Digital Commons Network^™

Gis Librarians' Involvement In Critical Information Literacy Instruction, Melissa Chomintra, Pete E. Pascuzzi

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Critical information literacy (CIL) is a theory and practice that considers the sociopolitical dimensions of information and knowledge production. As the field of geospatial information evolves, equipping librarians with the skills to critically engage with geospatial information becomes integral to facilitating informed research, promoting spatial literacy, and strengthening the accessibility of geospatial data for their user communities. To understand geospatial data librarians’ current involvement in CIL, librarians were surveyed to examine if they incorporate CIL into their instruction, how they incorporate CIL into their instruction, and what are the benefits and challenges of doing so. The survey gathered both quantitative …

Attitudes And Perception Of Lis Students Towards Artificial Intelligence(Ai), Shahzadi Humbhi, Shabbir Tareen, Alia Humbhi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Artificial Intelligence refers to computer systems that can think and behave like humans. It is becoming essential in the education system as it has the potential to transform the way of teaching and learning in an academic environment. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate LIS students' attitudes and perceptions of AI, as well as how these technologies benefit their academic performance. The study also identified barriers that LIS students confront when adopting AI tools. For this purpose, a survey questionnaire was designed to assess students' knowledge and attitudes concerning AI, as well as its applications to improve academic performance. …

Plan Your Way To Tenure And/Or Promotion, Wendy Doucette, Jill Cirasella

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

In this editorial, we share our best advice for preparing the dossier necessary for professional advancement. While our advice is unavoidably shaped by the specifics of our experiences and universities, we believe most of it is broadly applicable to academic librarians in general. We cluster our advice into three categories: framework and planning, building your portfolio, and ongoing recordkeeping. We hope this “from the ground up” presentation will help those new to academic librarianship, though it’s never too late for more experienced librarians to (re)consider their own approaches.

Conducting A Historical Map Collection Condition Assessment Survey At The Rochester Public Library, Ron Martin-Dent

Library Faculty Publications

Historical maps retain tremendous research value in the digital era. While many libraries have digitized their maps to expand research access, challenges remain for preserving physical maps. This project report describes a collection condition assessment survey at a public library using free online tools and volunteer hours to identify preservation issues and develop strategies to improve collection care. Collection condition surveys can serve as a road map for further preservation, conservation, and digitization projects.

Book Review: Dismantling Conspiracy Theories: Metaliteracy And Other Strategies For An Information-Disordered World, Katie Greer, Stephanie Beene, William Glick

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Ischool Student Research Journal, Vol.15, Iss.2

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

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 …

Why Every Librarian Is A Ux Librarian, Alison Johnson

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Student Research Journal Comes Of Age: 15 Years And Flourishing!, Anthony Bernier

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Guiding Scholarship, Together: A Collaborative Accomplishment, Pearl Kim

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Supporting Literacy And The Scholarly Conversation Through Understanding Apa Citation Style, Vanessa Sztym

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 …

Back To Normal? Perspectives Of Faculty And Teaching Librarians On Information Literacy Instruction After The Lockdowns, Catherine Baird, Cara Berg, Anthony C. Joachim, Drew Wallace

University Libraries Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective - While LIS scholars have extensively studied the widespread disruptions to library instruction during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a relative dearth of research concerning the longer-term implications for teaching information literacy (IL). This exploratory survey sought to examine how faculty have introduced IL skills to students before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. After returning to in-person operations in 2021, the authors observed a change in how faculty have engaged with libraries to teach IL to their students. Methods - Utilizing parallel survey instruments, we asked faculty and librarians for their perceptions of current …

Helin Executive Meeting 12.15.2025, Dawn Emsellem

HELIN Executive Director reports

Minutes from the 12.15.2025 HELIN Executive Board meeting

Book Review: Academic Coaching: Coaching College Students For Success, Corinne Bishop

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

Book review: Howlett, M. A., & Rademacher, K. (2023). Academic coaching: Coaching college students for success. Routledge. 196 pp. ISBN: 9781032272214 (paperback), 9781032265711 (hardcover), 9781003291879 (ebook).

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.

Sincerely, Harriet [Book Review], Isaiah Mark Roby

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

"Sincerly, Harriet" follows Harriet as she moves to a new city and her adventures trying to adjust to her new neighbor, her new family dynamic, and her new diagnosis.

