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tag: Academic libraries

Blog Post
March 28, 2024

New Report on Self-Censorship and Public University Libraries

In the Fall of 2023, Ithaka S+R reached out to 15 library leaders at public research universities throughout the United States and asked them to speak about their current experiences regarding censorship, self-censorship, and academic freedom. Today, we are publishing our anonymized findings from these semi-structured interviews. What is Really Happening in Public University Libraries? Over the last several years, K-12 education and public libraries have been the subject of major political conflicts regarding the educational materials and literature they…
Past Event
March 6, 2024

Unpacking Emerging Threats to the Culture of Learning and Academic Libraries

Ithaka S+R’s Roger Schonfeld will participate in the closing keynote panel at Camp ER&L, on March 6 at 11:00am – 12:00pm, alongside panelists John Chrastka, Kathleen McEvoy, and Nancy Kirkpatrick. Closing Keynote Panel The dangers making headlines for school libraries and public libraries are beginning to impact academic institutions and their content and technology providers. State-level threats to academic libraries come from mandated shifts from the social sciences and the humanities to STEM at state-funded universities, the elimination of…
Blog Post
November 7, 2023

Suicide Prevention in the Library

Current Service Offerings and Future Opportunities

As an important frontline community center, libraries play a vital role in connecting people to resources, services, and materials that meet their holistic needs. Over the past decade library services have grown to address the acute need for mental health and crisis support, especially in light of the growing issue of college students’ mental health. With suicide a leading cause of death in the United States, now increasing after a period of decline, efforts to help…
Past Event
October 19, 2023

Break Bureaucratic Barriers Through College Fluency Collaborations

“For me the college is just so big. Sometimes you get bounced back and forth from department to department‚ and you get lost in bureaucracy.” Sound familiar? Students can struggle to navigate bureaucratic barriers harming their well-being and academic success. One solution is college fluency—the knowledge and abilities to effectively locate and use services, programs, and resources. Join us at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Conference on Thursday, October 19 at 12:10 – 1:00pm ET…
Blog Post
June 29, 2023

Recentering Cultural Heritage with(in) the Community

The Haudenosaunee Archive, Resource and Knowledge Portal

In early June, we sat down for a virtual conversation with three researchers on a recent Mellon grant that brings together several topics of interest for Ithaka S+R: digital archives, preservation, open access, DEIA, and data sovereignty. In the following transcript, we discuss the development of the Haudenosaunee Archive, Resource and Knowledge (HARK) portal at the University of Buffalo with Theresa McCarthy (Principle Investigator (PI), Onondaga Nation Beaver Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, associate professor…
Blog Post
June 13, 2023

Should Academic Libraries Worry about Futureproofing?

If nothing else, the pandemic taught everyone the importance of the ability to manage change and pivot quickly. Now, three years after higher education institutions had to manage newly remote or hybrid operations, what will the next big change catalyst be, and how can we prepare for it? The what and how are at the heart of a new question we introduced in the latest cycle of the 2022 Ithaka S+R Library Survey. Nestled among questions about value proposition…
Blog Post
June 1, 2023

Coordinating Research Data Services

Key Barriers and Questions

This spring, 107 librarians, administrators, and staff from the 29 universities participating in Ithaka S+R’s Building Campus Strategies for Coordinated Data Support project began to identify barriers to streamlining their research data support services. The project’s first two meetings brought together representatives from university units involved in supporting academic researchers: librarians, senior administrators, research officers, and research computing staff. Working primarily in small groups roughly divided by professional capacity, participants described the ways that different university units—and different institutional…
Blog Post
April 26, 2023

Three Questions for Tracy Bergstrom

Earlier this month, Tracy Bergstrom joined Ithaka S+R as a program manager focused on collections and infrastructure. Previously she worked at the University of Notre Dame as director of the specialized collection services program within the Hesburgh Libraries. In this interview, we asked Tracy about her career trajectory, the challenges facing academic libraries, and what types of projects she will be undertaking in her new role. You worked at Notre Dame for a number of years. How did you get…
Past Event
April 27, 2023

Teaching with Streaming Video

Understanding Instructional Practices, Challenges, and Support Needs

On Wednesday, April 26 at 11 am ET, a Choice 360 webinar sponsored by ProQuest will answer the question: What challenges and opportunities does streaming video present for academic libraries and faculty? The session will focus on an Ithaka S+R research project conducted in collaboration with 24 academic institutions on teaching with streaming video and implications for academic libraries and faculty. Tune in to hear from Ruby MacDougall, Sarah Brennan, and Kathleen McLellan. Register here.
Blog Post
March 30, 2023

