Education Commons^™

Partners In Graduate Student Retention: A Library-Led Outreach Collaboration, Ashley R. Lierman

Collaborative Librarianship

Past research has indicated that social connection with their community is an important factor in the retention of graduate students. To help address this need, a Rowan University librarian led an interdepartmental team of collaborators from across campus in developing a series of outreach events specifically for graduate students, which evolved over time to include more and richer programming and opportunities for socialization. This article describes the evidence basis for these events’ inception, the essential components of each iteration of the event and its programming, and the results of holding these events, including both their successes and their failures. Recommendations …

Tackling Organizational Equity At Scale, An Academic Library Consortium Responds, Kim Armstrong, Gayle O'Hara, Josie Ragolia, Sarah B. Watstein

Collaborative Librarianship

This article focuses on the myriad ways the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a regional academic library consortium, has responded to the growing and longstanding need to address equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in library spaces and organizations. Specifically, the article highlights a range of initiatives and approaches to advance EDI that the Alliance believes are in the mutual best interest of Alliance staff, its leadership (Board of Directors and Council), collaborative workforce (Teams and Groups), and ultimately, Alliance member libraries and the users they support.

Building A Culture Of Collaboration And Shared Responsibility For Educational Equity Work Through An Inclusive Teaching Community Of Practice, Francesca Marineo, Chelsea Heinbach, Rosan Mitola

Collaborative Librarianship

For libraries to be equitable spaces as educational institutions and places of employment, it is necessary that educational equity be a shared, collaborative goal. Unfortunately, equity and inclusion work in libraries has historically been an individual pursuit that falls disproportionately on the shoulders of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) library workers. Communities of practice employ social learning principles to facilitate praxis and offer opportunities to develop shared goals, language, and responsibility. This article explores how we developed and implemented an inclusive teaching community of practice with members of our instruction department in order to foster a culture of …

Driving Change: A Model For Collaborative Librarianship In Prince George’S County, Maryland, Nicholas A. Brown, Kyla Hanington

Collaborative Librarianship

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has a long-standing partnership with the county’s human rights education and enforcement agency, the Office of Human Rights (PGCOHR), formerly the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission (PGCHRC). The two agencies serve over 967,000 Prince Georgians, a majority-Black (64.4%) and Latin or Hispanic (19.5%) population with a sizable immigrant community (22.7%). The civil rights issues of 2020 hit close to home in Prince George’s County and the agencies have sustained a multi-year effort to provide residents with opportunities to learn how to engage with social justice topics for personal and collective advancement. …

Digital Searching: A Grounded Theory Study On The Modern Search Experience, Nicolas Armando Parés

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Grounded theory study explores US adults' modern information search process as they pursue information through digital search user interfaces and tools. To study the current search process, a systematic grounded theory methodology and two data collection methods, a think-aloud protocol and semi-structured interviews, are used to develop the theory. The emerging theory addressed two tightly connected research questions that asked, “What is the process by which humans search and discover information?” and “What is the process by which search and discovery interfaces and tools support the modern search process?”

The study collects participant data from US adults who have …

Evaluating Foundational Components Of Research Consultations In An Academic Library Research Center, Ryan F. Buller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As our society continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate, our higher education institutions, and the services they provide, must keep pace with societal changes in order to ensure that those services stay current and relevant. This program evaluation examines one such service, the research consultation model in University Libraries at the University of Denver. This evaluation was situated within the Human Ecological Theory Framework, to help understand how different environments can impact the recognition and value placed upon the foundational components of the service. An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was used to determine what the foundational components of …

Embedding Information Literacy Support In A Peer Learning Program: An Exploratory Case Study, Jeffery Verbeem, Lynnette Harper

Collaborative Librarianship

The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate how librarians at a public university in Dubai could support the information literacy of student tutors through collaboration with a peer-to-peer learning assistance program. We sought to understand how peer tutors experience, develop and share their information literacy skills. We conducted workshops to help tutors become more aware of information literacy and to develop their fluency and confidence in applying these skills as students and as tutors. Data was gathered via a survey, a focus group and a quiz. Findings indicated that while there may have been some gains made in …

Portraits Of Professional Collaboration: Faculty-Librarian Teaching Partnerships, Carrie L. Forbes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many regional accrediting organizations for higher education have embraced information literacy as a key component for both student success and student learning outcomes. Through embedded librarianship practices, librarians are now taking a leading role in developing and promoting users’ information literacy skills and in adopting an active classroom teaching approach. Faculty-librarian team teaching is a best practice for integrating information literacy into the higher education curricula, but the extant research has largely focused on the barriers to collaboration. Using Walsh and Kahn’s (2010) model of “collaborative working” as a conceptual framework, this dissertation explores the qualities and characteristics of four …

