Learning and change through diversity,equity, and inclusion professional development: Academic librarians' perspectives

Building on the results of a qualitative survey of academic librarians in Canada and the U.S., this study focuses on the learning and subsequent change following professional development events (PDE) dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Carried out collaboratively by a group of American and Canadian researchers, the study is guided by hermeneutic phenomenology and the concept of retrospective reflection and builds on the critical incident approach supporting the survey design. Reporting on two large clusters of findings – those related to personal learning and change and those related to organizational change – the study highlights five types of learning and subsequent change that result from DEI PDEs: cognitive learning and change (awareness); behavioral learning and change (action); personal learning and change (self-awareness and self-improvement); social learning and change (interaction); and affective/emotional learning and change. The findings are mapped to the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of change, which creates a foundation for making recommendations for future mixed methods research and impactful PDE design. The study records both achievements and regrettable omissions in the current PDE offerings, in the hopes that noticed gaps and existing shortcomings will be remedied moving forward.     

Student participation in a DEI audit as High-Impact Practice

During Spring 2021, eight students at the University of the Pacific participated in an internship where they performed a DEI audit of the library's book and music score collection. An internship is one documented type of High-Impact Practices and research studies show that High-Impact Practices lead to higher retention and graduation rates. Deep learning occurred as student interns participated in developing the methodology, evaluating book and music score collections, reading assigned articles pertaining to DEI in librarianship and publishing, and providing recommendations on closing identified collection gaps. To evaluate their learning, the interns were asked to complete three surveys at the beginning, middle, and end of the project. These surveys were evaluated by a mixed methods research approach to incorporate qualitative and quantitative data in assessing the student interns' understanding of library collections, the publishing industry, and academic DEI issues. This study contributes to the literature on High-Impact Practices in academic libraries by describing a unique and valuable way to involve students in diversifying the library collection.     

We Are Happy To Be Here: The Onboarding Experience in Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT

This study looks at the organizational entry or onboarding experience of 20 new academic librarians through a series of interviews. The goal is to explore what new librarians in a variety of settings and career stages consider most important for them to learn during onboarding and the best approaches for sharing information with them. The study also explores how much institutions are actively learning about the signature strengths of new employees as part of the onboarding process. The authors conclude with recommendations for additional research and onboarding process improvements.     

Improving and Assessing Information Literacy Skills through Faculty-Librarian Collaboration

Academic libraries provide value to their institutions on many levels, one of which is information literacy (IL) instruction. Librarians have the opportunity to guide students through the research process, teach students how to think critically, evaluate resources, and use resources ethically. It is beneficial for librarians to assess student learning after these sessions to demonstrate how libraries support the academic mission of their institutions. This article will address ways to assess the effectiveness of integrating information literacy into college courses by taking a close look at a partnership developed between a professor and two librarians at a small, private four-year institution.     

Understanding User-Librarian Interaction Types in Academic Library Microblogging: A Comparison Study in Twitter and Weibo

This research examined the ways in which academic librarians and users interact when using social media tools such as Twitter and Weibo as well as end-users' and librarians' perceptions of the types of interaction through social media. The study conducted an analysis of 1600 microblog posts sampled from twenty university library Weibo (Chinese Twitter) sites and twenty library Twitter sites in English-speaking countries. The results were compared using Chi-Square analysis. Results indicated that at present academic librarians in English-speaking countries use post information relevant to the library (news and events) and respond to information/research inquiries. And academic librarians in China are likely to use Weibo to communicate with users and to disseminate library news. Given the lack of previous research on how social media such as micro-blogging in general facilitates communication between librarians and library users in academic libraries between in English-speaking countries and China, this study provides valuable information concerning librarians' and end-users' interactions of information/knowledge sharing activities, which will enable libraries to be better positioned to promote user engagement through SNS usage.     

Creating a HIP in the library: A high-impact practice case study

Abstract

High-impact practices (HIPs) have been adopted on college campuses to enhance student learning. The academic library provides services and space contributing to learning at its institution. Librarians conduct space research to learn how the library building can better serve its users. Library space assessment is one way for librarians to engage with faculty and students to create an HIP in the library. This article is a case study of a collaboration between a librarian and a sociology professor to design an observational study. It demonstrates how librarians can contribute to HIPs at their institution by involving students in meaningful research.     

Leveraging Springshare’s Appointments Scheduler for Research Consultations: Experiences and Recommendations

Providing research consultations is an essential job responsibility for all academic librarians. One software option that can help to facilitate the process of scheduling research consultations is Springshare’s Appointments Scheduler (SAS), a feature within their LibCal software product. SAS has a number of features that make it easy for patrons and librarians to create, manage, and optimize the appointment. This article describes the SAS product and provides tips and recommendations that will help librarians to leverage all of its features.     

