students

The Unexpected Overlaps Between a Don and a Librarian

Something that I try to think more about these days, is to find meaningful intersections between my current career and the various experiences I had in the past. Maybe it’s due to my lack of confidence due to lack of experience as an academic librarian, but I always find myself leaning on my past experiences whenever I encounter a question that I don’t know, or a new workaround to a problem that I hoping to solve.

One particular experience that comes back to me even throughout library school was my time as a student residence staff (aka a “don”). Residence dons are upper-year students who live on the floor with students who are often in their first years, or on exchange. When I started library school, there was a class called “The Information Experience” which was my first encounter with a whole new side of academia for information science and information behaviour, in particular. The major project for the course was doing our own study conducting information horizon interviews (IHI) with 3 participants who share commonalities between each other and discover their information behaviour. Being freshly out of undergrad and still in my 4^th year mind, the first thing I thought about was to ask my friends who were and are still student workers in residence. The interviews and conversations confirmed my gut instinct that indeed, the two professions had more in common than I originally thought.

A Librarian (in a different sense)

One of my favourite memories from working both in student housing and libraries always seem to be from the events that often took a lot of hard work and organizing. From screening the entire world cup tournament across 4 residences, to hosting campus-wide alumni reunion events at the health science library, being able to creatively adapt and proactively start initiatives is something I am grateful that I could pursue. Going beyond the open house booths and orientation day tables, programming combining both departments is something I wanted to bring to fruition.

During final exam time or programming that dons were recommended to host, some ideas that my fellow student staff and I had were around writing, academic integrity, time management, even things like using softwares like OneNote and Notion. ChatGPT and its related academic-AI friends unfortunately? fortunately? blew up after I finished undergrad, but I am sure this would be an interesting topic to tackle in a residence program that could be both fun and educational. Guest presenters were often invited as well, from off-campus housing, academic advisors, writing centre staff, and collaborative sessions across campus with other dons occurred often.

Outside of programs and creative field trips on and off-campus, regular questions would come at my way in the hallway, the shared bathrooms, the cafeteria, on the way to class, through text, through email, and so much more. Being able to direct the student to the correct resource, developing effective workflows depending on the subject area, and being a liaison to academic resources and the student were also just some day-to-day responsibilities (sound familiar? haha).

A Possible Untapped Synergy?

Often during graduate student consultations, library anxiety is something I realized was a phenomenon. Especially for first-year students and even undergraduate students, I realized that there was a hurdle to access resources and become familiar with the building, website, staff, and services. Because I had worked and volunteered in libraries since junior high school, I think that I automatically thought libraries were my comfort space, so I did not even realize this was a thing. So when the first student told me about this back, I was kind of shocked.

After doing more reading on this topic, I realized that there were ways to combat this, such as in-residence librarians (Nicholas et al., 2015). These in-residence librarians would work inside the first-year student residences bringing awareness and breaking down any barriers that may exist. I think that this anxiety is still a thing even for profs and grad students as I always recognize the same names popping up in my emails asking questions or requesting instruction. I love seeing familiar names and faces, but reaching those who have never encountered me or library services is something I would want to try by breaking down this invisible barrier. This extra step would be possible especially through collaborations external to the library, and what better way than with experienced student housing staff who already recognize student needs and wants!

Bringing this to a close, I just want to mention the existence of libraries inside many student residences based on personal experience. In the building I worked and lived in at Western University in London (Ontario, Canada), there was even a huge room on the first floor with a nice “library” plaque. Although the books were either donated textbooks or leftover belongings, the space that it provides for students and residence staff were similar to any other academic library especially during exam season and community building events. The residence at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto where I lived in during grad school was also equipped with an in-residence library with many books on subject areas that the college specialized in.

I hope that this at least sparks some interest and further discussion on being more involved within student housing and student residence staff as the interest is definitely there, and we share more similarities than we might think!

Resources

Hartel, J. (2017). INF1323: The Information Experience – An Information Behaviour Study Using the Information Horizon Interview. http://www.jennahartel.info/uploads/8/3/3/8/8338986/assignment_handout.pdf

Nicholas, P., Sterling, J., Davis, R., Lewis, J. C., Mckoy-Johnson, F., Nelson, K., Tugwell, Y., & Tyrell, K. (2015). Bringing the library to you!: The halls of residence librarian program at the University of the West Indies, Mona Library. New Library World, 116(5/6), 316–335. https://doi.org/10.1108/NLW-06-2014-0080

Integrating interns with disabilities at the library

For the past three years, Michigan State University Libraries has participated as a job site in Spartan Project SEARCH, an MSU-based iteration of the larger Project SEARCH program. Project SEARCH is a transition program for young adults with developmental disabilities in which participants, often recent high school graduates, learn job skills such as how to write a resume while also working half days in various job settings. At MSU, participants work everywhere from the dining halls to the library, learning how jobs work and how they like different job environments.

