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Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has posed many challenges for academic and research libraries and those working within them. Nearly everything that we do has been questioned and re-envisioned, and our days are filled with new work, uncertainty, and isolation. Because of this, one of the areas that library leaders must invest in re-envisioning is how we can best support the well-being and morale of our library colleagues. This article identifies and discusses simple, informal, practical, and easy strategies that library leaders can use to support the physical, emotional, spiritual, professional, social, and mental well-being of their teams in remote and hybrid working environment.
Following on from the last post there is a recording and and breakout session notes from the ACRL DLS IC: Instructional Design for Distance Librarians webinar. The recording is here: https://youtu.be/Cwx3i_AW19Q and the breakout notes are here
Students at our public, urban community college were experiencing difficulties finding correct, consistent answers to their questions about navigating college processes, information students needed to succeed in school. These difficulties were fueled not only by our students’ backgrounds—they are often the first generation in their family to attend college, may require additional academic preparation, or lack support for their higher education dreams—but also by the siloed information environment prevalent in academia. When our college president realized the extent of student challenges in this area, she looked to the college’s librarians, campus experts in knowledge organization and provision, for direction with a knowledge management initiative to support our students.
Knowledge management can be broadly thought of as the ways institutional knowledge is gathered, organized, and made available in coordinated ways that are useful to the organization. Along with Student Affairs, the Library co-led the development of a collegewide knowledge base, the goal of which was to provide students and other users, including college faculty and staff, with the correct answer to common questions. The Library hired a part-time metadata librarian originally just for this project, but that librarian was later appointed full-time faculty while continuing to manage daily operation of the knowledge base.
Now in its fifth year, the collaborative Ask LaGuardia knowledge base has become an institution at the college. Usage has grown. Librarians involved in knowledge
Web literacy” describes a critical set of skills needed to participate online, including how to navigate the internet, understand basic web mechanics, and safely share information. Using materials developed by the Mozilla Foundation, the Digital Skills for Digital Librarians project piloted web literacy skills training in eight public library systems and one graduate program in order to equip library staff with the knowledge needed to meet the growing digital needs and desires of their communities. This evaluation reports on the successes and challenges faced by the pilots as they adapted the web literacy curriculum to serve the needs of their public library staff and patrons.
The Journal of Information Literacy publishes innovative and challenging research articles and project reports which push the boundaries of information literacy thinking in theory, practice and method, and which aim to develop deep and critical understandings of the role, contribution and impact of information literacies in everyday contexts, education and the workplace.
Reading Universities may censor student reading in the Sunday Times at the weekend, I was surprised about the furore over enhancing catalogue records with relevant metadata in order to accurately describe texts held in academic library collections.
Trying to get a handle on what library technologies LIS professionals need to know can be a challenge, as both the tasks that librarians are taking on – and the tools they’re using to do them – seem to be changing daily.
Nevertheless, it’s especially important for job hunters to be aware of technology skills and knowledge that are in-demand, because increasingly these tools will be central to successful performance of your career.
TWO WAYS TO FRAME KEY LIBRARIAN WORK TECHNOLOGIES
When understanding what may be relevant to your career, consider two variables:
Where you work, i.e., whether the employer would be a traditional LIS or non-LIS setting.
The responsibilities and type of work you might be doing for that employer.
inspiration for library creatives
Librarian Design Share is hosted by us, April Aultman Becker and Veronica Arellano Douglas, and powered by design-minded librarians everywhere. Much of the work we do as librarians involves creating flyers, displays, handouts, websites and other designs that convey helpful information while looking good. Very few of us have any kind of formal design training, so we often rely on our own aesthetic preferences along with the opinions and ideas of colleagues.
“Being a librarian isn’t a job that ends with a shift,” says Megan M. Cusick, grassroots specialist in the Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) at the America Library Association (ALA). “We’re always building connections in the community and expanding our resource base.”
Those qualities inform school and children’s librarians’ decisions when they change career tracks, as Cusick did, either midstream or after decades on the job. Their skills—tech expertise and engagement with books and learning, often enhanced by a passion for advocacy—position them well for a career shift.
Key Takeaways
New digital tools and platforms create opportunities in pedagogy, but they also result in deployment of under-tested digital tools in classroom instruction, which raises questions and challenges for educators.
A collaborative project between a media studies professor and a digital humanities librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sought to address these challenges by developing digital pedagogy practices.
As the two case studies described here show, these practices can foster an environment of interdisciplinary, collaborative student engagement with new tools; openly acknowledge the digital tools' experimental states; and encourage playful student tinkering with the tools, even when they appear simple or familiar.
Welcome to the new staff development toolkit for Newcastle University Library staff.
