Digital Commons Network^™

What Could Have Been? Surveying The Labor Impact Of The 2025 Executive Orders On Glam Workers, Raegan Stearns, Alphie Garcia, Jina Duvernay

LWLC Faculty Research

What Could Have Been? is a collaborative project designed to document the labor lost as a result of federal cuts and grant terminations, especially within GLAM institutions. This survey was inspired by a sub-group of members of the 2025 Archives Leadership Institute (ALI) Cohort who came together to collect evidence of the personal and professional losses resulting from the current sociopolitical landscape. While the project seeks to document the effects on the GLAM communities, What Could Have Been? also acknowledges the loss of personal livelihoods and vilification of public servants in addition to amplifying the impact of the erasure of …

Library Guides For Graduate Students: A Content Analysis, Maria Kiriakova, Junli Diao, Joan Kelly Castro

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

This study looked at 117 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic library websites and identified 48 library guides that consider graduate students in general as their target audience. The broad and systematic content analysis of these library guides resulted in the discovery of four different types, which we categorized as Checklist, Orientation Module, Directory, and Comprehensive. We identify and describe content patterns that address the different roles graduate students might play as advanced library users, novice researchers, and teaching assistants/instructors. Academic librarians who have already created library guides for graduate students could use the results of …

Enhancing Archives And Records Management In Low-Resourced Organizations Through Experiential Learning, Jinfang Niu

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Master’s students in Archives and Records Management could help low-resourced organizations address their Archives and Records Management needs while gaining practical experience. Archives and Records Management education programs could facilitate this mutually beneficial relationship by offering internships and service-learning courses. This paper analyzes the strengths and limitations of these two experiential learning mechanisms and discusses solutions to overcome the limitations. It argues that service-learning is especially suitable for addressing the Archives and Records Management needs of low-resourced organizations and proposes a service-learning model for that purpose.

Predicting Georgia Professional Standards Commission Instructional Technology Certification: A Quantitative Predictive-Correlational Study Of Georgia School Librarians’ Technology Self-Efficacy And Anxiety Levels, Ashley Osby

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, predictive-correlational study examined the relationship between Georgia school librarians' technology self-efficacy, their anxiety levels, and whether they held a Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) instructional technology certification. The expanding role of the school librarian has increased demands for technology integration, which can lead to heightened anxiety and lower self-efficacy. This study was significant as its findings can inform professional development and university coursework designed to better equip school librarians for these evolving responsibilities. A convenience sample of 70 certified school librarians working in public K-12 schools across Georgia were recruited through the Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) listserv. …

December 2025 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean’S Office Communications Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the December 2025 (Volume 4, Issue 5) Library & Learning Newsletter.

The Role Of Community Libraries In Repackaging Scientifically Researched Information For Rural Farming Communities: A Review, Jackline Estomihi Kiwelu, Patrick Ngulube

Libraries

Objective

Scientifically researched information is often found in journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers, which can be technical and challenging for those without training. Repackaging information into a simpler and preferred language can make it easier for undereducated rural communities to access. This narrative review investigates the strategies community libraries can adopt to repackage scientifically researched information for easier access by rural farming communities. This study contributes to the literature gap on research-based information repackaging by community libraries for rural development.

Methods

The literature search for this narrative review was conducted across several databases, evidence Based Library and Information …

December 2025 Table Of Contents Newsletter - First Year Students & Library Instruction, Tiffany Hebb

Table of Contents Newsletter

College libraries (and their websites and resources) are larger and more complicated to navigate than most high school library media centers. Students are facing many new things when they get to DePauw; using the library shouldn’t be a barrier to their acclimation and success. So we prioritize getting the students in early - working with orientation leaders to have students explore the physical space before classes start, so that they know they’re welcome and there are people and services here to help them. Learn more about our library instruction engagement with FYS in this month's newsletter.

Review Of Information Literacy And Social Media: Empowered Student Engagement With The Acrl Framework, Rebecca M. Mccall

Communications in Information Literacy

Review of Santamaría, M., & Pfannenstiel, N. (2024). Information literacy and social media: Empowered student engagement with the ACRL Framework. Association of College and Research Libraries.

