When the author began his career as a school librarian, he took time to live with the collection and the school library the way it was inherited, with systems that were already in place. And during that first year, he observed. That period of observation and living with things as they were allowed him to start innovating and problem-solving from…

Understanding how to successfully train storytime providers is crucial to the goal of offering high-quality early literacy programs in public library settings. As part of a larger study, nine early-career public library storytime providers were interviewed to learn what contextual factors are important to improve their knowledge, practice, and…

This research seeks to find the new trends in virtual reference and online learning by looking at the impact of COVID-19 on academic libraries, and by identifying gaps in professional development for academic librarians, particularly in reference and instruction. Responses from the surveyed academic librarians indicate that many services…

The structural inequalities perpetuated by the caste system are a grave challenge to creating a just society. The education system pays short shrift to this topic and caste discrimination is spoken about without holding caste privilege accountable. Historically, social justice is a core mission of libraries. This project worked closely with a…

Science communication has taken center stage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines in the context of public outreach and citizen science. Developing practical communication skills is imperative for all scientists to be highly successful in their careers and more so for underrepresented and Black, Indigenous, and People…

The changes experienced in the digital era require academic library staff to constantly update, expand, and develop their skills in order to carry out their roles efficiently and remain relevant in the provision of services to clients. Consequently, academic libraries have been among the first organizations to adopt knowledge sharing as a means to…

According to the author, we are all creators and consumers of media. Technology has made it easy to copy, paste, and transfer anything educators might want to use in their classrooms. As educators, school librarians have an obligation to honor the law and be the role models that learners and other staff members need them to be. So many times the…

Caring for others is integral to what makes us human. We have all experienced the care of others that has helped us to survive and thrive, and in turn, others rely on us for care. A pedagogy of care, based on a feminist ethics of care, recognizes the centrality of care in our lives and thus its relevance for education. This pedagogy encourages…

This study demonstrates that a library instruction observation instrument can effectively foster critical self-reflection among academic library faculty and staff on their teaching practices. The paper outlines the instrument's design, which gathers low inference observations on instructors' use of questioning as a pedagogical strategy based on…

Public libraries offer a wide range of developmental support and learning opportunities for young children with and without disabilities. Libraries in many communities function as hubs and places of support for parenting, literacy, education, technology, as well as general local, and health information. A research team recently conducted focus…

Research data services are increasingly offered by academic libraries. As a result, librarians may need to upskill to provide data services and build capacity. This study measures the current level of data services skills of academic librarians and explores preferred methods of continuing education. An online survey was circulated asking…

This study presents findings from a survey and interviews investigating library-led textbook affordability initiatives in the United States. The results document diverse considerations and divergences in workflows, challenges librarians face in establishing and maintaining textbook affordability programs, and the intersection of these initiatives…

This study examined undergraduate students' use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) for research assignments and its intersection with traditional library databases. Semi-structured interviews with 16 students revealed GAI is primarily used for grammar, summarizing, brainstorming, and locating sources. While students value GAI for…

The purpose of this article is to establish a distinct definition of engagement for academic librarians and describe how a definition supports a clearer understanding of what is expected of librarians with engagement responsibilities. In observing a growing use of the term "engagement" over the last two decades, the authors noted how the…

This article introduces the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to the LIS community to propose a new way of thinking and teaching about how health is supported in public libraries. The topic of consumer health literacy has been a mainstay in the discourse of public librarianship, but we argue that this approach has not fully supported public…