Category Archives: Essay

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

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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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Open Access Green and ResearchGate – How Should Libraries Handle It?

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By Ralf Regener
Library, Open Access and Writing Consulting
Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences
Magdeburg, Germany
ORCID-ID: http://www.orcid.org/0000-0001-7664-2956

Originally published as Ralf Regener: Open Access Green und ResearchGate. Wie sollten Bibliotheken damit umgehen?, in: Bibliotheksdienst 58 (2024), Heft 3/4, S. 194-205. https://doi.org/10.1515/bd-2024-0034
Published online: 2024-04-08
Published in print: 2024-04-25
© 2024 by the authors, published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

This translation was made by the author.

Abstract

ResearchGate is one of the most successful science communication websites. A key aspect is the provision of scientific publications by scientists themselves. The article advocates a better understanding of ResearchGate‘s success story in order to gain more insights for further improvements and optimization of our library services in the area of Green Open Access.

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Libraries as Potential Key Players in Nigeria’s Economic Diversity and Exchange Rate Solutions

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By Adebowale Jeremy Adetayo,
Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria,

Muhammed Jamiu Soliudeen,
Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. Ekiti State,

Arinola Oluwatoyin Gbotoso,
Federal College of Agriculture Akure Ondo State,

and Oyekanmi Gabriel Okediji,
Federal College of Education Iwo Library, Osun State.

Abstract

As Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria grapples with systemic challenges including exchange rate volatilities, rising inequality and pervasive poverty constraining inclusive growth. This paper explores the overlooked potential of public libraries to address these multidimensional issues through their expansive reach, accessibility and community trust. Specifically, it delineates five pathways of impact: providing access to economic data and research to inform policy decisions; fostering financial literacy among citizens through workshops on personal finance and exchange rate mechanics; supporting entrepreneurship and export competitiveness with tailored advisory services; catalyzing grassroots advocacy coalitions to drive equitable growth reforms; and forging strategic partnerships with diverse institutions to integrate interdisciplinary perspectives. By highlighting these avenues for libraries to collaborate with academia, industry, government and non-profits, this analysis underscores the merits of increased investment into library infrastructure, technology access and programming to maximize their development contributions. It calls upon policymakers to formally recognize libraries’ change-agent role across literacy promotion, business enablement, community mobilization and localizing policy solutions.

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Formalizing the Informal: Making Conversations with Faculty Count

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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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Connecting with Faculty and Students by Taking Courses: The Role of Humility in Building Relationships

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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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