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Academic Librarianship: Week by Week

Class 11 - November 14

Academic Library Management

Guest Speakers:

Linda LoSchiavo, Director of University Libraries, Fordham Library

Mustafa Sakarya, Director, Sarah Lawrence College Library; former Library Director at SUNY Purchase and Mercy College

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Discussion of the different libraries we have visited or heard from (Baruch, SVA, Fordham, Sarah Lawrence). How are they similar? How are they different? How do their space, resources, and services serve their constituents?

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Instruction

Review of earlier articles not yet discussed

Discussion of the workshop / ACRL Framework assignment 

 

Academic Job Market

Discuss video

 

Readings for Next Week:

Evans, G. E., & Greenwell, S. (2018). The Academy, Accreditation and Accountability. 173-191. Academic librarianship. American Library Association.

Dennis, M., & Dees, A.S. (2024) Strategic alliances: The library as a partner for student success. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 50(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102964

Class 12 - November 21

Presentations of professional organization event assignment: Everyone will share what professional development event they attended/watched and will provide a synopsis of what they learned.

Catch-up: Information literacy instruction assignment presentations: Everyone also will share what they did for their information literacy instruction assignment and how it maps to the Framework. 

 

Academic Library Services

  • Student Success / Barriers to Student Success
  • Scholarly Communication
  • Faculty / Research Support
  • Academic Publishing

Assessment

Accreditation

No Class - November 28

Happy Thanksgiving!

No Class - December 5

Job Fair

Have fun!

* To find a time to meet on Zoom

  • Academic Integrity
  • Plagiarism
  • Information Ethics

Next Week:

Please prepare your job talk presentations to share with the class.

Reach out to me if you have any questions!

Class 13 - December 12

Course Review

Final Paper Presentations

Course Conclusion

Let's meet on Zoom for this one.

Week 1 - August 29

Course Introduction

  • Introductions
  • Overview of Course Objectives and Syllabus
  • Overview of Professional Organizations
  • What Is an Academic Library?

 

Readings for Next Week:
Greenwell, S., Evans, G. E., & Alire, C. A. (2018). Context. Academic Librarianship, Second Edition. ALA Neal-Schuman, 1-18.

Greenwell, S., Evans, G. E., & Alire, C. A. (2018). Higher Education's Historical Legacy. Academic Librarianship, Second Edition. ALA Neal-Schuman, 19-42.

Lynch, B. P. (2022). The development of the academic library in American higher education and the role of the academic librarian. The Academic Library in the United States: Historical Perspectives, 45-59.

 

Standards for libraries in higher education. (2018). Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries.

Read pages 9-14 (From "Principles and Performance Indicators" to Appendix 1)

Access the report here: https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/acrl/content/standards/slhe.pdf

 

Association of College and Research Libraries. Academic Library Impact: Improving Practice and Essential Areas
to Research. Prepared by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, William Harvey, Vanessa Kitzie, and Stephanie Mikitish of OCLC
Research. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2017

Read pages 1-10 (From: "Introduction: Demonstrate the Library’s Value" up to "Literature Review")

Access the report here: https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/acrl/content/publications/whitepapers/academiclib.pdf

 

Skim the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education Website:

https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/

 

Assignments for Next Week:

1. More About a Local Academic Library

In class, you chose an academic library in Manhattan. For that library, please find the following:

What kind of academic library is it / what kind of academic institution does it belong to?

Based on what you can gather about the institution, what are the students studying? What might you assume about the faculty?

What are the hours? What might this tell you about the role of the library in the academic institution?

Is it open to the public? (If this isn't clear on the website, please consider asking: using a chat function, emailing, calling.)

Looking at the library website, what impressions does it give you?

* You will tell the class about what you found.

2. Choose a Professional Organization

As we discussed in class, there are a lot of professional organizations for librarians. Being aware of them, and being involved, can be useful. One assignment in this class is to "attend" an professional development event and to write up a brief synopsis of what it covered and what you learned. Please look through some of the organizations we talked about (see Professional Organizations tab) and see if one looks interesting to you. 

* Tell me next week which one you choose.

