Category Archives: Peer-Reviewed Article

Toward a Pedagogical Model of Academic Library Makerspaces as Digital Scholarship

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , ,

Heejoung Shin
Clinical Assistant Professor and Digital Scholarship Librarian
Digital Scholarship Hub, University of Illinois Chicago

Abstract

This article attempts to bring academic library makerspaces into conversation with digital scholarship by attending to their shared methods and methodologies: focus on process and labor, iterative making through the mediation of digital technology, interdisciplinary collaboration, and reflective pedagogy and practice. The relationship between academic library makerspaces and digital scholarship has been underexplored, with fabrication activities placed as adjacent to, rather than constitutive of, digital scholarship or treated as separate from discussions of the field, digital scholarship. Using the Digital Fabrication Lab at the University of Illinois Chicago Library, situated in an R1 research university, as a case study, the article aims to demonstrate how makerspaces can operate as indispensable components in library-led digital scholarship when its operations are structured through equity-centered program design and reflective and critical pedagogy and practice. The article first outlines a brief history of the DFL, followed by a review of relevant literature on the relationship between makerspaces and digital scholarship. It then traces the DFL’s strategic evolution, including the development of its governing philosophy, and presents three examples that illustrate digital scholarship in practice in the academic library makerspace. Although grounded in the context of an academic library, the pedagogical model proposed here may also offer useful implications for school and public library makerspaces, particularly because curiosity and habits of inquiry that underpin research often begin well before learners enter higher education.

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Voice is Not a Metaphor: Considering Teaching Voice as Sound Rather than Identity

Peer-Reviewed Article, ,

Nadia Orozco-Sahi, MLIS
Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico

Introduction

I hadn’t entered librarianship to be a teacher. But as I sat in my first research clinic at the University of New Mexico, and then my next, and then my next, observing my fellow librarians guide undergraduate students through the research process, it was clear that I was going to be one, whether I had intended to be or not. I was going to walk into a classroom and be an instructor. I was also going to be visibly brown and obviously queer. My teaching identity was going to be partially prescribed before I even spoke, just by virtue of body politics and positioning – my physical presentation, at a podium, in front of the class. Before I even spoke. And then?

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Academic Libraries for Bookstore Lovers; or Why Five Browsing Collections Isn’t Really Overkill

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , ,

Michael Kirby
Julia Furay
Robert J. Kibbee Library
Kingsborough Community College
The City University of New York

Abstract

Given the existing research on reading for pleasure and its benefits, many academic libraries have begun to bolster their offerings by purchasing leisure materials for students. At CUNY Kingsborough Community College Library, we have created five separate browsing collections, each focusing on a particular subcategory: LGBTQ, juvenile, Holocaust, new books, and general leisure. What may sound like overkill is actually a targeted endeavor to make our collection more accessible to our users while minimizing shelving confusion for circulation staff. Equally important is highlighting diverse perspectives in a national environment that is increasingly hostile towards minority groups and intellectual freedom. If students are unable to locate materials that challenge overtly politicized narratives, how can we expect them to be well-informed? This article will include a discussion of browsing behavior in academic libraries and the pitfalls and benefits of creating these leisure collections.

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Subject Librarians’ Perceptions of Collection Work in a Changing Academic Library

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , ,

Lizzie Cope
ORCID: 0000-0003-4800-103X
Assistant Professor and Assessment Projects Librarian
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Luke McDonald
ORCID: 0009-0009-8832-3296
Assistant Professor and Electronic Resources Librarian
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Alexander Harriman
ORCID: 0000-0003-3809-1588
Collections Data Analyst
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Kat Brooks
ORCID: 0000-0003-0568-5179
Assistant Professor and Collections Strategist
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Abstract

Subject librarians, also called subject liaisons, liaison librarians, and subject specialists, have seen many changes through the years at academic libraries. Subject librarians face a new world of functional expertise and data driven decision making. Twelve subject librarians at an academic library were interviewed to uncover how they perceive themselves in the development and maintenance of library collections. Overall, findings suggest that while they recognize the support and collaboration available from technical services staff, they feel undervalued by the library at large. Misalignment, inconsistent communication and professional isolation are found to contribute toward feelings of distrust in leadership and frame the perception of collaboration between units within the library.

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King Spud Has Been Kidnapped: Using the Mystery Genre and Serious Games to Teach Information Literacy to Undergraduate Students

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , ,

Celia Hagey
Instruction and User Services Librarian
University of Idaho Library

Abstract

This article details an instructional academic librarian’s experience designing and teaching a mystery-themed information literacy workshop entitled “Mystery at the U of I Library.” The workshop is a form of game-based teaching known as a serious game. Serious games have been documented in scholarly writing since 1970 and implemented in educational settings ranging from elementary schools, high schools, and universities, using creative designs such as role-play games, card games, and video games. Educators in the fields of mathematics, science, and healthcare have published case studies on their use of mystery-based serious games, but representation of mystery-based games to teach information literacy is sparse. This article contributes insights on the value of creating a mystery-based information literacy workshop for undergraduate students at a mid-size public university, describing the author’s design process, experience teaching the workshop, and professional growth throughout the whole process. Other instructional librarians will find recommendations and advice for implementing their own mystery-based workshop. Overall, the workshop engaged students and revealed areas where students continue to struggle with information literacy skills, while stretching the author’s imagination and instructional ability.

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