Zine Authors' Attitudes about Inclusion in Public and Academic Library Collections

Devon Cahill

ET

Hays, A. (2018). Zine Authors’ Attitudes about Inclusion in Public and Academic Library Collections: A Survey-Based Study. Library Quarterly, 88(1), 60–78. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1086/694869

Summary

This article addresses the growing presence of zine collections in public and academic libraries but considers how the zine authors themselves feel about the phenomenon. As the author notes, “at least 113 public and academic libraries across the United States currently have zine collections…” but there is not any current research on how zine authors feel about this trend.

 

The author defines a zine as, “...handmade paper publications with small print runs, are sold at or slightly above cost, and are intentionally nonprofessional.” Because the publication is decentralized and they are not usually published for profit, there is no standard format for a zine and authors are sometimes hard to track down. The author then quickly traces the origins of the zine to the science fiction authors of 1930s to the punk zines of the 1970s to the riot grrrl zines of the 1990s to make the case that zines are inherently counter-cultural and serve as a valuable archive for these underground movements and philosophies. This is where the connection between zines and libraries takes shape.

 

So what did the authors feel about their, by design, ephemeral and underground works finding their place in libraries? Not surprisingly, a seemingly large percentage (29%) were strongly against having their real names be included in the archive. Though the author does concede that around 30% of respondents wrote their zines using a pseudonym. Of the remaining 70%, almost all were happy to have their real name in the catalog. A large percentage (66%) felt that they would be uncomfortable discovering there work had been digitized and made available to download without their permission, but 71% said they would be excited if they were asked.

 

In conclusion, the author notes that “zine authors favor access over privacy” and would generally be happy to be included in a collection. However, being asked for permission was a key factor in this acceptance.

 

Evaluation

Having been involved in the punk scene and a zine creator myself, I can corroborate the concerns of the authors here. When writing these, I certainly would never have considered that they could have an impact beyond the community they were intended for. So, it might be a little unnerving to discover one of these works available for download in a collection somewhere. At the same time, the ideal of equity in access has always been central to punk politics so the notion that you could produce something that anyone could access digitally is quite appealing.

 

In terms of collections, I can imagine the headache that the pseudonyms would cause catalogers and archivists, especially armed with the knowledge that most zine authors would be disappointed to find their zine digitized and available to download without their consent. Personally, since zines are non-profit by nature, open access through an archive would just be the logical extension of this aesthetic.

Dawkins, & Gaivgan, K. W. (2019). E-book Collections in High School Libraries: Factors Influencing Circulation and Usage. School Library Research, 22.

Summary: Purchasing e-books has recently received a huge push due to Covid-19 and school closures. This article was written just before this global event and gives an excellent overview for the reasons that e-books may or may not be effective in schools. Seven high schools were chosen from rural, urban, and suburban areas. The data was collected from a combination of circulation statistics and interviews with the librarians. Accessibility issues were noted, especially in the rural areas as not all students have data plans on their cell phones or high speed internet access at home. Common across the schools was the preference for students to read a physical book over an e-book. A few schools reported that students associate e-books with research which is non-fiction. If they were reading for pleasure and not for school, a physical book was their preferred choice. Overall, e-books represented a significantly low total circulation for most of the high school libraries. It was also noted that purchasing habits as well as how the level of marketing can have considerable impact on how these e-books are used.

Evaluation/Opinion:  I chose this article as I am dealing with low circulation amongst our e-books. This is my first year as the librarian. We only just got the e-book app last school year. Circulation is non-existent. I am examining the potential reasons for this and found this article helpful in narrowing in what could be the issue. First is marketing of the app. None has been done since I have started this school year apart from my English 9 library orientation classes in which I briefly mention the app. Second is the selection of books available to the students. I am still learning about my community and what types of books they like to read. I have a small budget from last year remaining to be spent with this digital app but I am currently at a loss for what to purchase. It is a difficult decision to promote an app where you believe there are not enough options for students yet are still unsure what those options should be. This article was helpful and gave me insight on my next steps to increasing the circulation stats of our e-books.