Week 2 - September 5

Academic Libraries in Context

  • Brief History of the Academic Library
  • Types of Academic Libraries (Community College, College, University)
    • Discussion about the libraries you chose
  • Research Libraries
  • Higher Education and the Role of the Library
  • The Value of the Academic Library

 

Readings for Next Week:

ACRL Top Trends in Academic Libraries

(2024, 2022, 2020, and 2018 documents all linked "Top Trends in Academic Libraries" tab)

Read the 2024 document closely. If possible, please read them all in full. If you are pressed for time, at least skim them all so you can see how issues have changed -- or remained the same -- over time:

Research Planning and Review Committee. (2024). 2024 Top Trends in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Trends and Issues. College & Research Libraries News, 85(6), 231. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.85.6.231

Research Planning and Review Committee. (2022). Top trends in academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues. College & Research Libraries News, 83(6), 243. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.83.6.243

Research Planning and Review Committee. (2020). 2020 top trends in academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues affecting academic libraries in higher education. College & Research Libraries News, 81(6), 270. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.81.6.270

Research Planning and Review Committee. (2018). 2018 top trends in academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues affecting academic libraries in higher education. College & Research Libraries News, 79(6), 286. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.79.6.286

 

SKIM the Following Articles:

Chronicle of Higher Education Top Trends 2024:

Jesse, D. (2024). Your College’s Top Lawyer Has Never Been More Powerful: The general counsel’s office wields tremendous influence. Is that a good thing? Derek Brahney for The Chronicle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Kate, H. B. (2024). A Campus Where Everyone Is Just Like You: More are making an identity-based pitch: You are safe here. Derek Brahney for The Chronicle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Hicks, M., Gluckman, N., & Audrey, W. J. (2024). Three Emerging Trends The Chronicle Is Watching: Here are 3 other trends that could affect higher ed this year. Derek Brahney for The Chronicle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Swaak, T. (2024). AI Will Shake Up Higher Ed. Are Colleges Ready?: A lot rides on the answer. Derek Brahney for The Chronicle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Mangan, K. (2024). Is Inclusion Possible on Campuses Today?: Campus leaders struggle to deliver on a core ideal. Derek Brahney for The Chronicle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Zahneis, M. (2024). The Rise of the Faculty Budget Activists: They have proposals to stave off cuts. Is anyone listening? Derek Brahney for The Chronicle. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

 

Assignments for Next Week:

In class, you each chose one of the ten trends identified in the 2024 Top Trends in Academic Libraries. For your topic, read one of the articles cited in the report under your topic. Prepare a brief synopsis of the article to share with the class. 

 

Professional Organization Assignment Progress: Now that you have chosen a professional organization, please try to find an upcoming event or recorded webinar, etc. that you would like to attend. You can email it to me. You are also welcome to share it with the class--everyone will probably be curious about what's out there!

Week 3 - September 12

Academic Libraries in Context

  • Issues in Higher Education
  • Top Trends in Academic Libraries
    • Discussion of the extra article you each read
  • Types of Academic Librarian Positions
  • Academic Library Consortia
  • Partnerships with Other Libraries and Related Institutions

 

Readings for Next Week:

Gyure, D. A. (2008). The Heart of the University: A History of the Library as an Architectural Symbol of American Higher Education. Winterthur Portfolio, 42(2/3), 107–132. https://doi.org/10.1086/589593

Macken, M. E. (2006). The Art Library as Place: The Role of Current Space Planning Paradigms Within the Academic Art and Architecture Library. Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 25(2), 18–25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27949435

Beagle, D. (1999). Conceptualizing an Information Commons. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 25(2), 82–89.

Houston, A. M. (2015). Revisiting Library as Place: Balancing Space Planning Priorities by Focusing on Core Purpose. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 55(2), 84–86. https://www.jstor.org/stable/refuseserq.55.2.84

Greenwell, S., Evans, G. E., & Alire, C. A. (2018). Facilities. Academic Librarianship, Second Edition. ALA Neal-Schuman, 141–158.

