it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jun 					 				 				 					nicola andrews					/ comments 				 											it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief library workers, as with other professions, are quick to diagnose ourselves and others with imposter syndrome when we doubt or devalue our everyday work.  however, methods of coping with imposter syndrome have changed little in the forty years since the term was first theorized, and often centre on feel-good fixes which do not address power imbalances between the sufferer and their workplace environment.  here, i examine the origins of imposter syndrome, and identify factors often misinterpreted as imposter syndrome but which are instead the product of oppressions such as precarious labour, racism, and sexism.  by unpacking how oppression and gaslighting shapes a workplace environment, we can then alleviate individuals with imposter syndrome of sole responsibility for their own healing, and hold institutions and managers accountable for the conditions they help to perpetuate. nb:  i use the terms “library workers”, “staff”, and “employees” interchangeably, to denote people who work in libraries at all levels. library workers who are volunteers, interns, students, or precariously-employed grapple with imposter syndrome as much as or more than workers who are formally credentialled with an mlis degree or who benefit from social credibility through their age, gender, or race. by nicola andrews introduction imposter syndrome is an evergreen issue within librarianship, and countless authors, presenters, and researchers have offered solutions to the issue since pauline rose clance and suzane ament imes first named it in (clance & imes, ).  the problem is pathologized as a syndrome, yet simultaneously framed as a natural part of entering a profession, particularly for women.  despite this acknowledgement of prevalence, solutions seldom analyze workplace culture or values, instead emphasizing that the afflicted individual should adjust their beliefs and behaviours.  by examining imposter syndrome literature, and reframing it in a culturally responsive way, we can identify causes of imposter syndrome, experiences misidentified as imposter syndrome, and how institutions benefit from it.  with this knowledge, we can then shift from treating imposter syndrome as a framework of individual affliction, to one which signals a need for institutional change and accountability. defining imposter syndrome imposter syndrome, also called imposter phenomenon, imposter experience, fraud syndrome, and imposterism, is when a person doubts the validity of their accomplishments, attributes them to external forces, and has an irrational fear that they will be revealed as a mistake.   pauline rose clance and suzanne ament imes first coined and researched the “imposter phenomenon” in .  clance & imes’ ( ) groundbreaking work, the imposter phenomenon in high achieving women:  dynamics and therapeutic intervention; articulated crucial issues about workplace dynamics and the anxieties of working women. according to clance & imes ( ), “the term impostor phenomenon is used to designate an internal experience of intellectual phoniness which appears to be particularly prevalent and intense among a select sample of high achieving women.” (p. ).  the article goes on to explain that men believe their success is due to their own inherent intelligence and worth, while women believe that their successes are due to external factors such as luck, or temporary qualities such as effort (clance & imes, , p. ). clance & imes’ ( ) study used a sample of “white middle-to-upper-class women between the ages of and ” ( , p. ).  while men are acknowledged as also suffering from insecurity, clance & imes ( ) also state that, “we have noticed the phenomenon in men who appear to be more in touch with their “feminine” qualities.” (p. ). imposter syndrome remains a contemporary workplace issue, yet research around it is centred in whiteness, and invalidates the experiences of queer people, people of colour, and survivors of bullying or abuse. in their article, clance & imes ( ) theorize how women seek validation and find mentorship, stating, “she uses her friendliness, charm, looks, humor, sexuality, and perceptiveness to win the person over”, and “she may volunteer to assist a professor with his/her pet research project. she may even become sexually involved with the mentor.” (clance & imes, , p. ).  it is appalling to consider this credible rhetoric – such thinking positions women as manipulative, while also dismissing the consistent work required to develop emotional intelligence and cultivate relationships.  qualities such as empathy and active listening are coded within the article as “feminine”; also reinforcing toxic masculinity.  most alarmingly, this viewpoint erases the ongoing history of misogyny, sexual abuse, and abuse of power within academia; which is certainly applicable to librarianship (ford, ).   clance & lanford ( ) published a paper fifteen years later, reviewing the original study and subsequent research.  although it states that imposter behaviours manifest differently between genders, the updated study finds no differences between genders as to the degree imposter syndrome is experienced ( , p. ).  gender is not mentioned beyond a binary in either work. clance & imes ( ) present several solutions to alleviate imposter syndrome – group dialogue and validation, challenging negative thought patterns, confronting fear of success, affirmations, imagining conversing with someone who they think they have “fooled”, keeping a journal of positive feedback, role-playing feeling intelligent, and practicing authenticity ( , p. ).  the article recommends therapy which focuses on childhood dynamics and expectations; which delegitimizes the impact of bullying, abuse, or precarity in adulthood.  modern solutions to imposter syndrome have not evolved much from those offered by the article – most of us can recall well-intentioned advice to set good boundaries, or practice mindfulness.  however, if we are still as afflicted by imposter syndrome now as when this article was published, over forty years ago, then we need a new approach, reframing the problem rather than the solution.   patterns of power and prevalence i started questioning imposter syndrome during my various stages as a graduate student; participant in professional development programmes; and in my first librarian role.  in each experience, i was surrounded by brilliant, talented people, and it was not unusual for myself or my peers to be awed by others in the room.  however, shyness, or gladness to be included among people you admire are not the same as an ingrained disbelief in belonging; and those instances in themselves were not noteworthy.  what intrigued me about these environments was that in each one, mentors or authority figures would warn us to shore up against imposter syndrome.  those in positions of power kindly-yet-repeatedly pushed the narrative that imposter syndrome wasn’t just a possibility, it was a natural experience that could strike at any point during one’s career, but was unavoidable as an early-career professional. my interest deepened when during my first six months as a credentialed, compensated librarian, i attended three separate training sessions pertaining to imposter syndrome.  these took the form of a workshop for library staff, a workshop for university employees, and a pre-conference workshop at a national conference.  the workshops were all led by women, and had majority female attendees.  workshop formats included a combination of presentations, inter-group dialogue, and time for personal reflection.  i am thankful for the opportunity these workshops provided to connect with others, practice radical vulnerability, and to talk openly about our internalized worries and shame.  misery loves company, and it can be comforting to step back and realize that no-one exudes non-stop confidence, and that sometimes we can all take ourselves a little too seriously. however, every session promoted imposter syndrome as a personal issue – and a personal flaw – requiring growth and grit to be overcome.  nowhere in these conversations did we address power dynamics or institutional accountability, nor did we pause to consider if there were populations whose anxieties could not be helped under an imposter syndrome framework.  while i had readily subscribed to the idea that it was inevitable that there would be stretches of time when i felt like a failure, i had not considered those who are systemically made to feel unsafe, lesser-than, or overburdened in their work.   as i considered the suggested remedies for imposter syndrome, i realized they erased my positionality and lived experiences.  as a māori, takatāpui, immigrant, person of colour, and first-generation scholar, i know that libraries and academia were not constructed for my benefit; and that systems of colonization, white supremacy, misogyny, and hatred continue to operate within them and wider society.  the lack of belonging i felt did not stem from a lack of self-esteem, but from the knowledge that libraries and academia as institutions never intended i belong. beyond my own anecdotal evidence, a scan of recent conference schedules reveals that the ala midwinter meeting offered career counselling, pop-up mentorship opportunities, and sessions including, “manage your stress and start living a healthier life today” and “overcoming imposter syndrome:  the perspectives of two new academic librarians”.  the acrl conference included the session, “when your internal narrative makes it hard to lead:  addressing imposter phenomenon of library leadership”.  the ala annual conference included “avramcamp”, a lita-sponsored session which promised advice to combat imposter syndrome.  of these conferences, the most high-profile event was the ala spectrum chair’s program, “imposter syndrome”, where a panel of library workers advised on overcoming imposter syndrome in the workplace.  every year, there are countless other conference sessions on imposter syndrome, as well as the multitude of blog posts and webinars designed to warn us of its existence.  as a profession, we keep talking about imposter syndrome, especially targeting library school students, newly-appointed managers, and people of colour.  when are we going to stop signalling that fear and anxiety is normal within our profession, and instead examine how these narratives are the result of institutions deflecting the need for change? library-specific literature library workers have also created library-specific scholarship on the syndrome.  in jumping into the deep: imposter syndrome, defining success, and the new librarian, lacey & parlette-stewart ( ) introduce some of the nuances of imposter syndrome and librarianship, such as overwork, and lack of orientation, job clarity, or mentorship for new librarians.  critically, lacey & parlette-stewart ( ) name library school programmes as an originator of imposter syndrome, as offering little to no concrete help in transitioning to the workforce.  they also name academic librarianship as an intense and competitive field, and draw attention to the role of temporary and contract-based work in breeding feelings of insecurity, worthlessness, and pressure to secure permanent employment. lucy rakestraw ( ) depicts the cycle of imposter syndrome and overwork.  rakestraw ( ) also notes that imposter syndrome is not nervousness or low self-esteem; and summarizes the various personas (harvey, ) in which imposter syndrome can manifest (workaholism, gratitude for “luck”, charm, blending in, procrastination), and the ways sufferers deflect their role in success.   i found three studies conducted on imposter syndrome within library & information science.  in the first, clark et. al. ( ) tested levels of imposter syndrome within newer librarians, younger librarians, and those whose jobs required more technical expertise.  after analyzing perspectives from respondents, the authors concluded that younger and newer librarians reported higher levels of imposter syndrome than their older, more established peers.   clark et. al. ( ) also reported inconclusive results regarding technical expertise and imposter syndrome (p. ).  tenure-track faculty with less than three years in their roles reported imposter feelings at a higher rate than their non-tenure and staff counterparts; and overall, one-in-eight library workers reported feelings of imposter syndrome.  importantly, they conclude by asserting that managers should actively intervene in overwork or fear of failure within their employees, and stress the need for openness, proper training, appropriate feedback, and observation as supervisors of new librarians ( ).  according to clark et al.,“while library organizations may not necessarily cause ip feelings, survey respondents perceived that the culture fosters those feelings” (p. ).  in the second instance, barr-walker et. al. ( ) surveyed over members of the medical library association, replicating the methods previously used by clark et. al. ( ). of the participants, one-in-seven indicated they may have imposter feelings, and the % who indicated that they did not hold a health sciences degree reported higher rates of imposter feelings than those who were formally credentialled in their subject area (barr-walker et. al, , p. ).  the authors recommend further studies to address intersectional relationships between race, gender, and privilege within library systems. in the third study, martinez & forrey ( ) draw on their experiences as new librarians, and speak to the impact of imposter syndrome on library instruction programmes.  they also address an important critique of the original imposter syndrome study with this quote by pauline clance: “if i could do it all over again, i would call it the imposter experience, because it’s not a syndrome or a complex or a mental illness, it’s something almost everyone experiences (anderson and kang, ).” ( , p. ).   the authors surveyed early-career librarians, and found % felt insecure, underqualified, or in danger of being discovered as a fraud (martinez & forrey, , p. ).  respondent narratives highlighted the lack of training librarians receive on how to teach classes.  the article concludes with advice to “find a friend” and combat the isolation associated with negative self-talk.  however, they also include a paragraph on “how employers can help”, and the importance of setting clear expectations and providing consistent feedback (martinez & forrey, , p. ).   overall, research on imposter syndrome reinforces the narrative that overcoming it is an individual effort, but recent opinion pieces offer more holistic, radical viewpoints which acknowledge the role of systems in perpetuating imposter syndrome.  for example, mullangi & jagsi ( ) state: imposter syndrome, in many ways, is analogous to another, related, epidemic—that of clinician frustration—often termed burnout.  studies show that a third to half of medical students and clinicians are experiencing depression and anxiety, much higher rates than those observed among their non physician peers.  a single such affected physician can be prescribed medication, encouraged to seek talk therapy, or asked to take a therapeutic leave of absence.  but at the aggregate level, administrators are acknowledging that they have a part to play in addressing the structural environment—long hours, rising case loads, and an increase in administrative tasks related to electronic medical records, which can contribute to frustration  (p. ). the ways in which institutional cultures and conditions may cause harm includes a variety of pathologized experiences, including imposter syndrome, low morale, and weaponized gratitude.  likewise, white supremacy within workplaces often surfaces as positivity culture, bootstrapping, and the mythology of “ professionalism” and “a good fit” (mirza & seale, ; lópez-mcknight, ; watson, ). we need to research and address how whiteness intersects with imposter syndrome, and how it informs whose expressions of need or assurance we affirm and reward. white supremacy and imposter syndrome as the initial imposter phenomenon study was conducted with white study subjects, it is not too surprising that solutions to imposter syndrome are also rooted in whiteness.  this whitewashing manifests in three major ways – tone policing, disregard for collective cultures, and homogeneous expectations of behaviour. the suggested means of overcoming imposter syndrome overwhelmingly amount to “developing confidence” or “being positive” (clance & imes, ). this positioning assumes that everyone with imposter syndrome lacks confidence or assuredness.  however, one can be confident in one’s own abilities or values, without being rewarded or in alignment with institutional priorities or workplace culture.  put another way, feeling devalued does not automatically mean someone feels worthless, and can instead indicate a lack of recognition or safety to express confidence in the workplace. advising performance of confidence can function as a form of tone policing, or shutting down concerns from a vulnerable party – particularly if the advisor has enough privilege to ignore existing power dynamics. using a framework which suggests that anxiety diminishes with confidence or poise makes another assumption – that confidence is uniformly accepted by everyone, in all environments.  it is not enough to simply be confident when expressions of confidence or positivity are routinely ignored or shut down.  for example, librarians of colour consistently have their credentials questioned, or their achievements diminished as tokenization or affirmative action by coworkers and patrons alike (brinkman et. al., ).  women are criticized for everything from their email punctuation to their style of dress – and studies demonstrate managers are less likely to hire women they deem unattractive, regardless of how confident those women are and what dress or grooming standards are in place for other genders (huang, ). not only can confidence be ignored, but there are negative consequences for asserting one’s boundaries – consider the routine violence towards people who dare to turn down romantic advances.  this notion of confidence is a preference for whiteness, not equally enjoyed by those who are not white, cisgender, heterosexual, male, or otherwise depicted by dominant narratives within society.  even clance ( ) approaches this, stating, “the phenomenon may be further maintained in response to the negative consequences that are likely to befall the woman in our society who displays confidence in her ability.” (clance, , p. ). establishing boundaries is only useful if you have the means to aggressively defend them, or if you are already respected.   clance ( ) posits that it is possible women eschew an image of success or independence out of fear of being seen as less feminine, but i argue the likely modern scenario is that success risks jealousy, bullying, or being undermined within a competitive workforce, and that deferring to those higher up the ladder is part of the everyday emotional labour performed to manage the emotions of those with more power than ourselves. lastly, the imposter syndrome framework does not leave room to explore cultures outside of whiteness.  confidence is not a homogeneous state which manifests in the same way for everyone, and yet under imposter syndrome, we are assumed to have a shared understanding of exactly how a “confident” person acts and speaks.  gestures, facial expression, eye contact, loudness, dress, tone, and posture are just some of the ways in which our non-verbal communication can vary – but the workplace standards by which we judge these features as expressing confidence or professionalism are driven by racism and white supremacy. as a māori, i cannot help but reflect on the differences in how pride and humility are perceived in aotearoa and the united states.  in te ao māori, society is collective and emphasizes the importance of and interconnectedness between relationships, land, and ancestors.  these values are enshrined in some of our commonly used whakataukī, such as “ehara taku toa, i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini” (my success is not mine alone, it is the success of the collective), or “kāore te kumara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka” (the kumara does not speak of its own sweetness).  achievements are often acknowledged as the result of generations of work, knowledge, and care by the community; a mindset that does not diminish our own role in the slightest.  naming those who have raised, influenced, and helped us is a joyful, community-driven practice, and one common among cultures that value community wellbeing over individual competition and success.   even among pākehā (new zealanders of european descent), humility, celebrating others, self-deprecating humour, and downplaying achievements or expertise are the norm, but do not signal lack of confidence or self-esteem.  while tall poppy syndrome – criticizing those who stand out or who are conspicuously successful – also features in aotearoa culture, a down-to-earth attitude is prevalent back home, and thanking others stems from connectedness and community. in my experience as an introvert raised within a collectivist culture, practices such as sharing credit, honouring elders, and not forcing myself towards extroversion often leave me feeling misunderstood in american workplaces. but beyond being underestimated, an individualistic workplace can be isolating, controlling, and abusive. how can we advise workers to be vulnerable and authentic, if institutions replicating whiteness may in fact end up harming workers who express themselves with trust or authenticity? imposter syndrome as gaslighting when confronted with a peer who is routinely anxious or dissatisfied with their achievements, many of us are quick to suggest imposter syndrome is the problem – a problem many of us can relate to and want to destigmatize. after all, we are a service profession that loves to help, particularly by providing information and resources. while it is admirable to want to help others overcome their difficulties, it is worth pausing to examine how these circumstances may result from concrete factors other than imposter syndrome.  workplace difficulties can manifest due to inadequate onboarding, job creep, or budget cuts (lacey & parlette-stewart, ); as well as more malicious reasons such as racism, bias, or bullying (kendrick, ).  changing these environments takes a lot of uncomfortable, hard work, including questioning who and what we value and reward on an institutional level.  what is less work for institutions is to shift accountability back onto the individual – which, very plainly, is gaslighting. psychology today defines gaslighting as a form of psychological manipulation where the victim is intentionally fed false information as a means of creating self-doubt. we typically discuss gaslighting in the context of relationships, particularly domestic partnerships and intimate relationships.  i use the language of gaslighting here to unpack how employer-employee relationships can be fraught with unbalanced power dynamics and a need or desire to control the behaviour of the employee.   consider the following examples: 	insistence that the lack of librarians of colour is a “pipeline issue” that can be fixed by diversity residencies, instead of a “racism issue” that persists despite short-term hires 	requiring job candidates to submit “diversity statements”, without requiring the institution to state how they protect, promote, and retain minoritized employees 	what experience and scholarship “counts” towards a tenure/promotion timeline 	insistence that indigenous elders should be cited as “personal communication” within citation styles, not as knowledge sources in their own right 	unofficially tasking diversity resident librarians with teaching the university how to work with minoritized people [as alston, chiu, colbert, and rutledge ( ) state, “while residents can bring fresh, positive energy into a library, they are new professionals and therefore should not be expected to work alone as change agents” (p. ).] in each example, workplace policies can directly contribute to a culture of anxiety, uncertainty, stress, and internalized blame within their employees.  the onus is on the worker to become resilient and less sensitive, gracefully absorbing harm for the comfort of the institution. as tewell’s ( ) work on resilience states, “most often, the ideal means of addressing this need is for the people with the perceived deficit to apply themselves, to conform, or otherwise assimilate to dominant culture” (p. ). it is important to note that even if the intent of these workplace messages is not malicious – say, due to policies out of one’s control, or simple lack of awareness – that the impact upon workers can still be demoralizing.  while not everyone has the power to overturn institutional practices and policies, they can openly acknowledge that anxiousness is a rational response to a situation fraught with power dynamics and inequalities.  while in my experience, employers are willing to have discussions about imposter syndrome and cultivating resilience during work hours, there is not much more support offered to enact any of the suggested ways of decreasing stress levels, let alone examining institutional causes of stress.  again, it behooves any institution to avoid examining chronic anxiety in its employees beyond a surface level, and to insist that any meditation, yoga, or similar wellness practices take place on an employee’s own time. furthermore, as tewell ( ) writes, “the people not asked to show grit are the ones creating the terms and conditions.” (pg. ).   it’s a start to encourage employees to adopt a “power pose”, or meditate for a few minutes to alleviate pre-meeting jitters – but such practices are rendered ineffective when workplace culture allows meetings to run long, be scheduled back-to-back, and for people to be ignored, bullied, or subjected to microaggressions.  you cannot meditate racism, misogyny, and overwork away. if you still need to attribute the anxieties of yourself or your colleagues to imposter syndrome, rather than critically examine the culture of your workplace, i have a suggested diagnosis:  you may have what i call imposter imposter syndrome. imposter imposter syndrome is when someone maintains a chronic belief in the inherent shortcomings and discomfort/imposter feelings of individuals, in order to maintain their own comfort and ignore or diminish societal and institutional patterns of injustice and oppression.  imposter imposter syndrome is a coping mechanism – if it is others who are individually at fault, then you can pretend that you will always have the favour or skills necessary to avoid harm in these systems. if you believe that other people are just inherently unhappy or uncomfortable in work environments, you can absolve yourself of being complicit in perpetuating these systems, consciously or otherwise. if you keep attributing your own poor feelings to imposter syndrome, then you can pretend that with enough work, you can feel better, even if your conditions remain the same. coping mechanisms develop for a reason – they can provide protection and hope during difficult times. but inherently blaming others for how they feel or avoiding taking a holistic look at the systems you participate in can be maladaptive. luckily, as with concepts such as vocational awe (ettarh, ), once you recognize imposter imposter syndrome, you can work to unlearn and resist it. one approach to doing so is trauma-informed care. trauma-informed care just as with cultural differences, expressions of trauma can also be misattributed to imposter syndrome. clance & imes ( ) identify working excessively hard, intellectual flattery or phoniness, and leveraging charisma as imposter behaviours. likewise, the personas of workaholic imposters are known to spend disproportionate and unnecessary effort on tasks compared to their peers, and chameleon imposters deflect the need for support (harvey, ; young, ).   more specifically, workers with these personas who are new, precariously employed, or trying to prove their worth may question their right to take sick days or annual leave, and stay late or work during lunch breaks and weekends. similarly, they may eschew celebrating their achievements in favour of looking ahead to their next project or task; and be more likely to accept extra work, such as covering early morning or weekend shifts – even if they feel overworked, or that this extra work will not provide an opportunity for growth. it is employers and institutions that benefit from this naive bootstrapping – at least in the short term – while workers with these characteristics risk their own burnout. similar characteristics can be identified within trauma responses and survival mechanisms, including “flight” (workaholism and perfectionism), and “fawn” (people-pleasing, difficulty saying no) (virzi, ; walker, n.d.).  further overlap exists between imposter syndrome, depression, and “freeze” trauma responses (inability to make decisions, spacing out, isolating oneself). not only do we potentially carry our trauma with us into the workplace, but we can also encounter direct, complex, historical, and vicarious trauma on the job.  within our profession we can be impacted by anything including mass job layoffs, institutions being defunded or outsourced, refusal to grant tenure, violent terrorist acts, and sudden pleas for help or medical assistance from our community.  at our professional meetings and conferences, we can be confronted by people who have harmed us or others, and we can be dehumanized and attacked behind closed doors, away from our support systems. even on a good day, free from direct violence and microaggressions, intergenerational trauma can manifest when we enter library and university buildings constructed by the labour of enslaved and incarcerated persons, on stolen indigenous lands.  white supremacy is reflected in institutional mascots, statues and monuments, subject headings, plundered objects, award names, and the languages and types of knowledge we deem as being valid or having scholarly merit.  complex trauma can surface through the prolonged process of job searching or experiencing job insecurity, through months or years of having to absorb others’ job duties due to budget cuts, or through counselling students experiencing personal crises, year after year. librarianship, like social work, is a “helping profession” viewed with vocational awe (ettarh, ).  those whose lived experiences include trauma may intentionally go on to serve similarly impacted populations (e.g. – people of colour, at-risk youth, undergraduate students), and as such risk their own retraumatization and burnout (van dernoot lipsky, ).  as a māori librarian, i often reflect on being an indigenous person and a first-generation university student, helping new first-generation university students navigate a colonial system of learning.  the work is rewarding, but also uncomfortable, and the cyclical nature of it brings to mind this passage by child protective agency worker harry spence (n.d.): i started really thinking about what it was like to be engaged in trauma and in creating it at the same time…we hire -year-olds right out of college, give them a months’ training, and then they go observe the most complicated families in our culture, and then they have an obligation to predict the future, and if they’re wrong they’ll carry blood on their hands and they’ll be publicly crucified.  (spence, n.d., as cited in van dernoot lipsky, , p. ). trauma-informed approaches to library work continue to grow, with multiple universities offering a conjoint degree in library science and social work, and public library systems such as denver and san francisco featuring licensed social workers onsite.  however, as with edi work, trauma-informed librarianship focuses primarily on patrons, despite our own needs. to begin reflecting on trauma-informed approaches, consider the six guiding principles of safety, trustworthiness & transparency, peer support, collaboration & mutuality, empowerment, and cultural, historical, and gender issues ( , center for disease control).  a trauma-informed approach does not inherently pathologize nervousness, and it allows people to acknowledge and work through concerns, without punitive judgement.  similarly, a trauma-informed approach might make job expectations and support clear, while holding institutions accountable for co-creating conditions conducive to healing with their staff. conclusion:  shifting the burden claiming the label of having imposter syndrome can be a relief – it can allow you to articulate your struggle, and to develop a shared understanding of it with others.  with a “diagnosis”, you can then work towards seeking a cure; and taking steps toward action can be empowering and energizing in themselves.  for those who find this an effective and straightforward process, i am glad; and hope that you are able to support others in turn.  however, if attempting to advocate for your needs, and celebrate your contributions with confidence still results in feeling dismissed, underappreciated, and approaching failure, consider if the imposter syndrome framework is really serving you – or, if it actually serves someone else. much of the traditional advice for overcoming imposter syndrome is useful as a short-term coping mechanism, and can potentially help individuals perform confidence and adhere to mainstream expectations.  however, the imposter phenomenon has persisted for over forty years, and evidence suggests that it is not just a product of individual neurosis, but often one of collective anxiety due to neoliberal pressures, racism, sexism, and bias against minoritized people.   literature on imposter syndrome is plentiful, and usually contains exercises to give individuals some relief.  in , joan harvey created the “harvey imposter phenomenon scale”, which was followed by pauline clance’s “clance imposter phenomenon scale” in .  both instruments consist of statements which the subject responds to on a likert scale, resulting in a score measuring their likelihood of suffering from imposter syndrome.  building on this work, i have developed some exercises not for those with imposter syndrome, but for those who manage people and institutions.  the appendix for this article contains two tools i have created for people to examine their workplace policies and practices, and their own management styles.  the first is an “institutional imposter phenomenon test”; which is a flexible self-assessment addressing onboarding, communication, trust, boundaries, psychological safety, accountability, job clarity, institutional culture, and anti-racism efforts.  the second is a response to the “problem woman of color in the workplace” infographic by the safehouse progressive alliance for nonviolence, and illustrates how pushing minoritized employees out of organizations is not an inevitability, but that managers need to reflect, advocate, and make intentional efforts to retain their talented staff.  i have created these tools with institutions in mind, but all institutions consist of people who need to hold themselves accountable on an individual level to create positive change. ultimately, whether a manager or colleague, you cannot control how someone feels or responds to a situation – but you can take a hard look at how your complicity or behaviour might contribute.  we all have agency for compassion, as stated by van dernoot lipsky ( ): i often remind my colleagues that we may unknowingly influence systems simply by altering the way we interact with them.  we must never underestimate the power of changing ourselves, of committing to being a force for liberation, light, wellness, justice, and right action wherever we go  (p. ). the original imposter syndrome study, and the suggestions it provides are rooted in white supremacy, and it is important we recognize this intersection before we rush to suppress it with wellness or deflection. there is unlimited potential to research how workplace conditions contribute to low morale, anxiety, and trauma, but we do not need to do more studies to know these environments are unacceptable, and that we can immediately begin to improve things for ourselves and our colleagues through reflection and a commitment to doing better.  acknowledgements with deep gratitude to the itlwtlp editorial board, who originally accepted this proposal in . in particular, sofia leung served as a fantastic publishing editor, and held space for me to pause this project without letting me off the hook when it came to questioning and clarifying my ideas. denisse solis was a supportive and rigorous internal peer reviewer, whose input vastly improved the flow of this piece. fobazi ettarh was a generous and insightful external peer reviewer, whose work is also referenced in my piece. thank you all for seeing this process through with me. i am also grateful to ashley farley, who gave vital feedback and much-needed encouragement, emily spracklin, who has been an enthusiastic supporter on this project and helped strengthen my institutional ip test, and hannah rainey, who got the idea of imposter imposter syndrome immediately. appendix a:  institutional ip test (link to pdf) appendix b:  “problem” woc in the workplace infographic  view or download this infographic as a pdf. full textual equivalent of this image as a list. appendix c:  reimagined poc infographic view or download this infographic as a pdf. full textual equivalent of this image as a list. references abrams, a.  ( , june).  yes, imposter syndrome is real.  here’s how to deal with it. time. http://time.com/ /how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome/ ada initiative.  (n.d.).  imposter syndrome-proof yourself and your computing community.  https://files.adainitiative.org/impostor_syndrome_handout.pdf ada initiative.  (n.d.).  imposter syndrome training.  https://adainitiative.org/continue-our-work/impostor-syndrome-training/ alston, j., chiu, a., colbert, j., & rutledge., l.  ( ). developing a residency program: a practical guide for librarians. rowman & littlefield. anderson, l. v.  ( , april ).  feeling like an imposter is not a syndrome.  slate. https://slate.com/business/ / /is-impostor-syndrome-real-and-does-it-affect-women-more-than-men.html arellano douglas, v.  ( , january ).  you can’t die of imposter syndrome, right?  acrlog.  https://acrlog.org/ / / /you-cant-die-of-impostor-syndrome-right/comment-page- / barr-walker, j., bass, m. b., werner, d. a., & kellermeyer, l. ( ). measuring impostor phenomenon among health sciences librarians. journal of the medical library association, ( ), - . https://doi: . /jmla. . bond, s. e., & gannon, k.  ( , october ).  public writing and the junior scholar.  the chronicle of higher education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/public-writingthe-junior/ ?cid=wcontentgrid_hp_ branham, s. s.  ( ).  imposter syndrome (workshop).  osfhome. https://osf.io/dusxn/ brinkman, s., johnson, j., sekyere, k., & tzoc, e.  ( ).  diversity at miami university libraries: four unique and similar experiences.  in hankins, r., & juárez, m. (eds.), where are all the librarians of color?  the experiences of people of color in academia (pp. - ). library juice press.  cadmiumcd. ( ). avramcamp. ala annual conference & exhibition. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-annual/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= &query=imposter cadmiumcd. ( ). alcts new members interest group. ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= &query=imposter cadmiumcd. ( ). career counseling i. ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= cadmiumcd. ( ). manage your stress and start living a healthier life today.  ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= cadmiumcd. ( ). mentoring on-the-fly i.  ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= cadmiumcd. ( ). spectrum chair’s program:  imposter syndrome.  ala annual conference & exhibition. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-annual/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= &query=imposter centers for disease control and prevention.  ( , june ).  summary and special reports.  https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nisvs/summaryreports.html centers for disease control and prevention.  ( , july ).  infographic: guiding principles to a trauma-informed approach.  https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/infographics/ _principles_trauma_info.htm clance, p.  ( ).  clance ip scale.  retrieved from https://paulineroseclance.com/pdf/iptestandscoring.pdf clance, p. r., & imes, s. a. ( ). the imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic intervention. psychotherapy: theory, research & practice, ( ), . doi: . /h   clark, m., vardeman, k., & barba, s. ( ). perceived inadequacy: a study of the imposter phenomenon among college and research librarians. college and research libraries, ( ), . doi: . /crl - cumberbatch, a. g. ( , july ). how to beat imposter syndrome, because you deserve to feel unapologetic about your success.  bustle.  https://www.bustle.com/p/how-to-beat-impostor-syndrome-because-you-deserve-to-feel-unapologetic-about-your-success- dankowski, t.  ( , march ).  a social worker walks into a library.  american libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/pla-social-worker-walks-library/ ettarh, f.  ( ).  vocational awe and librarianship:  the lies we tell ourselves.  in the library with the lead pipe.  retrieved november , , from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /vocational-awe/ finch, s.d. ( , july ).  subtle signs your trauma response is to ‘fawn’.  let’s queer things up!  https://letsqueerthingsup.com/ / / / -subtle-signs-your-trauma-response-is-to-fawn/ ford, a.  ( , june ).  bringing harassment out of the history books:  addressing the troubling aspects of melvil dewey’s legacy.  american libraries magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /melvil-dewey-bringing-harassment-out-of-the-history-books/ geary, j., & hickey, b.  ( ).  when does burnout begin? the relationship between graduate school employment and burnout amongst librarians.  in the library with the lead pipe.  retrieved november , , from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /when-does-burnout-begin/ goldfarb, a.  ( , november ).  how to deal with imposter syndrome, according to experts.  vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ vdjx/how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome-according-to-experts harvey, j. c., & katz, c. ( ). if i’m so successful, why do i feel like a fake? the imposter phenomenon. st. martin’s press.  huang, g.  ( ).  plus-sized women face shocking discrimination from hiring managers, study shows.  the job network. https://www.thejobnetwork.com/plus-sized-women-face-shocking-discrimination/ huang, g.  ( ).  the grim reality of being a female job seeker:  if you’re overweight, not ‘nice’ looking, older, or a minority, you won’t be hired.  retrieved from https://res.cloudinary.com/fairygodboss/raw/upload/v /production/the_grim_reality_of_being_a_female_job_seeker.pdf kendrick, k. d.  ( ). the low morale experience of academic librarians: a phenomenological study. journal of library administration, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . / . . key, a.  ( , september ).  how to combat imposter syndrome during your mlis journey.  hack library school. https://hacklibraryschool.com/ / / /imposter-syndrome-and-your-mlis/ lacey, s., & parlette-stewart, m. ( ). jumping into the deep: imposter syndrome, defining success and the new librarian. partnership: the canadian journal of library and information practice and research, ( ).  https://doi.org/ . /partnership.v i . langford, j., & clance, p. r. ( ). the imposter phenomenon: recent research findings regarding dynamics, personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. psychotherapy: theory, research, practice, training, ( ), - . doi: . / - . . . lópez-mcknight, j.r. ( ).  my librarianship is not for you. in schlesselman-tarango, g. (ed.), topographies of whiteness : mapping whiteness in library and information science (pp. - ). library juice press. martinez, j., & forrey, m. 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( ) - doi: . /jama. . murphy, b.  ( , march ).  imposter syndrome as a student.  hack library school.  https://hacklibraryschool.com/ / / /imposter-syndrome-as-a-student/ nonko, e.  ( , january ).  library systems embracing their new roles as social service hubs.  next city.  https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/library-systems-embracing-their-new-roles-as-social-service-hubs olah, n.  ( , october ).  imposter syndrome is a pseudo-medical name for a class problem.  the guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/ /oct/ /impostor-syndrome-class-unfairness page, k.  ( ).  the “problem” woman of color in non-profit organizations.  center for community organizations. https://coco-net.org/problem-woman-colour-nonprofit-organizations/ parkman, a. ( ). the imposter phenomenon in higher education: incidence and impact. journal of higher education theory & practice, ( ), - . retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.otago.ac.nz/docview/ ?accountid= rakestraw, l. ( ). how to stop feeling like a phony in your library: recognizing the causes of the imposter syndrome, and how to put a stop to the cycle. law library journal, (issue ), . retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&authtype=sso&db=edshol&an=edshol.hein.journals.llj . &site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s sakulku, j. ( ). the impostor phenomenon. the journal of behavioral science. ( ) - . https://doi.org/ . /ijbs. .   sobotka, c.  ( , may ).  dealing with imposter syndrome and feeling like you belong.  inalj.  https://inalj.com/?p= tewell, e. ( ). the problem with grit: dismantling deficit thinking in library instruction. portal: libraries and the academy, ( ), - . doi: . /pla. . . van dernoot lipsky, l.  ( ).  trauma stewardship:  an everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others.  berrett-koehler publishers. virzi, j.  ( , january ).  fawning:  the fourth trauma response we don’t talk about.  the mighty.  https://themighty.com/ / /fight-flight-freeze-fawn-trauma-responses/ walker, p.  (n.d.).  the fs: a trauma typology in complex ptsd.  pete walker, m.a., mft.  http://pete-walker.com/fourfs_traumatypologycomplexptsd.htm watson, m.  ( ).   white feminism and distributions of power in academic libraries. in schlesselman-tarango, g. (ed.), topographies of whiteness : mapping whiteness in library and information science (pp. - ). library juice press. way, k.  ( , october ).  mindfulness isn’t the answer to our completely hellish workplaces.  vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ k bm/mindfulness-and-work-stress when your internal narrative makes it hard to lead: addressing impostor phenomenon of library leadership.  (n.d.).  retrieved from https://s .goeshow.com/acrl/national/ /profile.cfm?profile_name=session&master_key= c -e - -ea -d df &page_key= cb a -b a- a e- -df a c &xtemplate&userlgnkey=   young, v.  ( ).  the secret thoughts of successful women:  why capable people suffer from imposter syndrome and how to thrive in spite of it.  crown business. from appendix b the “problem” woman of colour in the workplace this infographic portrays a woman of colour progressing through a new workplace, in four main stages. 	the woman of colour enters the organization a. honeymoon – the woman of colour feels welcomed, needed, and happy b. white leadership c. tokenized hire 	reality – the woman of colour points out issues within the organization. she tries to work within the organization’s structure and polices. she pushes for accountability. a. repetitive injury & microaggressions 	response – the organization denies, ignores, and blames. the responsibility of fixing the problem is placed on the woman of colour. people of colour are pitted against one another. a. denial of racism b. target & attack 	retaliation – the organization decides that the woman of colour is the problem and targets her. the organization labels the conflict as a “communication issue” or claims that she is not qualified or “not a good fit” a. the woman of colour exits the organization. adapted from the chronicle of the problem woman of color in a non-profit by the safehouse progressive alliance for nonviolence. return to appendix b from appendix c actively welcoming and retaining people of colour in the workplace – a collaborative approach to autonomy and allyship. this infographic portrays a person of colour (poc) progressing through a new workplace, in four main stages. 	the person of colour enters the organization a. welcoming beyond tolerance – poc feels welcomed without feeling tokenized. collaborates with supervisor to set achievable goals. begins to develop organic, non-political, non-competitive relationships with peers. considers support system and goals outside of work. b. self-aware leadership c. context and relationship building 	adjusting to the organization – allies give information on the organization, building environmental awareness. poc is invited to collaborate on successful projects. poc is able to ask questions of trusted peers. both poc and institution are open to ideas. poc is able to steer clear of pitfalls and use their energy in an impactful way. a. minimizing microaggressions 	collaboration a. growth – the value and contributions of the poc within the organization are seen and named. relationships expand and deepen. the poc is able to choose to collaborate with other minoritized colleagues. poc and other marginalized people do not have to compete for resources or respect. 	retention & promotion – the institution and the employee are both open to feedback and change. management works to address bias and white fragility. continued opportunities are presented to the new poc employee. efforts are made to accept difference and move beyond face-value diversity. a. person of colour has healthy experience, and can choose to stay or to leave the organization. adapted from the chronicle of the problem woman of color in a non-profit by the safehouse progressive alliance for nonviolence. re-imagining by nicola andrews , with permission from the center for community organizations. return to appendix c 			 						 				burnout, imposter syndrome, management, mindfulness, organizational development 			 					 	 						 												 						 							multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries 							creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	pingback : new peer reviewed article: it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers – stephen's lighthouse 	 	 		 		 			 				charles stevenson 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi nicola, i work with clients to help them overcome imposter syndrome, underearning and fear of failure and your post appeared in my google alert today. i’ve only read it once so far and know that it warrants a slower and more detailed re-reading, along with tracking back to the references you’ve quoted. your concept of ” imposter imposter syndrome” was interesting. from my quick read it sounds like the way that someone is playing the game of avoiding acknowledging the systemic issues in the organisation and placing the problem, therefore, at the feet of the person who feels they’re an imposter. quite a nifty side-step as such. one of the observations i offer to clients is that they can’t really be an imposter since a *real* imposter wouldn’t care whether they were an imposter or not (eg frank abagnale as in the film/book catch me if you can) and so the fact that we do care that we might be an imposter, means we’re not (!*#?). yup, our minds do love getting us in a double-bind! thanks for an informative article and i hope it gets a lot of traction in google as it’s well-worth a read. if it’s ok i’ll link to it when i next put up a blog post on is, should be in the next few days. cherio for now. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				nicola andrews 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi charles – thank you for reading, and your response. it is very meaningful that the first comment here is from someone who directly works with clients to help them acknowledge their own worth and contributions. and yes, your initial read aligns with my thoughts – sometimes avoiding thinking of power structures and systemic issues is unconscious – but sometimes it is wilful, or at the least, a decision made by managers and supervisors even if out of avoidance. something i have been thinking about the last few days is that there are instances when someone feels like an imposter because they are treated poorly – but there are surely also instances where someone feels like an imposter because they have been promoted or given opportunities that truly exceed their skill level. in neither of these examples is it the fault of or a conscious decision by the person impacted, and yet they absorb the anxiety of the situation. double-binds, indeed! thanks again for your comment, and your ongoing work to help people believe in themselves. if this article is useful or interesting to you, please do share it. take care! 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				dr theresa simpkin 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hello nicola. thanks for your article. despite the fact that after or so years of research the impostor phenomenon (as it was originally termed) i still bristle at the term ‘imposter syndrome’, i have taken a very similar view of the construct as it plays out in organisations and broader social spaces. systematic and structural means of embedding the impostor phenomenon in the workplace have been acheived by the lack of diminished ‘otherness’ be that racism, sexism or whatever. it is insidious and as previous comments suggest, a nifty way of sidestepping responsibility as ip is framed as an individual response that exists within the ears of the individual. too much focus is placed on the ‘happy clappy’ responses that do not take into consideration real and embedded notions of ‘otherness’ and the power structures that maintain them. thanks for your article. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				nicola andrews 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thank you for reading, dr. simpkin. it is so important that we take a full view of the power structures we participate in, and are not afraid to critique them. good luck with your continued work. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				lauren p 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				do you know of other researchers who are really diving into the impacts of institutionalized racism and sexism on impostor phenomenon in urms in the academy? particularly science. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				nicola andrews 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi lauren – thank you for reading. i have not come across stem-focused research on this – at present, subject liaison librarianship would be the closest area i found, and all of the articles i cited (and my own) should be broadly applicable to this. good luck in your research. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				theresa 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi lauren, i’ve been doing work for some years on this in regard to women in stem especially. i’d be happy to connect. i can be contacted at the university of nottingham. theresa.simpkin@nottingham.ac.uk. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				dr. jones 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				i am so happy to have come across your article!!!! i am giving a talk very soon on is and i have dedicated several slides on how the responsibility of addressing ip also lies on the shoulders of the employers and in my case my research institution. i am a postdoc in the stem field and i’ve always been one of only a handful of urms. my talk will be the first time anyone has ever discussed ip and it’s coming from a (seasoned) postdoc. i had a much longer path to take in order to get my phd, but i did it and i am the oldest postdoc at my institution…..which is why i said ‘seasoned’. i can’t wait to share some of the awesome information i recieved in this article and i found some good information in the comments! a change is needed and i am taking the lead. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				robert dickinson 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				spectacularly interesting article! i’m not an academic in this field; you did a great job making it accessible to those outside your field. very well argued, and insightful into yet another way in which society puts the pressure on victims of oppressive systems to overcome their own oppression by themselves, instead of even recognizing the need for systemic change as the real solution. just wanted to say good job :) glad this piece has been written 							 		 	 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 danya leebaw – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								danya leebaw 							 	 		 		 			 	about danya leebaw 		 			 				 danya is the social sciences & professional programs director at the university of minnesota libraries. prior to joining the umn libraries, danya worked at carleton college as a social sciences and government documents librarian and at emory university as a business librarian. her primary research interests are academic freedom for librarians, critical management studies in academic libraries, and business information outside of business contexts. 									 more current biographical information may be available at https://www.lib.umn.edu/about/staff/danya-leebaw. 							 		 articles by danya leebaw 	 			power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					apr 					 				 				 					ean henninger					/ comments 				 											multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief this article calls for a more holistic and inclusive approach to the under-examined issue of language in libraries. it begins by foregrounding language as a category of difference and arguing for its consideration in discussions of access, equity, diversity, and inclusion. by drawing on literature from applied linguistics and library and information studies, it then explores the effects of neoliberalism and language ideologies as two factors that affect the treatment of language in libraries. neoliberalism extends market logic to non-economic realms of life, ignores or commodifies cultural and affective aspects of language use, places languages in competition with each other, and promotes utilitarian and managerial responses to language issues. meanwhile, language ideologies promote adherence to standard language forms, bolster the idea that one language can be better than another, and make certain languages a requirement for fully accessing the library. both ideologies foster reductive views of language, cover for other forms of oppression, and limit diversity and representation. finally, the article offers solutions to counter these approaches, such as increasing staff and collection capacity, creating policies, programming, and training that address language issues, and promoting the treatment of language in libraries as a site of analysis and discussion. read the article resumen este ensayo tiene como propósito promover una mentalidad más inclusiva y holística en cuanto a temas relacionados al uso de la lengua, como el multilingüismo, en las bibliotecas – asuntos que han sido poco examinados en la literatura. empieza por describir el lenguaje como categoría de diferencia y abogar por su consideración en las discusiones sobre la accesibilidad, la equidad, la diversidad, y la inclusión. a través de un análisis basado en la lingüística aplicada y los estudios de bibliotecas e información, este ensayo explora los efectos del neoliberalismo y las ideologías lingüísticas como dos factores que afectan las maneras en que se considera la lengua en las bibliotecas. el neoliberalismo, al extender la lógica de la economía a realidades no-económicas de la vida diaria, ignora o mercantiliza aspectos culturales y afectivos del uso del lenguaje, situando las lenguas en competición entre ellas, y promoviendo respuestas utilitarias y gerenciales a los asuntos del lenguaje. a la misma vez, ciertas ideologías lingüísticas fomentan adherencia a variedades estándares de las lenguas, apoyando la idea que una lengua puede ser mejor que otra, y convirtiendo ciertas lenguas en requisito para acceder a las bibliotecas. ambas ideologías fomentan perspectivas reduccionistas del lenguaje, cubren otras formas de opresión, y limitan la diversidad y la representación. al final, el presente ensayo ofrece algunas ideas para retar estas ideologías, tal como aumentar la capacidad de los empleados y las colecciones, crear políticas, eventos, y programación informadas por el multilingüismo, además de fomentar una capacitación profesional que incluya asuntos de lengua y promoción del uso de la lengua en las bibliotecas como locus de análisis y discusión. lee el artículo by ean henninger introduction in libraries, as elsewhere in life, language is both a means of oppression and a force for positive change. people use it to exclude and marginalize, and they use it to uplift and give a voice to others. following a social constructivist approach, it is also a key means by which people build and engage with infrastructures and ideologies. language is important to consider in public and academic libraries across the world because they are highly linguistic spaces: they contain people, texts, information, instruction, and more, all of which rely on language to relate to each other. as well, past and ongoing colonial and capitalist projects have used both language (heller & mcelhinny, ) and libraries (popowich, ) to further their goals, making the interplay between the two a potential site of analysis, understanding, and positive social change. authors in the library field have critically explored language in many different ways, most often through examining specific aspects of it such as microaggressions (e.g. sweeney & cooke, ) and classification (e.g. drabinski, ). while such articles connect those aspects to broader issues of marginalization and power, there is less connecting them to or grounding them in a systemic analysis of language itself. collins ( ), in her exploration of language, power, and oppression via a critique of diversity discourse, suggests that language practices remain underexamined in the library field. one reason is likely that, as she points out, when “language is a tool for considering every other possible barrier, interrogating language itself is an easy omission to make” (p. ). another possible reason is language’s role, also described by collins, in establishing, locating, and consolidating power. when examining the workings of language could create space for interrogation and possible change, those in power may, whether consciously or not, have a vested interest in avoiding or co-opting that investigation. i agree that language remains underexamined, and to build on this work, i am interested in exploring the role of specific languages in relation to each other, or to put it another way, discussing multilingualism in libraries. looking at language in general is important, but discussing the treatment of specific languages is also worthwhile, both for practical reasons and because it offers concrete examples of broader ideologies that influence library services. in particular, multilingualism foregrounds the ways that language operates as a category of difference and intersects with other differences to produce structures of privilege and oppression. just as language in general has power, specific languages have more power than others in many contexts, a situation which is sometimes referred to as linguistic dominance (accurso, ). in supporting specific languages and giving them power, libraries set conditions for who can engage with the library: who can access resources, who feels included, and who sees themselves in collections and services. not only do languages have power, they are complex, and decisions about a given language must be made with an understanding of that language’s full context. if a library treats a given language only as an object of study, something that resides in individual books, or something that must be supplied to meet demand, not as something that is intertwined with culture, race, gender, and access to power, then the picture is incomplete. such an incomplete view will result in services that fail to adequately support library users. in this light, actions such as having an official language of instruction, collecting language-learning materials, and building infrastructure such as signage and websites in certain languages are not neutral actions. professed neutrality with regards to language would perhaps make sense if all languages existed in a vacuum and were on equal footing, but instead, they belong to people, and people are anything but neutral. as park and wee ( , pp. - ) describe, constructing a given language as neutral obscures the power relations that give rise to that assumption of neutrality. present and historical power imbalances, geographic contexts, staff capacity, and more all mean that the treatment of languages in libraries indicates values and ideologies with implications for equity, diversity, inclusion, and access. multilingualism and social justice piller ( ) discusses multilingualism and social justice at length, problematizing common notions of linguistic diversity and offering numerous examples of linguistic barriers and exclusion in work, education, politics, and society more broadly. she resists conceptions of languages as discrete and standardized objects, pointing out how even variations within languages can be grounds for marginalization. in this view, multilingualism also encompasses these variations, such as dialects, accents, and registers, and blends of different languages, such as codeswitching. piller also makes a case for language as a means of establishing a difference that intersects with gender, race, class, and more, producing inequality in complex ways. inequality and discrimination based on language is also known as linguicism (vásquez, ), and it takes many forms. in some cases, language results in inequality by itself when people who are less familiar with a given language are less able to access resources mediated through that language. in such cases, making specific languages a condition for access to services can be a significant barrier. in other cases, languages, dialects, and accents, from their associations with markers such as race and nationality, serve as proxies for other forms of discrimination. this discrimination is often implicit, but it can also be extremely explicit, such as with the prohibition of indigenous languages in residential schools, prejudice against african-american vernacular english, and the many documented cases of white people in the us and canada telling people using languages such as spanish and chinese to “speak english.” as these examples suggest, incidents that invoke language are rarely just about language: they call to mind racism, nationalism, and the erasure of indigenous and other languages through colonization, assimilation, and dispossession. heller and mcelhinny ( ) explore these historical roots and their current manifestations in-depth, noting languages’ roles in difference and inequality as they trace how missionaries, educators, anthropologists, and others have produced and legitimized boundaries between languages and the people who use them, privileging certain languages over others in the service of colonialism and capitalism. given the past and present realities of colonialism and capitalism, and given that libraries are complicit in the broader structures that have brought them about, libraries cannot possibly be free from their effects. alternatives to the linguistic marginalization and inequality created by these and other forces require responses that recognize the value and dignity of all languages and the people who speak them. part of this response involves understanding and identifying the ideologies that drive these processes, as describing their operations can open them up to analysis and change. two examples of ideology that shape responses to multilingualism in libraries and have been underexamined in this regard are neoliberalism and language ideologies. neoliberalism excludes various aspects of languages by focusing solely on their market value as commodities, while language ideologies result in the privileging of certain languages or language variations over others. neoliberalism neoliberalism as a concept has been explored with some frequency in the literature on both language and libraries. a precise definition is difficult given the variety of contexts in which it manifests, but holborow ( ) identifies four main ways to approach it, all centered on notions of individual freedom within a market-centric economy: as an economic theory, a mode of capitalist production, a form of discourse, and an ideology. whatever the approach, neoliberalism seeks to extend capitalist market logic to all aspects of life, not just economic or political ones, and specific features of this logic affecting languages in libraries include commodification, decontextualization, demand, and economic utility. authors in the library field have demonstrated the prevalence of neoliberalism in a variety of settings: in public libraries through policy documents (greene & mcmenemy, ), a “customer-driven” service approach that avoids social responsibility (hudson, ), in academic libraries through rhetoric in strategic plans (waugh, ), discourses on information literacy (seale, ), reference services (sharpe, ), and more broadly through theorizing neoliberalism’s effects on language and library service (buschman, ). in particular, authors have highlighted the commodification of library users and their data (mathios, ) as well as information services generally (trosow, ).  given that neoliberalism has already been observed in these other aspects of library work, it stands to reason that it would manifest itself in the area of multilingualism as well. however, when the literature on neoliberalism in libraries looks at language, it does so at a general or discursive level, not with a focus on multilingualism. by contrast, the library literature on multilingualism does not explicitly address neoliberalism, though its strong emphasis on collections and digital libraries is implicitly neoliberal. a previous article (henninger, ) reviewed this literature and asserted that most of it lacks a holistic or coherent approach to multilingualism. instead, it is largely reactive and indicative of neoliberal discourses that do not make space for critical activity and are not socially engaged. two positive exceptions since this review come from mcelroy and bridges ( ), who situate access and discoverability for scholarly communications in broader contexts of multilingualism and english-language hegemony, and from espinoza and solis (in press), who interrogate linguistic diversity in libraries with reference to linguistic imperialism and the historical factors that have led to english’s dominance.  however, the bulk of the literature on multilingualism in libraries still views language barriers as individual problems to be solved rather than considering the systemic and contextual changes necessary to reduce those barriers and improve access. it is perhaps easier to talk about library holdings and digital architecture in discrete and reductive terms in line with commodity logic, but such a purely mechanistic or solution-oriented view cannot fully comprehend the messiness and complexity of languages. neoliberalism is implicated here, and inasmuch as the library literature reflects the library field, its predominant focus stands to inform library services and shape the field’s views on language. in contrast to the library field, the literature on applied linguistics addresses neoliberal features of commodification, decontextualization, demand, and economic utility with regards to both language in general and specific languages, suggesting by extension how they may operate in libraries. holborow ( ) describes how neoliberalism treats all skills, including language, as commodities that can be used by employers or workers to their advantage and to gain access to capital. flores ( ) further argues that turning languages into commodities is a means of dispossessing them from the communities to whom they belong and that in a society with racial hierarchies, views of language as a commodity are more likely to benefit dominant linguistic communities who have the power required to access such commodities. holborow ( ) relates this commodification to decontextualization, suggesting that treating languages as commodities on a market strips them of social meanings and relations external to that market, divorcing them from their broader contexts. flores ( ) agrees, saying that languages have become removed from their contexts and institutionalized in ways that fail to challenge existing hierarchies or broader racial inequalities. both holborow and flores resist the idea that languages can be fully reduced to commodities by affirming that they belong to and come from human beings, who are deeply embedded in social relationships with each other and with language. as a result, neoliberal logic offers an incomplete picture of languages in part because it does not take these social relations into account. holborow explores these relations in the context of labor, and flores in the context of race, but of course language has many more connections to gender, class, ability, and more. when these connections are ignored or made invisible, they risk maintaining the status quo and foregrounding languages’ economic value only. such a mentality also contributes to a mechanistic and utilitarian view of languages as discrete and interchangeable components. as one example of how these processes of commodification and decontextualization play out in practice, cameron ( ) describes ‘bilingual’ call centers in quebec that require employees to use english and french independently without mixing the two languages. as she points out, this approach ignores the cultural and linguistic knowledge involved in code-switching and bilingualism, which are instead devalued and prohibited because they do not support the profit-seeking ends of the employer. what the employer instead seeks is a specific form of a language that can be incorporated into call center infrastructure as a commodity independent of context. an equivalent to this decontextualization in public libraries might be collection development in, for example, french or arabic that does not consider the different dialects or variations used by local communities. another example is language skills in library job postings, which are often framed in the context of completing specific tasks such as cataloging or programming and not as a skill with the potential to inform every aspect of a position’s duties. neoliberalism also affects language in libraries by framing library services based on demand and economic utility. under neoliberalism, user demand becomes the guiding principle for whether to provide a commodity. this logic does not allow for proactive provision of goods or services based on prior ethics or values, but is only ever a reactive response to ineffable market forces. in libraries as well, there is a danger of relying too heavily on reacting to stated needs, or demands. what such an approach ignores, however, is that people may not be comfortable or capable of stating those needs for many reasons, including language barriers. when it comes to the neoliberal focus on economic utility, libraries have parallels with the english language learning industry: while libraries often have to justify themselves in terms of the economic support they provide (seale, ; hudson, ), teaching and learning english is justified and encouraged in many countries as providing people with access to capital and mobility (shin & park, ). one example where the two intersect are language-learning collections and programs in public libraries, which are often provided with the goal of helping people learn english so that they can integrate into society, often presupposing a monolingual society, and contribute to the economy. ultimately, the neoliberal emphasis on commodification, demand, and utility misrepresents and omits aspects of how languages exist in context. it flattens different languages into technical skills independent of context, and it collapses varieties of the same language into a standard form, ignoring what they index about class, gender, and other differences. just as viewing people only in terms of their economic value ignores key aspects of the human experience, viewing languages in the same way reduces the complexity and multiple dimensions of what languages are. however, even when neoliberal treatments of language meet with resistance, other ideologies may be ready to justify and perpetuate the status quo. language ideologies in different times and places, certain languages have held more power than others as the main languages of commerce, science, politics, mobility, and more. in the past, these have been languages such as latin and french, and in many places, one such language is currently english. such situations are not accidental but have instead relied on various processes to encourage the spread of these languages. these processes may occur more explicitly, such as through overt colonization, missionary activity, and nationalist consolidation, or more subtly, such as through cultural products and knowledge dissemination (heller & mcelhinny, ).  neoliberalism as an ideology has undoubtedly helped these processes in recent times by discouraging close attention to power structures in favor of using ‘market forces’ as a reason for the spread of languages such as english, but as del percio and flubacher ( ) point out, neoliberalism is closely related to “assumptions of nativeness and purity that continue to produce and legitimize hierarchies and forms of difference” (p. ). it is important for those with power to have ways of naturalizing and justifying power imbalances among languages when they do come up, and one main way of doing so is through language ideologies.  language ideologies are a concept which kroskrity ( ) defines as “beliefs, feelings, and conceptions about language structure and use which often index the political-economic interests of individual speakers, ethnic and other interest groups, and nation-states” (p. ). people express various forms of exclusionary language ideologies more or less explicitly in different contexts. few people today would come out and say that their language is better than others, though some still might in service of nationalist ideology or to justify excluding those who do not speak it, but softer versions of language ideologies still give that impression, intentionally or not. lippi-green ( ) describes an ideology of standardization that produces a bias towards an idealized language form, while piller ( ) notes how the association of language with territory often leads to an ideological connection between languages and nation-states. this connection does not only come from individuals: it can be formalized from the top down through laws or policies on official languages, as in canada, and it also operates outside of formal channels. english is not the official language of the united states as a whole, but it often seems that way due to english occupying a hegemonic position in other parts of society (schmidt, ). as these examples suggest, language ideologies are different from neoliberalism in that, instead of stripping away social relations, they actively highlight the benefits of a shared language, dialect, or accent to selected social relationships, such as nationality, racial identity, and class. they are similar in that they can suggest, sometimes even more strongly, that certain languages are better than others, and they likewise produce hierarchies. adding to the market-based framework offered by neoliberalism, language ideologies may justify one language form over others for reasons such as divine right, national allegiance, and pure utility, and they may promote the marginalization and exclusion of those who do not adhere to that form. one reason for the promotion of certain language ideologies over others is what piller ( ) terms the “monolingual mindset” that arises from people inhabiting relatively monolingual environments. monolingualism produces a particular perspective the world over, in that some people will simply lack the lived experience of multiple languages that more multilingual individuals have. as such, people who are more monolingual will always be at more of a distance from the fact of multilingualism than those who negotiate multiple languages on a regular basis. in this way, monolingual environments see the rise of ideologies that justify, encourage, and naturalize monolingualism. being monolingual is not on its own a bad thing, except that certain languages are inherently more tied to power than others, and so people who speak those languages will hold more power as a result.  for many who read this article, that language will likely be english. just as the library field is centered on white, cisgender, and middle-class conceptions of the world (hathcock, ), it is also centered on english. this fact goes unanalyzed partly because the field is immersed in the language, with work, conferences, articles, and more all done in english. another reason, which collins ( ) points toward, is that “because white people hold hegemonic power within libraries, the language they use […] reaffirms the dominance of their racial privilege” (p. ). use of english likewise stands to affirm and consolidate that power, denying any power or privilege that may come from using other languages. just as whiteness is an invisible default and norm for comparisons (hathcock, ; brown, ferretti, leung, & méndez-brady, ), english holds a similar position among languages and forms part of whiteness in us and canadian contexts. although library literature mentioning language ideologies is scarce, the examples that do exist show english’s dominance affecting library services too. reznowski ( ) traces english-only ideologies in us education and public libraries, providing examples of how libraries have alternately stifled or encouraged multilingual services. espinoza and solis (in press) similarly review the history of the english-only movement in us history and libraries and report on a survey providing further evidence that languages besides english are not equally visible or recognized in libraries. finally, mcelroy and bridges ( ) suggest hegemony and privilege as reasons for english’s prevalence in academic publishing.  as these and other examples show, language ideologies inform judgments about the roles and uses of languages, and those judgments in turn inform everything from collection policies to storytimes. ideologies that favor monolingualism, whether explicit or not, result in assumptions that make the dominant language a requirement for accessing and engaging in community within the library. they put the burden on others to learn that language, not on speakers of that language to spend time and effort on other languages that have little or no apparent value to them. they also lead to library collections and services in other languages being marked as nonessential or apart from ‘core’ dominant-language offerings. if library workers do not critically consider how assumptions about language inform their actions, they risk disenfranchising those who may speak differently. discussion though neoliberalism and dominant-language ideologies have differing foci and means of operation, they have several effects in common. they both inhibit equity, diversity, access, and inclusion by implicitly assigning moral value to languages relative to each other: neoliberalism by naming the ‘best’ languages as the ones that compete most successfully on the ‘linguistic market,’ and language ideologies through prescriptive notions of a right way to speak a language, or a right language to speak. both also distort or omit aspects of how language exists in context, such as its connections to race, ethnicity, culture, and more, and the validity of variation within and among languages. in these ways, they enable the centering and prioritization of some languages over others, leading to a risk of languages not being treated in an equitable manner.  one could argue that truly equitable treatment may be impossible for reasons of practicality: how can a library expect to provide the same level of service for, say, english and spanish when spanish speakers are only a small percentage of the local population and many of them speak english anyway? however, one could also ask: who does using practicality as a reason not to do something benefit? is the issue just a lack of capacity, or is it also that there aren’t enough spanish speakers among library staff due to homogeneity in the field? while it is true that adequately serving every single language in a library system is usually not possible, it rests with libraries to determine the limits of that possibility. even if support for a specific language is not feasible, staff can still provide broad support aimed at removing or communicating across language barriers. a case might also be made for utility: a lingua franca would certainly enable and simplify communication and ease of access in some ways, but again, the question is: utility for whom? does it come at the cost of other languages and the people who use them? fluent speakers of such a language are more likely to benefit from that fluency, creating or perpetuating inequities in access. an economy may benefit from everyone who contributes to it speaking the same language, but the economy is not the point of life. while some languages will absolutely be more useful than others in given contexts, the problem comes when this fact is extended uncritically and universally to become a utilitarian mindset and when a focus on ‘useful’ languages comes at the expense of others. languages and the people who know them deserve more than a utilitarian approach: languages’ value comes not only from their usefulness for communication, but from the cultures, histories, and perspectives that they represent. in libraries, staff need to make sure that decisions about languages do not come from a view of a particular language as a demand-driven commodity or a prerequisite for using library services. instead, resisting the neoliberal commodification of languages and the privileging of some languages over others means showing a holistic understanding of multilingual experiences: what it means to be a language learner, what it is like to be in an unfamiliar linguistic environment, what barriers to communication are, and how language use intersects with nationality, race, class, and so on. it is always worth asking which languages are even deemed worthy of representation in the first place, and questioning and resisting these ideologies’ assumptions about the relative value of languages is one path to a more just and inclusive approach to language in libraries. towards action as bacevic ( ) states, it is not enough to simply know how neoliberalism works, or to presume that knowledge alone is enough to counter its operations: any criticism has to translate into action informed by that knowledge. the same could be said of language ideologies, and not only should critics transform knowledge into action, this action needs to take place collectively. individuals have limited capacity for change on their own, and systemic problems require collective solutions. as well, this work should not rest solely with people who know multiple languages. similarly to how white people need to step up in terms of antiracist work, more monolingual people should step up and support more multilingual people.  