Equity in Action: Doing a Diversity Audit

 

Jensen, Karen.  (2018).  Library Journal’s Equity in Action: Doing a Diversity Audit.  https://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2018/10/library-journals-equity-in-action-doing-a-diversity-audit/

 

This web posting is by Karen Jensen who has learned from her own experience of working in libraries, research, and then finally presenting to others what she has learned about diversity in collections and the  process of auditing a library collection to gather data on our collection and to look for weak areas of the collection.  Our first attempt at a diversity audit is likely not going to yield the results that we want or expect.  It may take several tries, and the more research we do about effective audits and working with others who have completed audits successfully will help ease the learning curve and be a more productive use of our limited time.  The experience of those such as Ms. Jensen can save us the trouble and nuisance of re-inventing the wheel, so to speak, and ease us into a process that might feel completely overwhelming, especially to a new librarian.

 A diversity audit helps us to answer the question, “what percentage of my collection is written by something other than the traditionally dominant voice?”   She includes slides from a recent presentation that she gave, and talks about the types of diversity to consider, how we can accomplish an effective diversity audit, collecting and analyzing our data.  How we can organize our audit in “chunks”  rather than tackling the entire collection at once to avoid becoming overwhelmed.  She also shares other resources that are helpful in learning more about diversity in library collections as well as how to complete a successful audit. 

 

 

 

Librarians Don't Deserve to be Dragged into Culture Wars

Naylor, Lori

Stevenson, S. (2021, November 23). Texas School Librarians don't deserve gov. Abbott dragging them into culture wars. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-school-librarians-don-t-162416559.html

    With the recent troubles for school libraries, where books such as Gender Queer and All Boys Aren’t Blue are not only being pulled from shelves but even right out of students’ hands, this article (by a former Texas middle school librarian) is an update on the troubles in Texas.

    Now the governor of Texas is threatening legal action against the librarians for “promoting pornographic materials.” This is despite the fact that none of the recently challenged books fit the state of Texas’ legal definition of pornography which is “any visual or written material that depicts lewd or sexual acts and is intended to cause sexual arousal.” The author notes that in the entire liberal Austin school district (which serves over 77,000 students) there are actually only four copies, for example, of Gender Queer, one of the books librarians are supposedly at fault for providing.

    As a former librarian, Stevenson is a voice of reason. She reminds readers that “the existence of a book in a library in no way signifies endorsement” by the librarian. Also, she acknowledges that librarians can make mistakes; they cannot, of course, read every book they put on the shelves. The article notes that “the government — in this case, a public school — cannot restrict speech because it does not agree with the content of that speech,” according to the Bill of Rights Institute. “The decisions called libraries places for ‘voluntary inquiry’ and concluded that the school board’s ‘absolute discretion’ over the classroom did not extend to the library for that reason.”

Bias in Collection Development

Summary

The library literature addressing the role of bias in collection development emphasizes a philosophical approach. It is based on the notion that bias can be controlled by the conscious act of believing in certain values and adhering to a code of ethics. It largely ignores the psychological research on bias, which suggests that bias is a more complex and subtle phenomenon. Bias is not always conscious and cannot always be consciously controlled. Countering bias requires an understanding of both its conscious and unconscious influences on selectors and the selection process. This article examines the psychological research that has been conducted on bias and shows how it applies to selectors and the selection process in collection development.

Evaluation/opinion

This article provides a theoretical framework to help rethink collection development policies and processes to reduce bias in selection. While we can support the ethical values of intellectual freedom, the actual task of collection development requires a large cognitive load, and encourages mental shortcuts that can be subject to bias. While the article provides individual actions a selector can take to reduce bias during selection, it does not provide guidance for how to set up institutional processes to provide accountability among selectors to reduce bias.

Reference

Quinn, B. (2012). Collection development and the psychology of bias. Library Quarterly, 82(3), 277-304. 

Changed, Changed Utterly

 https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/06/05/academic-libraries-will-change-significant-ways-result-pandemic-opinion

Summary:

In this article Christopher Cox explores how library collection development has been forever altered in the wake of the 2020 pandemic. He discusses the "new- normal" -one where in person classes and service interactions may be impossible. He explores the diminishing value of print collections. He asks how we can make the content in our print collections more accessible and relevant in a post CVID 19 world? He questions mass digitization and access versus archives. He cites copyright right difficulties and issues which would need to be resolved before universal acceptance. He advocates for additional mass digitization efforts, leveraging collaborative storage agreements with repositories currently dedicated to print- content and making library print collections more accessible.