It aims to help all library staff keep up with news in their field, find out about training and other events, and develop their knowledge and skills via self-paced online activities. It's divided into different categories so you can pick and choose topics of interest to you, and dip into it quickly if you haven't got much time. Much of the content will be updated regularly, so do keep coming back.
Above all, we want it to be your resource, so please submit any links, suggestions and activities, and we'll be happy to consider them. You can do this via your rep on the staff development group (see right) or through online options on the different pages.
Twenty-five years ago, I was an early-career librarian grappling with writing about my experiences as a VSO Lecturer/Librarian in Sierra Leone. I knew it was important, both personally and professionally, to create a record of library education in that specific time and place, before so much was destroyed by civil war. Returning to DCU from my two-year career break, I was encouraged to write about the experience by the Library Director Alan MacDougall and his wife Jennifer; she had grown up in Ghana and had a personal interest in libraries in West Africa. At that time few Irish librarians were publishing; those that were tended to be at senior levels. There was no expectation to publish and my writing - as I imagine was and is the case for most librarians who are writing - was carried out outside of work.
A group of tech-savvy librarians offer up a list of their favorite education apps this year.
Via EDTECH@UTRGV
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Katisha Smith writes: "Here are 12 pioneering Black American librarians you’ve probably never heard of, but should definitely know. However, this is not an exhaustive list and represents only a fraction of the black librarians who have made significant contributions to librarianship. Hopefully, learning more about these library pioneers will inspire further exploration of other trailblazing Black American librarians."
Via Mary Reilley Clark
By now the term professional learning network (PLN) is used very often, but much of the time it refers to the virtual type, meaning our online colleagues and networks. Being a media specialist can be a lonely profession and it’s not uncommon to feel like we’re siloed. As I have moved from being a classroom teacher into teacher leader positions, I’ve noticed it can get lonely and I find myself looking for a face-to-face tribe. Although I find this at conferences, they are infrequent and expensive.
Last month a publication called 24/7 Wall St. published an article titled “America’s 25 Dying Industries.” Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the article analyzed how employment levels in various sectors changed between 2007 and 2016.
The article, which was recently republished by USA Today, Yahoo Finance and many others, ranked libraries and archives as one of the fastest-declining industries in the U.S., second only to video tape and disc rental. The publication of the article prompted a strong response from librarians, who questioned the validity of the analysis.
Districts nationwide are looking for new and innovative ways to provide training and resources for their staff, all while keeping within a limited budget. What many administrators fail to notice is that their greatest asset is already in their building.
It’s the 21st century, and school librarians are no longer just “the keepers of the books.” Librarians and media specialists are highly trained, highly versatile staff members, whose scope of responsibilities spans all students and all subjects.
It is still unusual for librarians to go on to run universities or other major institutions.
Yet there are examples. In the UK, David Baker served as principal of what is now Plymouth Marjon University from 2003 to 2009. Alison Allden recently retired from a role as chief executive of the Higher Education Statistics Agency. So what are the key lessons for librarians who want to influence the strategic directions of their institutions and even move into senior management themselves?
Why Needed?
Librarians have always been keepers and distributors of knowledge. In the 21st century their role is expanding in new ways. Library collections…
The CC Librarian Certificate aims to ensure all librarians have the 21st century knowledge and skills they need to successfully perform Creative Commons related library functions and help patrons extend access to knowledge.
Digital pedagogy focuses specifically on the use of technology to break down learning barriers and enhance students’ learning experiences. By definition, its existence dates back to the earliest use of digital tools in classrooms -- however, larger awareness of the need for digital pedagogy has emerged only in the last decade or so, in recognition of the changing relationship between students and computers, handheld devices, social media, and more.
Via Nik Peachey
BY VIRGINIA ROBERTS Rhinelander District Library Director
When I was a young librarian, just a few years out of graduate school at the UW Madison, a student asked me what I did all day; if I actually had to go to school to get this job, and why I couldn’t just make her fellow classmates in that library be quiet.
With more experience and years behind me than I care to count, my colleagues and I still get those questions.
This week I had a wonderful opportunity to present to my teacher librarian friends on a TL Virtual Cafe webinar. I have to admit that I was both nervous and excited to speak to colleagues across the nation using this presentation format. The topic I was requested to present was Future Ready Librarians.
We don't shush people all day
During my 15-year tenure at both Library Journal and School Library Journal, I had the good fortune to meet the most dynamic and successful librarians in every possible domain, ranging from academe to the corporate world, from municipal government to K–12. During this time, a compelling pattern came to me in sharp relief: All of the most creative and effective librarians that I had ever come across shared the same qualities. When I examined their respective “road maps” to success, they deployed all of the same core principles.
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Some practical tips on how to support wellbeing and connection of staff during remote working.