On the uniqueness of almost-Kaehler structures

We show uniqueness up to sign of positive, orthogonal almost-Kaehler structures on any non-scalar flat Kaehler-Einstein surface.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in CRA

Going Beyond Book Displays: Providing Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Youth

School libraries should be a space where students of all ages feel welcome and safe. I (Lisa) can speak from experience when I say this is not always the case, not in the 1980s and not today. Even in the school library, a place I now cherish, I was fearful of ridicule and harassment. I was frustrated because I did not see myself—a young, questioning, and confused lesbian—in any of the books. Gay and lesbian characters didn’t exist on those high school shelves. “But that was the 1980s,” you say. It hasn’t gotten much better for much of the LGBTQ community

Reporting Research from the Stacks: A Systematic Review of Practitioner Research Literature in LIS

[First paragraphs] While we continue to produce theoretical concepts, frameworks, and ideas in library and information studies (LIS), these developments are not being tested and tried ‘on the ground.’ There is an imbalance of research across the disciplines in LIS coming out of the field, rather than out of the academy (Morris & Cahill, 2017). This study proposes a systematic review of the literature to examine the prevalence and presentation of original research produced by LIS practitioners. Numerous calls have been made for librarians to increase their use of evidence (Luo & McKinney, 2015; Morris & Cahill, 2017; Todd, 2008) and share the results of their original data collection and analysis with others (Morris & Cahill, 2017; Todd, 2015). It is hypothesized that these calls have gone largely unanswered and practitioner research is still lacking

The School District Library Supervisor and the National School Library Standards

The article focuses on the role of district library supervisors under the 2018 National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Topics covered include the importance of connecting with educators in supervisory roles, the Lilead Surveys to collect baseline data on supervisors, and the differences between the Surveys and the Standards

Pre-Service School Librarians\u27 Perceptions of Research Librarians\u27 Perceptions of Research Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study

This article is an exploratory study of graduate-level instruction on research designs and methods for pre-service school librarians (PSSLs). Using a focus group of one cohort of PSSLs, we examine students\u27 perceptions of understanding research methods, course content and delivery, and self-reported application of new knowledge from a sequence of two graduate research courses in a Master\u27s degree program. Findings indicate increased appreciation and understanding of the research process among participants and the ability to integrate the research findings of others into their own practice, while also indicating little or no confidence in their own abilities to conduct research in their new positions as school librarians or report on their findings to others. Findings point to opportunities to improve instruction through intellectual accessibility, focusing on action research for the practitioner, and scaffolding learning throughout the graduate program

E-Advising: Expanding Advising for Distance LIS Students

Online instruction and programming have expanded the universe of LIS education but have also expanded the needs of online students for assistance navigating institutional structures and requirements. With 24-7 access to coursework, accounts, and the university website, students expect prompt answers to questions through electronic or e-advising. From recruitment to alumni relations, LIS programs and their universities are seeking to expand how they reach distance students in online programs. We will share innovative uses of technology and staffing for e-advising along with what online students have told us in a survey about the kinds of advising they need and expect

ALISE school library special interest group (sig) session: Crafting resilience in k-12 and beyond

Researchers will share three papers exploring selected School Library topics. This interactive SIG session includes presentation of papers followed by open dialogue and Q&A regarding issues raised by the papers, implications for practice, and future areas for research. The 2021 session will include the following presentations: Preparing School Library Candidates to be Culturally Responsive School Librarians - The 2019 ALA/AASL CAEP School Librarian Preparation Standards emphasize preparing school librarian candidates that “articulate and model cultural competence and respect for inclusiveness, supporting individual and group perspectives” (ALA/AASL, 2019). This research study explores cultural understanding, experiences, and ways of knowing the world from internationally-based school library programs that LIS educators can implement to develop culturally competent learning experiences in the school librarian candidate preparation curriculum. Evidence-Based Practice and School Librarians: Analyses of Practitioners’ Data Collection - School librarian preparation programs are expected to prepare candidates to collect, assess, and apply data. This paper reports the findings of a multi-state study of school librarians’ evidence-collecting practices. Preliminary findings indicate that school librarians collect a wide array of evidence, but the likelihood of collecting specific types of data is influenced by multiple factors including the level of the school, and the librarian’s length of tenure, areas of certification, and placement in multiple schools. Librarians: Bridges to College Readiness - What relationship exists between the presence of a high school librarian and freshmen college students’ academic success? To answer this question, this study examined five years of a large comprehensive university’s first-year students’ data: demographics, first semester GPA, graduating high school demographics, and presence of the high school librarian. The findings are revealing