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Exploring Links Between Informal Learning, Library Provision, and Recidivism Rates in the USA (1974 to 2024): A Thematic Literature Review
Get PDFWe propose a thematic literature review of informal learning and library provision in United States carceral facilities over the last fifty years of mass incarceration (1974 to 2024). We will explore the reported impacts of library provision and informal learning opportunities in carceral facilities--i.e. recreational reading and non-credit bearing programs--on recidivism rates. We anticipate finding a general consensus among library, information, and education scholars and practitioners that increased opportunities for informal learning results in reduced recidivism rates, but we hypothesize that there is a lack of conclusive evidence of a causal relationship due to small sample sizes for each study or article and the likelihood that carceral and detention facility librarians and lifelong education providers rarely track recidivism at the facility level. We will gather information about how recidivism has been discussed in research and practice in the American context from scholarly publications such as Library Quarterly and The Journal of Prison Education Research (formerly The Journal of Prison Education and Reentry), and relevant trade publications such as the American Library Association\u27s magazine, and policy documents. Despite expectations of evidentiary gaps, particularly regarding the impact of such informal learning on recidivism, we hope to identify promising interventions in the literature, and build a foundation for future research, and evidence-based practice
Exploring the Outcomes of A Universal Design for Learning Framework Applied to Library Instruction that Serves Students Diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injuries
No full textThis study investigates the impact of applying a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to library instruction for college students, with a focus on those diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Utilizing a Socratic method of inquiry, the research explores how UDL-based instruction supports self-regulated learning (SRL), metacognitive awareness, and fosters social engagement.
The instructional model integrates goal setting, reflection, and self-assessment underpinned by metacognitive frameworks such as the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory. The findings are expected to highlight the differentiated benefits of UDL for students with TBIs, while also improving learning outcomes for the general student population. This research contributes to a broader understanding of how inclusive education models can enhance library instruction to address invisible disabilities, support academic performance, and foster sustainable instructional partnerships between libraries and academic departments
Efficacy of Tacit Knowledge in Support of Pedagogies in LIS Curriculum
Get PDFBuilding on Polanyi\u27s (1983; 1966:4) study of tacit knowledge, a type of knowledge embedded in the human brain or mind based on the acquired experiences of the individual, showing that the individual carrier can know more than they can articulate. This type of knowledge comprises 95% of what we know, derived from individual skills, expertise, education, experience, insights, ideas, intuition, observation, cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, and mental models (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). Recent studies speak to the roles of the tacit type of knowledge in teaching and learning and organisational productivity (Enakrire & Smuts, 2022; 2023), yet there is still a paucity of literature towards decolonising pedagogies in the LIS curriculum.
Keeping pace with the constantly evolving pedagogies in the library and information science field, tacit knowledge has become fundamental in reshaping how the LIS curriculum could be decolonised based on diverse ideologies of LIS expertise used in teaching, various cultural backgrounds for best practices and value placed on the profession by trained students globally.
Tacit knowledge is believed to create an adaptive space through which rethinking the LIS curriculum could be collectively reviewed, consolidated and strengthened for an enhanced workforce. This results in the need for LIS students to have a problem-solving initiative for socio-economic development.
Between 2014 and 2024, the author reviewed LIS papers about the topic that were taken from the LIS Ebscohost database. Based on certain criteria, 90 relevant papers were found. The scoping review\u27s results will be visualized and displayed on the poster
School Library SIG: Evolving Practice and Elevating Libraries
Get PDFThis panel explores how school librarians are transforming their roles through evolving practices while elevating libraries\u27 essential position in educational ecosystems. Burress and Li as co-conveners of the School Library SIG will facilitate the presentations and lead Q and A. Spanning evidence-based practice, information literacy in charter schools, diverse representation in collections, culturally responsive online learning, and professional development, these studies illuminate librarians\u27 journey toward decolonizing pedagogies. School librarians prioritize student identity, challenge traditional power structures, center marginalized voices, and build professional agency through reflective practice. Together, these works demonstrate school librarianship\u27s shift toward practices that honor diverse knowledge systems while asserting school libraries\u27 indispensable role as catalysts for educational transformation and student learning.
Cahill, Moore, and Kodama will present “Not a problem, a challenge, something to work with”: School Librarians’ Difficulties Collecting, Analyzing, and Sharing Evidence of Practice which discusses the idea that school librarians should be collecting, analyzing, and sharing evidence of practice both to inform decision making and to increase the visibility and value of school library programs. Prior studies suggest that school librarians struggle with these practices. To pinpoint school librarians’ difficulties with evidence, our research team engaged in focus groups and individual interviews with secondary school librarians and educational administrators at the school, district, and state levels. Analyses of those interviews reveal four areas of challenge in this realm of evidence-based practice: resources, knowledge and skills, dispositions, and alignment with stakeholder values.