Cox predicts that over the next few years libraries will universally be spending more time and money to develop their electronic collections. As budgets are reduced he foresees a challenge in accomplishing this goal. Libraries will need to develop new strategies for negotiating better deals with publishers while simultaneously lobbying for greater access to streaming media and ebooks, which are more plentiful and cheaply accessible to individuals than they are to libraries. He cites the Macmillian e-book embargo as an indication of future difficulties regarding the development of new access models.

Several institutions have had to rethink multiyear licenses to large journal packages in light of the long term financial implications of COVID-19 as well as years inflationary increases by publishers. Cox believes if more libraries decide to purchase material title by title instead of relying on large contracts with publishers then they will save a significant amount of money. He believes that libraries can force publishers to develop an a la carte purchase option by relying on source sharing agreements and document delivery services. By canceling big publishing deals libraries send a  clear message that things need to change. 

Evaluation:

Being back in a public library for these last five months have shown me that most of what Dean Cox talks about is exactly what we need to evolve forward in the information science world. What is disheartening is to learn about budgetary reductions at a time when those funds are needed most to ensure the safety of library workers. Large sections of hard plastic barriers now enclose the circulation and reference desks which do provide a bit more assurance of protection from COVID. The new normal of face masks and social distancing have allowed our staff meetings to still be held virtually as we seek not to infect each other in the office. What is new is that most patrons are now fully comfortable with the LAPL app which provides them almost unrestricted access to our whole website. I have also noted a less intensive process of cataloguing in the collection. Recently a patron checked out a stack of magazines popular in England, they mentioned that they almost exclusively used the LAPL to get their access but when she learned we had physical she wanted to get them for her mother who is hard of seeing. The encounter with that patron made me realize that whats really required  for libraries to succeed post pandemic is a balanced collection that preserves and circulates print material while emphasizing the availability of electronic resources.

Collecting the Dust Collectors: Reimagining and putting to use materials your school is not using.

 

Cullinane, A. (2018, January 11). School library incorporates reading with exercise. 10 WJAR. 

https://turnto10.com/news/local/school-library-incorporates-reading-with-exercise

           

Summary: This article was interesting in this work because it talked about the often forgotten task of simply rummaging through your school storage areas and putting to use what is not being used. Then, simply putting clip boards over the handlebars, the students are now able to use equipment the school paid for and read at the same time, effectively building a life skill of associating reading with physical and mental health. The librarian in this story also works at the high school in the district, so this is a habit she could potentially build on going forward for students. This was free!

 

Evaluation: You never know what you can find in the depths of your school’s, and even district’s, storage areas. I once found old LeapPads-with the cartridges-in the library of a highly disadvantaged, 100% free reduced lunch school and they weren’t being used. They should have been in classrooms and in the library but they were in storage. I was so mad. The school was build in 1921 so my classroom legit had five outlets with two plugs and a few plugs didn’t work. Another outlet was our SmartBoard and another the class phone. So, with what was left, I plugged in four LeapPads for the kids. They loved them. They were bulky enough to survive being on the floor incase of accidental kicking. What I enjoyed with this article was the implementation of the bikes and ellipticals in the library. This allows rambunctious students to burn some energy in a calm atmosphere. To begin connecting exercise and reading with physical and mental health. I would love to see public libraries do this for all ages but specifically school libraries as obesity rates rise and literacy rates lower. Let’s fight both battles at once!

The Point of Collection Mapping

 

O’Donnell, Meghan.

Herren, A. (2021). Transforming library collections and supporting student learning with collection mapping. The Serials Librarian, 80(1-4), 142-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2021.1883207

Summary:

A community college library in Florida revamped their collection to better align with curriculum using collection mapping in 2015. The project improved alignment to curriculum, collection diversity, and relations between library staff and college faculty. Having less unneeded works made room for more study space which students had been requesting. Circulation did not improve in the 6 years since then. However, at least the library staff know that what is circulating better meets student needs. When the project began in 2015, research showed that students tended to prefer print works over digital for research. As the project progressed, research in 2018 showed that digital works were beginning to be preferred over print by students. Therefore, the lack of improved physical circulation does not show a failure of the project.

