Library and Information Science Commons^™

An American Anniversary In Local Context: Holland And Hope College Celebrate The U.S. Centennial; John Vander Burgh: Artist In The Archives, Sarah Lundy, Charlotte Ulloa

Archives and Special Collections Quarterly

An American Anniversary in Local Context: Holland and Hope College Celebrate the U.S. Centennial

Column: From the Director of Archives and Special Collections

Column: From the Collections Archivist

John Vander Burgh: Artist in the Archives

From Gap To Growth: Academic Librarian Perspectives On Why Collaboration And Curriculum Matter, Stephanie Hallam

Library Faculty Scholarship

Incoming undergraduate students possess information literacy skillsets impacted by several factors, such as prior development of information literacy skills, librarian-faculty collaboration, and GenAI advancements. Academic librarians’ perspectives on undergraduate students’ library use and information literacy skills were examined via a 2025 survey of 337 undergraduate academic librarians. Using the Pearson bivariate method, the authors identified themes pertaining to the challenges students face as well as librarian-proposed solutions. Open responses from librarians provide additional insights. The results showed that librarians desire faculty partnerships and collaborative library instruction to improve information literacy skills and library use.

Ethos: A Computational Framework For Material Culture Research, Chelsea L. Grafe

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Museum catalog records make large collections searchable, but they do not always preserve the reasoning behind the claims they contain. A record may present a quilt's identity as settled while leaving the reasoning behind that claim invisible, making it difficult for later researchers to check, question, or reuse. This project asks whether museum catalog data can be analyzed in a way that keeps each analytical claim connected to the evidence that supports it. To test this question, the project applies a material-first computational framework named Ethos. Ethos formalizes an object-centered inquiry sequence in which material dependencies establish where analysis begins …

“We're Just Relics Of A Bygone Era!”: The Portrayal Of Librarians In Short Films, Alessandro Camarra

Staff publications

While on the hunt for examples of "librarian" characters portrayed in popular culture, it can be thrilling when said characters make an appearance in feature length films or Hollywood blockbusters. However, sometimes a higher level of satisfaction can be found when examples come from smaller, more personal, projects.

One person films a three-minute clip of their friend wearing glasses and a fake "bun" wig, then uploads it to YouTube. Another person works all semester on a half-hour documentary of their university library, then submits it as the final project for their Film Studies class. Not to mention examples that go …

“A Place For Every Book, Every Book In Its Place … ”: The Portrayal Of Librarians In Video Games, Alessandro Camarra

Staff publications

The role of "librarian" can follow several well-worn tropes within the world of interactive media. These can be referred to as:

*The All-Knowing Guide (teaches the player how to actually play the game, i.e. accessing the inventory menu or revealing which button combination will unlock the ability to cast spells)

*The Lore Keeper (provides exposition and backstory about the game world to the player)

*The Clueless Collector (begs the player for help recovering lost/overdue books)

*The Secret Sexpot (an object of desire for the player to romance/seduce)

*The Unforgiving Tyrant (demands silence at all costs)

And then we have those …

Southeastern Librarian 74(2) Summer 2026 (Full Issue)

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of the Southeastern Librarian, Volume 74 Number 2, Summer 2026

The President's Column, Laura Slavin

The Southeastern Librarian

SELA President Laura Slavin's column for the Summer 2026 issue of the Southeastern Librarian

Proposed Constitution Of The Southeastern Library Association, As Amended

The Southeastern Librarian

Proposed Constitution of the Southeastern Library Association, as Amended (Effective October 2026 following election)

Government Documents For All: The Basics Of Public Patent Search, Tim Dodge

The Southeastern Librarian

The Basics of Public Patent Search: Column No. 10

Second Acts In Academic Librarianship: Trends, Impacts, And Implications, Tiffany Davis Norris, Phill Johnson

The Southeastern Librarian

This study investigates the increasingly common phenomenon of academic librarianship as a second career. Survey data from more than 500 academic librarians found that nearly 70 percent of respondents did not begin their professional lives in the library field. These findings challenge the long-held perception of librarianship as an early or primary career choice and highlight significant trends with implications for library education, recruitment, leadership development, and burnout prevention. The study explores patterns in first careers and examines demographic trends, age distributions, and correlations between career background and current leadership roles. By framing librarianship as a deliberate career pivot rather …

Christianity, Gender Identity, Parents’ Rights: Book Censorship Discourse In Tennessee Communities, Janet Kesterson Isbell, Shawn Hinkel

The Southeastern Librarian

Hate and hostility toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ (LGBTQ+) community and people of color, inflamed in recent years by political extremism and radical conservatism, have permeated many areas of society. One context where hostilities have emerged in the past decade is public debate surrounding book challenges, which prompted a yearlong investigation into the polarizing phenomenon of book censorship in the United States. After extensive reading of media reports from around the nation, the authors focused on public discourse related to book challenges in Tennessee public and school libraries, where debate was contentious, librarians were threatened, and the state’s …

Library Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Comparison Between Honors And University Learning First-Year College Students, Anthony L. Paganelli, Larry Sean Kinder

The Southeastern Librarian

This study examines the results from a mixed-methods comparison study that explored library anxiety between first-year Honors students and first-year students enrolled in a University Learning course. The study explores the levels of library anxiety, overconfidence, barriers, and behavioral factors. Findings indicate that Honors students had higher levels of library anxiety and associated perfectionism and self-esteem more closely with library use. University Learning students worked longer and more independently to use resources before seeking help. Knowing these results, teaching librarians could create tailored instruction sessions to address and alleviate library anxiety and its effects.

Sela Member Spotlight: Tim Dodge, Blair Jones

The Southeastern Librarian

SELA Member Spotlight No. 5, Summer 2026; Tim Dodge, History, Political Science, Economics, and Theatre & Dance Librarian, Auburn University

Haint Country: Dark Folktales From The Hills And Hollers, Samantha Duncan

The Southeastern Librarian

Haint Country: Dark Folktales from the Hills and Hollers
Matthew R. Sparks and Olivia Sizemore
Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2024
ISBN: 9781985900974
216 pp., $24.95 (Pbk)

Of Slash Pines And Manatees: A Highly Selective Field Guide To My Suburban Wilderness, Ashley Roach-Freiman

The Southeastern Librarian

Of Slash Pines and Manatees: A Highly Selective Field Guide to My Suburban Wilderness
Andrew Furman
Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2025
ISBN: 9780813080963
208 pp., $28.00 (Pbk)

The Jewish South: An American History, A. Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

The Jewish South: An American History
Shari Rabin
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2025
ISBN: 9780691208763
296 pp., $29.95 (Hbk)

Author Insights: Book Reviews In Depth: An Interview With Ann Hite, Author Of I Am A Georgia Girl: The Life Of Lucille Selig Frank, Melissa Lockaby Howell

The Southeastern Librarian

Ann Hite
I Am a Georgia Girl: The Life of Lucille Selig Frank
Macon: Mercer University Press, 2025
ISBN: 9780881469981
337 pp. $32.00 (Cloth)

News From The States, A. Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

Library news reports from SELA member states

Editor's Notes: Summer 2026, John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

The Southeastern Librarian editor's column for the Summer 2026 issue

Sela Leadership

The Southeastern Librarian

List of SELA Officers, Executive Committee, State Representatives, Committees, Sections, Round Tables, Ad Hoc Committees, and Working Groups for the Summer 2026 issue