Spartan Project SEARCH began at MSU in 2016 and the Libraries’ Accessibility unit started participating in Fall 2022. Since then, we have hosted two interns per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The interns’ rotations in the library typically last about 10 weeks.

When we first began the program, we started small, with interns only coming in a few days per week, but more recent interns have spent four days a week at the library. This would not have been possible without the participation of several units around the Libraries. Usually, our interns spend between one hour and two hours working for one unit before moving to another, allowing them to work on a variety of tasks in a single day.

Currently, interns work on resetting furniture, scanning books for controlled digital lending, collecting books for reshelving, and checking in returned books. They also have the opportunity to assist with smaller projects as they arise, including installing exhibits and participating in user experience testing. Interns also tour other units in the library, such as Cataloging or Maps, so that they can see the breadth of work happening in the library.

Overall, participating in Project SEARCH has been extremely rewarding, but we have learned some things along the way. First, we would not have been a successful program site if the interns worked in only one unit. Having multiple host units allows for interns to learn an array of different skills and experience different kinds of work and work environments. It also helps to fill out their schedule and provides some flexibility as we respond to interns’ interests and needs.

Each intern is different, and though we’ve now developed a process that generally works, we’ve found flexibility to be key in making the experience useful for the intern. We train interns extensively on their tasks, with the goal of them completing their work independently. We do, however, always have someone scheduled to check in with the intern or to provide extra support and training time if they need it. Some interns feel more comfortable shadowing for a longer period of time, others work well when we double check their work with them, and occasionally some just want a bit of company during their shift. Again, responding to interns’ needs and requests has helped to make the training process and transition to independent work run smoothly. Depending on interns’ interests and abilities, we’ve also added or modified work for them.

Providing the interns with routine and consistency also helps to set expectations and keep the internship running smoothly. At the beginning of each new internship, we create a schedule that stays roughly the same, with work in specific units happening at the same time each week, along with some free slots to add in tours. We print a full schedule each week for the interns to reference and take home if they want. This helps interns to anticipate what’s coming up, know where they should be, and know who they should expect to see.

Finally, establishing methods of finding and asking for help has been critical both in the early stages of an internship and later on when interns are working independently. We of course make sure interns know where to find our offices, but because we are so often moving around the building or in meetings, we also give interns our phone numbers and encourage them to text us if there’s a problem. Because there are two of us managing the interns, group messages have been particularly helpful.

Project SEARCH has sites throughout the US and internationally, but it isn’t everywhere. If you’re interested in participating in a similar program in your library, I encourage you to look into similar alternatives as well. Project SEARCH, for example, collaborates with Michigan Rehabilitation Services, and there are likely other similar programs in your state. We’ve found Project SEARCH to certainly be a commitment of time and resources, but also completely worthwhile and a way to make a direct impact in the community.

If your library participates in a similar program or if you’re interested in starting something like this, I’d love to chat more in the comments.

Special thanks to Heidi Schroeder, who initiated the Project SEARCH program in the MSU Libraries and works with me on supervising our interns. This article in the Libraries’ newsletter has more information on MSU Libraries’ participation in Project SEARCH.

Turning to the compassionate present: a counter

Active listening as care

In my first semester of library school, I took a course called “Social Aspects of IT.” The topic of the course was exactly what it sounds like. For our final project, we conducted interviews with a population or community group of our choosing to determine the impact of COVID-19 on their use of technology. I have multiple close contacts who are in Twelve Step programs, and I knew that the move to virtual meetings was having a tremendous impact on them.

During the process of finding additional folks to interview, I attended an open meeting hosted in my college town. Though it was more than five years ago, the experience sticks out in my mind as personally and spiritually significant.

Sitting with a dozen adults who were willing to speak openly and honestly about how they were feeling in that moment with no pretense or qualifiers was a rare experience. I’ve rarely experienced the sort of vulnerable connection that came from their willingness to show up as is. When someone in the room spoke, nobody looked at them or nodded or emitted other forms of backchanneling. Yet, it was evident that everyone in the room was listening intently. Dr. Gabor Maté says that addicted people need a compassionate present, and I have no better words to describe the feeling of that meeting and why it felt so resonant to me.

Acknowledging pain

Recently I was walking with a colleague who expressed annoyance at the deluge of publications bemoaning Gen Z’s supposed disinterest in learning and that we’re forgetting the trauma they endured during the pandemic. Whether it’s an overreliance on AI, an inability to read at the levels professors expect, or inattention in the classroom, there seems to be a tendency, at least by some, to focus on the contemporary student’s “wrongness.”

