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Encouraging Use of Entrepreneurship Information Resources: Faculty/Library Collaboration

Abstract

Librarians, faculty, and the WPI Collaborative for Entrepreneurship and Innovation partner to encourage awareness of information resources available to engineering students developing business ideas. We co-promote information resource seminars, and librarians provide online research guides, workshops and one-on-one research consultations. Learn about the approach we take to educate students on information resources for business planning and suggested sources for entrepreneurial engineers.

Background

In early 2005 the Gordon Library began a renewed effort to promote information literacy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).1 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, located in central Massachusetts, offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to the B.A., B.S., M.S., M.E., MBA and Ph.D. The Gordon Library serves all members of the campus community as the main library on campus. Our information literacy program ideas and goals include aligning the library’s educational programs with the university mission to remain “true to the founders' directive to create, to discover, and to convey knowledge at the frontiers of academic inquiry for the betterment of society.”2 We collaborate with faculty and campus administrators to ensure that students develop the information literacy skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed in order to become efficient, effective users and producers of information. As the library’s plan for information literacy was shared and discussed with faculty and administrators, a clear partnership arose between the Library and the Collaborative for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The Gordon Library & the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnership

According to our mission, “the Gordon Library designs, produces, acquires, stores, preserves, and provides access to resources and innovative services to meet the collaborative learning, information, teaching, and research needs of the University.” This partnership, as you will learn, helped us realize our potential by pushing the boundaries of our “highly technological environment … staffed by skilled experts who assist and instruct users wherever they may be.”3 We support more than 3800 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students, and 325 full and part time faculty. Two-thirds of our students complete one or more significant projects off campus and overseas.4

As part of the library’s information literacy planning process we began outreach to various institutes and centers on campus. This opened dialogue about the research needs of certain focus areas. One in particular resulted in collaboration between the library and the Collaborative for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI). CEI is a university-wide entrepreneurship program, founded in 1999. Their mission is "to inspire and nurture people to discover, create, and

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Drew, C. (2007, June), Encouraging Use Of Entrepreneurship Information Resources: Faculty/Library Collaboration Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2072