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Microplastics in St. John, United States Virgin Islands Sediments: Methodological Approaches and Variability of Microplastics Concentrations and Accumulation Rates
No full textSediment samples were collected from a near shore and reef site in Coral Bay, St. John, United States Virgin Islands (USVI) from 2007-2016, using tube sediment traps. These samples provide an opportunity to study microplastics (MPs) in an area where no previous MP studies have been performed. Most sedimentary MP studies utilize benthic samples which can only measure MP concentrations (#MP/g or #MP/mL sediment), while sediment traps can provide MP accumulation rates (#MP/cm2/day) as a function of time. However, the methods used for extracting MPs from benthic samples have not been tested using sediment trap samples whose characteristics, such as low volumes and variable sedimentary composition, can lead to a more challenging MP extraction. Our objectives were: 1) to conduct a series of pilot studies in order to determine the best methods for applying density separation to sediment trap samples, with a focus on contamination minimization and maximization of MPs recovery, and 2) to determine the concentration, type, and accumulation rates of microplastics in the reefs of St. John. Based on the methodological tests, we employed a sequential phased (interstitial water, organic matter treatment, zinc chloride separation) density separation method in the extraction of MPs from St. John sediment trap samples which resulted in low blank (contamination) levels. Though variable, measurable MP were recovered from each phase, with 15.5±12% and 25±17% of the MP extracted from the sea-water and hydrogen peroxide phases, respectively. Concentrations ranged from 153-6,622 MPs/100mL sediment and 2.8-102 MPs/g sediment. MP accumulation rates ranged from 180-4,800 MPs/day/m2, with the variability driven primarily by the location and depth. Microplastic concentrations were found to be far greater than found in similar tropical reef environments, including heavily urbanized areas, and future research should examine the how field sampling practices affect measurements of MP concentrations and accumulation and how MP vary with sediment composition, sedimentation rates and MPs flux through the water column
Beyond the Gap: Bridging Student Habits and Librarian Vision
No full textWhat if the key to unlocking stronger student success lies in the gap between how students think they use the library and how librarians see that engagement? At a small liberal arts university, researchers compared student self-perceptions of library visits, resource engagement, information literacy, and AI use with national survey data of academic librarians.
Findings revealed notable differences in how students and librarians view their interactions with libraries, information, and AI. However, students who developed library habits and skills valued resources and services in ways that closely mirrored librarian perspectives. This alignment points to a promising opportunity: fostering more intentional connections between students, librarians, and faculty.
This session shares survey findings and invites participants to explore approaches for strengthening the library’s role in student success. Discussion will center on leveraging faculty-librarian collaborations to foster student success through library use and skills at a time when AI is reshaping the information landscape. This session offers a timely, research-informed path forward for academic libraries navigating higher education’s evolving terrain
These HIPs Don’t Lie: Incorporating High Impact Practices into Student Employment for Student Success and Retention
No full textHigh Impact Practices (HIPs) have been identified as educational practices that benefit undergraduate students, especially those from traditionally underserved demographics. These practices can contribute to the success of all students. While not always recognized as a HIP, student employment has many of the characteristics of a HIP including expectations for performance, time and effort around learning, interaction and collaboration with others, feedback, and demonstration of competence among others. Many campuses are starting to emphasize student employment as a HIP and see it as one of the ways that we retain students and help them succeed.
In this presentation, I will give a quick overview of HIPs and talk about how student employment in the library can meet the characteristics of HIPs. By implementing these practices into your student employment in the library you can help your students succeed in their educational pursuits
Using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Framework to Create Student-Centered Library Instruction
No full textDescription: Advocates of student-centered instruction advise instructors to act as facilitators to active learning. I will discuss how I used a modified version Kolb’s Experiential Learning Framework to develop workshops that guide students to reflect, explore, and apply their knowledge, leaving the instructor in a guiding role.
Abstract: While the CSULB Library has library instruction integrated in many courses, students receive varying levels of library instruction based on their individual paths. To address these gaps, I developed a series of workshops that break down the steps of academic research and provide a session for each step. The titles of the sessions are transparent, such as How to Read a Research Article, so students have a clear expectation of what they will learn and can seek help when it is needed. These transparent titles also encouraged faculty to request additional library instruction.
The workshops are grounded in a modified version of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Framework[i], which emphasizes reflection, exploration, and application. I used these three pillars to design activities that encouraged students to embrace and build upon their own knowledge.
In this presentation I will discuss how Kolb’s framework shaped the design of these workshops and share lessons learned from the pilot sessions in Fall 2025.
