LSU, Charleston Southern U Take Athletes' Academic Support Mobile

Louisiana State University's (LSU) Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes and Charleston Southern University's (CSU) Student Athlete Success Program have adopted new software to assist student athletes with mobile research capabilities and connect them with education services.

Launched this year along with Literati School, the Literati Student Athlete suite of reference software and services from Credo features interactive technologies, reference materials, and can connect student athletes to tutors, librarians, and educational tools on demand.

Literati Student Athlete differs from the rest of the suite in its design to help "overcome challenges presented by a busy travel schedule to give student athletes the ability to find, evaluate and use information skills that are required to succeed in today's world," according to the company Web site.

"Our athletes' performance in the classroom is a top priority," said Christie Faircloth-Dixon, CSU's student-athlete success director and senior women's administrator, in a prepared statement. "With Literati Student Athlete, we are able to give them the information skills that are critical to academic success, but also extend well beyond the classroom, lending to professional and personal victory as well."

Literati's launch of Student Athlete and School editions in January followed Credo's initial offerings of Literati Academic and Public in early 2012. The initial set of information skills and research services were implemented in more than 600 institutions last year, according to a company release.

The pricing of Literati services varies depending on the size of the institution and the services provided. According to a libraryjournal.com review, Credo reported that institutions had paid "between $6,500 and $60,000 for the service."

Credo was founded in 1999 in the United Kingdom under the name of Xrefer.  The company is now headquartered in Boston, MA, with an office Oxford, U.K.

About the Author

Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

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