as heller and mcelhinny ( , pp. - ) suggest, neither abstract understandings of language nor purely practice-focused descriptions can provide a full picture of language’s workings on their own. examining the interplay between the two by connecting theory to practice and vice versa appears to be productive grounds for discussion and action. while by no means exhaustive, the following actions suggest broad ideas and specific examples of ways to counter neoliberalism and exclusionary language ideologies and work towards better linguistic access, equity, diversity, and inclusion. their goal is not to pretend that language problems can be solved through technical or managerial solutions, but instead to propose sites for looking both theoretically and practically at language practices. 	create space for staff to recognize, reduce, and eliminate linguistic barriers. such space could take the form of training, workshops, and discussions, or perhaps individual projects to describe and change the language practices of a given library. as one example, some colleagues and i led a conference workshop that took attendees through a number of activities aimed at fostering thoughts on service design for multilingual users. one such activity involved asking pairs to communicate first without words, then without using a language they knew well. another one asked people to first name something they could do to make their library as inaccessible and unwelcoming to multilingual users as possible, then to think about whether there was anything in their libraries that remotely resembled that idea. in many cases, there was. while such exercises may not be helpful for everyone, many attendees appreciated them, and they offer one way to shift thoughts and perspectives away from the comfortable default of everyday work 	hire and support linguistically diverse staff. staff are a key means of shaping how libraries facilitate access to information, and the languages they know will inform that work as well. support could look like extra pay for language use on the job and equity-informed retention efforts. at the same time, it is important to remember that simply having linguistically diverse staff is not enough: library staff should avoid tokenism and ensure that asking people who know a language to use it in the course of their work does not become a burden for them. it is also worth remembering that language proficiency does not always come with cultural competency or the lived experiences shared by members of other communities who speak that language. 	offer collections, outreach, and language-based programming with language in mind. these services remain key means of access to information in libraries, so it is always worthwhile to incorporate language-related research, principles, and perspectives into their development. as one example, although english remains the language of instruction at my current institution, it also offers tutoring where students can discuss their assignments in other languages with a peer tutor who also speaks that language, recognizing that language’s value both on its own and for supporting increased understanding. also, language-based programming does not always require organizers to be multilingual: for example, language exchanges started at the university of british columbia (ubc tandem, n.d.) rely on participants to teach languages to each other through immersion. as well, they have reciprocity and respect for all languages as founding principles, showing how specific programs can be informed by broader values. finally, better inclusion can even occur within a single language: smith ( ) offers positive examples of academic library outreach practices that highlight the role of language variation in promoting representation and racial literacy. 	create space for other languages in policies, procedures, and infrastructure. documents such as collections policies and instructional plans inform action and promote accountability, and if language about languages is not in them, then there is less cause to be active and accountable. what would it look like for a collections policy to say it will represent the languages spoken by those the library serves, for a website to have a space for indigenous language resources, or for a strategic plan to list language as one of the forms of diversity that it claims to value? it is also worthwhile to make library infrastructure such as websites and signage available in other languages. however, technical fixes on their own are insufficient, and policy on its own is not enough, as espinoza and solis (in press) make clear in questioning the extent to which the american library association’s guidelines for the development and promotion of multilingual collections and services have actually been implemented. 	engage in action-oriented research on language in libraries. as the literature shows, there is ample room for research not just about the logistics of accommodating other languages in libraries, but also about the attitudes, experiences, and perceptions of both staff and library users when it comes to language. one study (henninger, ) incidentally hinted at some of these attitudes as it sought to determine whether staff language skills represented the languages present in three libraries’ service areas. another study (espinoza & solis, in press) showed gaps between staff language use and formal recognition of those skills, whether in job descriptions or through compensation, that deserve further attention. 	learn from fields such as applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and education, and from people who are already doing this work. using ideas and theoretical frameworks from other fields can strengthen the work done in libraries and increase understanding of the issues discussed in this article. analyzing and explaining language practices is one step towards changing them where necessary, and theories and models from applied linguistics, such as darvin and norton’s ( ) model of investment and the douglas fir group’s ( ) framework for second language acquisition offer ways to do so. they explicitly foreground the various factors contributing to language use, critically engage with the roles of surrounding social forces, and challenge neoliberal views of individuals as rational actors who are solely responsible for their motivations and behavior. as well, people in other communities may confront the fact of linguistic difference much more often than people in libraries. mandatory student attendance at public schools means that teachers and other staff must confront multilingualism much more often than workers in libraries, where there is no such mandatory attendance. as a result, there is a sizable body of literature in the education field on supporting and teaching multilingual learners. if they are not already doing so, library workers can also learn from organizations aimed at assisting recent immigrants, assisted living facilities, people revitalizing indigenous languages, and other groups who may encounter and think about multilingualism more than library staff in many cases. one current example of this work comes from the indigenous languages resource centre at calgary public library (rieger, ), which has been created and run in partnership with indigenous elders and authors. unfortunately, some such partnerships are still framed in the language of adjustment, assimilation, and english-centrism, which can be quite explicit (e.g. mccrary, ). for example, queens public library (n.d.) organizes its own-language partnerships under the heading “new americans” and refers to them as being offered in english and “immigrant languages,” positioning english as the national language and discursively excluding people who have been americans for years and still speak languages besides english. 	take a holistic and proactive approach to language and multilingualism. this entire article argues for this approach, but it bears repeating. a change of perspective at the individual, organizational, societal levels is necessary to produce broader change at all of those levels, and library workers must consider how their attitudes towards languages are influenced by norms, assumptions, and biases and relate to race, gender, ability, and more. when it comes to multilingualism, it is possible to ask versions of the same questions from stewart ( ) that collins ( , pp. - ) suggests can be asked of language practices in general: 	“who’s in the room?” [whose languages are represented in the room?]  	“has everyone’s ideas been heard?” [whose language skills permit them to hear those voices?]  	“who is trying to get in the room but can’t?” [what languages are needed to get in the room?] 	“whose presence in the room is under constant threat of erasure?” [whose languages are devalued or threatened?]  	“whose ideas won’t be taken as seriously because they aren’t in the [linguistic] majority?” as both authors emphasize, it is not enough to focus just on questions of diversity and inclusion: equity and justice are also important considerations. it is also possible to imagine paradigm shifts in the metaphors used for language: for example, flores ( ) advocates for moving from viewing language as a resource, which results in commodifying both languages themselves and linguistic diversity, to viewing it as a site of struggle, which would highlight racial and other inequities. conclusion language in general has power, and specific languages have more power than others, which is maintained through material infrastructures informed by ideology. languages also have social, affective, and intangible dimensions that are ignored or commodified under a neoliberal mindset and discounted in favor of other considerations under dominant language ideologies. language is complex, containing as it does aspects of power, oppression, difference, and more, and it deserves a similarly complex response.  we cannot ignore the existence of language in libraries when libraries serve linguistically diverse populations, when language shapes access to library services, and when certain languages receive more equitable treatment than others. people should be free to use the languages that they want, and libraries should support them in that choice via services and infrastructure. those who want to learn another language should be able to do so, and libraries certainly have a role to play in that. however, those who want to use their own languages should also be welcomed, whether through specific support for that language or through general strategies to support multilingual users. no one should be coerced into learning another language or excluded from services for not learning it, and the idea that one language can be inherently better than another must be challenged where it exists. readers who have traveled abroad or even within their own countries may have a sense of how nice and comfortable it is to find a language they know in a place where people mainly use another one. why, then, should we not extend the same comfort to others? by being proactive, by critically considering language practices, and by imagining new modes of library service, we can make libraries into places where all people feel comfortable with their languages, not just dominant languages. to support all library users, recognizing the validity of all languages and the complexity of language, in general, is a good place to start. acknowledgements i would like to thank publishing editor denisse solis, internal reviewer kellee warren, and external reviewer michael mohkamkar for their time and effort supporting the publication of this article, as well as my colleague holly hendrigan for her thoughts. this article is stronger because of them, and any remaining shortcomings are of course my own. references accurso, k. 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( ). balancing visions and values: an exploration of market rhetoric in canadian academic library strategic plans. progressive librarian, , - . 			 						 				language, multilingualism, neoliberalism 			 					 	 						 												 						 							communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd 							it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	pingback : icymi: april - seminar on the acquisition of latin american library materials 	 	 		 		 			 				bob schroeder 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thanks for this article! it’s a good one to help us start thinking about who’s not in our libraries, linguistically as well as culturally. i wanted to recommend a book chapter that also speaks to many of the issues you raise here. it’s an autoethnography by michele r. santamaria entitled ” you, she, i: an autoethnographic exploration through noise”. it’s from a book, “the self as subject: autoethnographic research into identity, culture, ad academic librarianship.” even though it starts from the point of view of a librarian, rather that the library users, it arrives at many of the same places as your article. (and full disclosure, i was one of he editors of the book ;) 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				ean henninger 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thanks, bob! i will be sure to check it out. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				ean henninger 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thanks, bob! i will be sure to check it out. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				halka 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				what a fantastic article! i have been doing very similar research and writing a paper with similar themes for an mlis class and i really enjoyed reading your research. let me know if you’d ever like to discuss your work–i find it fascinating. 							 		 	 	 	pingback : archives plan of action – co-learning experiences 	 	pingback : what are archives? – co-learning experiences 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					sep 					 				 				 					danya leebaw and alexis logsdon					/ comment 				 											power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief academic librarians do not experience full academic freedom protections, despite the fact that they are expected to exercise independent judgment, be civically engaged, and practice applied scholarship. academic freedom for academic librarians is not widely studied or well understood. to learn more, we conducted a survey which received over responses from academic librarians on a variety of academic freedom measures. in this article, we focus specifically on faculty status for librarians and the ways this intersects with academic freedom perceptions and experiences. even though all librarians who answered our survey share similar experiences when it comes to infringements on their freedom, faculty librarians are more likely to feel they are protected in their free expression. we find it useful to situate librarians within a growing cohort of “third space” academic professionals who perform similar duties to traditional faculty but lack tenure and its associated academic freedom protections. we argue that more attention needs to be paid in the library profession to academic freedom for librarians, and that solidarity with other non-traditional faculty on campus is a potential avenue for allyship and advocacy. introductory note in november , some colleagues and i made a libguide based on a popular hashtag syllabus, trump syllabus . . the syllabus, drafted in response to trump syllabus, was crowdsourced by black academics seeking to counter the limited vision of the first syllabus, written by primarily white scholars, in an attempt to historicize how we arrived at a donald trump presidency. where the trump syllabus centered political, labor, and populist movements as the lineage of trump’s ascendence, trump syllabus . highlights the genealogy of white supremacy: anti-blackness, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, ableism, and settler colonialism. the works cited in the syllabus are predominantly scholarly texts, along with popular press articles and key primary sources, and the vast majority of the titles were held by the library i worked in at the time. my colleagues and i set up a guide with tabs for each week of the syllabus and linked to the catalog records for each title we already held, and to various licensed and unlicensed versions of other materials on the syllabus. some of our library colleagues were not on board with us publishing this guide, fearing backlash, but we were not prohibited from doing so. fast forward to january : a right-wing student blog, backed by a conservative think tank, wrote a hit piece about our libguide, which received so much attention in the right-wing mediasphere that it eventually captured the attention of our campus public relations team. we were initially not asked to take the guide down, but when fox news called our college president’s office to inquire about the guide the following week, the president told the library to remove the guide immediately. i did push back, cautiously, against the decision, but ultimately realized i was powerless to change the situation without risking my job. i had always assumed i was protected in my work product by academic freedom, but i learned that week that i wasn’t. as an at-will employee at a private liberal arts college, academic freedom very clearly didn’t extend to me or any of my staff colleagues. –alexis logsdon introduction the libguide experience of one of this article’s authors led to conversations between the coauthors, early in , about academic freedom for academic librarians in the united states. specifically, what protections do we really have and why does academic freedom matter to us? the election of trump sparked a moment of professional introspection in academic libraries that continues to this day: what were our public engagement obligations? do academic librarians need freedom of expression, and if so, what are the lived experiences of academic freedom for librarians across social identities? these questions led us to conduct a national survey of academic librarians in the fall of . the resulting data has allowed us to study academic freedom for librarians, and its relationship to other factors like social identity and job status. in previous outputs of our research, we have discussed the history and state of academic freedom for academic librarians more broadly, and also highlighted findings related to race, sexuality, gender, and more. in this article, we will focus on the relationship between academic freedom and faculty status for librarians and how this surfaced in our survey findings. faculty status is the factor most associated in the common imagination and the literature with academic freedom protections. yet many librarians lack faculty status, have partial status, or are unsure of their protections regardless of their official status. even when classified or considered faculty, academic librarians are rarely treated as peers by other disciplinary faculty or university administrators. for these reasons, academic librarians are members of the academy with a markedly more tenuous hold on academic freedom claims. we hypothesized at the outset of our research that when librarians’ job status is precarious, they will feel less free to express themselves in the workplace and will be highly attuned to penalties for academic expression. our survey did find interesting distinctions between faculty and non-faculty librarians when it came to a variety of measures around academic freedom. indeed, faculty status affected respondents’ perceptions of academic freedom more than any other variable we studied. before sharing and discussing our survey results around this topic, we seek to contextualize librarians’ academic freedom within the context of the widespread, growing precarity of higher education workers. academic librarians experience significant insecurity that is related to their membership in an ever-growing class of higher education workers who occupy a liminal space between faculty and clerical staff. budgetary challenges and neoliberalism in higher education have led institutions to retreat from offering stable, tenure-protected employment and instead increasingly rely on academic professional staff and contingent faculty. this enables administrators to scale back autonomy, equitable pay, and protections like academic freedom. academic librarians have long occupied less stable and powerful positions on their campuses than traditional faculty. therefore, we believe academic librarians’ experiences with academic freedom are worth investigating further in their own right. however, librarians are also situated within a larger ecosystem of growing precarity on campus. understanding our role in this context can help us identify allies and avenues for advocacy. in the absence of tenure, academic librarians and other academic staff experience insecurity in their jobs that impedes their academic freedom. our research is interested in more than just policies but also how freedom of expression plays out (or not) in a variety of lived workplace experiences. we will share findings that suggest that faculty status truly matters for librarians to feel protected in their work activities. yet we will also describe a higher education landscape in which faculty status is available only to some librarians and certainly not the majority of library workers. the trajectory is toward fewer faculty-classified library positions, not more. our article offers a question as well as an argument: if faculty status is critical to academic freedom, but is only available to some of us, how can we advocate for better freedoms apart from that? methods and scope we conducted a survey in fall to study librarians’ perceptions of how protected they were by their institution’s academic freedom policies. we asked about a wide spectrum of “silencing” actions for academic librarians, from being skipped over for a promotion to being demoted to being fired outright, and inquired about how these formal and informal punishments impacted librarians’ lives. we also asked our respondents to share their demographic information, which enabled us to correlate their experiences with their social identities. our research project overall is a mixed method study, with an initial survey that we plan to follow up with interviews and textual analysis later this year. the survey was designed to gather information about academic librarians’ job status, experiences of academic freedom, and socioeconomic positionality. we asked approximately questions that were a mix of closed, multiple choice, and open-ended questions. the questions about academic freedom were primarily matrix table questions for which respondents could rank their experiences on a scale. many of the social identity questions allowed for “other” and filled-in textual responses if respondents felt that none of the offered categories applied to them. we also provided space for open-ended comments at the end of the survey and for respondents to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed at a later date. we issued the survey via national listservs and social media in the fall of . we intentionally promoted the survey on a wide variety of professional listservs and using hashtags on social media to reach librarians of color. we had over people start and just over people complete the survey. we filtered out respondents who did not agree to our irb-approved consent form and those who stated that they did not currently work in an academic library. our survey questions were based on our hypotheses and also modeled after similar surveys. our previously published acrl conference paper provides a summary of responses to our survey as well as deeper dives into how responses corresponded to race and financial insecurity. in this article, we will focus primarily on librarian faculty status and how this corresponds to lived experiences of academic freedom. defining academic freedom academic freedom is a contested concept, so it is important for the purposes of our article to state that we align with those who believe scholarship and civic engagement—especially in librarianship—are inextricably linked. generally, the core principles of academic freedom referenced in most u.s. institutional policies adhere to the statement on academic freedom and tenure from the american association of university professors (aaup). this statement proposes three primary protections: the right to freely teach without interference, the right to research without interference, and the right to express oneself in the community without interference. while scholars and administrators generally agree on these basic precepts, they diverge when it comes to who, how, and how much these protections apply. one school of thought asserts that scholarship should be “pure” and remain disengaged from the civic sphere. in this formulation, academic freedom applies only to teaching and scholarship that is allegedly devoid of politics and “neutral.” another faction, with whom we are aligned, points to the origins of modern academic freedom as an important project intended to protect faculty (particularly those from the social sciences) whose scholarship engages directly with society.  historian joan w. scott, in her essay exploring this claim, argues that distinguishing between politics and scholarship is “easier in theory than in practice” and “the tension between professorial commitments and academic responsibility is an ongoing one that the principle of academic freedom is meant to adjudicate.” as an applied profession, librarianship presumes a link between scholarship and civic engagement. academic freedom is thus a deeply relevant issue for our field. academic freedom and librarians the concept of academic freedom in libraries is complicated by the library profession’s focus on the parent concept of intellectual freedom and the heterogeneous nature of library employment. the association for college & research libraries (acrl) has issued a number of statements in defense of academic freedom for academic librarians. however, the devotion to intellectual freedom for our users gets conflated with and obscures advocacy for our own academic freedom. academic librarians have one foot in academia and another in librarianship, with academic freedom a norm in the former but not the latter. indeed, supporters of library neutrality—the focus of a battle that mostly plays out in public libraries—often uphold intellectual freedom at the expense of other rights and freedoms. similar to the purity arguments put forth for academic work, some librarians claim neutrality as a core library value rooted in the american library association’s guiding values, the enlightenment, and political liberalism. others, including us, argue that library neutrality is conceptually impossible and also puts workers and the public at risk. media reports, anecdotes on social media, and the library literature all confirm ongoing barriers to librarians’ academic freedom. attempts by community members to censor or ban materials in libraries are so commonplace that the american library association promotes an annual “banned books week” and collects statistics from libraries on the issue. however, librarians experience other forms of infringement on their academic freedom that receive less attention from the profession. library science scholar noriko asato provides a long history of infringements on librarians’ academic freedom, not just in collection development decisions, but also when they question library policy, engage politically, or even about choices in their personal lives, and these same infringements were reported in our survey. these are not simply problems of the past. librarians in the university of california system learned during their union contract negotiations in that their institution believed academic freedom did not apply to them; this became the primary issue during their ultimately successful negotiations. according to a recent survey of canadian librarians, they face restrictions on what they research, and struggle to pursue scholarship in light of their other responsibilities. even when librarians are not directly restricted in their research or personal expression, they face structural inequities in terms of funding and time to do research compared to disciplinary faculty, leading indirectly to infringements on their autonomy. only half of all liberal arts college librarians report feeling “protected in their work as a librarian,” according to a survey conducted by librarian meghan dowell in . dowell’s findings echo what non-faculty librarians reported in our survey, which is not surprising given how many liberal arts college librarians are classified as staff/non-faculty. librarians who stage exhibits are also regularly confronted with pushback and are forced to take them down. perhaps most alarmingly, librarians—especially librarians of color—have also been subject to harassment and abuse from the public for their workplace choices or public positions. these experiences are reflected in our survey findings as well, discussed in more detail below: more than % of respondents reported fear that their identity put them at personal risk. third space professionals academic librarians are situated within a broader context of academic professionals, beyond traditional faculty, on campus. generally, however, there is little in the academic freedom literature that specifically studies non-faculty higher education workers. despite our absence from the scholarship, research and anecdotal evidence from the media indicate that academic freedom issues surface regularly for academic professional staff on campus. sometimes, professional staff are performing duties similar to faculty but are unprotected when our pedagogy is questioned or we protest institutional policy. other times, since these are problems for staff rather than faculty, these issues are often not considered to have anything to do with academic freedom in the first place. as some of the longest-serving quasi-academic professionals on campus—not traditional faculty, but also not clerical or facilities staff—the experiences of academic librarians serve as a bellwether and a proxy for issues that undoubtedly resonate for our academic support professional peers. the number of academic support professionals grew rapidly in the late s and we continue to comprise a significant portion of higher education workforces. there is cross-disciplinary literature on the complicated roles and identities of academic support staff, who occupy what educational studies scholar celia whitchurch calls a “third space” on their campuses. despite the growth of this group of higher education workers, the persistent and predominant characterization of the academic workforce is a simple binary of either professors or clerical staff. however, academic support professionals, perhaps most notably librarians and academic technologists, increasingly assume duties that were once reserved solely for traditional professors: teaching, research, and service. even though these staff are often doing faculty-like work such as teaching, service, and research, traditional faculty protections—including academic freedom—do not apply. without the protections of tenure and its associated governance, academic freedom as a right and protection is arguably toothless. with the erosion of tenure protections, in part through the dispersal of traditional faculty work to contingent faculty and professional academic support staff, “academic freedom today may be as endangered as it has been at almost any moment since the aaup’s inception.” tenure was never just about protecting research, according to academic freedom expert hank reichman, but instead must be championed for all involved in teaching and research on campus. yet we now have a class of workers on higher education campuses who are expected to be educators and lead students in traditional paths of learning, but could easily lose their jobs and livelihood if there is blowback to their speech or other professional choices. even when institutional policies around academic freedom are broad and inclusive of staff, in the absence of tenure, staff do not have the same meaningful freedom as faculty with tenure protections. if one can be fired at will, then one will almost certainly be guarded. further, even if workers are covered by academic freedom policies in principle, it is usually unclear if all their activities are protected. this is why many advocates believe the core of the academic freedom fight goes beyond having the right policy in place and is actually about extending tenure protections on campuses. in the following sections, we aim to bring a librarian-centered lens to this conversation, to make the case that in addition to contingent faculty, librarians and other academic professional staff must be brought into protection as well, given the nature of their work on campus. librarians as third space professionals academic freedom as it manifests for traditional faculty does not map neatly onto librarians’ jobs and experiences. like some faculty, academic librarians often engage in applied scholarship and are enacting professional expertise on a day-to-day basis in the academic sphere. however, academic librarians typically work within rigidly hierarchical library workplaces. unlike traditional faculty—who operate with significant autonomy and whose spheres (teaching, research, and service) are fairly well-defined—academic librarians also engage in a wide variety of professional activities well beyond just research and teaching and are usually directly supervised in this work. they are usually reviewed against a different set of performance metrics than traditional faculty. because librarians are more closely supervised and tend to have less power in their workplaces, many duties of academic librarians might be subject to penalties and pushback to a greater degree than those of disciplinary faculty. as we will discuss more in our article, academic librarians also occupy a wide range of job classifications and only some are in traditional, tenure-protected positions. many librarians are at-will employees or have some faculty-like rights but not all. unpacking academic freedom for librarians, therefore, requires a different and broader picture than looking only at institutional policies and rigidly defined cases. librarians occupy myriad job classifications on their campuses, complicating research and understanding around this topic. for instance, when acrl collects data from libraries on librarians’ faculty status, they ask an additional eight questions to establish clarity on the nature of that status. additionally, acrl then asks respondents to further detail whether or not librarians are “fully, partially, or not at all” included in policies such as “eligible for leaves of absence or sabbaticals on the same basis as other faculty” or “have access to funding on the same basis as faculty.” acrl’s data from indicates that out of , responding academic libraries, fte librarians at half of these ( , or %) had faculty status. however, % of libraries reported that their librarians have faculty status but not tenure. interestingly, more libraries reported that their librarians fully have “the same protections of academic freedom as other faculty” than reported that their librarians have faculty status ( % compared to %). this can likely be explained by the fact that some institutions do apply academic freedom policies to staff and students, but also could be because respondents made assumptions about their protections when they might actually not be present in policy or in practice. when it comes to librarians’ professional identity, institutional context therefore plays a key role. approximately % of our survey respondents claim to be “faculty or faculty-like” in their status. our findings do not tell us what that means to our respondents and this label is open to interpretation, especially for librarians who often have some kind of quasi-faculty status that is understood or experienced differently for individual librarians on the same campus. in their article on the role of academic librarians in their institutions, rachel fleming-may and kimberly douglass write, “the lack of consensus on the meaning and value of librarianship to academic institutions is also a likely contributor to the disparate treatment of librarians with faculty status from institution to institution.” in studying the professional identity of librarians as related to their job classification, shin freedman found, and our respondents reported the same, that librarians’ self-identity is closely correlated to institutional context, rather than broader professional norms and understandings. in other words, whether or not you identify as faculty-like has a lot to do with how your institution and library administration categorizes and treats you. this may seem like an obvious point, but it is worth calling out the distinction between traditional faculty identity and norms, which tend to be national in scope and much simpler to define—either tenure-track or contingent with clear rights understood to align or not with these two categories—and librarians’ roles and identities, which are much more locally bounded. while our survey relied on self-identification, we conjecture that self perception as being “faculty-like” is the strongest indicator of how librarians feel their autonomous work life is respected on their campuses. this has implications for librarians’ ability to advocate for their rights or even imagine alternatives to their current situations, likely compounded by how competitive the job market is for librarians. many librarians accept the classifications as they are wherever they can get a job, which is unsurprising given the challenging job market and also how much murkiness surrounds this issue in the literature and in practice. while the pros and cons of tenure for librarians are widely debated in the academic library literature, there is consensus that tenure is valuable when it comes to defending librarians’ academic freedom. indeed, academic freedom is regularly cited as a primary reason for academic librarians to maintain or seek faculty status and tenure. librarians publish on controversial topics to advance the field of librarianship and must regularly make potentially unpopular decisions in library operations. according to librarians catherine coker et. al., “if a librarian’s academic freedom is not protected, then, like teaching faculty, he or she might give a guarded and abridged version of the thoughts and ideas in his or her research. in addition, librarians may also guard against purchasing and disseminating controversial informational resources to help answer users’ questions, if they feel under threat that their job could be on the line.” joshua kim, an academic technologist who writes a regular column for inside higher ed, asserts that he would accept a lower salary in exchange for tenure because of the freedom he would have to do critical, applied research in learning innovation. librarians with tenure and with clarity around their status report higher job satisfaction, including when it comes to academic freedom protections. our findings survey responses academic librarians with faculty status, according to our survey respondents, differ greatly in their perceptions of academic freedom protections from librarians who do not identify as faculty. in every category of job duty we asked about, librarians who identified as faculty-like reported feeling protected in their work at higher rates (figure ). perhaps predictably, some of the biggest disparities were in areas that are most faculty-like in function: research and publishing ( % of faculty-identified librarians vs. % of non-faculty librarians), instruction ( % vs. %), and interactions with faculty ( % vs. %). but there was also a stark contrast in responses about non-library campus activities ( % vs. %) and library programming work ( % vs %), both arguably central functions of librarianship and crucial sites of outreach and relationship building for academic librarians. even with the higher numbers for faculty librarians, our findings offer confirmation of what we saw in the literature in terms of the heterogeneity of librarian faculty status and relative power on campus. indeed, the figures are remarkable: a quarter of our faculty respondents did not feel well protected in their research and publishing activities, with similar responses for instruction and programming. these are the very “third space” areas where librarian innovation and creativity are seemingly most encouraged, and yet many of us do not feel like we can freely choose how we go about these tasks. according to the literature, faculty status for librarians varies widely from institution to institution in terms of what protections it affords. our findings appear to confirm that faculty status for librarians does not in and of itself equate to feeling fully protected. while there was a wide gap in the sense of safety for librarians of differing status, they report feeling silenced to the same general degree and by many of the same things (figure ). by far the largest number of respondents, % of faculty librarians and % of non-faculty librarians, reported feeling silenced by “fear that speaking up will hurt my career.” more than % in both categories felt silenced by “fear that my identity will put me at personal risk,” suggesting that certain social identities put people at a greater risk for targeted harassment, regardless of faculty status. in addition, % of our respondents (both faculty and non-faculty) also reported feeling afraid for their personal safety if they were to speak out about their beliefs. these two findings resonate with lara ewen’s article on librarians and targeted harassment. citing an ala panel from called “bullying, trolling, and doxxing, oh my! protecting our advocacy and public discourse around diversity and social justice,” ewen describes the divergent experiences of two librarians: sweeney, who is white, said she was challenged mainly for the presumed content of the research, while cooke, who is african american, was harassed in a way that made it clear that her race was a factor. cooke was bombarded with hate mail and threatening voicemails. both researchers feared that cooke’s photograph, email address, and phone number had been copied from uiuc’s website and distributed throughout racist communities online. while librarians of various social identities are targeted for their research, the magnitude of the threats is often much higher for librarians from marginalized communities. why does fear of punishment seem to outweigh actual experiences of reprimands? the literature we reviewed earlier in this article points to a number of possible answers, all likely contributing to this disparity. academic librarians have any number of legitimate reasons to feel insecure, even in the absence of experiencing or witnessing direct penalties. faculty status for librarians often comes with explicitly fewer protections than what is written into policy for disciplinary faculty. even with faculty status, librarians typically have less security and power in their institutions than other faculty. many librarians who are classified as staff are keenly aware that their positions are ultimately precarious, even though, like other “third space” academic professionals, they perform work that—were it being done by disciplinary faculty—would be protected by academic freedom policies. as discussed in the literature review, many librarians work within a rigid hierarchy under direct supervision with far less autonomy than traditional disciplinary faculty. it is understandable that librarians would have a sense of caution and insecurity in these settings. finally, the dramatic transformation of the academic workforce in recent decades, referenced earlier in this article, itself presents an existential threat for academic librarians and our administrators. already more precarious on our campuses, we can see from these trendlines (and many others) that academic libraries are in defense mode when it comes to our budgets and workforce. all of these factors likely contribute to academic librarians perceiving a wide variety of potential threats to their work even in the absence of direct punishment, while simultaneously recognizing that their managers and library leadership are feeling their own set of pressures to avoid institutional conflict and protect their budgets and staff. the final set of questions we asked in our survey was about the impacts of punishment (figure ). of those who had experienced punishments, a substantial number said it had affected their engagement and motivation at work, impacted their mental well-being, their relationships with co-workers, and their sense of belonging in their position. about % of non-faculty librarians reported that the punishments they had experienced had impacted their mental health, and a nearly identical number said the punishment had a negative effect on their motivation and engagement at work. the numbers were only slightly lower for librarians in faculty positions: around % reported these same impacts. around % of respondents in both groups said their experience with punishments had influenced their relationships with colleagues and students, and more than half reported that the experiences had made them question whether they belonged in their positions. other impacts that were reported by more than % of both faculty and non-faculty librarians included feeling that they could not adequately do their jobs, and, disturbingly, considering whether they belonged in the profession at all. these responses resonate with what librarian kaetrena davis kendrick terms “the low morale experience.” in kendrick’s study, “participants reported emotional, physiological, or cognitive responses to low morale” after a trigger event, which in turn lead to “a negative effect on [their] daily practice of librarianship.” while kendrick studied abuse in the workplace as the trigger for low morale experience and our survey asked about the impacts of academic freedom infringements, there is significant overlap in both experiences and impacts. figure . librarians’ perceptions of free expression by faculty status figure . a bar chart visualizing librarians’ perceptions of their protections for free expression, according to faculty status. accessible equivalent of this chart as a table. figure . librarians’ experiences of academic freedom infringements by faculty status figure . a bar chart visualizing librarians’ experiences of infringements of academic freedom, according to faculty status. accessible equivalent of this chart as a table. figure . experiences of feeling silenced by faculty status figure . a bar chart visualizing librarians’ experiences of being silenced, shown according to faculty status. full text equivalent of this chart as a list. figure . respondents who reported being “somewhat” or “significantly” impacted by punishments, by faculty status. figure . a bar chart visualizing respondents who reported being “somewhat” or “significantly” impacted by punishments, shown according to faculty status. full text equivalent of this chart as a list. open-ended comments in the survey’s open-ended comments field, many librarians offered insights into how their work environment failed to protect them. their reasons were complex and varied, but overall they describe workplaces where managers and library directors make unpopular decisions and librarians feel afraid to question these decisions. when they did question them, many librarians told stories of being informally punished by being given fewer opportunities or getting subpar reviews, and they feared “there will be subtle punishments for expressing beliefs that are odds with the administration.” several respondents talked about how research was treated in their faculty librarian positions: they had their research agenda questioned or outright denied, they had library leadership who sought to abolish research as a core job function, and they experienced informal punishments because of their research topics. some commented that academic freedom seemed to apply most in their institutions when it was tied to research and publishing. even with faculty status, many librarians feel they are treated differently from their peers in academic departments. more than one person reported that their research agenda was questioned by supervisors, that they had little control over their own schedules, and that they were “routinely” tone policed during performance reviews. the hierarchical workplaces in which librarians typically work, as described in our literature review, seem to complicate and sometimes seriously interfere with librarians’ freedom to freely pursue their research agendas. in keeping with the rest of our survey results, non-faculty librarians felt less certain that their speech and actions in the workplace were protected, even while experiencing similar academic freedom infringements as faculty librarians. in open-ended responses, a striking number of non-faculty librarians discussed the lack of clarity around academic freedom protections and, worse, library leadership (both managers and deans) who claim to support free expression but then respond negatively to it in practice. reading non-faculty librarians’ comments as a group reveals a consistent narrative of uncertainty, insecurity, and mixed messages: [i]t feels like our library leadership wants it both ways: librarians that will be active in high-profile research, publishing, professional and community orgs, etc., but also never say anything leadership doesn’t like. and what gets considered “controversial” at my library often seems pretty unpredictable. my university displays a wild mismatch between its stated policies and their application—academic freedom is not supported in general, especially at the library level. my institution claims to uphold academic freedom, but there is a silent understanding that said freedom really only means “freedom to uphold the ‘party’ line.” i think in theory they defend academic freedom, but in practice they are scared of anything that they perceive will damage their image. this is but a small sample of comments about mixed signals; this was one the most common complaints in our responses. these librarians point to a pattern of denied agency, of contradictory messages about their academic freedom, and managers unwilling or unable to defend their employees when the latter’s work product is questioned. the implication for many librarians is that outspokenness is something to avoid and to discourage in others. as one respondent eloquently described it, [i]t feels as if librarians, whether faculty or not, are taught to be nice and congenial. thus, the culture of the profession does not lend itself to speaking up without being labeled. the culture of “niceness” in libraries goes well beyond the scope of the current research, but is worth exploring as a root cause of much confusion and conflict arising from academic freedom expectations. niceness and neutrality work in tandem to create conditions that shut certain people out of the professional conversation, and even out of working in the library profession themselves. faculty librarians reported some of the same experiences with unspoken restrictions and less-than-encouraging messages from supervisors, albeit in smaller numbers. some of the comments echo what non-faculty librarians experience, but some point to specific inconsistencies between the rights they purportedly enjoy as faculty and how their libraries interpret those rights: most of the unfreedoms i experience are internal to the library. it is very conservative in comparison to the university. i don’t mean politically, i mean in risk taking and allowing a wide range of debate and speech. i have faced repercussions for things that are exceedingly trivial. my institution embraces social justice, but the library does not. i have been here for [length of time redacted] and in that time i have contributed a great deal to the community, but it is lost in the micromanaging by the dean. another librarian reported having to change research topics in order to be granted a sabbatical, and their comments reveal a keen awareness of how this violated their academic freedom: “requiring me to research something [my dean] really likes is a violation of my academic freedom, but i’m tired of fighting him and just need a break.” these remarks point to a schism between institutional values about academic freedom and libraries’ more measured, cautious approach. this kind of fractured experience can happen in the other direction as well: in the university of california librarians’ recent contract negotiations, one of the sticking points for faculty librarians was to have academic freedom protections written into their contract. while uc librarians have faculty status, the pushback they experienced made it clear that the university saw librarians as excluded from essential protections that come with that status. conclusion many librarians are living in a culture of fear on their campuses. despite working in academic settings where academic freedom is held up as a value and is presumed by many to apply to librarians, our survey respondents reported significant limits to their free expression. librarians are expected to enact independent, expert judgment frequently throughout their workdays. we are purchasing materials for our libraries, planning programs, teaching students, and have unique curricular insights. yet, we learned in our survey, many librarians are in workplaces where free expression is discouraged and even punished. indeed, as evidenced in figures and above, more than a third of librarians surveyed said they’d been informally punished, and % said they worried that speaking up would hurt their career. further, a culture of silencing and fear leads to a foreclosing of underrepresented voices, upholds the status quo, and hinders growth in our institutions. our research confirms some of our hypotheses about the role of faculty status in librarians’ academic freedom protections.  we were surprised, however, to discover that where faculty and non-faculty differ most is in their perceptions about their protections; we found a strong connection between faculty status and perceiving free expression to be protected. respondents without faculty status reported feeling protected in their job functions at lower rates than faculty librarians in every category we asked about, often with differences of ten percentage points or more. when it came to infringement of academic freedom, however, faculty and non-faculty librarians reported similar experiences. this raises interesting questions: why do faculty librarians feel more protected, even as they report being punished for their actions and speech? is there something about faculty status that empowers librarians to speak more freely, in spite of potential punishments? or is there more security in these positions, so that the punishments are easier to bear? whatever the reasons, it seems clear that faculty librarians are better positioned to speak out in their campus communities, take a critical approach to the core responsibilities of their positions, and generally be confident that they can approach their work without fear their views will get them fired. while it is beyond our powers and the scope of this research to resolve the disparity in academic freedom of faculty and non-faculty librarians, we can offer a way to begin examining what leads some librarians to feel protected and others not to. in the third space continuum, faculty librarians reside closer to traditional faculty and feel less precarious. conversely, non-faculty librarians, as evidenced in their survey responses and open-ended comments, are often forced to navigate complex, sometimes contradictory messages about their academic freedom from their managers. other times, the message is quite clear: they are considered staff, and staff are explicitly not covered by academic freedom in their institutions. how then do we advocate for more and clearer academic freedom protections for librarians of all job classes? as with any endemic problem, the solution needs both local and systemic dimensions. we offer some suggestions here, but we also encourage our colleagues to think about how these strategies would play out in their local context and if there are others that might work better for you. when it comes to solutions, we believe the answer lies in raising awareness about this issue, understanding one’s role in the academic ecosystem locally and beyond, and identifying allies beyond our own ranks. on a systemic and national level, the path will involve calling upon national networks and following successful models of progressive change. librarian professional organizations should attend to academic freedom as a distinct issue apart from book censorship and freedom for our users. we know from the acrl statistics cited above that more than two-thirds of academic libraries believe their librarians to have the same academic freedom protections as faculty. starting a conversation about these stated norms that are in conflict with our respondents’ reported experiences could lead to clearer protections. we should also participate in broader organizations like the aaup and other groups agitating for academics, and push the issue of librarians within those bodies. the local level has the most potential for meaningful change. it is imperative that librarians know exactly what or whether their employee handbooks, bylaws, union contracts, or other governing documents have to say about academic freedom for librarians. it may be that your handbook says nothing about academic freedom, but that is good information to have. if you have venues for discussing shared values around academic freedom within your library, try starting a conversation there. if there are explicit policies about academic freedom for faculty and students, but not for staff, are there official governance structures (such as faculty meetings or a university senate) through which this issue could be raised? who on your campus outside the library are likely allies, such as contingent faculty or academic technologists? by situating librarians within the framework of “third space professionals,” we can shift and clarify the conversations around academic freedom happening in our profession and on our campuses. when news stories tell us that even traditional faculty are at risk of losing their jobs from free expression, it follows that uncertainty and precarity are amplified the farther one is from the centers of power. adjunct instructors, at-will staff, and others in more insecure positions on their campuses are particularly vulnerable. organizing and agitating alongside other third space colleagues—academic technologists, staff researchers, lecturers—might be a more effective way to capture the attention and support of protected faculty and senior administrators. third space academic professionals may be suffering the same self-censorship instinct because of their own employment precarity, but through allyship and solidarity, we all might secure greater freedoms. building solidarity with local allies is an avenue toward greater power, such as organizing together into a union. while librarians often enjoy a stature on campus that other third space professionals do not (whether because of pay, additional benefits, or permanent employment status), the existential threat to higher education employment will be felt by us all. relying on tenure alone limits access to academic freedom protections to a select few and seems to be a losing path forward. if we collaborate together through unionizing or otherwise, we have the best chance of highlighting the need for academic freedom protections that extend beyond the tenure framework. appendix perception of protections, by union affiliation	 	union	non-union 	social media	 %	 % 	interactions with other staff	 %	 % 	workplace policies	 %	 % 	off-campus activities	 %	 % 	programming	 %	 % 	interactions with students	 %	 % 	research and publishing	 %	 % 	instruction	 %	 % 	cataloging	 %	 % 	interactions with faculty	 %	 % 	non-library campus activities	 %	 % 	collection development	 %	 % acknowledgements yupei liu, a computer science and statistics major at the university of minnesota, helped immensely with statistical analysis and creating charts from our data. we are grateful to aaron albertson for his help testing our survey design. we also wish to thank early readers of our draft, heather tompkins and rachel mattson. finally, we also wish to thank the publishing editor of the submitted article, ryan randall, and peer reviewers, meghan dowell and ian beilin. accessible equivalents figure as a table types of expression		faculty	non-faculty 	collection development	 %	 % 	cataloging	 %	 % 	research and publishing	 %	 % 	interactions with other staff	 %	 % 	interactions with faculty	 %	 % 	off-campus activities	 %	 % 	programming	 %	 % 	instruction	 %	 % 	interactions with students	 %	 % 	non-library on-campus activities	 %	 % 	questioning workplace policies	 %	 % 	social media	 %	 % return to figure caption. figure as a table types of infringement		faculty	non-faculty 	informally penalized for question workplace	 %	 % 	told not to participate in org. activity	 %	 % 	directed to change work	 %	 % 	formally penalized for question workplace	 %	 % return to figure caption. figure as a table types of effects		faculty	non-faculty 	fear that speaking up will hurt my career	 %	 % 	fear that my identity will put me at personal risk	 %	 % 	fear that speaking up could jeopardize my personal safety	 %	 % 	complaints from colleagues students or staff about my academic activities	 %	 % 	complaints from colleagues students or staff about my non-academic activities	 %	 % 	threats and harassment from coworkers students or faculty	 %	 % 	threats and harassment from the public	 %	 % 	complaints from the public about my non-academic activities	 %	 % 	complaints from the public about my academic activities	 %	 % return to figure caption. figure as a table effects of punishment: responses of “somewhat” or “significantly”		faculty	non-faculty 	motivation and engagement at work	 %	 % 	mental well-being	 %	 % 	relationships with coworkers and students	 %	 % 	sense that i belong in this position	 %	 % 	ability to adequately do my job	 %	 % 	sense that i belong in this profession	 %	 % 	physical well-being	 %	 % return to figure caption. footnotes 	n.d.b. connolly and keisha n. blain, “trump syllabus . ,” public books, june , , https://www.publicbooks.org/trump-syllabus- - /. [↩] 	danya leebaw and alexis logsdon, “the cost of speaking out: do librarians truly experience academic freedom?” (association of college & research libraries annual conference, cleveland, oh, april ). http://hdl.handle.net/ / [↩] 	jennifer washburn, university inc.: the corporate corruption of higher education (new york: basic books, ). [↩] 	 rachel a. fleming-may and kimberly douglass, “framing librarianship in the academy: an analysis using bolman and deal’s model of organizations,” college & research libraries , no. (may ): - , https://doi.org/ . /crl - . [↩] 	we are white women employed at a large research university library in management, reference, and instruction positions. we tried to share our survey with as wide and diverse a pool of respondents as possible, well beyond our own limited networks, in order to best understand how socioeconomic positionality correlates with academic freedom for library workers. [↩] 	becky marie barger, “faculty experiences and satisfaction with academic freedom,” doctor of philosophy, higher education, university of toledo, . http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo ; “inclusive and functional demographic questions,” university of arizona office of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (lgbtq) affairs, accessed / / , https://lgbtq.arizona.edu/sites/lgbtq.arizona.edu/files/inclusive% and% functional% demographic% questions.pdf; meghan dowell, “academic freedom & the liberal arts librarian,” capal conference, university of regina, saskatchewan, canada, . https://capalibrarians.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ / / c_dowell_slides-notes.pdf. [↩] 	leebaw and logsdon, “cost of speaking out,” acrl . [↩] 	american association of university professors, “ statement of principles on academic freedom and tenure,” , https://www.aaup.org/report/ -statement-principles-academic-freedom-and-tenure. [↩] 	hank reichman, the future of academic freedom (baltimore: johns hopkins university press, ), xiv. [↩] 	stanley fish, “academic freedom and the boycott of israeli universities,” in who’s afraid of academic freedom?, ed. akeel bilgrami and jonathan r. cole (new york: columbia university press, ), – . [↩] 	joan w scott, “knowledge, power, and academic freedom,” in bilgrami and cole, who’s afraid, . [↩] 	for instance: association for college & research libraries (acrl), “acrl statement on academic freedom,” , http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/academicfreedom; joint committee on college library programs, “acrl joint statement on faculty status of college and university librarians,” , http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/jointstatementfaculty [↩] 	gemma devinney, “academic librarians and academic freedom in the united states: a history and analysis,” libri , no. ( ): - ; noriko asato, “librarians’ free speech: the challenge of librarians’ own intellectual freedom to the american library association, - ” library trends , no. (summer ): - . http://doi.org/ . /lib. . ; richard a. danner and barbara bintliff, “academic freedom issues for academic librarians,” legal reference services quarterly , no. ( ): - . https://doi.org/ . /j v n _ . [↩] 	see documents cited here: american library association, “intellectual freedom: issues and resources,” accessed february , , http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom; john wenzler, “neutrality and its discontents: an essay on the ethics of librarianship” portal: libraries and the academy , no. ( ): – . https://doi.org/ . /pla. . . [↩] 	amelia n. gibson, renate l. chancellor, nicole a. cooke, sarah park dahlen, shari a. lee, and yasmeen l. shorish, “libraries on the frontlines: neutrality and social justice,” equality, diversity and inclusion: an international journal , no. ( ): - . https://doi.org/ . /edi- - - . see also remarks from many of the panelists at the american library association midwinter meeting’s president’s program as highlighted in “are libraries neutral?” american libraries, june , , https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /are-libraries-neutral/. [↩] 	see https://bannedbooksweek.org/ from the american library association. [↩] 	asato, “librarians’ free speech.” [↩] 	armando carrillo, “uc librarians conclude negotiations of salary increases and academic freedom protections” daily bruin, april , . https://dailybruin.com/ / / /uc-librarians-conclude-negotiations-of-salary-increases-and-academic-freedom-protections/. [↩] 	mary kandiuk and harriet m. sonne de torrens, “academic freedom and librarians’ research and scholarship in canadian universities,” college & research libraries , no. (november ): - , https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . [↩] 	fleming-may and douglass, “framing librarianship,” [↩] 	meghan dowell, “academic freedom & the liberal arts librarian,” capal , university of regina, saskatchewan, canada, . https://capalibrarians.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ / / c_dowell_slides-notes.pdf. [↩] 	stephanie beene and cindy pierard, “resist: a controversial display and reflections on the academic library’s role in promoting discourse and engagement,” urban library journal , no. (january , ). https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/vol /iss / . [↩] 	laura ewen, “target: librarians: what happens when our work leads to harassment—or worse,” american libraries magazine, june , . https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /target-librarians-harassment-doxxing/. [↩] 	while outside the scope of this article, we encourage readers to review the literature on “critical university studies,” which explores how campus educators outside of the ever-shrinking category of tenure track faculty operate within university structure. see stefano harney and fred moten, the undercommons: fugitive planning & black study (london: minor compositions, ) and la paperson, a third university is possible (minneapolis: university of minnesota press, ). both moten and harney and paperson, among others, locate the spaces of radical transformation of the university outside of tenure track faculty positions. the work that these scholars see as central to injecting needed critiques of power and white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal structures of the university resides almost wholly in the work done by educators (in the broadest sense) with the most precarious positions. https://manifold.umn.edu/projects/a-third-university-is-possible. [↩] 	see judith e. berman and tim pitman, “occupying a ‘third space’: research trained professional staff in australian universities,” higher education , no. ( ): – . https://doi.org/ . /s - - -z. [↩] 	celia whitchurch, “shifting identities and blurring boundaries: the emergence of third space professionals in uk higher education,” higher education quarterly , no. (october ): – . https://doi.org/ . /j. - . . .x. the notion of a “third space” has been introduced and sometimes deeply studied in a number of disciplines with quite variable meanings and implications (i.e., place-based versus cultural versus professional). in libraries, see james elborg for a place-based understanding of third space theory: “libraries as the spaces between us: recognizing and valuing the third space,” reference & user services quarterly , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	bruce macfarlane, “the morphing of academic practice: unbundling and the rise of the para-academic: the morphing of academic practice,” higher education quarterly , no. (january ): – . https://doi.org/ . /j. - . . .x ; fiona salisbury and tai peseta, “the ‘idea of the university’: positioning academic librarians in the future university,” new review of academic librarianship , no. / (july ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . ; also see reichman, the future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	related to these points is the literature on the academic identity that “third space” professionals bring to their roles, with disciplinary norms and an expectation of academic freedom baked into their ways of being an academic. see celia whitchurch, “the rise of the blended professional in higher education: a comparison between the united kingdom, australia and the united states,” higher education , no. (september , ): – . https://doi.org/ . /s - - - ; glen a. jones, “the horizontal and vertical fragmentation of academic work and the challenge for academic governance and leadership,” asia pacific education review , no. (march , ): – . https://doi.org/ . /s - - - ; berman and pittman, “occupying a third space;” and macfarlane, “morphing of academic practice,” . [↩] 	reichman, future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	reichman, future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	reichman, future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	fleming-may and douglass, “framing librarianship.” [↩] 	mary petrowski, academic library trends and statistics (chicago: association of college & research libraries, ) , , , & . [↩] 	we did not ask respondents who claimed faculty status whether or not they were tenured or pre-tenure. in retrospect, it would have been useful to further disaggregate the faculty librarians to learn if tenured status also affected their responses. however, it is also worth noting that even with pre-tenure librarians included, faculty librarians overall feel more secure in their academic freedom protections than non-faculty librarians. [↩] 	fleming-may and douglass, “framing librarianship,” . [↩] 	shin freedman, “faculty status, tenure, and professional identity: a pilot study of academic librarians in new england,” portal: libraries and the academy , no. (october ): – . https://doi.org/ . /pla. . . [↩] 	eamon tewell, “employment opportunities for new academic librarians: assessing the availability of entry level jobs,” portal: libraries and the academy , no. (october ): - . [↩] 	catherine coker, wyoma vanduinkerken, and stephen bales, “seeking full citizenship: a defense of tenure faculty status for librarians,” college & research libraries , no. (september ): - . https://doi.org/ . /crl- r ;  elise silva, quinn galbraith, and michael groesbeck. “academic librarians’ changing perceptions of faculty status and tenure,” college & research libraries , no. (may ): - . https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . . [↩] 	coker, vanduinkerken, and bales. “seeking full citizenship.” [↩] 	joshua kim, “what percent of your (academic) salary would you trade for tenure?” inside higher ed (may , ), https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/what-percent-your-academic-salary-would-you-trade-tenure [↩] 	melissa belcher, “understanding the experience of full-time nontenure-track library faculty: numbers, treatment, and job satisfaction,” the journal of academic librarianship , no. (may ): - , https://doi.org/ . /j.acalib. . . . [↩] 	lara ewen, “target: librarians: what happens when our work leads to harassment—or worse,” american libraries magazine, june , . https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /target-librarians-harassment-doxxing/ [↩] 	kaetrena davis kendrick, “the low morale experience of academic librarians,” journal of library administration, november , . [↩] 	kaetrena davis kendrick, “the low morale experience of academic librarians”. [↩] 	see fobazi ettarh, “vocational awe and librarianship: the lies we tell ourselves,” in the library with the lead pipe, january , ; and gina schlesselman-tarango, “the legacy of lady bountiful: white women in the library,” library trends , no. ( ), both of which offer an intersectional critique of how libraries enforce a performative librarian identity that purports to be neutral, nurturing, and inoffensive. [↩] 	gibson et al, “libraries on the frontlines: neutrality and social justice.” [↩] 	snowden becker, twitter thread, https://twitter.com/snowdenbecker/status/ ; martin brennan, “uc administration: “academic freedom is not a good fit for your unit””, uc-aft librarians blog, august , , https://ucaftlibrarians.org/ / / /uc-administration-academic-freedom-is-not-a-good-fit-for-your-unit/. [↩] 	we did ask about union status in our survey, but there was little difference in any area between union and non-union respondents (see appendix). [↩] 	for more on librarian attitudes toward unionization, see rachel applegate, “who benefits? unionization and academic libraries and librarians,” library quarterly , no. (october ): - ; stephanie braunstein and michael f. russo, “the mouse that didn’t roar: the difficulty of unionizing academic librarians at a public american university,” in in solidarity: academic librarian labour activism and union participation in canada, mary kandiuk and jennifer dekker, eds. (sacramento: litwin books, ).and chloe mills and ian mccollough, “academic librarians and labor unions: attitudes and experiences,” portal , no. (october ): - . [↩] 			 						 				academic freedom libraries, academic libraries, altac, librarianaf 			 					 	 						 												 						 							the library commons: an imagination and an invocation 							creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : day in review (september – , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 frederick carey – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								frederick carey 							 	 		 		 			 	about frederick carey 		 			 				 freddy carey is the history & philosophy librarian at the university of colorado boulder. he earned his master of library and information science from the university of denver and bachelor of arts in philosophy from the catholic university of america. his research interests include information literacy, digital scholarship, and creating inclusive teaching and learning environments. 											 		 