Library and Information Science Commons^™

A Journey Through The Library, Anne Hays Adkison

Open Educational Resources

This chapter describes core services in a library by imagining a narrative tour of the physical space of the library. Students are invited to download and print an accompanying zine, which takes them on a scavenger hunt through the library. By reading about core services and actively using these services, students will learn the basics of how to use their college library.

Topics covered include: the circulation desk, the reference desk, textbook reserves, the reference reading room, library computers, library archives, media services, exhibition spaces.

Incorporating Race-Centered And Trauma-Informed Practices Into The Reference Interview, Nicole N. Williams, Emma Antobam-Ntekudzi

Publications and Research

Libraries are not race-neutral spaces; from an equity standpoint, treating all students the same does not assist those who may begin at a deficit, such as those from historically underrepresented groups. As supporters of the student body, academic librarians are charged with responding appropriately to their student body in a changing world. Librarians can make a concerted effort not to allow stereotypes and biases to dictate how we interact with students and other library visitors during the reference interview. This begins with taking a critical look at the components of reference service and outlining frameworks and practices that can allow …

Student Well-Being Matters: Academic Library Support For The Whole Student, Marta Bladek

Publications and Research

In response to a marked increase in the prevalence and severity of mental health problems among college students over the last decade, colleges and universities have been expanding their well-being initiatives and programs. No longer limited to health services departments, the support of student well-being has been taken up by multiple campus units, including academic libraries. As well-being has been shown to impact academic outcomes, the well-being initiatives libraries develop fit in with their commitment to enhance learning and student educational experience overall. A comprehensive review of wellness interventions in academic libraries, this article presents findings on student well-being and …

Students And Parents: How Academic Libraries Serve A Growing Population, Marta Bladek

Publications and Research

In recognition of the critical role libraries play in the educational lives of parenting students, there has been a noticeable trend in academic libraries to offer services and spaces for students and their children. This article reviews recent LIS literature on student parent initiatives in academic libraries, with the emphasis on the United States. The purpose of this synthesis is to highlight demographic data, research findings, and case studies that, considered together, may significantly expand the profession’s knowledge about the barriers parenting students face in accessing the library and its services. The first part of the article lays out the …

Dissertation Deep Dive: Taking The Plunge To Support Graduate Students, Heather F. Ball, Caroline Fuchs

Urban Library Journal

This paper will explicate the process and lessons learned of creating a week-long research and writing graduate-student “Dissertation Deep Dive” (DDD) program, and how collaboration across university units was integral to its success. It will also walk the audience through the thought process and steps taken to achieve this week-long research- and writing-intensive program, as well as challenges, opportunities and lessons learned.

“I Am More Productive In The Library Because It’S Quiet”: Commuter Students In The College Library, Mariana Regalado, Maura A. Smale

Publications and Research

This article discusses commuter students’ experiences with the academic library, drawn from a qualitative study at the City University of New York. Undergraduates at six community and baccalaureate colleges were interviewed to explore how they fit schoolwork into their days, and the challenges and opportunities they encountered. Students identified physical and environmental features that informed their ability to successfully engage in academic work in the library. They valued the library as a distraction-free place for academic work, in contrast to the constraints they experienced in other places—including in their homes and on the commute.

Serving The Commuter College Student In Urban Academic Libraries, Mariana Regalado, Maura A. Smale

Publications and Research

Cities often host many colleges and universities; while the commuter student in suburban or rural areas may drive or be driven to school, students at colleges and universities in dense, urban settings rely predominantly on mass transit for their commute to class. The act of commuting to campus has been found by a number of researchers to define and shape the experiences of commuter students in college, though the literature on college students who commute is not extensive. A qualitative study of the academic culture and scholarly habits of undergraduate students at the City University of New York (CUNY) revealed …

A New Polemic: Libraries, Moocs, And The Pedagogical Landscape, Nora Almeida

Publications and Research

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has emerged in the past few years as the poster child of the online higher education revolution. Lauded and derided, MOOCs (depending on who you ask) represent the democratization of education on a global scale, an overblown trend, or the beginning of the end of the traditional academic institution. MOOCs have gained so much critical traction because they have succeeded in unmooring educational exchanges and setting them adrift in the sea of the internet. Although the MOOC is a new and evolving platform, it has already upended facets of education in which librarians are …

The Academic Library: Cowpath Or Path To The Future?, Verlene J. Herrington

Publications and Research

This paper relates the traditional academic library to the expression, “don’t pave the cowpath”. Originating in the IT world, this expression means to not integrate technology into an established practice without assessing whether the process is still effective or still needed. Even though sustaining technologies have simplified information retrieval and library tasks, library organizational structure and processes remain pretty much unchanged. This article discusses the cowpath that academic libraries have followed for decades and the challenges disruptive technologies pose to the traditional model. It looks at how one academic library rejected tradition, got off the cowpath and created a different …

Urban Academic Library Outreach To Secondary School Students And Teachers, M. Delores Carlito

Urban Library Journal

The Mervyn H. Sterne Library at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is located in an urban area and therefore receives traffic from the community, particularly area schools. We encourage visits from these schools in order to promote information literacy, higher education, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and we recognize the importance of the library in the development of responsible citizenship, education, and culture. Since we encourage students to develop research skills before they attend college, we collaborate with area secondary schools on projects, papers, and activities by providing research instruction and support both at the schools and …

Library Services On The Cutting Edge: Reaching The Net Generation, Miriam Laskin

Touchstone

No abstract provided.

Aids And Hiv Programs And Services For Libraries, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

Review of the book AIDS and HIV Programs and Services for Libraries.