Jacqueline Michaud
Contributing Writer
When there is a will, there is a way. The will in 2016 was to help students improve their grades and understanding of two essential writing crafts- researching and citation checking. Through creating the Walk-In Research Clinic & Citation Check Event Program, BC South Campus Faculty Librarians Lori Albrizio and Chris Casper, as well as may other founders such as library Associate Dean Suzette Spencer, did just that.
The program is designed to help students with their research and citation techniques and was first piloted at the South Campus, but due to high demand and great turnouts, the program was then made available to all other BC campuses. When asked what the inspiration was behind the program, Albrizio said “We felt that it was a great opportunity for students to get better results with their midterms and finals” and “to help students take advantage of the high quality resources available to them at BC libraries.”
In addition to their dedication to making the library your friend, this innovative and flexible program encourages walk-ins. Albrizio said “this is a point of need service and we have designed it to remove as many roadblocks as possible to get students the help they need.”
During these events, students have full access to individual online librarian interfaces, an abundance of hi-tech laptops, and hands-on library faculty members that specialize in work citing, research and fact checking in any writing format the student requires. Students can make appointments, walk in, and even professors have the option to arrange an in-class visit by one of the Program Faculty Librarians to go over the process of locating high-quality sources using the BC library database, documenting sources in a References and Works Cited page, as well as incorporating research sources into class papers and projects.
The 2018 Fall Walk in Research Clinic and Citation Check South campus events are scheduled to occur between Oct. 1-5 for midterm preparation and between Nov. 26-30 for finals. Tiffany Walker, a BC Assistant Librarian and member of the program, has had the opportunity for two years to help students understand and has observed the endless positive impacts on the BC students’ level of higher learning. Walker said “every students’ attendance is logged so that the students have the opportunity to receive extra credit for their presence at the event if their professor permits.”
This program is also in direct connection to BC’s Academic Success Centers. The dates, times and locations for all BC campuses and further information can be found online at www.broward.edu/library. If you would like to talk to one of the library faculty members that participate in the program directly, you may contact Spencer at 954-201-6428.
michj1@mail.broward.edu
photo caption: Faculty Librarian, Lori Albrizio, helps a student at the library. Daniela Jaramillo/The Observer’