articles by frederick carey 	 			communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					apr 					 				 				 					frederick carey					/ comments 				 											communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief the focus of this article is twofold: it ) considers how digital humanities techniques and methodologies increase accessibility and scholarship opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder; and ) outlines how libraries can collaborate with existing services to provide subsequently appropriate supports for students. autism spectrum disorder (asd), one of the increasingly prevalent manifestations of neurodiversity within higher education, presents significant challenges to students interacting with academic resources and producing traditional scholarly outputs. traditional scholarship presupposes that students possess a certain level of ability to interact with their course materials, analyze that interaction, and then write both about their interaction and analyses. however, limitations in working memory and theory of mind create additional barriers for students with asd in meeting these presumptions. fortunately, emerging scholarly practices within the digital humanities now provide more equitable mediums for scholastic output as well as new opportunities for students to access and interact with course content and materials. while current structures within academia presuppose that students are able to interact with materials in a specific way, libraries are uniquely positioned to collaborate with constituent departments and services across campuses of higher education to teach students emerging strategies to more effectively interact with scholarly materials. by frederick c. carey introduction institutions of higher education not only offer students the academic freedom to cultivate intellectual interests and develop skills that they can hone into lifelong careers, but they also establish social and professional expectations that provide the foundations for sustained success. as such, students are expected to interact with social and professional networks both in person and virtually. however, studies show that perpetual connectivity through social media and other technological platforms contribute to increased cases of stress, anxiety, and depression. therefore, institutions of higher education support students’ needs in these areas by offering mentoring, mental health, and transitional services to better equip students to successfully adapt and thrive within their new environments. the effectiveness of these services, however, are explicitly connected to the makeup of the student population they serve. currently, student populations across higher education continue to grow increasingly neurodiverse , and as such, both social and academic services have been institutionalized to meet student needs. institutions provide supports for transitioning into new routines; navigating new social structures both in and outside of classroom settings; managing fatigue and sensory overload; treating anxiety, depression, and stress; as well as developing executive function (ef) skills related to planning, organizing, and prioritizing information; self-monitoring; self-regulating; and creating time management plans. these services are essential for acclimating to the social and professional structures of higher education and post-collegiate life, but do not provide all the tools neurodivergent students need to succeed in academia. autism spectrum disorder (asd), one of the increasingly prevalent manifestations of neurodiversity within higher education, presents significant challenges to students interacting with academic resources and producing traditional scholarly outputs. traditional scholarship presupposes that students possess a certain level of ability to interact with their course materials, analyze that interaction, and then write both about their interaction and analyses. however, limitations in working memory and theory of mind (tom) create additional barriers for students with asd in meeting these presumptions. fortunately, emerging scholarly practices within the digital humanities (dh) now provide more equitable mediums for scholastic output as well as new opportunities for students to access and interact with course content and materials. while current structures within academia presuppose that students are able to interact with materials in a specific way, libraries are uniquely positioned to collaborate with constituent departments and services across campuses of higher education to teach students emerging strategies to more effectively interact with scholarly materials. therefore, the focus of this article is twofold: it ) considers how digital humanities techniques and methodologies increase accessibility to course materials and scholarship opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder; and ) outlines how libraries can collaborate with existing services to provide subsequently appropriate supports for students to more effectively interact with their course materials. autism spectrum disorder the th edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm- ) characterizes asd as a range of neurodevelopmental conditions that manifest through either deficiency in social interaction and communication across multiple contexts, or restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities . since the publication of dsm- in , asd now “encompasses disorders previously referred to as early infantile autism, childhood autism, kanner’s autism, high-functioning autism, atypical autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, childhood disintegrative disorder, and asperger’s disorder.” subsequently, the challenges that those with asd face can vary depending on the manifestation in each individual. asd continues to grow as one of the most common manifestations of neurodivergence both inside and outside of higher education. the center for disease control and prevention’s most recent statistics indicate that the overall prevalence of asd is approximately in children over the age of years old, or approximately . % of the overall student population. despite the increased prevalence and understanding of asd, graduation rates within higher education for students with asd remain low. according to a report commissioned by the us department of education, % of students without any registered disability graduate from their respective programs, while only % of students with asd graduate. these statistics reveal a gap in equitable higher education opportunities for students with asd. this gap becomes even more apparent when considering the number of students who enter higher education without a formal asd diagnosis or who choose not to disclose their diagnosis. in a study conducted by white et al. evaluating the prevalence of students with asd on college campuses, none of the participants who met asd criteria from the sample set had previously been diagnosed. furthermore, underhill et al. discovered that many students elect not to disclose their diagnosis out of fear of either becoming stigmatized by their instructors and peers or creating new social barriers for themselves. subsequently, these students do not receive many of their entitled supports, and it is likely that the true gap in graduation rates is larger than the statistics indicate. supports prioritizing immediate social, environmental, and executive function challenges are increasingly becoming routine procedure across institutions of higher education. in order to effectively establish equitable learning environments for students with asd, however, it is imperative that support be given to students in navigating the inherent social and communicative components of scholarship, especially within disciplines that emphasize expository and persuasive writing. acknowledging these fundamental characteristics of traditional scholarship and the added challenges that they create for students with asd will positively contribute to establishing more inclusive, equitable learning environments. social and communicative characteristics of traditional scholarship the social and communicative interactions inherent within traditional modes of scholarship create barriers for students with asd. despite oral communication barriers appearing more immediate than those created by written language due to observable extrinsic manifestations, the skills required to understand and interpret both modes of communication remain similar. in fact, the syntactical structure and language of the written word is often more complex than oral speech. this can be especially true of the materials that students work with in higher education that, depending on the discipline, may incorporate high amounts of technical writing, figurative language, or older systems of speech that are no longer used in contemporary language. language comprehension is established by forming inferences and hypotheses from the language used, the schemata in which it exists, and the context in which it was delivered. it presupposes an inherent understanding of the social constructs of language. in order to accurately and effectively make inferences based on the schemata and structure of the communicated information, one must have mastered the social context in which the information exists and is delivered. current social skills interventions offered through therapy treatments can assist those with asd to interpret facial expressions, body language, and other markers to better navigate social interactions. these strategies can be used to indicate when sarcasm, metaphor, or other nonliteral expressions of language may be changing the meaning of what is spoken. however, students do not have the same markers that help recognize such constructs when reading. in speaking of figurative language, vuchanova et al. state that “such expressions are characterized by interpretations which cannot be retrieved by simply knowing basic senses of constituent lexical item, and where the addressee needs to arrive at the intended meaning rather than what is being said.” therefore, while the skills required to understand oral and written language are similar, interpreting written language relies solely on the intrinsic social and communicative literacy of the reader, while oral language interpretation can benefit from extrinsic interventions. producing written language, however, proves even more challenging than interpreting it. in a study on effective writing interventions for students with asd, accardo et al. state that “writing has a social context, follows rules and conventions, and makes use of inferences and ambiguous meaning to convey humor and metaphor, all of which can be challenging to individuals with asd.” when reading, students only need to recognize the social context of what is presented, but when writing, they are expected to recreate that social context and use it to deliver their thoughts and findings. the skills needed to recognize social structures differ drastically from those needed to replicate these structures, and as such students with asd face significant barriers in producing traditional scholarly outputs. furthermore, the rules and conventions of writing differ depending on genre. in a study, price et al. demonstrate that expository and persuasive writing prove more challenging than narrative writing for students with asd. additionally, walters’ case study into the experiences of two first year writing students with asd states that one student “struggled to translate her passion for writing into the classroom because her ways of writing – particularly in her fan fiction communities – were not valued as social or socially meaningful in her course.” students in higher education are not only expected to write across genres, but also are often writing across academic disciplines that incorporate their own specific conventions. all of these challenges can be further understood by considering the roles of working memory and theory of mind in these processes. working memory working memory proves essential for communicating any thoughts, ideas, or connections as it dictates the amount of information an individual can efficiently process at any given time. camos and barrouillet describe it “as a kind of mental space, located in frontal lobes of the brain, corresponding to a quick-access memory able to hold temporary, transient plans for guiding behavior.” it enables the multitasking functionality required when making connections, taking notes, and presenting information. subsequently, students with asd experience numerous challenges when interacting with their course materials due to limitations in their working memory. thoughts easily get lost while considering the syntactical components and structure of language when performing tasks such as reading and writing. graham et al. point to spelling as one such challenge. they state that “students may forget plans and ideas they are trying to hold in working memory as they stop to think about how to spell a word.” similarly, thoughts and connections can be lost when attempting to parse the syntax and structure of complex writing, metaphors, figurative language, or other nonliteral structures. while executive function strategies, such as immediately writing down thoughts when you have them, are helpful techniques for overcoming such challenges, limitations in working memory present persistent obstacles for students with asd. theory of mind tom directly impacts how individuals recognize, empathize, and interact both with thoughts and emotions, and subsequently highlights many of the challenges that students with asd face when interacting with their course materials. the role of tom can be better understood by distinguishing between cognitive tom and affective tom. pino et al. state that “cognitive tom refers to the ability to make inferences about beliefs, intentions, motivations and thinking, whereas affective tom is the ability to understand what people feel in specific emotional contexts such as their own emotional states.” in order to effectively make inferences and connections through cognitive tom, it is necessary to recognize and understand emotional states and undertones through affective tom. scholarship, especially in the humanities, expects a high-level cognitive tom, and subsequently, a strong foundation in affective tom. however, the inherent social and communicative components of language and traditional scholarship create major barriers for students with asd in establishing an affective tom foundation. limitations in working memory further exacerbate this loose foundation as students attempt to build upon it using the skills involved in cognitive tom. furthermore, studies demonstrate that students with asd do not develop tom skills at the same rate as their peers. tom development progresses in a specific sequence, and broekhof et al. demonstrate that while students with asd follow the same sequence as their peers, their developmental timeline is comparatively delayed. in order to create equitable and inclusive learning environments in institutions of higher education, it is therefore essential that supports be implemented to assist students with asd in overcoming these barriers and accessing course materials more effectively. emerging opportunities over the last few decades, research and the way it is conducted has developed just as rapidly as the technology available to researchers. in reflecting upon research developments during this era of technological growth, it is easy to think about the way that new (and not so new) tools have been adopted into the research process. the digital humanities, however, encapsulates much more than just tools and how they can be integrated into humanities research. dh represents the discovery of new methodologies for doing research, new ways of interacting with materials, and new manners for telling stories and disseminating knowledge. dh is not a replacement for the humanities; it enlarges the scope of what is possible within the humanities and how humanities research can be done. it increases accessibility not only to how materials can be analyzed and interrogated, but also to how information can be shared and communicated. it allows for a much more inclusive environment that invites new perspectives and collaborations across disciplines. not only do dh methodologies, techniques, and outputs grow the humanities, but they can also provide respite to many of the scholastic challenges that students with asd face. these emerging scholarly practices create opportunities for people to access and interact with materials in ways that were previously not possible. textual analysis techniques such as sentiment analyses and topic modeling can provide students with asd opportunities to move beyond some of the challenges they face when interacting with course materials. various forms of visualizations can provide alternative scholastic outputs for students instead of the more limiting traditional forms. dh practices can not only provide students with asd the opportunity to interact with scholarly materials in a more unrestrained way, but they can also empower students to communicate their work and tell the stories they are interested in telling through a more unrestricted outlet. furthermore, libraries have emerged as the center of dh support in institutions of higher education. this is due in part to libraries serving the needs of all constituent departments as a neutral entity. more importantly, however, libraries are devoted to helping students develop information literacy skills. the association of college & research libraries’ (acrl) framework for information literacy in higher education (framework) defines information literacy as “the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.” ) the values of information literacy and dh methodologies and practices ideally dovetail to make libraries the natural support structure for dh projects. textual analysis strategies mckee describes a textual analysis as “a methodology – a data-gathering process – for those researchers who want to understand the ways in which members of various cultures and subcultures make sense of who they are, and of how they fit into the world in which they live.” traditionally, researchers conduct such analyses by interrogating, interacting, and interpreting texts through close readings that combine their individual perspectives, contextual awareness, and the structures of the texts undergoing analysis. however, through dh practices the scope of what can be analyzed and how things are analyzed continues to grow larger. individual words and the subsequent grammatical and syntactical structures in which they exist can now be analyzed as individual data points that allow increased accessibility to texts. information hidden in the structure of the texts now can be mined, visualized, and interpreted. these practices do not replace traditional processes for gathering data from texts, instead they provide alternate access points for individuals to interact with the data, identify patterns and trends, and interpret the information presented. these alternative access points present students with asd increased opportunity to interact with texts and bypass some of the social and communicative structures inherent within them. idioms, similes, metaphors, and other representations of figurative language all base their comparisons on an intuited set of shared characteristics. glucksburg claims that one technique for grasping the abstract meaning of figurative language is categorization, which “involves finding the nearest available category that subsumes both x and y.” as previously discussed, connecting abstract concepts provides a barrier for students with asd and consumes a large amount of their working memory. topic modeling is a textual analysis strategy that simplifies this process by clustering similarly used words together to help illuminate the syntactical structure and schemata of the text. this allows students to more easily recognize patterns based on how the words are used within the local context, and focus on the meaning of those patterns instead of struggling to establish the syntactical structure of the text. students are able to establish labels for these word clusters based on those patterns and assign their own meanings and interpretations to the groupings. the structures created by topic modeling allow students to move beyond the social and communicative schemata used to deliver the meaning, create a more solid affective tom foundation, and maximize the amount of working memory available to interact with the meaning of a text though cognitive tom skills. students can also perform a sentiment analysis on a text as a strategy for moving beyond literal language. sentiment analyses, or opinion mining, allow students to perform emotion recognitions and polarity detections to establish words or phrases in a text that represent emotional meanings. emotion recognitions can not only help solidify an affective tom foundation within the context of any given text, but they can also alleviate some challenges posed by limitations in working memory by providing a non-abstract structure for students to recognize and assign more figurative and abstract concepts. similarly, polarity detection creates a structure in which abstract ideas can be categorized by emotional relation and be used comparatively. cambria states that polarity detection is “usually a binary classification task with outputs such as ‘positive’ versus ‘negative,’ ‘thumbs up’ versus ‘thumbs down,’ or ‘like’ versus ‘dislike’.” such identification can be especially useful in comparing voices within a single text or comparing tone within larger corpora. similarly to topic modeling, sentiment analyses maximize students’ functional ability to employ cognitive tom skills to interact with course materials beyond the meaning of the language within that set schemata. strategies such as these relate directly to two of the threshold concepts in acrl’s framework: “information has value” and “research as inquiry”. first, acrl states, “information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world.” when interrogating texts, there are several layers of information and dimensions of value. researchers can extract a plethora of information and insight conducting a close reading of a text. however, incorporating textual analysis strategies allows for different information and insight to be drawn from different layers of resources. these strategies increase the scope of what is possible when working with texts. furthermore, acrl adds that “research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.” these strategies allow researchers to ask questions and embark down roads of inquiry that were not possible in the past. in helping students develop information literacy skills, librarians encourage the use of new research strategies to find new ways of interacting and interpreting information encased within materials. alternative outputs emerging dh methodologies not only allow for outputs, such as story mapping, geographic information system mapping, and social network analyses to be considered as alternatives to traditional forms of scholarship, but in some cases they necesitate it. as technological advancements grow and new methods of conducting research emerge, traditional forms of scholarship grow increasingly restrictive. unilaterally relying on traditional scholarly outputs undermines the research process and places greater emphasis on individual outputs than on the research itself. scholarly outputs are simply instruments used to communicate knowledge derived from the research process. to adhere to a singular, prescriptive output while more appropriate outputs exist for communicating specific information is not only counterintuitive, but also jeopardizes the impact of the research itself. in leading the charge to develop student’s information literacy skills, libraries emerge as ideal advocates for promoting the implementation of increased scholarly outputs. acrl’s framework cites “information creation as a process” as one of the threshold concepts of information literacy. in defining this frame, acrl states, “information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method.” it adds that “the iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.” in order to properly assist students in developing information literacy skills, it is therefore essential that librarians not only make students aware of alternative outputs, but that they also advocate to constituent departments on campuses of higher education to do the same. in order to create inclusive learning environments for students with asd, the emphasis needs to be placed on the research process itself, not the output. emphasizing traditional outputs highlights limitations beyond students’ control. in focusing emphasis on the research process, students will be empowered to direct their efforts to conducting research and developing strong foundational research strategies. it is imperative to encourage students to communicate their research through the medium that they perceive to be the appropriate output for their project or individual communication style. opportunities for library supports libraries provide an ideal infrastructure for supporting neurodivergent students to more effectively interact with scholarly materials. these supports need to take a more prominent role in conversations regarding the future of information literacy. as emerging scholarly practices continue to become an increasingly prominent part of research, it is important to consider the challenges that neurodivergent students face when interacting with materials, and consider new research techniques and methodologies as opportunities to create more accessible, inclusive learning environments. this endeavor is not only a cornerstone of information literacy, but a principal value of librarianship. in discussing the differences between data and information, lanning asserts that information needs “some kind of context for their meaning to be discerned.” as discussed, there are numerous layers to this context that create barriers for neurodivergent students to effectively interact with information due to the social and communicative aspects of the syntactical schemata in which it exists, limitations in working memory, and comparatively delayed tom development. however, the unique role of libraries within institutions of higher education creates opportunities to teach emerging research techniques and strategies to students directly, collaborate with services across campus to create more holistic support networks, and work directly with constituent campus departments to establish inclusive learning environments. campus-wide collaborations in a study into establishing strategies for more effectively integrating student supports into their academics, dadger et al. found that all strategies have the same two aims: “(a) to make student services and supports a natural part of students’ college experience and (b) to increase the quality of both support services and instruction.” in order to effectively meet these goals with relation to supporting neurodivergent students and establishing a strong network of services, increased collaborations between librarians and disability services, academic mentors and coaches, and advising personnel are crucial. the challenges that neurodivergent students face are multifaceted and require a widespread system of supports that work harmoniously together. dadger et al. found that the first step to creating such a network is to connect preexisting services. many established library services, especially one-on-one consultations with librarians, can prove beneficial to neurodivergent students, but students may not be aware that these services exist. students who disclose their diagnoses and seek supports from campus are involved in at least some, if not all, of the aforementioned programs, so increased collaborations can increase visibility of preexisting library services. such collaborations would also invite the establishment of new supports. in a survey assessing which supports students with asd found most helpful, accardo et al. discovered that % of participants identified academic coaching as a preferred service, with one participant adding that coaching is a support that “isn’t contingent on somebody’s agenda for me.” academic coaching and mentoring provides increased agency to students, and librarians can positively contribute to furthering that development by providing services around interacting with course materials. if greater collaboration exists between librarians and mentors, then mentors will both be able to suggest to their students specific library services that benefit their individual goals and plans, as well as make suggestions to librarians for new services that they think would benefit their students. all of these collaborations can help students interact with their course materials by making library services more visible and encouraging increased communication between students and their full network of supports. liaising with constituent departments as previously discussed, many neurodivergent students elect not to disclose their diagnoses and subsequently do not receive any of the services to which they are entitled. this makes it all the more important for liaison librarians to work closely with their constituent departments to establish inclusive environments and practices. much of the outreach that liaison librarians do is already geared towards creating inclusive learning environments, but it is imperative that liaison librarians bring new research strategies both to their students and faculty to ensure continued growth in developing such practices and spaces. as conversations focused on neurodivergent inclusivity within information literacy continue, many new practices will emerge and liaison librarians will be the primary drivers of delivering these practices across campuses. for now, many of these practices within the humanities are emerging through dh engagement, so it is imperative that liaison librarians focus on cultivating dh understanding and acceptance within the culture of their constituent departments. organizing workshops and presentations that incorporate dh practices relevant to departmental research interests, inviting constituent faculty to collaborate on a project incorporating emerging scholarly practices, and sharing digital projects are a few examples of efforts that may lead to increased opportunities to grow emerging practices in constituent departments. many disciplines are still in the midst of establishing best practices for considering scholarship and outputs that fall outside the traditional scope, and as such, may be unsure as to how to appropriately encourage students to engage with such practices. moving forward, libraries will continue to play an integral role not only in supporting the creation of new information and scholarship, but also ensuring that best practices are created for using research innovation to create inclusive learning environments. teaching emerging research techniques the majority of students will engage with library-led information literacy opportunities through supplementary sessions within courses taught through constituent campus departments. while some courses may integrate these sessions at numerous points during a semester, it is common that students either only have the opportunity to participate in one session or are not presented with the opportunity at all. the focus of these content-oriented courses is not to develop information literacy skills for interacting with course materials, but instead is on extrapolating knowledge or ideas by interacting with the course material and then presenting this knowledge through a largely proscriptive medium. their structures presuppose that students are able to interact with the materials in a specific way, and are not designed to teach students how to interact with the materials themselves. they may introduce new forms of materials and teach students how to use or incorporate those materials, but even within these situations the ability to interact with the information is assumed. while these courses may not be the appropriate place to teach students techniques or research methods that enable a deeper interaction with their texts, such a course is necessary. the mission and values of librarianship make libraries the ideal home for such courses. libraries are becoming the central support for emerging scholarly practices and dh, and the devotion that librarians demonstrate to information literacy make them ideally suited not only to teach students how to interact with materials, but also how to present their work in nontraditional ways. such courses can empower all students, but especially neurodivergent students, to not only take control of their own research endeavors but also to increase agency when participating in other courses. despite most academic disciplines requiring some variation of a discipline-specific research and writing course, these courses are structured around traditional academic norms that do not provide neurodivergent students with the supports they need for effectively interacting with materials. if libraries begin offering courses that teach these supports, then neurodivergent students may face reduced barriers in their discipline-specific courses. more research into the effectiveness of such courses needs to be conducted, but indicators discussed in this article suggest that they have the potential to positively contribute to more inclusive learning environments. conclusion institutions of higher education are currently maneuvering shifts both in the neurological makeup of student populations and the composition of scholarship itself. as student populations continue to grow more neurodiverse, and dh practices establish themselves as research norms, libraries will play an important role in establishing more inclusive learning environments for students and faculty. neurodivergent students face a plethora of additional challenges to their peers. while many of those challenges are already being supported through various services, there are no institutionalized supports that help students approach the social and communicative aspects of interacting with information and their course materials. limitations in working memory and tom development combined with the social and communicative components inherent within the engagement with and production of traditional modes of scholarship significantly impact neurodivergent students’ abilities to successfully maneuver collegiate expectations. however, libraries can play a decisive role in supporting these students and creating more inclusive learning environments. dh methodologies and practices challenge the limitations of traditional modes of scholarship and provide neurodivergent students an opportunity both to interact with and present information in ways that they were unable to in the past. libraries can currently teach strategies for interacting with information by integrating into the ever-growing system of services campuses offer students. they can implement research strategy courses that specifically target the research needs of neurodivergent students and advocate for more inclusive practices to be implemented within constituent departments. moving forward there is an increasing need for greater emphasis to be placed on supporting the information literacy needs of neurodivergent students. as institutions of higher education continue to grow more neurodiverse, it is the responsibility of libraries to create accessible means and strategies for students to effectively interact with and present information. acknowledgements i would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to peer reviewers jessica schomberg and bethany redcliffe, as well as publishing editor ian beilin for their insight, enthusiasm, and encouragement throughout the review process. their thoughtful feedback and probing questions contributed immensely to the formation of this article. i would also like to thank merinda mclure, whose continued support and guidance during the early stages of developing these ideas was irreplaceable. i am very thankful for all of your efforts and contributions to making this the piece that it is. thank you all! references accardo, amy l., 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(november ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . wei, xin, mary wagner, laura hudson, jennifer w. yu, and harold javitz. “the effect of transition planning participation and goal-setting on college enrollment among youth with autism spectrum disorders.” remedial and special education , no. (january ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . 	fox et al., “the dark side of social networking sites: an exploration of the relational and psychological stressors associated with facebook use and affordances.” computers in human behavior ( ): – .; kross et al., “facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults.” plos one , no. ( ): - .; lin et al., “association between social media use and depression among u.s. young adults: research article: social media and depression.” depression and anxiety , no. ( ): – .; twenge et al., “increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among u.s. adolescents after and links to increased new media screen time.” clinical psychological science , no. ( ): – .; vannucci et al., “social media use and anxiety in emerging adults.” journal of affective disorders ( ): - . [↩] 	accardo et al., “accommodations and support services preferred by college students with autism spectrum disorder.” autism , no. (april ): .; anderson et al., “a systematic literature review of the experiences and supports of students with autism spectrum disorder in post-secondary education.” research in autism spectrum disorders ( ): – .; gena p. barnhill, “supporting students with asperger syndrome on college campuses: current practices.” focus on autism and other developmental disabilities , no. ( ): .; underhill et al., “autism stigma in communication classrooms: exploring peer attitudes and motivations toward interacting with atypical students.” communication education , no. ( ): .; van hees et al., “higher education experiences of students with autism spectrum disorder: challenges, benefits and support needs.” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): .; wei et al., “the effect of transition planning participation and goal-setting on college enrollment among youth with autism spectrum disorders.” remedial and special education , no. ( ): – . [↩] 	american psychiatric association. diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition ( ). [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	centers for disease control and prevention, prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged years. autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, sites, united states, ( ): . [↩] 	newman et al., the post-high school outcomes of young adults with disabilities up to years after high school. a report from the national longitudinal transition study- (nlts ) ( ): - . [↩] 	white et al., “college students on the autism spectrum: prevalence and associated problems,” autism , no. ( ): . [↩] 	underhill et al., “autism stigma in communication classrooms: exploring peer attitudes and motivations toward interacting with atypical students,” communication education , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	alan g. kamhi and hugh w. catts., “language and reading: convergences, divergences, and development,” in reading disabilities ( ): - . [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	matthew d. lerner and amori y. mikami., “a preliminary randomized controlled trial of two social skills interventions for youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.” focus on autism and other developmental disabilities , no. ( ): – . [↩] 	it is important to remember here that there are multiple manifestations of asd, and while these techniques can be modified to support individuals with asd, they are not applicable universally and do not prove effective for all people. furthermore, these techniques help recognize that something more may be contributing to what is being communicated beyond the literal meaning of the words, but they do not always help decipher the full meaning of what is being communicated. [↩] 	vulchanova et al., “figurative language processing in atypical populations: the asd perspective,” frontiers in human neuroscience ( ): . [↩] 	accardo et al., “writing interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a research synthesis,” journal of autism and developmental disorders ( ): . [↩] 	price et al., “a preliminary study of writing skills in adolescents with autism across persuasive, expository, and narrative genres.” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): – . [↩] 	shannon walters, “toward a critical asd pedagogy of insight: teaching, researching, and valuing the social literacies of neurodiverse students,” research in the teaching of english vol. , no. (may ): - . [↩] 	valerie camos and pierre barroulillet, working memory in development ( ): . [↩] 	graham et al., “writing characteristics of students with learning disabilities and typically achieving peers: a meta-analysis,” exceptional children , no. ( ): . [↩] 	maria chiara pino et al., “simple mindreading abilities predict complex theory of mind: developmental delay in autism spectrum diorders.” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): . [↩] 	evelien broekhof et al., “the understanding of intentions, desires and beliefs in young children with autism spectrum disorder,” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	association of college and research libraries (acrl). “framework for information literacy for higher education.” ( [↩] 	alan mckee, textual analysis : a beginner’s guide. (london: sage publications, ), proquest ebook central: . [↩] 	s. glucksberg, “understanding metaphors: the paradox of unlike things compared,” in ahmad k. (eds), affective computing and sentiment analysis: emotion, metaphor, and terminology, springer, dordrecht ( ): . [↩] 	e. cambria, “affective computing and sentiment analysis,” ieee intelligent systems , no. (march ): . [↩] 	acrl ( ). [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	scott lanning, concise guide to information literacy ( ): . [↩] 	mina dadgar et al.“strategies for integrating student supports and academics: strategies for integrating student supports and academics,” new directions for community colleges no. ( ): – . [↩] 	ibid, - . [↩] 	accardo et al. ( ), - . [↩] 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies 							multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries 							 						 						 												 						 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 leslie sult – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 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libraries – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					apr 					 				 				 					ean henninger					/ comments 				 											multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief this article calls for a more holistic and inclusive approach to the under-examined issue of language in libraries. it begins by foregrounding language as a category of difference and arguing for its consideration in discussions of access, equity, diversity, and inclusion. by drawing on literature from applied linguistics and library and information studies, it then explores the effects of neoliberalism and language ideologies as two factors that affect the treatment of language in libraries. neoliberalism extends market logic to non-economic realms of life, ignores or commodifies cultural and affective aspects of language use, places languages in competition with each other, and promotes utilitarian and managerial responses to language issues. meanwhile, language ideologies promote adherence to standard language forms, bolster the idea that one language can be better than another, and make certain languages a requirement for fully accessing the library. both ideologies foster reductive views of language, cover for other forms of oppression, and limit diversity and representation. finally, the article offers solutions to counter these approaches, such as increasing staff and collection capacity, creating policies, programming, and training that address language issues, and promoting the treatment of language in libraries as a site of analysis and discussion. read the article resumen este ensayo tiene como propósito promover una mentalidad más inclusiva y holística en cuanto a temas relacionados al uso de la lengua, como el multilingüismo, en las bibliotecas – asuntos que han sido poco examinados en la literatura. empieza por describir el lenguaje como categoría de diferencia y abogar por su consideración en las discusiones sobre la accesibilidad, la equidad, la diversidad, y la inclusión. a través de un análisis basado en la lingüística aplicada y los estudios de bibliotecas e información, este ensayo explora los efectos del neoliberalismo y las ideologías lingüísticas como dos factores que afectan las maneras en que se considera la lengua en las bibliotecas. el neoliberalismo, al extender la lógica de la economía a realidades no-económicas de la vida diaria, ignora o mercantiliza aspectos culturales y afectivos del uso del lenguaje, situando las lenguas en competición entre ellas, y promoviendo respuestas utilitarias y gerenciales a los asuntos del lenguaje. a la misma vez, ciertas ideologías lingüísticas fomentan adherencia a variedades estándares de las lenguas, apoyando la idea que una lengua puede ser mejor que otra, y convirtiendo ciertas lenguas en requisito para acceder a las bibliotecas. ambas ideologías fomentan perspectivas reduccionistas del lenguaje, cubren otras formas de opresión, y limitan la diversidad y la representación. al final, el presente ensayo ofrece algunas ideas para retar estas ideologías, tal como aumentar la capacidad de los empleados y las colecciones, crear políticas, eventos, y programación informadas por el multilingüismo, además de fomentar una capacitación profesional que incluya asuntos de lengua y promoción del uso de la lengua en las bibliotecas como locus de análisis y discusión. lee el artículo by ean henninger introduction in libraries, as elsewhere in life, language is both a means of oppression and a force for positive change. people use it to exclude and marginalize, and they use it to uplift and give a voice to others. following a social constructivist approach, it is also a key means by which people build and engage with infrastructures and ideologies. language is important to consider in public and academic libraries across the world because they are highly linguistic spaces: they contain people, texts, information, instruction, and more, all of which rely on language to relate to each other. as well, past and ongoing colonial and capitalist projects have used both language (heller & mcelhinny, ) and libraries (popowich, ) to further their goals, making the interplay between the two a potential site of analysis, understanding, and positive social change. authors in the library field have critically explored language in many different ways, most often through examining specific aspects of it such as microaggressions (e.g. sweeney & cooke, ) and classification (e.g. drabinski, ). while such articles connect those aspects to broader issues of marginalization and power, there is less connecting them to or grounding them in a systemic analysis of language itself. collins ( ), in her exploration of language, power, and oppression via a critique of diversity discourse, suggests that language practices remain underexamined in the library field. one reason is likely that, as she points out, when “language is a tool for considering every other possible barrier, interrogating language itself is an easy omission to make” (p. ). another possible reason is language’s role, also described by collins, in establishing, locating, and consolidating power. when examining the workings of language could create space for interrogation and possible change, those in power may, whether consciously or not, have a vested interest in avoiding or co-opting that investigation. i agree that language remains underexamined, and to build on this work, i am interested in exploring the role of specific languages in relation to each other, or to put it another way, discussing multilingualism in libraries. looking at language in general is important, but discussing the treatment of specific languages is also worthwhile, both for practical reasons and because it offers concrete examples of broader ideologies that influence library services. in particular, multilingualism foregrounds the ways that language operates as a category of difference and intersects with other differences to produce structures of privilege and oppression. just as language in general has power, specific languages have more power than others in many contexts, a situation which is sometimes referred to as linguistic dominance (accurso, ). in supporting specific languages and giving them power, libraries set conditions for who can engage with the library: who can access resources, who feels included, and who sees themselves in collections and services. not only do languages have power, they are complex, and decisions about a given language must be made with an understanding of that language’s full context. if a library treats a given language only as an object of study, something that resides in individual books, or something that must be supplied to meet demand, not as something that is intertwined with culture, race, gender, and access to power, then the picture is incomplete. such an incomplete view will result in services that fail to adequately support library users. in this light, actions such as having an official language of instruction, collecting language-learning materials, and building infrastructure such as signage and websites in certain languages are not neutral actions. professed neutrality with regards to language would perhaps make sense if all languages existed in a vacuum and were on equal footing, but instead, they belong to people, and people are anything but neutral. as park and wee ( , pp. - ) describe, constructing a given language as neutral obscures the power relations that give rise to that assumption of neutrality. present and historical power imbalances, geographic contexts, staff capacity, and more all mean that the treatment of languages in libraries indicates values and ideologies with implications for equity, diversity, inclusion, and access. multilingualism and social justice piller ( ) discusses multilingualism and social justice at length, problematizing common notions of linguistic diversity and offering numerous examples of linguistic barriers and exclusion in work, education, politics, and society more broadly. she resists conceptions of languages as discrete and standardized objects, pointing out how even variations within languages can be grounds for marginalization. in this view, multilingualism also encompasses these variations, such as dialects, accents, and registers, and blends of different languages, such as codeswitching. piller also makes a case for language as a means of establishing a difference that intersects with gender, race, class, and more, producing inequality in complex ways. inequality and discrimination based on language is also known as linguicism (vásquez, ), and it takes many forms. in some cases, language results in inequality by itself when people who are less familiar with a given language are less able to access resources mediated through that language. in such cases, making specific languages a condition for access to services can be a significant barrier. in other cases, languages, dialects, and accents, from their associations with markers such as race and nationality, serve as proxies for other forms of discrimination. this discrimination is often implicit, but it can also be extremely explicit, such as with the prohibition of indigenous languages in residential schools, prejudice against african-american vernacular english, and the many documented cases of white people in the us and canada telling people using languages such as spanish and chinese to “speak english.” as these examples suggest, incidents that invoke language are rarely just about language: they call to mind racism, nationalism, and the erasure of indigenous and other languages through colonization, assimilation, and dispossession. heller and mcelhinny ( ) explore these historical roots and their current manifestations in-depth, noting languages’ roles in difference and inequality as they trace how missionaries, educators, anthropologists, and others have produced and legitimized boundaries between languages and the people who use them, privileging certain languages over others in the service of colonialism and capitalism. given the past and present realities of colonialism and capitalism, and given that libraries are complicit in the broader structures that have brought them about, libraries cannot possibly be free from their effects. alternatives to the linguistic marginalization and inequality created by these and other forces require responses that recognize the value and dignity of all languages and the people who speak them. part of this response involves understanding and identifying the ideologies that drive these processes, as describing their operations can open them up to analysis and change. two examples of ideology that shape responses to multilingualism in libraries and have been underexamined in this regard are neoliberalism and language ideologies. neoliberalism excludes various aspects of languages by focusing solely on their market value as commodities, while language ideologies result in the privileging of certain languages or language variations over others. neoliberalism neoliberalism as a concept has been explored with some frequency in the literature on both language and libraries. a precise definition is difficult given the variety of contexts in which it manifests, but holborow ( ) identifies four main ways to approach it, all centered on notions of individual freedom within a market-centric economy: as an economic theory, a mode of capitalist production, a form of discourse, and an ideology. whatever the approach, neoliberalism seeks to extend capitalist market logic to all aspects of life, not just economic or political ones, and specific features of this logic affecting languages in libraries include commodification, decontextualization, demand, and economic utility. authors in the library field have demonstrated the prevalence of neoliberalism in a variety of settings: in public libraries through policy documents (greene & mcmenemy, ), a “customer-driven” service approach that avoids social responsibility (hudson, ), in academic libraries through rhetoric in strategic plans (waugh, ), discourses on information literacy (seale, ), reference services (sharpe, ), and more broadly through theorizing neoliberalism’s effects on language and library service (buschman, ). in particular, authors have highlighted the commodification of library users and their data (mathios, ) as well as information services generally (trosow, ).  given that neoliberalism has already been observed in these other aspects of library work, it stands to reason that it would manifest itself in the area of multilingualism as well. however, when the literature on neoliberalism in libraries looks at language, it does so at a general or discursive level, not with a focus on multilingualism. by contrast, the library literature on multilingualism does not explicitly address neoliberalism, though its strong emphasis on collections and digital libraries is implicitly neoliberal. a previous article (henninger, ) reviewed this literature and asserted that most of it lacks a holistic or coherent approach to multilingualism. instead, it is largely reactive and indicative of neoliberal discourses that do not make space for critical activity and are not socially engaged. two positive exceptions since this review come from mcelroy and bridges ( ), who situate access and discoverability for scholarly communications in broader contexts of multilingualism and english-language hegemony, and from espinoza and solis (in press), who interrogate linguistic diversity in libraries with reference to linguistic imperialism and the historical factors that have led to english’s dominance.  however, the bulk of the literature on multilingualism in libraries still views language barriers as individual problems to be solved rather than considering the systemic and contextual changes necessary to reduce those barriers and improve access. it is perhaps easier to talk about library holdings and digital architecture in discrete and reductive terms in line with commodity logic, but such a purely mechanistic or solution-oriented view cannot fully comprehend the messiness and complexity of languages. neoliberalism is implicated here, and inasmuch as the library literature reflects the library field, its predominant focus stands to inform library services and shape the field’s views on language. in contrast to the library field, the literature on applied linguistics addresses neoliberal features of commodification, decontextualization, demand, and economic utility with regards to both language in general and specific languages, suggesting by extension how they may operate in libraries. holborow ( ) describes how neoliberalism treats all skills, including language, as commodities that can be used by employers or workers to their advantage and to gain access to capital. flores ( ) further argues that turning languages into commodities is a means of dispossessing them from the communities to whom they belong and that in a society with racial hierarchies, views of language as a commodity are more likely to benefit dominant linguistic communities who have the power required to access such commodities. holborow ( ) relates this commodification to decontextualization, suggesting that treating languages as commodities on a market strips them of social meanings and relations external to that market, divorcing them from their broader contexts. flores ( ) agrees, saying that languages have become removed from their contexts and institutionalized in ways that fail to challenge existing hierarchies or broader racial inequalities. both holborow and flores resist the idea that languages can be fully reduced to commodities by affirming that they belong to and come from human beings, who are deeply embedded in social relationships with each other and with language. as a result, neoliberal logic offers an incomplete picture of languages in part because it does not take these social relations into account. holborow explores these relations in the context of labor, and flores in the context of race, but of course language has many more connections to gender, class, ability, and more. when these connections are ignored or made invisible, they risk maintaining the status quo and foregrounding languages’ economic value only. such a mentality also contributes to a mechanistic and utilitarian view of languages as discrete and interchangeable components. as one example of how these processes of commodification and decontextualization play out in practice, cameron ( ) describes ‘bilingual’ call centers in quebec that require employees to use english and french independently without mixing the two languages. as she points out, this approach ignores the cultural and linguistic knowledge involved in code-switching and bilingualism, which are instead devalued and prohibited because they do not support the profit-seeking ends of the employer. what the employer instead seeks is a specific form of a language that can be incorporated into call center infrastructure as a commodity independent of context. an equivalent to this decontextualization in public libraries might be collection development in, for example, french or arabic that does not consider the different dialects or variations used by local communities. another example is language skills in library job postings, which are often framed in the context of completing specific tasks such as cataloging or programming and not as a skill with the potential to inform every aspect of a position’s duties. neoliberalism also affects language in libraries by framing library services based on demand and economic utility. under neoliberalism, user demand becomes the guiding principle for whether to provide a commodity. this logic does not allow for proactive provision of goods or services based on prior ethics or values, but is only ever a reactive response to ineffable market forces. in libraries as well, there is a danger of relying too heavily on reacting to stated needs, or demands. what such an approach ignores, however, is that people may not be comfortable or capable of stating those needs for many reasons, including language barriers. when it comes to the neoliberal focus on economic utility, libraries have parallels with the english language learning industry: while libraries often have to justify themselves in terms of the economic support they provide (seale, ; hudson, ), teaching and learning english is justified and encouraged in many countries as providing people with access to capital and mobility (shin & park, ). one example where the two intersect are language-learning collections and programs in public libraries, which are often provided with the goal of helping people learn english so that they can integrate into society, often presupposing a monolingual society, and contribute to the economy. ultimately, the neoliberal emphasis on commodification, demand, and utility misrepresents and omits aspects of how languages exist in context. it flattens different languages into technical skills independent of context, and it collapses varieties of the same language into a standard form, ignoring what they index about class, gender, and other differences. just as viewing people only in terms of their economic value ignores key aspects of the human experience, viewing languages in the same way reduces the complexity and multiple dimensions of what languages are. however, even when neoliberal treatments of language meet with resistance, other ideologies may be ready to justify and perpetuate the status quo. language ideologies in different times and places, certain languages have held more power than others as the main languages of commerce, science, politics, mobility, and more. in the past, these have been languages such as latin and french, and in many places, one such language is currently english. such situations are not accidental but have instead relied on various processes to encourage the spread of these languages. these processes may occur more explicitly, such as through overt colonization, missionary activity, and nationalist consolidation, or more subtly, such as through cultural products and knowledge dissemination (heller & mcelhinny, ).  neoliberalism as an ideology has undoubtedly helped these processes in recent times by discouraging close attention to power structures in favor of using ‘market forces’ as a reason for the spread of languages such as english, but as del percio and flubacher ( ) point out, neoliberalism is closely related to “assumptions of nativeness and purity that continue to produce and legitimize hierarchies and forms of difference” (p. ). it is important for those with power to have ways of naturalizing and justifying power imbalances among languages when they do come up, and one main way of doing so is through language ideologies.  language ideologies are a concept which kroskrity ( ) defines as “beliefs, feelings, and conceptions about language structure and use which often index the political-economic interests of individual speakers, ethnic and other interest groups, and nation-states” (p. ). people express various forms of exclusionary language ideologies more or less explicitly in different contexts. few people today would come out and say that their language is better than others, though some still might in service of nationalist ideology or to justify excluding those who do not speak it, but softer versions of language ideologies still give that impression, intentionally or not. lippi-green ( ) describes an ideology of standardization that produces a bias towards an idealized language form, while piller ( ) notes how the association of language with territory often leads to an ideological connection between languages and nation-states. this connection does not only come from individuals: it can be formalized from the top down through laws or policies on official languages, as in canada, and it also operates outside of formal channels. english is not the official language of the united states as a whole, but it often seems that way due to english occupying a hegemonic position in other parts of society (schmidt, ). as these examples suggest, language ideologies are different from neoliberalism in that, instead of stripping away social relations, they actively highlight the benefits of a shared language, dialect, or accent to selected social relationships, such as nationality, racial identity, and class. they are similar in that they can suggest, sometimes even more strongly, that certain languages are better than others, and they likewise produce hierarchies. adding to the market-based framework offered by neoliberalism, language ideologies may justify one language form over others for reasons such as divine right, national allegiance, and pure utility, and they may promote the marginalization and exclusion of those who do not adhere to that form. one reason for the promotion of certain language ideologies over others is what piller ( ) terms the “monolingual mindset” that arises from people inhabiting relatively monolingual environments. monolingualism produces a particular perspective the world over, in that some people will simply lack the lived experience of multiple languages that more multilingual individuals have. as such, people who are more monolingual will always be at more of a distance from the fact of multilingualism than those who negotiate multiple languages on a regular basis. in this way, monolingual environments see the rise of ideologies that justify, encourage, and naturalize monolingualism. being monolingual is not on its own a bad thing, except that certain languages are inherently more tied to power than others, and so people who speak those languages will hold more power as a result.  for many who read this article, that language will likely be english. just as the library field is centered on white, cisgender, and middle-class conceptions of the world (hathcock, ), it is also centered on english. this fact goes unanalyzed partly because the field is immersed in the language, with work, conferences, articles, and more all done in english. another reason, which collins ( ) points toward, is that “because white people hold hegemonic power within libraries, the language they use […] reaffirms the dominance of their racial privilege” (p. ). use of english likewise stands to affirm and consolidate that power, denying any power or privilege that may come from using other languages. just as whiteness is an invisible default and norm for comparisons (hathcock, ; brown, ferretti, leung, & méndez-brady, ), english holds a similar position among languages and forms part of whiteness in us and canadian contexts. although library literature mentioning language ideologies is scarce, the examples that do exist show english’s dominance affecting library services too. reznowski ( ) traces english-only ideologies in us education and public libraries, providing examples of how libraries have alternately stifled or encouraged multilingual services. espinoza and solis (in press) similarly review the history of the english-only movement in us history and libraries and report on a survey providing further evidence that languages besides english are not equally visible or recognized in libraries. finally, mcelroy and bridges ( ) suggest hegemony and privilege as reasons for english’s prevalence in academic publishing.  as these and other examples show, language ideologies inform judgments about the roles and uses of languages, and those judgments in turn inform everything from collection policies to storytimes. ideologies that favor monolingualism, whether explicit or not, result in assumptions that make the dominant language a requirement for accessing and engaging in community within the library. they put the burden on others to learn that language, not on speakers of that language to spend time and effort on other languages that have little or no apparent value to them. they also lead to library collections and services in other languages being marked as nonessential or apart from ‘core’ dominant-language offerings. if library workers do not critically consider how assumptions about language inform their actions, they risk disenfranchising those who may speak differently. discussion though neoliberalism and dominant-language ideologies have differing foci and means of operation, they have several effects in common. they both inhibit equity, diversity, access, and inclusion by implicitly assigning moral value to languages relative to each other: neoliberalism by naming the ‘best’ languages as the ones that compete most successfully on the ‘linguistic market,’ and language ideologies through prescriptive notions of a right way to speak a language, or a right language to speak. both also distort or omit aspects of how language exists in context, such as its connections to race, ethnicity, culture, and more, and the validity of variation within and among languages. in these ways, they enable the centering and prioritization of some languages over others, leading to a risk of languages not being treated in an equitable manner.  one could argue that truly equitable treatment may be impossible for reasons of practicality: how can a library expect to provide the same level of service for, say, english and spanish when spanish speakers are only a small percentage of the local population and many of them speak english anyway? however, one could also ask: who does using practicality as a reason not to do something benefit? is the issue just a lack of capacity, or is it also that there aren’t enough spanish speakers among library staff due to homogeneity in the field? while it is true that adequately serving every single language in a library system is usually not possible, it rests with libraries to determine the limits of that possibility. even if support for a specific language is not feasible, staff can still provide broad support aimed at removing or communicating across language barriers. a case might also be made for utility: a lingua franca would certainly enable and simplify communication and ease of access in some ways, but again, the question is: utility for whom? does it come at the cost of other languages and the people who use them? fluent speakers of such a language are more likely to benefit from that fluency, creating or perpetuating inequities in access. an economy may benefit from everyone who contributes to it speaking the same language, but the economy is not the point of life. while some languages will absolutely be more useful than others in given contexts, the problem comes when this fact is extended uncritically and universally to become a utilitarian mindset and when a focus on ‘useful’ languages comes at the expense of others. languages and the people who know them deserve more than a utilitarian approach: languages’ value comes not only from their usefulness for communication, but from the cultures, histories, and perspectives that they represent. in libraries, staff need to make sure that decisions about languages do not come from a view of a particular language as a demand-driven commodity or a prerequisite for using library services. instead, resisting the neoliberal commodification of languages and the privileging of some languages over others means showing a holistic understanding of multilingual experiences: what it means to be a language learner, what it is like to be in an unfamiliar linguistic environment, what barriers to communication are, and how language use intersects with nationality, race, class, and so on. it is always worth asking which languages are even deemed worthy of representation in the first place, and questioning and resisting these ideologies’ assumptions about the relative value of languages is one path to a more just and inclusive approach to language in libraries. towards action as bacevic ( ) states, it is not enough to simply know how neoliberalism works, or to presume that knowledge alone is enough to counter its operations: any criticism has to translate into action informed by that knowledge. the same could be said of language ideologies, and not only should critics transform knowledge into action, this action needs to take place collectively. individuals have limited capacity for change on their own, and systemic problems require collective solutions. as well, this work should not rest solely with people who know multiple languages. similarly to how white people need to step up in terms of antiracist work, more monolingual people should step up and support more multilingual people.  as heller and mcelhinny ( , pp. - ) suggest, neither abstract understandings of language nor purely practice-focused descriptions can provide a full picture of language’s workings on their own. examining the interplay between the two by connecting theory to practice and vice versa appears to be productive grounds for discussion and action. while by no means exhaustive, the following actions suggest broad ideas and specific examples of ways to counter neoliberalism and exclusionary language ideologies and work towards better linguistic access, equity, diversity, and inclusion. their goal is not to pretend that language problems can be solved through technical or managerial solutions, but instead to propose sites for looking both theoretically and practically at language practices. 	create space for staff to recognize, reduce, and eliminate linguistic barriers. such space could take the form of training, workshops, and discussions, or perhaps individual projects to describe and change the language practices of a given library. as one example, some colleagues and i led a conference workshop that took attendees through a number of activities aimed at fostering thoughts on service design for multilingual users. one such activity involved asking pairs to communicate first without words, then without using a language they knew well. another one asked people to first name something they could do to make their library as inaccessible and unwelcoming to multilingual users as possible, then to think about whether there was anything in their libraries that remotely resembled that idea. in many cases, there was. while such exercises may not be helpful for everyone, many attendees appreciated them, and they offer one way to shift thoughts and perspectives away from the comfortable default of everyday work 	hire and support linguistically diverse staff. staff are a key means of shaping how libraries facilitate access to information, and the languages they know will inform that work as well. support could look like extra pay for language use on the job and equity-informed retention efforts. at the same time, it is important to remember that simply having linguistically diverse staff is not enough: library staff should avoid tokenism and ensure that asking people who know a language to use it in the course of their work does not become a burden for them. it is also worth remembering that language proficiency does not always come with cultural competency or the lived experiences shared by members of other communities who speak that language. 	offer collections, outreach, and language-based programming with language in mind. these services remain key means of access to information in libraries, so it is always worthwhile to incorporate language-related research, principles, and perspectives into their development. as one example, although english remains the language of instruction at my current institution, it also offers tutoring where students can discuss their assignments in other languages with a peer tutor who also speaks that language, recognizing that language’s value both on its own and for supporting increased understanding. also, language-based programming does not always require organizers to be multilingual: for example, language exchanges started at the university of british columbia (ubc tandem, n.d.) rely on participants to teach languages to each other through immersion. as well, they have reciprocity and respect for all languages as founding principles, showing how specific programs can be informed by broader values. finally, better inclusion can even occur within a single language: smith ( ) offers positive examples of academic library outreach practices that highlight the role of language variation in promoting representation and racial literacy. 	create space for other languages in policies, procedures, and infrastructure. documents such as collections policies and instructional plans inform action and promote accountability, and if language about languages is not in them, then there is less cause to be active and accountable. what would it look like for a collections policy to say it will represent the languages spoken by those the library serves, for a website to have a space for indigenous language resources, or for a strategic plan to list language as one of the forms of diversity that it claims to value? it is also worthwhile to make library infrastructure such as websites and signage available in other languages. however, technical fixes on their own are insufficient, and policy on its own is not enough, as espinoza and solis (in press) make clear in questioning the extent to which the american library association’s guidelines for the development and promotion of multilingual collections and services have actually been implemented. 	engage in action-oriented research on language in libraries. as the literature shows, there is ample room for research not just about the logistics of accommodating other languages in libraries, but also about the attitudes, experiences, and perceptions of both staff and library users when it comes to language. one study (henninger, ) incidentally hinted at some of these attitudes as it sought to determine whether staff language skills represented the languages present in three libraries’ service areas. another study (espinoza & solis, in press) showed gaps between staff language use and formal recognition of those skills, whether in job descriptions or through compensation, that deserve further attention. 	learn from fields such as applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and education, and from people who are already doing this work. using ideas and theoretical frameworks from other fields can strengthen the work done in libraries and increase understanding of the issues discussed in this article. analyzing and explaining language practices is one step towards changing them where necessary, and theories and models from applied linguistics, such as darvin and norton’s ( ) model of investment and the douglas fir group’s ( ) framework for second language acquisition offer ways to do so. they explicitly foreground the various factors contributing to language use, critically engage with the roles of surrounding social forces, and challenge neoliberal views of individuals as rational actors who are solely responsible for their motivations and behavior. as well, people in other communities may confront the fact of linguistic difference much more often than people in libraries. mandatory student attendance at public schools means that teachers and other staff must confront multilingualism much more often than workers in libraries, where there is no such mandatory attendance. as a result, there is a sizable body of literature in the education field on supporting and teaching multilingual learners. if they are not already doing so, library workers can also learn from organizations aimed at assisting recent immigrants, assisted living facilities, people revitalizing indigenous languages, and other groups who may encounter and think about multilingualism more than library staff in many cases. one current example of this work comes from the indigenous languages resource centre at calgary public library (rieger, ), which has been created and run in partnership with indigenous elders and authors. unfortunately, some such partnerships are still framed in the language of adjustment, assimilation, and english-centrism, which can be quite explicit (e.g. mccrary, ). for example, queens public library (n.d.) organizes its own-language partnerships under the heading “new americans” and refers to them as being offered in english and “immigrant languages,” positioning english as the national language and discursively excluding people who have been americans for years and still speak languages besides english. 	take a holistic and proactive approach to language and multilingualism. this entire article argues for this approach, but it bears repeating. a change of perspective at the individual, organizational, societal levels is necessary to produce broader change at all of those levels, and library workers must consider how their attitudes towards languages are influenced by norms, assumptions, and biases and relate to race, gender, ability, and more. when it comes to multilingualism, it is possible to ask versions of the same questions from stewart ( ) that collins ( , pp. - ) suggests can be asked of language practices in general: 	“who’s in the room?” [whose languages are represented in the room?]  	“has everyone’s ideas been heard?” [whose language skills permit them to hear those voices?]  	“who is trying to get in the room but can’t?” [what languages are needed to get in the room?] 	“whose presence in the room is under constant threat of erasure?” [whose languages are devalued or threatened?]  	“whose ideas won’t be taken as seriously because they aren’t in the [linguistic] majority?” as both authors emphasize, it is not enough to focus just on questions of diversity and inclusion: equity and justice are also important considerations. it is also possible to imagine paradigm shifts in the metaphors used for language: for example, flores ( ) advocates for moving from viewing language as a resource, which results in commodifying both languages themselves and linguistic diversity, to viewing it as a site of struggle, which would highlight racial and other inequities. conclusion language in general has power, and specific languages have more power than others, which is maintained through material infrastructures informed by ideology. languages also have social, affective, and intangible dimensions that are ignored or commodified under a neoliberal mindset and discounted in favor of other considerations under dominant language ideologies. language is complex, containing as it does aspects of power, oppression, difference, and more, and it deserves a similarly complex response.  we cannot ignore the existence of language in libraries when libraries serve linguistically diverse populations, when language shapes access to library services, and when certain languages receive more equitable treatment than others. people should be free to use the languages that they want, and libraries should support them in that choice via services and infrastructure. those who want to learn another language should be able to do so, and libraries certainly have a role to play in that. however, those who want to use their own languages should also be welcomed, whether through specific support for that language or through general strategies to support multilingual users. no one should be coerced into learning another language or excluded from services for not learning it, and the idea that one language can be inherently better than another must be challenged where it exists. readers who have traveled abroad or even within their own countries may have a sense of how nice and comfortable it is to find a language they know in a place where people mainly use another one. why, then, should we not extend the same comfort to others? by being proactive, by critically considering language practices, and by imagining new modes of library service, we can make libraries into places where all people feel comfortable with their languages, not just dominant languages. to support all library users, recognizing the validity of all languages and the complexity of language, in general, is a good place to start. acknowledgements i would like to thank publishing editor denisse solis, internal reviewer kellee warren, and external reviewer michael mohkamkar for their time and effort supporting the publication of this article, as well as my colleague holly hendrigan for her thoughts. this article is stronger because of them, and any remaining shortcomings are of course my own. references accurso, k. 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( ). the commodification of information and the public good. progressive librarian, , - . ubc tandem (n.d.). “about.” ubc tandem language learning program. https://tandem.ubc.ca/about/ vásquez, o. a. ( ). language. in p. l. mason (ed.), encyclopedia of race and racism ( nd ed., vol. , pp. - ). detroit: macmillan. waugh, c. ( ). balancing visions and values: an exploration of market rhetoric in canadian academic library strategic plans. progressive librarian, , - . 			 						 				language, multilingualism, neoliberalism 			 					 	 						 												 						 							communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd 							it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	pingback : icymi: april - seminar on the acquisition of latin american library materials 	 	 		 		 			 				bob schroeder 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thanks for this article! it’s a good one to help us start thinking about who’s not in our libraries, linguistically as well as culturally. i wanted to recommend a book chapter that also speaks to many of the issues you raise here. it’s an autoethnography by michele r. santamaria entitled ” you, she, i: an autoethnographic exploration through noise”. it’s from a book, “the self as subject: autoethnographic research into identity, culture, ad academic librarianship.” even though it starts from the point of view of a librarian, rather that the library users, it arrives at many of the same places as your article. (and full disclosure, i was one of he editors of the book ;) 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				ean henninger 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thanks, bob! i will be sure to check it out. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				ean henninger 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thanks, bob! i will be sure to check it out. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				halka 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				what a fantastic article! i have been doing very similar research and writing a paper with similar themes for an mlis class and i really enjoyed reading your research. let me know if you’d ever like to discuss your work–i find it fascinating. 							 		 	 	 	pingback : archives plan of action – co-learning experiences 	 	pingback : what are archives? – co-learning experiences 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					sep 					 				 				 					danya leebaw and alexis logsdon					/ comment 				 											power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief academic librarians do not experience full academic freedom protections, despite the fact that they are expected to exercise independent judgment, be civically engaged, and practice applied scholarship. academic freedom for academic librarians is not widely studied or well understood. to learn more, we conducted a survey which received over responses from academic librarians on a variety of academic freedom measures. in this article, we focus specifically on faculty status for librarians and the ways this intersects with academic freedom perceptions and experiences. even though all librarians who answered our survey share similar experiences when it comes to infringements on their freedom, faculty librarians are more likely to feel they are protected in their free expression. we find it useful to situate librarians within a growing cohort of “third space” academic professionals who perform similar duties to traditional faculty but lack tenure and its associated academic freedom protections. we argue that more attention needs to be paid in the library profession to academic freedom for librarians, and that solidarity with other non-traditional faculty on campus is a potential avenue for allyship and advocacy. introductory note in november , some colleagues and i made a libguide based on a popular hashtag syllabus, trump syllabus . . the syllabus, drafted in response to trump syllabus, was crowdsourced by black academics seeking to counter the limited vision of the first syllabus, written by primarily white scholars, in an attempt to historicize how we arrived at a donald trump presidency. where the trump syllabus centered political, labor, and populist movements as the lineage of trump’s ascendence, trump syllabus . highlights the genealogy of white supremacy: anti-blackness, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, ableism, and settler colonialism. the works cited in the syllabus are predominantly scholarly texts, along with popular press articles and key primary sources, and the vast majority of the titles were held by the library i worked in at the time. my colleagues and i set up a guide with tabs for each week of the syllabus and linked to the catalog records for each title we already held, and to various licensed and unlicensed versions of other materials on the syllabus. some of our library colleagues were not on board with us publishing this guide, fearing backlash, but we were not prohibited from doing so. fast forward to january : a right-wing student blog, backed by a conservative think tank, wrote a hit piece about our libguide, which received so much attention in the right-wing mediasphere that it eventually captured the attention of our campus public relations team. we were initially not asked to take the guide down, but when fox news called our college president’s office to inquire about the guide the following week, the president told the library to remove the guide immediately. i did push back, cautiously, against the decision, but ultimately realized i was powerless to change the situation without risking my job. i had always assumed i was protected in my work product by academic freedom, but i learned that week that i wasn’t. as an at-will employee at a private liberal arts college, academic freedom very clearly didn’t extend to me or any of my staff colleagues. –alexis logsdon introduction the libguide experience of one of this article’s authors led to conversations between the coauthors, early in , about academic freedom for academic librarians in the united states. specifically, what protections do we really have and why does academic freedom matter to us? the election of trump sparked a moment of professional introspection in academic libraries that continues to this day: what were our public engagement obligations? do academic librarians need freedom of expression, and if so, what are the lived experiences of academic freedom for librarians across social identities? these questions led us to conduct a national survey of academic librarians in the fall of . the resulting data has allowed us to study academic freedom for librarians, and its relationship to other factors like social identity and job status. in previous outputs of our research, we have discussed the history and state of academic freedom for academic librarians more broadly, and also highlighted findings related to race, sexuality, gender, and more. in this article, we will focus on the relationship between academic freedom and faculty status for librarians and how this surfaced in our survey findings. faculty status is the factor most associated in the common imagination and the literature with academic freedom protections. yet many librarians lack faculty status, have partial status, or are unsure of their protections regardless of their official status. even when classified or considered faculty, academic librarians are rarely treated as peers by other disciplinary faculty or university administrators. for these reasons, academic librarians are members of the academy with a markedly more tenuous hold on academic freedom claims. we hypothesized at the outset of our research that when librarians’ job status is precarious, they will feel less free to express themselves in the workplace and will be highly attuned to penalties for academic expression. our survey did find interesting distinctions between faculty and non-faculty librarians when it came to a variety of measures around academic freedom. indeed, faculty status affected respondents’ perceptions of academic freedom more than any other variable we studied. before sharing and discussing our survey results around this topic, we seek to contextualize librarians’ academic freedom within the context of the widespread, growing precarity of higher education workers. academic librarians experience significant insecurity that is related to their membership in an ever-growing class of higher education workers who occupy a liminal space between faculty and clerical staff. budgetary challenges and neoliberalism in higher education have led institutions to retreat from offering stable, tenure-protected employment and instead increasingly rely on academic professional staff and contingent faculty. this enables administrators to scale back autonomy, equitable pay, and protections like academic freedom. academic librarians have long occupied less stable and powerful positions on their campuses than traditional faculty. therefore, we believe academic librarians’ experiences with academic freedom are worth investigating further in their own right. however, librarians are also situated within a larger ecosystem of growing precarity on campus. understanding our role in this context can help us identify allies and avenues for advocacy. in the absence of tenure, academic librarians and other academic staff experience insecurity in their jobs that impedes their academic freedom. our research is interested in more than just policies but also how freedom of expression plays out (or not) in a variety of lived workplace experiences. we will share findings that suggest that faculty status truly matters for librarians to feel protected in their work activities. yet we will also describe a higher education landscape in which faculty status is available only to some librarians and certainly not the majority of library workers. the trajectory is toward fewer faculty-classified library positions, not more. our article offers a question as well as an argument: if faculty status is critical to academic freedom, but is only available to some of us, how can we advocate for better freedoms apart from that? methods and scope we conducted a survey in fall to study librarians’ perceptions of how protected they were by their institution’s academic freedom policies. we asked about a wide spectrum of “silencing” actions for academic librarians, from being skipped over for a promotion to being demoted to being fired outright, and inquired about how these formal and informal punishments impacted librarians’ lives. we also asked our respondents to share their demographic information, which enabled us to correlate their experiences with their social identities. our research project overall is a mixed method study, with an initial survey that we plan to follow up with interviews and textual analysis later this year. the survey was designed to gather information about academic librarians’ job status, experiences of academic freedom, and socioeconomic positionality. we asked approximately questions that were a mix of closed, multiple choice, and open-ended questions. the questions about academic freedom were primarily matrix table questions for which respondents could rank their experiences on a scale. many of the social identity questions allowed for “other” and filled-in textual responses if respondents felt that none of the offered categories applied to them. we also provided space for open-ended comments at the end of the survey and for respondents to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed at a later date. we issued the survey via national listservs and social media in the fall of . we intentionally promoted the survey on a wide variety of professional listservs and using hashtags on social media to reach librarians of color. we had over people start and just over people complete the survey. we filtered out respondents who did not agree to our irb-approved consent form and those who stated that they did not currently work in an academic library. our survey questions were based on our hypotheses and also modeled after similar surveys. our previously published acrl conference paper provides a summary of responses to our survey as well as deeper dives into how responses corresponded to race and financial insecurity. in this article, we will focus primarily on librarian faculty status and how this corresponds to lived experiences of academic freedom. defining academic freedom academic freedom is a contested concept, so it is important for the purposes of our article to state that we align with those who believe scholarship and civic engagement—especially in librarianship—are inextricably linked. generally, the core principles of academic freedom referenced in most u.s. institutional policies adhere to the statement on academic freedom and tenure from the american association of university professors (aaup). this statement proposes three primary protections: the right to freely teach without interference, the right to research without interference, and the right to express oneself in the community without interference. while scholars and administrators generally agree on these basic precepts, they diverge when it comes to who, how, and how much these protections apply. one school of thought asserts that scholarship should be “pure” and remain disengaged from the civic sphere. in this formulation, academic freedom applies only to teaching and scholarship that is allegedly devoid of politics and “neutral.” another faction, with whom we are aligned, points to the origins of modern academic freedom as an important project intended to protect faculty (particularly those from the social sciences) whose scholarship engages directly with society.  