{"id":78287,"date":"2014-08-01T11:30:17","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T16:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=78287"},"modified":"2014-07-31T18:36:24","modified_gmt":"2014-07-31T23:36:24","slug":"how-to-ace-the-academic-library-database-presentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=78287","title":{"rendered":"How to Ace the Academic Library Database Presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor,<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>INALJ North Carolina<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

How to Ace the Academic Library Database Presentation<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"RebekahKati\"<\/a>Typically, when candidates are invited to the second round of interviews for an academic\u00a0library position, they are asked to give a presentation. For reference and instruction positions,\u00a0this presentation is often a demonstration of a database to undergraduate students in an\u00a0introductory class. Speaking in front of people is an intimidating experience, especially for new\u00a0graduates who have not taught an instruction session before, but the tips below should help you\u00a0put together a great presentation!<\/p>\n

Getting started<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best presentations don\u2019t happen at the last minute, so get started early. First, it is a good\u00a0idea to query the search committee if the prompt is unclear or if you have questions. Also, you\u00a0may want to ask about the following things:<\/p>\n

\u25cf The limitations of the presentation room. For example, will there be a computer with a\u00a0projector? If you are planning to use PowerPoint, will it be installed on the computer\u00a0that you are to use? If you want to write or draw on a whiteboard, will it be available?\u00a0Always decide on a contingency plan, just in case something goes wrong. For example,\u00a0you may want to email a copy of your presentation to yourself in case the search\u00a0committee misplaces it. Perhaps you might plan to use a whiteboard if the internet goes\u00a0down.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Guest credentials to the library\u2019s databases. This is especially important if you no\u00a0longer have access to databases from your own university. Plus, using the interviewer\u2019s\u00a0databases during the presentation will help you to become familiar with their library and\u00a0help the search committee envision you in the role.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Any details that the search committee might have omitted from the prompt. You may\u00a0especially want to ask about time constraints, if these were not given upfront.<\/p>\n

Second, decide on the format of your presentation. It is a good idea to use some sort of visual\u00a0aid if possible, but do you want to use a PowerPoint, or demonstrate a search live? I usually\u00a0opt for the latter, but the former is useful for explaining key library concepts such as Boolean\u00a0operators.<\/p>\n

Content of the presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The time constraints specified by the search committee will give you an idea of how in-depth the\u00a0presentation should be. When putting together my presentations, I typically include:<\/p>\n

\u25cf A brief overview of the library homepage, in which I point out items that undergraduate\u00a0students might need to be aware of, especially the library\u2019s Ask a Librarian service.<\/p>\n

\u25cf A demonstration of the best way to navigate to the databases by name or databases by\u00a0subject page.<\/p>\n

\u25cf A brief explanation of the databases available and the reason that I am demonstrating\u00a0the database that I have chosen. I usually will pick a general database, such as\u00a0Academic Search or ProQuest Central to show, but if the presentation prompt is specific\u00a0to a certain subject area you may want to choose a more specialized database.<\/p>\n

\u25cf An introduction to the keyword searching interface which highlights important features\u00a0like limiters and boolean operators.<\/p>\n

\u25cf A live demonstration of a basic keyword search. If there is a lot of time allotted for the\u00a0presentation, I may do more than one search.<\/p>\n

\u25cf An explanation of the results, including a demonstration of how to limit the results to\u00a0certain years, formats and to peer-reviewed publications.<\/p>\n

\u25cf If there is time, I will also explain Boolean operators and the concept of peer review.<\/p>\n

Of course, you should always tailor your search to the prompt. If the prompt mentions a specific\u00a0subject area, the demonstration should focus on that area. If the prompt is for more advanced\u00a0students, than a more advanced search might be needed.<\/p>\n

Additional tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

Practice the presentation as much as possible, which will help reduce nervousness. Also,\u00a0plan for the worst. If the internet should go out, what will you do? Pre-planning for these\u00a0contingencies will make you better prepared to handle them should they happen.<\/p>\n

Always stay on time, or as close to time as you can. When you are presenting in front of\u00a0real students, you will be expected to stick to a timeframe and the search committee will\u00a0likely be looking to your presentation as an example of your ability to do this. However, if the\u00a0presentation is scheduled to take a short amount of time, you can state that you would include\u00a0specific types of content for a longer session.<\/p>\n

It is a good idea to bring a few sample searches with you, which will produce the results that you\u00a0want. This is especially important if you are reviewing the results page during the presentation.\u00a0If you intend to show your \u201cstudents\u201d how to access the PDF version of an article, make sure\u00a0that there is an article with a PDF version within the first few results so that you do not have to\u00a0waste time hunting for one.<\/p>\n

During the presentation, always explain what you are doing while you are navigating the screen,\u00a0especially if you are supposed to be presenting to undergraduates in an introductory class.\u00a0Stop and physically point out important items or highlight them on the screen if the presentation\u00a0software allows, as the mouse can be difficult to see from far away.<\/p>\n

The presentation can be one of the hardest parts of the on-campus interview but with a little\u00a0preparation, you can give a great one that will impress the search committee. Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rebekah Kati, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ North Carolina How to Ace the Academic Library Database Presentation Typically, when candidates are invited to the second round of interviews for an academic\u00a0library position, they are asked to give a presentation. For reference and instruction positions,\u00a0this presentation is often a demonstration of a database to undergraduate students in an\u00a0introductory…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":57201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[1460,4937,69,3592,3627,4514,4476,5470,3952,111],"class_list":["post-78287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-academic-librarian","tag-academic-libraries","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-inalj-north-carolina","tag-interview-tips","tag-presentations","tag-presenting","tag-rebekah-kati","tag-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/RebekahKati.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-kmH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/57201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}