New articles: underserved students; comparing student competencies; collaboration

Foskey, A., & Roper, A. (2020). Constructing authority: Using the ACRL Framework to connect with underserved students. College & Research Libraries News, 81(10), 508. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.81.10.508 "At the community college level, rethinking library instruction in light of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education often feels like a puzzle. ... In this column, we outline our library’s outreach efforts to engage with two intersecting and underserved groups: returning adult students and students in the LGBTQ+ community.  ... At our library, engaging with the Framework provided an opportunity to design innovative instruction and programming."

Głowacka, E., Kisilowska, M., & Paul, M. (2020). Patterns of Differentiation of Students’ Competencies: A Comparative Study. College & Research Libraries, 81(7), 1061. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.7.1061 "The aim of the project is threefold. First, it offers a comparative analysis of the information literacy skills of Polish and Spanish students, regarding both their self-assessment and belief in the importance of information literacy. Second, it focuses on differences and unique IL needs of students of courses rooted in social sciences and/or humanities. And third, due to these differences, it discusses the role of academic librarians in profiled IL training, integrated with the specific courses. Quantitative methodology was applied. The comparative study covered subgroups of humanities and social science students from Poland and Spain. Competencies in information searching, processing, evaluation, and communication/dissemination were taken into account. The results indicate some common ways of perception of valuing information competencies and major differences in assessment of IL self-efficacy. Students’ reluctance to visit libraries is another argument to enhance profiled IL training being realized in close cooperation of academic librarians and the faculty."

Tran, N., & Chan, E. (2020). Seeking and Finding Research Collaborators: An Exploratory Study of Librarian Motivations, Strategies, and Success Rates. College & Research Libraries, 81(7), 1095. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.7.1095 "This exploratory study explores librarians’ motivations, strategies, and their perceived or relative success rates for finding collaborations on research projects or library initiatives. Survey results indicate that the most prevalent motivators for seeking a collaborator were to acquire expertise that one lacked, sustain research interest, and obtain a sounding board. Workplace culture, being open to collaborations, and attending conferences and meetings were the top selected strategies for finding research collaborators with the highest relative success rates."

There is also a book review of Julien, H., Gross, M. & Latham, D. (2020). The Information Literacy Framework: Case Studies of Successful Implementation. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield (ISBN 978-1-5381-2144-3) Photo by Sheila Webber: remembrance poppies and sunlight, November 2020