historian joan w. scott, in her essay exploring this claim, argues that distinguishing between politics and scholarship is “easier in theory than in practice” and “the tension between professorial commitments and academic responsibility is an ongoing one that the principle of academic freedom is meant to adjudicate.” as an applied profession, librarianship presumes a link between scholarship and civic engagement. academic freedom is thus a deeply relevant issue for our field. academic freedom and librarians the concept of academic freedom in libraries is complicated by the library profession’s focus on the parent concept of intellectual freedom and the heterogeneous nature of library employment. the association for college & research libraries (acrl) has issued a number of statements in defense of academic freedom for academic librarians. however, the devotion to intellectual freedom for our users gets conflated with and obscures advocacy for our own academic freedom. academic librarians have one foot in academia and another in librarianship, with academic freedom a norm in the former but not the latter. indeed, supporters of library neutrality—the focus of a battle that mostly plays out in public libraries—often uphold intellectual freedom at the expense of other rights and freedoms. similar to the purity arguments put forth for academic work, some librarians claim neutrality as a core library value rooted in the american library association’s guiding values, the enlightenment, and political liberalism. others, including us, argue that library neutrality is conceptually impossible and also puts workers and the public at risk. media reports, anecdotes on social media, and the library literature all confirm ongoing barriers to librarians’ academic freedom. attempts by community members to censor or ban materials in libraries are so commonplace that the american library association promotes an annual “banned books week” and collects statistics from libraries on the issue. however, librarians experience other forms of infringement on their academic freedom that receive less attention from the profession. library science scholar noriko asato provides a long history of infringements on librarians’ academic freedom, not just in collection development decisions, but also when they question library policy, engage politically, or even about choices in their personal lives, and these same infringements were reported in our survey. these are not simply problems of the past. librarians in the university of california system learned during their union contract negotiations in that their institution believed academic freedom did not apply to them; this became the primary issue during their ultimately successful negotiations. according to a recent survey of canadian librarians, they face restrictions on what they research, and struggle to pursue scholarship in light of their other responsibilities. even when librarians are not directly restricted in their research or personal expression, they face structural inequities in terms of funding and time to do research compared to disciplinary faculty, leading indirectly to infringements on their autonomy. only half of all liberal arts college librarians report feeling “protected in their work as a librarian,” according to a survey conducted by librarian meghan dowell in . dowell’s findings echo what non-faculty librarians reported in our survey, which is not surprising given how many liberal arts college librarians are classified as staff/non-faculty. librarians who stage exhibits are also regularly confronted with pushback and are forced to take them down. perhaps most alarmingly, librarians—especially librarians of color—have also been subject to harassment and abuse from the public for their workplace choices or public positions. these experiences are reflected in our survey findings as well, discussed in more detail below: more than % of respondents reported fear that their identity put them at personal risk. third space professionals academic librarians are situated within a broader context of academic professionals, beyond traditional faculty, on campus. generally, however, there is little in the academic freedom literature that specifically studies non-faculty higher education workers. despite our absence from the scholarship, research and anecdotal evidence from the media indicate that academic freedom issues surface regularly for academic professional staff on campus. sometimes, professional staff are performing duties similar to faculty but are unprotected when our pedagogy is questioned or we protest institutional policy. other times, since these are problems for staff rather than faculty, these issues are often not considered to have anything to do with academic freedom in the first place. as some of the longest-serving quasi-academic professionals on campus—not traditional faculty, but also not clerical or facilities staff—the experiences of academic librarians serve as a bellwether and a proxy for issues that undoubtedly resonate for our academic support professional peers. the number of academic support professionals grew rapidly in the late s and we continue to comprise a significant portion of higher education workforces. there is cross-disciplinary literature on the complicated roles and identities of academic support staff, who occupy what educational studies scholar celia whitchurch calls a “third space” on their campuses. despite the growth of this group of higher education workers, the persistent and predominant characterization of the academic workforce is a simple binary of either professors or clerical staff. however, academic support professionals, perhaps most notably librarians and academic technologists, increasingly assume duties that were once reserved solely for traditional professors: teaching, research, and service. even though these staff are often doing faculty-like work such as teaching, service, and research, traditional faculty protections—including academic freedom—do not apply. without the protections of tenure and its associated governance, academic freedom as a right and protection is arguably toothless. with the erosion of tenure protections, in part through the dispersal of traditional faculty work to contingent faculty and professional academic support staff, “academic freedom today may be as endangered as it has been at almost any moment since the aaup’s inception.” tenure was never just about protecting research, according to academic freedom expert hank reichman, but instead must be championed for all involved in teaching and research on campus. yet we now have a class of workers on higher education campuses who are expected to be educators and lead students in traditional paths of learning, but could easily lose their jobs and livelihood if there is blowback to their speech or other professional choices. even when institutional policies around academic freedom are broad and inclusive of staff, in the absence of tenure, staff do not have the same meaningful freedom as faculty with tenure protections. if one can be fired at will, then one will almost certainly be guarded. further, even if workers are covered by academic freedom policies in principle, it is usually unclear if all their activities are protected. this is why many advocates believe the core of the academic freedom fight goes beyond having the right policy in place and is actually about extending tenure protections on campuses. in the following sections, we aim to bring a librarian-centered lens to this conversation, to make the case that in addition to contingent faculty, librarians and other academic professional staff must be brought into protection as well, given the nature of their work on campus. librarians as third space professionals academic freedom as it manifests for traditional faculty does not map neatly onto librarians’ jobs and experiences. like some faculty, academic librarians often engage in applied scholarship and are enacting professional expertise on a day-to-day basis in the academic sphere. however, academic librarians typically work within rigidly hierarchical library workplaces. unlike traditional faculty—who operate with significant autonomy and whose spheres (teaching, research, and service) are fairly well-defined—academic librarians also engage in a wide variety of professional activities well beyond just research and teaching and are usually directly supervised in this work. they are usually reviewed against a different set of performance metrics than traditional faculty. because librarians are more closely supervised and tend to have less power in their workplaces, many duties of academic librarians might be subject to penalties and pushback to a greater degree than those of disciplinary faculty. as we will discuss more in our article, academic librarians also occupy a wide range of job classifications and only some are in traditional, tenure-protected positions. many librarians are at-will employees or have some faculty-like rights but not all. unpacking academic freedom for librarians, therefore, requires a different and broader picture than looking only at institutional policies and rigidly defined cases. librarians occupy myriad job classifications on their campuses, complicating research and understanding around this topic. for instance, when acrl collects data from libraries on librarians’ faculty status, they ask an additional eight questions to establish clarity on the nature of that status. additionally, acrl then asks respondents to further detail whether or not librarians are “fully, partially, or not at all” included in policies such as “eligible for leaves of absence or sabbaticals on the same basis as other faculty” or “have access to funding on the same basis as faculty.” acrl’s data from indicates that out of , responding academic libraries, fte librarians at half of these ( , or %) had faculty status. however, % of libraries reported that their librarians have faculty status but not tenure. interestingly, more libraries reported that their librarians fully have “the same protections of academic freedom as other faculty” than reported that their librarians have faculty status ( % compared to %). this can likely be explained by the fact that some institutions do apply academic freedom policies to staff and students, but also could be because respondents made assumptions about their protections when they might actually not be present in policy or in practice. when it comes to librarians’ professional identity, institutional context therefore plays a key role. approximately % of our survey respondents claim to be “faculty or faculty-like” in their status. our findings do not tell us what that means to our respondents and this label is open to interpretation, especially for librarians who often have some kind of quasi-faculty status that is understood or experienced differently for individual librarians on the same campus. in their article on the role of academic librarians in their institutions, rachel fleming-may and kimberly douglass write, “the lack of consensus on the meaning and value of librarianship to academic institutions is also a likely contributor to the disparate treatment of librarians with faculty status from institution to institution.” in studying the professional identity of librarians as related to their job classification, shin freedman found, and our respondents reported the same, that librarians’ self-identity is closely correlated to institutional context, rather than broader professional norms and understandings. in other words, whether or not you identify as faculty-like has a lot to do with how your institution and library administration categorizes and treats you. this may seem like an obvious point, but it is worth calling out the distinction between traditional faculty identity and norms, which tend to be national in scope and much simpler to define—either tenure-track or contingent with clear rights understood to align or not with these two categories—and librarians’ roles and identities, which are much more locally bounded. while our survey relied on self-identification, we conjecture that self perception as being “faculty-like” is the strongest indicator of how librarians feel their autonomous work life is respected on their campuses. this has implications for librarians’ ability to advocate for their rights or even imagine alternatives to their current situations, likely compounded by how competitive the job market is for librarians. many librarians accept the classifications as they are wherever they can get a job, which is unsurprising given the challenging job market and also how much murkiness surrounds this issue in the literature and in practice. while the pros and cons of tenure for librarians are widely debated in the academic library literature, there is consensus that tenure is valuable when it comes to defending librarians’ academic freedom. indeed, academic freedom is regularly cited as a primary reason for academic librarians to maintain or seek faculty status and tenure. librarians publish on controversial topics to advance the field of librarianship and must regularly make potentially unpopular decisions in library operations. according to librarians catherine coker et. al., “if a librarian’s academic freedom is not protected, then, like teaching faculty, he or she might give a guarded and abridged version of the thoughts and ideas in his or her research. in addition, librarians may also guard against purchasing and disseminating controversial informational resources to help answer users’ questions, if they feel under threat that their job could be on the line.” joshua kim, an academic technologist who writes a regular column for inside higher ed, asserts that he would accept a lower salary in exchange for tenure because of the freedom he would have to do critical, applied research in learning innovation. librarians with tenure and with clarity around their status report higher job satisfaction, including when it comes to academic freedom protections. our findings survey responses academic librarians with faculty status, according to our survey respondents, differ greatly in their perceptions of academic freedom protections from librarians who do not identify as faculty. in every category of job duty we asked about, librarians who identified as faculty-like reported feeling protected in their work at higher rates (figure ). perhaps predictably, some of the biggest disparities were in areas that are most faculty-like in function: research and publishing ( % of faculty-identified librarians vs. % of non-faculty librarians), instruction ( % vs. %), and interactions with faculty ( % vs. %). but there was also a stark contrast in responses about non-library campus activities ( % vs. %) and library programming work ( % vs %), both arguably central functions of librarianship and crucial sites of outreach and relationship building for academic librarians. even with the higher numbers for faculty librarians, our findings offer confirmation of what we saw in the literature in terms of the heterogeneity of librarian faculty status and relative power on campus. indeed, the figures are remarkable: a quarter of our faculty respondents did not feel well protected in their research and publishing activities, with similar responses for instruction and programming. these are the very “third space” areas where librarian innovation and creativity are seemingly most encouraged, and yet many of us do not feel like we can freely choose how we go about these tasks. according to the literature, faculty status for librarians varies widely from institution to institution in terms of what protections it affords. our findings appear to confirm that faculty status for librarians does not in and of itself equate to feeling fully protected. while there was a wide gap in the sense of safety for librarians of differing status, they report feeling silenced to the same general degree and by many of the same things (figure ). by far the largest number of respondents, % of faculty librarians and % of non-faculty librarians, reported feeling silenced by “fear that speaking up will hurt my career.” more than % in both categories felt silenced by “fear that my identity will put me at personal risk,” suggesting that certain social identities put people at a greater risk for targeted harassment, regardless of faculty status. in addition, % of our respondents (both faculty and non-faculty) also reported feeling afraid for their personal safety if they were to speak out about their beliefs. these two findings resonate with lara ewen’s article on librarians and targeted harassment. citing an ala panel from called “bullying, trolling, and doxxing, oh my! protecting our advocacy and public discourse around diversity and social justice,” ewen describes the divergent experiences of two librarians: sweeney, who is white, said she was challenged mainly for the presumed content of the research, while cooke, who is african american, was harassed in a way that made it clear that her race was a factor. cooke was bombarded with hate mail and threatening voicemails. both researchers feared that cooke’s photograph, email address, and phone number had been copied from uiuc’s website and distributed throughout racist communities online. while librarians of various social identities are targeted for their research, the magnitude of the threats is often much higher for librarians from marginalized communities. why does fear of punishment seem to outweigh actual experiences of reprimands? the literature we reviewed earlier in this article points to a number of possible answers, all likely contributing to this disparity. academic librarians have any number of legitimate reasons to feel insecure, even in the absence of experiencing or witnessing direct penalties. faculty status for librarians often comes with explicitly fewer protections than what is written into policy for disciplinary faculty. even with faculty status, librarians typically have less security and power in their institutions than other faculty. many librarians who are classified as staff are keenly aware that their positions are ultimately precarious, even though, like other “third space” academic professionals, they perform work that—were it being done by disciplinary faculty—would be protected by academic freedom policies. as discussed in the literature review, many librarians work within a rigid hierarchy under direct supervision with far less autonomy than traditional disciplinary faculty. it is understandable that librarians would have a sense of caution and insecurity in these settings. finally, the dramatic transformation of the academic workforce in recent decades, referenced earlier in this article, itself presents an existential threat for academic librarians and our administrators. already more precarious on our campuses, we can see from these trendlines (and many others) that academic libraries are in defense mode when it comes to our budgets and workforce. all of these factors likely contribute to academic librarians perceiving a wide variety of potential threats to their work even in the absence of direct punishment, while simultaneously recognizing that their managers and library leadership are feeling their own set of pressures to avoid institutional conflict and protect their budgets and staff. the final set of questions we asked in our survey was about the impacts of punishment (figure ). of those who had experienced punishments, a substantial number said it had affected their engagement and motivation at work, impacted their mental well-being, their relationships with co-workers, and their sense of belonging in their position. about % of non-faculty librarians reported that the punishments they had experienced had impacted their mental health, and a nearly identical number said the punishment had a negative effect on their motivation and engagement at work. the numbers were only slightly lower for librarians in faculty positions: around % reported these same impacts. around % of respondents in both groups said their experience with punishments had influenced their relationships with colleagues and students, and more than half reported that the experiences had made them question whether they belonged in their positions. other impacts that were reported by more than % of both faculty and non-faculty librarians included feeling that they could not adequately do their jobs, and, disturbingly, considering whether they belonged in the profession at all. these responses resonate with what librarian kaetrena davis kendrick terms “the low morale experience.” in kendrick’s study, “participants reported emotional, physiological, or cognitive responses to low morale” after a trigger event, which in turn lead to “a negative effect on [their] daily practice of librarianship.” while kendrick studied abuse in the workplace as the trigger for low morale experience and our survey asked about the impacts of academic freedom infringements, there is significant overlap in both experiences and impacts. figure . librarians’ perceptions of free expression by faculty status figure . a bar chart visualizing librarians’ perceptions of their protections for free expression, according to faculty status. accessible equivalent of this chart as a table. figure . librarians’ experiences of academic freedom infringements by faculty status figure . a bar chart visualizing librarians’ experiences of infringements of academic freedom, according to faculty status. accessible equivalent of this chart as a table. figure . experiences of feeling silenced by faculty status figure . a bar chart visualizing librarians’ experiences of being silenced, shown according to faculty status. full text equivalent of this chart as a list. figure . respondents who reported being “somewhat” or “significantly” impacted by punishments, by faculty status. figure . a bar chart visualizing respondents who reported being “somewhat” or “significantly” impacted by punishments, shown according to faculty status. full text equivalent of this chart as a list. open-ended comments in the survey’s open-ended comments field, many librarians offered insights into how their work environment failed to protect them. their reasons were complex and varied, but overall they describe workplaces where managers and library directors make unpopular decisions and librarians feel afraid to question these decisions. when they did question them, many librarians told stories of being informally punished by being given fewer opportunities or getting subpar reviews, and they feared “there will be subtle punishments for expressing beliefs that are odds with the administration.” several respondents talked about how research was treated in their faculty librarian positions: they had their research agenda questioned or outright denied, they had library leadership who sought to abolish research as a core job function, and they experienced informal punishments because of their research topics. some commented that academic freedom seemed to apply most in their institutions when it was tied to research and publishing. even with faculty status, many librarians feel they are treated differently from their peers in academic departments. more than one person reported that their research agenda was questioned by supervisors, that they had little control over their own schedules, and that they were “routinely” tone policed during performance reviews. the hierarchical workplaces in which librarians typically work, as described in our literature review, seem to complicate and sometimes seriously interfere with librarians’ freedom to freely pursue their research agendas. in keeping with the rest of our survey results, non-faculty librarians felt less certain that their speech and actions in the workplace were protected, even while experiencing similar academic freedom infringements as faculty librarians. in open-ended responses, a striking number of non-faculty librarians discussed the lack of clarity around academic freedom protections and, worse, library leadership (both managers and deans) who claim to support free expression but then respond negatively to it in practice. reading non-faculty librarians’ comments as a group reveals a consistent narrative of uncertainty, insecurity, and mixed messages: [i]t feels like our library leadership wants it both ways: librarians that will be active in high-profile research, publishing, professional and community orgs, etc., but also never say anything leadership doesn’t like. and what gets considered “controversial” at my library often seems pretty unpredictable. my university displays a wild mismatch between its stated policies and their application—academic freedom is not supported in general, especially at the library level. my institution claims to uphold academic freedom, but there is a silent understanding that said freedom really only means “freedom to uphold the ‘party’ line.” i think in theory they defend academic freedom, but in practice they are scared of anything that they perceive will damage their image. this is but a small sample of comments about mixed signals; this was one the most common complaints in our responses. these librarians point to a pattern of denied agency, of contradictory messages about their academic freedom, and managers unwilling or unable to defend their employees when the latter’s work product is questioned. the implication for many librarians is that outspokenness is something to avoid and to discourage in others. as one respondent eloquently described it, [i]t feels as if librarians, whether faculty or not, are taught to be nice and congenial. thus, the culture of the profession does not lend itself to speaking up without being labeled. the culture of “niceness” in libraries goes well beyond the scope of the current research, but is worth exploring as a root cause of much confusion and conflict arising from academic freedom expectations. niceness and neutrality work in tandem to create conditions that shut certain people out of the professional conversation, and even out of working in the library profession themselves. faculty librarians reported some of the same experiences with unspoken restrictions and less-than-encouraging messages from supervisors, albeit in smaller numbers. some of the comments echo what non-faculty librarians experience, but some point to specific inconsistencies between the rights they purportedly enjoy as faculty and how their libraries interpret those rights: most of the unfreedoms i experience are internal to the library. it is very conservative in comparison to the university. i don’t mean politically, i mean in risk taking and allowing a wide range of debate and speech. i have faced repercussions for things that are exceedingly trivial. my institution embraces social justice, but the library does not. i have been here for [length of time redacted] and in that time i have contributed a great deal to the community, but it is lost in the micromanaging by the dean. another librarian reported having to change research topics in order to be granted a sabbatical, and their comments reveal a keen awareness of how this violated their academic freedom: “requiring me to research something [my dean] really likes is a violation of my academic freedom, but i’m tired of fighting him and just need a break.” these remarks point to a schism between institutional values about academic freedom and libraries’ more measured, cautious approach. this kind of fractured experience can happen in the other direction as well: in the university of california librarians’ recent contract negotiations, one of the sticking points for faculty librarians was to have academic freedom protections written into their contract. while uc librarians have faculty status, the pushback they experienced made it clear that the university saw librarians as excluded from essential protections that come with that status. conclusion many librarians are living in a culture of fear on their campuses. despite working in academic settings where academic freedom is held up as a value and is presumed by many to apply to librarians, our survey respondents reported significant limits to their free expression. librarians are expected to enact independent, expert judgment frequently throughout their workdays. we are purchasing materials for our libraries, planning programs, teaching students, and have unique curricular insights. yet, we learned in our survey, many librarians are in workplaces where free expression is discouraged and even punished. indeed, as evidenced in figures and above, more than a third of librarians surveyed said they’d been informally punished, and % said they worried that speaking up would hurt their career. further, a culture of silencing and fear leads to a foreclosing of underrepresented voices, upholds the status quo, and hinders growth in our institutions. our research confirms some of our hypotheses about the role of faculty status in librarians’ academic freedom protections.  we were surprised, however, to discover that where faculty and non-faculty differ most is in their perceptions about their protections; we found a strong connection between faculty status and perceiving free expression to be protected. respondents without faculty status reported feeling protected in their job functions at lower rates than faculty librarians in every category we asked about, often with differences of ten percentage points or more. when it came to infringement of academic freedom, however, faculty and non-faculty librarians reported similar experiences. this raises interesting questions: why do faculty librarians feel more protected, even as they report being punished for their actions and speech? is there something about faculty status that empowers librarians to speak more freely, in spite of potential punishments? or is there more security in these positions, so that the punishments are easier to bear? whatever the reasons, it seems clear that faculty librarians are better positioned to speak out in their campus communities, take a critical approach to the core responsibilities of their positions, and generally be confident that they can approach their work without fear their views will get them fired. while it is beyond our powers and the scope of this research to resolve the disparity in academic freedom of faculty and non-faculty librarians, we can offer a way to begin examining what leads some librarians to feel protected and others not to. in the third space continuum, faculty librarians reside closer to traditional faculty and feel less precarious. conversely, non-faculty librarians, as evidenced in their survey responses and open-ended comments, are often forced to navigate complex, sometimes contradictory messages about their academic freedom from their managers. other times, the message is quite clear: they are considered staff, and staff are explicitly not covered by academic freedom in their institutions. how then do we advocate for more and clearer academic freedom protections for librarians of all job classes? as with any endemic problem, the solution needs both local and systemic dimensions. we offer some suggestions here, but we also encourage our colleagues to think about how these strategies would play out in their local context and if there are others that might work better for you. when it comes to solutions, we believe the answer lies in raising awareness about this issue, understanding one’s role in the academic ecosystem locally and beyond, and identifying allies beyond our own ranks. on a systemic and national level, the path will involve calling upon national networks and following successful models of progressive change. librarian professional organizations should attend to academic freedom as a distinct issue apart from book censorship and freedom for our users. we know from the acrl statistics cited above that more than two-thirds of academic libraries believe their librarians to have the same academic freedom protections as faculty. starting a conversation about these stated norms that are in conflict with our respondents’ reported experiences could lead to clearer protections. we should also participate in broader organizations like the aaup and other groups agitating for academics, and push the issue of librarians within those bodies. the local level has the most potential for meaningful change. it is imperative that librarians know exactly what or whether their employee handbooks, bylaws, union contracts, or other governing documents have to say about academic freedom for librarians. it may be that your handbook says nothing about academic freedom, but that is good information to have. if you have venues for discussing shared values around academic freedom within your library, try starting a conversation there. if there are explicit policies about academic freedom for faculty and students, but not for staff, are there official governance structures (such as faculty meetings or a university senate) through which this issue could be raised? who on your campus outside the library are likely allies, such as contingent faculty or academic technologists? by situating librarians within the framework of “third space professionals,” we can shift and clarify the conversations around academic freedom happening in our profession and on our campuses. when news stories tell us that even traditional faculty are at risk of losing their jobs from free expression, it follows that uncertainty and precarity are amplified the farther one is from the centers of power. adjunct instructors, at-will staff, and others in more insecure positions on their campuses are particularly vulnerable. organizing and agitating alongside other third space colleagues—academic technologists, staff researchers, lecturers—might be a more effective way to capture the attention and support of protected faculty and senior administrators. third space academic professionals may be suffering the same self-censorship instinct because of their own employment precarity, but through allyship and solidarity, we all might secure greater freedoms. building solidarity with local allies is an avenue toward greater power, such as organizing together into a union. while librarians often enjoy a stature on campus that other third space professionals do not (whether because of pay, additional benefits, or permanent employment status), the existential threat to higher education employment will be felt by us all. relying on tenure alone limits access to academic freedom protections to a select few and seems to be a losing path forward. if we collaborate together through unionizing or otherwise, we have the best chance of highlighting the need for academic freedom protections that extend beyond the tenure framework. appendix perception of protections, by union affiliation	 	union	non-union 	social media	 %	 % 	interactions with other staff	 %	 % 	workplace policies	 %	 % 	off-campus activities	 %	 % 	programming	 %	 % 	interactions with students	 %	 % 	research and publishing	 %	 % 	instruction	 %	 % 	cataloging	 %	 % 	interactions with faculty	 %	 % 	non-library campus activities	 %	 % 	collection development	 %	 % acknowledgements yupei liu, a computer science and statistics major at the university of minnesota, helped immensely with statistical analysis and creating charts from our data. we are grateful to aaron albertson for his help testing our survey design. we also wish to thank early readers of our draft, heather tompkins and rachel mattson. finally, we also wish to thank the publishing editor of the submitted article, ryan randall, and peer reviewers, meghan dowell and ian beilin. accessible equivalents figure as a table types of expression		faculty	non-faculty 	collection development	 %	 % 	cataloging	 %	 % 	research and publishing	 %	 % 	interactions with other staff	 %	 % 	interactions with faculty	 %	 % 	off-campus activities	 %	 % 	programming	 %	 % 	instruction	 %	 % 	interactions with students	 %	 % 	non-library on-campus activities	 %	 % 	questioning workplace policies	 %	 % 	social media	 %	 % return to figure caption. figure as a table types of infringement		faculty	non-faculty 	informally penalized for question workplace	 %	 % 	told not to participate in org. activity	 %	 % 	directed to change work	 %	 % 	formally penalized for question workplace	 %	 % return to figure caption. figure as a table types of effects		faculty	non-faculty 	fear that speaking up will hurt my career	 %	 % 	fear that my identity will put me at personal risk	 %	 % 	fear that speaking up could jeopardize my personal safety	 %	 % 	complaints from colleagues students or staff about my academic activities	 %	 % 	complaints from colleagues students or staff about my non-academic activities	 %	 % 	threats and harassment from coworkers students or faculty	 %	 % 	threats and harassment from the public	 %	 % 	complaints from the public about my non-academic activities	 %	 % 	complaints from the public about my academic activities	 %	 % return to figure caption. figure as a table effects of punishment: responses of “somewhat” or “significantly”		faculty	non-faculty 	motivation and engagement at work	 %	 % 	mental well-being	 %	 % 	relationships with coworkers and students	 %	 % 	sense that i belong in this position	 %	 % 	ability to adequately do my job	 %	 % 	sense that i belong in this profession	 %	 % 	physical well-being	 %	 % return to figure caption. footnotes 	n.d.b. connolly and keisha n. blain, “trump syllabus . ,” public books, june , , https://www.publicbooks.org/trump-syllabus- - /. [↩] 	danya leebaw and alexis logsdon, “the cost of speaking out: do librarians truly experience academic freedom?” (association of college & research libraries annual conference, cleveland, oh, april ). http://hdl.handle.net/ / [↩] 	jennifer washburn, university inc.: the corporate corruption of higher education (new york: basic books, ). [↩] 	 rachel a. fleming-may and kimberly douglass, “framing librarianship in the academy: an analysis using bolman and deal’s model of organizations,” college & research libraries , no. (may ): - , https://doi.org/ . /crl - . [↩] 	we are white women employed at a large research university library in management, reference, and instruction positions. we tried to share our survey with as wide and diverse a pool of respondents as possible, well beyond our own limited networks, in order to best understand how socioeconomic positionality correlates with academic freedom for library workers. [↩] 	becky marie barger, “faculty experiences and satisfaction with academic freedom,” doctor of philosophy, higher education, university of toledo, . http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo ; “inclusive and functional demographic questions,” university of arizona office of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (lgbtq) affairs, accessed / / , https://lgbtq.arizona.edu/sites/lgbtq.arizona.edu/files/inclusive% and% functional% demographic% questions.pdf; meghan dowell, “academic freedom & the liberal arts librarian,” capal conference, university of regina, saskatchewan, canada, . https://capalibrarians.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ / / c_dowell_slides-notes.pdf. [↩] 	leebaw and logsdon, “cost of speaking out,” acrl . [↩] 	american association of university professors, “ statement of principles on academic freedom and tenure,” , https://www.aaup.org/report/ -statement-principles-academic-freedom-and-tenure. [↩] 	hank reichman, the future of academic freedom (baltimore: johns hopkins university press, ), xiv. [↩] 	stanley fish, “academic freedom and the boycott of israeli universities,” in who’s afraid of academic freedom?, ed. akeel bilgrami and jonathan r. cole (new york: columbia university press, ), – . [↩] 	joan w scott, “knowledge, power, and academic freedom,” in bilgrami and cole, who’s afraid, . [↩] 	for instance: association for college & research libraries (acrl), “acrl statement on academic freedom,” , http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/academicfreedom; joint committee on college library programs, “acrl joint statement on faculty status of college and university librarians,” , http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/jointstatementfaculty [↩] 	gemma devinney, “academic librarians and academic freedom in the united states: a history and analysis,” libri , no. ( ): - ; noriko asato, “librarians’ free speech: the challenge of librarians’ own intellectual freedom to the american library association, - ” library trends , no. (summer ): - . http://doi.org/ . /lib. . ; richard a. danner and barbara bintliff, “academic freedom issues for academic librarians,” legal reference services quarterly , no. ( ): - . https://doi.org/ . /j v n _ . [↩] 	see documents cited here: american library association, “intellectual freedom: issues and resources,” accessed february , , http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom; john wenzler, “neutrality and its discontents: an essay on the ethics of librarianship” portal: libraries and the academy , no. ( ): – . https://doi.org/ . /pla. . . [↩] 	amelia n. gibson, renate l. chancellor, nicole a. cooke, sarah park dahlen, shari a. lee, and yasmeen l. shorish, “libraries on the frontlines: neutrality and social justice,” equality, diversity and inclusion: an international journal , no. ( ): - . https://doi.org/ . /edi- - - . see also remarks from many of the panelists at the american library association midwinter meeting’s president’s program as highlighted in “are libraries neutral?” american libraries, june , , https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /are-libraries-neutral/. [↩] 	see https://bannedbooksweek.org/ from the american library association. [↩] 	asato, “librarians’ free speech.” [↩] 	armando carrillo, “uc librarians conclude negotiations of salary increases and academic freedom protections” daily bruin, april , . https://dailybruin.com/ / / /uc-librarians-conclude-negotiations-of-salary-increases-and-academic-freedom-protections/. [↩] 	mary kandiuk and harriet m. sonne de torrens, “academic freedom and librarians’ research and scholarship in canadian universities,” college & research libraries , no. (november ): - , https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . [↩] 	fleming-may and douglass, “framing librarianship,” [↩] 	meghan dowell, “academic freedom & the liberal arts librarian,” capal , university of regina, saskatchewan, canada, . https://capalibrarians.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ / / c_dowell_slides-notes.pdf. [↩] 	stephanie beene and cindy pierard, “resist: a controversial display and reflections on the academic library’s role in promoting discourse and engagement,” urban library journal , no. (january , ). https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/vol /iss / . [↩] 	laura ewen, “target: librarians: what happens when our work leads to harassment—or worse,” american libraries magazine, june , . https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /target-librarians-harassment-doxxing/. [↩] 	while outside the scope of this article, we encourage readers to review the literature on “critical university studies,” which explores how campus educators outside of the ever-shrinking category of tenure track faculty operate within university structure. see stefano harney and fred moten, the undercommons: fugitive planning & black study (london: minor compositions, ) and la paperson, a third university is possible (minneapolis: university of minnesota press, ). both moten and harney and paperson, among others, locate the spaces of radical transformation of the university outside of tenure track faculty positions. the work that these scholars see as central to injecting needed critiques of power and white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal structures of the university resides almost wholly in the work done by educators (in the broadest sense) with the most precarious positions. https://manifold.umn.edu/projects/a-third-university-is-possible. [↩] 	see judith e. berman and tim pitman, “occupying a ‘third space’: research trained professional staff in australian universities,” higher education , no. ( ): – . https://doi.org/ . /s - - -z. [↩] 	celia whitchurch, “shifting identities and blurring boundaries: the emergence of third space professionals in uk higher education,” higher education quarterly , no. (october ): – . https://doi.org/ . /j. - . . .x. the notion of a “third space” has been introduced and sometimes deeply studied in a number of disciplines with quite variable meanings and implications (i.e., place-based versus cultural versus professional). in libraries, see james elborg for a place-based understanding of third space theory: “libraries as the spaces between us: recognizing and valuing the third space,” reference & user services quarterly , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	bruce macfarlane, “the morphing of academic practice: unbundling and the rise of the para-academic: the morphing of academic practice,” higher education quarterly , no. (january ): – . https://doi.org/ . /j. - . . .x ; fiona salisbury and tai peseta, “the ‘idea of the university’: positioning academic librarians in the future university,” new review of academic librarianship , no. / (july ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . ; also see reichman, the future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	related to these points is the literature on the academic identity that “third space” professionals bring to their roles, with disciplinary norms and an expectation of academic freedom baked into their ways of being an academic. see celia whitchurch, “the rise of the blended professional in higher education: a comparison between the united kingdom, australia and the united states,” higher education , no. (september , ): – . https://doi.org/ . /s - - - ; glen a. jones, “the horizontal and vertical fragmentation of academic work and the challenge for academic governance and leadership,” asia pacific education review , no. (march , ): – . https://doi.org/ . /s - - - ; berman and pittman, “occupying a third space;” and macfarlane, “morphing of academic practice,” . [↩] 	reichman, future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	reichman, future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	reichman, future of academic freedom, . [↩] 	fleming-may and douglass, “framing librarianship.” [↩] 	mary petrowski, academic library trends and statistics (chicago: association of college & research libraries, ) , , , & . [↩] 	we did not ask respondents who claimed faculty status whether or not they were tenured or pre-tenure. in retrospect, it would have been useful to further disaggregate the faculty librarians to learn if tenured status also affected their responses. however, it is also worth noting that even with pre-tenure librarians included, faculty librarians overall feel more secure in their academic freedom protections than non-faculty librarians. [↩] 	fleming-may and douglass, “framing librarianship,” . [↩] 	shin freedman, “faculty status, tenure, and professional identity: a pilot study of academic librarians in new england,” portal: libraries and the academy , no. (october ): – . https://doi.org/ . /pla. . . [↩] 	eamon tewell, “employment opportunities for new academic librarians: assessing the availability of entry level jobs,” portal: libraries and the academy , no. (october ): - . [↩] 	catherine coker, wyoma vanduinkerken, and stephen bales, “seeking full citizenship: a defense of tenure faculty status for librarians,” college & research libraries , no. (september ): - . https://doi.org/ . /crl- r ;  elise silva, quinn galbraith, and michael groesbeck. “academic librarians’ changing perceptions of faculty status and tenure,” college & research libraries , no. (may ): - . https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . . [↩] 	coker, vanduinkerken, and bales. “seeking full citizenship.” [↩] 	joshua kim, “what percent of your (academic) salary would you trade for tenure?” inside higher ed (may , ), https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/what-percent-your-academic-salary-would-you-trade-tenure [↩] 	melissa belcher, “understanding the experience of full-time nontenure-track library faculty: numbers, treatment, and job satisfaction,” the journal of academic librarianship , no. (may ): - , https://doi.org/ . /j.acalib. . . . [↩] 	lara ewen, “target: librarians: what happens when our work leads to harassment—or worse,” american libraries magazine, june , . https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ / / /target-librarians-harassment-doxxing/ [↩] 	kaetrena davis kendrick, “the low morale experience of academic librarians,” journal of library administration, november , . [↩] 	kaetrena davis kendrick, “the low morale experience of academic librarians”. [↩] 	see fobazi ettarh, “vocational awe and librarianship: the lies we tell ourselves,” in the library with the lead pipe, january , ; and gina schlesselman-tarango, “the legacy of lady bountiful: white women in the library,” library trends , no. ( ), both of which offer an intersectional critique of how libraries enforce a performative librarian identity that purports to be neutral, nurturing, and inoffensive. [↩] 	gibson et al, “libraries on the frontlines: neutrality and social justice.” [↩] 	snowden becker, twitter thread, https://twitter.com/snowdenbecker/status/ ; martin brennan, “uc administration: “academic freedom is not a good fit for your unit””, uc-aft librarians blog, august , , https://ucaftlibrarians.org/ / / /uc-administration-academic-freedom-is-not-a-good-fit-for-your-unit/. [↩] 	we did ask about union status in our survey, but there was little difference in any area between union and non-union respondents (see appendix). [↩] 	for more on librarian attitudes toward unionization, see rachel applegate, “who benefits? unionization and academic libraries and librarians,” library quarterly , no. (october ): - ; stephanie braunstein and michael f. russo, “the mouse that didn’t roar: the difficulty of unionizing academic librarians at a public american university,” in in solidarity: academic librarian labour activism and union participation in canada, mary kandiuk and jennifer dekker, eds. (sacramento: litwin books, ).and chloe mills and ian mccollough, “academic librarians and labor unions: attitudes and experiences,” portal , no. (october ): - . [↩] 			 						 				academic freedom libraries, academic libraries, altac, librarianaf 			 					 	 						 												 						 							the library commons: an imagination and an invocation 							creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : day in review (september – , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 ian mcdermott – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								ian mcdermott 							 	 		 		 			 articles by ian mcdermott 	 			open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					feb 					 				 				 					ian mcdermott					/ comments 				 											open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief this selective literature review evaluates open educational resources (oer) efficacy studies through the lens of critical pedagogy. oer have radical potential as transformative tools for critical pedagogy or they can serve as a cost-free version of the status quo, inclined toward propagating austerity. this review analyzes studies published since with regard to cost, access, pedagogy, commercialization, and labor. these criteria are used to make explicit subjects indirectly addressed, if not ignored completely, in the existing literature. typically, ample attention is paid to a study’s design and methodology but the underlying institutional infrastructure and decision-making process is unexamined. what emerges is an incomplete picture of how oer are adopted, developed, and sustained in higher education. measurables like student outcomes, while important, are too often foregrounded to appeal to administrators and funding organizations. the review concludes with suggestions for how to utilize critical pedagogy for future studies and grassroots oer initiatives. by ian mcdermott introduction open educational resources (oer) are misunderstood and underutilized in higher education (higher ed). in part, this situation can be traced to definitions. what are oer? in , the united nations educational, scientific, and cultural organization (unesco) coined the term oer ( ) and defined them as non-commercial learning materials. in , unesco refined their definition to include “any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license” (unesco, ). these educational materials encompass everything from textbooks and curricula to lecture notes and animation. the william and flora hewlett foundation, a charitable foundation that supports oer initiatives, states oer are “high-quality teaching, learning, and research materials that are free for people everywhere to use and repurpose” ( ). david wiley, founder and chief academic officer at lumen learning, argues that it is flexible licensing and permissions in opposition to conventional, restrictive copyright that are central to oer. wiley cites the rs of oer as the most important features: the ability to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute (hilton, wiley, stein & johnson, ; wiley, bliss & mcewen, ). these definitions, while useful, hint at the motivations of the organizations and individuals behind them. as an international, aspirational organization, unesco’s broad definition is inclusive and emphasizes the public domain and open licenses. the hewlett foundation’s definition signals an interesting shift, emphasizing “high quality” oer, which is not surprising since hewlett, as an oer funder, has a financial stake in oer development. in hewlett granted nearly $ million to oer initiatives at universities and organizations, including the university of california at berkeley, university of cape town, creative commons, and the wiki education foundation (hewlett foundation, grants). wiley’s rs model is arguably the preeminent oer definition. it is clear and concise while articulating a broad set of practices. one critique points out that several of the rs require access to technology and the requisite skills (lambert, ). like the hewlett foundation, wiley has a vested interest in the success of oer. lumen learning is a company that provides a suite of educational technology products that colleges and universities pay to use; lumen’s candela, waymaker and ohm provide the infrastructure for many instructors teaching with oer. while their products are often less expensive than commercial textbooks and platforms, some argue their business model betrays the ethos of open access initiatives (downes, ; see wiley, , for counterpoint). critically, wiley’s initial definition of only included rs (wiley, ). he added retain as the fifth r in . as a practice, creators of any work should retain certain rights. coincidentally or not, the right to retain is critical to the lumen business model. it enables lumen to monetize oer materials by packaging them in a proprietary, fee-based system. these definitions vary enough to preclude a shared understanding of oer. in fact, a majority of college and university faculty are not familiar with oer (seaman & seaman, , p. ). current oer practice varies depending on the practitioner’s affiliation (e.g. professor at a public university, academic librarian, lumen employee, adjunct faculty member, student). beyond sharing resources, higher ed lacks a common oer practice and existing oer practices lack an explicit social justice mission. this situation presents an excellent opportunity to define, develop, implement, and advocate for oer in critical ways that address social justice issues facing higher ed: cost and access, pedagogical practice, and academic labor. studies that assess oer’s impact on higher ed tend to focus on efficacy and perceptions. when compared to commercial textbooks and learning materials, these studies measure whether oer are effective at producing positive student outcomes and if they are perceived favorably by students and instructors. to develop a social justice-oriented analysis of oer, i am going to use critical pedagogy as a theoretical lens to review oer efficacy studies. listed below are criteria and examples for evaluating these studies. this literature review examines oer efficacy case studies based on how they address the below criteria. subsequent studies should be judged for how well they remedy them. critical pedagogy criteria : cost & access oer adoption eliminates textbook costs and democratizes access; online books are available in multiple formats and accessible for all learners, including formats that do not rely on consistent internet access (e.g. pdf download); acknowledges that high priced textbooks are a barrier to learning because many students do not purchase expensive textbooks; cost and access to textbooks and learning materials are connected to students outcomes: course grade, enrollment intensity, withdrawal rates, etc. critical pedagogy criteria : pedagogical practice replacing commercial textbooks with oer is a pedagogical decision, beyond cost and access; details are provided about commercial textbooks and oer; faculty are making pedagogical decisions and are transparent about materials adopted, including relevant software (e.g. learning management software); open and critical pedagogy is used to involve and reflect students’ voices. critical pedagogy criteria : academic labor labor required for oer initiative is described, including work done by faculty, educational technologists, graduate assistants, librarians, undergraduate students, and others; price of academic labor and funding sources included. critical pedagogy critical pedagogy has been used to analyze and reimagine education for over years. oer have this potential when put into critical pedagogy practice. for this review, i define critical pedagogy via two foundational texts: paulo freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed ( ) and bell hooks’s teaching to transgress: education as the practice of freedom ( ). brazilian educator and theorist freire ( ) argues for liberatory education, “[w]here knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful human inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other” (p. ). teachers minimize their authoritative role through a reconciliation of the teacher-student contradiction, “so that both are simultaneously teachers and students” (freire, , p. ). this model of education combats what freire ( ) termed the banking concept of education, “in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor” (p. ). for freire, education is one site in the struggle against larger forces of oppression. leveling hierarchy as much as possible in the student-teacher relationship is fundamental to the struggle. though his ideas have influenced educators throughout the world, freire’s early writings emerged from his experience teaching the illiterate poor in brazil how to read. in the united states, feminist educator and author bell hooks has explored critical pedagogy for decades in higher ed, as it intersects with race, gender, and class. in teaching to transgress hooks ( ) contrasts her ecstatic experience of education as “the practice of freedom” when she was a child in all-black schools in the south with the oppressive, racist schools she attended during integration that strove to “reinforce domination” (p. ). for hooks, critical pedagogy means “creating [a] democratic setting where everyone feels a responsibility to contribute” ( , p. ). this practice requires a desire to transgress, to empower the oppressed through critical pedagogy: students of color, queer students, poor students. more recently, classroom faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and others in higher education have examined oer with a critical pedagogy perspective (e.g. darder, torres, baltodano, ; accardi, drabinski, and kumbier, ). in her analysis of oer and the open access movement in libraries and higher education, crissinger warns “how openness, when disconnected from its political underpinnings, could become as exploitative as the traditional system it had replaced” ( ). in analyzing key texts of open educational practice (oep), lambert finds little explicit social justice ( ). critical pedagogy must be a part of oer practice. if students cannot afford a textbook, they are already oppressed. faced with this contradiction, how can we possibly create the “democratic setting” hooks strives for? replacing an expensive textbook with a free one is not critical pedagogy, because expensive textbooks are one symptom of higher ed’s disease. eliminating expensive textbooks is a first step toward confronting the contradictions students and faculty face in higher ed. for example, five publishers control % of the textbook market (senack and donoghue, , p. ) and over % of faculty members hold contingent positions (american association of university professors, n.d.). can the strategic use of oer effect the kind of change in higher education that places critical pedagogy at its center and eschews the austerity mindset that currently governs the field? background some broader context on the unaffordability of higher education is necessary to understand why oer are a pressing topic. first and foremost, the price of higher education continues to increase as the cost burden has been shifted to students and their families. according to the state higher education executive officers association (sheeo), was the first year a majority of states relied on tuition and fees more than state and local educational appropriations (sheeo, , pp. - ) to fund public higher education. nationwide, spending per student by public higher educational institutions has decreased by % since while per student tuition has increased % (sheeo, ; brownstein, ). student debt now exceeds individual credit card debt (johnson, ). focusing on textbooks, the bureau of labor statistics (bls) reports that the price of college textbooks has increased % between - , far outpacing tuition, fees and college housing during the same period ( ); a similar study by the u.s. government accountability office (gao) reached similar results ( , p. ). in some cases, the price of textbooks is greater than the price of tuition (fischer, hilton, robinson, & wiley, , p. ; goodwin, , p. ). % of surveyed students admitted high cost prevented them from buying a textbook (senack, , p. ). students specifically cite textbook prices as an impediment preventing them from passing, completing, or even enrolling in classes (florida virtual campus, , pp. - ). therefore, reducing or eliminating the cost of textbooks is one step toward lowering the barriers to higher education. scope, methods, objectives this review is limited to oer efficacy studies in higher education published in north america between and . books, news articles, reports issued by governmental and non-profit organizations, and blogs are included as secondary sources. the body of literature on oer efficacy is not voluminous, but it is growing. a comprehensive article-length review is not possible or desirable. as much as possible, the studies, reports, and articles selected for this review are published in open access journals and websites, though articles from the following databases and search engines were used: education resources information center (eric), library and information science source (ebscohost), education source (ebscohost), and google scholar. the open education group’s the review project is an indispensable resource, which “provides a summary of all known empirical research on the impacts of oer adoption (including our own)” (open education group, ). to date, this ongoing literature review includes peer-reviewed articles, theses/dissertations, and white papers. the studies were chosen as a representative sample and for their ability to meet the criteria discussed above: cost and access, pedagogical practice, and academic labor. past and current literature reviews on oer efficacy (hilton iii, ; abri and dabbagh, ; hilton iii, ) emphasize quantitative and qualitative data and survey design. following crissinger’s ( ) and lambert’s ( ) analyses, the objective for this study is to search for evidence of critical pedagogy and social justice in oer efficacy studies. analysis and commentary this section organizes oer efficacy case studies into three subsections. these subsections are organized in descending order by the frequency with which they are addressed in the studies under review. . cost reduction, increased access, and student outcomes every study addresses how oer help reduce the cost of higher education and increases access to textbooks and learning materials. the studies measure student outcomes in classes using oer (test group) compared with classes using commercial textbooks (control group); student outcomes include a, b, c grades, d, f, withdrawal rates, enrollment intensity, final exam grades, and others. often, student outcomes are similar across the test and control groups, though some studies present a case for correlation between cost and access and improved student outcomes. . oer and pedagogy some studies provide details about the pedagogical decisions made with regard to oer adoption. for example, which oer textbook replaced the commercial option. but studies rarely name the commercial textbook. even fewer studies discuss how oer intersect with pedagogical theories or faculty/student/staff collaborations. . oer and academic labor rarest of all is the study that provides details about the academic labor required for oer initiatives. adopting an oer textbook may require a significant amount of work for a single professor teaching a single section. the number of people only increases for large, multi-section courses reliant on course management software. very few studies detail the personnel involved or the costs required. some studies are discussed in more than one subsection, though each subsection foregrounds one of the above topics. while i use critical pedagogy as a lens to analyze oer efficacy studies, i am not primarily concerned with how critical pedagogy is used in specific oer textbooks or learning materials. the below studies do not provide such granular detail. instead, i am analyzing these studies for evidence, or lack thereof, of critical approaches to oer adoption and survey design as it relates to cost and access, pedagogy, and academic labor. cost reduction, increased access, and student outcomes many oer studies identify cost reduction and increased access as the initial motivation for oer adoption. the authors and investigators then track student outcomes for test and control groups across a variety of metrics. in nearly all studies, student outcomes are the same or better in classes taught with oer. the university of california, davis (uc davis), created the stemwiki hyperlibrary to provide students with a no-cost replacement for existing commercial textbooks (allen, guzman-alvarez, molinaro, & larsen, , p. ). chemwiki (part of the hyperlibrary) was used as the exclusive textbook in seven chemistry classes at uc davis, purdue university, sacramento city college, and howard university. allen, et al. ( ) claim that chemwiki implementation saved students approximately $ , dollars in textbook expenditures (p. ), though the commercial textbook replaced by chemwiki is not mentioned by name. it is not clear how the authors arrived at this figure; perhaps it is based on an estimate assuming all students purchased the commercial textbooks. all available research indicates many students do not purchase expensive textbooks. such opacity is not helpful. for oer to flourish, it is important to name the resources being replaced, and their cost. readers, especially those considering adopting oer, deserve to know these details to help them make informed decisions at their own institutions. the virginia state university school of business turned to oer in hopes of reducing inequality in the classroom and improving student outcomes. prior to this study, only % of vsu students purchased textbooks for their courses. students cited affordability as the primary barrier; many vsu students struggle financially and work at least one job in addition to their full-time courseload (feldstein, hilton iii, hudson, martin, & wiley, , p. ). vsu faculty investigated ebook alternatives in order to lower costs and ensure students would have ongoing access to course materials. they contracted flat world knowledge (fwk), then an oer provider, and paid for per-student seat licenses. vsu faculty purposely avoided commercial and proprietary platforms that would restrict access for students without regular internet access. therefore, students could read the textbooks online or download and retain all materials in several formats (feldstein, et al., , pp. - ). however, working with commercial entities on oer initiatives has considerable drawbacks. one year after the vsu study, fwk “evolved from open education resources to fair pricing” according to their website. this means that the textbooks vsu faculty had hoped to make available for free were now subject to “fair pricing.” fwk and vsu students and faculty may have divergent ideas of what’s a fair price for a textbook. at the time of this writing, the fwk website lists most e-textbooks between $ -$ and most print copies (ebook included) list for $ . this price is much lower than many commercial alternatives, but it is a lot more than free. the percentage of african american and latinx students that receive a bachelor’s degree or higher lags far behind white students. in a study at the university of georgia (uga), colvard, watson, and park sought to address the attainment gap through oer adoption in eight general education courses. the authors point to the connection between public disinvestment in higher education and rising costs for students. they argue that shifting the cost burden away from taxpayers and onto students exacerbates ethnic and racial disparities in educational attainment. students saved over million dollars as a result of these oer adoptions. cleverly, this study disambiguated student data in order to determine if oer have a greater impact on students eligible for pell grants, part time students, and non-white students (colvard, watson, & park, , p. ). the results are promising as the percentage of students receiving grades a, a-, and b+ in oer test courses increased dramatically for all three populations (colvard, et al., , pp. - ). the last study in this subsection presents a convincing argument for cost reduction as a contributor to student outcomes. fischer, hilton, robinson, and wiley designed the largest efficacy study upon its publication in . it is a quasi-experimental study that analyzed efficacy results across four four-year colleges and six community colleges for approximately , students in fifteen undergraduate courses: approx. , in the test group and , in the control group (fischer, hilton, robinson, & wiley, , p. ). the study measured outcomes in four categories: course completion, passing courses with at least a c- grade, credit hours during the semester tested (enrollment intensity), and credit hours in the following semester. fischer, et al. claim that cost is more impactful on student outcomes than instructional design and mode of delivery (fischer, et al., , p. ). in this study and others like it, student outcomes are similar when using oer or commercial textbooks. however, the authors see a correlation between saving money on textbooks and enrollment intensity. the test group (those using oer) enrolled in more credits in the surveyed semester, and the following semester, than the control group (fischer, et al., , pp. - ). their argument is that students use their savings to enroll in more classes. causation is impossible to prove but this hypothesis is provocative. the refrain that student outcomes are the same or better when using oer is increasingly common. this argument is used to encourage oer adoption. but oer need practitioners committed to critical pedagogy to move beyond a free version of the status quo. fischer, et al. ( ) admit that future studies should analyze textbook quality and teacher effects (p. ). they do not provide any details about the learning materials used in their study. this omission is too common in oer efficacy studies. these issues are taken up in the following subsections. oer and pedagogy the fact that the vast majority of oer efficacy studies show that student outcomes are the same or better when using oer is promising. however, most studies lack an in-depth analysis of the pedagogical choices driving oer initiatives. this section examines case studies for evidence of critical pedagogy with regard to oer adoption. though never specifically mentioned, critical pedagogy is at the center of the uc davis, chemwiki study discussed above. allen, et al. stress the importance of faculty and student engagement in authoring and reviewing chemwiki teaching materials. as the name suggests, chemwiki utilizes a model similar to wikipedia, a comparison the authors embrace (allen, et al., , p. ). teaching modules are created by many instructors and can be hyperlinked within each course’s instance of chemwiki. in other words, labor is distributed horizontally in an effort to draw on collective expertise and avoid the centralization of expertise used in authoring traditional textbooks. colvard, et al. argue that their study, and oer by extension, addresses all three of the great challenges facing higher education: affordability; retention and completion; quality of student learning (colvard, et al., , p. ). quality of student learning is measured by academic performance, which improved in the test group. but the study reveals little about pedagogy. most of the classes adopted openstax textbooks, a major oer textbook publisher based out of rice university. uga’s center for teaching and learning assisted with some oer adoptions but no further details are provided. as a result, pedagogy and academic labor are hinted at but never discussed. one study cannot cover all topics and this one does a remarkable job of situating oer in a social justice context. perhaps a future study could widen the aperture of social justice to better account for pedagogy and the academic labor required to adopt oer at a large, public university. hendricks, reinsberg, and rieger acknowledge that most studies ignore pedagogy by providing, “a very specific description of how the open textbook used in the course we are studying has been adapted to fit into that course” ( , p. ). in this study at the university of british columbia (ubc), the authors adopted an openstax physics textbook and edited out sections of the textbook that were not relevant to the course (hendricks, reinsberg, & rieger, , p. ). professors also stopped using a commercial software package for homework. instead, they added the textbook’s review questions to the course website in an attempt to reduce cost, simplify administration, and simplify students’ experience (hendricks, et al., , p. - ). in this instance, getting rid of the commercial homework system, rather than the textbook, generated the greatest savings. hendricks, et al. found that students’ problem-solving abilities were slightly negatively impacted by the new homework system. the previous commercial system provided hints and tutorials as students completed their homework, whereas the new system simply provided correct/incorrect feedback. however, their transparency demonstrates that moving away from commercial entities in higher education may not be painless. critical pedagogies are necessarily difficult because the intention is to leave behind pre-existing approaches. in this regard, the authors show that there is much more to student outcomes than “the same or better results.” critical approaches factored into the decision-making process in the virginia state university study. feldstein, et al. do not provide details on pedagogical methods used in the courses, but vsu business school faculty identified the value in adopting oer with creative commons licenses. this way, materials are relatively easy to revise and remix and their teaching materials can reflect current events and different points of view (feldstein, et al., , pp. - ). as one professor put it, “since students now had permanent access to content, the value was in the information and not in the textbook as a commodity” (feldstein, et al., , p. ). pawlyshyn, braddlee, casper, and miller document oer adoption for ten high enrollment courses at seven institutions, part of the project kaleidoscope open course initiative (koci). their writing is reflective to an extent rarely found in oer efficacy studies. they dedicate just as much space to pedagogical decision-making as to costs and student outcomes. this fact may be connected to the project design. participants collaborated across institutions (and held weekly skype calls!), which surfaced important differences at the respective institutions. for example, student populations varied from remedial to college entry (pawlyshyn, braddlee, casper, & miller, ). consequently, faculty developed targets for their specific student populations. for oer initiatives to succeed, the authors make the following recommendation: “introduce and facilitate oer efforts through faculty initiative rather than making a top-down institutional directive. eventually, institutional policy must support emergent practice” (pawlyshyn, et al., ). even when documenting koci’s shortcomings, pawlyshyn et al. provide critical reflections. some faculty resisted koci based on perceived limitations to academic freedom and of “corporate interference” since koci used lumen learning and received funding from the bill and melinda gates foundation and the hewlett foundation (pawlyshyn, et al., ). the following section examines how decisions regarding academic labor, which can include collaborating with commercial vendors, is discussed in oer efficacy studies—when academic labor is discussed at all. oer and academic labor academic labor is rarely covered in these studies. this is understandable insofar as the focus of most studies is cost savings and student outcomes. however, academic labor is central to any oer initiative. who is doing the work? are they getting paid? is this work acknowledged for promotion and tenure? based on the available literature, it is difficult to answer these questions. calling attention to the matter will hopefully help remedy this glaring omission in the literature. hendricks, et al. ( ) acknowledge the costs of adopting oer: “the literature on open textbooks related to cost focuses on cost savings to students, but it’s important to keep in mind the possible costs for faculty and institutions in terms of time and support when using open textbooks” (p. ). faculty and graduate assistants worked together during the summer months to prepare the course. the latter were paid with a teaching and learning grant of c$ , from university of british columbia. ensuring fair compensation for graduate assistants and contingent workers is crucial from a critical pedagogy perspective. however, there is no indication the grant covered the time and effort spent by faculty planning the project, securing funds, selecting materials, and learning new systems. are these tasks considered part of their job, were they paid a stipend for extra labor, or given course release time, to name a few payment options? transparency on the working conditions of all faculty and staff, contingent and full time, is necessary as we use critical pedagogy to implement and document just labor practices for oer initiatives. pawlyshyn, et al. directly address payment and incentives in a section called “motivations.” in addition to a small stipend, faculty participants received travel funds to attend oer conferences. the authors claim this was an even greater motivator than the stipend and they make explicit recommendations for other oer initiatives to allocate funds for conference attendance (pawlyshyn, et al., ). though the authors do not explain why professional development funds were so popular, the implication is that faculty relished the opportunity to share their work and learn from others in a community of practice. one shortcoming of their report is it does not include any information about how lumen learning was involved in koci, especially with regard to myopenmath (mom), a free, online course management system. it would be helpful to know if koci used the free version of mom or the lumen-supported version, lumen ohm. each option presents distinct cost and maintenance issues, namely vendor fees versus local maintenance expenses. allen, et al. contrast the commercial textbook publishing process–a small group of experts deciding on relevant content–with the horizontal crowdsourcing of chemwiki. the infrastructure of chemwiki is developed and maintained by professors, research assistants, and students who regularly review and update content for difficulty (allen, et al., , p. ). the authors do not discuss how, or if, in the case of students, this labor is compensated or otherwise supported. the final example in this subsection examines a study that looks to oer as an institutional cost saving measure. bowen, chingos, lack, and nygren ( ) examine an oer hybrid learning environment (a mix of in-person and online). published by ithaka s+r, a consulting non-profit, the study tested traditional and hybrid classes for a basic statistics course designed at carnegie mellon university and taught at six public universities. like most studies, bowen, et al. ( ) found the hybrid format produced the same or better results than traditional classroom instruction (pp. - ). unlike most oer studies, bowen, et al. also tested whether or not the oer/hybrid method can lower instructor costs. in their model, the hybrid course would be supervised by tenure-track faculty, with in-person sections led by “teaching assistants” and administrative work handled by a “part-time instructor” (bowen, et al., , p. ). admittedly, this is one line of inquiry in a lengthy report, but using oer as a way to lower operating costs is anathema to critical pedagogy and social justice. the authors estimate large scale implementation could reduce instructor costs %- % (bowen, et al., , p. ). they do not include how they reach these numbers, likely because they would be perceived as controversial, if not incendiary. conclusion and future considerations oer efficacy studies are just as revealing for what they omit as for what they include. it is challenging to design a methodologically sound study, especially under tight timelines and tight(er) budgets. given this reality, oer efficacy studies tell the tidiest story: saving students money is good and oer may improve student learning. in this respect, these studies conform to the logics of funders and administrators, not students, faculty, librarians, and staff working at colleges and universities. but this story elides an inconvenient truth: if students are not buying expensive textbooks to begin with (florida virtual campus, ; feldstein, et al., ), are they saving money or are they not spending money they do not have in the first place? this is not to say that well-designed oer efficacy studies are irrelevant. the above studies are valuable for their analysis of and advocacy for oer initiatives. but the desire to quantify all aspects of higher ed is reflected in the literature. the statistics are given primacy over pedagogy. can an education committed to measuring “student success” ever be liberatory? critical pedagogy does not reduce students to their letter grades or how many dollars they saved. rather, students and faculty engage in dialog about defining academic success. in contrast to the above oer efficacy studies, qualitative approaches used in oer perception studies could be incorporated more often to center students’ voices. action research is another approach. according to sagor, action research, “is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. the primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the ‘actor’ in improving and/or refining his or her actions” (sagor, ). action research on oer initiatives would be a welcome addition to the literature, as the method aligns nicely with critical pedagogy. bowen, et al. ( ) seem to accept the divestment of public funds for higher education as a permanent reality, instead of an ongoing struggle (pp. - ). their solutions address the perspective of administration, not faculty or students. moreover, how are oer being commercialized? david wiley, a co-author on several above studies, and many others, is the chief academic officer at lumen learning. a deeper investigation into “open washing,” or proprietary practices disguised as open access/licensing, as defined by watters ( ), in oer initiatives is needed. alternative perspectives abound. brier and fabricant decry austerity and commercialization in their full-throated defense of public higher education, austerity blues: fighting for the soul of public higher education ( ). winn’s ( ) marxist analysis of oer in higher education cautions against administrators’ attempts to exploit oer for surplus value in the form of increased enrollment, lower teaching costs, and cultural prestige (pp. - ). farrow ( ) criticizes the austerity mindset, obsessed with efficiencies that “promote the idea that technological innovation can offer neat solutions to challenges faced by educational institutions” (p. ). as the title of this article asks, open to what? a free version of the status quo? the above analysis shows that oer efficacy studies would benefit from greater transparency. this transparency applies to pedagogy, technology, and the financial and emotional costs for students, faculty, and staff. it is one thing to use critical pedagogy to diagnose the problem with the above studies. it is a far more important challenge to address higher ed’s contradictions and power struggles: teacher/student, faculty/administrator, proprietary/open access, banking education/open pedagogy. critical pedagogy opens the door. acknowledgements i would like to thank peer reviewers ryan randall and nicole williams for their insightful, critical, and encouraging comments. thank you to ian beilin for serving as publishing editor. a very special thank you to professor maria jerskey at laguardia community college, who runs the literacy brokers writing group. i never would have finished this article without her guidance, along with other laguardia colleagues who participate in the writing group. in particular, many thanks to professors dominique zino and derek stadler for their invaluable feedback on multiple drafts of this article. references abri, m.a., & dabbagh, n. 