library is likely to increase, but thanks to the two previous campaigns, it will not be all the students on the registrar’s list who will troop to the library. T here still will be a huge num ber o f stu­ dents, b u t those who came in after th e first and second waves may have been making progress on their papers by now. The final notice comes in various forms. W hat­ ever form is chosen, p roper graphics must be used. We have used running shoes for the notice that reads: “Stuck on your term paper(s)? D on’t worry; be snappy. Run to the library now!!! ” The overtime graphics also work perfectly for the final notices. The heaviest traffic occurs after the last notices go out, b u t at this time there will be fewer students, since some o f the students who might have joined the last flock would have come in after the previous notices. Faculty involvement. At every stage o f the term paper counseling campaign, faculty members are inform ed about the library’s program. Letters are sent to departm ental heads so that they would pass on the message to their departm ent members. It is cheaper to send a note to each head o f departm ent than to individual faculty members. Faculty m em ­ bers are asked to encourage their students to take advantage o f the term paper counseling sessions. W hat is covered? The needs o f the students will dictate th e nature o f term paper counseling, but usually this is an excellent opportunity to run through the process o f finding information. The Arp and Wilson three-step research strategy has proven effective on many occasions, with the ap­ propriate modification.2 The students can be intro­ duced to the general reference sources in their disciplines for background information to their topics. The bibliographies at the end o f some o f the articles can always be used by the students to locate further information. Books available on the topic are pinpointed through the use o f the card catalog. Indexes and abstracts and the availability o f online searches are also highlighted so that the students become aware o f the existence o f specific tools in their area o f research, instead o f them falling on the Readers’ Guide, and/or Infotrac for everything they need. It is always im portant to show the students how to locate the periodical titles owned by the library, or by other libraries in th e area. T he possibility of the required article being on microform should also be emphasized, and assurances given that help in using the microform readers is readily available. Many students tend to walk out o f the library to 2Lori Arp and Lizabeth A. Wilson, “Library In ­ structors’ View: Theoretical [and Practical],” Re­ search Strategies 2 (W inter 1984): 16-32. 974 / C&RL News conceal th e ir e m b arra ssm e n t in asking a library staff p erso n to show th e m how to use m icroform s. A nd th e re are th o se stu d en ts w h o se favorite h it tu n e , “I h a te m icro fich e,” is played any tim e you m en tio n th a t th e N ew Y ork Tim es is o n m icrofilm . F o rs u c h stu d en ts, calm ing th e irfe ars, an d sh o w in g th e m h ow easy it is to use such in fo rm atio n m ed ia works w onders. O n ce th e y escape from b ein g b it­ te n b y th e m achines, th e y m ay n ev e r b ec o m e shy to ask to b e ta u g h t to o r even d a re use m icroform s. F in d in g th e ap p ro p riate style m an u al to o rg an ­ ize b ibliographies an d referen c es can also b e a source o f fru stra tio n fo r th e stu d en ts. F o r this reason, including style m anuals in th e co unseling sessions can b e profitable. S tu d en ts are e n c o u r­ aged to look a t a few o f th o se titles, a n d fam iliarize them selves w ith th e ones r e q u ire d by th e ir te a c h ­ ers. E v en th o u g h ty p in g facilities may n o t b e co n sid ­ e re d p a rt o f te rm p a p e r counseling, a know ledge o f th e existence o f such services on th e p a r t o f th e librarian can b e helpful. T h e s tu d e n ts can b ec o m e aw are o f th o se as early as possible, an d th o se stu ­ d en ts w ho are m oved by y o u r overw helm ing assis­ ta n ce will n o t com e to you asking you to type th e ir p ap e rs for th e m . M any c o m p u te r c e n te rs o n co l­ lege cam p u ses p rovide o p p o rtu n ities for stu d e n ts desirous o f learn in g w o rd p ro cessin g p ro g ram s th a t will h e lp th e m type th e ir p apers. O n e m ig h t q u estio n th e ratio n ale b e h in d th e se aggressive atte m p ts on th e p a r t o f th e library to get stu d e n ts co m p lete th e ir te rm p ap e rs o n tim e, o r even b efo re th e p ap e rs are due. W e feel th a t th e library has an in sep arab le role in th e ed u c atio n o f th e stu d e n ts. E v en th o u g h som e stu d e n ts o ften see te rm p ap e rs as ted io u s assign­ m en ts th a t have to b e tu r n e d in for grades, w e in th e library feel th a t th e te rm p a p e r p ro je c t is an excel­ le n t p re p a ra tio n for th e stu d e n ts for p r e s e n t an d fu tu re rese arch work. S tu d en ts w ho tak e te rm p a p e r assignm ents seriously an d go th ro u g h th e system atic b u t p ain fu l p ro c e d u re o f g ath erin g in ­ fo rm atio n are b ein g tra in e d in th e are a o f research , an d to b e o n th e ir ow n in any ty p e o f library. At X avier