Journal of Academic Librarianship最新文献

University faculty immediately had many questions and concerns in response to the public proliferation of generative artificial intelligence programs leveraging large language models to generate complex text responses to simple prompts. Librarians at the University of South Florida (USF) pooled their skills, existing relationships with faculty and professional staff across campus to provide information that answered common questions raised by those faculty on generative artificial intelligence usage within research related topics. Faculty concern regarding the worry of plagiarism, how to instruct students to use the new tools and how to discern the reliability of information generated by artificial intelligence tools were placed at the forefront. By augmenting existing tutorials and instruction sessions, and creating a new information resource, the library was able to build a timely foundation to support future efforts to address the changing information needs of faculty and students using generative artificial intelligence programs and tools.

This exploratory qualitative phenomenological research study examines the lived experiences of thirteen academic librarians who identify as mothers of young children and are also on the tenure track or continuous appointment at an academic library in the United States. The qualitative approach of phenomenology is used to both analyze and interpret academic librarian mothers' perceptions of their experiences. Phenomenology allows the researcher to explore the phenomena in relation to the lived experiences of mother/tenure track librarians while simultaneously seeking to understand these phenomena. This study provides valuable insight into the perceptions of mothers regarding their experiences in balancing their professional and parenting responsibilities. Results from the thematic analysis revealed six major Themes: 1) Specific tenure/continuation process impact factors; 2) Remote and flexible work options; 3) Scholarship challenges; 4) Time; 5) Librarian-manager relationship; and 6) Parental leave. Giving individuals the opportunity to share their experiences benefits not only the individuals but also the profession overall as we gain insight into the world of others through conclusions drawn from the analysis of their responses.

This article reports on a qualitative case study of subject librarians at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library Subject librarians considered their main purpose to be connecting the people at the university with library resources. People skills are a key to being successful in their positions. Their duties of collection development, reference, instruction, liaison, citizenship, professional development, and scholarship are interrelated and work together in important ways. Subject librarians are satisfied with their jobs and corresponding autonomy. They are concerned about librarian stereotypes and want to overcome the ignorance about their positions. They agree that subject knowledge is important but do not agree on a formal degree standard. This study could be used to help develop and improve SL programs. It could inform hiring decisions and improve the practices of current subject librarians by focusing on the key skills of working with others and subject knowledge.

Demand driven acquisitions (DDA) have become commonplace in academic libraries, but little is known about how they are assessed. This scoping review provides a comprehensive study of print and electronic monographic DDA programs at academic libraries. The review includes an examination of the definition of DDA programs, methodological approaches, and the impact of DDA programs on established library collections. The research team's goals include outlining the current discourse on DDA and identifying gaps in the existing literature, as well as examining the potential for standardization within the profession regarding DDA terminology and definitions. Of 1758 records, 48 publications were identified for inclusion. Analysis of the included publications revealed most studies examined electronic DDA programs that were considered pilots. Overwhelmingly, the literature studied aspects of return on investment, circulation, and use. More subject points of investigation such as evaluation of materials, satisfaction of users or librarians, and quality were less studied. Further research on aspects of print DDA, how the COVID-19 Pandemic affected DDA, and more recently growing acquisition methods such as evidence-based acquisitions are needed.

While librarians have been at the forefront of the fight against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation, offering invaluable guidance and tools through information literacy instruction, there is a noteworthy gap in the adoption of pedagogical approaches rooted in critical theory within mis/disinformation literacy lesson plans. This suggests there may not be well-defined or standardized frameworks for incorporating these theories into library instruction. The enclosed article explores Critical Race Digital Literacy (CRDL) as a pedagogical approach to mis/disinformation literacy education by proposing a rubric for assessing mis/disinformation lesson plans. The rubric is grounded in the principles of critical race theory, emphasizing the importance of addressing power dynamics, ideology, and systemic white supremacy in the digital landscape. Through the application of the CRDL rubric instructors are able to employ critically reflexive teaching and engage in continual self-assessment, fostering a culture of pedagogical deconstruction and reflection that shifts the focus from scoring to meaningful reflection and growth. The CRDL rubric has the potential to be used as a tool for transformative praxis, empowering librarians to navigate, question, and reshape the narrative within the ever-evolving landscape of information literacy.

