User experience (UX) internships generate ideas for usability projects, improve the design of existing and new services, investigate users' motivations and behavior, and build transferable skills for interns. This case study proposes a micro-internship model, grounded in the design cycle, that institutions can adapt to address their libraries and…

As many school librarians start their career they often feel comfortable taking on the job of instructional partner. Becoming an instructional leader in your school requires having a seat at the table. Building relationships with the various community stakeholders sets the tone for the author's school library and their leadership as an…

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. This paper presents results from the student population, with comparison to the librarian and faculty samples. The major research questions address perceptions about what…

The actions of a single librarian can bring about district support aimed at increasing students' equitable access to a strong school library. This article shares a success story from a sole school librarian who showed evidence of the school library's value and was able to double her contracted presence as the school's librarian.

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech established an Open Access Subvention Fund (OASF) in August 2012. Although it began as a two-year pilot project, the Fund has continued to the present. Anyone at Virginia Tech is eligible to apply for funding to offset the cost of an article processing charge to publish in an open access journal. To learn…

An academic library's single service point, where users can get answers and help with their library needs in one place, is often the first and most popular place used by students. Studies assessing desk design are rare but needed to help guide planning for renovation or service model change. This study investigated an academic library's service…

Makerspaces have continued to be a popular addition to the services offered by libraries. This article will address the creation and implementation of one at a mid-sized medical library. The writer will summarize their personal experience of the steps taken towards opening the makerspace and give insight into the process. This article will also…

Libraries are learning hubs that connect families to free resources, activities, and services to cultivate children's learning about topics that excite them. Despite recent technological developments which have revolutionized how we read and access information, libraries continue to evolve in order to serve their communities, especially families…

Librarians and staff at a public university drew upon previous experience with instructional games to develop, implement, and assess a card game as a library orientation activity for new transfer students. This project was shaped by a desire to meet transfer students' unique needs as well as the logistical constraints associated with the…

In the five years following implementation of a chat reference service at James Madison University (JMU), the service proved very popular but was not closely assessed for quality of service. Using grounded theory and qualitative data analysis techniques, a comprehensive assessment effort was begun in earnest and is in progress. Preliminary results…

It's all about the relationships! How the librarian develops connections is key to the embedded process. This paper describes the path one librarian went through from January, 2010 through December, 2013 at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia. With a little help … ok, a lot of help from coworkers, faculty, IT and most of all…

This article describes the author's (an elementary school librarian) journey as she researched various bike bookmobile programs in the United States. Though the three programs had different target audiences, all the bike bookmobiles that she observed generated excitement and interest in reading. Public interest for each program was high. People…

Matthew Lighthart and Creedence Spreder, librarians, describe a partnership that proved successful for the school and library in their community of Pungo, nestled in Virginia Beach's vast but sparsely populated agricultural center. This community was facing a dual challenge: their only elementary school (Creeds) was in dire need of renovation and…

The online environment presents a unique challenge to higher education. Shifting from the face-to-face format to online not only involves rethinking course design, but requires careful consideration of when and how to teach students, how to find and evaluate information needed to successfully complete coursework. One solution is faculty teaming…

Games and other forms of play are used in today's libraries to attract underserved patrons, to introduce patrons to other library resources and services, and to facilitate engagement between library patrons. While many perceive gaming as a new library service, gaming services have been part of librarianship since the nineteenth century through…