Information Literacy In The Artificial Intelligence Era: A Proposed Framework, Radwan Ali, Matthew L. Wilson

Communications in Information Literacy

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems and applications have become ubiquitous across daily life. While AI offers numerous positive opportunities, it also presents numerous challenges. Information literacy (IL) advocates are concerned about the risks that accompany AI systems. Given the universal reach of AI with its potential pitfalls and perils, researchers and practitioners from various fields and disciplines should inform the dialogue on AI’s development and application. A critical aspect of this dialogue comes in the form of information literacy. Our paper aims to answer the question “How can information literacy guide users in navigating and shaping artificial intelligence technologies?” by establishing …

Community Approaches To Digitally Documenting And Sharing Conjunto Music In The South Texas Borderlands, René Antonio Ballesteros

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the rich tradition of conjunto music within the South Texas borderlands, examining how integrating community engagement and digital humanities methodologies can effectively enhance the documentation, conservation, and presentation of this place-based expressive culture. Recognizing existing archival gaps, the research employed community-engaged programming to gather and preserve valuable cultural data. A key methodology outcome involved creating digital maps utilizing place-based data related to conjunto music sites and activities, subsequently integrating these maps into an ArcGIS Online story map for public online access. The findings demonstrate the significant potential of community collaboration and digital humanities tools in amplifying cultural …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 08, December 1, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

A Decade Of Knowledge Without Borders: Open Access And Global Reach Of School Social Work Research, Leticia Villarreal Sosa

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Journal for School Social Work (IJSSW), this article provides a reflection on a decade the last decade of breaking barriers and building bridges across practitioners, researchers, communities, and continents and looks forward to our responsibility for the future. This article discusses the benefits and challenges related to Open Access publishing, and addresses how Open Access is a public good—ensuring that practitioners, researchers, students, and policymakers can engage the best evidence regardless of geography, resources, or institutional affiliation. The impact of IJSSW is reviewed, including a summary of accomplishments, most downloaded …

The Library Instructor As Learner: A Survey Of Reflective Teaching Practices In Us Academic Libraries, Alicia G. Vaandering, Amanda Crego-Emley

Communications in Information Literacy

Reflective practice provides library workers with a critical opportunity to examine professional experiences, question assumptions and approaches, explore new perspectives, and develop innovative solutions to existing problems. When applied to instruction as reflective teaching, this practice better situates library instructors to meet the evolving needs of twenty-first-century library users. This research study explores how library workers engage with reflective teaching in academic libraries across the United States. A survey was distributed to academic library communities, and a total of 153 responses were collected. While 92% of respondents reported participating in reflective teaching practice in a variety of instructional contexts, results …

Teaching Research As An Interdependent Practice: Bringing Alternate Models Into The Scholarly Conversation, Natalia Kapacinskas, Veronica Arellano Douglas

Communications in Information Literacy

The customs and practices of research in academia are often mischaracterized as individualistic pursuits, ignoring the reality that research requires a great deal of collaboration. As teaching librarians, our research instruction often reinforces individualism as a scholarly virtue, even as we simultaneously engage with themes of connection between researchers and their ideas. We propose an approach to teaching research and information literacy grounded in the concept, intention, and practice of interdependence rather than individualism. In doing so, we will call in models of interdependence from critical disability studies, relational-cultural theory, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and the Cite Black Women movement. …

Searching For Change: Exploring Historical Silences And Counterstorytelling Through Youth-Led Social Justice Movements, Ariana Varela

Communications in Information Literacy

During a first-year engagement program, a librarian and a cohort of students worked towards a shared understanding of dominant narratives, historical silences, and creating counterstories through research to center marginalized stories and complicate existing narratives. As information literacy professionals, we should design interactive lessons that demonstrate critical search and evaluation skills through topics that are relevant to students and encourage them to work with issues that impact their communities. Incorporating critical information literacy, feminist pedagogy, and critical race theory, this two-day micro-seminar introduced first-year students to the legacy of youth community activism in the neighborhoods around their university. They practiced …

Uni Scholarworks Readership Snapshot, October 2025, Bepress

Library Documents & Reports (entire collection)

No abstract provided.

Faxes, Emails, And Cad: A Case Study Of The Changing Landscape In Born-Digital Design Records, 1994-2006, Julia D. Larson

Journal of Western Archives

The article examines the technological changeover from analog to born digital design records in the mid-1990s, and is a case study in how one San Francisco Bay Area landscape architecture firm navigated the paradigm shift. The firm retained extensive documentation of the project management/construction administration for large scale projects, and this case study shows how archivists can utilize the analog documentation (like faxes and printed emails) to gain a greater understanding of how design firms began using Computer Aided Drafting and how CAD changed design and the process of archiving.

Museums In Public Libraries: An Ethnographic Case Study Of The Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, Yadira Y. Quintero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Access to information is a human right, and this thesis explores the benefits and challenges of integrating museums into public libraries by conducting an ethnographic case study of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. The study's findings highlight the complexities of integration. The biggest benefit is the increased access to museum collections, information, and resources. However, challenges arise from the lack of cohesion within the museum and library disciplines, as well as strained community relations. Engaging the community is crucial for successful collaboration, emphasizing the importance of a bottom-up approach that allows for active participation. Integrating museums into public libraries …

Lessons From Tiktok: Using Popular Social Media Platforms To Engage Gen Z, Debra Bernstein

Urban Library Journal

This study looks at how academic libraries in the New York City metropolitan area are using TikTok to engage with their communities, particularly students. It analyzes the most popular videos from five active library accounts, categorizing content types and measuring engagement through TikTok’s built-in metrics. Results indicate that humorous and lighthearted content consistently receives the highest engagement, while instructional or “how-to” videos tend to underperform. These findings suggest that while TikTok may not be the most effective platform for instructional outreach, it holds potential as a tool for visibility, community engagement, and humanizing the library’s presence. As students increasingly turn …

Notes From The Editor, Derek Stadler

Urban Library Journal

I am very pleased to welcome you to the first issue of the 31^st volume of Urban Library Journal. This issue includes articles about history and archives, training programs in librarianship, recommendations on how to improve the onboarding of librarians, and the social media platform TikTok.

