Digital Commons Network^™

The Hunt For "Dragon Shards Of Knowledge": A Study On The Information Needs Of The Mmorpg Community, Jessamy Hallie

School of Information Student Research Journal

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the information needs and information-seeking behaviors of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) information community. To evaluate and define these needs and behaviors a literature review of research contributions published by established information professionals studying MMORPG and video game players was performed. The results showed that the MMORPG community is considerably understudied and lacking sufficient library programming and educational opportunities compared to other communities. It also revealed their dependence on collaboration and the promotion of social connection between members. Their shared goals and common interests helped to facilitate members’ information-seeking and …

Guiding Scholarship, Together: A Collaborative Accomplishment, Pearl Kim

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Research And The Information Landscape, Libby Wheeles, Helena Marvin

Open Educational Resources Collection

This open textbook accompanies the University of Missouri-St. Louis class INTDSC 1010: Research and the Information Landscape. Intended for undergraduates new to academic research, the course covers practical search and evaluation skills as well as a basic introduction to the world of scholarly communication. In Fall 2025, the course’s learning objectives were:

1. Evaluate whether a source is appropriate for college-level research.
2. Navigate library search tools to find relevant results and improve research efficiency.
3. Analyze the goals and limitations of non-library tools in the research landscape.
4. Explain the basic history and current broad practices of scholarly communication.
5. Contribute to a small-scale …

Improvising Across Abilities: Pauline Oliveros And The Adaptive Use Musical Instrument [Book Review], Maria A. Souliotis

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

This book reviews how the AUMI movement has evolved in the years since its inception, with the people involved in it most closely detailing its impact on music education and disability activism. Narratives, case studies, and personal reflections highlight Oliveros’ philosophical and realized contributions to the AUMI movement, which until this book’s publication has received little attention.

How To Describe A Massacre? A Collaborative Metadata Justice Project, Bailey Hoffner, Eugene Albin, Jennifer Watson, Jay Shorten, Jacquelyn Slater Reese, Todd Fuller, Karie Antell

Collaborative Librarianship

Throughout the summer of 2020 and into the following fall, a cross-unit working group at the University of Oklahoma Libraries (OU Libraries) collaborated to compile and submit a proposal to change the Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) Tulsa Race Riot, Tulsa, Okla., 1921 to Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Okla., 1921. The working group members situated this project in the context of the metadata justice movement, which seeks to correct problematic descriptions. They also see this proposal as part of the broader work undertaken over many decades by Tulsa activists and community leaders. This successful proposal required working group …

Archives West At Twenty Years: Sustainability Through Community, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Maija Anderson, Trevor J. Bond

Collaborative Librarianship

Archives West is a regional aggregation of descriptions of archival collections held by institutions in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West. While many similar regional aggregations have struggled to reach sustainability, Archives West is one of a few that is fully funded by its participants, and continues to grow in both scale and scope. We hypothesize that there are unique cultural qualities of the Archives West community that have supported its growth, including a philosophy of empowering participants, transparent budget processes, clear statement of value to resource providers, and maintaining expectations that all institutions will contribute through service and fees.

Becoming A Competent Graduate Librarian, Wendy Doucette

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

Becoming a competent graduate librarian is a cumulative process. This article is a reflective summary of over ten years of evolution as a graduate librarian. By treating real-life encounters with reality-based methods and empathetic teaching and reflection, I have developed personal recommendations and strategies to interact successfully with students, as well as the reasoning behind personal shifts in approaching graduate students and services. This process includes unscripted interactions, the necessity of becoming a scholarly contributor, and providing contextualization and incremental assistance against a framework of empathy and andragogy. Combined with ongoing self-assessment, this results in an evaluation cycle that responds …

Enrolled Deeds As Records And Archives In Jamaica, Andrew Williams

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This paper examines the history of the enrolled deeds record series in Jamaica, from its creation in the mid-seventeenth century through to the present day. It is a critical examination of a single record series through colonialism and independence. It examines the purpose of deeds and the context in which deeds registries were created before examining the history of the series through the periods of slavery and emancipation. It examines in close detail the late nineteenth century, when the Island Record Office—which has custody of the enrolled deeds—was created and several other important changes happened. It situates the enrolled deeds …

Archival Notations Of The Norwegian Charter Material, Juliane Tiemann

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This paper explores archival notations, primarily from the early modern and modern periods, found on the dorse of Norwegian charters dating from the 13th to the 17th century. By examining the notation practices of two prominent Norwegian archivists and collectors, the study further highlights individual efforts in documenting and preserving these materials across various collections. The archival efforts are contextualized historically, noting a transition to systematic archival management. The findings reveal the significance of this largely unexplored component of Norwegian charters as additional historical sources, emphasizing the role of dorsal annotations in provenance research. The textual and visual analysis of …

“‘What Is One Takeaway You've Gotten From This Learning Experience?’ Analyzing Student Reflections On Introductory Information Literacy Instruction”, Amanda Nichols Hess, Emily Ruth Benoit, Rebecca M. Krystyniak, Stephanie Williams

Communications in Information Literacy

Reflection is a useful pedagogical tool for both learners in instructional settings and educators seeking to offer meaningful experiences; in this article, a group of academic librarians use the former to engage with the latter. We analyzed more than 830 first-year students’ responses to a reflection question posed at the conclusion of library instruction over the course of the 2023–2024 academic year with a specific eye to the concepts that were and were not resonant, as well as whether there were common areas of confusion. We used a grounded theory approach to make sense of the data and allow ideas …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Sela Officers And Executive Committee, State Representatives, Committees, Sections, And Round Tables, John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