I’m making sweeping generalizations here, I know. But from my vantage point, it seems that most of my adult peers have been able to compartmentalize the pandemic and move forward in a way that younger people may not have so easily accomplished.

If the age range of a typical undergraduate cohort is 18 and 24, excluding nontraditional students, then most of our undergraduate students were between 13 and 19 years old when the Covid-19 pandemic shelter in place orders were first implemented. I don’t know about you, but in my own life, that window of teenage time was instrumental for self-exploration. I have fond memories of going on long walks with friends, experimenting with thrifted clothing, discovering arthouse film, and experiencing the newfound freedom that came with getting my driver’s license at 16.

So much of that exploration came from being out in the world around other people, testing the waters, figuring out what I liked and didn’t like. None of it would have been possible if I was confined to my parent’s house, separated from my friends, stuck staring at my computer screen for 8 hours a day, or left grieving a lost loved one in isolation.

Admitting misunderstanding

Though I’ve only just finished my first year in my current position, I can understand how the rhythm of the school year prompts us to detach from students, especially undergraduate students. They cycle through in four-year intervals, and in the scheme of our careers, this transience may feel like a blip in our own timelines.

Although we may have students that regularly visit us for help throughout their college career, or we might be fortunate enough to work with a particular class multiple times throughout a semester, these longer form connections seem to be the exception, not the rule.

Our time with most students is fleeting in hour-long meetings and 90-minute, one-shot class sessions. It can be hard to foster or even gauge engagement during such short windows. For example, this semester I decided to incorporate a zine collection and activity into a class on racial disparities in healthcare. Afterwards, I thought that the activity was mostly a flop, and that the students were more interested in the 17^th and 18^th century rare texts than the zines. However, their professor recently shared student feedback from the session, and at least half of them mentioned being positively impacted by the short lesson on zines.

A gentle shift

Rather than assuming that students are disengaged or uninterested, maybe we need to turn our attention to ourselves and our interpersonal decoding skills. Maybe we’re simply reading this generation of students wrong. Maybe the way they communicate interest is different than the ways we’ve seen in the past.

I don’t know whether this hypothesis is accurate or not. However, I do know that creating space in our schedules to actively listen to and simply be with our students is one place to start testing it.

As I look forward to the summer months and start thinking about the arrival of new students in the fall, of course I’ll have lesson plans in mind and activities in the queue for orienting students to the library. But I’m also setting the goal to be flexible, to find ways to genuinely engage students and learn about what interests them, to help promote activities in the library that foster creativity and self-exploration, and above all, to sit with them in the compassionate present.

Some Thoughts on Showing Up for Students and Overcoming Discouragement

I returned to library instruction this week bearing mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was excited to return to teaching after a pause between December and February that was replaced by other work priorities. I missed building connections in instruction sessions and individual consultations with first-year students and course instructors and navigating the library’s many materials and resources as a new employee. On the other hand, I returned with a great weight on my soul. The same December-February period has seen a series of assaults on information access that are too many to describe in just one post but include the scrubbing of data and resources from federal department and agency websites without notice and the downstream effect that government funding cuts will have on potentially impactful research. I mention this example not to revisit everything that has happened in Washington over the past several weeks but to say that I carried what was happening nationally in my mind and body.

The conflicted state I felt is one that many academic librarians across the country are very likely feeling. In these uncertain times, how we can best show up for our students and guide them toward becoming critical and responsible information users is a question that is more important and complex than ever. As a Black librarian, these questions are amplified by my concern for other students of color at my institution and my professional aim of creating a library space that is safe and inclusive—both now threatened by the undermining of DEI efforts on the federal level and increasingly in higher education nationwide.

As challenging as it will be with the brevity of one-shot instruction, consultations, and reference interactions, here are some ways I want to show up for my students this year:

Listen with intention and empathy: Having the patience to pay attention to what students are saying and the struggles they might face that are difficult to communicate.
Reinforce that I am a resource for different kinds of information: Remind students during classes, consultations, and more extended reference interactions that I can help them find things they need that are not just research-related.
Employ principles of trauma-informed teaching: Constantly be aware of stressful events and issues on campus and beyond that are potentially impacting my students and create a learning environment of safety, trust, autonomy, and support where appropriate and possible.
Model vulnerability and authenticity: Be honest with students about my struggles with research and library use and emphasize that I am growing like them.
Meet students where they are: Remember that, to borrow the focus of Dr. Carol Kuhlthau’s seminal research, the information search process will be different for each student and necessitates me working with them at the place they are at rather than pushing them to the “right” way of finding information first.