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( ). the adoption of an open textbook in a large physics course: an analysis of cost, outcomes, use, and perceptions. the international review of research in open and distributed learning ( ), - . http://dx.doi.org/ . /irrodl.v i . . hilton iii, j., fischer, l., wiley, d., & william, l. ( ). maintaining momentum toward graduation: oer and the course throughput rate. the international review of research in open and distributed learning ( ), - . http://dx.doi.org/ . /irrodl.v i . . hilton, j. ( , august ). open educational resources, student efficacy, and user perceptions: a synthesis of research published between and . educational technology research and development. https://doi.org/ . /s - - - . johnson, d. m. ( , september ). what will it take to solve the student debt crisis? harvard business review. retrieved from https://hbr.org/. lambert, s. r. ( ). changing our (dis)course: a distinctive social justice aligned definition of open education. journal of learning for development ( ), - . retrieved from https://jl d.org/index.php/ejl d/article/view/ / . paulsen, m. b., & st. john, e. p. ( ). social class and college costs: examining the financial nexus between college choice and persistence. the journal of higher education ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . pawlyshyn, n., braddlee, d., casper, l., & miller, h. ( , november ). adopting oer: a case study of cross-institutional collaboration and innovation. educause review. retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/ / /adopting-oer-a-case-study-of-crossinstitutional-collaboration-and-innovation. sagor, r. ( ). what is action research? in r. sagor (author), guiding school improvement with action research. retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/ /chapters/what-is-action-research%c %a .aspx. senack, e. ( ). fixing the broken textbook market: how students respond to high textbook costs and demand alternatives. the student public interest research groups. retrieved from https://uspirg.org/reports/usp/fixing-broken-textbook-market. senack, e., & donoghue, r. ( ). covering the cost: why we can no longer afford to ignore high textbook prices. the student public interest research groups. retrieved from https://studentpirgs.org/ / / /covering-cost/. state higher education executive officers association. ( ). state higher education finance (shef) fiscal year . retrieved from https://sheeomain.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/ / /sheeo_shef_fy _final- .pdf. unesco. ( ). forum on the impact of open courseware for higher education in developing countries: final report. paris. retrieved from http://www.unesco.org: /iiep/eng/focus/opensrc/pdf/oerforumfinalreport.pdf. unesco. ( ). paris oer declaration. retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/multimedia/hq/ci/wpfd /english_declaration.html. u.s. government accountability office. ( , june ). college textbooks: students have greater access to textbook information (gao- - ). retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/products/gao- - . watters, a. ( , august ). from “open” to justice. hack education. retrieved from http://hackeducation.com/ / / /from-open-to-justice. wiley, david. ( , august ). open education license draft. iterating toward openness. retrieved from https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/ . wiley, d. ( , november ). if we talked about the internet like we talk about oer: the cost trap and inclusive access. iterating toward openness. retrieved from https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/ . wiley, d. ( , november ). more on the cost trap and inclusive access. iterating toward openness. https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/ . william and flora hewlett foundation. ( ). hewlett foundation: grants. retrieved from https://hewlett.org/grants/?sort=date&grant_strategies= &current_page= . winn, j. ( ). open education: from the freedom of things to the freedom of people. in m. neary, h. stevenson, & l. bell, (eds.), towards teaching in public: reshaping the modern university (pp. - ). london: continuum international publishing group. 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							teaching with care: a relational approach to individual research consultations 							communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd 							 						 						 												 						 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 dave ellenwood – in the library with 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publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					aug 					 				 				 					dave ellenwood					/ comment 				 											“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief information capitalism dominates the production and flow of information across the globe. it produces massive information institutions that are as harmful to everyday people as they are powerful. to this point, information literacy (il) educators do not have a theory and pedagogy of information capitalism. this article appraises the current state of political economy in il and begins to build a foundation for teaching a political economy of information capitalism. introduction these are economically and politically tumultuous times. the great recession of - , the rise of right-wing populism across the globe, a life-threatening/altering global pandemic, and the threat of species-ending climate change have left many feeling uneasy about the present, let alone the future. one bright spot is the unprecedented number of people who have poured into the streets to demand that black lives matter, but this was sparked by horrifying police brutality filmed and circulated online. in the meantime, the day to day operations of librarianship continue, permeated by these anxieties. in this context, libraries have seen the impact of increased corporate domination, budget shortfalls, and the corporatization of higher education. we are gouged by publishers like elsevier who offer package subscriptions with exponentially increasing costs while they rake in exceptionally high profits. elsevier had a . % profit margin in amounting to about $ billion (elsevier fact sheet, ). many corporate library vendors have consolidated to further ensure market power and control, a process which has often rewarded the largest companies. these companies are positioned to potentially consolidate further during the covid- pandemic. this is in part because they have the resources to further entrench their products in libraries by offering services that are free in the short term, but convert to high cost in the long term. while companies like elsevier make record profits, library workers of all types face increasingly precarious work arrangements and they serve students who are anxious about affording skyrocketing tuition as well as outrageous textbook prices. students are facing an information climate in which it is difficult to know which sources to trust because of an abundance of political information and disinformation. simultaneously, their data is being extracted by numerous social media sites (likely owned by facebook or google) and library vendors and publishers (lamdan, ), and their behavior is being manipulated by corporate algorithms seeking profits and political power. in the midst of these challenges, each term, teaching librarians get the opportunity to teach students information literacy (il). how can librarians use this opportunity to work locally with students to think through and have an impact on these massive political and economic problems? in her blog post information literacy’s third wave, barbara fister argues that we are entering a third wave of il education, a wave that focuses on the systems that structure our information environment. the first wave involved teaching students to answer questions through navigating library resources. the second consisted of teaching students how to maneuver the rise of the internet as an unwieldy site of information circulation. the third wave, she argues, needs to respond to the vast commodification of the internet. she demands that we “have to think about the economics underlying both the distrust of institutions and these new institutions of capital that depend on gathering and analyzing the minutia of our lives for predictive and persuasive purposes….” librarian scholars are piecing together new ways to understand and teach about information structures. librarians aptly describe the neoliberal foundations of il and make a strong case for how learners should be aware of knowledge construction in media (nicholson, ; drabinski, ; seale, ; enright, ; eisenhower and smith, ; haggerty and scott, ; bussell, ). but, to this point, the conversation has not fully developed into a coherent analytical force that describes the hierarchies that guide the flow of money in information systems. the field of political economy (of communication) can provide answers to some of these challenges, and tie them together in a theory that we cannot ignore.   the “information has value” frame of the association of college & research libraries’ (acrl) framework for information literacy is a starting point for developing a political economic approach to il. the goal of this essay is to recruit marx and subsequent political economists of communication/information to sketch out a basic political economy of information capitalism. ultimately, this article seeks to understand the dynamics of information capitalism so that through our teaching we can use this understanding to mount credible, comprehensive challenges to the system itself. library workers and students need to think and act democratically and collectively in order to address the problems posed by information capitalism. this article will introduce the opportunities presented by the value frame, appraise the strengths and weaknesses of current political economic thinking in il education, and expand on the concept of political economy and what it offers il. i will then present a basic theory of information capitalism which includes the concepts of value, commodification, commodity fetish, concentration of ownership, labor, and surveillance. i conclude with recommendations for teaching information capitalism and alternatives, including ways to transform the system individually and collectively. information has value the “information has value” frame provides a welcome opening to discuss information capitalism, including the commodification of information, information labor, concentration of ownership, and audience data extraction/surveillance. the value frame is part of the framework for information literacy for higher education produced by the acrl ( ). it evolved from the previous information literacy (il) “standard” that urged students to “understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally.”  while the standard shied away from critical analysis of information structures and simply demanded that we act ethically and legally within existing information structures, the value frame prompts us to teach economic dimensions of il more critically. although many might not interpret it through a marxist lens, the new frame recognizes that information “production and dissemination” is influenced by “legal and socioeconomic interests”.  it notes that expert researchers should understand that “value may be wielded by powerful interests in ways that marginalize certain voices”, but that this value may also be used by “individuals and organizations to effect change and for civic, economic, social, or personal gains”. while the frame implores researchers to understand their “rights and responsibilities” when participating in information communities, it also recommends that researchers thoughtfully “comply with” and “contest current legal and socioeconomic practices concerning the value of information”. in other words, it not only asks us to understand the rules of information communities, but also to challenge unjust structures. and while it includes some of the tone of the standard by centering source citation, those of us seeking to understand and transform our current information structures can use the value frame as an entryway. it is not perfect, but it provides an institutionalized opportunity to explore and teach how information is bought, sold, and produced through labor. this political economy approach is rooted in marxist theory and the analysis of subsequent political economists of communication, which seek to comprehensively understand and challenge information capitalism. information literacy as a neoliberal project to this point, librarians have not fully outlined a political economy of information literacy (il) education, and the majority of the political economic discussion in libraries has been dedicated to showing the ways that information literacy has a neoliberal capitalist orientation. neoliberal capitalism is a global political project initiated in the mid- ’s by members of the capitalist class (those with ownership stakes in large businesses and corporations). they had the political backing of powerful government officials and the intellectual backing of chicago school economists and the austrian-british economist friedrich hayek. they had two primary goals: ( ) converting as much of human activity as possible into market-based exchange; ( ) transferring wealth to economic elites— and while this second goal was not explicit, when these two goals were in conflict, the second goal was to take precedence (harvey, ). this capitalist class effort was in response to difficulties in making profit. limits on capital’s ability to realize profit included corporate taxes, the falling rate of profit, and decolonization efforts in the global south that threatened capital’s exploitation of labor and resources from these areas. in many economies across the globe, neoliberals were successful at privatizing or eliminating government-provided social services (e.g. food, health, housing, and education). many scholars (smyth et al, ; o’sullivan, ) have shown that neoliberalism has influenced universities by turning higher education into a commodity as opposed to a fundamental right. for example, the massive increases in tuition and fees for public institutions, the stripping of tenure through the stark increase in adjunct faculty, etc.  in the last decade, librarians have paid considerable attention to the influence of neoliberalism on information literacy. both enright ( ) and seale ( ) argue that information literacy under neoliberal capitalism aimed to produce perfect neoliberal individuals. these imagined atomized individuals do not think collectively, but instead are able to use information to successfully navigate markets in order to better themselves and to be productive employees. nicholson ( ) argues that libraries are being swept into the corporatization of the university and that il is primarily about preparing people to compete in the international market. this results in the corporate culture-like quantitative assessment permeating il practice. eisenhower and smith ( ) are concerned that the higher education classroom in the neoliberal era is too commodified and entrenched in social and economic hierarchies to effectively challenge capitalism. they are even skeptical that librarians can use critical pedagogy without our efforts being co-opted by the corporate university. drabinski ( ), in a strategic twist, argues that il emerged from the context of neoliberalism, but nonetheless provides an opening for librarians. librarians now have a seat at the curricular table and we can use the opportunity to implement changes that benefit librarians and students in their local contexts. drabinski’s argument is an example of political economy thinking in that she roots il in history, but leaves room for struggle and change in the analysis. i hope to build on these arguments, recognizing that il teaching practices are shaped by a capitalist context, but also recognizing that we can take il in a direction that challenges information capitalism. that is where a political economic approach to teaching il enters the picture.  political economy for il a political economy lens for analyzing information creates many opportunities for teaching librarians and students alike. some define political economy simply as the relationship between democracy (how decisions are made about fundamental aspects of our daily lives) and the economy (how we sustain and reproduce ourselves materially) (mcchesney, ). a central question in political economy is: who has decision-making power and control over the production and dissemination of the materials humans need to sustain daily life? a political economy approach to information undoes the ideological damage wrought by mainstream economics. mainstream economics attempted to naturalize the laws of capitalism as though they are universal truths and the only way to conduct economic activity, as if capitalist economics were a natural science (mosco, ). this approach to economics forecloses the possibility for everyday non-elite people to change the structure of the economy to be more just. political economy has been around much longer than the modern discipline of economics. it is a long-standing intellectual tradition that maintains that the way in which humans provide life’s necessities is not natural or inevitable, but is something that can be altered through political struggle.  mosco ( ) describes four central features of a political economy analysis. ( ) a commitment to history. library workers’ economic analysis should understand the way in which historical transformation and social change occurs. in marx’s view, history is shaped by class struggle or the conflict over the fruits of human labor in any given society. for example, in our capitalist society, history is shaped by the conflict between those who own the means of production (capitalist class) and those of us who have to sell our labor for a living (working class). ( ) the social totality. rejecting the fragmentation of political and social realities, political economy reveals the big picture of our social and economic life. in other words, political economy asks: “how are power and wealth related and how are these in turn connected to cultural and social life” (p. )? ( ) moral philosophy. political economy is concerned with the underlying values and beliefs that are emphasized in economic systems (e.g. self-interest, collective well-being, or liberation from exploitation, etc.). ( ) social praxis. this is the unity between thought/theory and action. political economy theorizes our current world and possible future worlds and helps us do the work of moving towards those worlds.  additionally, a political economy of information enables us to understand the material basis for information production and dissemination. people make money by commodifying information which in turn consolidates power into elites’ hands. the political economy of information unveils how information producers are exploited for the profit of a few. in this sense, it helps us sharpen our identification of elites with concentrated power. this is particularly useful when the current popular discourse describes a wide range of people as “liberal elites” (e.g. academics, college students, media workers, etc.), which muddies the collective understanding of who is elite. political economy exposes the problems of commodifying information and identifies trends across multiple information markets like textbook, scholarly communication, and news media markets. it reveals similarities and contrasts between information markets and other kinds of commodity markets that library workers can use to, among other things, connect broader anti-capitalist struggles to anti-information capitalist struggles.  finally, a political economy of information capitalism sparks our imagination around avenues for resistance. since information capitalism is the dominant system, and has complex defense mechanisms, we need to devise comprehensive ways to push back against co-optation of our creative capacities. using the social praxis described above, how can teaching librarians work with our students to challenge information capitalism in impactful ways? teaching economic dimensions of il: toward more than source evaluation there are several promising attempts within the library literature to think about information literacy through an economic lens, but these largely emphasize individual solutions like source evaluation. some scholar-practitioners have applied critical media literacy (cml) to teaching information literacy in ways that work to help students think analytically about media production. cml is a pedagogical framework for a variety of educational contexts and age ranges, that comes out of cultural studies (bussell ). cml focuses on teaching students how to critically read and understand the media as well as participate in alternative media production. brayton and casey ( ) combine cml and il to teach their credit course. in this method, they have students identify ideology and propaganda in news sources. they also have students reflect on the capitalist paradigm by asking questions about info commodification such as: should information even be sold? lastly, they have students reflect on collective intelligence by having them encounter wikipedia.  hilary bussell ( ) also uses cml to support il teaching in a credit context. she applies the cml framework to the value frame because it provides an opportunity to discuss the socioeconomic and cultural underpinnings of information. bussell’s approach emphasizes understanding how meaning is made through news production and includes a component on media ownership and structure. bussell’s cml teaching practice critically culminates in a project in which students make their own media, an empowering way to have students engage with the issues addressed by cml.  haggerty and scott ( ) use media and information production to teach the legal dimensions of current information economics. in their chapter on teaching copyleft in credit courses, they discuss the way in which copyright was originally designed to spur creativity and was much more limited than the copyright policies we have today. breaking from its origins, copyright has evolved to primarily benefit corporations, which actually dissuades creativity (mcchesney ). in their view, it is important to teach the limitations of copyright and to enlighten students about alternatives like copyleft which is defined as: “a movement responding to the constraints of traditional copyright by allowing the licensed work to be used, modified, and distributed as determined by the work’s creator” (haggerty and scott, p. ). like other librarian scholars discussed earlier, they advocate student production of sources to teach the value of information.  these additions to the conversation are helpful, but they also present certain limitations. their strength is in the interpretive and ideological side of the information economy. in order for students to understand the dynamics of information capitalism we have to provide them with a theory that helps them interpret the system across multiple sites. the narrow focus of copyleft and cml cannot do this alone.  they also do not center capitalism, which weakens their analysis of the system of source production. this article seeks to build a more comprehensive approach. focusing on capitalism is necessary for improving our understanding of ideology and interpretation. however, despite these shortcomings, the teaching activities presented by these authors fit well into a broader political economic approach and should be consulted going forward.  char booth ( ) begins to address this more comprehensive picture under the banner of information privilege. their concept is very influential. so much so that it appears in the official information has value frame under the dispositions: “learners who are developing their information literate abilities…are inclined to examine their own information privilege.” information privilege is the notion that people have different access to information sources based on their position in society and institutional affiliations. for example, students at an institution of higher education have temporary privileged access to proprietary databases and the thousands of scholarly journal articles that they contain. students might not notice this privilege until they get out of school and experience various paywalls when attempting to access sources. part of teaching the concept of information privilege is uncovering these underlying issues and injustices. booth also hopes to encourage more open forms of information creation, critique of profit motives (although they do not elaborate on this in their original blog post) and to examine personal and institutional privilege. they have students think about the profit drivers beneath paywalls, the value of the openness of publications, and how to help those without information privilege circumvent strict licensing agreements.  in a talk for oclc, booth ( ) presents an even more comprehensive view of information privilege. they connect fighting white nationalism, advocating for higher wages for workers, eliminating overdue fees, and food and housing insecurity all to paywalls. booth also points to attempts by for-profit companies to co-opt the open access movement. they make mention of collective action in supporting the efforts to challenge information privilege by fighting for information justice. booth’s work pushes us towards a political economy analysis of information and i want to build from their information privilege concept towards a more comprehensive understanding of information capitalism. i suggest that we supplement the term information privilege with the term information capitalism because, as keeanga-yamahtta taylor argues, the concept of privilege without an analysis of capitalism muddies the overall picture of the political world. it obscures our ability to identify the elites and those who have power in a capitalist society, i.e. the capitalist class (taylor, ). this is not to say that privilege does not exist across or within classes, because it certainly does, but the phrase tends to focus on individuals who are not necessarily the owners of the means of information production and distribution, but are granted privileges by those owners. the process of granting privileges to certain groups is an essential capitalist strategy for maintaining power and avoiding a change in the overall social and economic structure. while individual students certainly have power, the vast majority are not members of the capitalist class and do not own the databases to which they have access. they are merely granted temporary access with their institutional affiliation. an information capitalism approach may alienate some students who are part of the capitalist class, or who strongly identify with this class. however, this approach gives members of these groups the opportunity to examine the issue structurally so they may see how inequality is produced. it is possible for members of this class to become allies of working class struggles. an example of this is resource generation, an organization that helps people who have inherited wealth funnel that wealth towards grassroots movements. this structural, information capitalism approach opens up collective inquiry and action as opposed to a focus on information privilege which emphasizes individual inquiry. foundations of information capitalism the current dominant global economic system is capitalism, a system that also dominates the production and distribution of information. capitalism is complex, but we can most simply define it as an economic system that includes strong private property protections, private ownership of the means of production, and a strong emphasis on markets for the distribution of goods and selling of one’s labor. i use the term information capitalism to describe our information economy because it largely fits into capitalist parameters. the fundamentals of capitalism apply to information capitalism and information markets in many ways, but information capitalism includes some complexities that require further exploration. key areas of focus are commodification of information, ownership, labor, and audience data extraction and surveillance. value the il frame states that information has value, but how does the political economy tradition define value? when defining value, marx is a fruitful starting place because value is a concept he spent a great deal of time and care developing. the marxian political economy tradition is central because his project sought to describe and disrupt capitalism and this inquiry is seeking to understand and challenge capitalist information relations. keep in mind, marx dedicated much of his work to describing capitalism from the inside, so he did not intend for his categories of value and beyond to be universal truths. instead, they are descriptions of the way that each concept works within capitalism. these concepts, like value and labor, can exist outside of capitalism, but they would take a different form (henderson, ).  in his enduringly influential work capital, marx ( ) began his inquiry into value, and capital itself, by examining the most basic unit of the system: a single commodity. commodities are goods that are produced for sale on markets. they may seem simple, but when examined closely, they have many sides: use-values, exchange-values, and values.  first, value is a foundational dimension of a commodity. to marx, value is a socially constructed category, because the value of commodities is in their relationships with one another and the people that produce and desire them. value in capitalism is contingent on labor and social relations in complex ways. therefore labor is a central category for marx, which we will explore further below.  second, commodities have use-values or something that makes it useful to someone. for example, a toothbrush is useful for keeping one’s teeth clean, avoiding cavities, and controlling breath odor. an information-based example would be a highly-cited scientific scholarly article published by elsevier. the article is useful because it provides unique insights on a scientifically important topic. all commodities have a use-value because if they cease to have a use-value then they are no longer commodities and are no longer available on the market.  finally, the last dimension of the commodity is the exchange-value. this is essentially the price that a producer can obtain by selling the commodity. a toothbrush might sell for something like $ - us dollars. the highly-cited scientific scholarly article published by elsevier might sell for something like $ - . in this way, all commodities are exchangeable through money. if something is not exchangeable for money it ceases to be a commodity on the market. ownership and exploitation most basically, we can delineate two major categories in capitalism: ( ) those who own the means of production (or communication) and ( ) those who do not. the non-owners or the working class tend to be what marx calls “doubly free”: “freed” from owning the means of production, and “free” to sell their labor as the only way to sustain their lives. this is often under coercive and exploitative conditions. the owners purchase workers’ labor in order to keep their profits flowing, which helps them reproduce themselves in their role as owners. there are owners of the toothbrush factory and then there are the workers who make the toothbrushes. there are owners of publishers like elsevier and there are (paid and unpaid) workers like copy editors and scholars who produce the published content.  owners exploit labor by paying workers less than what they produce in value. this is called surplus value or profit, which is one of the primary subjects of class struggle. since profits are created on the backs of productive workers, they are alienated from the products of their labor. this is central to the productive function of capitalism or how it is ever expanding. people always get paid less than they are worth. this coincides with outright theft, primitive accumulation, or accumulation by dispossession (harvey, ), which is how “free laborers” came into to being. examples of this are slavery and the outright theft of land from native americans. this also coincides with gendered reproductive labor that women traditionally do: activities like housework in factory-worker homes in which women did not get direct remuneration. a more just vision of political economy calls for democratic control and ownership over the surplus value and labor conditions. to be clear, capitalist exploitation is deeply intertwined with racism and patriarchy. cedric robinson ( ), who popularized the term racial capitalism, argued convincingly that capitalism always required racial differentiation and exploitation to function. silvia federici ( ) and others prove the same for gendered exploitation. the primary manifestations of racial and gender differentiation in capitalism are the production of racist and sexist ideologies, differentiated work arrangements across racial and gender identities, and disparities in the flow of material resources, i.e. varying degrees of exploitation. capitalists exploit these socially produced hierarchies in order to drive wages down and control workers. this uneven exploitation is evident in academia where women and people of color are rendered more vulnerable to the exploitative scholarly publishing process. it is difficult to take risks by publishing outside of the mainstream commodified journals when you are already under scrutiny based on marginalized identities. in this sense, being anti-capitalist also requires being anti-racist and anti-patriarchal. commodity fetish another concept from marx is the commodity fetish. capitalism fetishizes commodities in the circulation process by obscuring the social relations (hierarchies) involved in producing a commodity across space and time. we don’t see the factory conditions, how much the workers are paid, or the profits made by the owners of the toothbrush company when we purchase a toothbrush. we don’t see the struggle or ease through which the author was able to write their scientific scholarly article. nor do we see their paycheck, working/living conditions, and the profits elsevier makes when they sell the article. the commodity fetish also makes the process of exchange appear as though it creates profit for capitalists instead of the exploitation of workers. this false notion allows capitalists to claim to be the creators of profit because they circulate commodities. instead, workers created the surplus-value and profit, and are paid less than what they produced, if at all. they also have no democratic say over the fruits of their labor. the cycle of a scholarly journal article commodity  commodified information has a similar cycle to other commodity forms, with some variations. as a transition to examining the peculiarities of information capitalism, take the commodity cycle of a scholarly journal article as an example. this is a process that many library workers are familiar with, but its perniciousness becomes more clear in the context of examining information capitalism. a scientist, who is employed at a public university in the united states, wants to share their findings from a study they conducted. they write a scientific paper and send it to a top journal in their field. the journal editor accepts the submission, sends it out to several peer-reviewers, collects their feedback, and returns it to the scientist for changes. after they make changes, the scientist resubmits the paper and it goes through a final editing process. the journal is published by elsevier and elsevier provides excellent editing for this particular journal. the scientist approves of the edits and signs their copyright over to elsevier to circulate the article. elsevier then sells the article through database package subscriptions or through online article purchases by non-institutionally affiliated individuals. the scientist receives no remuneration for the sale and distribution of their work. instead, they may receive accolades from their colleagues, credit towards tenure, or the social satisfaction of sharing their research with the scientific community.  elsevier makes unparalleled profits off the sale of the scientists’ (and other scholars’) work. many scholars may condone this practice because they feel as though elsevier and other companies provide them with a service, but a growing number of faculty are dissatisfied and want to see their work shared more equitably (mckenzie, ).  again, this process makes scholars with precarious work arrangements and marginalized identities more vulnerable since they will likely be pressured to publish as much as they can in the most prestigious journals possible. these scholars have very little power and are easily exploited in these scenarios.  how did we arrive at a situation in which scholars gift their intellectual production to a massive corporation with no monetary compensation? in brief, the answer to this question is found in the power dynamics of scholarly publishing over the last - years (young, ). there was more competition in publishing at the beginning of this period, but the unique qualities of journals caused prices to rise at a high rate year after year. this became unsustainable for library budgets and major companies like elsevier started to claim that they could save libraries money by switching to digital publishing and selling libraries large packages of bundled journals. their promises of savings never came to fruition and instead prices continued to rise while competition shrank as major publishers bought up smaller publishers and scholarly associations.  this is a common story in information markets and the following exploration of the peculiarities of information capitalism help explain the construction and vulnerabilities of this commodity cycle. commodification of information, concentration, and oligopoly  the commodification of information may seem mundane and natural, but when examined closely the process presents many political economy problems. information is a “peculiar” commodity in that it does not get used up during its consumption. this is sometimes called a non-rival or non-excludable good. non-rival goods are different from most commodities,  which are exhausted in their consumption. for example, a toothbrush has a fairly short life, or at least that’s what my dentist says. in contrast, information remains usable after it is consumed and more than one person can consume the same information simultaneously. the contents of our scientific scholarly journal article remain after a patron reads them. furthermore, information of this sort is extremely inexpensively copied, especially in the internet era. in fact, some have called the internet “the largest copy machine” (kelly, ). but abundant goods do not have high exchange values, therefore information capitalists have to develop an artificial scarcity in information markets in order to increase exchange values. copyright laws and paywalls are erected around all types of digital information. as library workers and allies continue to build a politics of anti-information-capitalism, we need to know that information is an abundant resource. for examples of information abundance we can look to anti-information-commodification projects like wikipedia, oer, and free alternative news media. when information is commodified and sold on markets, this produces powerful ownership concentrations. political economists of information have documented the tendency for information markets to produce monopolies and oligopolies (mosco, ; fuchs, ; hardy, ). this type of concentration is endemic to information markets. currently, it is observable in textbook, scholarly communication, and news media markets.  in scholarly communication, the percentage of publications published by the top publishers increased dramatically over the last years in the social sciences.  for example, the top publishers published % of psychology publications in and that number steadily grew to over % in (larivière et al, ).  % of total textbook sales in went to companies (senack and donoghue, ). the top companies are currently pearson, cengage, and mcgraw-hill. in , according to their respective annual reports, these three companies controlled a combined % of the higher education textbook market with pearson at %, mcgraw-hill at %, and cengage at %. furthermore, in mcgraw-hill and cengage embarked on a bid to merge their two companies and further concentrate ownership in the market. two of the major problems associated with this concentration are the stark increase in textbook prices and the limited representation of people of color and women as both authors and subjects.  and lastly, there is concentration across print news and broadcast media. in the uk, for example, the top three newspaper companies controlled . % of the market in (hardy, , p. ), a trend which was stable for over ten years. a similar scenario exists in the us (abernathy, ). while these three examples are not exhaustive, they demonstrate that information markets have a consistent feature of ownership concentration.  this tendency exists in information markets for several reasons. first, markets tend toward concentration of ownership as marx observed, but info markets are particularly vulnerable because media is a public good and, in order to commodify it, a significant amount of legal and social effort must go into building the infrastructure that prevents copying and distributing it freely. for this reason, any market advantage is crucial because power players get to set the parameters that ensure their survival in the market (garnham, ). also, when a company gets a majority of advertising market shares, they can use the power of advertising to direct more traffic to themselves. this makes it very difficult for new companies to enter into competition. the barriers to entry are vast. (herman and chomsky, ) the ramifications of such an oligopolistic system are severe. political economy of communication scholar christian fuchs ( ) provides a non-exhaustive outline of the consequences of market concentration which is worth quoting at length: 	ideological power: corporations that produce or organise content have the power to provide material that aims to influence what people consider as correct and valuable views of reality and as truth. corporate monopolies hence have an ideological function; they can potentially lead to the simplification of complex realities.  	labour standards: monopoly corporations can set low labour standards (especially concerning wages) in their industry sector. 	political power: in capitalism, money is entangled with political power; hence monopolies enable huge political influence of a small group of people.  	control of prices: monopolies have the economic power to control prices of goods and services. 	control of technological standards: monopolies have the power to define and control technological standards. 	dependency of customers: controlling the power to define technological standards also means that the need of customers to buy evermore media technologies in order to remain up to date can be generated. hence a potential result is an increasing dependency on commodities produced by one corporation and increasing monopoly profits.  	economic centralization: monopoly capital deprives others of economic opportunities.  	quality: a monopolist might care less about quality because there are no alternatives to choose from for consumers.  	consumer surveillance and censorship: if content and applications are monopolized—that is, most users have to rely on certain products of single media companies—operations of surveillance (i.e., monitoring, statistically evaluating, and recording audience and user behaviour, which content they create and consume, and how and what they communicate) and censorship can be carried out easier and more completely than in the case of several competing companies. this concerns especially communication technologies, such as phones and the internet. (p. ) noble ( ) additionally demonstrates that information oligopolies can have devastating results for cultural content and reproduce racialized and sexist stereotypes (i.e. racist search results in google). also, in her exploration of the proliferation of fake news and disinformation, cooke ( ) describes the ways in which media concentration over the last several decades led to the weakening of information vetting practices and altered the construction of truth. for these reasons, the politics of anti-capitalist library workers includes challenging the commodification of information, the selling of information on markets, and its subsequent concentration of power into a few hands. labor and exploitation labor and exploitation are crucial starting places for teaching students about information capitalism because they are components with which students will likely relate. there are two primary forms of exploited labor in information capitalism: waged labor and unpaid prosumer (someone who is simultaneously a producer and consumer) labor. waged laborers have an arrangement that resembles that of traditional factory workers. they produce a product for a wage, but the owner pays them less than the worth of what they produce. the boss appropriates the surplus profit. there are laborers in this category that work across the range of jobs available in the information capitalist job market. for example, there are miners in regions of africa who extract minerals that are essential for modern computing (coltan, cobalt, etc). without them, many of our mainstream information technologies like cellphones and computers would not function. there is extensive documentation showing that these workers are super-exploited (exposed, ). there are also programmers that work for companies like amazon and facebook who make well over $ k per year and have a relatively privileged lifestyle. despite their relative privilege, these workers are paid less than the amount of value that they produce and are by definition exploited. tech companies appropriate the surplus profit these workers produce through software development.  students might particularly see themselves in the second category of unpaid prosumer laborers. this is the everyday social media user or even cell phone owner. people who through using a particular app or platform produce value without receiving payment. for example, facebook users do not get paid, but if all users decided to stop using the platform,  the company would be unable to make money. some scholars point to the similarity between this labor relationship and marxist feminist critiques of gendered labor (terranova, ). in industrial-era gendered labor arrangements, women performed the daily tasks of taking care of men so that they could fill the factories and produce commodities. this is called reproductive labor. their care work was not paid, but was essential for producing value. while there is a qualitative difference between the experiences of reproductive work in these two eras, the industrial era being associated with hard physical labor and the facebook era being associated with entertainment/leisure, the arrangement is comparable. both groups were/are essential to the process of producing profit through social interaction and care, and both did/do not get directly paid for their work. the prosumer arrangement raises questions about alternative forms of value, since value is created through everyday activities of everyday people. here, the autonomist marxist tradition argues that value is created through human social relations, highlighting one of marx’s concepts outlined in the grundrisse: the general intellect. this is the notion that human knowledge is collective and there are contradictions involved in privatizing it. the value created through human social relations should be shared with all! however, in capitalism, the general intelligence is easily integrated into the capitalist ownership structure. the task at hand is to revolutionize those relations so that the fruits of our labor can be shared. (terranova, ; hardt and negri, ) surveillance technology companies’ data collection and surveillance practices are now a powerful force in information capitalism, an additionally relatable issue for students. in order to understand the origins of tech surveillance we can go back to print news media that was dependent on ad revenue. to sell ad space and compete in the news market, a news media company needed to know as much as possible about its readers. the more a company knows about a user group, the more they can target them with ads that are geared towards them. in the internet age this evolved to emphasize gathering data on individual users as opposed to groups in interfaces like google and facebook, etc. in order to target individuals for ads. mosco ( ) calls this process of commodifying personal information, which is spurred by the necessities of market competition, immanent commodification.  further, the competition and the level of data gathered by companies have morphed into what zuboff ( ) calls surveillance capitalism, which is an economy that relies on the secret production of data profiles of individuals to urge them to act in certain ways. this enables tech companies and other elites to manipulate behavior in massive and alarming ways. one example of this was the cambridge analytica scandal in which a political firm accessed comprehensive data on million facebook users in order to manipulate their vote in the us election. sarah lamdan’s ( ) work demonstrates that surveillance capitalist logic applies to library resources as well. for example, thomas reuters sells user data to united states immigration and customs enforcement (ice). this form of information capitalism raises an alarm about human autonomy as companies and governments can have unprecedented sway over individuals. and for this reason, and reasons raised above, library workers need to undermine information capitalism. moving forward in the il classroom and beyond there are two primary components of an anti-information capitalism pedagogy that library workers can use moving forward. first, teaching about information capitalism, and second, organizing against information capitalism for what char booth calls information justice. an information capitalism il curriculum should focus on three categories outlined above. these are ( ) the commodification of information, ( ) information labor, and ( ) surveillance and privacy. a critical pedagogy rooted in student experience and liberation compliments each of these areas. students have myriad experiences with these areas. they have paid for expensive textbooks and hit paywalls for scholarly articles; they produce value through social media and databases search activity; and they have heard about personal data surveillance or experienced intrusive advertising. these common experiences make it easy to spark passionate student-centered conversations in the il classroom.  the energy, passion, and outrage generated by conversations about the harms of information capitalism can be directed towards organizing for information justice. in this sense, our il teaching expands beyond the walls of the literal classroom. library workers can pivot from conversations in which students sharpen their analysis of information economy to action that challenges the system. this action should be collective and organized. in credit-bearing classes, for example, students can work together on a campaign raising awareness of corporate media bias and ways to support alternative media. in one-shot instruction contexts, teaching librarians can channel righteous student anger about the high costs of textbooks towards grassroots campus oer initiatives. or, make room for students to direct the course of action. what do they think would be the most impactful ways to redress the harms of information capitalism and transform the system? additionally, library workers should continue to build their own ongoing anti-information capitalism organizing efforts. the most important organizing effort is for library workers to support the organization (union and otherwise) of information laborers of all types. organized workers can use their power to oppose the commodification of information and support alternatives, and pressure surveillance capitalists to stop extracting personal data. there is a wide variety of approaches to challenging information capitalism, but social praxis is central to any approach. engaging in theorizing the information economy landscape, taking action to change the unequal power relations, reflecting on the action, and repeating the process. conclusions the current form of information capitalism presents a range of significant problems, but it would be too bleak to only explore the problems without presenting alternatives and potential avenues for resistance. part of the pedagogy for information capitalism is to provide space for students to work towards transforming the system. in order to transform the system we can ask ourselves the question that the organizing collective movement generation asks as they develop strategy: “how can we come up with alternatives that starve the system?” (brown and brown, ). this first starts by understanding the system in order to avoid inadvertently reinforcing it in our acts of rebellion. one method for resistance is the individual strategy of evaluation. knowing the possibility of financial conflicts of interest that information producers have can help analyze the claims made by different outlets. how do the financial relationships of news organizations impact their coverage of certain topics? for example, how does the advertising support of big oil companies impact coverage of the climate crisis? students can use their understanding of information capitalism as well as these questions to guide their choice of sources for class assignments and other needs.  however, political economy approaches ask us to go beyond this narrow individual approach to think systemically and act collectively. again, political economy imagines that our economic arrangements are not natural or permanent, but constructed and changeable based on political organizing. this organizing should come from everyday people, workers (paid and unpaid) and our allies, and should challenge the social relations of information capitalism. in other words, organizing should move towards building power for the people who do the work and create the value, not economic elites or information capitalists. it means tearing down paywalls that block the flow of information that was created by the general intellect.  some alternatives that have the potential to build power and challenge information capitalism are open education (oe), open access publishing, and alternative media. in the oe movement, educators who believe that education is a human right realized that commodified textbooks are a barrier or burden to accessing education for many students. while the movement is producing real challenges for the textbook oligopoly, there are still debates about whether textbook commodities are appropriate, even when they have oe components. these decisions will be made in the coming years and educators with a political economic analysis should weigh in on this debate. but when working with students to challenge information capitalist social relations, the following questions are starting places: how can students and educators partner to support oe, open access publishing, collectively generated knowledge like wikipedia, and alternative media? how can they partner to challenge social media data extraction and surveillance with campaigns like wages for facebook? government regulation of tech company products, including racist search engine results is another option that noble proposed ( ). given the fact that governments have largely been captured by capitalist interests, can they be potential allies in anti-information capitalism struggles? what forums can we use to urge governments to regulate extractive tech companies, if any? working with students on these questions will assuredly produce exciting projects! acknowledgements writing this article was more of a collective than an individual project and i would like to acknowledge the incredible group of people that supported me in writing and publishing it. romel espinel and ian beilin’s formal peer-reviews were essential to polishing and clarifying my ideas. thank you to ryan randall for his expert editorial guidance throughout the process. several colleagues helped me develop and teach with the framework presented in this article. thank you to caitlan maxwell, katy dichter, lynn kanne, the librarians at uw bothell and cascadia college and the librarians at seattle central college. and thank you to christian anderson, emily drabinski, becca meredith, ben ellenwood, and vincent mosco for providing feedback on earlier drafts of the paper. bibliography  abernathy, p. m. 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( ). free labor: producing culture for the digital economy. social text, ( )( ), - . retrieved from google scholar database. young, p. ( ). the serials crisis and open access: a white paper for the virginia tech commission on research. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/ / /oawhitepaper.pdf?sequence= &isallowed=y  			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries 							the library commons: an imagination and an invocation 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : day in review (august – , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jun 					 				 				 					natalia fernández and beth filar williams					/ comment 				 											creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief the work of social justice, equity, and inclusion is not a short-term investment by a limited number of people; instead, it should be a part of every library’s and librarian’s work. at the oregon state university libraries (osul), we felt that in order to create a program dedicated to employing mlis students of color, it was essential to understand the systems and histories of oppression, as well as the culture of whiteness, within our state, our university, our library, and ourselves. while the bulk of this article is dedicated to an in-depth explanation of the development and implementation of our diversity scholars program (dsp) to support mlis students of color, we first share information about our local context, specifically the ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion work within our library, as well as the professional literature that addresses these issues. the purpose of our case study is to provide a roadmap of our program, with lessons learned, for other academic libraries to consider creating a program like ours at their institution. we cover why and how the osul created the dsp, how the program functions, as well as current assessment practices used by the dsp committee to surface the already visible impacts of the program while we work towards the long-term goals of culture and systems change. within the article we have integrated the perspectives of the diversity scholars and the osul university librarian to create a more robust and thorough accounting of the work required to create and launch such a program. by natalia fernandez and beth filar williams introduction  master of library science students, particularly those getting online degrees, need experiences in libraries to better prepare them for their post-mlis careers. offering a concurrent opportunity to gain experience working in a library setting while earning an online degree provides this needed experience to not only obtain a holistic understanding of libraries, but also to focus and discover areas of interest. within the library and archives profession there are various programs and initiatives dedicated to supporting new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians and archivists, programs such as the association of research libraries (arl) kaleidoscope program, the arl/society of american archivists mosaic program, the american library association spectrum scholarship program, and the university of arizona knowledge river program. each of these programs, and other programs like these, offer mlis students of color scholarships or paid employment, mentoring, leadership and professional development opportunities, and career placement assistance. additionally, the association of college and research libraries (acrl) diversity alliance is a group of institutions with post-mlis residency programs also dedicated to supporting librarians and archivists of color to succeed and thrive within the profession. these programs exist as part of various equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives within the library and archives profession on the national level, through both the american library association and the society of american archivists, to address the whiteness of the profession, both in demographics and culture (strand, ). for these initiatives to fully develop and be impactful, institutions on the local level need to understand their culture and environment in order to consider implementation of a program that supports mlis students of color.   on the local level, at the oregon state university libraries (osul), we have hosted numerous mlis students over the years in paid positions, for credit internships, and practicums to offer a variety of work experiences, learning opportunities, and mentorship as they enter into the profession. in the mid- s, as part of the osul’s - strategic plan our institution recognized diversity as a core value with a goal to “sustain an intentional and inclusive organization” and an action item to “increase the diversity of the osu libraries and press workforce.” we recognized that our library had never proactively and systemically engaged in the recruitment, employment, and retention of mlis students of color. however, we also recognized that this was not a box to be checked, and that we needed to think holistically about our libraries’ environment and culture and how it would impact mlis students of color working with us, especially considering that our own library is a reflection of a majority white profession (ala diversity counts). we knew that we could not ignore the implicit and explicit systemic racism, the white supremacy narrative, and whiteness as a culture that exists within our library and is a reflection of our profession and our society.    the work of social justice, equity, and inclusion is not a short-term investment by a limited number of people; instead, it should be a part of every library and librarian’s work. though “it is clear that the information professions are now in the midst of a conversation about whiteness…not everyone is participating, and many remain unaware that the conversation is happening” (espinal et al., p. ). we each need to do our part. hence, it was essential for the osu libraries, especially those of us involved in the process to create a program dedicated to employing mlis students of color, to understand the systems and histories of oppression, as well as the culture of whiteness, within our state, our university, our library, and ourselves. while the bulk of this article is dedicated to an in-depth explanation of the development and implementation of our diversity scholars program to support mlis students of color, we will first share information about our local context, specifically the ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion work within our library, as well as the professional literature that addresses these issues.     who we are both the state of oregon and oregon state university have a dark history in their treatment of people of color as well as lgbtqia communities. past state and local laws excluded people of color from land ownership, prevented marriage between whites and those of other races and ethnic backgrounds, and discouraged immigration and permanent settlement by non-whites. (millner and thompson, ). however, in resistance to the societal and governmental racism endured, indigenous peoples and people of color in oregon formed community and organizational networks to retain and share their cultural heritage. within oregon, there are community archives, such as the portland chinatown museum and the gay and lesbian archives of the pacific northwest, as well as community led groups to research and share history, such as the oregon black pioneers. there are a number of advocacy groups including, but by no means limited to, the native american youth and family center, the urban league of portland, and pineros y campesinos unidos del noroeste. for us, it is essential to understand the history of our state, as well as the current community initiatives occurring in our state, because this is the environment in which our institution and our library exists. the history of and ongoing systemic injustices and white supremacy on the state level is deeply embedded and active on the local level. within the state’s context, osu is a pwi (a predominantly white institution is an institution of higher learning in which people who identify as white account for % or greater of the student enrollment or the institution is understood as historically white) within a predominantly white state. in the academic year, students of color accounted for just over % of the population of just over , students. this number mirrors oregon’s population estimate of % people of color living in the state. however, the faculty and staff from underrepresented groups is very low in comparison. as examples, of the tenure track, instructor, and research faculty, individuals from underrepresented groups range between . - . % and of the professional faculty and classified staff, the range is only slightly higher at about %. (oregon state university strategic plan . metrics - ). the osu libraries on the main campus in corvallis—with two branch libraries, one on the coast and one in central oregon—employs about faculty and staff, along with about student employees. our library matches the university’s demographics in being a predominantly white identifying library staff, though we often have a majority of underrepresented groups in our student employees.  both the osu campus and the library have, and continue to be, engaged in actions to change the whiteness culture. one of the actions brook, ellenwood & lazzaro suggest libraries can take is to “provide library staff with ongoing opportunities to participate in trainings and other professional development activities that build knowledge of their own cultural backgrounds and assumptions, the racial and ethnic diversity of the campus community, and the history of oppression, power, and privilege experienced by various groups” (p. ). in recent years, osu has been engaging with and revealing its history through educational initiatives, such as a building names evaluation and renaming process that renamed buildings originally named after individuals who were white supremacists, as well as the university’s social justice education initiative (sjei) that includes sjei workshops which examine of the existing systemic and institutionalized racism in oregon and at osu, and the workshops ask participants to understand “how did we get here, how do you locate yourself in this story, and why does social justice matter?” osu also has a search advocate program that trains individuals to participate in search committees to promote equity, validity, and diversity on osu searches. “the goals for diversity and inclusion in librarianship must be expanded to include recruitment, retention, and promotion” (espinal et al.,  p. ) and hence why this search advocate program is critical to make changes holistically on our campus. in connection to the osu libraries, the special collections and archives research center was deeply involved in buildings evaluation and renaming process, our library director strongly encourages all library staff and faculty to participate in the sjei workshops as a part of their work, and though not required by the university, the osu libraries strives for all of its searches to have a search advocate and many librarians are search advocates. the continual offerings of social justice trainings, invited library speakers such as dr. safiya umoja noble, and the search advocate community of practice all help continual growth and learning as the majority in our library have participated. we often follow up with discussions at library meetings on how to apply what we learned, helping us to “work collectively to understand racial microaggressions and to mitigate their impact” (brook, et al., p. ). we have also hosted numerous book groups to discuss and grow as espinal et al. states that we must educate our (white) selves through readings (p. ). titles discussed have included waking up white by debby irving and white fragility by robin d’angelo. both book clubs have allowed us to discuss and be self reflective on our own whiteness and changes we could make in our institution and personal work. osu also knows that it has a lot more work to do and recently launched a campaign – we have work to do – pushing this messaging throughout campus, acknowledging there is not one solution or checkbox, but a need for constant reflective practice and concrete actions. additionally, the osu difference, power, and discrimination (dpd) program works with faculty across all fields and disciplines at osu to develop inclusive curricula that address institutionalized systems of power, privilege, and inequity in the united states. several osu librarians have completed this program as well as work collaboratively with professors who teach dpd courses. within the library, librarians on staff have been observant and intentional in making systematic changes within our library classification, working on adding local headings to change controversial and outdated and often racist subject headings. and, librarians have also been collaborating with community groups to host events such as wikipedia editathon: writing pacific northwest african american history into wikipedia – another way the library is attempting to make systematic changes to our inherent whiteness in libraries.  while these initiatives show ways the osu libraries is growing and working towards combating its whiteness, it is essential for the members of any group thinking of beginning a program to support mlis students of color, to not only participate in these initiatives, but to be very self-reflective in their own identities and privilege. before engaging in a process to research, develop, and implement our program, we had to make sure that we did the work to educate ourselves.       beth: as a young child growing up in the baltimore area, i recall my mom saying she was embarrassed to be white and how terrible it was to be black in this county, reflecting on the injustices people of color face daily, taking me to marches or protesting. she was getting her degree while teaching in a head start program in baltimore city schools, learning and being mentored there as one of only two white people in the school. i don’t remember ever not thinking about racism as a problem in america, but i was hopeful others were like me and my family, accepting people for who they are, not thinking about skin color, helping your community and those in need, and accepting that change was slowly happening. as i got older, i began to realize that racism was deeply embedded in all systems, including librarianship. i learned that it is unhelpful to be colorblind, ignoring the hidden systems of whiteness and racism, and instead, action is needed to speak up, call people out, and continually grow myself. as a white cisgendered female tenured administrator and head of the library experience and access department at oregon state university libraries since , i have more power and influence to actually make inroads to changes in our systems. in my over years in libraries i have worked in various places and positions, but mentoring students, especially mlis students, has been part of whatever job i had and is my passion. based on many experiences throughout my career, and especially during my time at the university of north carolina at greensboro with the diversity resident program, i was able to help create our diversity scholars program and continue on as a committee to mentor the scholars, grow the program, and advocate for both.  natalia: as a latinx cisgender woman interested in pursuing a career in librarianship, specifically within special collections and archives, i was overjoyed to learn that in my home area of southern arizona, the university of arizona knowledge river program specialized in educating information professionals regarding the needs of latinx and native american communities. my experiences as an mlis student in the knowledge river program, including the mentorship i received from both librarians of color and white allies, the paid job opportunities offered through the program, the professional development funds to attend conferences, and the overall experience of being in a cohort of supportive peers, all effectively prepared and empowered me to begin my post-mlis career. my primary job as the curator of the oregon multicultural archives and osu queer archives, a position i have held since late , is to collaborate with lgbtqia and communities of color to empower them to preserve, share, and celebrate their stories. within my position, i have supervised numerous graduate students on various archival projects. in , i co-founded the diversity scholars program committee, and i am the supervisor of the diversity scholars. in order to create an environment in which mlis graduate students can thrive, i use both the lessons learned from others within the profession via conference presentations and publications, as well as reflection upon my own experiences as a knowledge river scholar to inform the ways in which i shape the diversity scholars program. over the course of my life i have been both othered and experienced privilege, i have experienced microaggressions and have made mistakes myself. i actively engage in social justice trainings and conversations, as well as recognize that fully understanding my identities is a process and a life-long journey.        due to our previous professional experiences and personal passions, a significant role for both of us is to ensure that the next generation of librarians includes more people of color who are well supported as they start their careers. as there will always be more mlis students, we also see our role as ensuring that the diversity scholars program is holistically integrated into our library so that even if we moved on to other positions in our careers, the program would remain.   literature review there is a great deal of literature on programs similar to the dsp, as well as the need for the profession to recruit and support more librarians of color. while decades worth of literature exists, for the purposes of our review, we will focus on the publications that most inspired and helped shape our program, and we will specifically highlight a few key publications from within the last five years that we feel are must reads for those considering implementing a similar program.  in order to have a foundation of knowledge for ourselves and to effectively advocate for the need for the dsp, we read publications that addressed the profession’s overwhelming whiteness, not just in staffing demographics, but in the profession’s culture of whiteness and the various systems of oppression working in tandem that continue to perpetuate whiteness. as april hathcock aptly states, “it is no secret that librarianship has traditionally been and continues to be a profession dominated by whiteness.” (hathcock, ) additionally, to learn more and see statistics on this read any of the following: galvan, ; bourg, ; beilin, ; roy, et al., ; boyd, et al., ; pho & masland, ; mcelroy & diaz, ; chang, . whiteness permeates numerous aspects of our profession. scholars such as angela galvan ( ) and april hathcock ( ) bring to light the myriad ways whiteness is embedded more implicitly within our profession through our recruitment and job application processes, and they offer excellent methods to interrogate and interrupt whiteness within those processes. jennifer vinopal ( ) builds upon their work by offering various methods for the profession to go “from awareness to action” as her article title notes.  she advocates for libraries, specifically library leaders, to take on action items such as, but not limited to, creating opportunities for meaningful conversations about equity, diversity, and inclusion; include diversity initiatives in strategic plans and ensure time and support for staff to accomplish them; and proactively recruit job candidates and then follow through with mentoring and professional development opportunities. all of these scholars reference how the race and ethnicity demographics of the profession do not match many of the communities we serve and the profession’s continued failure to address institutional cultures that maintain this dynamic. in response to the ongoing imbalance in our professional culture, boyd. et al. ( ) states, “deliberate and strategic action must be taken to recruit, mentor, and retain new librarians from diverse backgrounds to further increase these numbers in the profession.” (p. )  there are various publications detailing the “how tos” of designing residency programs and positions dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and retaining  people of color as part of diversity initiatives to change the demographics of the profession (boyd, blue, & im; mcelroy & diaz; brewer;  chang; pho &  masland; dewey & keally; cogell & gruwell and many more), so we highlight only a few key pieces. while beilin notes that even with the many diversity initiatives of the past and present “the demographics of librarianship have hardly shifted over the last generation,” he follows that statement by saying, “though their absence would presumably make things much worse.” (p. ) however, it’s not just about doing it, it’s about doing it right, so that when we recruit and hire individuals for positions to specifically support people of color, we want to ensure their work environments are such that they can thrive and choose to remain within the profession. if you are going to read one book, the book developing a residency program (practical guides for librarians) is a go-to guide for practical advice on how to develop and manage a library residency program. the book covers the processes to successfully develop, build support for and structure a program; recruitment, hiring, and onboarding; and program assessment as well as ideas for post program support for individuals who continue on in their library careers (rutledge, colbert, chiu, and alston, ).     additionally, there are two must-read research studies that analyze the experiences of diversity residents using both qualitative and quantitative methods to determine overarching recommendations when developing programs like the dsp.  in the first piece “evaluation of academic library residency programs in the united states for librarians of color,” the authors, boyd, blue, and im, implemented two nationwide surveys, one for residents and the other for coordinators, to determine what aspects of their positions and programs were most helpful. the survey respondents included individuals who were currently residents as well as those who had participated in a residency program in decades past and were able to reflect how their experiences shaped their careers. based on the data gathered and analyzed, the authors state that the need for institutional buy-in, a structured and formal mentoring program, the use of cohorts to transfer knowledge, and the need to facilitate socialization for residents, especially to create a sense of belonging and value, are all essential program components. the authors state that it is “[t]hese components [that] benefit the residents in priming them for a career in academic libraries and all of the impending challenges librarians of color face.” (boyd, et al. , p. ) the second must-read publication is jason alston’s “causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for diversity resident librarians–a mixed methods study using herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory.” alston’s dissertation is a deep dive into what works and what doesn’t for a residency program that is post-mlis. alston poses eleven research questions about the quality of experience of the residency with the purpose of the study and results being so current or future residency programs can be improved. his results were similar to the previous study, stressing the need for buy-in from the institution by ensuring a knowledge of who the residents are, as well as what the program is and why it was established; appropriate guidance, support, and mentorship from coordinators, supervisors, and administrators; opportunities for individuals to perform meaningful, challenging, and innovative work that enables them to grow professionally, especially in preparation for future positions; and the need for assessment of the position and program. even though the dsp is not a post-mlis program, the results of both of these studies are still very much applicable to our program. a recurring theme in the literature is the need to create a professional culture and environment for people of color to thrive through mentorship and strong professional networks of support (hankins & juarez, ; boyd, et al., ; vinopal, ; pho & masland, ; mcelroy & diaz, ; dewey & kelly, ; black & leysen, ; brewer, ). mentoring can help with the “culture shock” (cogell & gruwell, ) and “otherness” (boyd, et al., p. ) mlis students of color often feel and it helps them build bridges and connections (dewey & kelly, ). the chapters in the book where are all the librarians of color? the experiences of people of color in academia ( ) provide an amazing compilation of the shared experiences of academic librarians of color, but there are two chapters in particular, chapters and , that address this need. in both chapters the authors stress the need for mentorship and continued support from professional networks so the profession can retain librarians of color who grow and succeed throughout their careers. since the dsp focuses of mlis students of color, we were especially moved by the words of loriene roy ( ) in the book’s preface when she states, “…little attention is given to the experiences of librarians of color as they transition from student to information professional” (vii) and notes that “[m]entorships are often offered as the best answer for facilitating a smooth adjustment into the workplace and further advancement within the field” (p. viii). while roy shares that “[t]here is no single route to changing the characteristics of the workforce” (p. vii), a program like the osul diversity scholars program is one of many routes that academic libraries can pursue as part of their various initiatives to change our professional culture of whiteness so it is more diverse and inclusive.      overview of the diversity scholars program (dsp) after much research and conversation, the oregon state university libraries (osul) decided to create a program to support a cohort of mlis students of color who were enrolled in an online degree program. the reasons for making this decision were context-dependent and informed through conversations within the larger academic librarian community, consulting the literature, and determining what was fiscally feasible. after nearly three years of research, committee meetings, and planning, the osul diversity scholars program started with its first scholar in january , hosted its second scholar beginning in october of that same year, and is currently hosting its third scholar who began in october .    established in and implemented in , the diversity scholars program provides its diversity scholars with experiences in the librarianship areas of their choosing, along with opportunities for professional development, scholarship, and service within an academic library setting. the dsp at our academic library aims to contribute to creating a more diverse and inclusive library sciences field by providing mlis students of color career opportunities in academic and research libraries and archives. the dsp committee works to provide extensive support and mentorship for scholars who are pursuing their master of library and information science degree online while additionally providing paid, hands-on experience within the profession to broaden their professional opportunities after completion of their graduate degree. the diversity scholars are expected to engage in the primary assignment duties of an academic librarian. scholars are given the opportunity to experience the full scope of an academic library, working in all of our departments – from technological and public services to archives and meeting with administrators – to then be able to determine their area(s) of focus.   our scholars have engaged in a variety of experiences. they have worked with students in the library’s undergraduate research and writing studio, taught library information sessions and workshops, tabled at events such as student welcoming and oer faculty initiatives, worked the reference desk and online chat, compiled and analyzed library data, and participated in library-wide as well as relevant departmental and project meetings. as a part of developing their scholarship, the scholars have attended and presented at local oregon conferences, national ones like ala, and even an international conference. they have also served on a variety of library committees such as the library awards committee, search committees, and the library employee association. we make sure the scholars know that their mlis studies come first and they are strongly encouraged to use their work experiences for class projects. the flexibility in their schedules allows for support when and how they need it. as a conclusion to their position appointments, we mentor the scholars through the job search process. additionally, each scholar experiences the annual review process, which includes self-reflection and goal setting, and they are asked to assess their experience of the program itself.  