Topic: Libraries
Past Event
April 12, 2024
What Are the Impacts of Polarization on Censorship in Academic Libraries?
Join the EveryLibrary Institute for a discussion of an upcoming report by Ithaka S+R about the censorship landscape for academic libraries, drawing from interviews with 15 deans, directors, and university librarians. The report’s authors Roger Schonfeld and Ess Pokornowski will focus on how this emerging policy landscape and rapidly evolving political climate are impacting the research libraries of public universities. Stay tuned for the report and register for the webinar, scheduled for Friday, April 12 at 1:00pm ET.
Blog Post
March 20, 2024
The Library of Congress Research Experience Survey Is Open
Ithaka S+R is honored to be partnering with the Library of Congress on a research study to better understand the experiences of people who use the library's collections and resources to conduct research. This mixed methods project includes an online survey followed by interviews of selected researchers. The findings from this study will be used to help inform the Library of Congress’ strategy for supporting the researchers that utilize the library’s collections and resources.
Blog Post
March 14, 2024
Mapping Research Data Support Services
A New Report from Ithaka S+R Shares Findings from an International Inventory
The complexity of contemporary research practices have created significant demand for a wide range of support services within university research communities. Libraries and other campus units have responded by developing an array of research data support services to help researchers learn new tools, improve their skill sets, and manage their data across the research lifecycle. Because these services often evolved without central oversight or cross-unit coordination, it can be difficult for users to understand exactly what is available to them…
Research Report
March 14, 2024
The Research Data Services Landscape at US and Canadian Higher Education Institutions
While many universities have made substantial investments in research data services and are likely to continue to make further investments, obstacles such as decentralization and inefficiency, insufficient staffing, lack of technical expertise, and ambiguity about the needs of researchers continue to limit the impact of these investments. In light of these persistent challenges, Ithaka S+R revisited our 2020 inventory of data services and expanded our scope to include Canadian universities. Our findings presented here are based on a comprehensive review…
Blog Post
March 12, 2024
The College Fluency Survey Is Open!
We are thrilled to announce that Ithaka S+R in partnership with the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) Library has launched our new, national College Fluency Survey. This survey is a part of a comprehensive, two-and-a-half-year initiative funded by IMLS aimed at understanding how institutions can better support a critical aspect of student success: college fluency—or the knowledge and abilities that enable students to effectively access, utilize, and advocate for needed college services and resources. Through this project we…
Blog Post
February 28, 2024
Assessing the Diversity of Library Collections
Announcing a New Cohort Project
As we’ve explored in our previous work, academic libraries build collections in the context of their parent institutions—primarily to support the institution’s research, teaching, and learning mission. They also build collections that document and preserve the cultural and scientific heritage of our society to represent a wide range of perspectives. In these efforts, universities and their libraries are developing approaches that address calls for greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) with a focus on creating space for the…
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…
Past Event
January 23, 2024
Project Management
Lyrasis Workshop
In this two-part live Lyrasis workshop, Ithaka S+R’s Oya Rieger will help attendees understand the basic processes and the lifecycle of project management, create and follow a work plan, manage personnel and team dynamics, and more. Project management is an essential skill set to achieve specific objectives, whether you are overseeing or participating in an initiative. Project management knowledge even applies to everyday work life, as we are often constrained to a finite timeline and budget and must work within…
Blog Post
November 16, 2023
Supporting College Teaching
Providing excellent instruction is a key priority across colleges and universities in the United States, but the on-the-ground experiences and needs of college teachers are often taken for granted. When approached thoughtfully, evidence about how faculty teach can be used to make meaningful interventions into their day-to-day activities, which in turn benefits their students. Today, we’re publishing a new issue brief intended to serve as a resource for institutions working to improve their support for college instruction through cross-unit…
Issue Brief
November 16, 2023
Who Cares About College Teachers?
An essential step to refining an institution's underlying strategy for advancing teaching and learning excellence is to understand the models for instructor support at universities and how evidence about teacher practices and needs is used to inform those services. This paper outlines which units on campus have instructional support mandates and how those units typically engage with teachers both at their own institution and nationally.
