Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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From Conferences to Conventions: Taking Copyright Education to New Venues
No full textMany academic libraries lack a librarian with a JD to serve as a dedicated expert on copyright issues. Even among law librarians, only 30% hold a law degree (AALL, 2023). However, librarians can develop the necessary expertise in copyright matters—such as Fair Use, authors’ rights agreements, open access, and open education—through literature, conferences, and online certifications.
As co-authors, we fall into this latter category. We began collaborating in Fall 2021, initially focusing on faculty workshops and presentations on copyright and Creative Commons. Our shared interests led us to explore alternative ways to deliver copyright education. This article describes our efforts to bring copyright education to an unconventional setting for academic librarians: pop culture conventions.
With the support of our institution’s leadership, we developed a presentation designed to establish a foundation in copyright knowledge, then expand to issues relevant to creators. This meant trading in traditional faculty workshop settings for convention halls filled with attendees dressed as their favorite comic book, superhero, and fantasy characters. In this article, we outline our process, share lessons learned, and discuss the professional value of stepping outside one’s comfort zone
What Should We Do Next? Designing an Innovation Portfolio for Academic Libraries
No full textInnovation is essential for academic libraries navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving knowledge ecosystem. This article explores how structured frameworks, such as the Innovation Matrix and the Three Horizons framework, can guide libraries in strategically aligning their efforts with institutional goals while balancing immediate needs with long-term aspirations. By shifting the focus from reactive decision-making to intentional problem framing, libraries can prioritize opportunities that deliver meaningful outcomes for their communities. Additionally, the 70-20-10 rule for resource allocation provides a practical approach to balancing core services, exploratory initiatives, and visionary projects. Through this multidimensional strategy, libraries can foster a culture of thoughtful innovation, adapt to emerging challenges, and position themselves as leaders in shaping the future of higher education. The article emphasizes the importance of aligning goals with actions, cultivating agility, and embedding innovation as a core practice to ensure relevance, creativity, and impact in a changing academic landscape
Pursuing Academic Librarianship: Pathways to Librarian Positions
No full textThe purpose of the study is to support library and information science students and recent graduates considering academic librarianship by helping them strategize their career preparation and job search endeavors based on recent graduates’ experiences. We accomplished this by employing a nationwide survey to quantify demographic characteristics, experiences during LIS studies, pre-professional experiences, aspects of the job search, and information about first librarian positions of recent graduates in the United States seeking positions as academic librarians. This article focuses on the survey respondents who obtained a librarian position in a non-academic or academic library, and the results reflect the overall, predominantly white, cisgender female survey population. We explore whether there are statistically significant differences in the backgrounds and experiences of respondents that distinguish between the pathways to librarian positions. Results show few differences among survey respondents who obtained a non-academic librarian position – those who went on to obtain an academic librarian position and those who did not. On the other hand, several statistically significant differences were observed among survey respondents who obtained an academic librarian position – those whose first librarian position was in an academic library and those who obtained an academic librarian position after having first worked as a librarian in a non-academic library. Several differences include the age of respondents, conference participation, pre-professional employment in a public, school, or special library, as well as when respondents started applying for librarian positions. The average amount of time needed to obtain a first librarian position by position pathway is significantly different for both non-academic librarian and academic librarian positions. Free-text responses from the final survey item organized by position pathway additionally underscore the current, highly competitive academic librarianship job market while providing insight into the strategies and circumstances that resulted in respondents obtaining academic librarian positions
From the Editors: Introduction to Volume 14, Number 2
No full textIn this introduction, we announce a call for a special issue focused on mid-career reinvention, and we introduce this issue with three research articles and a new “In Practice” piece
Systematic Review Collaboration and Data Governance in a Medical Library
No full textThe Conducting Systematic Review Collaboration (CSRC) is an initiative designed to enhance the quality of the systematic review (SR). This initiative was created by implementing the SR collaboration infrastructure, governance model, and practices to manage the SR collaboration. Ambassadorial and 3C (communication, cooperation, and collaboration) models were used to implement the SR collaborative initiative. This study sought to design the SR data governance and analytics model to scale the SR collaboration in a military medical library.
Keywords: systematic review collaboration, systematic review data governance, systematic review, librarianshi
Thinking Around the Box: using complementary innovation for designing programs and nurturing community
No full textThis essay explores a nuanced approach to innovation, challenging the traditional emphasis on either disruptive "outside the box" thinking or incremental improvements within established frameworks. Drawing inspiration from David Robertson\u27s concept of "complementary innovation," the essay proposes a third way—thinking around the box—that libraries can apply to program and service development. By focusing on the creation of integrated, user-centered service portfolios, libraries can enhance the user experience while fostering community engagement. Through case studies and practical examples, the essay illustrates how this approach not only strengthens services but also nurtures human connections, addressing broader societal challenges such as isolation and disconnection. By adopting complementary innovation, libraries can become vital hubs for knowledge, creativity, and social interaction, contributing to a more connected and resilient future for their communities
Relationship Building Advice for Liaison Librarians: Putting it into Practice and Troubleshooting
No full textLiaison librarians depend on communication and cooperation to be successful, so professional publications about liaison librarianship regularly include discussions of relationship building methods. As a department of experienced liaison librarians, we identified the relationship-building ideas from previous publications that were proactive in nature and had worked for us. Even though the advice has been helpful, we faced challenges or heard about challenges from other librarians when we discussed implementing the ideas. To improve on the published ideas, we have added tips for putting them into practice and answered troubleshooting questions based on our experiences. Adapting to and working around challenges are necessary parts of liaison librarian work that have not been as well-described in past publications
Cancelling the ‘Big Deal’ at a Public University: A Discussion of STEM Faculty Perceptions of Cancellation and Post-Cancellation Usage Data
No full textThis article discusses how faculty, staff, and students at the University at Buffalo (UB), a public Carnegie R1 university, were impacted by the cancellation of the Elsevier ScienceDirect Big Deal package. After the cancellation, UB participated in a multi-site study which included interviewing faculty about the effect of the cancellation on their research and teaching. In general, the faculty were supportive of the cancellation. There was frustration expressed with the current structure of the publishing industry, particularly with the exorbitant pricing of journal subscriptions. Later analysis of usage data at UB post-cancellation was conducted; unsurprisingly, the data showed a decrease in usage on the ScienceDirect platform and increase in requests for unavailable articles. Although the cancellation of the ScienceDirect Big Deal package had a direct impact on UB, the initial outcome was not exceedingly harmful and could be addressed through mitigating measures such as the quick fulfilment of requests for unavailable articles.
Keywords: Big Deal; collection development; STEM facult
Introduction to Volume 14, Issue 1
No full textIn this introduction, we announce a call for a special issue focused on mid-career reinvention, and we introduce this issue which includes our new “In Practice” section