UK Libraries represented at 14th USAIN Biennial Conference

The 14^th Biennial Conference held by the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) took place May 4-7, 2014 in Burlington, Vermont. Presenters and attendees from throughout North America and Europe travelled to Burlington to learn about “Sustainable Agriculture: Stewardship of Our Information Ecosystem”.  UK Information Professionals shared their knowledge through presenting a lightning talk and a poster. 

·       “Using Google Docs as an Information Literacy Tool to Collect Student Artifacts” – brief presentation by Valerie Perry and Jason Keinsley – which shared our successful SACS approved information literacy assessment methods used to gather data about the knowledge gained by approximately 10,000 students reached by our library instruction sessions annually.

·       “Creating a Sustainable Information Literacy Program Using the Train-the-Trainer Model” – poster by Valerie Perry, Patricia Hartman, Jason Keinsley and Renae Newman – which highlighted the creative way we have extended our reach in support of undergraduate biology lab students by training their Biology Teaching Assistants to be co-trainers with us in the classroom so over 600 undergraduates per semester develop lifelong skills to find relevant and reliable information.

USAIN is an organization for information professionals that provides a forum for discussion of agricultural issues, takes a leadership role in the formation of a national information policy as related to agriculture, makes recommendations to the National Agricultural Library on agricultural information matters, and promotes cooperation and communication among its members.