Digital Commons Network^™

Creating A Library Orientation Card Game To Reach New Transfer Students, Kelly Giles, Kristen S. Shuyler, Andrew Evans, Jon Reed

Libraries

Librarians and staff at a public university drew upon previous experience with instructional games to develop, implement, and assess a card game as a library orientation activity for new transfer students. This project was shaped by a desire to meet transfer students’ unique needs as well as the logistical constraints associated with the university’s transfer student orientation. The card game, modeled after Apples to Apples, presented information about the campus library system in a fun, informal way that allowed transfer students to socialize with each other while learning. Survey responses indicated that students found the game both enjoyable and …

Organic Outreach For Academic Libraries: Collaborating With Student Affairs Units To Reach College Students, Kristen S. Shuyler

Libraries

The college campus is a complex ecosystem of services and resources. Academic library outreach efforts offered in partnership with Student Affairs units can support the whole student as they navigate this ecosystem. This presentation offers one librarian's experience collaborating with Student Affairs units such as health, counseling, and recreation centers. A mental model for this work that draws on the metaphor of organic gardening helps frame the remarks and reflections.

Theatre For The Community: A Practical Application, Megan Larissa Ciszek

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Theatre for the Community: A Practical Application

This paper serves to synthesize and reflect upon my Creative Honors Capstone project entitled “Theatre for the Community: A Practical Application.” The initial steps of the project included research into community based theatre and community outreach. This research was then used to inspire the process necessary for a fully realized production of Annie Baker’s Body Awareness, structured with community collaboration in mind. In this way, Body Awareness’ process acted as my first attempt at the practical application of my research. This paper both acts as the exploration of the concept of creating and …

Refining Explosive Safety Outreach, Geoff Carton, Laura Grindstaff

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Explosives safety awareness programs must identify the target audience and communicate easily understood concepts. To be effective, an audience must apply the concepts presented; however, this is not enough. The program and its message must also be adaptable to a variety of audiences based on how they assimilate information. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has at least 100 years of safety education experience. Over this time, explosives safety messages underwent several evolutions.

Promoting Civic Engagement Through Academic Library Outreach Programs, Kristen S. Shuyler, Liz Chenevey, Ryan Winfree

Libraries

How are Virginia's academic libraries promoting civic engagement? This poster presents results of a statewide civic engagement survey and shares one academic library's civic engagement outreach activities. Civic literacy competencies, such as the ability to contact representatives, are related to information literacy skills, and libraries should continue to promote them.

An Exploratory Study To Understand Elementary School Students’ Conceptions Of Food Chains, Shelby Snowden

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Research has shown that elementary school is a critical time to pique children’s interest in science. However, many enrichment activities known to pique this interest in young children are not available to students of low socioeconomic status, English Language Learners, racial minorities, and students with disabilities. This has encouraged many higher education institutions to develop STEM outreach programs. Because of the cognitive gap between STEM professionals and young children and the logistics of implementing student-centered activities in heterogeneous classrooms, programs usually consist of activities that impress students with “sophisticated” science but are beyond the cognitive levels of most students and …

"Why Are We Still Talking About Diversity?" Combatting Misconceptions In An Academic Library, Michael Mungin, Yasmeen Shorish

Libraries

This poster will present the assessment and intervention activities of individuals at a mid-sized academic library with respect to diversity personnel initiatives. Each year, library employees complete a survey designed to gauge satisfaction and areas for improvement. Qualitative data suggest that library staff are confused about definitions of diversity and/or lack requisite buy-in and interest in initiatives that address diversity concerns. The activities and outcomes of an intervention to address these issues will be discussed.

Connecting The Libraries And Athletics Through Information Literacy Instruction To Strength And Conditioning Interns, Lara Sapp, K.T. L. Vaughan

Libraries

Goal: To build a relationship between the libraries and athletics by connecting the Health Sciences Librarian and university athletics at James Madison University.

In the summer of 2015, the Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning approached the Health Sciences Librarian to discuss library support for their student interns.

A problem-based, information literacy instruction session was included in the didactic training of Strength and Conditioning interns. A collection of core journals and books was identified and developed. Access to these resources is facilitated through a guide tailored to the interdisciplinary nature of this population.

The methods closely parallel those used for …

Racial Tension On Display: Engaging With Black Lives Matter And Negotiating Public Push-Back, Michael Mungin, Yasmeen Shorish

Libraries

This poster details the production of a book display on Black Lives Matter and the resulting vandalism that occurred. The Libraries used this event as an educational opportunity, while recognizing the harm that it could bring to communities that identify with the Black Lives Matter movement. The poster also addresses areas of improvement for the Libraries and the importance of outreach activities for our communities.

Project Renew’S Prosthetics And Orthotics Mobile Outreach Program, Dang Quang Toan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Project RENEW established a mobile outreach program to provide prostheses, orthotics and education to explosive remnants of war survivors in the remote communities of Vietnam.

Data Information Literacy And Undergraduates: A Critical Competency, Yasmeen Shorish

Libraries

As a primer on data information literacy (DIL), this column will cover the background of the field and why it is relevant to college and university libraries serving undergraduate populations. This article includes how data information literacy relates to information literacy, competencies associated with DIL, the relevance of DIL to undergraduates, DIL in library instruction, and the reasons for library engagement with DIL. Examining DIL within the larger framework of information literacy can help outreach and instruction librarians engage with a format that may be unfamiliar to them but whose underlying foundation is well-established.

A Model For Runaway Outreach, Constance Lewis Cromartie

Educational Specialist, 2000-2009

Various types of runaway outreach methods and practices were investigated. A proposed model of runaway outreach was suggested based on the results of other documented and practiced methods of outreach. The sources used were from published literature, and a training manual devised by a runaway serviees program. The suggested model is congruent with other successful teen runaway outreach programs and it supports the position that adolescents and their families must be reached and supported before, during and after a runaway episode.