Evaluation or opinion:

Since we approached collection mapping using infographics, I thought the process was mostly visual. I read an academic article about a university library’s experience using collection mapping. This article changed my understanding of collection mapping. I’m no longer seeing it as some ethereal thing. It is a tool used to accomplish a purpose.

Collection mapping has nothing to do with helping patrons or potential sources of funding understand your collection. It is not about creating an easily grasped visual or graphically displaying information. You might end up creating a collection map that is nice in those ways. However, doing so is not your goal.

The point of collection mapping is to assist library staff in charge of collection management. You need to identify what your collection contains, check for gaps and saturation points, and ensure that your collection aligns with user needs. It is a tool for selection and deselection. It could possibly be a tool for looking at rearranging your layout.

The appearance of your collection map does not matter. It might be a massive boring spreadsheet. It is simply data that represents your collection. You don’t need to make the data attractive. You just need to make the data actionable so you can act on the data and make your collection as useful as possible.

The article I read was Transforming Library Collections and Supporting Student Learning with Collection Mapping  by Arenthia Herren. Herren relayed the experience of using collection mapping to revamp physical holdings at Florida SouthWestern State College Libraries in 2015. The project realigned the holdings to better align with curriculum. Most interesting to me was that the libraries sought syllabi from classes and used them to determine what to have in the library collection.

I cannot use this technique for my non-school-affiliated library. However, that tactic has made me consider what I could do along the same lines. Homeschooling parents make heavy use of my juvenile nonfiction section. Are there homeschool educational benchmarks for my state that I could align some of my juvenile nonfiction collection to meet? The article made me think and definitely improved my understanding of what collection mapping accomplishes.

Library collections and services during Covid-19: Qatar National Library experience

Medawar, K., & Tabet, M. (2020). Library collections and services during Covid-19: Qatar National Library experience. Alexandria: The Journal of National and International Library and Information Issues, 30(2–3), 178–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/0955749020986377

 Summary:

This article talks about the changes made in library collections and services during the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the Qatar National Library. Because of the pandemic, many libraries like the Qatar National Library had to change the way they handled their collection and resources. Global and international library associates came together to put together guides and best practices and protocols in order to deal with the situation. Maybe hybrid libraries (with physical and electronic resources) had to switch to digital in a short amount of time. The Qatar National Library just opened in November 2017, and it known as a National, Public, and Research library. This space is quite exceptional looking and was designed so elegantly and beautifully. Their open space was inviting to all visitors and they also had more than one million books and more than 500,000 e-books, periodicals, newspapers, and special collections. Unfortunately, the library had to close it's doors in March 2020 because of the pandemic and they had to initiate a digital transformation with a huge impact on staff, services, and collections. This library used to host 90 events per month, but because of the pandemic, they had to replace those events with online Microsoft Teams events. There was also increase of social media use to promote programs and resources because that was their best way to get the word out. 

Insight and Thoughts: 

Reading through one library's experience definitely gives you a perspective of how quickly and easily their focus can change. Within a few years, they had to completely alter their way of presenting their services and resources to their patrons. All that money, effort, and time spent on a phenomenal space, and they had to shut it all down. The designers and creators had a vision of people coming into this library in big groups to show off their design and artistic interior, but now it is so much different from what they had imagined it would be. It makes me wonder if any future developers in libraries will want to spend all this money on designing physical spaces when more and more resources will be available online. Will there be a need for spaces like this? Will people prefer to come together in a building like this when everything is easily assessible online? Digital transformation has become so crucial and almost normal to our current society. The new generation will expect their resources to be available remotely. It also goes to show how adaptable library and library collection management has to be. There could be so many factors that come into play when it comes to collection planning and management. Curve balls can be thrown at you at anytime, and as librarians, we'll need to be prepared for them!

 

 Aggleton, J. (2018). Where are the children in children’s collections? An exploration of ethical principles and practical concerns surrounding children’s participation in collection development. The New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614541.2018.1429122

Summary: 

    This article considers the role of children in the development and selection of children's services collections. The author argues that, as the target audience of a children's services collection, children should be involved in this selection process. Children are almost entirely absent from involvement in the writing and publication of children's books, and by keeping them out of the collection development process at school and public libraries, children's literature becomes a reflection of adult culture rather than child culture as is the aim. However, the author does not propose that the process should be handed over to children entirely. Rather, it is argued that libraries and librarians must develop an understanding that "It is not sufficient for adults to assume that they understand children’s opinions on children’s literature" and as such it "is needed is for the librarian or archivist to find ways to enable children to participate, though not to have total control over the process". 

