How can we best train student employees for public service roles? At UC Berkeley, as in many academic libraries, a student employee is the first person that a user will see when entering the library; they are the "face of the library." A positive interaction will set a positive tone for the user's library experience, while a negative…

This study examines how academic librarians at the Complutense University (Spain) perceive project management techniques that are becoming increasingly popular in library and information centers due to the need to comply with their strategic planning and services. To reach this goal, a quantitative and qualitative methodology was applied and a…

This paper examines the extent to which public librarians are successfully prepared to engage the community in digital literacy and inclusion. A qualitative, multiple case study research design was chosen, using an analysis of policy documents and existing training programs offered by the libraries together with semi-structured interviews with…

For the Spring 2015 semester of the Public Library Management course, students were given digital badges along with grades for their coursework. For each topic's corresponding assignment, students received a traditional grade and those achieving at least an A- received a digital badge that represented the skill or knowledge demonstrated. By using…

Dresang's Radical Change (1999) has far-reaching implications for pre-service preparation programs for future library and information science leaders. The challenge is to create experiences that will assist with developing these leadership qualities. In this qualitative case study, the authors share findings related to leadership development from…

According to Stearns (2009), culture shapes childhood. The way a society defines culture shapes: (a) how childhood is constructed; (b) the production of literary products and services for young people; and (c) training for library professionals. In 21st century America, children are viewed as a vulnerable population in need of protection, as…

Continuing education is vital for new librarians to gain skills and knowledge beyond library school. Professional development offered free in an online environment is often the best option for staying current on the issues and trends necessary for young librarians to grow and flourish. This paper presents a case study of an online professional…

Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in a person's day-to-day life: how someone earns money, manages it, invests it, and donates it to help others. As librarians, we must realize that when patrons come to us for guidance in the area of financial literacy, they are trusting us to provide not only reliable information for…

The purpose of this multi-case study was to describe how library deans and directors at large comprehensive community colleges strategically advocate for and support instructional and technological innovation despite the reality of limited resources and the stress caused by recurring funding crises in higher education. It further sought to examine…

This study explores how factors relating to fully online Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) students' connectedness with peers and faculty may impact their professional identity development as library and information studies professionals. Participants include students enrolled in a fully online MLIS degree program in the…

This paper encourages educators in library and information science (LIS) to adopt the "creative deliverable," that is, an assignment that gives students the freedom to display their understanding of course material in an almost unrestricted range of alternative formats and genres, while retaining some key features of traditional…

This paper introduces a model of experiential learning to support teaching, research, and practice in library and information science (LIS). The concept we call "Community Informatics (CI) Studio" uses studio-based learning (SBL) to support enculturation into the field of CI. The SBL approach, closely related to John Dewey's…

School librarianship is affected by the widespread challenges affecting schools and changing notions of school libraries' relevancy. The purpose of this study was to ascertain how these societal trends influenced educators' decisions to be school librarians. In this second phase of a longitudinal qualitative study, five school library program…

The focus of literature on the role of internship has been on whether and how such activity benefits the student. A model is proposed that examines what happens for both the practitioner supervisor and the LIS educator during an internship experience. Is it possible that all participants learn from the experience and how can that learning be…

Expertise in searching and evaluating scientific literature is a requisite skill of trained scientists and science students, yet information literacy instruction varies greatly among institutions and programs. To ensure that science students acquire information literacy skills, robust methods of assessment are needed. Here, we describe a novel…