IOPN Journals (Illinois Open Publishing Network)
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"You Have to Do This When You\u27re Healthy": An Introduction to Library Involvement in Programming on End-of-Life Issues
Get PDFWhile the library literature shows that librarians work to address information needs about end-of-life issues, no systematic research on library involvement in programming about these issues yet exists. A preliminary study was conducted of library staff whose libraries have been involved in end-of-life programming or had considered this programming between 2018 and 2023. The study consisted of an online survey, followed by an interview with respondents whose libraries had been involved in this programming. The study sample (N=13) included public and academic libraries around the United States and in communities of various sizes. Reported activities included speaker series, Death Cafes, instruction on obituary writing, support for palliative and pastoral care groups by creating information resources, and a virtual training for public library staff about meeting patrons’ needs for end-of-life health information. Topics covered medical, financial, legal, emotional, and spiritual questions related to death and dying. Respondents described a variety of partners as valuable contributors to programs’ success. Some programs incorporated methods to help manage program participants’ anxieties about the subject matter. Respondents reported positive experiences with these programs and positive feedback from participants, but possible effects of volunteer bias and the small sample size prevent conclusions about how typical this is. More research is necessary to understand patterns among these programs, ways to protect the emotional well-being of those involved, and strategies to tailor programs to best meet library patrons’ needs for information on end-of-life issues
Students’ Perceptions and Use of AI in MLIS Courses
Get PDFArtificial intelligence (AI) has been a buzzword on the Internet due to the development of ChatGPT. AI, especially generative AI, can create original text, audio, and images in response to users’ questions and needs. These programs have the potential to enhance students’ learning and creativity if used ethically. Especially for graduate students in the library and information science (LIS), AI can be used to help students outline essays or produce creative content (e.g., videos, slides, visual presentations) that mimic human intelligence and creativity. However, considering this is yet new technology, research needs to be done to understand how students perceive and use AI ethically in their coursework and research in higher education settings. Specifically, this study aims to explore students’ views on the ethical implications of AI in LIS research and class assignments in a course in the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program at a university and gather students’ perspectives on its responsible or irresponsible utilization. Content analysis of students’ online discussions revealed that students perceived that AI could enhance educational efficiency, foster creativity, and provide technical support. Students found AI helpful in personalized learning experiences, resource access, streamlining tasks, and critical thinking and problem-solving. However, they had concerns about incorrect citation, copyright, plagiarism, bias, misinformation, privacy, and the risk of diminished creativity. This inquiry will contribute to gaining insights into how to help MLIS students prepare with ethical understanding and use of AI for their professional activities.
Community-Based Digital Initiatives: Challenges and Opportunities for LIS Education
Get PDFThe integration of experiential learning with community service is a prevalent pedagogical approach in Library and Information Science (LIS) education, particularly in courses like digital collections and fieldwork experiences. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities associated with community-based digitization projects within an LIS program, drawing upon anecdotal evidence from various instances of faculty and student involvement. Through reflective analysis, the author identifies key themes such as community needs and barriers, the practicality of hands-on learning, and the complexity of collaboration. The paper proposes a framework for potential interinstitutional and cross-community collaboration, aiming to bridge the gap between LIS education and practical applications. By delineating essential resources and potential avenues for support, the framework seeks to facilitate the sustainability and success of community-based digital initiatives. However, uncertainties regarding funding accessibility and institutional policies pose significant challenges, highlighting the need for ongoing research and collaboration in this field
"What can I know? Where can I go? What can I be?"
