University Library of Columbus

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Browsing University Library of Columbus by Author "Hardin, Jennifer"

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    Preparing for a More Equitable Future: An Examination Of EDI-Focused Courses In LIS Curricula
    (2023-03-16) Dill, Emily; Grote, Lidiya; Hardin, Jennifer
    In recent years many professions, including the field of librarianship, have seen a much-needed increase in their focus on issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). For example, in January 2022, ACRL’s Board of Directors added a strategic goal area dedicated to EDI. Because Library and Information Science (LIS) education lays a foundation for and greatly impacts librarians’ professional identity and practice, it is important to understand how they approach EDI issues in their courses. The current exploratory study aims to survey how LIS programs incorporate EDI into their curricula by examining the language used in online course descriptions. Course descriptions are often the first contact prospective and new students have with a school’s curriculum and also serve to broadcast what a program values and what its curricular priorities are. This study examines the EDI foci across ALA-accredited library science programs by analyzing their online, publicly available course descriptions’ use of EDI terminology. Emergent themes uncovered are discussed.
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    Tell Us What You Really Think: Implementing a Mixed-methods Approach to Library User Assessment
    (2023) Grote, Lidiya; Dill, Emily; Hardin, Jennifer
    This article presents an analysis of student feedback received via formal biennial survey and informal post-it notes assessment, and advocates for the use of informal assessment methods to supplement formal methodologies. A biennial satisfaction survey and an informal post-it notes assessment were employed to collect data from library users and yielded comprehensive, timely, and actionable feedback from the students, faculty, and staff. Feedback received from the two assessment methods allowed the University Library of Columbus (ULC) to gain a greater understanding of user needs and preferences which was used to improve library spaces, resources, and services to increase user satisfaction. While each method has advantages and disadvantages, combining varied assessment methods helped the ULC to gain a more holistic understanding of its users and provided a rich set of actionable data. Furthermore, student feedback is a valuable tool for library advocacy and outreach to both the university community at large and administrators.