Blindness Through The Looking Glass [Book Review], Mollie Frazier

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

This review analyzes Gili Hammer’s Blindness Through the Looking Glass: The Performance of Blindness, Gender, and the Sensory Body. This book offers insight into the lives of blind women in Israel and challenges assumptions about beauty, femininity, and gender through interviews and years of Hammer's fieldwork as an anthropologist. She shows how blindness is not defined by what is missing, but by how women use their experiences to shape their own understandings of gender and society. The book explores gender identity, visual culture, and the sensory body, highlighting how blind women navigate a world so centered on visual beauty while …

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 …

Archivist, Subject Librarian, And Education Faculty Collaboration: Co-Instruction In History Of Education Classes, Laura Cameron, Kara Flynn

Collaborative Librarianship

In many academic libraries, primary source instruction happens in a vacuum, and students don’t always make connections between the skills they learn in a primary source instruction session and skills they may have already learned in information literacy-focused library instruction that they have participated in previous courses. This case study describes the design and objectives of an instructional partnership formed between an Education & Engagement Archivist, Education Librarian, and History of Education professor at a public, four-year university. The Education & Engagement Archivist and Education Librarian worked in tandem to develop interconnected lesson plans, allowing the Education & Engagement Archivist …

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.

Mexican Bracero Railroaders In The United States During World War Ii: An Endangered History, Emily Mizokami

Journal of Western Archives

Mexican citizens came to the United States during World War II to work the most grueling railroad jobs through a contractual agreement between the U.S. and Mexican governments. These 136,000 Mexican men, however, have been the focus of less academic research than other groups during World War II. The railroaders were part of the larger bracero program which primarily employed farm workers. The railroad arm of the program lasted only two and half years, while the agricultural branch went on for 22 years. The short duration of the program, combined with the difficulty of accessing archival records documenting living and …

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 …

Making The Most Of Limited Time, Joshua Levine

Library Staff Online Writings

One of the biggest challenges I have encountered as an advanced legal research instructor is getting everything accomplished that I want to during a class session. The most time I have ever had to get through a class session is one hour and twenty minutes – and this includes lecturing, demonstrations, in-class exercises, and going over those exercises. In particular, it’s challenging to balance giving students enough time to complete their exercises with everything else that needs to be done.

Wheels Up: Mobilizing Ideas And Partnership Through The Richland Library Bike Maintenance Clinic, Phillip Windsor

South Carolina Libraries

Using the Bike Maintenance Clinic at the Richland Library as both example and object lesson, I hope to offer practical strategies to help other professionals identify key community partnerships, gauge community interest, and consider program scalability for similar programming in their libraries.

And Then There Were Two: Navigating Library Services Through Institutional Change, Joni Addis

South Carolina Libraries

Based on an SCLA conference presentation, this article reflects on one small academic library’s journey through university-wide rightsizing and the impact it had on library services. The loss of positions necessitated across-the-board changes in the division of responsibilities and library operations. In the current climate of higher education in the United States, library staff at other institutions should prepare now for possible staffing challenges in the future. Practical takeaways learned through navigating institutional change are discussed, along with an action plan for library administrators and leaders.

Design For Everyone: Teaching Canva In The Public Library, Phillip Windsor

South Carolina Libraries

Canva is a free, user-friendly tool for an array of design products, from slideshows to social media to print marketing. At Richland Library, we have seen success developing this as a new program offering and have grown it from an introductory class to various design workshops in response to community desire. In this paper, we will look at the origins of this program, trace its growth and development in response to patron needs, and possible applications for others seeking to develop similar program offerings in their own library settings.

Lacuny Interlibrary Loan Roundtable Meeting Minutes, December 2025, Karen Okamoto

Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Fall 2025 Issue Co-Editor Letter, Cambria Sheridan, Mckenzie M. Lemhouse

South Carolina Libraries

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Ai Gap: A Librarian's Journey Through Scite Summer Bootcamp, Maletta Payne

Southern University and A&M College: John B. Cade Library Publications

Maletta Payne, librarian, shares insights from the Scite Summer Bootcamp, a four-session virtual program for researchers, librarians, faculty, and information professionals. The bootcamp emphasized practical, hands-on experience with research-grade tools, moving beyond theoretical discussions of AI.