American Library Association Journals
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Reference Services and Instruction: Translating the Accessibility of Live Demonstrations from Library Instruction to Reference Interactions
No full textAs librarians whose roles focus on teaching, we aim to provide meaningful and equitable learningexperiences for all students, including students with disabilities. However, as is the case formany librarians, there is an overwhelmingly one-time nature to our interactions with students.Our instruction sessions are usually “one-shots” and, while in our research consultations we maysee some students repeatedly, most often we will only see them once or twice in a semester. Theoften-one-time nature of our work means that we have limited information about the needs of ourstudents, and few opportunities to meaningfully assess students’ learning experiences. As such,it is challenging to determine how accessible our teaching is, both in the classroom and in ourresearch consultations
Developing a Pandemic-Related Mental Health Micro-Collection for an Academic Library
No full textAcademic library patrons dealing with the impact of trauma, depression, anxiety, or addiction spawned or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic require materials that address the unique conditions that have shaped mental health since late 2019. This paper demonstrates how one academic library endeavored to address patrons’ needs for mental health resources by developing a “Coping and COVID-19” micro-collection
Assessing Opt-In Rates for Transformative Agreements
No full textWith increasing requirements for open access (OA) by funders, academic libraries have begun piloting so-called “transformative agreements” with publishers. One type of agreement gives researchers at an institution read access to all content while also allowing them to publish articles OA in hybrid (and sometimes gold) OA journals without payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC). Such models often give corresponding authors from an institution the ability to opt in or out of making their article OA for hybrid journals. This article provides an assessment of two pilot transformative agreements at one large research institution that participated as a member of a consortium. It provides insight into opt-in rates overall for each publisher as well as breakdowns by disciplinary affiliation and rank of the researchers, as well as the combined impact of the agreement and other mechanisms on the overall OA availability of research at these publishers with researchers at the institution regardless of corresponding author status. The discussion includes a review of lessons learned and the overall benefits and challenges of working with such agreements
Too Broad and Too Narrow: One Library’s Experience with Approval Plans
No full textIn 2019 a public urban academic research library decided to implement a subject-based approval plan to assess its viability to replace single-title book ordering. However, due in part to our library’s unique collecting needs, the plan necessitated extensive and continuous reviews and revisions, which ultimately prompted us to discontinue the plan
Patron Privacy in School Libraries
No full textNorth Carolina passed a law in 2023 that gave parents the right to inspect school library circulation records for their students. This law has created a conundrum for school librarians who wish to protect student privacy in their library space. Through intentional planning and sharing, school librarians can continue to honor students’ rights while following the law
In Brief
No full textAlabamaAlbert L. Scott Library, AlabasterIn September 2022, a patron emailed Albert L. Scott Library to request the removal of all two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) materials from the children’s department. They spent a month exchanging messages with a librarian, who gently explained the role of the library in serving all patrons
Anticipation
No full textAs we move toward a new year and a new administration in the United States, we still don’t know what to expect for libraries and other information institutions. Archivists were dismayed by the actions of the US Archivist Colleen Shogan for “whitewashing” history. According to the Wall Street Journal . .
2024 GODORT Midwinter Meeting Summaries
No full textInternational Documents Task Force (IDTF)The IDTF did not hold a meeting at Midwinter. The TaskForce’s Coordinator is gathering vendor updates and will publishthese aggregated updates as a single message on ALA Connectin the near future. The Task Force plans to meet againduring GODORT’s virtual Annual conference in June
Records and Information Management, Third Edition
No full textThe digital revolution has ushered in rapid technological advancements that continue to transformpractices and activities across many industries, thereby greatly impacting records and informationmanagement (RIM). Organizations are confronted with “formidable challenges” and new opportunitiesregarding managing records and information (57). Disruptive technologies, such as cloud computing,machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), present both challenges and opportunities. Inaddition, the abundance of data and information that comes with this digital age further proves thatRIM is just as relevant as ever. It is essential to equip existing and future professionals with a solidfoundation and understanding of the core elements and many complexities of RI
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: What Are They and Why Are They So Vital?
No full textWhen talking about early literacy, librarians are toldthat basic skills involve phonological awareness. Orphonemic awareness. Sometimes one of these skills ismentioned, and sometimes the other is highlighted. We’ve heardnumerous questions about the difference between these two skills.Most people think of phonics as the initial building blocks of literacy.In reality, there are several prerequisite skills needed before phonicsinstruction