Yearly Archives: 2025

Public Librarianship and Food Justice: Working With and Alongside Communities

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , ,

Noah Lenstra
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7613-066X
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Department of Information, Library, & Research Sciences
njlenstr@uncg.edu

Christine D’Arpa
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8999-9479
Wayne State University School of Information Sciences
cdarpa2@wayne.edu

Abstract

Food justice is a topic many working in public libraries wish to understand and put into action. Many struggle to do so in a way that is sustainable for their institutions and for library workers themselves. Based on focus groups with public library workers conducted from November 2023 to March 2024, we developed five themes that encompass how this changing role is conceptualized by library workers: (1) The library is an evolving, multi-cultural community resource and hub, (2) Food access is essential to learning and literacy, (3) Library workers feel pressure and guilt to address all needs and individuals, (4) Procedures and policies integrate food work into library work, and (5) Partnerships integrate library work into food work. A research agenda concludes with other additional work needed to understand not only this topic, but to more generally understand how public libraries work creatively with and alongside their communities to address evolving community needs.

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Business Library Co-op Experiences: Takeaways and Advice from Participants

Essay, , , , ,

Elizabeth Marshall
Western University, London, ON, Canada
emarsha3@uwo.ca
orcid.org/0000-0001-8729-9882

Joe Melanson
Greater Victoria Public Library, Victoria, BC, Canada
jmelanson@gvpl.ca

Alexandra Hawkins
London Public Library, London, ON, Canada
alexandrahawkins@lpl.ca

Jessica Jones
Instruction & Reference Services, Athabasca University Library, AB, Canada
jessicaj@athabascau.ca

Abstract

Full-time paid co-op librarian positions provide MLIS candidates with solid work experiences to draw upon as they start their career path. Three recent co-op librarians were asked about their work experiences – what important skills were learned that transferred to their librarian positions, what did they wish could have been different and what advice would they give future co-op librarians.

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Promotion of Accessible Library Resources: Perspectives and Literature Review on Cooperation with Campus Partners to Better Serve Students with Disabilities

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , , ,

Barbara M. Pope
Reference/Periodicals Librarian
Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg KS
bpope@pittstate.edu
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8419-4839

Samantha Thompson-Franklin
Collections & Government Information Librarian
University of Idaho, Moscow ID
sthompsonfranklin@uidaho.edu
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6945-9173

Abstract

Accessibility in academic libraries touches on many different issues, such as access to buildings and facilities, websites, software, hardware, and the library’s collections. This article reviews the literature on accessibility in higher education, focusing on the topic of collaboration among departments on university and college campuses with the goal of better serving students with disabilities. These entities include the academic library, student disability services, and teaching faculty, among other possibilities. Students with disabilities attending institutions of higher education without accessible library resources and students who are unaware of available resources may be unable to fully participate in or complete their education. However, accessibility in library resources and services helps to eliminate those barriers, but the information must be communicated to those who need it, including student disability services, teaching faculty, and students themselves. Ideally, academic libraries should collaborate with campus partners to assess existing resources and services in order to provide students with disabilities with accessible learning and support materials and make the campus more accessible for all students.

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The Dread of the Research Publication Tenure-Track Requirement

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , ,

By Nicole Troutman
Assistant Professor/Research and Instruction Librarian
Brown-Daniel Library
Tennessee State University

Introduction

I was thrilled upon being offered my first academic librarian position. It was going to pay twice the income I had made at the public library, and it would be in my discipline. In addition to that, it was a tenure-track position. This was particularly exciting as one thing that was repeated multiple times by my Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) professors was that being tenured as an academic librarian was possible, but not likely, unless you had other advanced degrees in addition to the MLIS. The dean of the library informed me that this would require doing research and writing publishable articles and asked if that would be an issue for me. I assured her that it would not because I love to write and had done countless research papers during my college career.

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Enhancing Student Agency and Self-Efficacy Using ADDIE’S Evaluate Phase for a LIS 1001 Course Refresh

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , , ,

By Sarah Moukhliss, Ed.D., MLS
STEM Online Learning Librarian & CIRT/OER Liaison
Thomas G. Carpenter Library
University of North Florida

Abstract

This article outlines the initial development and iterative changes made by Online Learning Librarian Moukhliss during the course refresh of a one-credit-hour online undergraduate library research course. Specifically, it focuses on the Evaluate phase of the ADDIE instructional design process (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate). Based on student feedback, Moukhliss incorporated greater voice and choice into the final research assignment.

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