 

Take a Look (no need to read closely):

ACRL's "Academic Library Building Design: Resources for Planning":

https://acrl.libguides.com/buildingresources/librarybuildingdesign

 

If interested in more readings on space (not required!):

Cha, S. H., & Kim, T. W. (2015). What Matters for Students’ Use of Physical Library Space? The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(3), 274–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2015.03.014

 

Assignment for Next Week:

I want to know more about your thoughts on the physical space of academic libraries. A few options to do that (pick one or combine more than one):

1. Tell me how you use/used the space in an academic library.

2. Visit an academic library and look around. How is the space organized and how are people are using the space? What is housed in the library? Feel free to take photos, sketch the space, etc., but absolutely not required.

3. What are your thoughts about housing other departments/services in the library? Does it enhance or dilute the idea of the library?

Week 4 - September 19

Academic Library Resources

  • The Physical Library
  • The History of Library Architecture
  • Learning Commons / Information Commons
  • "Library as Place"
  • Physical Libraries vs. Digital Libraries
  • Facilities

 

Readings for Next Week:

Library of Congress Classification. https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcc.html. Accessed 6 May 2024. [NOTE: Look around on the page, click some links; no need to read everything, just explore a little]

Library of Congress Subject and Genre/Form Headings: https://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/subject. Accessed 21 Sept 2024. [NOTE: Look around on the page, click some links; no need to read everything, just explore a little]

Straight Dope Staff. “What’s so Great about the Dewey Decimal System?” The Straight Dope, 31 Jan. 2006, https://www.straightdope.com/21343379/what-s-so-great-about-the-dewey-decimal-system.

Berman, Sanford. (1993) Introduction. pp. 15-24. Prejudices and antipathies : a tract on the LC subject heads concerning people (1993 ed). Edited by Sanford Berman & E. Moon, Eds. McFarland & Co.

Olson, Hope A. (2001) “The Power to Name: Representation in Library Catalogs.” Signs, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 639–68.

Drabinski, Emily. (2008) “Teaching the Radical Catalog.” Radical Cataloging : Essays at the Front, edited by Keller Roberto and Sanford Berman, McFarland & Company.
 

Interested in More?

Roberto, K. R., Ed. (2008). Radical cataloging: essays at the front. McFarland & Company.

Berman, S., & Moon, E. (1993). Prejudices and antipathies: a tract on the LC subject heads concerning people (1993 ed). McFarland & Co.

The Dewey Decimal System - Dewey Decimal System - LibGuides at Pratt Institute. https://libguides.pratt.edu/dewey-decimal-system/home. Accessed 6 May 2024.

 

Assignment for Next Week: We will discuss this in class next week; it is not due on 9/26.

Write a short reflection paper on bias in the catalog. We'll talk more about this assignment in class.

Week 5 - September 26

Academic Library Resources

  • Library of Congress Classification
  • Classification and the Catalog
  • Library of Congress Subject Headings
  • Bias & Corrections

 

There is no class next week. Readings for the Following Week:

No Class - October 3

Rosh Hashanah

 

 

Readings for Next Week:

Evans, G. E., & Greenwell, S. (2018). Collections. 193-211. Academic librarianship. American Library Association.

Jahnke, L., Tanaka, K., & Palazzolo, C. (2022). Ideology, Policy, and Practice: Structural Barriers to Collections Diversity in Research and College Libraries. College & Research Libraries, 83(2), 166-183. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.83.2.166

OPTIONAL READINGS (if interested in further reading on the topic):

Bledsoe, K., Cooper, D.M., Schonfeld, R.C., and Rieger, O.Y. (November 9, 2022). Leading by Diversifying Collections: A Guide for Academic Library Leadership. Ithaka S+R. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.317833.

Abbazio, J.M., Boddie, A., and Ogihara, E. (2022). Music Libraries and an Expanding Repertory: Suggested Strategies for Building Diverse Music Library Collections. Notes (Music Library Association) 78(3), 353-79. https://doi.org/10.1353/not.2022.0005

WILL COVER IN CLASS; listed here / linked below for reference:
Biblarz, D. (2001). Guidelines for a collection development policy using the conspectus model. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Section on Acquisition and Collection Development.

Levenson, H. N. (2019). Nimble collection development policies: an achievable goal. Library Resources & Technical Services, 63(4), https://journals.ala.org/index.php/lrts/article/view/6785/9782.