Evaluation:

    I found myself in full agreement with most of what the author of this article was presenting. It is entirely too common for librarians in charge of developing youth or children's collections to do so without any input or participation from the audience they are seeking to serve. The assumption that adults have a firm knowledge on the tastes and desires of young readers must be abolished. While this article doesn't necessarily provide practical steps for facilitating the involvement of children in the selection process, it provides a solid theoretical understanding for the importance of doing so and could be used to support the implementation of these practices in library systems that are hesitant to do so. 

 Chapman, E. L., & Birdi, B. (2016). “It’s Woefully Inadequate”: Collections of LGBTQ* Fiction for Teens in English Public Library Services. Journal of Research on Libraries & Young Adults, 7(1), 1–29.

Summary:

This article highlights a study conducted in the UK that investigates how accessible and available LGBTQ+ fiction is to teens in British libraries. Using a mix methods approach they compared library holdings and collections to a list of LGBTQ+ resources and titles they created and collected to see how  much of that list was present and in what formats. Sadly the reported findings suggested that very few libraries had a strong collection of up to date and positive LGBTQ+ fiction available for young readers. Research suggested there were significant gaps and much needed room for improvement across most of the library branches they surveyed. The MLIS staff who were interviewed were often shocked and disappointed that so little relevant titles and resources were available.

Evaluation: 

Though the results of the study proved disappointing because of the clear lack of titles available to LGBTQ+ youth and teens the study was very successful in exposing a gap in the collection. The results of the study were distributed to the branches they conducted their research at and the staff were able to see their lack of collection and start to address it. The staff also were given access to the list created be the researchers so they could build and grow their collection of LGBTQ+ materials that are genuinely wanted by LGBTQ+ teens. 

Library as Infrastructure

Summary:

In this article Shannon Mattern lays out a fascinating historical perspective of the development of physical attributes of a library and how they influence and are influenced by the media that they house.  She starts with Mevil Dewey’s influence on all aspects of the library in terms of not only the organization of materials (like the Dewey Decimal System) but also the physical apparati that we use to access information (like the original card catalog that we used to organize the metadata).  Mevil Dewey, among many things, was an entrepreneur that had his hands in everything and anything that had to do with information, including how we develop it, organize it, access it and distribute it.  

The author, Mattern, continues from this historical perspective toward our present day libraries addressing the question, ' what is the library and what is its purpose?’  We no longer have Mevil Dewey to guide the answers to these questions, but we do have many new players that influence the direction of the library as a concept.  Including David Weinberger, who suggested that the library should consider itself a ‘platform’ for the creation of knowledge.   Mattern has some issues with this concept and instead suggests that the library is not just a “two-dimensional” space for the creation of information but is rather a vastly more complex infrastructure that embodies all information in all of its forms.  

Starting from the assumption that the library is the physical and digital infrastructure of information, Mattern continues to support this concept in addressing two forms of infrastructure (social infrastructure and technological-intellectual infrastructure).  Through this lens she explains the library's role in developing the infrastructures that ultimately influences the community that the library serves.  

Why this article is valuable to me and why I think in may be valuable to you:

As a new student to LIS, I am constantly feeling (and hearing from professors) that the library is struggling to define itself in this information age.  Most (almost all?) information that used to be physically housed in a library is now housed digitally and can be accessed privately.  People used to go to the library for answers, now they can go to their computers.  So, I’m constantly asking, ‘what is the library? And why is it important in this new era?’  I think this article really helped me to understand or to at least have a vision of what the library is in this new world that we now live in.  

Reference:

  Mattern. (2014). Library as Infrastructure. Places (Cambridge, Mass.), 2014. https://doi.org/10.22269/140609

Metadata for diversity: Identification and implications of potential access points for diverse library resources.

Fran Prather

Rachel, I. C., & Schoonmaker, S. (2020). Metadata for diversity: Identification and implications of

potential access points for diverse library resources. Journal of Documentation, 76(1), 173-196. 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2019-0003.