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…
Blog Post
November 2, 2023
Enhancing and Expanding Research Services at the Library of Congress
Assessing User Engagement
For nearly 20 years, Ithaka S+R has partnered with libraries to navigate change, measure impact, and better serve their users—with projects including coordinating data support services for researchers and exploring how research libraries can advance their institutions’ strategic priorities Today, we’re pleased to announce a new project with the Library of Congress that aims to assess how researchers are engaging with the library’s services and collections at the Capitol Hill campus, as well as to expand its…
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
October 5, 2023
Pell Restoration for People in Prison
Webinar Recording and Additional Resources
On September 29, we hosted a webinar, “Pell 101: Information for Librarians and Those Serving People in Prison,” to share information about the restoration of Pell funding for students who are incarcerated. Panelists included prison education journalist and Open Campus reporter Charlotte West, Vera Institute of Justice Associate Initiative Director Ruth Delaney, and NASFAA Education Specialist Sheila Meiman. We’re pleased to share the recording here. Below, you will also find our panelists’ responses to questions raised during the…
Past Event
September 27, 2023
Transforming Metadata
Valuing metadata in changing environments
Transitioning to the next generation of metadata comes at a time of change in the social, political, and economic contexts in which libraries operate. This Transforming Metadata webinar features speakers whose recent publications help us better understand how these forces are shaping scholarly communication and metadata ecologies. Ithaka S+R’s Ioana Hulbert and Tracy Bergstrom share insights from recent studies that track perspectives and priorities among library deans and directors, focusing on challenges for articulating the value of technical and…
Past Event
September 29, 2023
Pell 101
Information for Librarians and Those Serving People in Prison
As of July 1, 2023, people who are incarcerated are once again eligible to receive the federal Pell grant, ending an almost 30 year ban. While this represents a long sought victory for advocates working to expand access to postsecondary educational opportunities inside, the process by which Pell restoration is being implemented is complex, involving many stakeholders across Departments of Corrections, colleges and universities, accreditors, and federal agencies. People who are incarcerated will be the critical stakeholders in ensuring access…
Past Event
September 27, 2023
Collaborative Collections Lifecycle Project (CCLP) Fall Public Update Webinar
In December of 2022, Ithaka S+R announced participation in a multi-institutional partnership to facilitate the cross-industry development of collaborative library collections, funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services in a grant awarded to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration & Innovation (PALCI), Lehigh University Libraries, and Ithaka S+R, along with 27 other partner organizations. The project aims to create a suite of best practices, prototype middleware, and improve standards in order…
Blog Post
August 28, 2023
Archives in the Anthropocene
An Interview with Eira Tansey
Cultural organizations and the government agencies that support them are increasingly devoting serious attention and financial resources to reducing their carbon footprints and climate-proofing their facilities. In a new addition to the growing body of literature on the topic, archivist and founder of the consulting firm Memory Rising, Eira Tansey outlines an ambitious policy agenda for mitigating the threats that climate change poses to archival collections and archivists. The agenda she proposes in A Green New Deal for…
Issue Brief
August 21, 2023
Redressing Relationships with the Historically Marginalized/ Redresser les relations avec les personnes historiquement marginalisées
This publication provides four focused examples about specific institutions that have worked to address the imperative to redress their relationships with historically marginalized communities/ Cette publication fournit quatre exemples ciblés d’établissements qui ont spécifiquement travaillé pour répondre à l’impératif de redresser leurs relations avec les communautés historiquement marginalisées.
Past Event
August 24, 2023
Generative AI for Library and Information Professionals
North American Voices in Developing an IFLA Resource
Generative AI is one of the most pertinent topics in any information setting nowadays. In response to the rise of generative AI, IFLA’s AI Special Interest Group has compiled a guide for library and information professionals. On Thursday, August 24 at 1-2:30pm ET, Ithaka S+R’s Dylan Ruediger will participate in a session at IFLA’s 88th World Library and Information Congress that will explore the opportunities, challenges…