Getting Started In Graduate School: An Online Tutorial For New Graduate Students, Jill Mcmillan, Elana Geller, Angie Gerrard, Nazreen Beaulieu

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

In August 2024, our library launched an asynchronous online tutorial, Getting Started in Graduate School. The purpose of the tutorial was fourfold: to complement existing student orientation programming at the library and the university; to situate the library as a valuable resource for graduate student academic success; to align with a similar library-designed online tutorial for new undergraduate students; and to provide practical information about graduate school expectations, framed through existing library resources and programming. The tutorial was created using the Springshare LibGuide and LibWizard platform and features a mix of static and interactive elements, which were developed and …

Perspectives On Teaching Academic Publishing Skills: Helping Graduate Students Navigate The Hidden Curriculum, Martha Stuit, Christie Hurrell, Jill Cirasella, Christy Caldwell

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

Many graduate students feel pressure to publish but need guidance on navigating the scholarly publishing process, which often is not covered in their graduate curricula but rather learned in conversation with faculty mentors. In other words, publishing is often a hidden curriculum—not explicitly taught but a learn-as-you-go venture. In this article, we describe our individual approaches to teaching publishing literacy to graduate students, highlighting how our efforts are both responsive to the specifics of our campuses and informed by our own and others’ research. We also discuss how we spread the word about our services and how we advance equity …

Fy26 Dcag Committee 11.18.2025, Julia Lovett

HELIN Board of Directors reports

Minutes from the DCAG Affinity Group 11.18.2025

Building Consensus For School Librarian Collaboration: A Delphi Study, Pamela C. Harland, Susan D. Ballard, Rachel V. Small

Learning Hub

This Delphi study engaged 38 national experts in school librarianship to develop a consensus-based model of school librarian collaboration (SLC) that reflects current practice. Through three iterative rounds the panel achieved strong consensus on a definition of SLC, a framework representing a continuum of collaborative practice, and necessary conditions for success. The resulting definition of SLC is "an educator-to-educator partnership to enhance student learning through complementary expertise that develops over time and is built on mutual trust, shared goals, and open communication." The seven levels continuum of SLC are: Autonomy, Curation, Contribution, Coordination, Integration, Partnership, and Assurance. These levels allow …

Budget And Collection Management Communication Strategies, Tools, And Methods, Evan Rusch, Heidi J. Southworth, Daardi Sizemore Mixon, Lisa Baures, Nat Gustafson-Sundell, Joe Holtermann

Library Services Publications

Many libraries face challenging budget situations. Communication with departments and administration about budget management and related changes to collections can be crucial to maintain constructive relationships and to improve cooperative planning. Academic libraries often rely on librarian liaisons to communicate directly with departments, but additional communication efforts are sometimes pursued. Libraries could learn from one another by sharing their communication strategies, tools, and methods. Our library has recently focused on collections communication across a range of projects and audiences. These projects have included a budget reduction plan and major print deselection project, as well as ongoing, prospective budget management. The …

Southerners Acting Southern: On Celebrities And Their Star Personas In The Imagined South, Chantelle Swaren

The Southeastern Librarian

Tison Pugh

Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780807184011

276 pp. $34.95 (Pbk)

This Southern Metropolis: Life In Antebellum Mobile, Kristine Stilwell

The Southeastern Librarian

Mike Bunn

Athens: NewSouth Books, 2024

ISBN: 9781588385246

162 pp. $27.95 (Pbk)

Translating The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Students Into Practice: Qualitative Research Informing Library Services, Olivia Baca, Liz Cooper, Mark Emmons

Scholarship Day 2025

Presentation based on:

Surbaugh, H. M., Baca, O., Cooper, L., Emmons, M., & Neely, T. Y. (2025). Investigating the lived experiences of graduate students at the University of New Mexico. Journal of Graduate Librarianship, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.59942/2995-9063.1018

Creating The Future Together: Librarians And Arts Practitioners Revising The Research Paradigm, Amy Jackson, Stephanie Beene

Scholarship Day 2025

No abstract provided.

Can Chatgpt Accelerate Research In Libraries?, Mark Emmons, David Gustavsen, Holly M. Surbaugh

Scholarship Day 2025

No abstract provided.