Summary:

This article begins with the premise that diversity is one of the core values of American librarianship and that libraries must promote diverse materials and advocate for diverse communities. After a literature review that begins with the seminal "Windows and Mirrors" premise of Bishop (1990), the authors present their research and findings on the challenges of using metadata to tag resources for diversity. Diversity in this case included "baskets":  gender, occupation, geographic region, audience, age, race, ethnicity, cultural identity, indigeneity, gender identity, LGBTQIA+, and disability. Specific problems included content creators and whether or not the creator themselves wanted to be identified by these elements and the lack of a a way to specify these areas in MARC records. Also of concern is a recognition that these baskets do not allow for nuances in intersectional relationships. Noted in these elements were also specifically American social practices and ethnocentrism, which cloud tags and may further the "othering" of marginalized communities. Of major concern was the lack of specificity in disability and indigeneity, which almost erased mention of these populations, further marginalizing large groups of already minoritized communities. The authors suggest that "any access points to describe diverse reading materials needs to consider support for self-identification, impermanent and flexible metadata, and intentional and explicit positionality" (p.192). 

Analysis/Reaction:

This research is timely and welcome. As a high school librarian who has worked to diversify my school's collection, I have been quite frustrated by attempts to acquire new materials, perform a diversity analysis of the collection, and with how to tag materials so that patrons can locate them by as possible keywords as available. The idea of crowdsourcing the tagging to allow for flexible metadata is intriguing in a school library; is the student population trustworthy in this regard? After all, we have books on the Holocaust that have been physically vandalized with swastikas - do we want to open tagging to students online? How does a librarian manage the tagging?- One of my own concerns is how to promote diversity without furthering stereotypes or "othering," a concern shared by the authors of this article as needing further research.  

Loud Hands in the Library Neurodiversity in LIS Theory & Practice

 Lawrence, E. (2013). Loud Hands in the Library Neurodiversity in LIS Theory & Practice. Progressive Library Guild. http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/Braverman/Braverman2013.pdf

Lawrence asks how might we approach neurological difference in a library setting’s physical layout. Something I haven't thought about before. 

Lawrence introduces numerous approaches to neurodiversity including the Medical Approach, the Social Approach and the Neurodiversity-Based Approach. Some differentiation on these approaches help clear up common questions librarians have about disability and neurodiversity. The medical approach is more qualitative and less sensitive to people’s humanity. Doctors speak of Autism as an epidemic and see the spectrum as only "high to low functioning".  The social approach is the most common approach in society and the “social model depicts disability as a socially constructed phenomenon, the product of systematic discrimination” (Lawrence 3). The Neurodiversity-Based Approach is a more contemporary approach.   “Neurodiversity advocates seek “better social support mechanisms, greater understanding from those around them or those who treat them, and a recognition that, though they are neurologically, cognitively and behaviorally different, they do not necessarily suffer from being neuro-diverse nor do they need to be cured” (Fenton & Krahn, 2007; Lawrence, 4). 

Lawrence does justice to this topic by highlighting the lack of publications on these issues including only 3 articles on Assistive Technology is shocking. This brings this issue to the information professionals so in the future there may be more publications on these issues. 

Lawrence asks how might we do better? Getting away from referring to autistics in a clinical medical approach is one way to do better. Lawrence  suggests asking persons with autism directly and collaborating with  Autistic-run Organizations as a means for taking Autistics seriously as a user group and as a community. Creating meaningful connections and seeing persons with autism as individual users with specific needs. 

Curation Situations: Let us count the ways

Stefani, Anne

Valenza, J. (2017, July 5). Curation situations: Let us count the ways. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2017/07/05/curation-situations-let-us-count-the-ways


In “Curation situations, let us count the ways” Joyce Valenza discusses not only the many definitions of curation, but also the critical importance of creating collections to support student learning, especially in a digital format. She and her co-authors conducted several surveys which ultimately led them to the “curator’s taxonomy” which consists of four parts: collecting, connecting, curating, and contributing (Valenza, 2017). She goes on to argue that librarians are critical members of instructional leadership on campus because they possess a holistic view of the learning needs at their site and/or context:

Digital curation is a translation and amplification of our traditional practice. We study the                specific needs and interests of our communities. We have always been around to tame the information flow, to facilitate discovery and knowledge building. Curation is a direct translation of collection building, critical evaluation, instructional partnership, sense making, meeting community needs, knowledge building and instruction. With a school wide perspective spanning disciplines, grade levels and learners’ abilities, we build collections based on decisions relating to quality, diversity and local relevance. We organize resources for intellectual and physical access and equity and our efforts are portable, collaborative, embeddable, easy to access, customized for their audience and optimized for all platforms.

