Jayme Johnson Repackaging Project

1. What is the purpose of your project? The purpose of my project will be to introduce incoming ESU Nursing Students to Database searching (specifically databases linked to the nursing profession; CINAHL, Pub-Med, and MedLine). 2. What are the needs the project seeks to address? Nursing students have many various papers that need to be written during their time in the program. As incoming sophomores, the librarians have noticed a lack of understanding in the students of databases and searching techniques. This project would serve to educate the incoming Sophomores of the various databases and how to properly use them to complete their homework and assignments. 3. What currently exists to meet these needs? Currently we only have a two page paper that serves to give the Sophomore Nursing students an introduction into these databases. The paper was created some time ago over three years and needs to be updated. Also since the Librarians already give a presentation to the Sophomore students over Internet Searching, it would be easy to include a quick presentation on Databases as well. 4. Who is the intended user? What do you know about your target audience? How can you find out more about your target audience? The intended user will be incoming Sophomore Nursing students. Nursing students are accepted into this program after their first year in college. So these student may (or many not) have a rudimentary knowledge of the University library searching systems and databases. To learn more about the students and their knowledge skillset, I could contact the William Allen White Library (the main library on campus) to see what basic skill are taught to the incoming freshman. In addition I can look for more information on the information seeking patterns and behaviors of nursing students through various LIS databases. 5. Is the project you are considering significant? Does it matter? Is it a meaningful need that you are working to address? I believe that this project is significant to the students and their overall ability to perform up to the standards established by the Nursing School and the Nursing Boards. Nursing students must have the necessary skillset to perform searches for up-to-date information and databases tend to be more reliable than internet searching.