Grassroots Strategic Planning: Involving Library Staff from the Beginning

Strategic planning is often considered a managerial tool. The management of an organization surveys the environment and develops a plan that they introduce to the organization as a whole. Most modern organizations seek employee involvement in the planning process and feedback to some degree with varied results. But for one academic library, employee involvement in the development and execution of the strategic plans has been a vital part of the processes. The Hunt Library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has been developing strategic plans for several years with active input from the librarians and staff. This case study chronicles the different approaches the library staff have used to create new plans. One method was to hold a set of retreats where all library staff provided ideas for new initiatives to explore and old processes to retire. Another involved the SOAR approach, which uses appreciate inquiry to determine strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results. A third method employed scenarios to encourage staff input into the next strategic plan. Each of the different approaches yielded interesting results; some failures and many successes. Some processes were more positive than others but they all included mutually agreed-upon strategies that the guided the library as it planned future innovations

Communicating Effectively in Rapidly Changing Times

This presentation explores communication in academic libraries that experienced rapid changes during the Great Recession and its aftermath. The investigator conducted a multi-case study, in which she interviewed library and university participants in three U.S. academic libraries in 2010. Results show that communication existed for the most part in the three libraries, all of which were maintaining strategic priorities while experiencing dramatic changes

Phase Three Data

Most colleges and universities have courses or orientation sessions designed to help first-year (FY) students successfully transition to higher education. An introduction to the library is generally included. However, it may be difficult to discern whether the library introduction in a first-year orientation has an impact on student success. These datasets were derived from surveys conducted in 2018 and supplement a case study that describes the assessment of the library module in a semester-long FY orientation course (UNIV 101) at a private STEM-focused university

The Knowledge Base as an Extension of Distance Learning Reference Service

This study explores knowledge bases as extension of reference services for distance learners. Through a survey and follow-up interviews with distance learning librarians, this paper discusses their interest in creating and maintaining a knowledge base as a resource for reference services to distance learners. It also investigates their perceptions about the feasibility and practicality of a reference knowledge base. Primary findings indicate that the majority of participants view a knowledge base as an extension of distance learning reference services positively but see issues related to workload and quality control, in particular, which might hinder the development and maintenance of this type of repository

Taking Our Seat at the Table [Part of the Article Titled, ACRL in Orlando: ACRL Programs at the ALA Annual Conference]

A summary about the program presented at the ACRL University Libraries Section meeting held during the 2016 ALA annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 23-28, 2016. The presentation for the section was titled, Taking Our Seat at the Table: How Academic Librarians Can Help Shape the Future of Higher Education

Who Will Do the Job? Hiring Older Workers to Fill Library Labor Gaps

This article discusses the potential shortage of librarians as baby boomers retire. Drawing from other industries that hire retirees for part time or seasonal work, the author discusses this as a possible solution to labor shortages in the field of librarianship

Communicating Effectively in Rapidly Changing Times

This paper investigates communication in academic libraries that experienced rapid changes during the Great Recession and its aftermath. The investigator conducted a multi-case study, in which she interviewed library and university participants in three U.S. academic libraries in 2010. Results show that effective communication existed for the most part in the three libraries, all of which were maintaining strategic priorities while experiencing dramatic changes

Phase Two Data

Most colleges and universities have courses or orientation sessions designed to help first-year (FY) students successfully transition to higher education. An introduction to the library is generally included. However, it may be difficult to discern whether the library introduction in a first-year orientation has an impact on student success. These datasets were derived from surveys conducted in 2018 and supplement a case study that describes the assessment of the library module in a semester-long FY orientation course (UNIV 101) at a private STEM-focused university

Phase One Data

Most colleges and universities have courses or orientation sessions designed to help first-year (FY) students successfully transition to higher education. An introduction to the library is generally included. However, it may be difficult to discern whether the library introduction in a first-year orientation has an impact on student success. These datasets were derived from surveys conducted in 2018 and supplement a case study that describes the assessment of the library module in a semester-long FY orientation course (UNIV 101) at a private STEM-focused university

Collection Development for Distance Learning

The ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services (ACRL 2000) define distance learning library services as, “… those … in support of college, university, or other post-secondary courses and programs offered away from a main campus, or in the absence of a traditional campus, and regardless of where credit is given. These courses may be taught in traditional or non-traditional formats or media, may or may not require physical facilities, and may or may not involve live interaction of teachers and students. The phrase is inclusive of courses in all post-secondary programs designated as extension, extended, off-campus, extended campus, distance, distributed, open, flexible, franchising, virtual, synchronous, or asynchronous.