Current SELA officers and representatives.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 07, November 10, 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.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Student Textbook Survey - Fall 2025 Executive Summary And Key Findings, James Thibeault

Open Educational Resources Publications

Between September 29 and October 10, the Bentley University library conducted a student textbook survey. The purpose of the study was to gather data from students on textbook affordability. Students responded to 15-20 questions covering topics like how course materials influence their purchasing decisions, their total expenditures of course materials during Fall 2025, and the potential effects of these purchases. The library aimed to gather insights into:

• Students’ views on current textbook prices
• Openness to adopting more affordable educational resources on campus
• Likely responses and behaviors if faced with high-cost educational materials
• The impact of demographic factors related to textbook …

Galileo Celebrates Thirty Years Of Library Innovation, Joy Woodson

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Eugene Talmadge’S Library Book Purge Of 1941, David B. Parker

Georgia Library Quarterly

In Summer 1941, Governor Eugene Talmadge ordered a purging of 23 books from Georgia’s public school libraries. The books covered several subjects: race relations, sex education, evolution, South-bashing, states’ rights, communism, and more. He was planning on running for a US Senate seat in 1942, and perhaps he did this to attract voter support—showing that he would protect the state’s traditional values from various modern threats. There was immediate opposition, with many people comparing Talmadge’s ban to German Nazism.

Book Review: Joshua Hill Of Madison: Civil War Unionist & Georgia’S First Republican Senator, 1812-1891, Jeffrey W. Fisher

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

More Alike Than Not: The Open Access Preferences Of Humanities Scholars, Rachel E. Scott, Ana Dubnjakovic

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Several studies have noted that humanists have not been as quick or enthusiastic in their adoption of Open Access (OA) as their colleagues in other disciplines. This article leverages the Ithaka S+R US 2021 Faculty Survey to provide contextualized analysis of the OA and Open Education Resources (OER) preferences of humanities scholars, as well as some practices related to OA and OER, relative to their colleagues in other disciplines. Findings suggest that although humanists do stand apart in many OA preferences, the small effect sizes render these differences less important than previously suspected. The implications of these findings are considered …

Enshrining Library And University Values Through The Creation Of A Policy Committee, Brian Sullivan, Rebecca B. French

Faculty Scholarship

As interprofessional organizations operating within the context of higher education, academic libraries find themselves pulled between competing forces with regards to both policies and values. Departmental, unit, library, division, university, and professional interests all hold sway over a library's decision-making and its implementation of policies and procedures, making balancing these tensions a complex endeavor. When faced with a backlog of needed policy revisions and a campus-wide review by the Provost's office that resulted in additional policy update requests, the authors formed a policy committee within their library's faculty governance body. This chapter details how we kept organizational values in mind …

W&L Law Fall Scholarship Celebration 2025, Andrew Christensen, Michelle Cosby, Brandon Hasbrouck, Jennifer Mitchell, Melanie D. Wilson

Library Events

On October 9, 2025, the Washington and Lee Law Library hosted the fifth W&L Law Fall Scholarship Celebration. The event was co-sponsored by the Frances Lewis Law Center and took place in the Law Library's main reading room from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

On display were dozens of scholarly articles, books, chapters, and court briefs authored by the W&L Law faculty and student body between October 2022 and October 2025. Additional works were accessible online via QR codes to W&L Law Scholarly Commons institutional repository. A selection of vintage scholarship by former W&L Law professors was also on display, courtesy …

"There And Back Again": An Archives Story, Laurinda Weisse, Jenny Haddon

Posters, Proceedings, and Presentations: CTR Library

UNK Archives and Special Collections has been required to pack and move their holdings no fewer than four times in the past two and a half years. In late 2022, work began to pack and move the holdings of UNK’s Archives and Special Collections in advance of a 2-year multi-phase renovation of the Library building. Organization was maintained via a carefully curated numbering system and associated spreadsheet. Access was challenging throughout and reference services significantly limited while collections were in temporary storage. The collection returned to the partially renovated archival stacks in late 2023. Unfortunately, problems were immediately apparent. A …

Livingness As A Liberatory Framework For Decolonizing Lis Praxis, Sarah Appedu

School of Information Studies - Post-doc and Student Scholarship

The fields of library and information science (LIS) are in a pivotal moment. While the stakes may seem higher than ever, Indigenous, Black, and queer communities have long anticipated this moment, demonstrating how libraries and archives are not yet equipped to meaningfully participate in the project of decolonization. I build on existing calls for decolonization in our discourse and practices by drawing attention to the living/non-living dualism in our ontologies and the ways it constrains our ability to reconcile with our fields’ colonizing origins. I contemplate what it would mean to treat all information as endowed with a sense of …

News From The States, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

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

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the October 2025 (Volume 4, Issue 3) Library & Learning Newsletter.

“Vote For Woman Suffrage And Democracy At Home” Holland, Mi And The Fight For Enfranchisement, 1912-1920, Anna Stowe

Archives and Special Collections Quarterly

“Vote for Woman Suffrage and Democracy at Home” Holland, MI and the Fight for Enfranchisement, 1912-1920

Column: From the Director of Archives and Special Collections