Pryde will present, “Preparing School Librarians: Reflection on Practical Experiences within Professional Learning Networks for Preservice Librarians”. This presentation will discuss school librarian field experience. Preservice librarians require support and training to develop their own professional learning networks and engage in reflective practice for growth and improvement. By designing practicum and student teaching coursework and expectations that require regular reflective practice and engagement with a PLN, students learn about the benefits of these practices and also develop habits that continue in their careers. Preparing school library students to successfully manage their own professional growth and continued learning upholds the ideals of the AASL School Library Standards (2018) and ensures school librarians will have the necessary tools to successfully manage the multiple roles of school librarians.
Greene and Johnson will present, “Online Ready Year One: Culturally Competent and Impactful K-12 Online Learning”. The present study is the second phase of a national grant funded research project that aims to thoroughly capture and assess the institutional structures, pedagogical practices, and learner needs found in the first cycle of iterative design, development, and testing of a professional development learning product targeting that knowledge gap. Findings address the ways school librarians define and actualize their role in culturally responsive K-12 virtual learning, and how these change through professional development.
Krutka will present “Looking into Mirrors and Windows: School Librarians’ Perspectives on Diverse Representation in Book Collections”. This study, based on a survey of 142 school librarians, centered Rudine Sims Bishop’s concept of books as windows and mirrors and furthered a greater understanding of school librarians’ practices. Findings revealed four themes: librarians prioritize students, recognize the power of books, curate messages thoughtfully, and strive for continuous improvement. Librarians\u27 voices are essential for developing equitable library practices that affirm all student identities and experiences. School librarians are expected to develop collections reflecting diversity, yet the practices related to and significance concerning multicultural literature is understudied. Challenges related to this topic include bans and policies jeopardizing student access to literature.
Klein will present, “Information Literacy in Charter School Cultures” a study of information literacy in US charter schools. In our current media and technology saturated culture, K-12 students learn a lot about navigating, evaluating, and using information at school. However, how charters with their unique cultures and approaches do this important work with their students is not understood. This study looked at how educators prepare students to be wise information consumers and creators in classrooms, schools, and across the charter sector. Institutional ethnography, an apt methodology and theory to study this aspect of charter schools, was used to learn how work around information literacy is organize
Decolonizing Information Literacy Instruction for Multilingual Students: A Translanguaging Approach
Get PDFDespite efforts to teach information literacy to multilingual students, the learning outcomes have not been entirely satisfactory. To address this issue, this conceptual paper introduces translanguaging as an asset-based approach that allows students to use their full linguistic and cognitive resources in learning. It challenges the practicality concern about translanguaging by advocating for a shift in teachers’ roles from knowledge tellers to co-learners and links this shift to threshold concepts in the ACRL framework. Additionally, it explores the relationship between translanguaging, critical language awareness, and critical thinking, emphasizing that both translanguaging and information literacy share critical thinking as a core component. Ultimately, we argue that adopting a translanguaging approach not only supports a more inclusive, decolonizing pedagogy, but also benefits students, instructors, and institutions by enhancing the teaching and learning of information literacy
“Just Do the Work”: Social, Restorative, and Reparative Justice at American Academic Archives
Get PDFThe early 2020s have been years of great change across the USA – amid a global pandemic, George Floyd’s murder focused worldwide attention on anti-Black violence, and the subsequent spate of protests marked a shift in institutional acceptability of Black Lives Matter as a strategic priority rather than a “fringe” view. That movement has had direct impacts on the archival field, generating a wealth of talks and other disseminations that aim to shed light on the history of archives as institutions that uphold white supremacy and discuss the opportunities and challenges of conducting justice work.
Despite the steady increase of published work on the relationship between justice and archives in the last 15 years, and a more recent explosion of social, reparative, and restorative justice work within archives and by archivists, there have not been in-depth systematic studies of challenges to implementing and engaging in social justice as an archival imperative. This poster shares findings from the author’s dissertation, which examines the role of social, reparative, and restorative justice in academic archives, investigating the gap between published literature and practice through an interview study of archival practitioners at academic institutions that are engaging in justice work, supported by and triangulated with qualitative content analysis of a document corpus sourced from academic archives’ websites related to archival justice. This in-depth study of how these relatively new priorities have been carried out (or not carried out) on the ground provides insights into the myriad of ways archivists are engaging in justice work
Community Archiving in War Time: Service Learning
Get PDFPedagogical practices may be integral to disruption of inequality and violence. Our project develops this claim by engaging students, volunteers and library professionals from Ukraine into building a community archive, Ukrainian Libraries in Wartime. Pedagogical practices we employ draw from peace education and archival pedagogy. We explore possibilities of service learning and praxis-based education to develop in our students professional and personal skills of working at the time of crisis (Bajaj, 2015; Renner,2009; Reardon and Cabezudo 2002). We employ Omeka to create a community archive that functions as a repository of evidence of crimes against libraries, while documenting the history of the resistance of Ukrainian librarians.