[i] Rath, D. R., & Rock, C. R. (2021). Applying Kolb’s experiential learning framework to investigate the safety of energy drinks in a critical thinking general education course. Journal of Food Science Education, 20(4), 228–237. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4329.1222
2025 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy Annual Report
No full textThe 2025 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy in San Diego examines how federal policy changes, funding volatility, and rising community needs are reshaping the region’s nonprofit sector. Drawing on survey data from nonprofit leaders and employees, public opinion polling, and financial and employment analysis, the report provides an early assessment of the sector’s financial health, workforce capacity, and its role as a primary access point for services such as housing, food, education, healthcare, and the arts. It highlights mounting pressures on nonprofit infrastructure alongside the sector’s enduring strengths in public trust, collaboration, advocacy, and shared investment strategies that will shape the region’s path forward.https://digital.sandiego.edu/npi-stateofnp/1021/thumbnail.jp
Library x TRIO McNair Partnerships: Integrated Support for Student Research and Publishing
No full textThe TRIO McNair Scholars Program at the University of Oregon is a federally funded program that prepares students for graduate school through research and scholarly activities, faculty-mentored summer research internships, seminars, workshops, and advising. Our partnership of three academic librarians and the McNair Program Director integrated specialized library instruction with McNair programming while providing the infrastructure and education necessary for students to participate in academic publishing.
We will share implementation strategies, discuss challenges in creating equitable research support systems, and present our assessment approach for measuring impact on student research confidence. Attendees will gain practical frameworks for building similar partnerships that support student belonging and graduate school preparation
Constructing Effectiveness: Culture, Legitimacy, and Strategic Planning in Zoos and Aquariums
No full textZoos and aquariums are complex organizations operating with multiple mandates—saving species, providing exceptional care to animals, connecting communities with nature, and inspiring environmental action—making “effectiveness” difficult to define. What counts as success depends on who is asked and which goals are foregrounded. This study investigated how stakeholders in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)–accredited organizations conceptualize and operationalize effectiveness within strategic planning processes. Prior research on nonprofit and mission-driven organizations has shown effectiveness is multidimensional and often defined differently by various stakeholders. However, little has been known about how these definitions are negotiated through the practice of strategic planning, particularly in the zoo and aquarium sector where legitimacy, conservation impact, and public accountability intersect. Drawing on resource dependence theory, the competing values framework, and social constructionist perspectives on effectiveness, this mixed-methods study integrated survey and case study analysis. The quantitative phase examined patterns across 52 AZA-accredited organizations, capturing self-evaluations of effectiveness and coding leaders’ definitions of effectiveness and cultural orientations derived from open-ended responses. Results showed leaders expressing more complex and multidimensional definitions of effectiveness tended to rate their organizations as more effective, and market-oriented cultural frames—emphasizing measurable outcomes, competitiveness, and external recognition—were most strongly associated with high perceived effectiveness. The qualitative phase explored these dynamics through a single, theoretically selected case study of a large nonprofit AZA zoo. Using critical discourse analysis of planning documents, interviews, and focus group data, the study revealed how strategic planning practices not only reflect but also shape collective understandings of effectiveness. Four recurring orientations (i.e., concentrated authority, output-focused accountability, external validation, and mission fidelity) showed how particular governance and cultural logics dominate planning discourse and define what effectiveness means. Together, these findings suggest effectiveness in AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums is not an objectives condition measured solely through outcomes but a socially constructed and negotiated phenomenon, shaped through language, planning practices, and institutional norms. Strategic planning thus emerges as both a managerial tool and a cultural process—one that defines what success means, whose voices count, and how legitimacy is performed within the field
Sustaining and Scaling: Partnering with Students in Research Projects
No full textUniversity of California, Santa Cruz’s library has embraced a user-centric approach, embedding student perspectives in library research projects to ensure services reflect the needs and voices of our diverse population. Our goal is to understand and support these unique needs.
This panel will discuss multiple case studies of students partnering with librarians at various levels of engagement, from research subject to co-investigator. Projects include hiring undergraduates to work on library user experience and OER projects, co-conducting mixed-methods research on publishing with graduate students, and co-researching AI tools with undergraduates.
The deliberate involvement of students in this work is symbiotic and generative, not extractive. Through some projects, students have gained skills and experience that they can contribute to career readiness. Other projects have generated feedback from students that librarians incorporate into library services. We compensate students with salary, skill-building, career development, authorship, and job references.
Panelists will discuss research design, student recruitment, and mentoring, providing participants with concrete strategies for creating flexible experiential learning opportunities. These approaches model student partnerships that broaden students’ professional opportunities and strengthen the library’s ability to respond to evolving needs
Connecting Mental Health, Retention, and Graduation: The Critical Role of Library Staff and Student Employees in a Small Academic Library
No full textThis poster highlights how a small academic library and its staff support student employee mental health, boosting retention and graduation. Through targeted strategies and a caring environment, the Library of Architecture, Construction, and Design proves small libraries make a big impact on student success
The SOAR Approach: Contributing to Library\u27s role in Student Success Initiatives from Non-Administrative Roles
No full textThis poster discusses the SOAR approach for student success initiative feedback from outside of library administrative roles. Using common documentation and efforts for strategic planning, the goal is transferable tips for across institutions. SOAR stands for: Strategy (Strategic Planning), Outreach, Assessment and Reporting. The process may be iterative and cyclical