This article really resonated with me because it captures the important role that librarians play in finding resources for everyone on their campus and/or district. Whether it is a video for a teacher, a language tutorial site for a student, or even an article for administration, librarians have the power to create connections and take some of the heavy-lifting off of the shoulders of students and teachers. However, like the article points out, those resources and collections need to be easily accessible for all so that those resources do not just exist in individual silos, but rather are available for all. Digital collections housed on learning commons websites are an excellent way to ensure equal access for all.

Libraries Full Circle: The Cross Section of Community, the Public Sphere and Third Place

 Danielle Meininger

Wood, E. (2021). Libraries full circle; The cross section of community, the public sphere and third place. Public Library Quarterly, 40(2), 144-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2020.1737491

Summary

Emma Wood, associate librarian at UMass Law Library draws on her experience as both an academic and public librarian as well as foundational work on the public sphere and concept of third place to make the argument that today's libraries are better poised than ever to imbue their communities with the gift of space, conversation and community. Although recently many libraries have focused on the growth of their digital resources and virtual interactions Wood feels that the history of libraries is rooted in the salons and coffeehouses of 17th century Europe where diverse groups of citizens gathered to discuss ideas. Libraries being open to all people and curators of knowledge for the public good are natural gathering places that enhance the livability and function of the communities they are placed in and are not simply "warehouses for books"

Further on the discussion moves on to a hot issue to date of library neutrality in which Wood convincingly argues that neutrality is in the co-existence of many freely competing ideas and information. The social responsibility of the library consists of a sphere "of shared space, shared ideas and physical collections each encouraging the other (p.151)." This argument supports her final thesis of the library as third place, ie. not home and not work but another valuable space people feel comfortable in precisely because everyone is accepted and all ideas can mingle freely. This doesn't guarantee any particular success for libraries in general but serves as a guide to focus efforts to connect in real time and place with library visitors and those who may not realize the library can be a vibrant and accepting place in world of divisiveness and isolation. 

Evaluation

This article really helped to clarify a few thoughts for me on my own personal philosophy of the library. Working in public libraries I have seen the vast variety of reasons people visit the library and marveled at my co-workers abilities to serve them all with patience and fortitude. This past year as my library was shut down I saw the pain it caused potential patrons and witnessed their actual tears as we re-opened our doors. I think Emma Wood develops her thesis with interesting background on gathering places and information dissemination of the past, but she truly hits her stride as she ropes in the concept of the interconnectedness of collections, service and programming and providing a physical space to hear and see people without expectation. That is the libraries true value and one that cannot simply be replaced by the internet or any other type of service.

Reading Collaboration Reading Partnerships in a School Community

Greeley, Chris

Watkins, V. (2020). Reading collaborative reading partnerships in a school community. Changing English, 27(1), 15-33. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1080/1358684X.2019.1682966

Summary
Watkins explores an intergrade reading program in which Year 12 students (ages 16-17) support Year 7 students (ages 11-12) who are identified as struggling, reluctant readers by their English teachers. The author starts with a semi-critical, albeit brief, overview of the English National Curriculum standards, which are written in a way that suggests learning to enjoy reading is inherently natural. She disagrees. In exploring existing research on read aloud and the dynamics of learning to read, Watkins cites a few researchers--Minns (1997), Barrs and Cork (2001), Hodges (2009) and (2010)--in which she sets up her argument that learning to read is social practice.

Throughout her three vignettes of student partnerships, a few features stand as that allowed this reading program to be successful. The first was conscientious decisions in pairing particular students. The personality of a reluctant reader appeared to be the starting point, matching the Year 12 student accordingly so that there was the potential for a relationship to form. The researcher also supported the Year 12 students in their mentorships, providing tools (such as activities) as well as coaching them through the dialogue that had occurred in order to consider what how to further support the Year 7 students. One such activity that all three pairs completed was a reading collage in which students shared their reading journey along with reflections. Choice was also an important part of this process, whether it was what to talk about or what to read; giving the reluctant readers space to have a voice in the process was advantageous in their journey towards developing as readers. Relationships were at the core of this program and allowed it to be effective, with Watkins concluding once again that learning to read is a social practice; and should be playful, inquisitive, and organic.