Our project commenced in 2024 and is still ongoing. Using reflection and discussion with students, we learn and document how supporting Ukrainian professionals helped some transform their attitudes toward the war from feeling anger and frustration to experiencing hope, and developing a sense of agency//ability to foster some change. We also learned that developing a sense of solidarity and connectedness with the Ukrainian professional community enriches both Ukrainian partners and our students. Consulting archiving pedagogy, we also emphasize participation, shared stewardship, multiplicity of voices/approaches and advocacy to development of a community archive (Cook, 2013; Kuecker, et al. 2024). We hope sharing our pedagogical insights with ALISE community will enlighten educators in their struggles to develop tools that inspire compassion and lead to professional and personal successes
Community Informatics in the Tik Tok Trump Era: Up to the Challenges (and Opportunities) of LIS Education & Workforce Development?
Get PDFThe eponymously titled, Journal of Community Informatics, recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary, and shares a clear definition of community informatics: “the study and practice of enabling communities with Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs)” (“About the Journal”, 2024, 1). Examples of ICTs included computer labs in public libraries, international adoption of cell phones, and the emergence of interactive Websites like Craigslist. Traditional measures of impact such research citations and funding suggest that the hightide of community informatics in the library and information science (LIS) field was the late 1990s/early 2000s when Internet access expanded, the interaction of analog and digital worlds became increasingly important, and social justice was appearing more concentratedly in LIS research and practice (Williams & Durrance, 2009; Winberry & Bishop, 2021).
But time marched on, ICTs did as well—and global society adjusted to innovation and changes around social media, AI, and much more. This panel asks about the current relevance and future possibilities of community informatics in the LIS field and broader society.
Joseph Winberry, Assistant Professor, UNC Chapel Hill, School of Information & Library Science
Community Informatics as Information Advocacy:
Encouraging Students, Educating Employers, and Transforming Our Training
Community informatics is a concept which inspired me throughout my Master and Ph.D. programs. Now an assistant professor, time spent teaching and leading student projects has led me to uncomfortable questions about the roles that community informatics can offer current students and broader society.
Eric Ely, Assistant Professor, University of Central Missouri, Department of Educational Technology and Library Science
"Emergent Bedfellows: Community Informatics as Professional Matchmaker in the Library and Information Sciences".
My professional development during my Ph.D. program, and as an early-career professional, reinforced my advocacy for the “L” in Library and Information Studies. In the context of community informatics and ICTs, the work of adjacent fields (e.g., computer, data, and/or information science) is crucial, and in some ways overlaps with librarianship; however, the roles, scope, and skills make these careers discrete. Librarianship is, fundamentally, about people. Libraries leverage technology to empower individuals and communities to support social, cultural, and economic needs. Focusing on people – not products – contributes to more informed individuals, builds social capital, and contributes to greater understanding. With a background in the humanities, social sciences, and LIS, combined with experience in UX research, I grapple with the (primarily) economic benefits that drive students to library-adjacent professions. Given my transition from an “I” to an “L” school, my contribution to this panel centers the education of future librarians regarding industry and UX professions, mindsets, and, most significantly, library-industry collaboration to best serve individuals and communities in an ever-changing technological landscape.
Abigail L. Phillips, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Information Studies
Transforming Information Spaces:
Neurodiversity-Affirming Environments for Advocacy, Inclusion, and Community Mental Health Support
Motivated by my background in public librarianship and community engagement, I will explore the intersection of community informatics, disability, and neurodiversity advocacy, examining how information spaces can be transformed. Spaces such as public, school, and academic libraries can amplify neurodivergent voices, access needs, and lived experiences. Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship from LIS, disability studies, social work, and education, my contribution will share how information spaces can evolve into neurodiversity-affirming environments which further support advocacy work, create inclusive and empowering programming and collections, and serve as points of access to community mental health supports.
Particular attention will be given to how community informatics can challenge dominant neurotypical and ableist standards while fostering authentic support networks and avenues for connection among neurodiverse individuals. My approach for this panel aligns with an urgent need to destigmatize and reimagine mental health support within information spaces. By doing so, those seeking aid are offered a path forward that prioritizes neurodivergent agency, identity affirmation, and collective care.
