Tag Archives: collaboration

The Writing Blitz: Engaging Students Through a High-Impact Hybrid Event

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , ,

Alexandra Boris
Social Sciences Librarian – University of Tennessee

Kat Brooks
Collections Strategist – University of Tennessee

Sarah McCarter
Student Success Librarian for Professional Literacies – University of Tennessee

Erin Elizabeth Whitaker
Student Success Librarian for Information Literacy – University of Tennessee

Abstract

The Writing Blitz is a long-standing high impact event held by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries. The original event was in-person, however, due the COVID-19 pandemic we transitioned to hybrid format to continue to reach students in the most accessible way possible. We will discuss how we managed an event in a hybrid environment and maintained relationships with crucial campus partners. In Fall 2023, we surveyed students and assessed perceptions and preferences for hybrid events. This article will outline the planning stages, execution, assessment, and our challenges and successes for delivering a hybrid engagement event.

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

Essay, , ,

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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Yours, Mine, Ours: Some Best Practices for Authors Writing Collaboratively

Peer-Reviewed Article, , ,

By Rachel A. Knapp, Applied Sciences Librarian, University of Colorado Boulder,
Paulina Borrego, Science & Engineering Librarian, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Thea Atwood, Data Services Librarian, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Introduction

The authors of this article focus on the best practices we learned through our experiences in scholarly writing, with a specific focus on the collaborative writing process. For the sake of this paper, we define collaborative writing as a collective process of creating a scholarly work for distribution, either through formal (e.g., peer-review) or informal (e.g., white paper) venues. This article is, in part, in response to our lack of formal training and addresses a situation in which we felt other researchers might find themselves. We hope to provide starting points for others interested in writing collaboratively and help empower those wishing to have a broader conversation about writing. Our scope here is limited to collaborative writing, and as such, we exclude other components of collaborative scholarly work, such as generating an idea, pursuing a grant, or analyzing data. Nevertheless, we do endeavor to provide resources and advice broadly applicable and relevant to all disciplines.

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