Evaluation
The way in which Watkins posited this research was insightful, using snapshots of conversation to show a window into how a program like this looks, then analyzing what was taking place. The images embedded in article with the reading journey activity, although repetitive, helped frame how these students saw themselves as growing readers. Other activities would have been nice in order to create some dynamic in how the mentors were helping the reluctant readers think about themselves as readers and the books they read.

I'm torn as to whether or not I wanted some sort of data collection. I would have liked to have seen some numerical value that captured students' perceptions on themselves as readers in the beginning versus at the end of this project. The key to that is self-identification: how does one see themself as a reader? This program wasn't meant to boost reading levels, per se, but to support students in merely feeling comfortable and confident as readers. Some pre- and post-survey data could have shown the effectiveness of the program, although based on the research she provided, it did seem to support the younger students.

Organization Theories and Collection Management in Libraries

 

Kanazawa, M. (1991). Organization Theories and Collection Management in Libraries. Collection Management., 14(1-2), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1300/J105v14n01_03

Summary: 

        Kanazawa's article, Organization Theories, and Collection in Management in Libraries, is about collection management through organization theory. The article concludes that in smaller libraries, a part-time collection librarian is enough to manage the collections. In comparison, mid to more extensive size libraries need a separate library collection management division. 

Insight: 

One insight that I received from the article is that collection management functions, through the framework of organization theory, correspond to staff. I find this valuable information because I realize that more extensive libraries, like the Central Public Library in Los Angeles, has separate collection management division due to its amount of media it contains, while smaller, suburban libraries, like my local library, has part-time collection librarians who work other duties.  

Applying theory in practice: The serious leisure perspective and public library programming

 Reise, Ashley

VanScoy, Amy, Thomson, Leslie, & Hartel, Jenna. (2020). Applying theory in practice: The serious leisure perspective and public library programming. Library & Information Science Research, 42(3), 101034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101034

Summary: The Serious Leisure Perspective, a grounded theoretical framework imported to the information and library science field, offers clarity to researchers of leisure-related information activities. Using this framework, libraries can analyze their programming and identify areas of development and improvement. A content analysis shows that most adult library programs (59%) are casual leisure based. Revealing that there is a void for those in serious leisure pursuits. 

Evaluation: Since starting at SJSU I've been interested in serious leisure and how libraries can help fill the void in regards to lack of location and programming. As this is a recent article, I'm both maddened to see that serious leisure as a whole is completely missed by the public library community but have hope that with awareness, new programming could be introduced in libraries that caters to the public that have serious pursuits. 

“Equity Through Diversity: The Importance of LGBTQ Titles in Our Elementary School Libraries.”

 Winter, Jeromy. “Equity Through Diversity: The Importance of LGBTQ Titles in Our Elementary School Libraries.” CSLA Journal, vol. 43, no. 1, Summer 2019, pp. 5–8. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=138196441&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

"The American Library Association (ALA) stringently and unequivocally maintains that libraries and librarians have an obligation to resist efforts that systematically exclude dealing with any subject matter, including sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation (GLBTRT, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, 2017.). When talking about diversity in a book collection it is important to include books for LGBTQ+ students.  Students request books that represent their own ethnicity but might not be forthcoming in requesting LGBTQ+ books.  Teachers may not know who identifies as LGTBQ+ or those students are not always willing to ask for books. For this reason, making a list of books available or a place where books are openly available.  The need for a strong collection development and challenge policy helps to avoid conflict over adding these titles to your collection. 

It is important to have a diverse collection with books that represent BIPOC characters as well as all abilities, genders, and LGBTQ+, etc.  I have noticed a spark of joy in the eyes of some students lately when I offer up a book with LGBTQ+ characters.  All children need to see themselves in the books that they read, not only to make them feel like they belong but to also help them see the beauty in others and appreciate everyone for who they are.  The first step to providing a safe and welcoming space in the library for all students is to give them mirrors, windows, and sliding doors to the world around them in books.