Seeking An Intentional Crossroads: Working Towards An Understanding Of Community Building In Hawai’I Public Libraries, Vanessa Irvin, Nicholas Cho, Sarah Nakashima

Collaborative Librarianship

Public libraries in Hawai’i serve one of the most diverse populations in the United States. With 51 branch locations across six islands, Hawaii's public libraries are central hubs for citizens, where community building can take place. This paper seeks to explore ways in which community building takes place at public libraries in Hawai’i. Through on-site visits at public libraries, observations of training sessions of participants of a Hawai’i-based public library professional development program (Hui ‘Ekolu), and informal interviews with local public library patrons, key themes, reflections and analysis convey a common question across all groups: “What is a Native Hawaiian …

Strategies For Teaching Information Literacy To English Language Learners, Clara Y. Tran, Selenay Aytac

Collaborative Librarianship

Academic librarians are encountering a growing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) every day, as our classrooms have become more linguistically diverse every year. In this dramatically changing environment, academic librarians are expected to meet the needs of increasingly diverse students speaking multiple languages. The purpose of this paper is to present widely used teaching strategies to support ELLs based on an exhaustive literature review. Study also suggests collaboration among ESL or classroom instructors and librarians to enhance semester-long learning experience.

Going Beyond "Learn To Code" In The Library: Partnerships And Resources For Delivering Successful Advanced Technical Training, Jim Craner, Lori Bowen Ayre

Collaborative Librarianship

As more libraries offer "learn to code" and digital skills training programs to patrons of all ages, there is a significant opportunity to offer more sophisticated services for advanced learners, even up to the level of professional workforce development. By partnering with local institutions or online programs, libraries can potentially offer in-house training to their community members who might not be otherwise well-suited for traditional in-person or online training programs. In addition, we've identified a wealth of resources that libraries can use to support self-directed learners and institutional online learners in the community. We also note the critical importance of …

Emotional Silos: A Review Of Doctoral Candidates’ Isolating Experiences And The Role For Academic Librarians In Campus-Wide Support Networks, Carrie L. Forbes, Jennifer Bowers

University Libraries: Faculty Scholarship

Introduction. Much of the research about how academic librarians can better support doctoral students has focused on information behaviour and advanced research skills but has neglected affective factors. An exploratory review of research literature on isolation and doctoral students suggests that feelings of isolation can have negative consequences for students’ progress on the dissertation. The review identifies themes, areas of support, and suggestions for future research.
Method. Library and information science, psychology, education, and interdisciplinary databases were searched for papers addressing issues of isolation experienced by United States doctoral students during the dissertation phase.
Analysis. Thematic analysis …

What Collaboration Means To Me: How We Do & Don’T Collaborate At The Library Collective, Corey Halaychik, Ashley Maynor

Collaborative Librarianship

The Library Collective is a non-profit organization devoted to redefining the library professional development landscape by providing low-cost, high-value learning opportunities for librarians. At the heart of The Library Collective’s efforts is a unique style of collaboration. The following column outlines how the Co-Founders and Co-Directors use and don’t use collaboration to create a professional development environment that embraces creativity, celebrates failure, and doesn’t cost a fortune.

Examining The Role Of Liaison Librarians As Research Collaboration Partners: A Mixed-Methods Multiple-Case Study, Kawanna Michelle Bright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This sequential, mixed-methods study explored the professional relationship-building experiences of academic liaison librarians and university professors with a focus on research collaborations. A survey was administered and Chi-square and Spearman's rho analyses conducted on 2,650 responses to identify associations between organizational and individual factors and liaisons' work, perceptions of relationship-building experiences, and confidence in supporting faculty research. Following the survey, seven liaison-faculty pairs were identified and interviewed, and case study analysis utilized to explore specific liaison-faculty research collaboration relationships.

The study explored factors associated with liaisons' work, perceptions of faculty relationship-building, and confidence in supporting faculty research. The most salient …

Connecting Individuals With Social Services: The Academic Library's Role, Samantha G. Hines

Collaborative Librarianship

As socioeconomically-disadvantaged people become a core user base for libraries, some libraries have collaborated with non-library workers to connect their user communities with beneficial social services, which ties in with librarianship’s values of promoting social justice and providing for the common good. As public libraries earn attention and kudos for connecting their communities to social services, the question arises as to the role of the academic library in connecting our campus community with resources on services for societal needs. Working with existing campus and community organizations can create many positive networks for our library users, our institutions and our larger …

Academic Libraries And Non-Academic Departments: A Survey And Case Studies On Liaising Outside The Box, Amy Wainwright, Chris Davidson

Collaborative Librarianship

Partnering with non-academic departments allows academic libraries to create new programming ideas and reach more students. According to the results of a national survey, academic librarians at institutions of all sizes are partnering with many different types of non-academic departments. These partnerships offer efficiencies through shared cost and staffing and offer additional benefits to all groups involved. This article identifies the non-academic departments that these libraries are partnering with, highlights potential events to raise awareness of services, and describes ways in which these partnerships help engage with students.

