Topic: Libraries

Building on success, scaling impact Earlier this spring, we kicked off two cohort projects on AI literacy with 45 colleges and universities. In the months since we first announced the cohorts, the urgency of AI literacy integration has only grown. Students increasingly expect their institutions to prepare them not just to use AI tools, but to understand their implications, limitations, and ethical considerations. Faculty are seeking concrete guidance on how to incorporate AI literacy into their courses meaningfully. And…

As higher education continues to undergo profound structural, technological, and demographic change, the role of the academic library on campus has never been more critical. More than a repository or service point, the library is increasingly recognized as an innovative, strategic partner, capable of advancing institutional priorities in student success, academic innovation, and organizational resilience. In this context, developing the next generation of library leaders is not only timely, it’s imperative. To support this evolution, we’re pleased to announce, in…

In April 2025, we launched the Integrating AI Literacy into the Curricula cohort project, in collaboration with librarians and educators at 45 colleges and universities, to conduct research on the current state of AI literacy and develop actionable pathways to providing effective AI literacy programming for students and faculty. In mid-May, we held our first cohort workshops to start thinking through AI literacy using shared language. After reviewing the ACRL information literacy framework and existing AI literacy frameworks,…

America’s prisons and jails are information deserts. Restrictions—and in some cases, outright bans—on internet access, combined with limited library services and widespread censorship of both print and digital materials, severely restrict incarcerated individuals’ connection to the outside world. Legal information is no exception. Although access to legal information is a constitutionally mandated right, incarcerated people face significant—and often insurmountable—barriers to exercising that right–from limited access to legal materials and guidance on conducting legal research, to complex administrative procedures required to…

For many students, the hardest part of college isn’t the classes—it’s figuring out how college works. From navigating confusing admissions processes to registering for classes and understanding financial aid, higher education can often feel like a maze of unfamiliar terminology and siloed systems. The result? Too many students miss critical deadlines, misunderstand key processes, or struggle to advocate for themselves in an unfamiliar and bureaucratic environment. This challenge disproportionately affects students who are already navigating complex life circumstances: first-generation students,…

The mental health crisis across the United States is widespread, and it shows no signs of abating, with one in five adults experiencing mental illness each year. Among college students, the situation is even more pressing: approximately 60 percent of college students struggle with at least one mental health challenge. The Hope Center recently found that 44 percent of students reported experiencing clinical depression and/or anxiety. Further, 57 percent of students who stopped out without completing…

For over two decades, Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) have played an important role in the private sector, serving as centralized hubs for managing open source engagement and strategy. Facilitating the development, contribution, and governance of widely used tools and critical digital infrastructure, the value of OSPOs is well established in corporate contexts.  In higher education, however, OSPOs have only recently begun to gain traction. Universities and their employees rely extensively on open source software for…

How are students supposed to know where to start when applying to college? Once they arrive, how do they continue navigating complex institutional systems and advocating for themselves? For many students—especially first-generation students, English language learners, and adult learners—higher education can feel like an overwhelming maze of unfamiliar terminology, decentralized services, and bureaucratic roadblocks. Without clear guidance, students may struggle to access the support they need, impacting their ability to enroll, persist, and succeed in college. Join us for…

In May 2024, we announced a new project to study the costs and benefits of emerging models in the monographs publishing landscape. Funded by the Mellon Foundation, the study looks to analyze the market fit of various models within the academic e-book sector to understand how these models are functioning for libraries and authors. As part of this project we are interviewing publishers and content aggregators as well as librarians. In our initial conversations with the first group, we…

With funding from ECMC Foundation, Ithaka S+R launched the Maximizing Public-Academic Library Partnerships initiative to explore the ways academic and public libraries can collaborate to support students and their broader community’s basic needs. As we investigate how these partnerships manifest in real-world settings through case studies, we’ve had the opportunity to engage with two librarians at Bakersfield College on a collaboration that revitalized the Shafter Library.

In the fall of 2023 we announced the launch of a new research project, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, designed to assess the impact and implementation of open educational resource (OER) initiatives at public institutions of higher education. Today, we are publishing the resulting report, based on an initial literature review and interviews with OER leaders in four US states. In Charting the Course: Case Studies in OER Sustainability, we identify five key takeaways: There…

Challenges in reproducible research The ability to reproduce results is a cornerstone of scientific integrity in academic research. Reproducibility in research ensures that results can be independently verified, thereby enhancing the credibility and reliability of findings. However, achieving reproducibility is not without its challenges. Researchers often grapple with organizing their analyses, learning new computational tools, and diligently documenting their data and methodologies. These were some of the challenges raised during interviews with faculty at the University of Victoria (UVic) conducted…

Many college students face challenges that extend beyond the classroom, requiring holistic support that addresses both academic and non-academic needs. “College fluency,” which is the knowledge and a corresponding set of abilities that enable students and staff to effectively locate and use relevant college services, programs, and resources, can help students successfully engage with and self-advocate within the culture and bureaucracy of higher education institutions to achieve their goals. Through our College Fluency Capacity Building research initiative, undertaken with…