Get PDFCo-sponsored by the Information Policy and Information Ethics special interest groups (SIGs), this proposal is for a pair of 90-minute speaker panels, facilitated by the respective SIG convenors and supporting interlocutors, which will draw on concepts of Habermas\u27s ideal speech and public discourse. We begin with the premise that there are multiple theoretical lenses through which to critique increasingly hostile proposals of law and/or policies that limit bodily sovereignty and speech/intellectual freedom. Such polices can be understood as attempts to organize historically marginalized bodies in both physical and digital realms (e.g., through restrictions on access to knowledge, or production of dis/mal information, etc.). Thus, challenges that limit access to spaces and knowledge (focusing libraries and education) demonstrate a need to counter the breakdown of "ideal speech" within a pluralistic society that is free of coercion (Habermas, 1985) while acknowledging the role of identity, positionality, and embodiment with a post-critical lens.
This back-to-back SIG session will be comprised of two panels: first, a panel focusing on Information Ethics, which will explore the notion of what is allowed and is not allowed in public and quasi-public physical and virtual spaces; and second, a panel focusing on Information Policy, which examines how conflicts in ethics are manifest in policies that determine or exert limitations on discourse in public spaces, focusing on libraries and educational spaces. Together, the panels will demonstrate theoretical and practical departure points that can be applied in a wide range of LIS/IS educational contexts.
The first co-sponsored panel explores how identity and embodiment are linked, as embodied knowledge can be understood as identity expressions, whether enacted through affordances or limitations to exercise autonomy and that which a society and community construct for it, e.g., gender affirming and reproductive care, expressions of sexuality, and the racialized body. Professional identity, which is the identity transposed into and developed within a profession, can impact understanding of affiliation with a profession and behaviour within it (e.g., Pierson, 2023). This first panel will focus on the guiding question: How do we prepare students to navigate the complex realities of identity, embodiment, and professional ethical imperatives to maintain the library as a commons for ideal speech and public discourse?
The second panel pivots attention to laws and policies that limit public speech and discourse. Limitations on expression can be considered an act of symbolic violence (Bourdieu and Passeron, 1990), designed to subordinate certain bodies, ideas, identities, etc. However, policy-makers are tasked with governing public spaces to balance the rights of individuals with the collective. When (if ever) is it acceptable to create policies that limit speech or peoples’ right to express themselves in public spaces? How might policies be developed, and what do policies look like, that take into account and respect individuals’ rights and create a collective space where all bodies are able to flourish?
Both discussions will be supported by co-convenor and interlocutors representing both North American and international voices, prompting discussion in the tradition of the commons and public discourse
Big Research Data Management Needs of Researchers at a Research- Intensive University - A Qualitative Study
Get PDFBig Research Data Management (BRDM) infrastructure is a complex socio-technical system. The design and provision of effective BRDM services at research universities require a multipronged examination of individual, social, technical, and larger contextual (i.e., campus, state, and national context) aspects of the BRDM infrastructure needs and uses of their users. Although there is a significant body of literature on BRD already, an in-depth, theory-driven examination of researchers’ needs for BRDM services on university campuses and the challenges and hurdles they face in using and managing BRD is lacking. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research on university administrators’ motivation for providing BRD services on their campuses and the hurdles and barriers they face in providing those services.This study aims to contribute to the literature by investigating the BRD-related needs of researchers from different fields and the barriers and challenges to designing and providing such support at a research university. The ongoing Health Data Science Initiative (HDSI) of Florida State University and user interviews are used as the data sources of this study. The study is guided by activity theory to investigate the complex structure of activities and factors that make BRDM infrastructure successful on university campuses.When completed, the study will inform the design of BRDM infrastructure and services on university campuses by providing an evidence base for the perspectives and needs of BRD creators, users, curators, and policymakers. In particular, by understanding the BRDM requirements of researchers, university administrators can provide effective and user-centered BRDM solutions to them
Breaking the Loop, Finding the Balance: Predictors of Social Media Detox among Graduate Students
