Simultaneous Development of Research Skills and Environmental Awareness through Library Orientation : a Case Study

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are divided into three categories: economic, social, and environmental. Of the 17 SDGs that were introduced by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, goals from 13 to 15 can be considered as directly related to the environment. Environmental awareness is important for every individual to minimize the influence of man-made disruptions and ensure the long-term sustainability of the environment and society. For the above purpose, adequate knowledge sharing and sufficient access to relevant, up-to-date information would be essential. The libraries can be effective facilitators, provided innovative strategies which are deployed to engage with the users. Traditionally, libraries would be mostly responsible for developing an information collection and enabling users to access those resources. Accordingly, the library orientation sessions for undergraduates would primarily consist of showcasing and familiarizing them with the variety of resources available for reference, typically through several mutually exclusive examples. In contrast, this study, based on the student feedback survey results, has been conducted with several instances of a single realistic example that is familiar and has a sensible as well as significant storyline. In order to develop research skills and environmental awareness simultaneously, the library orientation session on "first steps in research" for the most recent intake of engineering undergraduates at the University of Moratuwa was adapted to raise environmental awareness of the Bologoda wetland system. It is the largest freshwater wetland arrangement with a high ecological, social, and economic value, in addition to having the Bolgoda Lake adjacent to the university premises. A lecture on the importance of literature review in research was followed by an introductory situational awareness of Bolgoda Lake and the wetland system prior to allowing the students to perform a guided literature survey to retrieve information from a variety of sources. This included choosing a topic from among five specific areas on the Bolgoda wetland system, namely: illegal encroachment and landfilling in the Bolgoda area; flood risk management through the Bolgoda wetland system; waste dumping adjacent to Bolgoda lake; the impact of water pollution on the biodiversity of Bolgoda lake; and the economic benefits of developing recreational activities in Bolgoda lake. Out of 812 online participants, 792 submitted the assignment and feedback through a circulated Google form, where Likert scale was used to measure the level of awareness and perception of the session content. The results revealed that the awareness of the Bolgoda ecosystem had significantly improved from "Poor" 36.05 % to 0 %; "Fair'' 14.01% to 5.44 %; "Satisfactory" 13.61 % to 24.49 %; "Very Good" 4.08 % to 45.58 % and "Excellent" 12.24 % to 24.49 %. Furthermore, the majority of the participants were active (90.35 %) throughout the session with a satisfaction of 94.55 % for learning outcomes, 92.47 % for session content, and 90.27 % for assignment activity. In comparison to the previous records of identical exercises annually conducted by the library for fresh undergraduates, these are the highest achieved in terms of activity and successful rates. In conclusion, this reveals that the library could effectively be involved with environmental awareness development across the domains of undergraduate education, which directly contributes to the future decision-makers while catering to the requirements of SDG’s.