we have strived to be mindful of isabel espinal’s statement that, in our case, the diversity scholars, “should not have to choose between technological focus [or any area of interest to them] and a diversity focus: both are future oriented and work well together. open access projects are a good example, as are digital/data curation roles and media/digital literacy efforts.” (p. ). while encouraged, like all faculty and staff in our library, to participate in equity, diversity, and inclusivity projects, trainings, and initiatives, it is always the scholars’ specific interests that determine which projects they choose. there are cases in which their interests and this work overlap. for example, one scholar interested in the work of archivists asked to participate in the wikipedia edit-a-thons, and the other scholars interested in teaching and engagement were excited for the opportunity to participate in the university’s mi familia day for the latinx community. if the opportunities align with the scholars’ interests and project capacity, we support it, otherwise, they do not participate and are not asked to participate. it is essential for this to be communicated and emphasized by the supervisor. natalia, as their supervisor, shares her own personal experiences with the scholars to express that because of her job, she is often invited to participate in numerous initiatives, and though she appreciates being asked, she will sometimes choose to decline involvement – and that’s okay. however, it is important to recognize the vulnerable position an mlis student employee may be in, feeling like an invitation is a directive or wanting to get as much experience as possible, even when it is overwhelming. therefore, consistent and regular conversations are key to talk with scholars about their interests, especially as they change or focus over time, and it is imperative for the scholars to know that their supervisor is their advocate and can say “no” on their behalf if that is helpful.   a part of our program that is still in development, in part because it is still relatively new, is creating a robust cohort, one in which the scholars have opportunities to work together and act as peer mentors. in our particular experience so far, with only two scholars hired at one time, due to non-overlapping schedules and differing areas of professional interest, an active cohort has not yet come to fruition. additionally, in a recent remodel of the library, we decided – with input from the scholars – that instead of creating a shared workspace for the scholars to work together, they should receive individual cubicle spaces as do our other library faculty and staff. while we want the scholars to have flexibility in their schedules and agency in their own professional development, based on their feedback, we are considering ways to create a more formal structure, such as set regular group meetings and shared readings for discussion, in which collaborations and relationships can develop. notably, we do know that each new scholar contacted the previous scholar to chat with them about the program prior to applying.  the purpose of our case study is to provide a roadmap of our program, with lessons learned, for other academic libraries to consider creating a program like ours at their institution. our case study describes the research, program development, implementation, and future plans for the dsp. we will cover why and how the osul created the dsp, how the program functions, as well as current assessment practices used by the dsp committee to surface the already visible impacts of the program while we work towards the long-term goals of culture and systems change. within the article we have integrated the perspectives of the diversity scholars and the osul university librarian to create a more robust and thorough accounting of the work required to create and launch such a program.   charge & research, it is important to note that our program stemmed from the top down, as getting administration buy-in is one critical piece and we had an advocate in our leadership. in february , we met with our library director, faye chadwell, donald and delpha campbell university librarian, and asked her to reflect upon her reasons for championing a program like the dsp five years ago. reflecting on the start of her own career in her first position as reference librarian in the late s managing a mlis graduate fellowship for underrepresented groups at the university of south carolina, she noted that the issues are still existing today. over the years, chadwell continued to see the positive impacts of the usc fellows program, and other programs like it. when she became library director of the osu libraries in , she finally had the power to implement a program to support students of color within the library profession, and she sought to do so. in the spring of , our university librarian charged a team of three librarians with investigating the options that the library had to create a diversity resident librarian position. we sought to create a position to promote diversity within the profession, reflect the changing demographics among our students, and to increase opportunities for diverse candidates to explore academic librarianship. beth, a newly hired department head at osul, had come from an institution with an established diversity resident program and had worked with three different residents while there. her experience and connections at the university of north carolina at greensboro helped get the team going with researching the concept.  the team began with an environmental scan of diversity residency programs within academic libraries. luckily, through the gracious sharing of the acrl residency interest group who had already compiled a spreadsheet of academic library residencies, the team quickly got started. using the spreadsheet, we each dove into a section to research more information we needed from the list of schools and programs, both looking online as well as contacting librarians at those institutions directly. we noticed most residencies are post-mlis with a few exceptions, such as the university of arizona knowledge river program that focuses on current mlis students. we also discovered two interesting initiatives we could glean from: nufp and kaleidoscope. the nationwide student affairs program nufp (naspa’s undergraduate fellows program) states “by mentoring students from traditionally underrepresented and historically disenfranchised populations, this semi-structured program diversifies and broadens the pipeline of our profession.” established in as the arl initiative to recruit a diverse workforce, renamed arl kaleidoscope in , its goal is “diversifying the library profession by providing generous funding for mlis education and a suite of related benefits, including mentoring, leadership and professional development, and career placement assistance.” the short term imls funded project ala ran in - called discovering librarianship selected early career librarians as field recruiters, to recruit ethnically diverse high school and college students to careers in libraries. we realized, recruitment must begin with underrepresented groups into an lis program (mcelroy & diaz, , p. ; pho & masland, , p. ). this research and these programs helped guide us in our research to think beyond a post-mlis position.  from our research, we realized that talking to current and former residents themselves about their experiences was crucial. having personal connections with former residents from uncg, beth reached out and set a few virtual conversations. the team also reached out to residents, as well as some residency coordinators. these conversations offered a variety of perspectives on barriers potential programs might face, and also helped illuminate ways the residents and institutions benefitted from the programs. many residency programs, alliances, and interest groups were examined to inform the team about the typical structure and components of such programs. we also read blog posts, book chapters, and articles written by former diversity residents to provide insight into the varied experiences of individuals who have participated in programs like these.   after our six months of research, and as part of our initial charge, the team wrote a short report for the university librarian and library administration management and planning group to share their findings and offer recommendations about what might work best for our library. although we offered two options—a post mlis diversity resident program and a concurrent mlis student diversity resident program—we recommended the latter based upon feedback from current and former resident scholars, along with the makeup of already existing opportunities within librarianship. the recommendation would work to both encourage osu undergraduates to consider an mlis degree as well as find and support local mlis students of color, not post-graduates, to apply. because oregon has no in-state library masters programs, we could offer a praxis opportunity for those locally getting an online master’s degree, and focus recruitment on our local community, especially within our own undergraduate library student employees. as roy said in the summary of spectrum scholars experience, “the single most predictive indicator for choosing to enter a lis program was prior experience working in a library.” (roy, et al., ) additionally, because the literature states, “solo library residents can find their residencies to be overwhelming and isolating experiences, especially in the case of diversity library residents” (boyd, et al., , p. ) and other scholars mention the need for cohorts rather than solo experiences as well (alston;  hankins & juarez; perez & gruwell; dewey & keally), we strongly recommended that the program be cohort based; and, if not more than one person could be hired at time, the hires’ appointments would at least overlap to offer opportunities for peer mentorship and collaboration. our library administration agreed, and a call went out to recruit volunteers for the next phase of the dsp creation process. by november , a dsp committee had been formed; it consisted of two members from the original team that wrote the report, as well as three new members, including natalia.  as part of our recent interview with the university librarian we asked her the following two questions: what advice would you offer administrators who are unsure about starting a program like the dsp? what advice to librarians would you offer so they can advocate a program like the dsp to their administrators? based on our conversation, as well as our own experiences in the research phase, below are some lessons learned:  	determine the library’s priorities regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion (edi) work: 	a commitment to edi initiatives cannot be a box that is checked off or a one-off program or workshop; the work needs to be integrated into all departments with a systematic and cultural shift. 	with edi initiatives as a priority, then the entire library administration and staff need to dedicate resources and time to concrete action items to move those initiatives forward. administrators can charge and support a group to conduct research and offer options for what would work best in their institutional context to support mlis students of color.   	if there is pushback from some within the library that ask why the entire library is spending so much time and energy on a few people who are not permanent, there needs to be administrative support and an overall library culture that understands and advocates for these positions because they are for the greater good of the institution and the profession.  	do your research:	seek out literature specifically written by scholars of color; and, beyond reading the literature, try reaching out to people who have been in residencies for advice. attend webinars or panels of residents/scholars and talk with library program coordinators. review the acrl diversity standards for cultural competencies for academic libraries. 	ask yourselves: what is happening in your campus community? what resources, partners, funding already exist? 	consider all possible options and potentially a phased approach if funding or buy-in is not completely there yet. don’t be afraid to pilot it or experiment.   	seek administrative support as well as advocates within your library staff:	whether you are library staff or an administrator, informally chat with colleagues about your research to gauge their interest and capacity, as well as plant the seeds for them to support future scholars. it is not a glorified internship; a scholar is to be treated as a colleague. getting advocates and buy-in from all departments is critical since not only are administrations involved in the decision making but library staff will be working with the scholars.  	determine what motivates your administrator – is it data? is it values? what does it mean for the library, campus, community? administrators tend to be competitive; one approach can be to frame the creation of a program at your institution as the opportunity for them to be the “first” or a “model” for other institutions.     	ask your administrator to talk to other library administrators about their approaches, what worked and what did not, for creating and funding these positions.  development, november – december during the research phase, we were especially inspired by april hathcock’s article “white librarianship in blackface: diversity initiatives in lis” in which she explains how diversity programs, especially the application process, are coded to promote whiteness, and the need to mentor early career librarians in both navigating and dismantling whiteness within the profession. the full cycle of our program was critically important: our recruitment and application process to encourage people of color to pursue a career in librarianship, the program experience itself to include a strong mentorship competent, support in the job search for program participants, and continued support in the post-mlis experience. with this insight, the dsp committee officially launched in november , with weekly meetings beginning in january . the committee’s task was to pick up where the previous group’s work left off and develop a plan to make the proposal for a program a reality. the main “to dos” included brainstorming the program logistics, creating a position description, and planning recruitment strategies. committee members reviewed the previous group’s report, read key pieces of literature on residency programs, and reviewed a variety of existing residency program position descriptions. we also spoke with our university’s office of equity and inclusion and human resources department about the creation of this type of position, especially for someone who would have been enrolled in an out of state graduate program while employed for osu. we created a space on our library’s wiki to document the committee’s work. beyond the administrative aspects of the program, we also used time in meetings to allow for discussion, growth, understanding and sometimes emotional releases as we supported each other to unpack the systematic whiteness found embedded in so much we do.  together, we brainstormed the ways in which we could best frame and implement our program to address the issues hathcock addresses, both in the short- and long-term vision of the program. we asked ourselves “what would success look like for this program, in both the short- and in the long-term?” we knew that - years from now, we would still want the program to exist, for the program participants to be connected, and for the program to be so embedded in our library that it would outlive us in our positions.  in order to more fully develop our program ideas, the committee decided to develop a one-time paid -week undergraduate student internship during the summer of . the internship experience served as a pilot for our proposed program and based on the questions raised and discussions we had, the dsp committee further developed the program structure and developed recruitment ideas. some initial insights included:  	we learned that it would be ideal to have more than one scholar at a time. however, we knew that we would have to balance this desire with our budget and attempt at least some overlap in the position time periods.  	we determined that if we wanted to hire mlis students, we could realistically only hire them to work hours per week so they could also attend school full time if they chose to do so.  	additionally, knowing that graduate students often want to take an internship, catch up on classes, or vacation in the summer, we did not want to have them locked into a -month position so we considered a shorter time frame with the ability to come back for a second year.  we settled on a position that would be a -month appointment, but only weeks of work during that time period, that could be renewed for a second -month appointment for a total program length of months, with the option for an extension. this year and a half could potentially have a -month break in between if scholars chose to do a summer internship elsewhere or potentially do a special project internship in our library. we aimed for flexible schedules for the varying needs of our scholars—and spoke with our university librarian to also be able to add an extra months if needed to assist scholars until graduation. in addition to their salary and full health care benefits, they receive $ in professional development funds to attend conferences or other relevant activities.  the dsp committee also had a lengthy discussion about offering benefits with a half-time position. our university librarian gave us a set amount of funds for the positions using soft money that could be spent at her discretion. we had to consider that since benefits through the university would mean % of the salary, the take home pay we could offer the scholars would be lower than a position without full benefits. it was disappointing to lower the salary but offering benefits seemed the socially just thing to do; and the fact that our scholars would be taking online degree programs not within our state, they generally would not be offered health care benefits from their schools. the scholars are part time; if they were full time, they would make less than an entry level position within the osul. we hoped with added benefits of our program, it would outweigh the lower salary even though the cost of living in corvallis, oregon is fairly high. we also hoped once the program was running, we could get more permanent funds and offer a higher salary.  to develop the diversity scholar position description, we used the template for library faculty positions. the ds position description is formatted as it is for our tenure-track librarians; the scholars would have a “primary assignment” but also service and scholarship components, divided at %, %, and % respectively. the expectation was for them to attend library-wide and relevant departmental meetings, serve on library committees and searches, attend and present at conferences, and participate in other relevant professional development activities. we would offer the scholars adequate funds toward these professional development activities such as traveling to conferences or workshops. as diversity scholars, they would each have their own cubicle space and be treated as colleagues. the next portion of our program development, which was the most time consuming, was working with the university human resources team to determine what classification our scholars would be. over the course of the spring and summer of , we researched classification options and spoke with various hr folks to ensure the classification we selected included health care coverage options, were paid via a stipend to offer scheduling flexibility, had a streamlined hiring and reappointment process, and could include additional money for professional development activities via the library.  we created an internal report with our new information and began sharing our idea of the program with library administration and other colleagues, to grow an understanding of the goals for the program, and to seek advice and ideas to strengthen the program. the goal was to have the majority of the departments in the library represented by members of the committee, who serve as advocates for the program, as well as mentors and personal contacts for the scholars. the committee would assist in recruiting potential scholars and send weekly updates to the library’s administrative group to keep them excited and updated about the program. we began attending library-wide administrative meetings and library management team meetings during the late fall. we especially sought the support of department heads to ensure communication to their departments and hear any concerns. with a finalized budget, we received approval from the university librarian in fall to move forward with the recruitment and hiring process for our first scholar.    we developed an application process that focused on relationship building with potential applicants and presented as few barriers as possible. rather than a competitive process, we wanted to cultivate mutual interest. we developed a pre-application requirement to have an in-person or video call meeting with a member of the diversity scholars program committee to share information about the program, answer any questions the potential applicant may have, offer our assistance with applications for mlis programs, and importantly, give the potential applicant an opportunity to get to know us. the application process requires a resume and cover letter with reference contact information, but no letters of recommendation since obtaining letters can be prohibitive for potential applicants and the committee preferred to have the opportunity to speak directly with references. references can be professors, employers, and/or community mentors, broadly defined.        all libraries conduct their budgeting differently; in our case we did not have a set budget for the program (other than the salary and professional development). because we devoted the time and energy to speaking with department heads one-on-one, presenting at faculty and staff gatherings, and updating the library management team to share information about the dsp before the program began, a significant amount of buy-in existed to support the program. therefore, when we made particular asks to use existing departmental budgets that aligned with what we needed, departments were willing and eager to be supportive. our emerging technologies and services department bought the scholars’ laptops and other equipment; our teaching and engagement department provided office supplies and cubicle space; our library administration covered the costs of printing promotional brochures; and our library experience and access department covered nametags and business cards. budgeting in this way adds to the buy-in for all departments—now the dsp is integrated into all departments.  promotion and recruitment were the next steps, and for us, that meant local. we started simply and inexpensively, using word-of-mouth marketing to recruit through the library staff, library student employees, campus partners who work with students of color, and reaching out to osu library alums, such as former student workers. we reached out to the emporia state university mlis hybrid program in portland to ask if there were any students coming into the program who would be a good match for the dsp and lived within a commutable to corvallis area. using an easily editable libguide from springshare as our dsp website, along with our current internal wiki space for the communication and documentation of the committee, we began our recruitment and promotion. we also began creating a brochure in-house with student designers. because we do not have the funds to assist with relocation costs, the committee felt it would be a disservice to ask someone to move to corvallis with no promise of assistance with moving costs. at least for the start of the dsp, we purposely refrained from advertising the program too broadly, and instead focused on geographically local promotion and recruitment. therefore, our recruits have been students who are already living in the corvallis commuter area. we wanted to start small, develop effective strategies and models for the first few years, with the plan to expand our recruitment as the program gr ws, and more broadly promote the program through various networks such as the oregon library association and the reforma oregon chapter. another challenge to recruitment is that because there is no in-state mlis program in oregon, the students we are recruiting into the profession pay out-of-state tuition costs. therefore, it is essential for us as a committee to not only let students know of scholarship opportunities, but to actively help them in the application process—which we have done with some success. so far, the first two diversity scholars have been selected as ala spectrum scholars, and the third scholar has received several scholarships.  lessons learned  	be prepared to have conversations with hr. the hr process on campus takes a long time—plan for it, including talking to multiple people in hr, doing your own research around campus for position types, and being creative! though the role of hr will vary at different institutions, this is as much a critical piece as other phases, as for a truly socially just position you must make sure you get the right category in your institution’s structure; and also stick to your values and push back when you need to and can.  	connect with in-state library school masters programs for a potential collaborative partnership and help advertise your program when people are applying to their program; also learn how they recruit. if your state does not have an in-state library school master’s program, connect with online programs; determine if any of their students are local to your geographic region or if they can pass the word to their students directly.  	consider your existing campus partnerships, especially those who work with undergraduate students of color, who can serve as advocates and recruiters for your program. your current and former library student employees are perfect for these conversations too.  	benefits and professional development funding matters. be consistent with the edi values of the program so it does not seem like an exploitation; for us that meant not creating a part-time position with no benefits and no professional development funds. even if your administration is on board with the position, you might still have to push for these specifics.      implementation, january – present as we shifted into the implementation phase of the program in january , we recruited our first scholar via word of mouth – she was a local, former osu student, and she was already accepted into an online library master’s degree program. we heard about our first scholar, marisol moreno ortiz, through a contact in the university’s educational opportunities program. we reached out to invite her to meet up and talk about this new program we were growing. knowing it was a program we were just developing and might need iterations, we were looking for our first scholar to take the plunge with us. having existing relationships and trust already established from marisol’s use of the library as an osu alum made it an easy transition for us all. she knew and loved our libraries and was excited for the opportunity to work with us as she learned and grew through her online program.  an essential part of the program implementation was to identify the point person for the program. it made sense for natalia, as the committee co-chair who was already tenured, to serve in the role. in preparation for the role, she attended manager and supervisor trainings offered by the university and had numerous conversations with colleagues who are supervisors to learn from them as well. as a tenure track faculty member, she participated in the library’s formal mentoring program as a mentee, and after being tenured, served as a mentor. she received a pay raise for supervisory work, and now helps facilitate the day to day details of the program like working with hr, facilitating committee meetings, and supervising the scholars. as program coordinator she also leads the way with the mentorship, meeting weekly with the scholar and helping guide them, pulling in the committee as needed. this mentorship takes time, with a lot of informal conversations to help the scholar navigate the system of a large library. since the overall goal of the program is to allow flexibility for the scholar while they get to sample the library as a whole, seeing all parts and pieces to help determine areas they are more interested in learning more about, developing departmental buy-in has been key to the success of this program. the program coordinator is also the key communicator and advocate. natalia keeps the library’s administration, including department heads, updated regularly on the program, and meets both formally and informally with them to ensure the projects and activities of the scholars in other departments are going well. she sometimes meets directly with the university librarian, which sometimes includes an “ask” for special funding or other changes.   the program is set up on a rotation for the first quarter through about six departments (instruction, public services, emerging technologies, acquisitions and cataloging, special collections and archives, and administration). as we are on a -week quarter system, we divide the first term for the scholars so that the first week or two the scholar starts their onboarding, and then they rotate through a department for either one or two weeks. the goal of these weeks is to soak in what each department does, how individual staff or units play a role, to observe and shadow, and to reflect and ask questions. as they get to know the departments and the staff, they inherently learn about projects, processes, tasks and activities of interest to them. then, throughout the rest of their appointment, the scholars have the autonomy to determine which projects, and in which departments, they would like to pursue. a scholar is not tied to one department or project for the rest of their time at osu, so while the initial rotation period may seem relatively short, they have adequate time to dive deep into various areas over their time at osu libraries. until their official email and calendar is set up, we use a google doc to create a schedule for the department heads to choose a week, and the staff to invite the scholar to meetings, appointments, visits, shadowing, q&a, observing, or events. we use the dsp committee to help advocate in our individual departments with support from the library leadership team. getting all department heads on board is critical. the scheduling begins before the scholar starts so we have many learning opportunities set up in advance. scholars typically meet one-on-one with staff and faculty within a department to learn more about what they do, as well as attend unit and departmental meetings.  after this first term of rotation, the scholars begin picking projects or areas they want to immerse more heavily into for future terms. the dsp supervisor chats with the scholar about their project preferences, as well as colleagues and department heads to determine capacity, and then facilitates conversations to ensure a mutually beneficial experience. for example, if the scholar wants instruction and outreach experience, we have conversations with the teaching and engagement department about opportunities that could match each scholar’s interest. because the scholar is on a -month appointment with the option for a reappointment, we discuss the timing of opportunities not only for projects, but for service and professional development as well.  while the program is structured to treat the scholars as colleagues of our academic librarians, the reality is they are not being paid at that level, so while we want them to have the same experiences as academic librarians, it is essential for us to not use them to cover the duties of someone at a much higher pay scale. we try to find the balance to this by making sure that the activities and projects the scholars take on are of their choosing and help them in building the resume they want that will benefit them in their future career. we discuss what types of positions they would like to have, look at job postings to determine what qualifications are required and preferred, and set out to develop opportunities to create relevant experiences for them. additionally, one of the main priorities of the dsp committee is to be their advocate while also empowering them to advocate for themselves. we have conversations with them about the politics of not only the inner workings of our library, but of the profession as a whole.  something that occurred with our first diversity scholar that we have begun to replicate, and intend to continue to do with future scholars, is to assist with the job search process. our first scholar graduated in the month of may and her appointment with the dsp was set to end in the month of june. together, we determined that the best use of the her time during her last weeks in the program was to search for and apply for jobs. essentially, her job became to find a job. we discussed what types of jobs she desired, sent her postings, reviewed her resume and cover letters, prepped her for phone and on-campus interviews, and debriefed interview experiences. as their supervisor, natalia wrote letters of recommendation and served as a reference. she is currently employed at a community college library. our second scholar’s appointment ended several months prior to her graduation, but the same process applied. even after moving out of state, the dsp has kept in communication to support her job search process as she completes her mlis program later this year. the current diversity scholar will graduate in . while there is the possibility of our scholars’ positions turning into permanent positions, the dsp committee has discussed how this could be accomplished in a more proactive matter. to date, we have had to balance the osul positions available at the time of the diversity scholars’ appointment end date and the interest of a diversity scholar in those positions.  assessing the dsp and measuring its success there are many ways to measure success. when we spoke with our university librarian about her view of success, she expressed that since our program is so new, we need time to truly assess its value and its effect on the multi-generations within our library setting; we need to ask ourselves if our library culture is shifting and growing along with the scholars. additionally, she posed questions such as: is success just a good experience in the program? is it a high number of interviews for a job? is it about quick job placement? is it whether or not they find employment in an area of their choosing? is it long-term retention in the profession? what about how the program impacts each individual scholar: how do they measure success for themselves? moreover, how does the program, specifically the scholars’ projects and accomplishments, add value to the library? is it all of these elements combined? because the systematic whiteness of our profession has been ongoing for so long, the difficulty in assessing the impact on the field of librarianship literally will just take time (alston, , p. )  in order to document the many measures of success of our program we are continuously working on developing and implementing meaningful assessment. as of now, we ask the scholars to maintain reflective journals and write self-evaluations of their work, and as their supervisor, natalia seeks input from their peers. we survey the scholars’ project supervisors and department heads who observed or worked with the scholar while in their units, both about the program and about the scholar. the scholars also give a presentation at the end of their appointment to the entire library staff about their experiences in the program. we use all the feedback gathered to evolve and improve the program experience for our next scholars.  the dsp scholars and their perspectives on the program our first diversity scholar completed her -month appointment in the program in june of , our second scholar wrapped up her appointment in march of , and our third scholar started in october of . at least scholars overlap each other in their appointments. all three of the diversity scholars – marisol moreno ortiz, bridgette flamenco (née garcia), and valeria dávila gronros – are latinx women in their mid-to-late s, and two of the three scholars were library student employees and osu undergrads. a section of the dsp website titled “meet the osul diversity scholars” includes short biographies of each scholar. the first two scholars chose to focus on teaching and engagement, as well as public services activities, and our third scholar has an interest in archives, specifically audio/visual materials.  in mid-march of , we conducted a focus group with the three scholars to assess the dsp, from their collective perspective. it was the first time all three were together to provide feedback about the dsp. while our third scholar was only six months into her appointment, the first scholar had already finished up the program and graduated and the second was ending her time with us in two weeks to relocate and wrap up her online degree. even though we had already asked them to reflect on the dsp as part of their individual self-reflections, we wanted an opportunity for the three of them to connect and have ideas flow between them while we listened first and then conversed together about their experiences. we explained that their collective responses would be used as part of this article. we asked them to share their thoughts on the positive aspects of the program, what could be improved, and what “success” looks like for the dsp. we took notes and compiled their collective responses.  it is essential for us to acknowledge that there was a power differential between us and the scholars that more than likely hindered their responses, especially any negative feedback they may have had but did not feel comfortable sharing. because of our roles, we are in a position to act as references and write letters of recommendation for them. while it may have worked better to have someone else conduct the focus group, the scholars would still know that what they expressed would be shared with us and due to their unique experiences within the dsp, their responses could still have been identifiable. while we wanted to include their perspectives as a part of this article and the focus group was the method we used, moving forward we will work on different approaches to gathering feedback. additionally, this is why it is so important for anyone who coordinates a program like the dsp or would like to start a program, to read the previous literature as well as qualitative and quantitative studies on a larger sample of scholars that does not identify them. by reading other perspectives outside of your institutions, you can gain a better understanding of the issues that may be impacting the people within programs like the dsp that for many reasons, may not be able to fully share their experiences and thoughts with their colleagues and supervisors.     for the focus group discussion, we asked three questions: what were some of your positive experiences about the program? what do you wish would have been different about the dsp and should be changed? what do you consider “success” for the dsp? below are their collective responses:  what were some of your positive experiences about the program? one scholar expressed her appreciation that the program is structured so that each department is willing and ready to support the scholars and the program: she recognized the buy-in from all of the departments and how willing people were to work with her and train her. she also appreciated the opportunity to meet with our university librarian, to be able to talk with her to receive career advice from someone in a high-level administrative position. two of the scholars agreed that the autonomy and scheduling flexibility offered by the program enabling them to choose and develop their own projects, and for colleagues to offer them projects, was a positive for them. to expand on this idea, one scholar noted how helpful it was to be able to connect her dsp work to her mlis courses and vice versa; both experiences were enriched. an unexpected positive was how they appreciated access to osul resources, interlibrary loan for example, that they were not able to obtain from the libraries connected to their online mlis programs. all of the scholars noted how invaluable the professional development opportunities were to them, especially the opportunity to travel to regional and national conferences, and in one case, an international conference. they indicated that they would not have had the resources to attend conferences without the funds provided by the dsp. they expressed how much they learned in terms of navigating professional conferences, networking, and experiencing new cities.      what do you wish would have been different about the dsp and should be changed?  all three scholars noted that the monthly stipend is low but did state that a paid position helped them cover the costs of their graduate programs. additionally, all three scholars had recommendations for improving the structure of the program including: a recommendation that the program be extended, perhaps to a -month appointment or even a full two years to coincide with the time it takes to complete their mlis degree; the request to be paired with an official mentor within a department of their choosing to receive more dedicated support in their areas of interest; the idea to create a visual timeline of a scholar’s appointment with expectations, goals, and outcomes, broken down showing the program as a whole.  it was pleasing to hear that some of the recommendations offered were already in place. for example, our first scholar noted that her first ten weeks were very overwhelming—something she expressed during her time in the program. for our next two scholars we took great care to ensure their onboarding period was much more manageable. our most recent scholar requested that we offer them more opportunities to not only attend conferences, but to present at them. our first two scholars indicated that the program does encourage this, but more so in the second year and that this was beneficial since by their second year, they had more experience and confidence.       before moving on to the final question, natalia stated that she and beth always envisioned the dsp being a cohort program, but that the focus group was the first time all three scholars were together. she stated that now that there are three dsp scholars who have completed or are currently in the program, and as the program continues to expand, we can create more of a cohort environment. she asked how they would like to see that accomplished. they offered a number of great suggestions including: developing more structured meeting opportunities, especially as part of the onboarding process; offering opportunities to connect with past scholars, via conference calls if in-person gatherings is not an option; and creating a mentorship program within the dsp itself so that each scholar mentors the scholar hired after them.  what do you consider “success” for the dsp? perhaps not surprisingly, all three scholars described success in relation to their employment: this includes mentorship for navigating the job search process, securing employment in their areas of interest, and long-term retention in the profession. one of the scholars expressed a part of the program’s success is how, through experience, the program gives the scholars an understanding of an academic work environment. additionally, she noted that the scholars enter the profession with an extensive network of individuals they can call upon when needed. and lastly, and perhaps most touching to us, one of the scholars shared that the program helped her build her professional library identity and helped her see herself as a librarian.  plans for the future  even in just a few years, more opportunities exist than when we started, for us as program coordinators and for our scholars to build community. the arl diversity alliance is in full swing and as members of that group, we are slowly learning the benefits (e.g. our scholars are now part of a slack channel just for current residents), and we have seen the residency interest group of acrl grow. the opportunity to connect with other resident coordinators was a big plus in august , when natalia attended the first ever library diversity and residency studies (ldrs) conference in greensboro, north carolina. the conference focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in libraries, including but not restricted to library diversity residency programs. the conference was hosted by unc greensboro in collaboration with the acrl diversity alliance and the association of southeastern research libraries (aserl). the ldrs brought together individuals from academic and public libraries, lis programs, and other interested groups. natalia gave a presentation on the dsp as part of the panel “best practices in establishing library diversity residency programs.” in the spring of , the group that organized the conference published the first issue of the new journal the library diversity and residency studies journal which will no doubt become an excellent resource now and in the years to come.   our plan is to continue to support and mentor our past and current diversity scholars, and we look forward to seeing what comes next for them and are excited to begin recruitment for our fourth scholar. as more people participate in the program, we hope to build a strong network among our diversity scholars. notably, we—the two of us and the three diversity scholars—were accepted to write a chapter about the osul dsp for the upcoming book learning in action: designing successful graduate student work experiences in academic libraries. additionally, we are in conversation with our university librarian to secure permanent funding for the positions and raise the salary. we plan to work on ways to re-envision and expand the assessment of the program’s impact both for the library and for the scholars themselves. we also need to continue to practice as well as expand strategic and proactive recruitment; we have plans this year to connect with various groups on campus to speak directly with undergraduate students about the possibility of working in libraries, archives, and other cultural heritage institutions as a potential career path. in order to ensure the program’s sustainability, we will not take our existing buy-in from colleagues for granted and will continue to advocate for the program. a long-term vision is to grow our program as a model that can be replicated in other academic libraries in oregon and the pnw, perhaps through the orbis cascade alliance, to form a much larger cohort. through poster presentations by our scholars and committee members at oregon and pacific northwest library conferences we are slowly increasing awareness.  conclusion as angela galvan powerfully states, “while recruiting initiatives and fellowships are reasonable starting points, they become meaningless gestures for institutions which screen on performing whiteness. these actions are further undermined by framing diversity as a problem to be solved rather than engaging in reflective work to dismantle institutional bias” (galvan, ). on its own, the dsp cannot not solve the larger problem of a culture of whiteness in the field—but it’s a contribution as part of our library and university’s various equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives that tie into the broader profession’s work. if your library is considering a program like this, you must look at the cultural environment of your institution and consider where your institution is with changing this culture of whiteness. the environment has to be such that equity, diversity, and inclusion work is encouraged and celebrated – and continuous. it is vital to remember that social justice, equity, and inclusion should be everyone’s work. it is not a one-time endeavor, a box to be checked, but a process of continual growth and reflection of the library and its campus community. as the dsp committee flows from inception to new iterations, with new scholars and new committee members, we reflect on what we did and why, rethinking, learning and growing as individuals and a committee, and hopefully an institution as well. the questioning along with enthusiasm of new members and new scholars helps us grow a better program and also make shifts while checking our own perceptions. and most importantly to our dsp, is that our scholars are getting the experiences they desire, in an environment where they can be themselves, and a culture that supports them. acknowledgements we would like to thank our two peer reviewers denisse solis and dr. latesha velez for their incredibly thoughtful suggestions, insights, and additions to reframe and strengthen our article. special thanks to our colleagues kelly mcelroy and anne-marie deitering for offering their feedback, to lindsay marlow who helped us get started with the article, and to our publishing editor ian beilin. and, a big thank you to the osu libraries diversity scholars so far marisol moreno ortiz, bridgette flamenco, and valeria dávila – this program is what it is because of you!  works cited alston, j. k.( ). causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for diversity resident librarians – a mixed methods study using herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. (doctoral dissertation). retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/ boyd, a., blue, y., & im, s. ( ). evaluation of academic library residency programs in the united states for librarians of color. college & research libraries, ( ), . https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/ / beilin, ian. ( ). the academic research library’s white past and present. in gina schlesselman-tarango (ed),  topographies of whiteness: mapping whiteness in library and information science. black, w. k., & leysen, j. m. ( ). fostering success: the socialization of entry-level librarians in arl libraries. journal of library administration, ( ), — . doi: . /j v n _ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ . /j v n _   bourg, chris ( , march ).the unbearable whiteness of librarianship. https://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/ / / /the-unbearable-whiteness-of-librarianship/ brewer, j. ( ). post-master’s residency programs: enhancing the development of new professionals and minority recruitment in academic and research libraries. college & research libraries, ( ), — .  http://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/download/ /   bridges, l. m., park, d., & edmunson-morton, t. k. ( ). writing african american history into wikipedia. oregon library association quarterly, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / - . brook, f., ellenwood, d., & lazzaro, a. e. ( ). in pursuit of antiracist social justice: denaturalizing whiteness in the academic library. library trends, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . /lib. . chang, h. f. ( ). racial and ethnic librarianship in academic libraries: past, present and future. acrl conference proceedings. cogell, raquel v., & cindy a. gruwell, eds. diversity in libraries: academic residency programs. westport, ct: greenwood press, . dewey, b., & keally, j. ( ). recruiting for diversity: strategies for twenty-first century research librarianship. library hi tech, ( ), — . https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article= &context=utk_libpub  espinal, i., sutherland, t., & roh, c. ( ). a holistic approach for inclusive librarianship: decentering whiteness in our profession. library trends, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . /lib. . galvan, angela. ( ). soliciting performance, hiding bias: whiteness and librarianship. in the library with the lead pipe. retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /soliciting-performance-hiding-bias-whiteness-and-librarianship/ hankins, r., & in juárez, m. ( ). where are all the librarians of color?: the experiences of people of color in academia. library juice press. hathcock, a. ( ). white librarianship in blackface: diversity initiatives in lis. in the library with the lead pipe. retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /lis-diversity/  mcelroy, kelly &  diaz, chris, ( ). residency programs and demonstrating commitment to diversity.  ( ) faculty publications. https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/faculty_publications/ millner, d. & thompson, c. (eds.). ( ). white supremacy & resistance [special issue]. oregon historical quarterly, ( ). perez, m. z., & gruwell, c. a. ( ). the new graduate experience: post-mls residency programs and early career librarianship. santa barbara, calif: libraries unlimited. pho, a. & masland, t. ( ). the revolution will not be stereotyped: changing perceptions through diversity. in nicole pagowsky & miriam rigby, (eds), the librarian stereotype: deconstructing perceptions and presentations of information work. chicago, il: association of college & research libraries (pp. - ).  roy, loriene ( ). preface. in rebecca hankins & miguel juárez (eds), where are all the librarians of color?: the experiences of people of color in academia. (pp. vi-vii). library juice press. roy, loriene, et. al ( ).  bridging boundaries to create a new workforce: a survey of spectrum scholarship recipients, - . http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/diversity/spectrum/bridgingboundaries.pdf rutledge, l., colbert, j. l., chiu, a., & alston, j. k. ( ). developing a residency program: a practical guide for librarians. rowman & littlefield. strand, karla, j. ( ). disrupting whiteness in libraries and librarianship: a reading list bibliographies in gender and women’s studies, ( )   https://www.library.wisc.edu/gwslibrarian/bibliographies/disrupting-whiteness-in-libraries/ vinopal, jennifer. ( ). the quest for diversity in library staffing: from awareness to action. in the library with the lead pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /quest-for-diversity 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers 							training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : journal article: “creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries” | lj infodocket 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jul 					 				 				 					liz vine					/ comments 				 											training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief conceiving of student employment in academic libraries as an educationally purposeful experience requires adopting a learner-centered pedagogical approach to student employee job training. adopting such an approach is triply beneficial: it makes that job training more effective; it identifies training as an opportunity to pursue learning goals that support the growth of students as information literate critical thinkers; and it emphasizes the distributed nature of teaching and learning in the library, pointing to the need to support supervisors of student employees as educators and learners themselves. focusing on the pedagogy of workplace training for student employees thus provides a point from which to redefine the community of learners the library supports, and disrupt hierarchical distinctions among the library’s many teachers and learners. by liz vine introduction teaching and learning happen in more ways, and in more places, in the academic library than we commonly assume. and one of the most obvious and overlooked arenas of teaching and learning in the academic library is student employee training. training and learning are frequently set at odds with one another. training is often devalued because it happens in the workplace rather than the classroom, and is perceived as having limited aims and scope, not necessarily being overseen by experts, and not prioritizing the needs of learners. but to view training and learning as separate domains elides the fact that, for both trainee and trainer, training is learning. if we say that our aim is to help a specific group of people “develop a set of key component skills, practice them to the point of automaticity, and know when and where to apply them appropriately,” are we describing workplace training or classroom learning? to separate or oppose them is to create a false dichotomy that obscures the rich educational opportunity presented by the seemingly mundane task of ensuring that student employees know how to do their job.  we can more fully realize that opportunity by approaching training with a learner-centered mindset, and utilizing evidence-based practices not just from the academic library literature, but the scholarship on teaching, the science of learning, and the fields of instructional and training design. in this article i argue that explicitly thinking of job training as learning, and approaching it from a pedagogical orientation, is imperative because it makes for more effective training, identifies a valuable opportunity for libraries to achieve their learning objectives and support student success, and can foster an organizational culture of care and learning that encompasses all staff. training is an unexplored site for expanding where, how, and for whom the library is a partner in learning. improving job performance the most immediate and, for busy supervisors, pragmatically compelling reason for conceiving of training as learning is to increase its effectiveness. reconceiving of training as learning emphasizes the need for thoughtful design of both form and content, and points to the benefits of training that is learner-centered and evidence-based—that is, grounded in proven approaches to learning. these are approaches that libraries use to support student learning in other contexts, and that in this instance might draw not just on the scholarship around teaching and learning, but also on workplace training and instructional design, which frequently overlap and intersect in their findings and recommendations. though their end goals might differ, there are practical commonalities aplenty between teaching with your mouth shut and telling ain’t training—between problem- and inquiry-based approaches to classroom learning, and learner-centered approaches to workplace training, that both move away from the instructor as the principal conduit of enlightenment. having an effective learning-oriented training program sets student employees up for success in their job, to the obvious benefit of the library. attention to questions of retaining and transferring knowledge, to achieving what wiggins and mctighe identify as “understanding,” increases the likelihood of satisfactory job performance. it’s true that, even without formal training, student employees will learn on the job, will pick things up as they go along, and baldwin and barkley suggest that “that’s the danger.” is that really the only way we want them to learn? taking a learner-centered approach, we can recognize that no training program is fully comprehensive or sufficient unto itself, and that informal, on-the-job learning will happen, for good or ill, regardless. but supervisors can incorporate both modes of learning in intentional structures of reflection that encourage students to take a considered approach to both work and learning. we can provide opportunities to talk about how training does or does not match up with on-the-job reality; we can foster supported on-the-job learning through peer mentoring; we can give students means to record or track what they’re learning, no matter how they’re learning it; we can have more experienced employees lead a discussion on a topic such as “the most important things you need to know that aren’t addressed in training.” in these ways, formal learner-centered training can work with informal experiential learning to support student employee work performance, and improve the efficacy of our training programs.  a learner-centered, evidence-based approach to training that takes seriously student employees, their learning, and their jobs also has positive ramifications beyond how well they are able to do those jobs. an investment in training pays dividends not just in terms of performance, but also in reducing turnover of student employees, and increasing their engagement in and ownership of their work. as melilli and colleagues note, investing in student employees increases their investment in their work. training offers a tangible means of demonstrating that investment at the outset of a student’s work experience, creating a virtuous feedback loop of mutual reward that ultimately improves the consistency, efficiency, quality, and continuity of the work the library does.  designing effective training on proven learning principles, and gaining the benefits in terms of student employee competence, confidence, and commitment, also serves to mitigate many of the issues raised in the literature of complaint regarding student employees in academic libraries—a literature that extends from the early part of the twentieth century to the present day. framing training in terms of learning encourages supervisors to reflect on their own practices, rather than despairingly assume that employing students means tolerating high turnover, mediocre performance, and patchy attendance. successful college teachers don’t blame their students for difficulties they encounter in the classroom, and are willing to “confront their own weaknesses and failures.” likewise, it would behoove supervisors to reflect on their approaches to student employment before reflexively finding fault with student employees: “if librarians are not happy with the performance of their student staff, then the fault lies with the librarians.” to see whether we’re actively supporting the job success of our student employees, we might look first at the training we provide them.  the extensive body of literature that focuses on the specific details of managing and training students in academic libraries generally fails to connect training to learning at all, or does so in inconsistent or superficial ways. in fact, there often remains a sense in this and related work that training students is onerous and that it distracts and diverts librarians and library staff from more substantive and important work. one inevitable outcome of viewing training in this way is an approach to training design that is motivated as much by convenience as efficacy and by the misguided hope that student employees will teach themselves. though sometimes accompanied by pedagogically-inflected language around, for example, autonomous,  self-paced, or even active learning, these training approaches nevertheless feature a preponderance of passive learning via powerpoints, prezis, and in-person presentations, and share with the literature at large a marked and pervasive attachment to training student employees by having them read manuals or handbooks. evidence abounds as to the efficacy of classroom interventions that draw on research into how learning happens, and that utilize learner-centered approaches. brown and colleagues identify ways in which businesses such as jiffy lube have transferred these methods to workplace training with the effect of reducing staff turnover and improving customer satisfaction. given how infrequently such approaches are documented in the literature on training student employees in libraries, it’s not surprising that there is less evidence that points to their effectiveness in this specific context. there are a few examples, nevertheless, that indicate the rewards of deploying learner-centered, evidence-based training methods for both students and supervisors. surtees, for instance, “reduced lecture-style teaching of circulation and reference services in favor of a non-hierarchical peer-learning and active learning model,” and student employees have subsequently retained more information, are more confident and prepared, perform better on quizzes, and have a deeper understanding of the library. the literature also yields telling examples of training programs whose success is hampered by their failure to implement learner-centered principles, such as kohler’s conclusion that students found online training presentations unhelpful, didn’t learn enough to be able to answer quiz questions, and that this training method “did not solve the problems of student engagement and providing excellent training in patron service.” allied with the results of research from other learning contexts on and off campus, these examples demonstrate the value of learner-centered approaches to training, and of building assessment into training programs in order to be able to gauge whether and what student employees are in fact learning. there are undoubtedly logistical difficulties associated with training part-time, limited-term student employees, and these are certainly exacerbated by budgetary pressures and the many and varied demands on supervisors’ time. but foregrounding training as learning makes it clear that this is part of the educational work of the academic library. it’s an extension of one of its principal functions and reasons for being, and as such is not a distraction from the important work of the library, but a fundamental part of it (on which, more below). it also, however, points to ways in which supervisors can work smart, make adjustments to how they train that leverage what we know about retention and transfer, and utilize “methods that have seen success within other instructional venues.” these adjustments might take the form of large-scale overhauls of training programs, but they can also be made through focused, incremental changes, or what, in parallel to lang’s concept of “small teaching,” we might call “small training.” small training can provide achievable ways to move training plans that currently depend on passive consumption of content in more learner-centered and evidence-based directions. a handbook or manual can be deployed not as something to be read from cover to cover, but as a key, or one of a set of tools, that new employees use to solve realistic problems they may encounter on the job. existing presentations or tutorials can be revised to open with a question, problem, or puzzle that engages learners’ attention, and invites them to activate existing knowledge; other quick revisions might include building in brief opportunities for learners to summarize, reflect on, or respond to the content—variations, for example, on the “muddiest point” technique. those presentations or tutorials can be followed up a few days later with a short exercise that asks employees to retrieve and apply what they learned to a situation authentic to their job. other concrete small training practices might include: identifying specific learning objectives; chunking material in logical and digestible ways; designing tests, assessments, or knowledge checks that utilize the retrieval practice effect; providing opportunities to practice in contexts that resemble on-the-job reality and feature authentic scenarios and examples; using guideposts or touchstones that point us in the direction of effective, learner-centered training design, such as the empathetic question, “what is it like to be a person learning something?” these and many other interventions drawn from the literature on both classroom learning and workplace training are achievable through small-scale changes, and translate the recognition of training as learning into more effective job preparation for student employees. advancing student learning designing effective training invests in the job success of student employees. however, if we approach student employment itself as a structured learning experience—as an increasingly substantive cross-disciplinary body of work compellingly argues we should—then there is an additional imperative to conceive of training as learning. within the context of academic libraries, authors have emphasized the value of viewing student employment from a more holistic learning perspective, identifying it as an opportunity for libraries to make a meaningful contribution to student success. this integrative, learning-focused approach to student employment extends to aligning student employment with high-impact practices (hips)—educational practices that research shows have a particularly strong relationship with student engagement and retention. though not on the original list of recognized high-impact practices, student employment has since been identified as a possible hip both by student affairs and education researchers and by academic librarians. if we approach student employment as a whole as a learning experience, then every element of that experience should be viewed through a learning lens—including, and perhaps especially, the most obvious and direct scene of learning in any work experience: job training. however, the literature that advocates for student employment in libraries as a rich learning opportunity frequently either does not address training, or suggests that a broader focus on student learning is at odds with a reductive attention to training. bussell and hagman, for example, title their book chapter “from training to learning,” and suggest that “student employment is an opportunity for libraries to go beyond training and explicitly encourage learning,” setting training and learning apart, or at a distance from one another along a spectrum that has training at one end and “real” learning at the other. evanson suggests a tension between long-term learning objectives oriented to student employees as students and the more “employee-type skills” necessary for them to do their jobs. and while mcginniss recognizes the importance of continuing to think about job skills, he suggests that considering student development in only this way “impoverishes the library’s potential to challenge and grow its student staff,” again positing a value difference between “just” job training and additional forms of experiential development. thinking of student employment as an enriched learning experience, or as a hip, should not render the details of training obsolete. job training itself can be educationally purposeful as well as an integral part of student employment as a larger educational practice. job skills training cannot, indeed, be easily or usefully separated from the other, possibly more recognizable forms of learning that academic libraries can support through student employment. job training is, or should be, a feature of all student employee positions, whether or not those positions meet the criteria to be considered hips, and is thus an important location for advancing both specific job knowledge and broader learning goals for a wide range of student employees. it’s a place where we can work to “honor the essential learning outcomes while balancing the need for student employees to learn specific knowledge and behaviors that will enable them to perform their job responsibilities.” as scrogham and mcguire note, the clear relationship between training and learning makes training “an excellent opportunity for many seamless connections to students’ classroom learning, personal development, and citizenship.” the hybrid training method they identify as combining specific job tasks and skills with broader personal and professional development, from orientation onwards, provides a useful template that academic libraries might follow. however, to appreciate the potential deep learning value of job training requires dealing with training’s baggage. training has a connotation problem—training a dog, training for a marathon, potty training, basic training, hr-mandated training… it comes with some regimented and less-than-positive associations: “some people cringe at the word ‘training’: ‘training is what you do to monkeys; development is what you do to people.’” the very construct of “doing to” runs counter to what we know about best learning practices and how to nurture critical thinkers. it speaks to a perception of training as a unidirectional transfer of knowledge from experts to novices, designed for the benefit of the employer and very much aligned with paulo freire’s notion of the “banking” model of education, wherein knowledge is “bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing.” baird finds evidence of this approach in relation to student employees in libraries, whose “training is often minimal and directed from the trainer (top-down), feeding them skills that serve the library’s need.” in this version, training often occurs in a limited timeframe and is concerned with standardization rather than individuation, organizational effectiveness rather than personal growth. it centers on the expertise and authority of the trainer and posits the trainee as a passive blank slate. it is, in this rendition, a narrow form of learning focused only on inculcating consistently reproducible behaviors. but we can think of training, and of those who train, in more expansive and nuanced ways—and in ways that identify and make the most of the very real connections between training student employees and the larger educational objectives of academic libraries. that might involve, at one level, deploying proven pedagogical practices to increase the effectiveness of training. but at another level it means recognizing that training can have a purpose larger than just effective job performance. mcclellan and colleagues identify training as a “structured learning opportunity.” but that structure doesn’t have to be characterized by hierarchical knowledge transmission, and that learning does not have to be restricted to the mechanics of accomplishing a specific task.  indeed, besides the fact that such decontextualized learning is less likely to be effective, it also represents a naive appraisal of what’s happening during job training. student employees are always inevitably learning more than “just” how to shelve, or discharge returned materials, or scan documents. we are always already conveying more than how to accomplish a task when we train. to that end, it’s worth considering what our student employees are learning about the library and the workplace when we don’t devote care and attention to training. but if we provide that care and attention, are intentional in how we frame training, and connect it to the organization’s key learning goals, then training student employees more obviously becomes an opportunity not just to improve their performance as employees, but to shape their thinking as students. and it’s an opportunity shared by all student employees, whether they’re in a position or program crafted to function as a hip or not. setting its connotative baggage aside, training then is simply a word that signals that we’re concerned with learning in a workplace context. training can combine both the short-term goal of enabling someone to independently do something required of them as part of their job, and broader aims around supporting the growth of critical and information-literate thinkers.  approaching training as learning prompts us not just to think about what student employees need to know or be able to do, but also about how we want them to approach problems, what questions we want them to be able to ask, and how we want them to reflect on their work and learning. learning, as stolovitch and keeps note, is change, and in training employees we’re concerned not simply with the transmission of information, but with changing people, with transforming learners. that change—which challenges, modifies, and extends the mental models of learners—can be informed by student learning outcomes that exceed job requirements and align with the stated educational goals of academic libraries and the colleges and universities they serve. mapping the alignment between training goals and institutional learning outcomes is beneficial on a number of levels. it provides a framework in which student employees can identify the educational value of their work, and connect it to and integrate it with other learning experiences; it provides objectives for supervisors to build training and employment experiences around, and avenues for reflecting on how to make those experiences educationally purposeful; it furnishes concepts that can be folded into an expanded approach to performance evaluation, and can be used in assessing the learning impact of training and employment programs; and it enables the library to discuss its support for student success in language shared across campus. starkel affords an example of what such goal alignment might look like in practice in her description of how student employment and training in butler university’s information commons program is aligned with the university’s values and its nine institutional learning outcomes. and grimm and harmeyer have recently mapped the tasks, knowledge, and skills required of student employees at purdue university archives and special collections against the acrl framework for information literacy for higher education, demonstrating that information professionals can create work environments “built to impart educational growth, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.” as grimm and harmeyer show, those skills are in fact required to successfully accomplish many of the jobs students hold in academic libraries, which makes incorporating them in job training imperative for student success at multiple scales. the framework “envisions information literacy as extending the arc of learning throughout students’ academic careers and as converging with other academic and social learning goals” — and it converges too with training competent student library employees.  that convergence can involve building out training to accomplish student learning outcomes through “a syllabus-like professional development program” mapped out over the course of a semester. but it can also mean looking at the ways in which we currently train, and making adjustments that recognize the wider learning potential of training, while improving that training’s efficacy. for instance, learning scientists have shown that successful learners put newly acquired knowledge into a larger context; they improve transfer by recognizing underlying principles, rules, and patterns in what they’re learning, create connections between new and existing knowledge, and organize those ideas in mental models. hawks and mestre and lecrone provide examples of what that might look like in a library training context—such as focusing on generalizable principles, or explaining why as well as how to do something, in order to improve transfer and the creation of mental models by making explicit the assumptions underlying a particular task, process, or approach. while hawks doesn’t address student employment, and mestre and lecrone don’t frame their intervention explicitly in terms of learning, both suggest approaches to training that reflect learning research and workplace training literature, offering indications of how academic libraries might more intentionally and overtly incorporate those ideas within student employee training.   translating these ideas into concrete features of training can be as simple as remembering to provide learners with rationales that explain why a particular skill or task is important, and how it fits into the big picture of the employee’s job and library’s mission. it might also include, for example, creating brief two- or three-question reflection prompts, and providing a couple of minutes for students to respond to them at the end of a training session—prompts that ask them about what they’re learning, and how it connects to, adds to, or changes what they already know. it could involve learners practicing and applying what they’re learning in a range of different situations, or providing outlines or maps that student employees can fill out or create as they learn, in order to draw connections between and suggest a structure for what they’re learning. such interventions support student employees in successfully learning how to do their job, but they also support their learning about how to learn, and encourage them to make connections among the skills, concepts, and ideas they encounter across their academic and non-academic experiences. the result is training that both effectively deepens job learning and fosters metacognitive skills, integrated learning, and an awareness of how certain principles or approaches might apply across a multitude of scenarios. and these are features of educational practices—like hips—that strongly support student engagement and accomplishment.      we also know that learner-centered approaches are more effective—that they “promote a different, deeper, and better kind of learning […] a kind of learning that lasts” and that “enables higher education to achieve some of its broadest and highest goals.” recognizing that, and taking the constructivist approach that emphasizes learners’ active construction of knowledge also points to ways in which training can both be more effective and support learners in developing autonomy and problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. and, furthermore, it does so without reinforcing hierarchies of knowledge and authority that actually hinder learning. if effective teachers “think about what they do as stimulating construction, not ‘transmitting knowledge,’” then successful trainers too need to work with the idea that, as hawks notes, “engaged learners don’t just passively receive knowledge, they construct knowledge.” this approach makes training an exercise not in student employees “teaching themselves,” but one that can incorporate specific practices that encourage autonomy and foster higher-order thinking. we can create structured opportunities for learners to discover information about the library, explore the parts of a process, or investigate a database for themselves, perhaps even with the goal of having them share what they’ve learned with their peers. we can design training activities that ask student employees to make decisions, use their judgment, and grapple with the kinds of problems germane to their position. we can provide space for them to fail, reflect on what went wrong, and try again. in following this path, the trainer doesn’t abdicate responsibility or operate solely from a “hands-off” position, but provides guidance and structure within which student employees can exercise their autonomy and agency, and work with the trainer to build the skills necessary not just to their job but to their development as learners. a critically-informed training pedagogy also foregrounds the reciprocity of the teacher-learner relationship, emphasizing that those roles are fluid rather than fixed. throughout the term of a student’s employment, we can learn from their lived experiences, their perceptions of the library, and the knowledge they bring with them from other arenas of work and learning. in the context of job training specifically, we can learn from student employees about that training itself—about the experience of participating in it, its effectiveness, its ellisions or omissions, and how to do it better. both new and continuing student employees can and should be co-creators and critics of their work-learning experience at the library, including training. activating student employees’ existing expertise in the course of training, and having them contribute to rather than just receive that training, realizes the two-way learning opportunities that inhere in both student employment and job training. they point to student employment as a catalyst for change in the library, and student employee training as a learning moment that can exceed hierarchical models of knowledge transmission.   creating organizational change thinking of student employee training as learning reorients it from being a peripheral chore that gets in the way of the real and important work of the academic library, to something that is actually at the very heart of the academic library’s educational mission—directly connected to supporting student success not just in the very particular and local context of the job they’ve been hired to do, but in the broader arc of their college and life journey. and identifying the work of student employees, and of training student employees, as educationally purposeful redraws the boundaries of teaching and learning in the library. in particular, it highlights the importance of supervisors—many of whom are not librarians—to student learning, and the need in turn to support their learning. the fact that student employees are students is generating an increasing amount of thought about how to make their work experience educationally valuable. the fact that student employees are employees, however, might also create a route via which to think about the learning of other library employees, and develop continuities between the care taken with, and the practices and models used in, student and staff learning—which coincide at the point of the student employee and their supervisor. thinking about the learning of student staff might prompt us to consider further supporting the learning and success of all library staff, especially those who supervise student employees, and to recognize that the community whose learning the library supports is not just “out there.” as wilkinson and lewis note, “education is a core mission of all libraries. libraries should make the same commitment to educating their personnel that they have made to educating their users.” if training is learning, supervisors are themselves, of course, not just learners but also educators, a designation that disrupts typical demarcations around who in the library teaches. mcclellan and colleagues suggest that a good supervisor can operate like a good professor in creating “a positive and open atmosphere for learning.” however, markgraf notes there may be “hesitation among some staff to refer to themselves as educators, and […] resistance among faculty to cede any part of that role to colleagues outside of the classroom.” student employee training highlights, nevertheless, that clear distinctions between these terms and roles do not hold—supervisors “train, instruct, and educate […] one is not more important than the other. all three work together.” indeed, as reed and signorelli point out, “almost everyone within a library or non-profit organization is a trainer-teacher-learner.” our official titles and place within the library hierarchy don’t map in obvious and straightforward ways onto the work around learning that we actually do. thinking of supervisors as teachers might produce some dissonance and difficulties. but supervisors are already fulfilling that role and doing that work: “we spend more time with the student employees on average than any one professor, counselor, or advisor,” and spend that time “educating, training, helping to form students’ work ethics and habits.” burke and lawrence refer to this as “accidental mentorship,” but if we recognize the work of supervisors as directly contributing to student learning, then we can be more intentional about supporting them in this role, and untangling the “mixed signals” they receive “regarding the time that they spend training and managing student employees.” thinking about effective, pedagogically-informed student employee training requires conceiving of supervisors as both teachers and learners and seeing the learning of students, student employees, and full-time staff as interconnected and integral to the learning mission of the library.      