2019 Charleston Library Conference

Point of Need Instruction (PONI) is a vital function the Research and Instruction Department provides at the College of Charleston. Our PONI services include interactions at the Access & Instruction Desk and through scheduled research consultations. This session will review how, for the past two years, a team of librarians have been collecting data through LibAnswers, surveys, and focus groups in order to better understand student awareness (and inherent use) of our PONI services. This data collection has played an immense role in understanding what students know about us and how we can "pony up" to give them better, and clearer, access to services that will improve their information literacy skills. Additionally, the session will discuss how “negative results” are not necessarily a “negative thing.” By sharing our findings, participants will not only learn ways to market their own services to students, but they will also learn ways to successfully collect data about their users’ experiences and how to interpret their data to create actionable items for the future.