Findings from the Most Recent US Library Survey

Today, we are publishing our findings from the latest cycle of the US Library Survey, fielded from October to December 2022. This report is designed to provide library and other higher education leaders with a high-level look at how library deans and directors conceptualize the role, strategic alignment, and value proposition of academic libraries on campuses. In this sixth iteration of the project, we continue to explore library strategy, budgets, and staffing. We also introduced new batteries of questions…
Blog Post
March 22, 2023

Campus Strategies for Data Support Services

Welcoming the Second Cohort

What research data services do campuses currently offer and are researchers aware of them? What funding models can support the costs of centralized data services? Where in the larger organizational structure should these services reside? How can institutions make informed staffing decisions to ensure the expertise needed to support current and future services? As the need for robust, effective, and coordinated research data services on college campuses grows increasingly acute, these are some of the key questions members in our…
Past Event
March 9, 2023

A Library for All

University of Michigan, Google, and the Importance of Having a Copy

On Thursday, March 9 at 7 pm ET, Ithaka S+R’s Roger Schonfeld will serve as a panelist on a University of Michigan event focused on library digitization, digital archiving, and the idea of a universal library, speaking on his book Along Came Google: A History of Library Digitization, co-authored with Deanna B. Marcum. Other panelists will include University of Michigan Edward M. Gramlich Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Economics and Public Policy Paul Courant, former University Librarian and…
Blog Post
February 6, 2023

Exploring College Fluency at Community Colleges

Seeking Case Study Partners

What happens when a student asks a librarian for information related to registering for classes, signing up for financial aid, or accessing mental health counseling services? These are questions community college librarians routinely respond to, though they are not directly related to librarians’ typical functions of supporting coursework or research. How might a librarian better support such a student? Last year, Ithaka S+R and the Borough of Manhattan Community College Library embarked on a two and a half year long…
Blog Post
February 2, 2023

Building Campus Strategies for Data Support Services Project Kicks Off

With 2023 coined the “year of data” by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and data-intensive research methods growing across disciplines, campuses throughout the US and Canada are recognizing the strategic need to build a centralized approach to providing data support services to researchers. These services are often provided by the library, in addition to other campus units scattered across the university. Developed over time and with minimal coordination, data support services tend to exist in silos,…
Blog Post
January 30, 2023

A Librarian’s Perspective on Streaming Video in Educational Contexts

Almost exactly one year ago, I added “Streaming Video Coordinator” to my portfolio at Cornell University Library, a role which includes looking strategically at our streaming media offerings. In this capacity I started thinking about what a collection policy focused on streaming video might look like. In fact, libraries don’t collect streaming video at all, but rather prioritize timely access to films needed to support course instruction.
Blog Post
January 11, 2023

The Library’s Role with Open Educational Resources

A Conversation with Librarians

Our latest US Faculty Survey examined faculty perspectives and attitudes about using and creating Open Educational Resources (OER). Not only were we able to track how these perspectives changed over time, but we were also able to understand how the pandemic affected OER consumption and creation. As expected, the adoption and creation of OER textbooks, course modules, and video lectures increased since the last national survey cycle, yet faculty indicated that they are less interested in creating and using…
Blog Post
December 8, 2022

College Fluency Capacity Building

BMCC Library and Ithaka S+R Launch New Research Project

We’re excited to announce that the Borough of Manhattan Community College Library and Ithaka S+R are partnering on new IMLS-funded research exploring librarians’ role in college fluency. The College Fluency Capacity Building research project will equip library faculty and staff to address new and urgent challenges they are facing in their profession as they are called to meet the changing information needs of the students they serve.
Blog Post
December 5, 2022

Coordinating Research Data Support Services Across Campus

Announcing a Second Cohort

This fall, Ithaka S+R announced a new cohort-based research and consulting project to help universities coordinate research data support services across campus. Demand for the first cohort has been overwhelming, making it clear just how timely and important this topic is to university leaders. For this reason, we are pleased to announce that we are organizing a second cohort so that more universities can participate in this project.
Blog Post
October 12, 2022

The Library Director Survey 2022 is Live!

We are excited to announce the launch of the 2022 Ithaka S+R Library Director Survey. In order to track high-level strategic and leadership perspectives across the field, we conduct a national survey of academic library deans and directors every three years. Consistent with previous survey cycles, this iteration of the study will provide insights into issues of strategic priorities, budgeting, staffing, and collections, as well as introduce new questions designed to track emerging trends in the field.