A Road Map to Collaboration

Collaborating with stakeholders outside the library can help form important relationships, tailor library services, and reassert the value of libraries to those who need a reminder, but where and how does one start

Nothing Happens Unless First a Dream: Demystifying the Academic Library Job Search and Acing the Application Process

Academic library positions can be highly desirable for both new librarians and experienced librarians interested in transitioning into a different setting. Yet for both novice and experienced librarians alike, landing an interview for an academic librarian position can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Applicants may have difficulty understanding tenure track requirements, no academic library experience, no coursework in relevant areas, and may be competing with a large pool of qualified candidates. When academic job openings ask for years of academic library experience and library school specializations suggest that the path you pick is the path you keep until retirement, it begins to feel as though finding a position in an academic library is an insurmountable endeavor. As three librarians who have successfully made the move into an academic setting, we can attest that although the way may be unclear, this goal is not impossible to achieve. This paper will explain some of the facets unique to the academic setting with which applicants might not be familiar, how to tailor application materials to an academic position and why this is crucial for success, and how to acclimate to new responsibilities and expectations

Creating something from nothing: Developing a research poster design workshop to support undergraduate researchers

Undergraduate research (UR) is highly valued at Western Carolina University (WCU). WCU supports several UR programs and funding opportunities, and the university consistently ranks in the top 10 for number of students presenting at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. At both on- and off-campus symposia and conferences, the poster is one of the main forms of disseminating undergraduate research. Despite the prevalence of this format, formal poster design instruction has not been traditionally offered to WCU’s undergraduate researchers via library instruction.This poster details the research poster design workshop that WCU’s Outreach & Scholarly Communication (O&SC) Librarian created in 2017 to fill this gap. The workshop is designed to meet the needs of all students regardless of discipline, to provide guidance in research poster design best practices, and to engage the students in their role and responsibility as research product creators. This poster describes the workshop in its current iteration, its evolution over the past two years, ways the O&SC Librarian generated student and colleague interest, and other opportunities that have arisen as a result of partnerships and enthusiasm generated by the workshop

Media Literacy and Newspapers of Record

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges associated with identifying newspapers of record for local, regional, and national newspapers, specifically as those challenges pertain to students’ news media literacy. Visual literacy and information literacy intersections are explored. Design/methodology/approach - Newspapers of record for province/territory and state areas of Canada and the United States of America were identified for student project purposes. Criteria for newspaper of record qualification were investigated, refined, and applied to all newspapers reviewed.Findings - Distinguishing newspapers of record based on traditional criteria is inadequate in an online environment. Criteria must be more flexible and address both the visual as well as the content aspects of newspapers. Neither database access nor native website access alone is sufficient for identifying these newspapers. Straightforward and definitive identification of these newspapers will no longer be possible.Practical implications - Librarians will be faced with focusing on content or visual literacy; addressing both in a meaningful way during a single instruction session will be difficult. More strategic instruction within and across disciplines is necessary to produce news media-literate and savvy students.Originality/value - News media literacy for students in all disciplines is an urgent need and must incorporate both visual and content literacies. In a time of proliferation of news sources, understanding the challenges associated with identifying newspapers of record for both librarians and students is a necessary step in this area of information literacy

Nothing Happens Unless First a Dream: Demystifying the Academic Library Job Search and Acing the Application Process

Academic library positions can be highly desirable for both new librarians and experienced librarians interested in transitioning into a different setting. Yet for both novice and experienced librarians alike, landing an interview for an academic librarian position can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Applicants may have difficulty understanding tenure track requirements, no academic library experience, no coursework in relevant areas, and may be competing with a large pool of qualified candidates. When academic job openings ask for years of academic library experience and library school specializations suggest that the path you pick is the path you keep until retirement, it begins to feel as though finding a position in an academic library is an insurmountable endeavor. As three librarians who have successfully made the move into an academic setting, we can attest that although the way may be unclear, this goal is not impossible to achieve. This paper will explain some of the facets unique to the academic setting with which applicants might not be familiar, how to tailor application materials to an academic position and why this is crucial for success, and how to acclimate to new responsibilities and expectations

Digital Media Lab: Crafting Spaces to Support Innovation

As technology permeates learning and instruction, academic libraries have an opportunity to reimagine services to meet the needs of their communities in novel and meaningful ways. In this session, you will learn how our library conceived and implemented a digital media lab after determining that our campus lacked spaces and support for students and faculty to create digital content outside of the classroom setting. The digital media lab is supported by a dedicated staff member, open to the entire campus community, and situated around sound-isolating booths designed for recording and editing. The service model encourages our community to become comfortable learning new technologies, to master the use of communication tools, and to be proficient communicators in an interconnected world. In this session we will discuss the development of the space and its service model, the myriad possibilities for utilizing the equipment, and our work with campus partners in the planning and implementation phases of this project

A student-focused checklist for creating infographics

Purpose: This paper discusses efforts to produce instructional support objects for undergraduate students engaged in creating infographics, an alternative assignment growing in popularity at the authors’ university.Design/Methodology/Approach: The authors examined scholarly, professional, trade, and open-web sources to identify best practices for design and data visualization for this type of assignment. They categorized their findings and used a preponderance-of-evidence method for final selection of relevant practices. The authors detail the creation of their support products (instructional checklists and example infographics) and offer recommendations for librarians engaged in similar efforts.Findings: Despite the growing popularity of alternative assignments, guidance for best practices in data and design as they relate to student-created infographics is nascent, and best practices for design and data visualization in this context have yet to be concretely identified. Without extant guidance for student-created infographics, the authors developed a checklist of potential best practices for design and data visualization.Practical Implications: The use of alternative projects assigned in lieu of traditional research papers is growing. Additional guidance may be required for students creating non-traditional works as standards and best practices for these projects are underdeveloped in the academic setting. Librarians will want to consider their role in supporting students assigned to create an alternative project.Originality: A consideration of best practices for data and design visualization for students designing research infographics has not yet been written