Inferential statistics and librarianship

This study examines the extent to which inferential statistics were used in research articles published between 2001 and 2005 in professional journals that academic and public librarians are most likely to read. It also explores the kinds of inferential statistics most commonly used, and whether academic and public librarians authored research articles using inferential statistics. Compared with the findings of studies conducted in the 1970s and the 1980s, there is an increase in the use of inferential statistics in articles appearing in professional journals read by academic and public librarians. These results suggest that educators who believe that learning about inferential statistics should become an important component of every librarian's education may be correct, especially because the evolving nature of librarianship has placed new emphasis on performance measures, outcomes assessment, and evidence-based decision making, which often rely on sophisticated analyses of quantitative data.     

Use of Social Networking Sites by Academic Librarians in Six Selected States of Nigeria

The attractiveness of social networking sites (SNSs) has extended to almost all professionals in numerous human organizations including the library. Librarians as a result of this development are now making use of these sites to connect to other libraries and librarians both within and outside their environment. However, it is observed that the use and benefits derived from social networking sites by Nigerian librarians, generally, and those in academic libraries, particularly, has not been well documented. It is against this backdrop that this study examined the use of social networking sites to both the libraries and the librarians in selected academic libraries in six Nigerian States. A survey research design approach was adopted. The simple random study drew upon 200 academic librarians from academic libraries across six selected States in Nigeria. Five research questions were raised and answered by the study. The results demonstrate that Facebook and Twitter are mostly use by academic librarians. Academic librarians are making use of SNSs on a weekly basis and partially on a daily basis. Many potential benefits of SNSs were indicated both to the librarians and their libraries such as creating opportunity to connect with people across the globe, which includes those that have never been seen and those that one is not sure of coming in contact with. It was also found that SNSs give opportunity for academic libraries to incorporate SNSs as a means of creating more interactive user centered library and information services. Examples of the defects identified associated with SNSs include sexual harassment, cybercrime, fraud, and spreading of spam. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will serve as pioneer data upon which future related studies will be anchored.     

But This Is How We Have Always Done It: Overcoming Resistance to Change in the Quest to Support Distance Learners

The Standards for Distance Learning Library Services created by the Association of College and Research Libraries asks the distance learning librarian to be an advocate for an institutional culture of support for distance learners. The Standards make it clear that the distance learning librarian must initiate and participate in institution-wide projects. However, both individuals and organizations in which they serve struggle with change, and such resistance to change is a major barrier to creating a supportive institutional culture and convincing colleagues to participate in collaborative projects. Librarians using the Standards to guide their work must understand how to strategically manage resistance to change. This article will discuss how one online learning librarian used leadership and project management practices to address resistance to change in the library organization and across the college. It gives practical recommendations for leadership and project management skills that will help distance learning librarians and others working to enact the Standards at their academic institutions.     

Perception and Use of YouTube by Music Lecturers and Librarians in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Kwara State,Nigeria

This study examined the music lecturers and librarians use and perception of YouTube in selected Kwara State tertiary institutions. Survey approach was adopted to conduct the study. The sample comprised 35 respondents (20 librarians and 15 music lecturers). Three research questions were answered while data were analyzed using percentage, frequency count, and cross tabulation. YouTube was used by the music lecturers mostly for teaching, research and learning, enhancing learning experience, and engaging students with the contents of music lessons. Librarians on the other hand use YouTube mostly as reference point for events and occurrences, teaching tool for library instruction; and for communicating other libraries.     

Using a Blended Group Learning Approach to Increase Librarians’ Motivation and Skills to Publish

While there is considerable research on interventions to support academic staff in writing for publication, there is limited literature on writing interventions for librarians. This article explores the potential of a blended learning approach to support librarians to develop the motivation and skills to write for publication. The program combines three elements: a formal writing seminar; a structured series of online exercises and mentoring support; and two peer-feedback days. The article suggests that the combination of online and face-to-face activities has the potential to be a sustainable model for helping to develop librarians as academic writers. It suggests that this type of model could provide a context, which is currently lacking, for librarians to develop their identity and skills as academic writers.     

Academic libraries and DEI initiatives: A quantitative study of employee satisfaction

This survey study explored employees' of academic libraries, specifically R1 and R2 Doctoral Universities in the United States, attitudes regarding their overall level of satisfaction with the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at their places of work in regard to the promotion of DEI culture at their institutions, the ability to pursue DEI work in their day-to-day work, and the alignment of their personal values with their libraries, universities, and surrounding communities. The findings suggest that while most respondents felt there was acceptable buy-in from library and university employees, library and university leadership must provide meaningful support for DEI, or library employees will become dismayed and experience low morale. Findings also indicate that while the institutional culture within one's library and university may be supportive of DEI work, threats to the promotion and tenure process could be a deterrent. Finally, respondents also reported overall comfortability in incorporating DEI work into their day-to-day lives. While the results are not generalizable to institutions outside of the parameters of the current study, this study sheds some perspective on the LIS community's response to DEI issues.     