w e h ave n e v e r tak en p rid e in h ea rin g th e serm o n from som e stu d e n ts an d faculty th a t th e library n e v e r has anything th e y n eed . H ow ever, we tak e d elig h t in th e fact th a t ev en th e m o st p ro s p e r­ ous library has to d e p e n d on o th e r libraries for som e o f th e m aterials th e irp a tro n s n eed . R esearch w ork so m etim es involves o b tain in g unavailable m aterials from o th e r libraries. T h e ea rlie r te rm p a p e r co unseling sessions are h eld , th e m o re accus­ to m e d s tu d e n ts b ec o m e w ith th e fact th a t in te rli­ b rary loan m ay tak e days o r w eeks fo r delivery, as o p p o se d to a m a tte r o f h o u rs . T his is n o t in any way to challenge th e w o n d ers o f fax, b u t realizing th e im plications an d costs o f fax, w e believe th a t a r e ­ November 1989 / 915 search work started well in tim e can produce a b etter end product than one started at the last minute. Students are able to understand the tu rn ­ around tim e o f obtaining materials th at are not readily available. In addition, students wall be able to devote the end o f th e sem ester to reviewing their materials for final examinations, rath er than com­ bining the pressure o f turning in a p ap er with the tedious process o f getting ready for examinations. T erm p ap er counseling sessions are very useful to the students we deal with. However, unless these sessions are started early enough in and continued throughout the semester, the laudable intentions o f librarians can be thw arted as a result o f congestion at the reference desk during the last days o f the semester. O ur sem ester-long term, paper counsel­ ing sessions have brought peace and quiet to the reference desk at th e en d o f the semester. How­ ever, as one could have guessed, th ere are still many students who will never subscribe to our concept o f early start on th eir papers. They still com e in at the last m inute, filled with anxiety, arm ed with im patience, and ready to negotiate for extended library hours to be able to finish their papers on schedule. Humor and creativity: MLS envy By J. C. Bennett Assistant Professor o f Library Science Eastern N ew Mexico University In any field, subordinates who feel th at they can capably perform the work o f th eir superiors may create difficulties. In libraries, paraprofessionals cause severe logical dilemmas for professional li­ brarians w hen they espouse this feeling, herein term ed “MLS envy.” MLS envy is a stage o f the paraprofessional’s developm ent into a loyal, h ard ­ working flunky. Avoiding it requires that parapro­ fessionals be made to feel m ore positive about their inability to rise above a trivial rank. Like all psycho­ logical phases, MLS envy m ust be resolved before paraprofessionals can be said to be fully mature. They must be willing to accept th e second-class status th eir position entails. MLS envy requires careful handling. It usually sets in betw een one and eight weeks after th e new paraprofessional begins work. T h e complex p ro ­ ceeds gradually. At first, subjects foolishly believe th a t they have intentionally b een given th eir d e ­ p artm en t’s most m onotonous tasks and th at they have little hope o f quickly moving on to more interesting assignments. Subjects may irrationally assume th at older, more experienced paraprofes­ sionals m ustperform tasks only slightly less tedious than th eir own. MLS envy is well on its way w hen subjects feel th at they are being treated unjustly by being paid half or less o f the starting professional’s salary, even though th e professionals in question may be younger than th e nonprofessionals, hold few er degrees, and have less em ploym ent experi­ ence. T he complex is full blown w hen subjects becom e convinced that they could com petently perform professional work w ithout the benefit of an MLS degree. T he symptoms are generally easy to detect. In the early stages subjects are restless and uneasy, doubt th e wisdom o f superiors, and may feel disen­ chanted with th eir work. Such feelings become stronger as tim e passes, until the complex is truly visited on th e m . At th a t point, deep problem s arise. Subjects may becom e bitter, insolent, lazy, and unmanageable; they may harbor thoughts o f quit­ ting w ithout notice; they may be habitually absent or unbearably late with only poor excuses. Through all this they deserve sympathy and mercy, and a strong han d to guide and lead them along a p ath of reason and sense. To move forward, resolution o f th e internal conflict is necessary. I f subjects are to live happy, co ntented lives as paraprofessionals, they must believe in th eir supervisors and trust them to do w hat is best, no m atter how painful it may be. If, after a grace period o f several weeks after the onset o f erroneous thoughts, subjects are unwilling or unable to subm it completely, they are unlikely to progress very far, and will stay fixated at an irra­ tional stage for th e rest o f th eir paraprofessional careers. T heir superiors will th en be wise to seri­ ously consider term inating them with th e merciful hope th at they will prostrate themselves more read­ ily in another field. I f th e superiors decide not to do so, they m ust be willing to work closely with sub-