Collaborative Library Outreach: A Key Retention Strategy At Open Access Institutions, Katy Mathuews, Zachary Lewis

Collaborative Librarianship

Serving large populations of at-risk, first-generation, and low-income students, open access institutions face unique challenges regarding student retention. Academic libraries with intentional outreach programs are a valuable element of a comprehensive institutional retention plan targeted to the unique student population of open access institutions. Using the Clark Memorial Library at Shawnee State University in Appalachian Ohio as a case study, this article explores the elements of an intentional library outreach program targeted to support the retention of first-year students, many of whom are classified as first-generation, academically underprepared, or otherwise at-risk. The outreach librarian facilitates collaborative and intentional engagement opportunities …

Expanding Support For Graduate Students: Library Workshops On Research Funding Opportunities, Carrie L. Forbes, Gina Schlesselman-Tarango, Peggy Keeran

University Libraries: Faculty Scholarship

This case study describes the development, implementation, and assessment of a series of grants research workshops for graduate students, which were implemented to fill a gap in graduate student support. We assessed the workshops through a series of focus groups, and findings show overall satisfaction with the grants tools and workshop. However, participants noted areas of improvement around outreach and promotion and general communication with graduate students. Additional themes emerged related to graduate student socialization and research behaviors, which suggests that librarians have an important role to serve in these areas.

Leveraging Our Trust: Taking Action In Support Of Our Democracy, Lori Bowen Ayre

Collaborative Librarianship

Librarians need to build on their trusted status to be more actively engaged in activities that support our democratic system whose success relies on having an informed citizenry. These activities including teaching media literacy skills to patrons in the library as well as in the schools in partnership with teachers. In addition, libraries should be facilitating community conversations and promoting a wide variety of community collaborations that get people engaged and out of their isolated bubbles.

Image And Multimedia Resources In An Academic Environment: A Qualitative Study Of Students’ Experiences And Literacy Practices, Krystyna K. Matusiak

Library and Information Science: Faculty Publications

The digital environment provides an abundance of images and multimedia and offers a new potential for using resources in multiple modes of representation for teaching and learning. This paper reports the findings of a case study that investigated the use of image and multimedia resources in an undergraduate classroom. The study assumed a contextual approach and focused on different class contexts and students’ literacy practices. The class, which took place in a resource-rich, multimodal environment, was perceived by students as a positive learning experience. The distribution of resources and their role in teaching and learning varied and depended on the …

Embracing Into: Library Plans And Campus Collaboration To Serve An Increased International Student Population, Shannon L. Farrell, Catherine L. Cranston, Jeffrey Bullington

Collaborative Librarianship

Universities are using private recruitment agencies to fast-track internationalization initiatives and realize tuition-based revenue increases. Colorado State University (CSU), with this dual aim of increasing the proportion of international students on campus and generating income via out-of-state tuition, signed a contract with INTO, a British organization that works to recruit international students to attend partner institutions from countries across five continents. International students, although not a homogenous population, as a whole do bring unique challenges. Our study examined how both campus and the library could prepare for the expected large influx of international students. Seeking to understand the INTO model …

Yo Soy Colorado: Three Collaborative Hispanic Cultural Heritage Initiatives, Beverly B. Allen, Dana Echohawk, Rhonda Gonzales, Fawn-Amber Montoya, Mary M. Somerville

Collaborative Librarianship

Collaborative activities that reflect ‘ethnicity as provenance’ benefit from collaborative, interdependent relationships among archives, classroom, and community. Examples from Center for Colorado & the West at Auraria Library (University of Colorado Denver) and the Southern Colorado Ethnic Heritage and Diversity Archives and the Voices of Protest Oral History Project (Colorado State University-Pueblo) illustrate collection development practices that advance joint ownership of archival materials by the archives and the originating cultural population. Concluding reflections offer transferable principles for working collaboratively with cultural communities on creation, identification, interpretation, and preservation of photographs, videos, documents, oral histories and ephemeral material reflective of culture, …

Review Of International Students And Academic Libraries: Initiatives For Academic Success, Rick Stoddart

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.

Review Of Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning Through Modern Board Games, Christine Baker

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Institutional Factors On The Retention Of Graduate Students Of Color In Schools Of Library And Information Science, Sandra M. Snyder-Mondragon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intent of the study was to understand the changes that have occurred over the last 25 years in library programs as far as enrollment and diversity of students, number and ethnicity of the faculty, program income and expenses, cost of attendance, and scholarship and fellowship aid, in an effort to better understand library programs granting the MLIS degree. The study also endeavored to identify institutional factors associated with the retention and productivity rates of White students and students of color in schools of library and information science. During the period studied, the proportional representation of White students decreased. For …