When Librarians Hit the Books: Uses of and Attitudes Toward E-Books

Librarians offer a unique perspective on e-books: on one hand they collect these resources and train users as part of their jobs, while on the other hand, they may be users of e-books themselves. With recent increases in research expectations for Canadian academic librarians, this study aimed to discover: when librarians do research, do they use e-books and how often are they using them? This study examines the results of a survey of 392 academic librarians from across Canada. The survey generated data on librarians' use of, and attitudes towards, e-books. While a number of studies examine the use and opinions of e-books among other user groups, this study examines how librarians search for or use e-books differently than other user groups. Results will help librarians to improve their liaison work and make more informed collection development decisions at their own institutions.     

Why Social Interaction and Good Communication in Academic Libraries Matters

SUMMARY

In these times of extraordinary development in information and communication technologies (ICT) many new tools and services, and traditional tools, such as the catalog, could be developed or enhanced by librarians to effectively support the academic community in teaching and learning. This paper will discuss how social interaction between technical and public service librarians could enhance library services to the academic faculty and students during these demanding times of technologies and information overload. The paper will also point out that the team approach to library services can improve social interaction between librarians when the perpetuation of the traditional academic organizational model is not efficient enough for the faculty and students' need-driven use of information. Rapid changes resulting from ICT demand constant social interaction that would be facilitated by establishing working teams for specific tasks.     

Community Learning: The Story of Adopting Co-Agency for Effective Learning in a UK University Faculty Library

This article explores the adoption of Community Learning in a subject-specific academic library. The underlying principle for Community Learning is established as being co-agency. The rationale for adopting this theme and related principles are the results of student surveys demonstrating that librarians and libraries are not often used by students for assistance with their studies. Although much work has been achieved by librarians in improving their teaching skills, students may not choose to take advantage of learning provided in academic libraries. Current developments in US academic libraries are compared with the proposed model of Community Learning. The case study explores a number of methods employed by the library staff to engage with the whole community of which it is a part in fostering effective learning. The case study community already provides a tailored and personalized service and views Community Learning as another aspect of the service. It is possible to conclude that the methods adopted have proven to be useful, but more work is needed to embed the co-agency principle more firmly and strategically within the Faculty. Establishing the impact of Community Learning has yet to be formally investigated, but anecdotal evidence demonstrates that the route is worth pursuing.     

Learning to Love Your Discovery Tool: Strategies for Integrating a Discovery Tool in Face-To-Face,Synchronous, and Asynchronous Instruction

Some librarians embrace discovery tools while others refuse to use them. This lack of consensus can have consequences for student learning when there is inconsistent use, especially in large-scale instruction programs. The authors surveyed academic librarians whose institutions have a discovery tool and who teach information literacy classes in order to identify barriers to using them and to develop strategies to effectively integrate them into instruction. The authors used the survey results and recent studies on the research habits of undergraduates to propose strategies for integrating the discovery tool at the programmatic level in a more meaningful and sustainable way.     

Applying Cognitive Load Theory Principles to Library Instructional Guidance

ABSTRACT

If the goal of library instructional guidance is to provide students with the knowledge needed to acquire new skills in order to accomplish their learning objectives, then it is prudent to consider factors that impact learning. Cognitive load theory addresses several of these factors and is applicable to a wide-range of instructional devices used by librarians, particularly during research guide design, multimedia development, and database administration. This article will provide academic librarians with an overview of cognitive load theory and strategies for minimizing distractions while maximizing the student's learning potential.     

Understanding Academic Librarians' One-shot Instructional Design Process Via a Delphi Study

Academic librarians have long been responsible for teaching information literacy competencies on college campuses, even as many are hesitant to accept the title of teacher. With inadequate instructional design preparation and one-shot sessions serving as a popular, if limited, instructional medium, librarians' design processes are often developed on the job and infrequently explored in the literature. Previous research has examined specific design models and instructional strategies, but few studies were found that determined how academic librarians select and implement these design decisions within the context of a one-shot. This Delphi study described academic librarians' design processes in an effort to develop practical takeaways for training and design of one-shot sessions using expert consensus. This study found (1) academic librarians find their master's degree curriculum lacking in instructional preparation; (2) participants preferred professional development that allowed for observation and direct experience; (3) consensus centering objectives in design decisions; (4) backward design was a frequently used model due to its ease of use, flexibility, and emphasis on objectives; and (5) the one-shot environment significantly impacted participants' design processes leading to modifications in their teaching. This paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for practitioners and recommendations for future research directions.