through the lens of a learner-centered approach to training student employees, the academic library emerges as an organization whose support for learning isn’t restricted to instruction or public-facing services, and where responsibility for that support lies with both librarians and non-librarian staff. a distributed, shared attention to learning provides opportunities for groups within the library to gain from each other’s learning regardless of status and role, to the benefit of individuals and the organization as a whole. it might foster workplace learning programs like the one detailed by decker and townes, where librarians and non-librarian staff take turns sharing their knowledge with one another; this “vertically integrated” instruction model, with learning moving across hierarchical divisions within the library, aims to bridge the work divide between librarians and other library staff. that instruction model could easily extend to encompass student staff, and both baird and see and teetor provide accounts of training programs in which student and full-time staff participate together—a practice which, as baird notes, is “not commonly done,” but which can improve student employee motivation by creating stronger connections with the organization’s culture and objectives. why not, indeed, further recognize the distribution of knowledge and expertise throughout the library organization, and have student employees contribute to training new full-time staff, as mestre and lecrone recount? conclusion mcclellan et al. identify seven qualities that all student employment programs should have. one of them is meaningful relationships between student employees and their employers, focused on teaching and learning; another is that they “must have caring as an embedded and essential value.” caring, as they show, has a demonstrable impact on student success. investing in both initial and on-going training and development that is thoughtfully designed to support personal growth and broader learning goals manifests an affective orientation of care for student employees. paying attention to the quality and effectiveness of student employee job training, and to that job training as a specific and widely shared learning experience, grounds the supervisor-supervisee relationship in teaching and learning that moves in both directions. it also creates a bridge between the library’s often outward-oriented educational mission and nurturing an internal culture of learning and care for all library employees that can be integrated into our very operational fabric. reframing student employee training as a particular learning occasion within the broader work-learning experience, and insisting on the need for and benefits of approaching it with pedagogical care, in fact serves as a demonstration of what meulemans and matlin identify as “organizational care,” which supports change that benefits library workers “in an equitable, inclusive, and socially just fashion.” this article advocates incorporating not just student employment in general, but job training for student employees specifically, into academic libraries’ educational practices. such an argument points to a need for further research on and assessment of the relationship between student employment, training methods and programs, and student and supervisor learning. what support do supervisors need to effectively facilitate training as a learner-centered experience? how do we reconfigure the structure of our organizations to recognize supervisors as educators? how can we track the impact—on student employees, supervisors, and the work of the library—of adopting a learner-centered approach to work and training? answering those questions, and others, will work to shift hierarchized distinctions between types of learning within the library, and allow us to identify further overlooked educational opportunities and other arenas in which we might bring learner-centered approaches to bear to the benefit of library staff and users, as does looking anew at job training for student employees. reexamining student employee training from a learning perspective can not only improve job performance and advance key learning outcomes; it can also reconfigure assumptions about who “does” teaching and learning in the library, confound hierarchical distinctions that hinder organizational learning, and contribute to a reflective, learner-centered library, characterized by care, in which the learners are both patrons and staff. acknowledgements with many thanks to publishing editor jaena rae cabrera, internal reviewer ian beilin, and external reviewer cindy pierard for the many generous and insightful comments that have enriched my thought and writing on this topic; to paul moffett, for his time, support, encouragement, and getting excited about doing new stuff in access services; to michelle niemann, in-home writing coach and interlocutor par excellence; and to the student employees in access services at iupui university library, from whom i learn so much, and who make going to work a pleasure.   references ambrose, susan a. et al. how learning works: seven research-based principles for smart teaching. san francisco: jossey-bass, . association for college and research libraries. framework for information literacy for higher education. chicago: association for college and research libraries, . http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework .pdf.  bain, ken. what the best college teachers do. cambridge, ma: harvard university press, . baird, lynn n. “aloha to new learning: uniting student and career staff through training.” journal of access services , no. / ( ): - . baldwin, david a., and daniel c. barkley. complete guide for supervisors of student employees in today’s academic libraries. westport, ct: libraries unlimited, . becker-redd, kindra, kirsten lee, and caroline skelton. “training student workers for cross-departmental success in an academic library: a new model.” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - . black, elizabeth l. “library student employment and educational value beyond the paycheck.” in learning beyond the classroom: engaging students in information literacy through co-curricular activities, edited by silvia vong and manda vrlkjan, - . chicago: association of college and research libraries, . brown, peter c., henry l. roediger iii, and mark a. mcdaniel. make it stick: the science of successful learning. cambridge, ma: belknap press of harvard university press, . burke, kate and belinda lawrence. “the accidental mentorship: library managers’ roles in student employees’ academic professional lives.” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - . bussell, h. and j. hagman. “from training to learning: developing student employees through experiential learning design.” in the experiential library: transforming academic and research libraries through the power of experiential learning, edited by pete mcdonnell, - . cambridge, ma: chandos publishing, . decker, e.n. and j.a. townes. “going vertical: enhancing staff training through vertically integrated instruction.” in the experiential library: transforming academic and research libraries through the power of experiential learning, edited by pete mcdonnell, - . cambridge, ma: chandos publishing, . dirksen, julie. design for how people learn. nd ed. san francisco: new riders, . drewitz, jessica m. “training student workers: a win-win.” aall spectrum ( ): - . evanson, cara. “‘we aren’t just the kids that sit at the front’: rethinking student employee training.” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - . farrell, sandy l. and carol driver. “tag, you’re it: hiring, training, and managing student assistants.” community and junior college libraries , no. ( ): - . finkel, donald l. teaching with your mouth shut (portsmouth, nh: boynton/cook, ). freire, paulo. pedagogy of the oppressed ( ). translated by myra bergman ramos. new york: continuum, . gerlich, bella karr. “rethinking the contributions of student employees to library services.” library administration and management , no. ( ): - . gregory, david. “the evolving role of student employees in academic libraries.” journal of library administration , no. / ( ): - . grimm, tracy and neal harmeyer. “on-the-job information literacy: a case study of student employees at purdue university archives and special collections.” in learning beyond the classroom: engaging students in information literacy through co-curricular activities, edited by silvia vong and manda vrlkjan, - . chicago: association of college and research libraries, . hawks, melanie. designing training. chicago: association of college and research libraries, . hansen, sarah l. and beth a. hoag. “promoting learning, career readiness, and leadership in student employment.” new directions for student leadership no. ( ): - . hillyard, cinnamon and katharine a. whitson. “a multi-unit approach to interactive training of student employees.” library administration and management , no. ( ): - . hoag, beth and sarah sagmoen. “leading, learning, and earning: creating a meaningful student employment program.” in students lead the library: the importance of student contributions to the academic library, edited by sara arnold-garza and carissa tomlinson, - . chicago: acrl, . kathman, jane m. and michael d. kathman. “training student employees for quality service.” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - . klipfel, kevin michael and dani brecher cook. learner-centered pedagogy: principles and practices. chicago: ala editions, . kohler, jamie p.  “training engaged student employees: a small college library experience.” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . kuh, george d. high-impact practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. washington, dc: american association of colleges and universities, . kuh, george d. “maybe experience really can be the best teacher.” chronicle of higher education, november , . https://www.chronicle.com/article/maybe-experience-really-can-be/ lang, james m. small teaching: everyday lessons from the science of learning. san francisco: jossey-bass, . manley, laura and robert p. holley. “hiring and training work-study students: a case study.” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . markgraf, jill. “unleash your library’s hipster: transforming student library jobs into high-impact practices.” proceedings of the acrl conference. portland, or, march , - . http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /markgraf.pdf mcclellan, george s., kristina creager, and marianna savoca. a good job: campus employment as a high-impact practice. sterling, va: stylus, . mcginniss, jeremy.  “working at learning: developing an integrated approach to student staff development.” in the library with the lead pipe, april , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /working-at-learning-developing-an-integrated-approach-to-student-staff-development/.    melilli, amanda, rosan mitola, and amy hunsaker. “contributing to the library student employee experience: perceptions of a student development program.” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - . mestre, lori s. and jessica m. lecrone. “elevating the student assistant: an integrated development program for student library assistants,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . meulemans, yvonne nalani and talitha r. matlin. “are you being served? embracing servant leadership, trusting library staff, and engendering change.” library leadership and management , no. ( ): - . michael, joshua b. and jeremy mcginniss. “our student workers rock! investing in the student staff development process.” library faculty presentations ( ). https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_presentations/ mitola, rosan, erin rinto, and emily pattni,.“student employment as a high-impact practice in academic libraries: a systematic review.” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - . moore, cathy. map it: the hands-on guide to strategic training design. united states: montesa press, . perozzi, brett ed. enhancing student learning through college employment. bloomington, in: association of college unions international, . reed, lori and paul signorelli. workplace learning and leadership: a handbook for library and nonprofit trainers. chicago: american library association, . rinto, erin, rosan mitola, and kate otto. “reframing library student employment as a high-impact practice: implications from case studies.” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . savoca, marianna and urszula zalewski. “the campus as a learning laboratory: transforming student employment.” nsea journal ( ): - . scrogham, eva and sara punsky mcguire, “orientation, training, and development.” in enhancing student learning through college employment, edited by brett perozzi, - . bloomington, in: association of college unions international, . see, andrew and travis stephen teetor. “effective e-training: using a course management system and e-learning tools to train library employees.” journal of access services , no. ( ): - . starkel, amanda d. “investing in student employees: training in butler university’s information commons program,” indiana libraries , no. ( ): - . stolovitch,  harold d. and erica j. keeps. telling ain’t training: updated, expanded, and enhanced. alexandria, va: astd press, . surtees, laura. “training to learn: developing an interactive, collaborative circulation-reference training program for student workers.” proceedings of the acrl conference. cleveland, oh, april , - . http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /trainingtolearn.pdf  vassady, lisa, alyssa archer, and eric ackermann. “read-ing our way to success: using the read scale to successfully train reference student assistants in the referral model.” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - . weimer, maryellen. learner-centered teaching: five key changes to practice. nd ed. san francisco: jossey-bass, . wiggins, grant and jay mctighe. understanding by design. nd ed. alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development, . wilkinson, frances c. and linda k. lewis. “training programs in academic libraries: continuous learning in the information age.” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - . william iii, james. “starting off on the right foot: a library new student employee orientation,” south carolina libraries , no. ( ). http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/scl_journal/vol /iss / footnotes 	susan a. ambrose et al., how learning works: seven research-based principles for smart teaching (san francisco: jossey-bass, ), [↩] 	donald l. finkel, teaching with your mouth shut (portsmouth, nh: boynton/cook, ); harold d. stolovitch and erica j. keeps, telling ain’t training: updated, expanded, and enhanced (alexandria, va: astd press, ). [↩] 	grant wiggins and jay mctighe, understanding by design, nd ed. (alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development, ), . [↩] 	david a. baldwin and daniel c. barkley, complete guide for supervisors of student employees in today’s academic libraries (westport, ct: libraries unlimited, ), . [↩] 	james william iii, “starting off on the right foot: a library new student employee orientation,” south carolina libraries , no. ( ): http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/scl_journal/vol /iss / ;george s. mcclellan, kristina creager, and marianna savoca, a good job: campus employment as a high-impact practice (sterling, va: stylus, ); cara evanson, “‘we aren’t just the kids that sit at the front’: rethinking student employee training,” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - ; beth hoag and sarah sagmoen, “leading, learning, and earning: creating a meaningful student employment program,” in students lead the library: the importance of student contributions to the academic library, ed. sara arnold-garza and carissa tomlinson (chicago: acrl, ), - . [↩] 	amanda melilli, rosan mitola, and amy hunsaker, “contributing to the library student employee experience: perceptions of a student development program,” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): . [↩] 	david gregory quotes a librarian in conceding that student employment might be “far less of an evil than it appeared” ( ), and suggests that unenthusiastic “characterizations of student help […] will always be with us” (gregory, “the evolving role of student employees in academic libraries,” journal of library administration , no. / ( ): ); those characterizations certainly persist in articles such as  bella karr gerlich, “rethinking the contributions of student employees to library services,” library administration and management , no. ( ): - , and laura manley and robert p. holley, “hiring and training work-study students: a case study,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	ken bain, what the best college teachers do (cambridge, ma: harvard university press, ), . [↩] 	jeremy mcginniss, “working at learning: developing an integrated approach to student staff development,” in the library with the lead pipe, april , , http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /working-at-learning-developing-an-integrated-approach-to-student-staff-development/ [↩] 	as even a quick scan of titles such as “retraining is draining,” “searching for solutions,” and “so many students, so little time” suggests. [↩] 	for training presentations see: kindra becker-redd, kirsten lee, and caroline skelton, “training student workers for cross-departmental success in an academic library: a new model,” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - ; cinnamon hillyard and katharine a. whitson, “a multi-unit approach to interactive training of student employees,” library administration and management , no. ( ): - ; manley and holley, “hiring and training,” - ; jamie p. kohler, “training engaged student employees: a small college library experience,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . for examples of the use of manuals and handbooks see: kohler, “training engaged student employees”; jane m. kathman and michael d. kathman, “training student employees for quality service,” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - ; sandy l. farrell and carol driver, “tag, you’re it: hiring, training, and managing student assistants,” community and junior college libraries , no. ( ): - ; lisa vassady, alyssa archer, and eric ackermann, “read-ing our way to success: using the read scale to successfully train reference student assistants in the referral model,” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - ; hoag and sagmoen, “leading, learning, and earning”; jessica m. drewitz, “training student workers: a win-win,” aall spectrum ( ): - . [↩] 	peter c. brown, henry l. roediger iii, and mark a. mcdaniel, make it stick: the science of successful learning (cambridge, ma: belknap press of harvard university press, ), . [↩] 	laura surtees, “training to learn: developing an interactive, collaborative circulation-reference training program for student workers,” proceedings of the acrl conference, cleveland, oh, april , - , http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /trainingtolearn.pdf [↩] 	kohler, “training engaged,” . [↩] 	amanda d. starkel, “investing in student employees: training in butler university’s information commons program,” indiana libraries , no. ( ): . [↩] 	james m. lang, small teaching: everyday lessons from the science of learning (san francisco: jossey-bass, ). [↩] 	carl rogers, quoted in kevin michael klipfel and dani brecher cook, learner-centered pedagogy: principles and practices (chicago: ala editions, ), . [↩] 	overviews of effective practices, how to implement them, and why they work include: stolovitch and keeps, telling ain’t training; lang, small teaching; julie dirksen, design for how people learn nd ed. (san francisco: new riders, ); brown, roediger iii, and mcdaniel, make it stick; cathy moore, map it: the hands-on guide to strategic training design (montesa press, ); ambrose et al., how learning works. [↩] 	see: hoag and sagmoen, “leading, learning, and earning,” ; melilli, mitola, and hunsaker, “library student employee experience,” ; joshua b. michael and jeremy mcginniss, “our student workers rock! investing in the student staff development process,” library faculty presentations ( ), https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_presentations/    [↩] 	george d. kuh, high-impact practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter (washington, dc: american association of colleges and universities, ), - . [↩] 	see: george d. kuh, “maybe experience really can be the best teacher,” chronicle of higher education, november , , https://www.chronicle.com/article/maybe-experience-really-can-be/ ; mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job; marianna savoca and urszula zalewski, “the campus as a learning laboratory: transforming student employment,” nsea journal ( ): - ; brett perozzi,ed., enhancing student learning through college employment (bloomington, in: association of college unions international, ); sarah l. hansen and beth a. hoag, “promoting learning, career readiness, and leadership in student employment,” new directions for student leadership no. ( ): - ; jill markgraf, “unleash your library’s hipster: transforming student library jobs into high-impact practices,” proceedings of the acrl conference, portland, or, march , - , http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /markgraf.pdf; rosan mitola, erin rinto, and emily pattni, “student employment as a high-impact practice in academic libraries: a systematic review,” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - ; erin rinto, rosan mitola, and kate otto, “reframing library student employment as a high-impact practice: implications from case studies,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ); elizabeth l. black, “library student employment and educational value beyond the paycheck,” in learning beyond the classroom: engaging students in information literacy through co-curricular activities, ed. silvia vong and manda vrlkjan (chicago: association of college and research libraries, ), - . [↩] 	h. bussell and j. hagman, “from training to learning: developing student employees through experiential learning design” in pete mcdonnell, ed.,the experiential library: transforming academic and research libraries through the power of experiential learning (cambridge, ma: chandos, publishing, ), . [↩] 	evanson, “we aren’t just the kids,” . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	eva scrogham and sara punsky mcguire, “orientation, training, and development” in brett perozzi, ed., enhancing student learning through college employment (bloomington, in: association of college unions international, ), . [↩] 	scrogham and mcguire, “orientation,” [↩] 	baldwin and barkley, complete guide, . [↩] 	paulo freire, pedagogy of the oppressed ( ), trans. myra bergman ramos (new york: continuum, ), . [↩] 	lynn n. baird, “aloha to new learning: uniting student and career staff through training, journal of access services , no. / ( ): . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	stolovitch and keeps, telling ain’t training, . [↩] 	stolovitch and keeps, telling ain’t training, . [↩] 	starkel, “investing,” - . [↩] 	tracy grimm and neal harmeyer, “on-the-job information literacy: a case study of student employees at purdue university archives and special collections” in learning beyond the classroom, . [↩] 	association for college and research libraries, framework for information literacy for higher education (chicago: association for college and research libraries, ): , http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework .pdf [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	brown, roediger iii, and mcdaniel, make it stick, - . [↩] 	for example: melanie hawks, designing training (chicago: association of college and research libraries, ), ; lori s. mestre and jessica m. lecrone, “elevating the student assistant: an integrated development program for student library assistants,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): . [↩] 	maryellen weimer, learner-centered teaching: five key changes to practice, nd ed. (san francisco: jossey-bass, ), . [↩] 	bain, best college teachers, . [↩] 	hawks, designing training, . [↩] 	frances c. wilkinson and linda k. lewis, “training programs in academic libraries: continuous learning in the information age,” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	markgraf, “unleash,” . [↩] 	keeps and stolovitch, training ain’t telling, . [↩] 	lori reed and paul signorelli, workplace learning and leadership: a handbook for library and nonprofit trainers (chicago: american library association, ), . [↩] 	bussell and hagman point out, for example, that experiential learning requires that learners be able to challenge teachers, and as “tricky as it is to establish this level of trust between learner and teacher in a normal classroom, it can be even more difficult when the learner/teacher relationship is also an employee/supervisor relationship.” bussell and hagman, “training to learning,” . [↩] 	kate burke and belinda lawrence, “the accidental mentorship: library managers’ roles in student employees’ academic professional lives,” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): . [↩] 	kathman and kathman, “quality service,” . [↩] 	e.n. decker and j.a. townes, “going vertical: enhancing staff training through vertically integrated instruction” in the experiential library, . [↩] 	baird, “aloha,” - ; andrew see and travis stephen teetor, “effective e-training: using a course management system and e-learning tools to train library employees,” journal of access services , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	mestre and lecrone, “elevating,” . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, - . [↩] 	yvonne nalani meulemans and talitha r. matlin, “are you being served? embracing servant leadership, trusting library staff, and engendering change,” library leadership and management , no. ( ): - . [↩] 			 						 				librarian/faculty relationships, library instruction, library workplaces, student employment, training 			 					 	 						 												 						 							creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries 							“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	pingback : journal article: training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries | lj infodocket 	 	pingback : day in review (july – , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. 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					 check this page for announcements such as calls for submissions to special series, editorial statements, and changes to journal policies. #blacklivesmatter: a special series deadline for submissions: ongoing for at least the next year full name / name of organization: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ contact email: itlwtlp at gmail dot com in the library with the lead pipe is an open access, open peer reviewed journal founded and run by a team of librarians working in various types of libraries. in addition to publishing articles and editorials by editorial board members, lead pipe publishes articles by authors representing diverse perspectives including educators, administrators, library support staff, technologists, and community members. we publish high quality peer-reviewed articles in a range of formats. whilst we are open to suggestions for new article types and formats, including material previously published in part or full, we expect proposals to include unique and substantial new content from the author. the editorial board has been angered, concerned, moved, and frustrated by what has been happening in our country, specifically after the unwarranted deaths of ahmaud arbery, breonna taylor, and george floyd. we have also been buoyed and inspired by the subsequent protests and calls for change. with that in mind, lead pipe would like to keep this conversation going in a substantive way. the #blm series we invite submissions from educators, administrators, library support staff, technologists, and community members who have content and thoughts to share about #blacklivesmatter and this current moment in time. priority will be given to those from marginalized communities. in accordance with the type of articles lead pipe publishes, we invite the following categories of work: 	original research with a discussion of its consequences (with or without an argument for action) that makes a unique, significant contribution to the professional literature. 	articles using autoethnography or other accounts of the author’s own experience to analyze, theorize, situate, or otherwise contribute new insights to the professional literature. 	articles arguing for a particular approach, strategy or development in librarianship, with suggestions for how it might be achieved. 	transformative works with additional explanatory or interpretive content. for example, a transcription of an interview or panel discussion, with a substantial introduction explaining the importance of the subject to librarianship and a discussion of related literature. submissions in this special series could include, but are not limited to, the following: 	library history / black excellence / leadership 	mental health in lis  	library policies / approaches to de-centering whiteness / collection development 	anti-discriminatory and reparative cataloging and description 	archives for black lives 	hr / recruitment & retention 	emotional labor / tenure & promotion  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open peer review system is designed to ensure articles are well written and based on sound evidence; it is also designed to support authors in writing the best article they possibly can, whilst retaining their own voice. to indicate that you’d like to serve as an external peer reviewer, please submit the following to itlwtlp at gmail dot com: 	an email specifying that you would like to serve as an external peer reviewer for the #blm series. 	a to sentence bio, a resume, or a cv—whichever can highlight the perspective and experience you will bring to your review. 	a brief explanation of what motivates you to serve as a peer reviewer. how does your positionality or identity inform your relationship to this topic? 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 ian beilin – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				ian beilin 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					 	articles by ian 	email: ian@leadpi.pe 	@ibeilin i’m humanities research services librarian at columbia university. i’m also a historian and i teach modern european history as an adjunct professor (intermittently) in the division of applied undergraduate studies of new york university’s school of professional studies. my scholarship in history focused on early th century german nationalism and national identity. my scholarship includes topics in critical information literacy, critical librarianship, the history of academic librarianship, and modern german history. i’m the co-editor of the library juice press book reference librarianship and justice: history, practice, & praxis. for me librarianship has the most meaning when placed in its larger contexts: social, political, economic, and cultural. i try to always connect what i do as a librarian to the issues that affect our lives, both professional and personal. i’m interested in better understanding the various ways that patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism influence and structure library practice, and in working with others in the struggle against those forces. i hold a phd in modern european history from columbia university, an msis from the university at albany, and a ba in german and history from the university of michigan. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 nicola andrews – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								nicola andrews 							 	 		 		 			 	about nicola andrews 		 			 				 nicola andrews is a member of the ngāti paoa iwi. their professional interests include indigenous knowledge and mātauranga māori in libraries, lis admissions standards and curricula, and critical pedagogy. 											 		 articles by nicola andrews 	 			it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					jeremiah paschke-wood, ellen dubinsky and leslie sult					/ comments 				 											creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief: research and course guides typically feature long lists of resources without the contextual or instructional framework to direct novice researchers through the research process. an investigation of guide usage and user interactions at a large university in the southwestern u.s. revealed a need to reexamine the way research guides can be developed and implemented to better meet the needs of these students by focusing on pedagogical support of student research and information literacy skill creation. this article documents the justification behind making the changes as well as the theoretical framework used to develop and organize a system that will place both pedagogically-focused guides as well as student-focused answers to commonly asked questions on a reimagined faq/research page. this research offers academic libraries an alternative approach to existing methods of helping students. rather than focusing on guiding students to a list of out-of-context guides and resources, it reconceptualizes our current system and strives to offer pedagogically-sound direction and alternatives for students who formerly navigated unsuccessfully through the library’s website, either requiring more support, or failing to find the assistance they needed. introduction the way librarians teach research methods and interact with faculty and staff across campus has changed over the years. this is due to a number of factors including reduced or flat budgets, increasing undergraduate enrollment, and changes to content delivery brought on by technological adaptations and users’ needs. amid these trends, more and more librarians search for active ways to engage novice researchers with instruction that provides guidance and scaffolding into more complex research practices and concepts, instead of instruction that focuses on search mechanics or rote practices. strangely, since their inception almost years ago, research guides, often used to supplement instruction, have evolved into resource lists despite ample research suggesting this approach has limited efficacy as an instructional approach. librarians also now often need to look to technology to help support student learning or provide this instruction, with fewer opportunities for in-person instruction or fewer librarians to conduct this instruction. while academic libraries have long relied on subject guides as a means for supporting students through the research process, the advent of widespread internet usage allowed libraries to begin making guides available online. this process was streamlined even further with springshare’s development of the libguides platform in . the ease of creating and copying libguides has provided librarians a means of developing online, scalable research support for students. in surveying guides across institutions, it is clear that the guides tend to follow a traditional “pathfinder” model that provides students with extensive lists of resources. while this is a valid use of guides, the changing expectations of students and faculty as well as more nuanced views of the research process require libraries to rethink the ways they support students as they attain information literacy skills and competencies. given these factors, our research focuses on whether or not current practices around the use and presentation of guides, which generally include comprehensive lists of resources without context or instruction, align with information literacy concepts as well as with commonly accepted practices around the way students learn. if the answer is no, what can we – as academic librarians and educators – do to provide a more useful and pedagogically sound option for early career undergraduates? how do we leverage our technology solutions to better serve this constituency who might not receive information literacy instruction through their coursework and might be intimidated by the prospect of asking for assistance from a person at a public service desk? at the university of arizona (uarizona), where this research is taking place, liaison librarians are tasked with serving as the primary research support for the entire campus of over , students, while a smaller group focuses on information literacy instruction to the , - , new undergraduates that arrive on campus every year. the students possess varying levels of experience and skill in research. with the small number of liaisons working with this large community, the need for research support delivery via the library website and other online tools is more and more important. in this article, we will discuss utilizing the libguides and libanswers platforms to allow students to have more control over their research journey as they navigate the types of resources and library instructional support they need to develop successful research habits and practices. the methods we have used for these changes correspond to research in the application of adult learning theory in library instruction and the conclusions drawn by kathy watts in her analysis of the application of principles of andragogy in online library instruction that “college students… display the characteristics of adult learners. they like to know that their learning is relevant. they learn best when tutorials are problem-based. they come to library instruction with prior learning that needs to be accommodated. they prefer, and are capable of, self-directing their learning.” background given the current resource-heavy content in the university of arizona libraries’ (ual) course and subject guides, we began our research by looking for older literature about subject and research guides with the hope of discovering how research guides evolved. while we knew of more recent literature and projects – such as those identified by alison hicks in her article “libguides: pedagogy to oppress” – that position libguides as instructional tools, we were surprised to find that researchers have stressed the importance of designing guides with pedagogy at the forefront for decades. few of the suggestions that researchers previously put forth have been followed, including in the creation of libguides at our own institution.   the origin story of library research guides usually starts with topic-specific reference aids developed at mit in the early s as part of the model library program of project intrex. these printed aids were called library pathfinders and marketed as such. the pathfinders were expressly “designed to be useful for the initial stages of library research.” they were not intended to be bibliographies, exhaustive guides to the literature, or accessions tools. pathfinders were a “compact guide to the basic sources of information specific to the user’s immediate needs” and “a step-by-step instructional tool.” canfield ( ) explained that by “a judicious combination of a series of selected informational elements … a pathfinder enables the user to follow an organized search path.” the initial intention was never to create a comprehensive listing of resources but rather a suggested sequence of first steps. an even earlier precursor may have been the montieth college library experiment at wayne state university in the early s. patricia knapp, an academic librarian and library educator, was an early proponent of integrating librarianship with academic instruction. knapp’s “path-ways” instruction embedded the library, both its physical collections and the organization of the collections, throughout the four-year montieth curriculum, building assignments that progressed in complexity as students advanced in their study and understanding of their disciplines. early articles described the strategic purposes of research/resource guides. alice sizer warner ( ) acknowledged that library pathfinders could be used as teaching tools and could enhance students’ research skills, though she did not offer specifics on how to accomplish those goals. thompson and stevens ( ) felt that traditional pathfinders were unsatisfactory because “they provided specific references to information and did not require students to develop their own search strategies.” jackson ( ) described the guides created at the university of houston-university park as “search strategy guides.” their guides emphasized a process for searching rather than pointing to specific information resources. the intention was to teach users methods for searching that could be applied in situations where subject guides did not exist. kapoun ( ) suggested that pathfinders failed to serve their original purpose. he stressed that pathfinders “should not dictate a single ‘correct way’ to perform topical research. instead they should facilitate individual styles of information gathering…. a pathfinder should offer suggestions, not formulas [emphasis kapoun].” by the late s most libraries had developed online guides to both locally-held and internet-based subject resources, according to research by cohen & still ( ). while much of the literature continued to focus on the instructional purposes of online guides, many articles described methods, applications, and software that could be used to produce guides. yet even within these “how-to” articles were references to the instructional uses of guides. andrew cox ( ) described hypermedia library guides. he promoted the incorporation of graphics, images, sound and video files while acknowledging the technical challenges and limitations of existing browsers (netscape at that time). corinne laverty ( ) suggested that the web could function as a library’s desktop publishing system, revitalizing subject guides and pathfinders and allowing the creation and incorporation of interactive library tutorials. in addition to a discussion about technical solutions, she suggested several desired features of online pathfinders, including the “addition of a complete research strategy within a subject area rather than limitation to the traditional list of reference tools,” how to critically evaluate information and write a paper, and links to databases and tutorials. the challenge, according to laverty, was to “take advantage of the versatility and accessibility of the web in a way that enhances the library learning process.” a study of electronic pathfinders from nine canadian university libraries (dahl ) considered the intended functions of these guides. dahl felt that pathfinders had an instructional purpose — if they were mere bibliographies, they could not help students learn how to do research. carla dunsmore ( ) looked at the explicit and implicit purposes, concepts, and principles of online pathfinders. using both canadian and american university library pathfinders on three business topics, dunsmore identified two major functions: “facilitating access and providing a search strategy.” galvin ( ) found that “[p]athfinders which only list resources without providing explanations of the type of information offered in different sources do not teach students to evaluate information.” bradley brazzeal ( ) compared online forestry research guides to study how the guides incorporated the acrl’s information literacy competency standards for higher education. findings showed that some guides engaged the users by incorporating features that corresponded directly to elements of a library instruction session. he concluded that research guides had great potential to educate library users by helping them to understand the practical use of library resources and services. the time required to create and maintain internet-based subject guides was noted by morris and grimes ( ) in their study of research university libraries in the southeast. while the creation of guides was time-consuming, the librarians surveyed believed that the guides saved their users’ time in finding quality sites. the additional challenges of creating internet-based guides included the possible need for web masters, student workers, paraprofessionals, and new software to create, monitor and maintain the guides. consideration of search strategies or methods of conducting research were eclipsed by the technical challenges of creating online guides. in a follow-up study, the same authors concluded that library internet-based subject guides were becoming almost universal. the researchers’ use of the term “webliographies,” speaks to their use as a list of links rather than as a pedagogical tool. creation of “dynamic subject guides”, at york university, using an open source cms application was discussed by dupuis, ryan, & steeves ( ). the key objective of their guides was to serve as a starting point for research for undergraduate students. while the guides could be updated and maintained by librarians rather than computing staff, the guides themselves were chiefly search interfaces for library e-resources. moses & richard ( ) detailed the experience of two university libraries in implementing web . technologies (subjectsplus and libguides) for building online subject guides. at the time of writing in november , the open source subjectsplus, developed by andrew darby at ithaca college, had been adopted by libraries. libguides, a vendor solution developed by springshare, was reportedly being used by over institutions. another early article (kerico & hudson ) about adopting libguides as a web-based platform described the ease of use and functionality of the libguides platform. the embedded web . features allowed librarians without expertise in computer programming or web design to quickly create general online resource guides and course-specific subject guides that utilized interactive web . features. more importantly, libguides could help refine instruction: the platform could make it easy to identify instructional elements that are common to all disciplines and encourage a “refined and collaborative approach to best practices for delivering content online to students and faculty alike.” glassman & sorensen ( ) suggested several web-based tools for the creation of library subject guides, pathfinders, and toolkits. options included content management systems such as drupal, blogging software such as blogspot and wordpress, and wikis such as mediawiki. other options included the open source applications libdata, developed by the university of minnesota libraries, and subjectsplus. ultimately glassman & sorensen’s library chose libguides for their online guides, citing the platform’s ease of use, customizability, strong vendor support, and content sharing. a nuanced criticism of research guides was offered by alison hicks in . hicks questioned whether the predominant usage of libguides focused far too heavily on the decontextualized listing of tools and resources which isolated research from the reading and writing processes. this was troublesome because it positioned research as static and linear, leading to a predefined or pre-identified truth or right answer. a better solution would be guides designed around research processes, allowing opportunity for students to construct their own meaning-making process. hicks argued that “when we construct libguides around the resources that the librarian thinks the student should know about in order to ace their research paper, we attempt to simplify the processes of research.” ruth l. baker ( ) suggested that libguides could be used more effectively if they were structured as tutorials that guided students through the research process. such guides would “function to reduce cognitive load and stress on working memory; engage students through metacognition for deeper learning; and provide a scaffolded framework so students can build skills and competencies gradually towards mastery.” in one of the few studies conducted to assess the impact of research guides on student learning, stone et al. ( ) tested two types of guides for different sections of a dental hygiene first year seminar course. one guide was structured around resource lists organized by resource types (pathfinder design) while the second was organized around an established information literacy research process approach. the results showed that students found the pedagogical guide more helpful than the resource guide in navigating the information literacy research process. stone et al. concluded that these pedagogical guides, structured around the research process with tips and guidance explaining the “why” and the “how” of the research process, led to better student learning. a study focusing on the influence of guide design on information literacy competency (as delineated in the acrl framework for information literacy for higher education) for guides used outside the classroom by lee & lowe ( ) showed similar results. the pedagogical guide was organized around the research process identified in carol kuhlthau’s information search process ( ) and employed numbered steps to lead students through the research process. students using the pedagogical guide reported a more positive experience, spent more time using the guide, interacted more with the guide, and consulted more resources listed on the guide than students using a more traditional pathfinder (resource lists) guide. even though the study did not reveal a statistically significant difference in the information literacy learning outcomes between the students using the pedagogical guide and the students using the pathfinder guide, the authors proposed that there was a pedagogical advantage to having a more usable guide as well as lessening students’ negative emotions and anxiety related to research. if, as hemmig ( ) suggests, the origin of subject guides was knapp and the montieth library experiment project’s library “path ways”, then one of the central aspects of knapp’s research has been repeatedly lost and rediscovered, reiterated and ignored, over the last years. there has been recurrent consideration of subject guides as pedagogical tools to teach how information is used within the disciplines and how research is conducted, but too often the focus has shifted to the maintenance, readability, format, consistency, language usage, and discoverability of guides. several authors share the same message of teaching strategies and methods; few reported on the successful implementation of those recommendations. our challenge as a large, public, land-grant university with over , undergraduate students, the two small departments of liaison librarians at ual face a daunting task of supporting students in pedagogically sound ways with limited resources. librarians often turn to online tutorials and guides to support the large student population. the ual has a recently updated suite of tutorials that librarians work to embed into early career undergraduate courses. in addition, liaisons consistently collaborate with faculty to develop course guides that support specific classes and assignments. although this approach has been useful, when we analyzed the usage of our guides as well as the questions that students were asking via chat and the reference desk, we found that the ual could improve our support for students by investing more effort and energy into developing guides that better connect information literacy practices to the principles of andragogy and that better support students in the meaning making processes of research that alison hicks so adroitly champions in her article “libguides: pedagogy to oppress?” research has shown that “[l]ibrary instruction seems to make the most difference to student success when it is repeated at different levels in the university curriculum, especially when it is offered in upper-level courses” and that “[a] tiered approach to teaching information literacy is in line with the way many universities teach other literacies, such as writing and math, with introductory skills at the freshman level and then more advanced practice as students matriculate.” a utah state university study that examined the impact of sequenced library instruction reinforces these findings as well as the need to use online learning tools to take advantage of flipped models of instruction when setting up a scaffolded program. given the need for scaling and providing opportunities for scaffolded and flipped instructional experiences that online research guides help fulfill, the use and usefulness of research guides for students is a primary concern for librarians. courtois, higgins, and kapur ( ) studied user satisfaction of online subject research guides at george washington university and found that while just over percent of respondents rated the online guides positively, a full percent rated the guides negatively. reeb & gibbons ( ) studied the disconnection between students and librarians’ mental models of information organization within academic disciplines as evident in online subject guides. their usability testing repeatedly revealed low usage of or dissatisfaction with subject guides. reeb & gibbons suggested that an undergraduate student’s mental model was focused on courses or specific coursework rather than the discipline itself. students found discipline-based subject guides lacking in context – they were confused by subject categorization and frustrated by not finding resources specifically tailored for their informational needs. the authors concluded that creating guides to support specific courses would be more useful to students than discipline-based guides. data on the usage of subject guides produced at ual bears out previous researchers’ doubts regarding usefulness. the research supports the conclusion that even though librarians may want to rely on subject guides as teaching and research support tools, most guides are underused. in observing the ual website and existing subject guides in the period from january to may , , there is an apparent gap in the way that librarians present information and the way that library users wish to interact with the information being provided. multiple subject guides produced by ual have less than views for that five-month period, which amounts to less than one view per day. the most heavily viewed guides on the ual website focus on a specific, narrow topic or those developed for a specific course or program. ual libguides page views, jan. , –may , 	libguide	page views 	az residential tenants rules (topic)	 , 	bcom (course)	 , 	gis & geospatial data (topic)	 , 	engl / (course)	 , 	mexican law (topic)	 , 	business (subject)	 , 	art (subject)	 , 	psychology (subject)	 	music (subject)	 	nutritional sciences (subject)	 along with issues related to the use of ual subject guides, an analysis of our current site reveals that novice researchers encounter a number of navigational challenges when looking for guided research and/or instructional support. when looking for guidance, a user must navigate to the “research and publish” link, which then activates a dropdown selection where the user can select between links to research by subject/topic, research by course/program (both linking to alphabetical lists of libguides), “learn with tutorials,” which links to a set of foundational tutorials, “write & cite,” which provides links to citation and plagiarism resources and “support for researchers,” which links to specialized support for advanced research. while this linear and alphabetical representation of instructional support materials is not uncommon in academic libraries, it creates access challenges and misses an opportunity to demonstrate to students that research is process-oriented and recursive. it also raises the question of whether students understand the terminology in a way that allows them to find the help they need. in addition to navigational challenges, local decisions that were made when libguides were first implemented in further confound the research process. the original templates that the ual developed for libguides pages were designed through a lens that focused heavily on creating a consistent user experience (ux) across guides and are very linear and somewhat rigid in nature. as research on how students learn online has grown, we believe that ux concerns with navigation and consistency must be wedded to design approaches that incorporate the learner experience (ldx). we believe that the purposeful melding of ux and ldx will help ensure that libraries design interfaces that support and enhance “the cognitive and affective processes that learning involves.” a two-pronged approach: faqs and libguides several attempts have been made by the ual over the years to address these challenges and better integrate guides into the academic lives of students. one of the more successful projects has involved embedding library resources and instructional materials directly into the campus learning management system (lms). this project, named the library tools tab, began in the early s and remains in use today. the goal of the project was to develop a tool that would provide access to a robust, embedded set of library instructional materials and resources through the campus lms. while the team did succeed in developing and launching a tool that integrated into the lms, it struggled with maintaining ongoing support and development and was never able to build it into as robust of a learning system as initially intended. in response to the above observations and experiences, a small working group of librarians began the process of rethinking and revising the ual’s approach to supporting online student research and learning. at the outset, the focus and intent was to improve the design of our subject and course guides. our project grew as we worked to incorporate the research and best practices that we had uncovered as part of our research. several factors influenced this expansion in scope including research conducted by william hemmig ( ), jennifer little ( ), shannon staley ( ), carol kuhlthau ( ), and meredith farkas ( ).  hemmig’s article credited patricia knapp and the montieth college library experiment project in the early s as the genesis of pathfinders and later subject research guides. knapp’s work to develop library instruction as part of the college curriculum was user-centered. it was designed to teach students the effective use of the library and its resources, creating both ways for the student to progress from their current state (what they know) to their desired level of knowledge (what they want to know) and methods for the student to navigate the organization of scholarly information resources. knapp explained that “[k]nowing the way means understanding the nature of the total system, knowing where to plug into it, knowing how to make it work.” jennifer little ( ) pointed to cognitive load theory to inform the creation of pedagogically sound and useful research guides. little’s suggestions for incorporating cognitive load theory principles into research guide creation included tying guides to specific courses rather than broad subject areas and assisting students in developing self-regulated learning strategies by breaking down research into smaller steps. according to little, such guides “will motivate students to learn and remember how to navigate and use a wide variety of information resources.”   shannon staley used the results of a study on the usefulness of subject guides at san josé state university to suggest that the prevailing model of subject guides – primarily a presentation of lists of resources – did not match the information search process (isp) used by students that was first documented by carol kuhlthau in . kuhlthau, who focused on students’ information behavior, identified six stages of the isp: initiation, selection, exploration, formulation, collection, and presentation. staley proposed that subject guides incorporating “the cognitive process to completing course assignments – steps addressing the different stages of the student isp – would more closely parallel students’ mental model” and thus prove more useful to and more used by students. in , meredith farkas and a team of librarians at portland state university released library diy, which is a “system of small, discrete learning-objects designed to give students the quick answers they need to enable them to be successful in their research.” the library diy approach is grounded in the idea that “libraries also need to rethink how we create online instructional content, which is often designed based on how we teach. a patron looking for information on how to determine whether an article is scholarly doesn’t want to go through a long tutorial about peer review to find the answer.” a common theme across the instruction-focused articles on library guides is the need for libraries to unveil systems and processes so that students can engage in research in a way that supports them as creators, explorers, and interlocutors in the research conversation. after exploring several different ideas, we landed on developing a scaffolded approach that is centered on an online, student-initiated, and self-guided research experience. our intent is to have a system that addresses discrete research concerns while surfacing the iterative nature of the research process. the centerpiece of the redesign is a set of reconceived frequently asked questions (faq) pages, developed to support the pedagogical approaches identified by knapp, little and kuhlthau, and heavily modeled on the library diy approach – so students have a great deal of personal control in the ways in which they plug into, navigate, and engage with library research.  to begin, we gathered local data by looking at queries submitted to our current faq system between jan. and may , .the queries represent suggested questions for the faq, which theoretically will guide the user to their topic via a keyword system. however, for the six-month time period, questions did not result in users clicking on a faq item. we found that though over half (n= ) of the questions submitted by users were related to account, software or facilities issues — e.g. “how do i renew books when i have fines?” most  of the remaining questions submitted by users dealt with traditionally research-related topics. citation/copyright help was heavily represented, as were questions about peer review and scholarly articles, general searching, finding liaison librarians, and other miscellaneous research topics. chat transcripts followed a similar theme. the bulk (n= ) of the sampled questions asked for basic research help — generally of the “how do i find an article about x?” variety or known-item searches, followed by general access issues (such as ebook or database access) then by citation and or copyright help questions. although the ual has a multi-search box in a central location on the website homepage, the data gathered from local chat transcripts and faq meshed with the research literature and confirmed that students need support related to how they navigate, understand, and apply the steps of the research process, not just ease of access to resources.  armed with data and a strong theoretical underpinning, we began the process of creating landing pages that serve as the gateway to the new system. after a few false starts, we worked with our instructional designer to develop the landing page below. it is designed to be visually simple and to help provide a quick on-ramp to research and library navigation as well as straightforward access to help via chat, text, telephone, email, or a liaison librarian. all answers to faqs are searchable from the landing page and are organized by category on the sub-pages. image . image of ask us landing page. image . image of library research faq subpage. we labeled and ordered the sub-categories to represent the major components of the research process, but also included a search bar so that students can quickly access information that they are seeking. the faq answers are grounded in approaching reference through the lenses of pedagogy and andragogy  and are designed to scaffold students into increasingly more complex and in-depth information after they have gleaned what they need from the introductory materials. each faq is constructed to answer a specific question as succinctly as possible and then provide links to more in-depth tutorials and resources that students can use as they continue on their research journey. this approach supports elmborg’s ( ) idea that librarians “must see our job as helping students to answer their own questions” and nancy fried foster’s assertion that librarians need to provide opportunities for students “to develop their information seeking skills and their judgement.”   we feel that this treatment allows us to support students as they take ownership of their searching and learning processes and devise paths through the research process. image . image of faq answer on how to pick a topic for a research assignment page. although the initial rationale behind faq pages on library websites might have been a means to avoid potential redundancy in the sort of questions asked by patrons to an already understaffed and overtaxed public services staff (west ), the authors feel that the platform has potential to provide an additional opportunity for research help, particularly for novice researchers. since faqs provide an opportunity to create a living document that is updated often (west), the authors hope that the faqs might also provide an excellent opportunity to create a living pedagogical document that helps support students through the iterative process of research. along with restructuring the faqs, our research helped us identify several ways that we could improve the pedagogical functioning of our course, subject and topic guides. our original guides were structured to encourage creators to list all resources and content in a single column. this approach was heavily informed by ux best practices and aligned well with those but at times was overly restrictive and pushed creators into developing lists of decontextualized resources. image . image of a linear course guide layout for an anthropology course to address this, we worked closely with our instructional designer to develop guides that allowed the ual to expand out of our linear, resource centric approach. image . image of dissertation proposal design course page. the pilot guides have been well-received by faculty and students, and we soon realized that we would need to implement a system that supported content creators to develop their own instruction-focused guides rather than rely on a single person to develop these guides. to reach the goal of reimagining the way libguides can be developed and implemented to better support students in gaining research and information literacy skills, we constructed a system designed to support content creators in developing pedagogically sound guides that adhere to instructional best practices. we want this system to allow for flexibility in presentation and design while maintaining a consistent user experience. we searched across institutions to learn how different libraries managed guides and found that developing blueprint guides would be the most effective way of supporting ual content creators. the blueprint guides we have developed are meant to synthesize and represent the findings of the many years of research that librarians have conducted on the best ways to teach and learn with library guides. the blueprints are designed to provide creators with flexibility in design as well as efficiency in creation. this support is achieved through providing easy to adapt frameworks as well as specific directions (https://libguides.library.arizona.edu/guidelines/blueprints) on how and why to use a particular type of guide.  image . image of one page four column guide page. image . image of libguides blueprint guidelines page. conclusion our goal for the new process was to purposefully redesign our existing guides and reference ecosystem to move away from decontextualized lists of resources which encourage students to “engage in a one-stop shopping process.” instead, we would focus on students as active learners constructing their own meaning through the process of research. doing so would hopefully  strengthen students’ sense of self efficacy and ownership of the process, allowing them to become thoughtful contributors to the scholarly conversation. the new system was launched in august , and guide creators are receiving training and support in adapting existing guides as well as in creating new ones. to ensure that librarians across the ual system are able to successfully implement this new approach, we have developed an infrastructure that starts with pedagogically oriented faqs that have been designed to adhere to adult learning theory and encourage independent use and discovery.  along with the faqs, guides have been rethought to better accompany students through the process of research rather than simply provide them with lists of potential resources. although constructing guides in this way often requires creators to commit to a philosophical move away from a “just in case” provision of resources mindset  as well as invest more time in thinking about how to construct paths through a particular research process, we have attempted to lessen the workload by providing a set of easy to duplicate blueprints as well as regularly updated instructions on how to implement these new practices. as of this writing there are six different blueprints with more in development. in the next phase of our research, the authors will be collaborating on a multi-institutional study to assess the pedagogical efficacy of the different blueprints and will share findings in a future publication.  finally, this model offers a means of bridging the gap between the ual discovery tool and the more in-depth tutorials and guides that ual librarians create to support students in their in-class research. it has been designed to provide  a way to support students who need help understanding or navigating a specific facet of their research process but are not in need of (or willing to invest the time in) more in-depth instruction. these changes are being undertaken with the intent of developing concrete ways to make the research experience as intuitive and seamless as possible for novice researchers.  acknowledgements many thanks to publishing editor kellee warren, internal reviewer dr. nicole cooke, and external reviewer erica defrain for their many insightful and generous comments on the manuscript. a special thanks to nicole hennig for all her hard work and expertise taking our ideas and turning them into something concrete and functional. thank you also to jennifer church-duran for being supportive of the need for changes and our research around it.  references baker, r.l. ( ). designing libguides as instructional tools for critical thinking and effective online learning. journal of library & information services in distance learning, ( - ), - . https://doi.org/ . / x. .   bowles-terry, m. ( ). library instruction and academic success: a mixed-methods assessment of a library instruction program. evidence based library & information practice ( ), – . https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/eblip/article/view/ /   brazzeal, b. ( ). research guides as library instruction tools. reference services review, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / canfield, m.p. ( ). library pathfinders. drexel library quarterly, , - . cohen, l.b. & still, j.m. ( ). a comparison of research university and two-year college library web sites: content, functionality, and form. college & research libraries, ( ): - . https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . courtois, m., higgins, m. & kapur, a. ( ). was this guide helpful? users’ perceptions of subject guides. reference services review, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /   cox, a. ( ). hypermedia library guides for academic libraries on the world wide web. program, ( ), - . dahl, c. ( ). electronic pathfinders in academic libraries: an analysis of their content and form. college and research libraries, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . dunsmore, c. ( ). a qualitative study of web-mounted pathfinders created by academic business libraries. libri ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /libr. . dupuis, j., ryan, p. & steeves, m. ( ). creating dynamic subject guides. new review of information networking, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / elmborg, j.k. ( ). teaching at the desk: toward a reference pedagogy. portal: libraries and the academy ( ), - . doi: . /pla. . . farkas, m.g. ( , july ). library diy: unmediated point-of-need support. information wants to be free [blog]. https://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/ / / /library-diy-unmediated-point-of-need-support/  farkas, m.g. ( ). technology in practice. the diy patron: rethinking how we help those who don’t ask. american libraries, ( / ), . foster, n. f & gibbons, s. (eds.). ( ). studying students: the undergraduate research project at the university of rochester. chicago: association of college and research libraries, . galvin, j. ( ). alternative strategies for promoting information literacy, the journal of academic librarianship ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /j.acalib. . . glassman, n.r. & sorensen, k. ( ) from pathfinders to subject guides: one library’s experience with libguides, journal of electronic resources in medical libraries, : , - , https://doi.org/ . / . . grimes, m. & morris, s.e. ( ). a comparison of academic libraries’ webliographies. internet reference services quarterly, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /j v n _ hemmig, w. ( ). online pathfinders. reference services review, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /   hicks, a. ( ). libguides: pedagogy to oppress? hybrid pedagogy. http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/journal/libguidespedagogytooppress/ jackson, r. & pellack, l.j. ( ). internet subject guides in academic libraries: an analysis of contents, practices, and opinions. reference and user services quarterly, ( ), - . jackson, w.j. ( ). the user-friendly library guide. college & research libraries news, ( ), - . kapoun, j.m. ( ). re-thinking the library pathfinder. college and undergraduate libraries, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /j v n _   kerico, j. & hudson, d. ( ). using libguides for outreach to the disciplines. indiana libraries, ( ), - . kline, e., wallace, n., sult, l., & hagedon, m. ( ). embedding the library in the lms: is it a good investment for your organization’s information literacy program?. distributed learning, - . kuhlthau, c. ( ). inside the search process: information seeking from the user’s perspective. journal of the american society for information science ( ), - .  laverty, c. ( ). library instruction on the web: inventing options and opportunities. internet reference services quarterly, , - . lee, y.y. & lowe, m.s. ( ). building positive learning experiences through pedagogical research guide design. journal of web librarianship, ( ), - , https://doi.org/ . / . .   little, j.j. ( ). cognitive load theory and library research guides. internet reference services quarterly, ( ), - . https:// . /   lundstrom, k., martin, p., & cochran, d. ( ). making strategic decisions: conducting and using research on the impact of sequenced library instruction. college & research libraries, ( ), - . doi:https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . mcmullin, r. & hutton, j. ( ). web subject guides: virtual connections across the university community. journal of library administration, ( - ), - , https://doi.org/ . / . .   morris, s. e., & grimes, m. ( ). a great deal of time and effort: an overview of creating and maintaining internet-based subject guides. library computing, ( ), - . moses, d. & richard, j. ( ). solutions for subject guides. partnership: the canadian journal of library and information practice and research, ( ), https://doi.org/ . /partnership.v i . peters, d. ( , july ). ux for learning: design guidelines for the learner experience. ux matters. https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/ / /ux-for-learning-design-guidelines-for-the-learner-experience.php reeb, b. & gibbons, s. ( ). students, librarians, and subject guides: improving a poor rate of return. portal: libraries and the academy, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /pla. .   sizer warner, a. ( , march). pathfinders: a way to boost your information handouts beyond booklists and bibliographies. american libraries , .  staley, s. m. ( ). academic subject guides: a case study of use at san jose state university. college & research libraries, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . stevens, c.h., canfield, m.p. & gardner, j.j. ( ). library pathfinders: a new possibility for cooperative reference service. college & research libraries, ( ), - . stone, s.m., lowe, m.s., maxson, b.k. ( ). does course guide design impact student learning? college & undergraduate libraries, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / . .   vileno, l. ( ). from paper to electronic, the evolution of pathfinders: a review of the literature. reference services review, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /   watts, k. a. ( ) tools and principles for effective online library instruction: andragogy and undergraduates, journal of library & information services in distance learning, ( - ), - . https://doi.org/ . / x. . west, j. ( ). getting your faqs straight. computers in libraries ( ), - . wilbert, s. ( ).library pathfinders come alive. journal of education for librarianship, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / worrell, d. ( ). the work of patricia knapp ( - ). the katharine sharp review, no. . available at http://hdl.handle.net/ / 	little ; hicks [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	wilbert ; sizer warner ; dunsmore ; hemmig ; brazzeal ; vileno [↩] 	canfield ; stevens et al [↩] 	stevens et al., , p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	hemmig ; worrell [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	grimes and morris [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	hicks [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	bowles-terry [↩] 	lundstrom et al [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	peters [↩] 	kline [↩] 	knapp - [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	farkas [↩] 	farkas [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	hicks, [↩] 			 						 				andragogy, libguides, pedagogy, research guides, subject guides 			 					 	 						 												 						 							power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians 														 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	 		 		 			 				name*wally grotophorst 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				tried something along these lines years or so ago. described here: : https://hdl.handle.net/ / idea was well received but it proved a bridge too far for many of our public services staff when it came time to keep the portals “current” and looking “lived in” 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				name* elaine g 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				i think this is great and am hoping to implement something similar on my campus. i noticed that you are using sidecar learning for your website tutorials instead of a guide on the side, which was created by u of a. is there a reason for this? i was just curious. is it worth the extra cost? 							 		 	 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 the library commons: an imagination and an invocation – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					sep 					 				 				 					jennie rose halperin					/ comment 				 											the library commons: an imagination and an invocation 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 by jennie rose halperin in brief commons theory can provide important interventions within neoliberal managerial information capitalism when applied to the library as an institution. the commons and its associated practices provide a model of abundance, sharing, and cooperation. libraries can and should participate in alternative economic and management models to create an inclusive vision beyond and in opposition to current social formations. “i’m interested in the way in which a deepening of autonomy is a deepening, not just among few people.. a deepening of scale and the potentials of scale.” – the undercommons: fugitive planning and black study (moten and harney , ) the spirit of the commons is the spirit of imagining, of bringing people and resources together, and creating a necessarily positive vision for the world not as it is, but as it could be. and commons are all around us: from community gardens, to certain kinds of open source software, to worker cooperatives. we participate in a commons when we submit our work to institutional repositories that are tended by communities with the goal of disseminating research to the world, and we participate in a commons when we collaborate with our neighbors and catch a glimpse of this vision of our fate. for libraries, the moment has never been more urgent and emergent – we have the tools in our hands, and it is up to us to make it happen. the word “commons” often functions as “a placeholder or a promissory note for all those rich, nuanced, complex, and sophisticated forms of relationality and value practice that have been obliterated within capitalist societies where a huge proportion of social relations have been subjugated to the market” (haiven , ). in modern commons theory, the commons serve to represent all the ways in which “human beings learn to cooperate with each other in routine, large-scale ways” (bollier & helfrich , ). as the authors of free, fair, and alive: the insurgent power of the commons put it, “commoning is everywhere, but widely misunderstood” (bollier & helfrich , ). in daily life, commons can take many forms, like the gardens and cooperatives mentioned above, but also neighborhood associations, direct democratic processes, consensus based community organizations, and more. in libraries, they may take the form of community cataloging projects, civic engagement projects in conversation with artists, community archives, or open and direct dialogue on topics that concern the community. commons can be ephemeral or permanent, a long term project or a moment of transcendence. beginning with an introduction to commons theory from a library and information science lens and ending with a few specific, non-exhaustive examples of the commons in libraries as well as specific practices to engage in commoning practices, i will attempt to blend theory and praxis in order to introduce another vision outside or beyond traditional institutional paradigms. commoning as a set of practices when librarians think of a commons, they likely think of the academic commons buildings in their institutions, creative commons licenses, or preprint servers like humanities commons. these examples are illustrative: humanities commons functions as a governed network and community working toward the common good and creative commons licenses provide a necessary intervention in capitalist systems of copyright enclosure. more specifically, the humanities commons and other preprint servers support communities that come together to govern a field of knowledge, working together outside of the confines of a hegemonic and unequal access system, building interventions through engaged scholarship to provide access for all. this example from the library world provides an in-road to begin to think about the commons and commoning as a set of practices. as professionals concerned with the free and open dissemination of knowledge, librarians could and should enact commoning practices in their communities, but more often than not fall into the neoliberal paradigm of the managerial business class and free-market values. library literature often treats patrons as customers, and librarianship as an institution is rooted in supremacy and oppression, drawing on the values of the white middle class women who dominate the profession (ettarh ). in “neoliberalism within library and information science,” jonathan cope writes, “as more information is produced in distributed networks that have new and ambiguous relationships to the specific geographical and educational communities, which libraries have traditionally served, it is lis’s responsibility to articulate a vision of how to view information as a public and common good” (cope , - ). thus far, libraries as institutions have struggled to define themselves within this context of the common good, coopting the language of commons and making broad statements about “freedom” without inscribing these values in policy, worker rights, or provisioning of indigenous voices and voices of color in the field. in governing the commons: the evolution of institutions for collective action, nobel prize winner elinor ostrom writes, “all efforts to organize collective action, whether by an external ruler, an entrepreneur, or a set of principals who wish to gain collective benefits, must address a common set of problems. these have to do with coping with free-riding, solving commitment problems, arranging for the supply of new institutions, and monitoring individual compliance with a set of rules” (ostrom , ). in addressing existing social systems, particularly those that collectively govern the use of non-renewable resources such as water ways, ostrom proved that economically alternative situations could be beneficial to all parties involved. her writing is rooted in traditional economic reform – the commons in this definition provide a necessary alternative to the free market, rather than an overhaul of capitalism.  