CIRI Blog: User Communities
Empowering Future Library Leaders with an EDI Focus
Published: October 7, 2024, by Dr. José Aguiñaga
In a groundbreaking initiative, Dr. José Aguiñaga and Dr. Rebecca Stallworth introduced the iLead program with their PLQ conceptual article, “iLead with an EDI Lens.” Funded by an IMLS planning grant in 2023-24, the program seeks to develop an asynchronous online curriculum where library employees can earn micro-credentials in leadership with an EDI lens. This program is a collaborative effort between San José State University and Simmons University to prepare tomorrow’s library leaders with a strong emphasis
A Study about LGBTQ+ Students’ Library Privacy in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published: February 16, 2024 by Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran and Dr. Darra Hofman
Given both the historical and ongoing surveillance and policing of marginalized communities, contact tracing, and other pandemic control measures pose additional dangers to marginalized communities that are not faced by members of dominant communities. While privacy rights have been a point of controversy and uncertainty for all in the face of digital surveillance and the exigencies of the pandemic, LGBTQ+ students may well struggle to assert even those rights to which they are unquestionably entitled. Utilizing a multi-method, multidisc
Library Research Scholars Program: Encouraging Undergraduate Research at SJSU
Published: August 26, 2022 by Andrew Chae
For many people, doing research can often seem like a daunting task. This is particularly true for undergraduate students who are in the early stages of learning the myriad skills necessary to carry out a research project. In addition to being unsure of how to conduct research, students at this stage of their academic journeys may not be given any opportunities to do research on topics that truly interest them. This can lead many students to view research solely as an obstacle that they must overcome.
Reading Nation Waterfall: An IMLS Grant Seeking to Increase Literacy and Library Access for Native American Children
Published: August 23, 2021 by Dr. Anthony Chow
As the new iSchool Director, I’m bringing a three year $1.4 million IMLS grant to San Jose State University. This project called Reading Nation Waterfall is focused on studying the unique barriers to literacy resources and libraries for Native American children and their families. One of our primary goals is to help jump start community wide book sharing and distribution by focusing on children 3-10 years old and working
How Identity is Conceptualized in Information Behavior Research
Published: October 15, 2020 by Dr. Deborah Hicks
Our identities play a big role in our lives. They give us our sense of self. They inform the way we interact with our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. And, they influence how we build, maintain, and even change social structures. But, for such a powerful and important part of our lives, identity can be an abstract and hazy concept. It is often used uncritically to refer to the fact that something or someone exists (the identity of a
Wholehearted Librarianship during the Pandemic
Published: April 20, 2020 by Dr. Michael Stephens
Taking the long view, I would say that librarians spent a lot of time in the 1990s and 2000s figuring out how to use rapidly evolving technology to better serve their users. The internet reached the masses and libraries stepped up with classes and access. Later, social networking across multiple platforms and smart mobile devices lead to knowledge creation and learning on the go.
Practices and Representations: Bringing them together
Published: March 24, 2020 by Dr. Mary Ann Harlan
It is not unusual when involved in a research project to be distracted by new ideas, interesting concepts, and potential connections to the research that ultimately are beyond the scope of one’s current project. I find myself often distracted by shiny new research ideas and questions as I read for a literature review, analyze data, and write my own analysis and findings. This could be why I sometimes don’t seem to have a pithy answer to “What are your research interests?”
Searching for LIS Student Success at the SJSU iSchool
Published: June 20, 2019 by Dr. Anthony Bernier
“It’s not that people haven’t been inclusive. It’s just… a feeling I have in myself. You feel like an imposter. Like, especially when you go back into your family life.”
In Fall 2018, the American Library Association awarded Dr. Anthony Bernier a Diversity Research Grant (the committee’s top pick from among 30 proposals) to study the experience of the iSchool’s First Generation (FG) students. The project defined FG students as people coming from family backgrounds in which neither parent earned a professional degree.
Student Driven Inquiry: A Personal Research Journey
Published: February 5, 2019 by Dr. Shelly Buchanan
The first months of 2018 presented me with significant professional shifts when I joined the iSchool full-time faculty and shortly thereafter in March earned my Ph.D. for my dissertation titled, “The lived experience of middle school student engaged in student-driven inquiry: A phenomenological study.”
Value of Libraries: Measuring the Impact of CA Libraries
Published: November 18, 2018 by Dr. Cheryl Stenstrom
The California Library Services Board is funding and supporting a project called the Value of Libraries. Work on this project is being carried out by the California State Library under the direction of state library consultant, Dr. Natalie Cole, with assistance from iSchool faculty member, Dr. Cheryl Stenstrom and iSchool alumna, Rachel Hanson.
Strengthening Community Engagement and Resilience Efforts in Climate Change: Public Program Strategies
Published: February 8, 2018 by Dr. Chris Hagar
Climate change is a hot topic in current political agendas and seen as a global crisis. This semester, climate change and informal science learning practices will be discussion topic in INFO 281-13 “Crisis /Disaster Health Informatics” course. Students will discuss a paper “Strengthening Community Engagement and Resilience Efforts in Climate Change: Public Program Strategies” that I presented with Dr. Karen Brown (Professor, School of Information Studies, Dominican University, IL) at the Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) Conference 2017 held in Reykjavik, Iceland (https://www.idrim2017.com). The paper describes the Public Libraries Advancing Community Engagement (PLACE) programs for adults which combine engaging readings, videos, and lively discussions about resiliency and adaptation in the face of climate change to encourage understanding and action.
Connected Learning: Evaluating and Refining an Academic Community Blogging Platform
Published: April 30, 2017 by Michael Stephens
Dr. Michael Stephens explores a recent study that investigates the benefits of a community blogging platform for students in an online LIS program.
This post will briefly explore a recent study that investigates the benefits of a community blogging platform for students in an online LIS program. Using a web survey and descriptive content analysis methods, the study empirically addresses how student blogging communities can effectively foster connections amongst instructors and students, and enhance perceptions of learning performance.
Libraries as Place: A Response to Changing Needs
Published: October 31, 2016 by Michael Stephens
We have explored the foundations of socio-technological change and what the library as learning laboratory looks like. Just as the availability of new ways of learning are possible, so have libraries begun to use networked capabilities to change their approach to satisfying the learning needs of the people in their communities. The library profession has also made strides in describing and typifying the learning needs of those they serve. Information literacy skills have long been taught by librarians across diverse settings in various institutions. Recent years have brought other designations to describe the impact of technology on such skills, such as transliteracy, metaliteracy, and digital literacies. Jenkins (2009) utilized the term trans-media navigation as a descriptor for the new skills required for the new media landscape, including moving through multiple channels of media to learn about current and past events or experience stories. It could be argued, however, with ubiquitous access to networked communication technologies, these skills are now simply life literacies or how we make sense of the world. Simply, general human interaction with information.
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Science & Technology Conference, Geneva, Switzerland
Published: February 12, 2016 by Dr. Chris Hagar
I was invited to present a poster at the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Science & Technology Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, January 27-29. The conference focused on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. This Framework outlines targets and priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk. “It aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years” (UNISDR, 2015). The conference brought together over 700 participants (scientists, experts, policy makers, researchers and practitioners) from the science and technology community from many geographical regions and partnerships.