Formalizing the Informal: Making Conversations with Faculty Count

Essay, , ,

by Jenna Pitera
Instruction Librarian
Union College

My colleagues joke that I am always selling. I am an instruction librarian at a small liberal arts college that calls itself ‘very relationship based.’ When I came to Union College in Upstate New York, in a barely post-pandemic world, I had an uphill battle to climb when I tried to communicate the utility of our library to the campus. During the pandemic, the library was a rockstar amongst campus services, finding innovative ways to continue services and instruction in a remote environment, but despite my colleagues’ immense efforts, many faculty had moved to a research instruction model where they sprinkled how to find research articles into their standard lessons, using the methods they employ in their own research rather than working with librarians. “I just teach my students what I do” said an economics faculty member to me when I asked him how he works with the library. “I know how to find articles.”
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Bringing on the Social: Infrastructuring Libraries Through Zine-making Workshops

Peer-Reviewed Article, , ,

By Lisa Engström, Senior Lecturer in Information Studies,
Lund University, Sweden
and
Johanna Rivano Eckerdal, Associate Professor of Information Studies,
Lund University, Sweden

Abstract

Public libraries serve as social infrastructures that foster interpersonal connections and promote well-being and cohesion. In order to explore the role played by libraries in the process of social infrastructuring, we conducted a zine-making workshop with librarians. This workshop facilitated collegial conversations and provided an opportunity for participants to familiarize themselves with the concept of social infrastructure and its practical implications in connection with their work. Consequently, both the researchers and librarians gained insight into how libraries function as social infrastructures, and identified areas that require improvement. Furthermore, the workshop also deepened our understanding of how the concept of social infrastructure can be put into practice. Continue reading Bringing on the Social: Infrastructuring Libraries Through Zine-making Workshops →

Signage Refresh: An Academic Library and a Graphic Design Class Collaborate to Improve Library Wayfinding

Peer-Reviewed Article, , ,

by Amanda Melcher, MLIS
Carmichael Library
University of Montevallo

Abstract

This article describes a library wayfinding modernization project undertaken at a small, public liberal arts university with a limited budget. The project was a creative partnership between the campus library and a graphic design class to create and update physical signage in reaction to library space reconfiguration and remodeling. This collaboration combined the skills and knowledge of a graphic design professor, her Environmental Design class, and the library staff. The process is described from start to finish, including reaching out to the professor, creating a signage inventory, working with the class, selecting the winning design, communicating with campus stakeholders, coordinating the installation of the new signage, and more. This project-based collaboration could easily be recreated or restructured to work within a number of budgets and specific needs.
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Connecting with Faculty and Students by Taking Courses: The Role of Humility in Building Relationships

Essay, , ,

By Garrett Trott
University Librarian
Corban University

Introduction

Faculty are often known for their depth of knowledge in a particular domain. From this depth, faculty teach, introducing students to various disciplines. While it is not uncommon for librarians to have advanced degrees in specific fields along with a master’s degree in library science (or a related field), they often offer services such as information literacy instruction and reference inquiries for disciplines where they may not know much more about the topic than students. Unfortunately, a librarian’s lack of disciplinary mastery may be challenging when collaborating with faculty, individuals with expertise. Additionally, departmental silos, often made up of individuals who have mastered a specific discipline and the subsequent disciplinary jargon, are typical in many academic contexts and can easily intimidate any individual lacking expertise.1 While interdisciplinary work has striven to bridge departmental silos, the knowledge needed to work in almost any discipline can be provoking and challenge many interdisciplinary components of academia.

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A Learning Experience Design: Augmented Reality & Library Orientation

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , ,

by Anjum Najmi PhD, MLS
Assistant Professor
Department of Higher Education and Learning Technologies
Texas A&M University, Commerce

Abstract

Librarians have engaged students in creative ways to orient them to library programs and services. Outreach is best undertaken when students arrive on campus for their first year. Augmented reality (AR) allows real and virtual objects to co-exist and interact with in real time. It permits users to view the real world through a virtual overlay. This pilot study looks at the potential of using Augmented Reality (AR) to engage students and present targeted information about the library and its resources. It will look at the effectiveness of instruction, learning outcomes, challenges, and the future potential of using such methods to promote learning. The goal to provide a practical approach for librarian practitioners that they may apply to future instructional sessions.

Keywords: learning experience design, augmented reality, library orientation, socio-cultural learning, participatory learning
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