More than 600 books by renowned science fiction writer Isaac Asimov were donated to the West Virginia University Wise Library’s Rare Book Collection.

WVU alumnus Larry Shaver contacted WVU in 2003 to ask if they were interested in the books he had collected by Asimov. Over the years Shaver has donated more than 600 books and more than 50 other items such as games, audio recordings, videos and wall charts, said Harold Forbes, WVU’s rare books curator.

Shaver said he began collecting the books when he was in high school with his first purchase of “The Fountain Trilogy.”

“I was intrigued by the covers mostly I must admit, but once I had read them, I was hooked,” Shaver said.

Shaver later purchased several of Asimov’s works from dealers in Australia.

After 25 years of collecting Asimov works, he ended up with more than 175 books. He then decided to upgrade his collection and started seriously collecting by seeking better editions and signed copies.

One particular book Shaver purchased was a signed first-edition of “I, Robot,” which cost him $1,000 and a signed “Lucky Starr” series for around $4,000.

Shaver has found many rare and signed editions of books written by Asimov. However, there are about 20 titles in the recognized list of Asimov’s works that he has not found.

“I keep looking, though,” he said. “This past fall for example, I was able to obtain 54 essays that had only appeared in American Airlines in-flight magazine around 30 years ago.”

Once his obsession became too large for him to take care of, Shaver decided to donate his Asimov collection to WVU, which took the entire collection unseen. Then, the

collection included more than 600 books.

When WVU asked Shaver what restrictions he had for the collection, he replied only the collection be kept together.

“I could not have been more pleased with the extraordinary work the library staff had done to not only make the collection available, but also in the restoration efforts they’ve made to the books themselves,” he said. “That collection truly belongs to WVU Libraries, not me.”

The Asimov collection, which now includes 38 signed editions, belongs to WVU and is under the care of Forbes, who has worked in the rare books room for 38 years.

When a student wants to view an Asimov book, or other rare book, they must make an appointment with Forbes. He ensures they receive a lesson on how to handle the collection.

The rare books room has rules such as no pens, cameras or scanning equipment to ensure the preservation of the books, he said.

“It’s expanded the period of time that is covered in the rare books room,” Forbes said. “Asimov added the 20th century … we deliberately expanded into science and science fiction.”

Identifying quality research sources online, though, is more difficult.

“It’s not hard to find information; it’s hard to find good information. You have to know the difference and then how to use the good information ethically,” said Megan Oakleaf, an assistant professor at Syracuse University School of Information Studies.

Oakleaf was on campus recently to lead a training session in establishing information literacy assessment tools. Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, and effectively use information. The visit was part of Oakleaf’s Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (RAILS) project, http://railsontrack.info/

Funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, RAILS is a three-year project that seeks to measure information literacy skills of college students. It is designed to help librarians and academic faculty develop and test rubrics that evaluate student learning and information literacy.

The WVU Libraries are among five academic libraries from across the nation selected to participate in the initiative. The results will contribute to research in this field.

“The Association of American Colleges and Universities is really excited,” Oakleaf said. “They’re eager to use what we learn.”

Last fall, Carroll Wilkinson, the Libraries’ Director of Instruction and Information Literacy attended an intense introductory training session for RAILS while participating in the Association of College and Research Libraries Assessment Immersion program.

“Though frontiers are never easy, it is exciting to be the first site in this research project. Substituting tests with a values rubric for assessment of information literacy learning is rich with possibilities for us here at WVU,” Wilkinson said.

One of the dilemmas facing academia today is the vast sea of information available. Students think they are at an advantage because the Internet makes so much accessible, but they’re actually at a disadvantage if they’re ill-equipped to navigate through it all.

“Students, generally speaking, don’t see the differences between good, bad, and mediocre information,” Oakleaf said. “That’s the most dangerous problem to have.”

Librarians teach about aspects of the research process to equip students with the skills necessary to find the best information. At WVU, the Libraries currently offer courses in basic library research, Film and Media Literacy, and Gender and the Research Process. Plans call for a course in information use and student success in the future.

During her visit to campus, Oakleaf spent a day working with nine librarians (Susan Arnold, Virginia Bender, Linda Blake, Kevin Fredette, Grace Gmeindl, Noel Kopriva, Barbara LaGodna, Beth Royall, and Jessica Tapia) and Dr. Bernadette Jungblut, Director of Assessment and Retention at WVU. The group examined rubrics to measure what students are learning when librarians teach.

Oakleaf explained that while tests work with facts, they are not a good fit for information literacy because everything is about context.

“With a paper, there are certain skills you can easily measure or judge,” Oakleaf said.

For example, an instructor can see how well a student used information in the paper and how well he used it to build an argument.

Other things to consider are if quotes and summarization were used appropriately and credit was given to the proper sources in the correct way. Instructors also evaluate whether the student found and used good sources.

“Rubrics articulate what you expect students to know. They also say, ‘this is what excellence looks like’,” Oakleaf said.

After a paper is returned, the student can see where she falls on the rubric. The rubrics show if the paper meets the standards or if improvements are necessary.

“When you can articulate the skills you’re seeking to teach to students, you can measure it in their work, and then you can better help your students to improve their research skills,” Oakleaf said. “Possessing good research skills enhances a student’s academic experience.”