Session Description:
In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, academic institutions have seen an upsurge in challenges to academic freedom. Academic librarians have faced a choice whether or not to speak out more about how the current political reality impacts patrons, organizations, and librarians themselves, but these free speech actions have had consequences. Our paper explores how academic librarians have navigated challenges to academic freedom, how their social identities may have influenced their experiences, the push back they may have encountered, and what we can do to protect intellectual free expression in order to authentically engage in our communities.

Session Description:
Academic LIS researchers have inconsistent research responsibilities and support depending on their institution and position. Some are offered time, mentorship, and professional development funding in order to accomplish goals, while others are asked to conduct research on their own. This paper will identify gaps in our profession’s support for those interested in pursuing, developing, and publishing library research. Presenters will also share the process they went through and lessons learned from creating an online community for new LIS researchers called LibParlor.

Session Description:
This paper focuses on IMLS-funded research we have done around the practices and needs of psychology instructors considering adopting or creating OER. Over the past year, we have gathered information and developed a plan for creating a subject-specific, scalable open textbook toolkit that will meet the needs of instructors looking to adopt, adapt, or create OER. In this paper, we will provide actionable recommendations for support of OER in psychology courses, as well as guidance for applying these results in other fields. It will also provide a framework for librarians to develop their own research agenda in this area.

Session Description:
Student circulation workers field a barrage of navigational, technological, or reference-related questions and act as mediators between librarians and patrons, who are often their peers. To alleviate library anxiety and capitalize on this peer-to-peer relationship, circulation workers learn hands-on methods for communicating information literacy to their peers. To increase the effectiveness of our training program, I grounded it within a pedagogical framework geared towards active learning, peer-to-peer teaching/learning, and ‘knowledge-building’. Returning workers problem solve real-life library scenarios with new workers thereby empowering them with skill sets to help patrons and disseminate information literacy across campus.

Session Description:
When a book goes missing, a librarian needs to decide whether it is better to replace the item or use the money to purchase a new item. Circulation data and user-initiated requests offer insufficient information to make this decision, but by using Google Analytics one library was able to automatically generate a report that measures user interest of missing items. This process requires little staff resources and offers a novel source for decision making in collection management. This conference proceeding shares the results of our study and explains how to adapt this approach for your library.

Session Description:
Statistics about ebook usage afford libraries more information than ever about how collections are being used. This session will explore what one library learned after more than five years of collecting ebooks for the sciences and engineering. Pros and cons of using COUNTER statistics to evaluate usage will be discussed, and statistics will be examined in the context of platform, resource type, and discoverability, both from the library’s discovery tool and other web sites. The presenter will discuss the lessons learned and provide suggestions about how other libraries can utilize ebook statistics to create high-quality, high-use collections for campus communities.

Session Description:
How active are technical services librarians in conducting research and publishing articles? Are there challenges specifically for librarians at smaller institutions that limit their opportunities to participate in scholarly activities? Learn the current standing of the library literature and the ratio between publications from large and small institutions. Find out the likelihood of scholarly activities by librarians at small to medium sized academic libraries, and possible challenges for them to conduct research and publish. It is important that the library literature represent all sizes of institutions. Let’s discuss the challenges and opportunities for scholarly growth of librarians at smaller institutions.

Session Description:
Are academic libraries doing an effective job of public relations (PR)? Using a mixed-methods approach and drawing from the classic Organization Public Relationship (OPR) framework from the public relations field, this study provides a theoretical and empirical investigation of PR management in three academic libraries. The study will not only reveal the gaps between librarians’ perceptions and users’ perceptions regarding the roles of academic libraries and the library-user relationship, but also presents a useful framework for evaluating the effectiveness of academic library PR in different institutions.

Session Description:
Proactively managing your online information and reputation is important in today’s social media-driven world. As students begin to navigate the complicated and stressful process of finding employment, professionalism challenges stemming from a poorly managed digital reputation should not hold them back. Situated within a disciplinary context, this paper will introduce participants to positive considerations and strategies for developing online professionalism instruction. Two theories for guiding instruction will be reviewed and first-hand experiences of creating an interactive online professionalism session targeted to undergraduate students will be shared.

Session Description:
Learn about research into academic reading habits that examines why undergraduates may not complete their required course reading. Interviews with students at a large, urban, public, commuter university explored students’ course reading access and practices, and the impact on their use of time. Students described multiple ways to acquire and engage with course materials, and shared challenges including prior knowledge, reading proficiency, and institutional support. Results from this study enable librarians to consider their role in supporting undergraduates in completing their course readings, and to encourage students’ success in college.