A popular starting point for libraries engaging in research data management (RDM) services is a needs assessment (NA); a preliminary count identified more than 50 published NA case studies. However, no overarching analysis has yet been conducted. The authors compared assessments to characterize the case study institution types; establish the…

Breakout boxes are similar to the escape rooms that have popped up all over the country in the past few years. In an escape room, you and your friends are locked in a room and given a scenario and a time limit. You must work together to solve a number of puzzles to get out of the room before time runs out. Breakout boxes center around boxes, each…

Academic libraries use two common methods to reach first-year students: outreach activities and library instruction. The purpose of this study was to discover if curriculum mapping techniques commonly used in library instruction could be applied to outreach to explore the synergies and differences between programs. The project demonstrated that…

This descriptive study analyzes results from an 18-item survey that assessed students' usage and perceptions of library reference services at a comprehensive public metropolitan university. Among 235 surveys completed between November 2016 and January 2017, the majority of respondents represented the "Generation Z" population of college…

The South African Library for the Blind (SALB) contributes to the quality of life of print-impaired people encouraging independence through access to information, informed decision making, and taking pleasure in the enjoyment of recreational reading. In realizing the vision, SALB implemented two strategic models; agent mini-libraries and…

The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm is centuries old, but its focus on student-centered learning is cutting edge. When the Gonzaga University library was asked to collaborate with an online graduate studies department, the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm provided the guiding framework. The first principle of Ignatian pedagogy is Context, which…

Offering students synchronous research and reference help can be a challenge for libraries that offer services at a distance. Virtual office hours can be a means of overcoming this challenge, allowing patrons the opportunity to seek timely point-of-need assistance. The author implemented a librarian-led virtual office hours pilot project at her…

Five initiatives launched during Cyndi Phillip's term as American Association of School Librarians (AASL) President (2006-2007) continue to have an impact on school librarians ten years later. They include the rewriting of AASL's learning standards, introduction of the SKILLS Act, the presentation of the Crystal Apple Award to Scholastic Library…

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) as an American Library Association division is sixty-five years young in 2016. This article describes the AASL as a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The author presents: (1) Early Days in ALA; (2) AASL as a Division; (3) AASL's Future; and (4) Commemorating the Past by Paying…

"Special Libraries, Special Challenges" is a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine, business, and so forth. In each column, the author will discuss public service dilemmas and opportunities that arise in special libraries.…

Are today's academic libraries really designed for learning? Do library spaces impact student learning? Intending to spark broader and more informed dialogue about the relationship between the quality of learning and the quality of academic library spaces in higher education, the authors consider the concept of space as service; student learning…

This case study describes the creation of a leisure reading collection in the Clifford Whitworth library at the University of Salford. It briefly surveys existing literature on leisure reading collections and looks at the growing interest among U.K. academic libraries in recreational reading. It considers the reasons for promoting reading as a…

It has only recently become possible to assess librarian staffing at school level, due to the long interval between the two most recent datasets from NCES's periodic sample survey of schools. In 2023, the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) released long-awaited 2020-21 school-level data--the first from that survey since 2015-16. These…

Building relationships is a crucial part of being a school librarian. But the first relationship the authors states school librarians will want to build is within themselves as a professional. According to the author, knowing yourself and your core values can help when times get tough or if your first tries at a relationship are rebuffed.…

To understand the effect of library science coursework on student perceptions of issues related to intellectual freedom, researchers surveyed students at the start and end of their enrollment in a Master of Library Science program. When the results were compared, the percentage of graduating students who indicated that they might rethink…