Whether I can meet even one of these goals remains as unclear as the direction of this administration. But even beyond the stress and nerves of teaching, two feelings I will likely struggle with this year are discouragement and disillusionment triggered by the state of the country and the fracturing of truth and fact due to mis and disinformation primarily online but also increasingly from unregulated artificial intelligence. In moments like these, it is vital to remind myself of the purpose of my role as a librarian–to support students in finding the information they need and equipping them with research skills they can use in college and life.

A few years ago, amid a challenging season of loss, a close artist friend of my partner and I named Soyoung Kim gifted us a watercolor sketch that we keep in our office. The sketch depicts a sailboat bobbing over blue waves with the following words on the bottom center: Advice for Discouraged Sailors 1. Stop 2. Steady Your Boat 3. Study Your Compass 4. Seek The Wind.

Image Credit: Soyoung Kim, 2023. See more of Soyoung’s work here!

As we journey into the deeper, busier waters of this semester and the uncertainty of this year, as we meet discouragements, disappointments, and failures, may we remember to pause, refocus, return to what inspired us to work in academic libraries, and pay attention what this work is calling us to do in these times.

Generative AI & the Evolution of Academic Librarianship

During my first week as an academic librarian, many faculty discussions on campus were regarding the issue of generative AI software, such as ChatGPT. A majority of the faculty at a panel discussion held on campus about AI expressed concerns over plagiarism, copyright, academic integrity, etc. Those on the panel, however, commented on how beneficial using AI was. When asked more specifically on what faculty should do to combat potential cheating from using generative AI, the panel seemed in agreeance on an answer: educate your students on how to responsibly use AI.

I will admit; prior to starting my career as an academic librarian, I had never used generative AI. Of course, I saw generative AI blasted all over the news and saw updates on sites and apps like Snapchat, but I never understood what generative AI was. I did not have any interest in learning about it either. After attending the panel discussion, however, I was reminded of a book I read called Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson. I was assigned to read Who Moved My Cheese? by a professor in graduate school and often refer back to it (I highly recommend reading it if you have not already done so). The book explains how change can happen unexpectedly, and when it does, it is better to adapt and move forward than be left behind. Feeling like I was being left behind while other faculty embraced generative AI, I decided to learn as much as I could about it.

Although I read numerous articles and watched hours of YouTube videos, I was still confused as to how generative AI worked. Near the end of August, my dean notified the library faculty of a course offered through ALA’s eLearning platform. The course was titled Exploring AI with Critical Information Literacy and taught by Sarah Morris. I enrolled in the course and learned about the development and usage of generative AI and machine learning, current discussions around AI, opportunities and challenges for AI usage in higher education, and how to engage AI as an academic librarian. Throughout the course, we examined AI through a critical lens and discussed strategies for AI to be incorporated at our own institutions. I enjoyed the course and found the lesson on prompt engineering to be the most intriguing.

One of the ways in which academic librarians can enter the generative AI realm in higher education is through teaching faculty and students prompt engineering. Prompt engineering is strategizing your generative AI input to obtain your desired output. While one can simply ask ChatGPT a standard question, prompt engineering recommends telling ChatGPT through what lens to answer the question. For example, if I was wondering how to craft a lesson for my class on implicit bias, I could plainly input:

“What lesson on implicit bias could I give my college class?”

Using prompt engineering, a better input would be:

“Act like an Academic Librarian teaching a college course on critical thinking. Design a lesson about implicit bias. Include topics for the class to discuss in small groups.”

While the results appeared similar, the detailed prompt elicited a result more applicable to my course by covering topics such as bias in information sources and media literacy.

Another way academic librarians can educate faculty and students on generative AI is on responsible use. More specifically, we can create lessons and workshops around copyright, academic integrity, and the reliability of the output. I tried this with my critical thinking class. I first introduced the university’s academic integrity policy, including definitions of cheating and plagiarism. Because the majority of my class was unfamiliar with generative AI, I briefly explained how generative AI worked. Afterwards, I had the students discuss the potential benefits and challenges of using generative AI. Using my personal account (my university does not support the use of ChatGPT), I asked ChatGPT and had the students read the output. I stressed that when used responsibly, ChatGPT can be a great resource for brainstorming; however, I cautioned my students from using it for writing assignments due to plagiarism, copyright infringement, and incorrect information. To illustrate this point further, I informed my students of the two attorneys in New York who acquired case law through ChatGPT. The attorneys did not fact-check the case law, and the judge discovered that the case law actually did not exist. The cases ChatGPT cited were made up. Overall, the lesson was a success. Many students chose to explore generative AI in more depth for the final projects.

By embracing generative AI, academic librarians can increase their skillset and become a useful resource for faculty and students navigating the rapidly evolving world of AI. It will be interesting to learn about how varying universities respond, if they have not done so already. I imagine we will see new policies implemented on campus, positions established, and roles altered.