Library and Information Science Commons^™

Coping With Constant Obsolescence: A Lifelong Task, Di Su

Publications and Research

Knowledge and skill obsolescence is a common obstacle in individual, organization, and society development. Thanks to the modern technologies, the rate of obsolescence accelerates rapidly in the information age. In the library workplace, obsolescence occurs constantly. We may be used to routines, but changes are inevitable as we have witnessed the evolution in library services and librarian workplace since the advent of the internet. To cope with obsolescence, it is crucial to have a lifelong learning mindset, make it a habit, and find ways to update our knowledge and skills to stay competent and serve the clientele effectively.

“You Can't Self-Care Your Way Out Of A Broken System”: The 2022 Urban Libraries Trauma Forum, Leah T. Dudak, Lauren Comito, Christian Zabriskie

School of Information Studies - Post-doc and Student Scholarship

The Urban Libraries Trauma Study (ULTS) conducted by Urban Librarians Unite (ULU) examines trauma that urban public library workers experience in the workforce through their work with the public and interlibrary relationships. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and a trauma forum, this paper discusses the problem of trauma in the library. It demonstrates a grounded way to engage library staff in research and change. Finally, this paper concludes with ideas proposed by the forum participants to begin addressing trauma in the library workplace and provide areas to look to going forward.

The Order Of Success: A Slow Path To Copyright Librarianship, Leetta M. Schmidt

Tampa Library Faculty and Staff Publications

No faculty lines were open when I graduated with my MLS at the library where I was employed as a staff member, but I was able to take advantage of organizational restructuring to obtain a management position over interlibrary loan. My department head at the time was assigned with providing copyright assistance. I seized the opportunity to learn more while I searched for a position that required my degree. I was supported while pursuing continuing education in copyright. I was also given increasing responsibilities that I suspected were beyond my rank. My eagerness to develop a professional skill set had …

Proactive Librarians, An Annoying Chat Widget, & A Global Pandemic: Analysis Of How An Existing Pop-Up Chat Widget Delivered Point Of Need Reference Services During A Global Pandemic At A Major Academic Institution, Christopher M. Jimenez

Works of the FIU Libraries

In 2019, the librarians at Florida International University in Miami, Fl. implemented a pop-up chat widget using Springshare’s LibChat software to help drive more traffic toward virtual reference services. This led to an instant increase in traffic through our chat platform. Affectionately called the Annoying Chat Widget, the ACW also had the unintended success of increasing the percentage of quality research queries, improving the use of librarian time and effort. This established service proved vital when transitioning to fully remote services in March 2020, when librarians were forced to provide all services via virtual modalities. The poster presents a statistical …

2021 Scholarship For Diversity In Librarianship Recipients, Cathi Mack, Megan Palmer

South Carolina Libraries

At the annual South Carolina Library Association conference, students are honored that received a Scholarship for Diversity in Librarianship. There were six library school students that received the 2021 scholarship.

Peer Reference & Beyond: Cultivating Community In An Information Literacy Program, Lydia C. Gwyn

ETSU Faculty Works

In 2017 the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University created the Library Ambassador Program as a peer-reference model of service for research help. Since that time, our program has grown into a large close-knit community of undergraduate students invested in forwarding information literacy across campus. Learn about how this unique program fosters a sense of community among the student workers it employs and throughout the larger college campus community.

Double The Vocation, Double The Awe: An Examination Of Vocational Awe In Music Librarianship, Z. Sylvia Yang, Emily Vickers

Library Faculty publications

Building upon Ettarh’s call to dismantle vocational awe in librarianship, this article outlines the shared components of Western libraries and Western music that lay the groundwork for vocational awe in each of these institutions and explores the ways in which vocational awe uniquely manifests for workers in the interdisciplinary field of music librarianship. The article explores the narrative of music’s goodness, disciplinary training, and manifestations of vocational awe as they appear in the institutional cultures of practice of music and librarianship: inability to develop work-life balance, job creep, low morale, and inequitable compensation. In naming this phenomenon as it is …

From Host To Home: Reflections On Institutional Readiness, Denisse Solis, Carrie L. Forbes, Jack M. Maness

University Libraries: Faculty Scholarship

The creation of library residency programs, intended to diversify the library profession, has increased significantly over the last two years; for example, institutional membership in the ACRL Diversity Alliance grew from 36 to 53 from 20171 to 2019.2 As Dr. Alston notes in his research, “Diversity residency programs have become a popular way for academic libraries to demonstrate a commitment to diversity initiatives and to recruit and retain practitioners of color.”3 However, many host institutions and librarians rarely make significant efforts to deconstruct whiteness within themselves and at the organizational level.

This chapter is a reflective case study of the …

Informed By Joy: A Christian Librarian's Reflection On C.S. Lewis, David H. Michels

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In Surprised by Joy C. S. Lewis offers us his account of his conversion to Christianity. Using his experiences of joy as “signposts,” he leads us through his early life up to his conversion at age thirty-one. I reflect on Lewis’s account as a librarian, researcher, and fellow Christian, considering his information world and the people who aided and hindered him on his faith journey. I conclude with some thoughts on his and my own conversion, as both unique yet shared experiences within the Christian tradition.

"Real joy seems to me almost as unlike security or prosperity as it is …

Indigenisation Of Nigerian Librarianship Through Indigenous Knowledge: Exploring Its Possibilities, Abdulakeem Sodeeq Sulyman,, Basirat Omolara Amzat, Muritadho Abiodun Taiwo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Knowledge cannot be separated from the people holding it and the best way to make it appreciated is to present it in a way that represents the beliefs, customs and norms of its origin. This submission makes this paper attempts to find the perfect word between indigenisation and decolonisation as a way of developing Indigenous Librarianship in Nigeria. It settles for indigenisation because indigenisation focuses on the exploitation of the native, local resources to create, share, transform and retain knowledge. It ponders on the historical antecedents of Librarianship in Nigeria to proof that the Nigerian library practices were purely nurtured …

Justification Of Manual Classification Of Information Resource In Ict Age In Nigeria, Marcus Oladotun Aragabye

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this study is to emphasize the reasons why manual classification of information materials should not be abandoned in current ICT era, particularly in Nigeria. Libraries are no exception to ICT applications, and we can observe how they have already altered library services and activities. Also, Information Technology (IT) has made it presence in almost every sphere of human activity including the library practice but to have fully automated classification scheme is yet to be implemented. Library operation, such as cataloging, reference service, and the rest has a feel of this. For example, ICT has incorporated copy cataloguing …

Gender Differences In Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Among Academic Librarians In Federal University Libraries In South-East Nigeria, Osita Victor Ossai Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated gender differences in information literacy self-efficacy among academic librarians working in federal university libraries in South-east Nigeria. The descriptive survey research design was used in this study. Using purposive sampling, twenty academic librarians were selected for the study. The Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale (ILSES) was used to obtain the data. In total, there are 28 items on the scale, which has a high Cronbach Alpha reliability score of 0.91. In this scale, seven sub-dimensions are measured extensively. To analyze the data, percentages, means, standard deviations, t-tests, and Lavene's tests were used. In terms of mean ratings, male …