The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published Collaborative Teaching and Learning Tools, SPEC Kit 328, which gathers information about what collaborative teaching and learning tools are currently being offered to users in ARL member libraries. It covers questions on which kinds of tools are offered, how many, and why; where they are located; who may use them; the sources of funding; who provides training and support; and what techniques are used to promote and evaluate the tools.
For the purpose of this survey, ‘collaborative teaching and learning tools’ are limited to the equipment, devices, or systems being offered to research library users in a self-service environment including, but not limited to the interactive whiteboards (IWBs, e.g., SMART Board), touchscreen tablet computers (e.g., iPads), classroom/audience response system (e.g., clickers), interactive learning centers (e.g., TouchTables), and Wii gaming systems.
Results and documentation from this survey demonstrate that a variety of collaborative equipment, devices, or systems are available or soon will be available to research library users. Respondents report that offering these tools enhances the users’ learning experiences in and out of the library and also provides improved patron services.
This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents that describe available equipment and services, loan policies, instructions for using equipment, and materials promoting the services. The table of contents and executive summary from this SPEC Kit are available online at http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/spec-328-web.pdf.
Designed to examine current research library practices and policies and serve as resource guides for libraries as they face ever-changing management problems, each SPEC Kit contains a summary analysis, survey questions with tallies, pertinent documentation from participating libraries, and a reading list and Web site references for further information on the topic.
