2019 American Library Association Emerging Leader

Jade Geary is the 2019 American Library Association Emerging Leader sponsored by the South Carolina Library Association

The Scandalous Lives of Carolina Belles Marie Boozer and Amelia Feaster: Flirting with the Enemy by Tom Elmore

Jade Geary, MLIS, reviews Tom Elmore\u27s The Scandalous Lives of Carolina Belles Marie Boozer and Amelia Feaster: Flirting with the Enemy

Extinguished: Exploring Librarian Burnout

In “Extinguished: Exploring Librarian Burnout”, we shared results from our study on librarian burnout. The study surveyed current and former librarians, as well as library school students. The focus of the study was to determine if there is a link between working while in library school and later experiencing burnout as a librarian. We hoped to discover the prevalence of librarian burnout, determine if burnout is more common in LIS professionals who worked while enrolled in graduate classes, and begin a conversation about the realities of our profession

Information Literacy Skills and College Students: A Mixed-Methods, Action Research Study of Students’ Knowledge and Self-Efficacy for Applying Information Literacy Skills to Their Academic and Social Lives

The purpose of this action research was to examine information literacy skills in undergraduate students. In particular, this research investigated students’ knowledge and self-efficacy of information literacy skills. Furthermore, this study explored students’ application of information literacy and how students apply information literacy skills to their academic and social lives. By developing a greater understanding of students’ knowledge, self-efficacy and the use of information literacy skills, it allows librarians to tailor information literacy instruction to fit students’ needs. The three research questions that guided this study were (1) What are undergraduate students’ knowledge of information literacy at the University of South Carolina Columbia campus?; (2) What are undergraduate students’ self-efficacy beliefs about their information literacy?; (3) How do undergraduate students use information literacy skills in their academic and social lives? The data for this study was collected via quantitative and qualitative measures. An electronic questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina (n= 72) . The quantitative questionnaire focused on students’ knowledge and self-efficacy of information literacy skills. At the end of the questionnaire, students were able to select if they would like to participate in a focus group interview by providing their email. After the quantitative questionnaire closed, focus groups were created. There were two focus groups broken up by academic year (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior). The focus groups were focused on all three research questions and thus investigating students’ knowledge, self-efficacy, motivation, and use of information literacy skills (n= 4). The qualitative findings of this study found that how their information needs impact students’ search for information. Further, students\u27 research methods vary depending on their academic and social lives. Additionally, students felt that being able to find and access information was a fundamental human right. Lastly, the qualitative findings highlight that students ‘ self-efficacy of their information literacy skills varied depending on the skill they were utilizing

I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me: Student Perceptions of Library Data Privacy

Data privacy has emerged as a controversial topic in higher education. As librarians, we recognize the importance of privacy and confidentiality for allowing patrons to learn and explore without unnecessary barriers or fear of repercussions. However, there is a growing trend of data collection and analysis in libraries that impacts a patron’s right to privacy. In a presentation given at the 2019 South Carolina Library Association Annual Conference, we explored issues of click-through-consent, data invasion, and awareness of the types of data tracked. We asked for audience engagement as we discussed future directions including a survey on student perceptions of data privacy in libraries

Citizen science in schools: engaging students in research on urban habitat for pollinators

Citizen science can play an important role in school science education. Citizen science is particularly relevant to addressing current societal environmental sustainability challenges, as it engages the students directly with environmental science and gives students an understanding of the scientific process. In addition, it allows students to observe local representations of global challenges. Here, we report a citizen science programme designed to engage school‐age children in real‐world scientific research. The programme used standardized methods deployed across multiple schools through scientist–school partnerships to engage students with an important conservation problem: habitat for pollinator insects in urban environments. Citizen science programmes such as the programme presented here can be used to enhance scientific literacy and skills. Provided key challenges to maintain data quality are met, this approach is a powerful way to contribute valuable citizen science data for understudied, but ecologically important study systems, particularly in urban environments across broad geographical areas

Mathematics Open Educational Resources

This site hosts resources to assist in the discovery and adoption of open and affordable course materials for mathematics

Where Does Art Come From?

OER: Where Does Art Come From? by Leah McCurdy, Arlington, Texa