Students as Knowledge Ambassadors

Presenter: Jane Gikandi Ag University Librarian Cooperative University College of Kenya (CUCK)jgikandi@cuck.ac.ke

http://www.cuck.ac.ke/

Outline Objectives Introduction Knowledge Ambassadors Rationale for Student Engagement The ambassadors participates in various activities

Information Skills Training Exhibitions Open Access week Participation in workshops Documentaries Collaborative efforts

Challenges Solutions

Objectives Discuss rationale for student engagement Discuss student library advocacy in selected

Universities Share some collaborative efforts Challenges and solutions

Introduction The Kenyan libraries subscribes to thousands of e-journals through the

Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium (KLISC) in collaboration with International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP).

To promote the resources various libraries use social media, hold exhibitions, develop websites and brochures among others.

These resources are underutilized despite various efforts by libraries to improve utilization

Low usage of the resources due Lack of awareness of availability of the e-resources Inadequate search skills Use of search engines like Google Overreliance on lecturer notes Lack of an information literacy policy Many Lecturers don’t use the resources

Many libraries are developing partnership with students and other stakeholders to maximize on electronic resources use. Some institutions call them student champions, student ambassadors or knowledge ambassadors

Knowledge ambassadors

Knowledge Ambassadors are student volunteers passionate and enthusiastic about promoting library services to their peers.

The ambassadors in collaboration with libraries have been involved in various activities

Rationale for Student Engagement

Need for stakeholders’ involvement Improve communication between library and the

student community Develop user centered services To tap on their energy and creativity More access to their peers in term of time and

numbers The h have their own language of communication

The shift to electronic resources from print requires library users acquire Information Literacy Skills training

Most institutions in Kenya are carrying out information skills training to enable students carry work out their research effectively

Ambassadors have assisted in are mobilizing their peers and class to mount information skills training

The ambassadors suggested training notices at Catholic University of Eastern Africa CUEA- its on notice boards

Information Skills Training

Information Skills training cont…Peer training A knowledge Ambassador demonstrates use of e-resources after training @CUCK Peer training at CUEA

ExhibitionsStudents participation attracts many of their peers to the exhibition stand

Open Access week Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology(JKUAT), Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), University of Nairobi has been promoting the open access and Institutional repository.

Open access ambassadors @JKUAT

Mr and Miss Open access JKUAT 2010

Open Access week cont…

Participation in Workshops

Student registers for Anti-plagiarism workshop

Student moderating a discussion during anti-plagiarism workshop

Student registers for Anti-plagiarism workshop

Student moderates a session at anti-plagiarism workshop

Documentaries

Taken by Knowledge Ambassadors during the Standing Conference for Eastern Central and Southern Africa (SCECSAL 2012, Nairobi

SCECSAL Documentary

SCECSAL Cultural Evening

Participates in Corporate Social Responsibility

Collaboration with EmeraldEmerald first contact with Knowledge Ambassadors was

during a training of student ambassadors at CUEA

Collaboration with Emerald

1st workshop Knowledge Ambassadors workshop The 1st Emerald Knowledge Ambassadors workshop brought together students and staff from CUCK, JKUAT, Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA) and TU-K. Program included ambassadors role and benefits

Collaboration with EmeraldEmerald Publishing has Supported training workshops and promotional materials

Collaboration with Emerald

2ndst workshop Knowledge Ambassadors workshop Support by University Administration CUCK Principal Opened the 2nd Emerald Knowledge

Ambassadors Workshop

Collaboration with Emerald

Nurturing innovation and creativity cont…• During the second Emerald ambassadors

workshop, Emerald had awards for best creativity, presentation and best Emerald user.

• The next slides shows some of the student presentations

Collaboration with Emerald

Nurturing innovation and creativity cont…

Poster by Daystar University Book mark by CUCK

Collaboration with Emerald Cont….Nurturing innovation and creativity cont…

Below is a link to a feature by Daystar University Emerald Ambassadors depicting the use of Emerald on-line resources by Daystar students

https://soundcloud.com/user22894890/daystar-emerald-2014-featurehttps://soundcloud.com/user22894890/commercial-emerald-shine-2014https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXlCCZnvL-Q

Collaboration with Emerald Cont….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXlCCZnvL-QEmerald Cartoon Promotion Documentary by St Paul’s University

Collaboration with Emerald Cont….

Poem by Cooperative University College of Kenya Student

Collaboration with Emerald Cont….Tangaza University College presentation

Making Emerald’s published matterials accessible to persons with disabilities.

Presented by Samson Waweru.Student, The University of Nairobi.

Chair, University of Nairobi Students with Disabilities Association (unswda).

Collaboration with Emerald Cont….

Multi-Media University presentation

Challenges

Sometimes the student loose focus and want to carry out mane tasks some of which are not library related

Many times student don’t meet on assigned ambassador tasks

Some student want use Ambassador program as a springboard to venture into politics

For library staff it requires patience and a lot of mentoring

Infrastructure and inadequate computers

Possible Solutions

Give incentives like participation certificates and publishers’ token (mouse pads, pen, flash disks etc)

Ambassador competition to encourage creativity and fun Workshops to give skills to knowledge ambassadors Consult with students on events they would like to carry

out.

THANK YOU