 

Class 6 - October 10

Academic Library Resources

  • Collections
  • Special Collections
  • Collection Development in the Academic Library
  • Collection Development Policies
  • OERs

 

Readings for Next Week:

Warren, B., Armstrong, D., Boucher, A., Harper, J., Pierard, C., Thoulag, J., & Ketchum, D. (2020). A framework for access services librarianship: An initiative sponsored by the association of college and research libraries’ access services interest group.

 

Evans, G. E., & Greenwell, S. (2018). Services. 213-228. Academic librarianship. American Library Association.

Class 7 - October 17

Academic Library Services

  • Access Services
  • Service Desks and Types of Transactions
  • Constituents
  • Communities

 

Readings for Next Week:

Dewey, B. I. (2005). The Embedded Librarian: Strategic Campus Collaborations. Resource Sharing & Information Networks, 17(1–2), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1300/J121v17n01_02

 

Sheets, L. (2023). A change of art: Learning research strategies in a new subject area through a LibGuide redesign. College & Research Libraries News, 84(4), 167. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.84.4.167

Access here: https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/25853/33786

 

Urszula Lechtenberg and Helene Gold, “When All You Have Is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a LibGuide: Strengths, Limitations, and Opportunities of the Teaching Tool” (presentation, Annual LOEX Conference, Ypsilanti, MI, May 6, 2022).

Watch presentation here: https://vimeo.com/721358576

 

Class 8 - October 24

Academic Library Services

  • Research Services
  • The Research Consultation
  • The Research Guide

We'll take a tour of Baruch's Newman Library and have a chat with Stephen Francoeur, Interim Assistant Dean & Executive Chief Librarian.

Readings for Next Week:

"Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education", American Library Association, February 9, 2015. https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework (Accessed August 27, 2024). Document ID: 890cccdc-cd7e-4973-981f-92baea71d2eb

[Access here: https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/acrl/content/issues/infolit/Framework_ILHE.pdf]

 

Bastone, Z., & Clement, K. (2022). Serving everyone or serving no one? Examining the faux-equity of the one-shot. College & Research Libraries, 83(5), 780.
PDF attached below
 
Cook, D. B., & Klipfel, K. M. (2015). How Do Our Students Learn? An Outline of a Cognitive Psychological Model for Information Literacy Instruction. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 55(1), 34–41.
PDF attached below
 
Beilin, I. G. (2015). Beyond the threshold: Conformity, resistance, and the ACRL information literacy framework for higher education. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2015/beyond-the-threshold-conformity-resistance-and-the-aclr-information-literacy-framework-for-higher-education/ (Accessed September 28, 2024).
 

Assignment for Next Week:

You will be given a research question in class. Prepare a description of how you would approach the question with a student. This should include search term strategies, places to look, etc.

Class 9 - October 31

Academic Library Services

  • Information Literacy
    • Definition from 2000 Standards: “Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.’”

    • Definition from 2015 Framework: "Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning."

  • ACRL Information Literacy Framework
  • Types of Library Instruction (emphasis on class sessions and workshops)
  • Instructional Design Basics
  • Critical Pedagogy

For Reference: The ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000):

https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/19242/22395 

^ This is what the Framework replaced.

 


 

Readings for Next Week:

 

 

Assignment for Next Week:

You will be presenting a library workshop on a topic of your choice. Draft a few (3-5) goals for the session and map them to the ACRL Framework. We will review examples in class to give you a sense of how this would work.

Resources for help with this:

ACRL Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox: A platform and repository for sharing Framework materials: https://sandbox.acrl.org/

Library Information Skills Curriculum, Stonehill College: https://libguides.stonehill.edu/curriculum

 

Class 10 - November 7

Field Trip: SVA Main Library

Meet at 380 Second Avenue (@ E. 22nd St.), 2nd Floor

After our visit, we'll stay at the SVA Library and cover the following:

Academic Library Services

  • Wrap up Research & Instruction

Examples of Lessons Mapped to Framework below

 

Additional Resources & Services

  • Archives and Special Collections
  • Institutional Repositories

 

Readings for Next Week:

 

Watch ACRL Presents: Getting Hired - A Practical Guide to the Academic Librarian Job Search:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=yr8QEHf3nL8

 

Assignment for Next Week:

Please prepare your 1-2 page paper on your chosen professional development event.