Colin Rhinesmith, Associate Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Information Sciences, and Co-Editor-In-Chief, The Journal of Community Informatics
Community Informatics as Engaged Scholarship:
Designing Mutually Beneficial Partnerships to Advance our Relevance Today
In 2011, The Journal of Community Informatics published a special issue, titled "Research in Action: Linking Communities and Universities." In it, the issue featured nine articles from leading community informatics (CI) scholars that showcased meaningful partnerships between communities and universities around the globe. In his contribution, Day (2011) highlighted a CI learning model that engaged students and staff at the University of Brighton and community practitioners and citizens from communities in England and Kenya. The example shows what’s possible when higher education and community members work together to advance community development through CI projects. In this panel contribution, I will introduce the newly launched Engaged Information Sciences Network (EISN) in the iSchool at Illinois. EISN builds on this rich history of engaged scholarship at Illinois. The goal of the talk will be to encourage attendees interested in CI as a type of engaged scholarship to join the network.
Bharat Mehra, EBSCO Endowed Chair in Social Justice & Professor, University of Alabama, School of Library and Information Studies, and Series Editor, Advances in Librarianship
Hits and Misses in LIS Education from the Perspective of a Community Informatics Scholar and Social Justice Activist
In this panel, I briefly trace the influence of community informatics upon my professional journey as an educator, scholar, and social justice activist in LIS over twenty-five years from digital divides research and community networks development in the 1990s to the current resistance in a neoliberal academy and a ubiquitous political manipulation of news and social media (Buschman, 2017, 2016; Mehra, 2023, 2021). In the process, I identify hits and misses in the past, present, and future of community informatics within LIS and beyond illustrated during key milestones in my academic career (Mehra, 2024). I conclude with more a relevant and strategic approach integrating community informatics in LIS education moving forward as a counternarrative to recent political attacks against diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and toward educational and cultural memory institutions (such as universities, libraries, and others) in the aftermath of the 2024 Presidential Election (Cooke, 2017; Hughes-Hassell, 2013; Mehra, 2025).
These Stories Will (not) Shatter Inside of Me
Get PDFThis artwork centers one main theme: These stories will (not) shatter inside of me. That is the sentence that comes to mind a I think of myself, the narrators who have helped me build my dissertation, the BIPOC queer communities that speak up despite growing danger, the immigrant communities in my beloved city of Chicago who are under constant threat from ICE, and everyone who refuses to ignore genocide. I thought about the Black diaspora and how we share our histories—how this extends past us and into other minoritized cultures, whether defined by race, ability, class, queerness, or the intersection of all these things. We talk. What happens when archivists are trained to look at oral histories as a bonus material rather than as a method on par with paper? If we do not change our archival pedagogy to become more aware and inclusive of the myriad ways that different cultures express their histories, these histories will continue to disappear with the lives that hold them. Stepping outside of academia: if you know, you know. The overlooked have resisted this loss for lifetimes.
The backing: The backing cloth of the piece is Tunisian crochet, which I have done out of bulky wool yarn. The backing is two toned, split in half with a sky-gray bottom and black top. I have integrated the two colors in an alternating fashion as they meet, rather than having it be one block sitting on top the other. The stitching is black yarn.
The tree:The bottom displays the black silhouette of a leafless tree, stark against the gray sky, its branches expanding upwards, becoming distorted as it reaches the top half. The tree itself is dark colored, a combination of stitching and fabric to emulate the look of a tree against a winter sky. The cloth is from my stash--old t-shirts, scraps, and other things I have kept.
The figure: The branches of the tree distort in the center of the piece, reaching up towards the figure of a person with their arms raised. The person is composed of stitching, silhouetting them against the black background. The branches of the tree reach into the person, turning into lightning that ricochets within them, unable to leave their form. The lightning is composed of silver yarn sewn on top of the figure. The person stretches their arms upward, the lightning in the act of releasing through their arms.
The Defiance: Surrounding the person on printable fabric are cut out pages reading: THESE STORIES WILL (not) SHATTER INSIDE OF ME printed onto printable cloth. The font is the Black Trans Lives Matter font, an opensource font provided by GenderFail Press. The sentence is repeated over and over in different sizes, the fabric cut to frame the figure within.
Barriers and Collaborations in Decolonization and Indigenization of Library and Information Studies (LIS) Programs in Canada
Get PDFDecolonization and Indigenization of Library and Information Studies (LIS) curriculum is a crucial undertaking in the Canadian context, especially in light of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the adoption of UNDRIP, and national discussions around reconciliation. While there have been varied initiatives at Canadian LIS schools, structural barriers including accreditation requirements and institutional siloing among others inhibit the development of pan-Canadian collaborations. After a review of the literature, this paper explores the multiple barriers to decolonization and Indigenization of LIS curriculum in a Canadian context and then examines the work National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA), and Indigenous led partnerships, in advancing work in this area. The paper concludes by discussing future work planned by NIKLA and its Indigenous Curriculum working group, while also noting future challenges