Expanding Online Learning in an Academic Library with Minimal Resources

This presentation will explain how a Research and Instruction Librarian at the University of Mississippi built a Library Skills and Orientation course in Blackboard to address evolving student needs with a shrinking instruction department. The University of Mississippi Libraries has recently undergone some changes which resulted in fewer faculty available to conduct library sessions for the first-year instruction program. As a solution, one librarian decided to develop an online library course with standalone modules that students could complete without direct librarian oversight or assistance. The course was completed in early August 2022. This presentation will provide use data and survey responses from the course's pilot semester. The librarian will also share successes and challenges throughout the process, with particular emphasis on tangible takeaways that will benefit attendees interested in pursuing similar projects. The development of the Library Skills and Orientation course was unique because it was completed by a single librarian over the course of a single summer, and thus illustrates what is possible even with limited time and resources. The focus of this presentation will be how online learning initiatives can be pursued at the most basic level and still be effective.