This article addresses three key questions related to the ethical facets of algorithmic literacy. First, it synthesizes existing literature to identify six core ethical components, including bias, privacy, transparency, accountability, accuracy, and non-maleficence. Second, a crosswalk maps the intersections of these principles across the Association of College and Research Libraries' Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the Association of Computing Machinery's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and Joint Statement on Principles for Responsible Algorithmic Systems. This analysis reveals significant overlap on issues like unfairness and transparency, helping prioritize topics for instruction. Finally, case studies showcase pedagogical strategies for teaching ethical considerations, informed by the crosswalk. Workshops for diverse undergraduates and computer science students employed reallife instances of algorithmic bias to prompt reflection on unintended harm, contestability, and responsible development. Pre-post surveys indicated expanded critical perspectives after the interventions. By systematically examining shared values and testing instructional approaches, this study provides practical tools to shape ethical thinking on algorithms. It also demonstrates promising practices for responsibly advancing algorithmic literacy across disciplines. Ultimately, fostering interdisciplinary awareness and multipronged educational initiatives can empower students to question algorithmic authority and biases.

This case study shares an evolving embedded librarian approach to support an experiential undergraduate business learning capstone. To improve research conducted by student teams as they completed semester-long sponsored projects, an electronic research planning form and research consultation were embedded in the course. To measure student experience and self-reported learning from the required interventions a Qualtrics survey was administered. Two matrix-based questions with four statements employed a 5-point Likert scale to measure levels of agreement or disagreement on student experience and learning with the interventions. Results to Matrix 1 found overall positive responses to questions about student experiences with completing a research plan with the most positive response that it helped student teams consider gaps in their knowledge that they needed to address with research. Results to Matrix 2 questions also indicated positive responses to questions about the research consultation with the most positive response being that students more confident in their ability to connect research to a business need based on their experience with the research consultation with the librarian. Responses to an open-ended survey question about student learning and experience from the research plan and research consultation were exported into Atlas.ti and an inductive approach was used to code the data identifying themes. Most often reported by students were learning databases, new resources, search strategies, and application of information to their projects. This study adds to the literature on information literacy and embedded practices.

This article compares the results of a pair of course material surveys for faculty and students conducted before and after the COVID-19 pandemic by academic librarians at a private liberal arts college in the northeastern U.S. Findings indicate that overall students are spending significantly less per semester on required course materials, but some are going without significantly more required materials due to cost. Furthermore, first-year students were not found to be spending any less than prior to the pandemic and, as a result, spent significantly more in 2023 than most of their more experienced peers. The decrease in average student spending corresponds with our findings that faculty became more cost conscious and expanded efforts to make required materials affordable by assigning more OER and fewer materials which they consider to be overpriced or unaffordable. As a result of these and other strategies, by 2023 significantly more faculty had been able to develop courses for which the required materials cost nothing for students. The authors discuss the importance of these and additional findings, placing them in the context of similar surveys and suggesting ways that the data can be used to inform current library practices and future research.

This article summarizes an investigation into a new movement in disability education that impacts academic libraries. Those with (ID) are typically left without options for socializing, education, or employment after high school. To address this, Post-Secondary Education (PSE) programs have been created, which offer a non-degreed course of study at colleges to provide these individuals with education, vocational training, and peer interactions. This study investigates to what extent academic libraries have engaged with PSE programs at their campus to provide their students access to the libraries. The survey contacted all PSE programs in the country that are registered with the ThinkCollege Institute and both quantitative and qualitative data are gathered and analyzed. While library engagement with PSE programs is modest, a number of innovations point to improved programming for the future.

This case study details a library instruction activity developed by a team of academic librarians, which intended to leverage experiential learning to make students and faculty aware of the function, capabilities, and limitations of text-generating artificial intelligence (AI) tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The activity is described, with its development connected to key instructional theories and frameworks. Feedback is shared from student, faculty, and librarian perspectives, and future possibilities for academic librarians to grow and adapt similar AI literacy activities are explored.