Get PDFSocial media detox is recognized as an effective strategy for mitigating the negative impacts of excessive social media usage. This study explores the factors influencing graduate students’ decisions to engage in social media detox. Factors related to social media overload and general social media experience were examined as potential predictors. Data were collected using an online survey from 179 graduate students who are active on social media. The results of the study revealed a high prevalence of social media overload among graduate students, with information overload emerging as the strongest predictor of social media detox. This suggests that effectively managing the constant influx of information on social media platforms is crucial for reducing stress and promoting digital well-being among graduate students. The study provides practical implications and further research directions for promoting digital well-being and enhancing information management skills
Building Information Worlds through Community and Experience: Preliminary Findings of an Ethnographic Study of Vehicle Residents’ Information Practices
Get PDFAcross the United States, an estimated one million people inhabit vehicles as their primary method of housing. While vehicles are among the most common shelters aside from brick-and-mortar homes, few studies have explored this populace. This is among the first studies that investigate vehicle residents from an information perspective. Based on six months of ethnographic fieldwork, this study seeks to explore vehicle residents’ information practices and the resources and source preferences used to support their daily lives. The end goal is to understand how information institutions, namely public libraries, can create service provisions to offer support. Through an information worlds lens, coupled with information horizon interviews, this research seeks to examine how trust is built within this community through information seeking via other vehicle residents. Preliminary findings suggest that the trust constructed within this information world directly impacts vehicle residents’ decisions to turn to their community for information
The Difference Between Passive Subjects and Autonomous Actors: Proposing an Orientation Toward Consent in Library and Information Science
Get PDFTo participate in most aspects of society, individuals are constantly required to share their data. From students in LIS courses to patients forced to enter information into third party software to check into medical appointments, we all have to “consent” to live our lives. While we are presented with consent forms full of legalese constantly, opportunities to opt out are rare. This critical essay posits that to prepare our students to become ethical members of information professions, LIS educators must center consent as a core ethical value. Using a scoping review approach, we explore consent as a distinct topic in LIS literature. We then propose an orientation towards consent that can center human rights, individual autonomy, and care in LIS work
Misinformation Knowledge Synthesis: Using Meta-Analysis to Develop Interdisciplinary Interventions
Get PDFDue to the disciplinary silo effect of academic research, there is the need to consolidate and synthesize theories for misinformation from multiple disciplines. While the call has been made for the integration necessary to qualify interdisciplinary research, there has been little progress nor substantial efforts made toward this goal. Current challenges include departmental dynamics, the lack of training and resources to support interdisciplinary research, or pressures made by the tenure-track promotion system. Therefore, we propose a method of consolidating top theories and frameworks derived from reviews of scholarly literature from multiple disciplines. This would require a systematic review of systematic reviews encompassing misinformation and its relevant derivations, being mindful that coming to a consensus using terminology remains one of the chief challenges of interdisciplinary work. In addition to identifying the top theories used in research, an overview of the epistemological origins as well as a relevant application could be used as a visual framework to bridge the vast gulfs dividing each school of thought. Another way to discover what disciplines are in collaboration is to visualize the social network connections formed through co-citation analysis. With this method of meta-analysis and subsequent synthesis, more comprehensive understandings will develop, improving both the automated detection methods for misinformation and interventions to mitigate its effects
Positioning LIS Students for Career Success
Get PDFThere is an assumption that students enter graduate programs with a certain level of knowledge and awareness about the field they have chosen to study and their career plans post-graduation. However, the literature shows that even graduate students benefit from services and programming related to career exploration and preparation. This is especially true in the library and information science (LIS) field, which offers myriad career paths and settings for graduates. Despite resources such as the ALISE Statistical Report, San José State University iSchool’s Career Trends report, and research on the core knowledge and skills desired of information professionals, extant literature examining career services provided to and desired by LIS graduate students is lacking.
This project examined career planning services and programming in LIS graduate programs using a descriptive research approach. Data was collected via surveys of current LIS program administrators and enrolled graduate students. As LIS job seekers report such long and frustrating job search experiences that they consider leaving the field entirely, insights from this research will inform the creation or improvement of career services for LIS students, advance discussion of career services for graduate students, and identify exemplars that can be used to guide programming efforts. This paper will share preliminary findings from surveys completed by 25 program administrators and 400 current students