in other words, ostrom addresses what lewis hyde calls “the tragedy of unmanaged, laissez-faire, common-pool resources with easy access for non communicating, self-interested individuals” (hyde , ). to contrast ostrom’s fundamentally reformist vision of the commons, theorists fred moten and stefano harney present another form of commons: the undercommons. the undercommons is a state of “permanent fugitivity,” one that functions through “stealing” and “collective orientation” as a mode of functioning within and beyond institutions. the critical academic in this worldview questions everything, creates solidarity networks, and shares an aversion to neoliberal professionalization of communities, particularly academic communities. the undercommons can provide an important reframing of the commons, particularly when considering it from an historical and anti-colonialist point of view. in considering the institution, moten and harney write that libraries in the academy are “this incredible gathering of resources… it’s nice to have books,” but that the undercommons is “a kind of comportment or ongoing experiment with and as the general antagonism… it’s almost impossible that it could be matched up with particular forms of institutional life” (moten and harney , ). institutionally, the work in the undercommons is the work of the coalition, of the social, and against the neoliberal institution that precludes resistance and sociality. as an historical concept, the commons take root in medieval england, as lands where peasants could tend land in common, hold festivals, and govern independently outside of the purview of a feudal lord. this eurocentric definition is rightly criticized by many scholars. in “decolonization is not a metaphor,” tuck and yang address the commons directly, writing that the commons are often caught up in the liberal values of a natural right to property, a value that is withheld from native communities. in contrast, they describe, drawing from undercommons theory, “a labor that is dedicated to the reproduction of social dispossession as having an ethical dimension includes both the refusal of acquiring property and of being property” (tuck & yang , ). in commons discourse, the process of colonization is often described as “enclosures” of commons, but to “marshal all indigenous civilizations under the banner of the commons is to reduce a wide diversity of social formations under a eurocentric term… [and] reinforce a romantic idealism towards both the notion of the commons and indigenous civilizations”  (haiven , ). though fundamentally rooted in eurocentricism, the commons framework is diverse enough to hold radical, anti-colonialist, and anti-capitalist scholarship, particularly as regards decolonization, and blackness. addressing these roots, some of the most compelling commons writing comes from scholars like silvia federici or the work of the zapatistas, who declare autonomy and a “radical imagination that sees beyond the horizon of the state” or institution of “one no [to globalization], many yeses [to the commons].” if, as haiven writes, “when those many ‘yeses’ sound at once, we will hear the word ‘commons,’’ what do those many yeses look like for librarianship? when considering the patterns of commoning, which bollier and helfrich describe as a “triad” that contains many different elements, a theoretical framework can begin to be applied to libraries. the triad is defined by bollier and hilfrich as: social life, peer governance, and provisioning. elements within the triads include “cultivate shared purpose and values,” “bring diversity into shared purpose,” “consent-based decision making,” and “make and use together” (bollier & helfrich , introduction). which aspects of this triad do libraries represent? can an institution ever implement the care that the patterns of commoning require? how can we uphold the value of the crucial interactions within the library without descending into institutional awe or unfair criticism? why is solidarity between libraries important? how can we uphold the values of libraries while critiquing the institution? libraries in the commons/the commons in libraries in “what’s in a name? the evolving library commons concept,” sheila bonnand writes, “while there are many attempts in our professional literature to define commons specifically, what seems to hold up over time is not any one definition or a perfectly consistent and discrete set of commons attributes, but a more generic, profession-wide concept that grows out of our literature, dialogue, and shared knowledge of individual institutions’ commons efforts” (bonnand , ). the article adopts a positive outlook regarding the adoption of “learning commons,” discussing how the use of the name is a “compelling example of successful professional dialogue,” transforming spaces and technology that “conjur[e] up thoughts of sharing, collaboration, unrestricted access, public use, and other egalitarian concepts” (bonnand , ). this definition calls to mind haiven’s assertion that “the commons has become something of a floating signifier” (haiven , ). is this the case in academic or learning commons? “these names in large part are signals to each other,” writes bonnand. “they guide our discussion and stand as evidence that the commons concept is evolving” (bonnand , ). “commons” in this context provide a signal that the library is up on trends rather than being actually committed to provisioning of communities, direct democracy, and governance that commoning entails. parsing the word “commons”within library spaces is unnecessary at best and a fool’s errand at worst. the unthinking use of the word commons that has pervaded the neoliberal university articulates the worst parts of our profession: the majority white, professional, competitive, assessment obsessed, rigidly taxonomic and “neutral” mainstream, which sees itself as “sharing and collaborative” no matter its behavior. indeed, most of the behavior within libraries does not constitute commoning within theoretical, academic, or political frameworks, from the managerial mindset of library staff to the conservative and uncritical approach to policing to the data brokering vendors that hold the profession hostage (see lamdan). in the popular liberal imagination, libraries are a trusted “knowledge commons” with librarians as tenders or maintainers of that commons. with libraries claiming stake to the word and invoking its spirit, it is worth investigating the meaning and patterns of commons and commoning that are part of the current moment, in which consumer choice has taken over public good in our spaces and workplaces, including libraries. as neoliberalism continues to erode civil society, leaving libraries as one of the few visible bastions of enlightenment liberalism, is it any wonder that the public clings to the fairy tale of the commons? in “commons against and beyond capitalism,” silvia federici and george caffentzis write, “it is hard to ignore the prodigal use of ‘common’ or ‘commons’ in the real estate discourse of university campuses, shopping malls and gated communities. elite universities requiring their students to pay yearly tuition fees of $ , call their libraries ‘information commons.’ it is almost a law of contemporary social life that the more commons are attacked, the more they are celebrated” (caffentzis & federici ). within libraries, we see this pattern taking shape as more institutions adopt “commons” within capitalist learning spaces. as libraries continue to define and redefine themselves in the st century, the reformist and the radical branches are split – the problem with the information commons is the institution it protects rather than the idea it espouses. in critiquing the institution to uplift the worker and the patron, the commons can be reconstituted and revealed. the commons against the institution after years of pressure, the american library association’s key strategic values are framed through a social justice lens in fall , a list of lofty ideals including “advocacy; information policy; and equity, diversity, and inclusion.” as an optional professional organization rather than a union or worker’s rights organization, the ala’s framing of their mission does not necessarily reflect their actions. even if the organization did not continuously take problematic political stances for “neutrality” and “free speech,” the ala’s lack of teeth and enforcement means that the member-led, volunteer organization upholds the institution rather than the worker, or as lindsay cronk writes, “imagine if we stopped defending the idea of libraries and started to defend one another/stand together” (cronk ). in fobazi ettarh’s influential article on vocational awe, she writes, “librarianship, like the criminal justice system and the government, is an institution. and like other institutions, librarianship plays a role in creating and sustaining hegemonic values, as well as contributing to white supremacy culture” (ettarh ). from data brokering vendors that sell data to ice to management structures that cause and contribute to burnout to the “nice white lady problem” leading to a shameful lack of diversity in the field, the major organizations that uphold the institution focus on the institution rather than the worker. without fundamental, structural change, librarianship will continue to be reflective of racist, white supremacist society rather than its potential as a commons-space that works for all. in places journal, anthropologist shannon mattern observes that “public libraries are among the last free, inclusive, “truly democratic” spaces in american cities and towns” while recognizing that “libraries are not a universally inclusive space” (mattern ). drawing on the theory of “fugitivity as spatial condition” and the undercommons, she highlights a number of black archives that utilize this language and theoretical framework as a mode of operation. the highlighted projects, from alexis pauline gumbs’s “eternal summer of the black feminist mind” to olaronke akinmowo’s “free black women’s library,” are largely artist created and outside of the formal frameworks of institution, instead using library as metonym for free exchange of information, fugitivity, and the commons. embracing and supporting radical interventions in the space are crucial for libraries to provide a flexible canvas for marginalized groups. as mattern writes, “today’s fugitive librarians are free to transgress institutional conventions, operating outside the demands placed on (or imposed by) state-supported and commercial institutions” (mattern ). perhaps radical fugitivity will never, by definition, inhabit library spaces, but a more critical dismantling of the structures of oppression within the library can help libraries better partner with communities who are creatively working beyond boundaries. the promise is, drawing from a piece i wrote in community with other artists last year, “an alternate vision… to develop new ways of sharing resources, collaborating across boundaries, and engaging with larger movements for the liberated exchange of resources needed to live dignified and joyful lives in right relationship with one another and the planet” (arts, culture, and the commons ).  while it sometimes seems as if neoliberalism can function as a proxy for “all that is wrong within academia and the social sphere,” the undercommons and its related concepts can provide an alternative to the business mindset and settler-colonial enlightenment paradigm that pervades the taxonomic organization and vendor training that has become a pandemic within library work. in an interview with the association of research libraries, sylvester johnson says, “libraries cannot simply become tenants in the platform ecosystem of private capital, handing over billions of dollars to a small number of data landlords in exchange for storage, access, and analytics services. libraries will either become bankrupt in this new environment, or they will become active agents on the value-creation side, not as vehicles for private capital but levers for public good” (kennedy ). unfortunately, the landscape of information retrieval and access through licensing and databases has severely hindered the “public good” aspect of libraries and made workers and communities increasingly beholden to vendor capitalists who charge the public obscene amounts for what should be public, free, and shared. rethinking the library from an anti-capitalist commons perspective means upholding the value of the library worker, of the daily interactions that make the instruction, the arranging, and the describing useful and significant. in adopting a radical and experimental lens that seeks to change the world rather than simply maintain it, librarianship can engage more fully with the world that could be, rather than the world that is. in order to meet the demand of the community, the library should cast an eye toward the amateur, the outside of the box, the small, and the messy – the libraries, organizations, and communities that are the life-blood of what makes up the commons of libraries. toward the unprofessional, the small, the messy, the worker power of the library as librarians, we are taught that the undergraduate degree, graduate degree, professional job track has taught us invaluable skills that no other professional could possibly replicate. we are the chosen ones, and we have skills – if only the public, faculty, and management would listen. some of this possessiveness derives from the bleak job outlook of libraries, which has suffered from poor job prospects for at least the last years. a “pink collar” job with over % of librarians identifying as women, libraries are one of the least racially diverse professions in the country. library leadership remains predominantly white and male, and job outlooks have been on a downward slope with depressed wages and cutbacks for as long as anyone can remember. with debt at our backs, we find ourselves thrust into institutions stuck in the past. our patrons and our communities are the lifeblood of the profession, but an administrative mindset and lack of worker autonomy within many libraries causes a high burnout rate and a feeling of lack of control. in conversation with communities, we can continue to shape another vision for what the library can be. constituting and reinventing commons ideology within the library context will be a series of small, local interventions, possibly coming from outside the field, and it must happen in conversation with communities. in order to define what commons ideology looks like more concretely, i will use the triad of commoning previously mentioned (governance, social life, and provisioning) to define the interventions and reinterpret commoning for information professionals. peer governance: worker power though the majority of librarians express relatively high job satisfaction, the field is rife with stories of burnout, micromanagement, exhaustion, and frustration with the status quo. in a recent survey, nearly % of library workers responded that they have experienced burnout in their careers (geary & hickey ). according to alique geraci, union members, who comprise approximately - % of the library workforce, generally have higher pay and are provided better resources for negotiation and collective bargaining within the library. union members earn % more than their non-union counterparts, and are more likely to be covered by health insurance. when joined with teacher’s unions, librarians have made historic gains, as in the case of the university of california, which ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in . besides major raises, the contract also included an intellectual freedom clause, protecting workers and patrons at the contract level (afl-cio fact sheet ). from a commoning perspective, unions provide access to direct democracy, which provides access to autonomous and self-organized groups. union drives, like the recent one at mit to unionize clerical workers, are a crucial step to build worker power, but there are other types of worker power that libraries could harness. in the book democracy at work: a cure for capitalism, richard wolff considers “worker self-directed enterprises” as central to the struggle for a more civic-minded and engaged workforce. he writes, “workers in most modern capitalist corporations are required by law and/or custom to accept working conditions over which they exercise no democratic control… for most workers in capitalist systems, there is no democracy in the workplaces where they must spend most of their lives” (wolff , ). worker self-directed enterprises (wsdes) can provide a series of democratic options to managers who may be hostile to unions. in their purest sense, the wsde is democracy in action, and there are several steps toward democracy that libraries can take on their way to worker autonomy. in wsdes, no executive is paid more than five times the lowest paid worker, and workers sit on the board of the organization. rather than following a managerial chain of command, a wsde as a “worker managed enterprise” provides workers more autonomy over the cooperative outputs of their labor. for example, in a traditional library context, directives would come from an executive director with a series of committees reporting upward, often creating bottlenecks and a lack of final decision-making power. in a wsde, the executive director would serve a primarily administrative role, with workers and committees running the primary functions of the library. participation in democracy at work has been shown to improve democracy in communities – a stated goal of many libraries in the st century. as the economy becomes increasingly rapacious and hostile to workers’ rights, it is imperative for libraries to move out of corporatized managerial space. to quote mark fisher, “if businesses can’t be run as businesses, why should public services” (fuller )? social life: decolonize, decolonize, decolonize the impetus to “decolonize” praxis in librarianship is powerful. from re-reckoning with collections to stripping the institution of the “neutral” values that too often pervade professional spaces, decolonization is key to reconsidering libraries in anti-racist space. as nina de jesus writes in “locating the library in institutional oppression,” “the clear solution is decolonization…no reform is possible if we understand libraries as fundamentally white supremacist institutions” (de jesus ). providing some specificity to the steps of decolonization and steps of dismantling of white supremacy within libraries and knowledge institutions, in “imagining: creating space for indigenous ontologies,” duarte and lewis identify five steps to building indigenous knowledge systems toward decolonization. “make no mistake,” they write. “imagining is a specific, difficult, laborious task. it requires seeing with fresh eyes, and thinking with a new mindset. it requires imagining indigenous futures.” the five steps are summarized thus: 	     understand how colonization works 	     identify means to decolonize 	     spread awareness of indigenous epistemologies 	     build deep domain knowledge 	    design experimental systems, theory (duarte & lewis - , ) canadian libraries, particularly the vancouver library system, have taken concrete steps to begin a decolonization process. from addressing structural biases in classification to culturally appropriate space planning, their management report addresses colonization by name, asking even if the process of decolonization applies to location of branches, not only layout (vancouver public library report ). through their first nations storyteller-in-residence program and culturally aware programming, vancouver public library is incorporating living culture into their work, programming and community (roy & frydman ). at x̱wi x̱wa library, also in vancouver, the library has taken an indigenous approach to cataloging, learning from people and users to better classify their collections, organizing their collections geographically and in support of indigenous research and needs (worth ). amy parent, the researcher who created the ontology, described the librarians at ubc as “very much aligned with the way we form relationships with our communities” and committed to creating a “safe space” for indigenous communities (worth ).  in “imagining,” duarte and lewis cite the example of the southern california tribal chairmen’s association tribal digital village intranet, a homegrown system built to bridge the digital divide. supported by a doctoral student in information studies at ucla, the community created an ontology based on their ways of knowing, posting artifacts and discussing the intellectual project within their own knowledge framework (duarte & lewis , ).  moving from colonization to decolonization can take many forms, from alternate ontologies to creating more inclusive digital and physical spaces, and the work continues to emerge within the library and information context, if the end goal is to divest from colonization, hegemony, and white supremacy.  decolonization and coming together in alternative and community built knowledge systems creates a social life, or what moten and harney call “study.” to enter into the undercommons, they write, one must be engaged in a “study,” or social life, and the undercommons and the study are “what you do with other people. it’s talking and walking around with other people, working, dancing, suffering, some irreducible convergence of all three, held under speculative practice… to do these things is to be involved in a kind of common intellectual practice” (moten & harney , ). from a sociological point of view, a social life of the commons can help, per bollier and helfrich “cultivate shared purpose and values,” and “ritualize togetherness” (bollier & helfrich , - ). building community and taking steps to decolonize is not just creating culturally sensitive programming. it means bold and often uncomfortable action to dismantle privilege and oppression within institutions.  provisioning: funding and supporting communities library funding is a loaded subject, and one that is seemingly endlessly beholden to the influence of foundations and grant cycles, taxpayer dollars, and $ , per semester tuition. bollier and helfrich provide several examples that communities can use to resource themselves by “relationalizing property” and supporting care work. in bethany nowviskie’s words, “how might taking care—and taking the concept of care more seriously in graduate education and cultural heritage infrastructure-building—serve to expand our scope” (nowviskie )? by their nature, libraries already participate in relationalized property, as an extra-market space where commons should thrive. however, when asking how libraries fund and support their communities, it is important to remember that, like a field, commons are cultivated, and not left to grow without supervision. ostrom’s examples of watersheds and ecosystems are all highly complex, governed, dynamic systems, and under constant “intentional cultivation.” creating a commons is animated by acts of commoning, which is always active. the cultivation of “collaboration, horizontalism, direct democracy, member-participation, egalitarianism, anti-oppression, and the radical imagination” is essential to building the world that we want to see (haiven , ). while there are multiple examples of community funding in librarianship that invest in large-scale collective action and institutional buy-in for resources, the educopia institute can provide a model through its hosted communities: the library publishing coalition, the bitcurator consortium, and the metaarchive cooperative. educopia provides a “community cultivation field guide” that “provides a powerful lens that can provide both emerging and established communities with ways to understand, evaluate, and plan their own growth, change, and maturation” (skinner , ). through a matrixed community empowerment model, educopia provides resources on four aspects of community growth: formation, validation, acceleration, and transition. by centering communities in their work and assisting them in funding, hr, infrastructure, engagement, and governance, educopia is building smaller commons or community based projects outside of the traditional institution and providing an alternate vision for library work and funding. alternatively, by hiding their participation in extractive capitalism, whether through necessary capitulation to greedy e-book publishers or purchasing data brokering systems like westlaw that exploit patron information, libraries are effectively shutting their communities off from important conversations about procurement of resources that directly affect or threaten them. and when libraries address the needs of their communities, for example by eliminating library fines, communities are better served and provisioned. a budget is an expression of values. another concrete step libraries could take to better provide for and support their communities is participatory budgeting, which is used around the world to better resource communities and meet their needs. participatory budgeting “empowers people to decide together how to spend public money” (participatory budgeting project). direct, participatory democracy strengthens communities, and libraries should be at the center. conclusion a quote from the gwendolyn brooks poem “paul robeson” ran through my head throughout the writing of this article, “. . . we are each other’s harvest: we are each other’s business: we are each other’s magnitude and bond” (from danticat, ). the commons is a space of empathy, a knowledge that we are all interconnected with the gifts and abundance that the earth has to offer. it means moving beyond scarcity economics, resource hoarding, and anti-egalitarianism. the promise of the commons is what drew me to libraries to begin with, and it is the vision that keeps many of us working toward a more equitable future. acknowledgements to the editorial board of itlwtlp, thank you for accepting this paper and working with me to refine it. thank you in particular to ian beilin for his communication throughout the process and ryan randall for edits. enormous thank you to my friend and co-conspirator jessica farrell for her excellent feedback and support. overflowing love to my partner josh tetenbaum for endless discussions, edits, and book recommendations. thank you to my cohousing community for living the commons in daily life, to the harvard law school library for providing me the intellectual space to explore this topic, and to my colleagues and community members at creative commons for supporting thought and action to inspire sharing in action. so much gratitude to arts, culture, and the commons. your art makes the world a better place for everyone who’s lucky enough to be in community with you. bibliography arts, culture, and the commons. “the promise of the commons.” october , . howlround theatre commons. accessed march , . https://howlround.com/promise-commons. bollier, david. . “to find alternatives to capitalism, think small,” august , . https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/to-find-alternatives-to-capitalism-think-small/. bollier, david, and silke helfrich. free, fair, and alive : the insurgent power of the commons. gabriola island, bc, canada: new society publishers, . bonnand, sheila, and tim donahue. . “what’s in a name? the evolving library commons concept.” college & undergraduate libraries ( – ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . buschman, john. . “november , , the public, and libraries.” progressive librarian. http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/pl/pl / buschman.pdf. caffentzis, g., and s. federici. . “commons against and beyond capitalism.” community development journal (suppl ): i – . https://doi.org/ . /cdj/bsu . chen, kristina. “mit libraries support staff vote to unionize” the tech. november , . accessed march , . https://thetech.com/ / / /library-workers-unionization-vote. community wealth. “the cleveland model—how the evergreen cooperatives are building community wealth.” . accessed july , . https://community-wealth.org/content/cleveland-model-how-evergreen-cooperatives-are-building-community-wealth. cope, jonathan. winter . “neoliberalism and library & information science: using karl polanyi’s fictitious commodity as an alternative to neoliberal conceptions of information.” https://academicworks.cuny.edu/si_pubs/ /. cronk, lindsay. “i’ve been considering if the base issue of @alalibrary is what its name tells its membership- that the org is about institutions rather than workers. imagine if we stopped defending the idea of libraries &amp; started to defend one another/stand together. that’s my big #alamw mood.” january , . twitter. accessed march , . https://twitter.com/lindsonmars/status/ . de jesus, nina. september , . “locating the library in institutional oppression.” in the library with the lead pipe. accessed march , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /locating-the-library-in-institutional-oppression/. ettarh, fobazi. january , .  “vocational awe and librarianship: the lies we tell ourselves.” in the library with the lead pipe. accessed march , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /vocational-awe/. danticat, edwidge. january , . “poetry in a time of protest.” the new yorker. accessed march , . https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/poetry-in-a-time-of-protest. de castell, christina. “vancouver public library management report.” vancouver public library. july , . accessed march , . https://www.vpl.ca/sites/vpl/public/cfla_trcrecommendationendorsement.pdf. dpe afl-cio. . “library professionals: facts, figures, and union membership.” department for professional employees, afl-cio. accessed march , . https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/library-professionals-facts-and-figures. duarte, marisa elena, and miranda belarde-lewis. . “imagining: creating spaces for indigenous ontologies.” cataloging & classification quarterly ( – ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . fuller, matthew. . “questioning capitalist realism: an interview with mark fisher.” mr online (blog). december , . accessed march , . https://mronline.org/ / / /questioning-capitalist-realism-an-interview-with-mark-fisher/. “garrett hardin.” n.d. southern poverty law center. accessed march , . https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/garrett-hardin. geary, jade, and brittany hickey. “when does burnout begin? the relationship between graduate school employment and burnout amongst librarians.” in the library with the lead pipe. october , . accessed july , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /when-does-burnout-begin/.  geraci, aliqae and shannon l. farrell. “normalize negotiation! learning to negotiate salaries and improve compensation outcomes to transform library culture” in the library with the lead pipe.” may , . accessed march , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /normalize-negotiation/. haiven, max. . “the commons against neoliberalism, the commons of neoliberalism, the commons beyond neoliberalism.” in the handbook of neoliberalism, edited by simon springer, kean birch, and julie macleavy, – . london and new york: routledge. harney, stefano, and fred moten. the undercommons : fugitive planning & black study. wivenhoe: minor compositions, . hyde, lewis. common as air: revolution, art and ownership. farrar, straus and giroux, .  joranson, kate. . “indigenous knowledge and the knowledge commons.” international information & library review ( ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . lamdan, sarah, when westlaw fuels ice surveillance: legal ethics in the era of big data policing (august , ). new york university review of law & social change ( ), available at ssrn: https://ssrn.com/abstract= . marx, karl. . “economic manuscripts: capital vol. i – chapter twenty-six.” marxists.org. accessed march , . https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/ -c /ch .htm. mattern, shannon. . “library as infrastructure.” places journal, june. https://doi.org/ . / . mattern, shannon. . “fugitive libraries.” places journal, october. https://doi.org/ . / . ostrom, elinor. governing the commons : the evolution of institutions for collective action. cambridge new york: cambridge university press, . nowviskie, bethany. “change us, too.” bethany nowviskie. june , . http://nowviskie.org/ /change-us-too/. skinner, katherine, phd. “community cultivation: a field guide.” november . accessed july , . https://educopia.org/wp-content/uploads/ / /communitycultivationfieldguide.pdf. kennedy, mary lee. “sylvester johnson on humanism in our technological age.” november , . association of research libraries (blog). accessed march , . https://www.arl.org/news/mary-lee-kennedy-interviews-sylvester-johnson-about-humanism-needed-in-our-technological-age/. participatory budgeting project. “about us.” n.d. participatory budgeting project. accessed august , . https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/. roy, loriene (anishinabe), phd & antonia frydman, msis.“library services to indigenous populations.” . accessed march , . https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/indigenous-matters/publications/indigenous-librarianship- .pdf. tuck, eve, and k. wayne yang. . “decolonization is not a metaphor.” decolonization: indigeneity, education & society ( ). https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/ . wolff, richard d. democracy at work : a cure for capitalism. chicago, illinois: haymarket books, . worth, sydney. “this library takes an indigenous approach to categorizing books.” march , . yes! magazine. accessed march , . https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/ / / /decolonize-western-bias-indigenous-library-books. 	i worked for creative commons from to . the “creative commons network,” reorganized in , is a hierarchical structure built on top of the licenses to encourage uptake. organizationally, it is fully subsidiary of the organization and not autonomous. [↩] 	garrett hardin, who coined the phrase “tragedy of the commons” was a eugenicist white nationalist whose disproven theory nevertheless continues to be cited. his influence extends to neoliberal systems, which are also called “neo laissez faire economics.” [↩] 	see democracy collaborative, in particular white papers about the cleveland model. [↩] 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism 							power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : day in review (august –september , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 nicole cooke – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				nicole cooke 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					 i am the augusta baker endowed chair and an associate professor at the school of library and information science, at the university of south carolina. before that, i was an academic librarian. i am a jedi scholar and teacher (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) and i also do work related to human information behavior, fake news consumption and resistance, and critical cultural information studies. i’ve written lots of articles, chapters, and books in these areas, and i am grateful to have won some awards and be able to make a difference in the library and information science profession. my latest books are “information services to diverse populations” (libraries unlimited, ) and “fake news and alternative facts: information literacy in a post-truth era”(ala editions. ). www.nicolecooke.info 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jun 					 				 				 					nicola andrews					/ comments 				 											it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief library workers, as with other professions, are quick to diagnose ourselves and others with imposter syndrome when we doubt or devalue our everyday work.  however, methods of coping with imposter syndrome have changed little in the forty years since the term was first theorized, and often centre on feel-good fixes which do not address power imbalances between the sufferer and their workplace environment.  here, i examine the origins of imposter syndrome, and identify factors often misinterpreted as imposter syndrome but which are instead the product of oppressions such as precarious labour, racism, and sexism.  by unpacking how oppression and gaslighting shapes a workplace environment, we can then alleviate individuals with imposter syndrome of sole responsibility for their own healing, and hold institutions and managers accountable for the conditions they help to perpetuate. nb:  i use the terms “library workers”, “staff”, and “employees” interchangeably, to denote people who work in libraries at all levels. library workers who are volunteers, interns, students, or precariously-employed grapple with imposter syndrome as much as or more than workers who are formally credentialled with an mlis degree or who benefit from social credibility through their age, gender, or race. by nicola andrews introduction imposter syndrome is an evergreen issue within librarianship, and countless authors, presenters, and researchers have offered solutions to the issue since pauline rose clance and suzane ament imes first named it in (clance & imes, ).  the problem is pathologized as a syndrome, yet simultaneously framed as a natural part of entering a profession, particularly for women.  despite this acknowledgement of prevalence, solutions seldom analyze workplace culture or values, instead emphasizing that the afflicted individual should adjust their beliefs and behaviours.  by examining imposter syndrome literature, and reframing it in a culturally responsive way, we can identify causes of imposter syndrome, experiences misidentified as imposter syndrome, and how institutions benefit from it.  with this knowledge, we can then shift from treating imposter syndrome as a framework of individual affliction, to one which signals a need for institutional change and accountability. defining imposter syndrome imposter syndrome, also called imposter phenomenon, imposter experience, fraud syndrome, and imposterism, is when a person doubts the validity of their accomplishments, attributes them to external forces, and has an irrational fear that they will be revealed as a mistake.   pauline rose clance and suzanne ament imes first coined and researched the “imposter phenomenon” in .  clance & imes’ ( ) groundbreaking work, the imposter phenomenon in high achieving women:  dynamics and therapeutic intervention; articulated crucial issues about workplace dynamics and the anxieties of working women. according to clance & imes ( ), “the term impostor phenomenon is used to designate an internal experience of intellectual phoniness which appears to be particularly prevalent and intense among a select sample of high achieving women.” (p. ).  the article goes on to explain that men believe their success is due to their own inherent intelligence and worth, while women believe that their successes are due to external factors such as luck, or temporary qualities such as effort (clance & imes, , p. ). clance & imes’ ( ) study used a sample of “white middle-to-upper-class women between the ages of and ” ( , p. ).  while men are acknowledged as also suffering from insecurity, clance & imes ( ) also state that, “we have noticed the phenomenon in men who appear to be more in touch with their “feminine” qualities.” (p. ). imposter syndrome remains a contemporary workplace issue, yet research around it is centred in whiteness, and invalidates the experiences of queer people, people of colour, and survivors of bullying or abuse. in their article, clance & imes ( ) theorize how women seek validation and find mentorship, stating, “she uses her friendliness, charm, looks, humor, sexuality, and perceptiveness to win the person over”, and “she may volunteer to assist a professor with his/her pet research project. she may even become sexually involved with the mentor.” (clance & imes, , p. ).  it is appalling to consider this credible rhetoric – such thinking positions women as manipulative, while also dismissing the consistent work required to develop emotional intelligence and cultivate relationships.  qualities such as empathy and active listening are coded within the article as “feminine”; also reinforcing toxic masculinity.  most alarmingly, this viewpoint erases the ongoing history of misogyny, sexual abuse, and abuse of power within academia; which is certainly applicable to librarianship (ford, ).   clance & lanford ( ) published a paper fifteen years later, reviewing the original study and subsequent research.  although it states that imposter behaviours manifest differently between genders, the updated study finds no differences between genders as to the degree imposter syndrome is experienced ( , p. ).  gender is not mentioned beyond a binary in either work. clance & imes ( ) present several solutions to alleviate imposter syndrome – group dialogue and validation, challenging negative thought patterns, confronting fear of success, affirmations, imagining conversing with someone who they think they have “fooled”, keeping a journal of positive feedback, role-playing feeling intelligent, and practicing authenticity ( , p. ).  the article recommends therapy which focuses on childhood dynamics and expectations; which delegitimizes the impact of bullying, abuse, or precarity in adulthood.  modern solutions to imposter syndrome have not evolved much from those offered by the article – most of us can recall well-intentioned advice to set good boundaries, or practice mindfulness.  however, if we are still as afflicted by imposter syndrome now as when this article was published, over forty years ago, then we need a new approach, reframing the problem rather than the solution.   patterns of power and prevalence i started questioning imposter syndrome during my various stages as a graduate student; participant in professional development programmes; and in my first librarian role.  in each experience, i was surrounded by brilliant, talented people, and it was not unusual for myself or my peers to be awed by others in the room.  however, shyness, or gladness to be included among people you admire are not the same as an ingrained disbelief in belonging; and those instances in themselves were not noteworthy.  what intrigued me about these environments was that in each one, mentors or authority figures would warn us to shore up against imposter syndrome.  those in positions of power kindly-yet-repeatedly pushed the narrative that imposter syndrome wasn’t just a possibility, it was a natural experience that could strike at any point during one’s career, but was unavoidable as an early-career professional. my interest deepened when during my first six months as a credentialed, compensated librarian, i attended three separate training sessions pertaining to imposter syndrome.  these took the form of a workshop for library staff, a workshop for university employees, and a pre-conference workshop at a national conference.  the workshops were all led by women, and had majority female attendees.  workshop formats included a combination of presentations, inter-group dialogue, and time for personal reflection.  i am thankful for the opportunity these workshops provided to connect with others, practice radical vulnerability, and to talk openly about our internalized worries and shame.  misery loves company, and it can be comforting to step back and realize that no-one exudes non-stop confidence, and that sometimes we can all take ourselves a little too seriously. however, every session promoted imposter syndrome as a personal issue – and a personal flaw – requiring growth and grit to be overcome.  nowhere in these conversations did we address power dynamics or institutional accountability, nor did we pause to consider if there were populations whose anxieties could not be helped under an imposter syndrome framework.  while i had readily subscribed to the idea that it was inevitable that there would be stretches of time when i felt like a failure, i had not considered those who are systemically made to feel unsafe, lesser-than, or overburdened in their work.   as i considered the suggested remedies for imposter syndrome, i realized they erased my positionality and lived experiences.  as a māori, takatāpui, immigrant, person of colour, and first-generation scholar, i know that libraries and academia were not constructed for my benefit; and that systems of colonization, white supremacy, misogyny, and hatred continue to operate within them and wider society.  the lack of belonging i felt did not stem from a lack of self-esteem, but from the knowledge that libraries and academia as institutions never intended i belong. beyond my own anecdotal evidence, a scan of recent conference schedules reveals that the ala midwinter meeting offered career counselling, pop-up mentorship opportunities, and sessions including, “manage your stress and start living a healthier life today” and “overcoming imposter syndrome:  the perspectives of two new academic librarians”.  the acrl conference included the session, “when your internal narrative makes it hard to lead:  addressing imposter phenomenon of library leadership”.  the ala annual conference included “avramcamp”, a lita-sponsored session which promised advice to combat imposter syndrome.  of these conferences, the most high-profile event was the ala spectrum chair’s program, “imposter syndrome”, where a panel of library workers advised on overcoming imposter syndrome in the workplace.  every year, there are countless other conference sessions on imposter syndrome, as well as the multitude of blog posts and webinars designed to warn us of its existence.  as a profession, we keep talking about imposter syndrome, especially targeting library school students, newly-appointed managers, and people of colour.  when are we going to stop signalling that fear and anxiety is normal within our profession, and instead examine how these narratives are the result of institutions deflecting the need for change? library-specific literature library workers have also created library-specific scholarship on the syndrome.  in jumping into the deep: imposter syndrome, defining success, and the new librarian, lacey & parlette-stewart ( ) introduce some of the nuances of imposter syndrome and librarianship, such as overwork, and lack of orientation, job clarity, or mentorship for new librarians.  critically, lacey & parlette-stewart ( ) name library school programmes as an originator of imposter syndrome, as offering little to no concrete help in transitioning to the workforce.  they also name academic librarianship as an intense and competitive field, and draw attention to the role of temporary and contract-based work in breeding feelings of insecurity, worthlessness, and pressure to secure permanent employment. lucy rakestraw ( ) depicts the cycle of imposter syndrome and overwork.  rakestraw ( ) also notes that imposter syndrome is not nervousness or low self-esteem; and summarizes the various personas (harvey, ) in which imposter syndrome can manifest (workaholism, gratitude for “luck”, charm, blending in, procrastination), and the ways sufferers deflect their role in success.   i found three studies conducted on imposter syndrome within library & information science.  in the first, clark et. al. ( ) tested levels of imposter syndrome within newer librarians, younger librarians, and those whose jobs required more technical expertise.  after analyzing perspectives from respondents, the authors concluded that younger and newer librarians reported higher levels of imposter syndrome than their older, more established peers.   clark et. al. ( ) also reported inconclusive results regarding technical expertise and imposter syndrome (p. ).  tenure-track faculty with less than three years in their roles reported imposter feelings at a higher rate than their non-tenure and staff counterparts; and overall, one-in-eight library workers reported feelings of imposter syndrome.  importantly, they conclude by asserting that managers should actively intervene in overwork or fear of failure within their employees, and stress the need for openness, proper training, appropriate feedback, and observation as supervisors of new librarians ( ).  according to clark et al.,“while library organizations may not necessarily cause ip feelings, survey respondents perceived that the culture fosters those feelings” (p. ).  in the second instance, barr-walker et. al. ( ) surveyed over members of the medical library association, replicating the methods previously used by clark et. al. ( ). of the participants, one-in-seven indicated they may have imposter feelings, and the % who indicated that they did not hold a health sciences degree reported higher rates of imposter feelings than those who were formally credentialled in their subject area (barr-walker et. al, , p. ).  the authors recommend further studies to address intersectional relationships between race, gender, and privilege within library systems. in the third study, martinez & forrey ( ) draw on their experiences as new librarians, and speak to the impact of imposter syndrome on library instruction programmes.  they also address an important critique of the original imposter syndrome study with this quote by pauline clance: “if i could do it all over again, i would call it the imposter experience, because it’s not a syndrome or a complex or a mental illness, it’s something almost everyone experiences (anderson and kang, ).” ( , p. ).   the authors surveyed early-career librarians, and found % felt insecure, underqualified, or in danger of being discovered as a fraud (martinez & forrey, , p. ).  respondent narratives highlighted the lack of training librarians receive on how to teach classes.  the article concludes with advice to “find a friend” and combat the isolation associated with negative self-talk.  however, they also include a paragraph on “how employers can help”, and the importance of setting clear expectations and providing consistent feedback (martinez & forrey, , p. ).   overall, research on imposter syndrome reinforces the narrative that overcoming it is an individual effort, but recent opinion pieces offer more holistic, radical viewpoints which acknowledge the role of systems in perpetuating imposter syndrome.  for example, mullangi & jagsi ( ) state: imposter syndrome, in many ways, is analogous to another, related, epidemic—that of clinician frustration—often termed burnout.  studies show that a third to half of medical students and clinicians are experiencing depression and anxiety, much higher rates than those observed among their non physician peers.  a single such affected physician can be prescribed medication, encouraged to seek talk therapy, or asked to take a therapeutic leave of absence.  but at the aggregate level, administrators are acknowledging that they have a part to play in addressing the structural environment—long hours, rising case loads, and an increase in administrative tasks related to electronic medical records, which can contribute to frustration  (p. ). the ways in which institutional cultures and conditions may cause harm includes a variety of pathologized experiences, including imposter syndrome, low morale, and weaponized gratitude.  likewise, white supremacy within workplaces often surfaces as positivity culture, bootstrapping, and the mythology of “ professionalism” and “a good fit” (mirza & seale, ; lópez-mcknight, ; watson, ). we need to research and address how whiteness intersects with imposter syndrome, and how it informs whose expressions of need or assurance we affirm and reward. white supremacy and imposter syndrome as the initial imposter phenomenon study was conducted with white study subjects, it is not too surprising that solutions to imposter syndrome are also rooted in whiteness.  this whitewashing manifests in three major ways – tone policing, disregard for collective cultures, and homogeneous expectations of behaviour. the suggested means of overcoming imposter syndrome overwhelmingly amount to “developing confidence” or “being positive” (clance & imes, ). this positioning assumes that everyone with imposter syndrome lacks confidence or assuredness.  however, one can be confident in one’s own abilities or values, without being rewarded or in alignment with institutional priorities or workplace culture.  put another way, feeling devalued does not automatically mean someone feels worthless, and can instead indicate a lack of recognition or safety to express confidence in the workplace. advising performance of confidence can function as a form of tone policing, or shutting down concerns from a vulnerable party – particularly if the advisor has enough privilege to ignore existing power dynamics. using a framework which suggests that anxiety diminishes with confidence or poise makes another assumption – that confidence is uniformly accepted by everyone, in all environments.  it is not enough to simply be confident when expressions of confidence or positivity are routinely ignored or shut down.  for example, librarians of colour consistently have their credentials questioned, or their achievements diminished as tokenization or affirmative action by coworkers and patrons alike (brinkman et. al., ).  women are criticized for everything from their email punctuation to their style of dress – and studies demonstrate managers are less likely to hire women they deem unattractive, regardless of how confident those women are and what dress or grooming standards are in place for other genders (huang, ). not only can confidence be ignored, but there are negative consequences for asserting one’s boundaries – consider the routine violence towards people who dare to turn down romantic advances.  this notion of confidence is a preference for whiteness, not equally enjoyed by those who are not white, cisgender, heterosexual, male, or otherwise depicted by dominant narratives within society.  even clance ( ) approaches this, stating, “the phenomenon may be further maintained in response to the negative consequences that are likely to befall the woman in our society who displays confidence in her ability.” (clance, , p. ). establishing boundaries is only useful if you have the means to aggressively defend them, or if you are already respected.   clance ( ) posits that it is possible women eschew an image of success or independence out of fear of being seen as less feminine, but i argue the likely modern scenario is that success risks jealousy, bullying, or being undermined within a competitive workforce, and that deferring to those higher up the ladder is part of the everyday emotional labour performed to manage the emotions of those with more power than ourselves. lastly, the imposter syndrome framework does not leave room to explore cultures outside of whiteness.  confidence is not a homogeneous state which manifests in the same way for everyone, and yet under imposter syndrome, we are assumed to have a shared understanding of exactly how a “confident” person acts and speaks.  gestures, facial expression, eye contact, loudness, dress, tone, and posture are just some of the ways in which our non-verbal communication can vary – but the workplace standards by which we judge these features as expressing confidence or professionalism are driven by racism and white supremacy. as a māori, i cannot help but reflect on the differences in how pride and humility are perceived in aotearoa and the united states.  in te ao māori, society is collective and emphasizes the importance of and interconnectedness between relationships, land, and ancestors.  these values are enshrined in some of our commonly used whakataukī, such as “ehara taku toa, i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini” (my success is not mine alone, it is the success of the collective), or “kāore te kumara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka” (the kumara does not speak of its own sweetness).  achievements are often acknowledged as the result of generations of work, knowledge, and care by the community; a mindset that does not diminish our own role in the slightest.  naming those who have raised, influenced, and helped us is a joyful, community-driven practice, and one common among cultures that value community wellbeing over individual competition and success.   even among pākehā (new zealanders of european descent), humility, celebrating others, self-deprecating humour, and downplaying achievements or expertise are the norm, but do not signal lack of confidence or self-esteem.  while tall poppy syndrome – criticizing those who stand out or who are conspicuously successful – also features in aotearoa culture, a down-to-earth attitude is prevalent back home, and thanking others stems from connectedness and community. in my experience as an introvert raised within a collectivist culture, practices such as sharing credit, honouring elders, and not forcing myself towards extroversion often leave me feeling misunderstood in american workplaces. but beyond being underestimated, an individualistic workplace can be isolating, controlling, and abusive. how can we advise workers to be vulnerable and authentic, if institutions replicating whiteness may in fact end up harming workers who express themselves with trust or authenticity? imposter syndrome as gaslighting when confronted with a peer who is routinely anxious or dissatisfied with their achievements, many of us are quick to suggest imposter syndrome is the problem – a problem many of us can relate to and want to destigmatize. after all, we are a service profession that loves to help, particularly by providing information and resources. while it is admirable to want to help others overcome their difficulties, it is worth pausing to examine how these circumstances may result from concrete factors other than imposter syndrome.  workplace difficulties can manifest due to inadequate onboarding, job creep, or budget cuts (lacey & parlette-stewart, ); as well as more malicious reasons such as racism, bias, or bullying (kendrick, ).  changing these environments takes a lot of uncomfortable, hard work, including questioning who and what we value and reward on an institutional level.  what is less work for institutions is to shift accountability back onto the individual – which, very plainly, is gaslighting. psychology today defines gaslighting as a form of psychological manipulation where the victim is intentionally fed false information as a means of creating self-doubt. we typically discuss gaslighting in the context of relationships, particularly domestic partnerships and intimate relationships.  i use the language of gaslighting here to unpack how employer-employee relationships can be fraught with unbalanced power dynamics and a need or desire to control the behaviour of the employee.   consider the following examples: 	insistence that the lack of librarians of colour is a “pipeline issue” that can be fixed by diversity residencies, instead of a “racism issue” that persists despite short-term hires 	requiring job candidates to submit “diversity statements”, without requiring the institution to state how they protect, promote, and retain minoritized employees 	what experience and scholarship “counts” towards a tenure/promotion timeline 	insistence that indigenous elders should be cited as “personal communication” within citation styles, not as knowledge sources in their own right 	unofficially tasking diversity resident librarians with teaching the university how to work with minoritized people [as alston, chiu, colbert, and rutledge ( ) state, “while residents can bring fresh, positive energy into a library, they are new professionals and therefore should not be expected to work alone as change agents” (p. ).] in each example, workplace policies can directly contribute to a culture of anxiety, uncertainty, stress, and internalized blame within their employees.  the onus is on the worker to become resilient and less sensitive, gracefully absorbing harm for the comfort of the institution. as tewell’s ( ) work on resilience states, “most often, the ideal means of addressing this need is for the people with the perceived deficit to apply themselves, to conform, or otherwise assimilate to dominant culture” (p. ). it is important to note that even if the intent of these workplace messages is not malicious – say, due to policies out of one’s control, or simple lack of awareness – that the impact upon workers can still be demoralizing.  while not everyone has the power to overturn institutional practices and policies, they can openly acknowledge that anxiousness is a rational response to a situation fraught with power dynamics and inequalities.  while in my experience, employers are willing to have discussions about imposter syndrome and cultivating resilience during work hours, there is not much more support offered to enact any of the suggested ways of decreasing stress levels, let alone examining institutional causes of stress.  again, it behooves any institution to avoid examining chronic anxiety in its employees beyond a surface level, and to insist that any meditation, yoga, or similar wellness practices take place on an employee’s own time. furthermore, as tewell ( ) writes, “the people not asked to show grit are the ones creating the terms and conditions.” (pg. ).   it’s a start to encourage employees to adopt a “power pose”, or meditate for a few minutes to alleviate pre-meeting jitters – but such practices are rendered ineffective when workplace culture allows meetings to run long, be scheduled back-to-back, and for people to be ignored, bullied, or subjected to microaggressions.  you cannot meditate racism, misogyny, and overwork away. if you still need to attribute the anxieties of yourself or your colleagues to imposter syndrome, rather than critically examine the culture of your workplace, i have a suggested diagnosis:  you may have what i call imposter imposter syndrome. imposter imposter syndrome is when someone maintains a chronic belief in the inherent shortcomings and discomfort/imposter feelings of individuals, in order to maintain their own comfort and ignore or diminish societal and institutional patterns of injustice and oppression.  imposter imposter syndrome is a coping mechanism – if it is others who are individually at fault, then you can pretend that you will always have the favour or skills necessary to avoid harm in these systems. if you believe that other people are just inherently unhappy or uncomfortable in work environments, you can absolve yourself of being complicit in perpetuating these systems, consciously or otherwise. if you keep attributing your own poor feelings to imposter syndrome, then you can pretend that with enough work, you can feel better, even if your conditions remain the same. coping mechanisms develop for a reason – they can provide protection and hope during difficult times. but inherently blaming others for how they feel or avoiding taking a holistic look at the systems you participate in can be maladaptive. luckily, as with concepts such as vocational awe (ettarh, ), once you recognize imposter imposter syndrome, you can work to unlearn and resist it. one approach to doing so is trauma-informed care. trauma-informed care just as with cultural differences, expressions of trauma can also be misattributed to imposter syndrome. clance & imes ( ) identify working excessively hard, intellectual flattery or phoniness, and leveraging charisma as imposter behaviours. likewise, the personas of workaholic imposters are known to spend disproportionate and unnecessary effort on tasks compared to their peers, and chameleon imposters deflect the need for support (harvey, ; young, ).   more specifically, workers with these personas who are new, precariously employed, or trying to prove their worth may question their right to take sick days or annual leave, and stay late or work during lunch breaks and weekends. similarly, they may eschew celebrating their achievements in favour of looking ahead to their next project or task; and be more likely to accept extra work, such as covering early morning or weekend shifts – even if they feel overworked, or that this extra work will not provide an opportunity for growth. it is employers and institutions that benefit from this naive bootstrapping – at least in the short term – while workers with these characteristics risk their own burnout. similar characteristics can be identified within trauma responses and survival mechanisms, including “flight” (workaholism and perfectionism), and “fawn” (people-pleasing, difficulty saying no) (virzi, ; walker, n.d.).  further overlap exists between imposter syndrome, depression, and “freeze” trauma responses (inability to make decisions, spacing out, isolating oneself). not only do we potentially carry our trauma with us into the workplace, but we can also encounter direct, complex, historical, and vicarious trauma on the job.  within our profession we can be impacted by anything including mass job layoffs, institutions being defunded or outsourced, refusal to grant tenure, violent terrorist acts, and sudden pleas for help or medical assistance from our community.  at our professional meetings and conferences, we can be confronted by people who have harmed us or others, and we can be dehumanized and attacked behind closed doors, away from our support systems. even on a good day, free from direct violence and microaggressions, intergenerational trauma can manifest when we enter library and university buildings constructed by the labour of enslaved and incarcerated persons, on stolen indigenous lands.  white supremacy is reflected in institutional mascots, statues and monuments, subject headings, plundered objects, award names, and the languages and types of knowledge we deem as being valid or having scholarly merit.  complex trauma can surface through the prolonged process of job searching or experiencing job insecurity, through months or years of having to absorb others’ job duties due to budget cuts, or through counselling students experiencing personal crises, year after year. librarianship, like social work, is a “helping profession” viewed with vocational awe (ettarh, ).  those whose lived experiences include trauma may intentionally go on to serve similarly impacted populations (e.g. – people of colour, at-risk youth, undergraduate students), and as such risk their own retraumatization and burnout (van dernoot lipsky, ).  as a māori librarian, i often reflect on being an indigenous person and a first-generation university student, helping new first-generation university students navigate a colonial system of learning.  the work is rewarding, but also uncomfortable, and the cyclical nature of it brings to mind this passage by child protective agency worker harry spence (n.d.): i started really thinking about what it was like to be engaged in trauma and in creating it at the same time…we hire -year-olds right out of college, give them a months’ training, and then they go observe the most complicated families in our culture, and then they have an obligation to predict the future, and if they’re wrong they’ll carry blood on their hands and they’ll be publicly crucified.  (spence, n.d., as cited in van dernoot lipsky, , p. ). trauma-informed approaches to library work continue to grow, with multiple universities offering a conjoint degree in library science and social work, and public library systems such as denver and san francisco featuring licensed social workers onsite.  however, as with edi work, trauma-informed librarianship focuses primarily on patrons, despite our own needs. to begin reflecting on trauma-informed approaches, consider the six guiding principles of safety, trustworthiness & transparency, peer support, collaboration & mutuality, empowerment, and cultural, historical, and gender issues ( , center for disease control).  a trauma-informed approach does not inherently pathologize nervousness, and it allows people to acknowledge and work through concerns, without punitive judgement.  similarly, a trauma-informed approach might make job expectations and support clear, while holding institutions accountable for co-creating conditions conducive to healing with their staff. conclusion:  shifting the burden claiming the label of having imposter syndrome can be a relief – it can allow you to articulate your struggle, and to develop a shared understanding of it with others.  with a “diagnosis”, you can then work towards seeking a cure; and taking steps toward action can be empowering and energizing in themselves.  for those who find this an effective and straightforward process, i am glad; and hope that you are able to support others in turn.  however, if attempting to advocate for your needs, and celebrate your contributions with confidence still results in feeling dismissed, underappreciated, and approaching failure, consider if the imposter syndrome framework is really serving you – or, if it actually serves someone else. much of the traditional advice for overcoming imposter syndrome is useful as a short-term coping mechanism, and can potentially help individuals perform confidence and adhere to mainstream expectations.  however, the imposter phenomenon has persisted for over forty years, and evidence suggests that it is not just a product of individual neurosis, but often one of collective anxiety due to neoliberal pressures, racism, sexism, and bias against minoritized people.   literature on imposter syndrome is plentiful, and usually contains exercises to give individuals some relief.  in , joan harvey created the “harvey imposter phenomenon scale”, which was followed by pauline clance’s “clance imposter phenomenon scale” in .  both instruments consist of statements which the subject responds to on a likert scale, resulting in a score measuring their likelihood of suffering from imposter syndrome.  building on this work, i have developed some exercises not for those with imposter syndrome, but for those who manage people and institutions.  the appendix for this article contains two tools i have created for people to examine their workplace policies and practices, and their own management styles.  the first is an “institutional imposter phenomenon test”; which is a flexible self-assessment addressing onboarding, communication, trust, boundaries, psychological safety, accountability, job clarity, institutional culture, and anti-racism efforts.  the second is a response to the “problem woman of color in the workplace” infographic by the safehouse progressive alliance for nonviolence, and illustrates how pushing minoritized employees out of organizations is not an inevitability, but that managers need to reflect, advocate, and make intentional efforts to retain their talented staff.  i have created these tools with institutions in mind, but all institutions consist of people who need to hold themselves accountable on an individual level to create positive change. ultimately, whether a manager or colleague, you cannot control how someone feels or responds to a situation – but you can take a hard look at how your complicity or behaviour might contribute.  we all have agency for compassion, as stated by van dernoot lipsky ( ): i often remind my colleagues that we may unknowingly influence systems simply by altering the way we interact with them.  we must never underestimate the power of changing ourselves, of committing to being a force for liberation, light, wellness, justice, and right action wherever we go  (p. ). the original imposter syndrome study, and the suggestions it provides are rooted in white supremacy, and it is important we recognize this intersection before we rush to suppress it with wellness or deflection. there is unlimited potential to research how workplace conditions contribute to low morale, anxiety, and trauma, but we do not need to do more studies to know these environments are unacceptable, and that we can immediately begin to improve things for ourselves and our colleagues through reflection and a commitment to doing better.  acknowledgements with deep gratitude to the itlwtlp editorial board, who originally accepted this proposal in . in particular, sofia leung served as a fantastic publishing editor, and held space for me to pause this project without letting me off the hook when it came to questioning and clarifying my ideas. denisse solis was a supportive and rigorous internal peer reviewer, whose input vastly improved the flow of this piece. fobazi ettarh was a generous and insightful external peer reviewer, whose work is also referenced in my piece. thank you all for seeing this process through with me. i am also grateful to ashley farley, who gave vital feedback and much-needed encouragement, emily spracklin, who has been an enthusiastic supporter on this project and helped strengthen my institutional ip test, and hannah rainey, who got the idea of imposter imposter syndrome immediately. appendix a:  institutional ip test (link to pdf) appendix b:  “problem” woc in the workplace infographic  view or download this infographic as a pdf. full textual equivalent of this image as a list. appendix c:  reimagined poc infographic view or download this infographic as a pdf. full textual equivalent of this image as a list. references abrams, a.  ( , june).  yes, imposter syndrome is real.  here’s how to deal with it. time. http://time.com/ /how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome/ ada initiative.  (n.d.).  imposter syndrome-proof yourself and your computing community.  https://files.adainitiative.org/impostor_syndrome_handout.pdf ada initiative.  (n.d.).  imposter syndrome training.  https://adainitiative.org/continue-our-work/impostor-syndrome-training/ alston, j., chiu, a., colbert, j., & rutledge., l.  ( ). developing a residency program: a practical guide for librarians. rowman & littlefield. anderson, l. v.  ( , april ).  feeling like an imposter is not a syndrome.  slate. https://slate.com/business/ / /is-impostor-syndrome-real-and-does-it-affect-women-more-than-men.html arellano douglas, v.  ( , january ).  you can’t die of imposter syndrome, right?  acrlog.  https://acrlog.org/ / / /you-cant-die-of-impostor-syndrome-right/comment-page- / barr-walker, j., bass, m. b., werner, d. a., & kellermeyer, l. ( ). measuring impostor phenomenon among health sciences librarians. journal of the medical library association, ( ), - . https://doi: . /jmla. . bond, s. e., & gannon, k.  ( , october ).  public writing and the junior scholar.  the chronicle of higher education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/public-writingthe-junior/ ?cid=wcontentgrid_hp_ branham, s. s.  ( ).  imposter syndrome (workshop).  osfhome. https://osf.io/dusxn/ brinkman, s., johnson, j., sekyere, k., & tzoc, e.  ( ).  diversity at miami university libraries: four unique and similar experiences.  in hankins, r., & juárez, m. (eds.), where are all the librarians of color?  the experiences of people of color in academia (pp. - ). library juice press.  cadmiumcd. ( ). avramcamp. ala annual conference & exhibition. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-annual/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= &query=imposter cadmiumcd. ( ). alcts new members interest group. ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= &query=imposter cadmiumcd. ( ). career counseling i. ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= cadmiumcd. ( ). manage your stress and start living a healthier life today.  ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= cadmiumcd. ( ). mentoring on-the-fly i.  ala seattle midwinter meeting & exhibits. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-midwinter/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= cadmiumcd. ( ). spectrum chair’s program:  imposter syndrome.  ala annual conference & exhibition. https://www.eventscribe.com/ /ala-annual/fspopup.asp?mode=presinfo&presentationid= &query=imposter centers for disease control and prevention.  ( , june ).  summary and special reports.  https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nisvs/summaryreports.html centers for disease control and prevention.  ( , july ).  infographic: guiding principles to a trauma-informed approach.  https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/infographics/ _principles_trauma_info.htm clance, p.  ( ).  clance ip scale.  retrieved from https://paulineroseclance.com/pdf/iptestandscoring.pdf clance, p. r., & imes, s. a. ( ). the imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic intervention. psychotherapy: theory, research & practice, ( ), . doi: . /h   clark, m., vardeman, k., & barba, s. ( ). perceived inadequacy: a study of the imposter phenomenon among college and research librarians. college and research libraries, ( ), . doi: . /crl - cumberbatch, a. g. ( , july ). how to beat imposter syndrome, because you deserve to feel unapologetic about your success.  bustle.  https://www.bustle.com/p/how-to-beat-impostor-syndrome-because-you-deserve-to-feel-unapologetic-about-your-success- dankowski, t.  ( , march ).  a social worker walks into a library.  american libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/pla-social-worker-walks-library/ ettarh, f.  ( ).  vocational awe and librarianship:  the lies we tell ourselves.  in the library with the lead pipe.  retrieved november , , from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /vocational-awe/ finch, s.d. 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( ). if i’m so successful, why do i feel like a fake? the imposter phenomenon. st. martin’s press.  huang, g.  ( ).  plus-sized women face shocking discrimination from hiring managers, study shows.  the job network. https://www.thejobnetwork.com/plus-sized-women-face-shocking-discrimination/ huang, g.  ( ).  the grim reality of being a female job seeker:  if you’re overweight, not ‘nice’ looking, older, or a minority, you won’t be hired.  retrieved from https://res.cloudinary.com/fairygodboss/raw/upload/v /production/the_grim_reality_of_being_a_female_job_seeker.pdf kendrick, k. d.  ( ). the low morale experience of academic librarians: a phenomenological study. journal of library administration, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . / . . key, a.  ( , september ).  how to combat imposter syndrome during your mlis journey.  hack library school. https://hacklibraryschool.com/ / / /imposter-syndrome-and-your-mlis/ lacey, s., & parlette-stewart, m. ( ). jumping into the deep: imposter syndrome, defining success and the new librarian. partnership: the canadian journal of library and information practice and research, ( ).  https://doi.org/ . /partnership.v i . langford, j., & clance, p. r. ( ). the imposter phenomenon: recent research findings regarding dynamics, personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. psychotherapy: theory, research, practice, training, ( ), - . doi: . / - . . . lópez-mcknight, j.r. ( ).  my librarianship is not for you. in schlesselman-tarango, g. (ed.), topographies of whiteness : mapping whiteness in library and information science (pp. - ). library juice press. martinez, j., & forrey, m. 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( ). how to stop feeling like a phony in your library: recognizing the causes of the imposter syndrome, and how to put a stop to the cycle. law library journal, (issue ), . retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&authtype=sso&db=edshol&an=edshol.hein.journals.llj . &site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s sakulku, j. ( ). the impostor phenomenon. the journal of behavioral science. ( ) - . https://doi.org/ . /ijbs. .   sobotka, c.  ( , may ).  dealing with imposter syndrome and feeling like you belong.  inalj.  https://inalj.com/?p= tewell, e. ( ). the problem with grit: dismantling deficit thinking in library instruction. portal: libraries and the academy, ( ), - . doi: . /pla. . . van dernoot lipsky, l.  ( ).  trauma stewardship:  an everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others.  berrett-koehler publishers. virzi, j.  ( , january ).  fawning:  the fourth trauma response we don’t talk about.  the mighty.  https://themighty.com/ / /fight-flight-freeze-fawn-trauma-responses/ walker, p.  (n.d.).  the fs: a trauma typology in complex ptsd.  pete walker, m.a., mft.  http://pete-walker.com/fourfs_traumatypologycomplexptsd.htm watson, m.  ( ).   white feminism and distributions of power in academic libraries. in schlesselman-tarango, g. (ed.), topographies of whiteness : mapping whiteness in library and information science (pp. - ). library juice press. way, k.  ( , october ).  mindfulness isn’t the answer to our completely hellish workplaces.  vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ k bm/mindfulness-and-work-stress when your internal narrative makes it hard to lead: addressing impostor phenomenon of library leadership.  (n.d.).  retrieved from https://s .goeshow.com/acrl/national/ /profile.cfm?profile_name=session&master_key= c -e - -ea -d df &page_key= cb a -b a- a e- -df a c &xtemplate&userlgnkey=   young, v.  ( ).  the secret thoughts of successful women:  why capable people suffer from imposter syndrome and how to thrive in spite of it.  crown business. from appendix b the “problem” woman of colour in the workplace this infographic portrays a woman of colour progressing through a new workplace, in four main stages. 	the woman of colour enters the organization a. honeymoon – the woman of colour feels welcomed, needed, and happy b. white leadership c. tokenized hire 	reality – the woman of colour points out issues within the organization. she tries to work within the organization’s structure and polices. she pushes for accountability. a. repetitive injury & microaggressions 	response – the organization denies, ignores, and blames. the responsibility of fixing the problem is placed on the woman of colour. people of colour are pitted against one another. a. denial of racism b. target & attack 	retaliation – the organization decides that the woman of colour is the problem and targets her. the organization labels the conflict as a “communication issue” or claims that she is not qualified or “not a good fit” a. the woman of colour exits the organization. adapted from the chronicle of the problem woman of color in a non-profit by the safehouse progressive alliance for nonviolence. return to appendix b from appendix c actively welcoming and retaining people of colour in the workplace – a collaborative approach to autonomy and allyship. this infographic portrays a person of colour (poc) progressing through a new workplace, in four main stages. 	the person of colour enters the organization a. welcoming beyond tolerance – poc feels welcomed without feeling tokenized. collaborates with supervisor to set achievable goals. begins to develop organic, non-political, non-competitive relationships with peers. considers support system and goals outside of work. b. self-aware leadership c. context and relationship building 	adjusting to the organization – allies give information on the organization, building environmental awareness. poc is invited to collaborate on successful projects. poc is able to ask questions of trusted peers. both poc and institution are open to ideas. poc is able to steer clear of pitfalls and use their energy in an impactful way. a. minimizing microaggressions 	collaboration a. growth – the value and contributions of the poc within the organization are seen and named. relationships expand and deepen. the poc is able to choose to collaborate with other minoritized colleagues. poc and other marginalized people do not have to compete for resources or respect. 	retention & promotion – the institution and the employee are both open to feedback and change. management works to address bias and white fragility. continued opportunities are presented to the new poc employee. efforts are made to accept difference and move beyond face-value diversity. a. person of colour has healthy experience, and can choose to stay or to leave the organization. adapted from the chronicle of the problem woman of color in a non-profit by the safehouse progressive alliance for nonviolence. re-imagining by nicola andrews , with permission from the center for community organizations. return to appendix c 			 						 				burnout, imposter syndrome, management, mindfulness, organizational development 			 					 	 						 												 						 							multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries 							creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	pingback : new peer reviewed article: it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers – stephen's lighthouse 	 	 		 		 			 				charles stevenson 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi nicola, i work with clients to help them overcome imposter syndrome, underearning and fear of failure and your post appeared in my google alert today. i’ve only read it once so far and know that it warrants a slower and more detailed re-reading, along with tracking back to the references you’ve quoted. your concept of ” imposter imposter syndrome” was interesting. from my quick read it sounds like the way that someone is playing the game of avoiding acknowledging the systemic issues in the organisation and placing the problem, therefore, at the feet of the person who feels they’re an imposter. quite a nifty side-step as such. one of the observations i offer to clients is that they can’t really be an imposter since a *real* imposter wouldn’t care whether they were an imposter or not (eg frank abagnale as in the film/book catch me if you can) and so the fact that we do care that we might be an imposter, means we’re not (!*#?). yup, our minds do love getting us in a double-bind! thanks for an informative article and i hope it gets a lot of traction in google as it’s well-worth a read. if it’s ok i’ll link to it when i next put up a blog post on is, should be in the next few days. cherio for now. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				nicola andrews 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi charles – thank you for reading, and your response. it is very meaningful that the first comment here is from someone who directly works with clients to help them acknowledge their own worth and contributions. and yes, your initial read aligns with my thoughts – sometimes avoiding thinking of power structures and systemic issues is unconscious – but sometimes it is wilful, or at the least, a decision made by managers and supervisors even if out of avoidance. something i have been thinking about the last few days is that there are instances when someone feels like an imposter because they are treated poorly – but there are surely also instances where someone feels like an imposter because they have been promoted or given opportunities that truly exceed their skill level. in neither of these examples is it the fault of or a conscious decision by the person impacted, and yet they absorb the anxiety of the situation. double-binds, indeed! thanks again for your comment, and your ongoing work to help people believe in themselves. if this article is useful or interesting to you, please do share it. take care! 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				dr theresa simpkin 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hello nicola. thanks for your article. despite the fact that after or so years of research the impostor phenomenon (as it was originally termed) i still bristle at the term ‘imposter syndrome’, i have taken a very similar view of the construct as it plays out in organisations and broader social spaces. systematic and structural means of embedding the impostor phenomenon in the workplace have been acheived by the lack of diminished ‘otherness’ be that racism, sexism or whatever. it is insidious and as previous comments suggest, a nifty way of sidestepping responsibility as ip is framed as an individual response that exists within the ears of the individual. too much focus is placed on the ‘happy clappy’ responses that do not take into consideration real and embedded notions of ‘otherness’ and the power structures that maintain them. thanks for your article. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				nicola andrews 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				thank you for reading, dr. simpkin. it is so important that we take a full view of the power structures we participate in, and are not afraid to critique them. good luck with your continued work. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				lauren p 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				do you know of other researchers who are really diving into the impacts of institutionalized racism and sexism on impostor phenomenon in urms in the academy? particularly science. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				nicola andrews 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi lauren – thank you for reading. i have not come across stem-focused research on this – at present, subject liaison librarianship would be the closest area i found, and all of the articles i cited (and my own) should be broadly applicable to this. good luck in your research. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				theresa 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				hi lauren, i’ve been doing work for some years on this in regard to women in stem especially. i’d be happy to connect. i can be contacted at the university of nottingham. theresa.simpkin@nottingham.ac.uk. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				dr. jones 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				i am so happy to have come across your article!!!! i am giving a talk very soon on is and i have dedicated several slides on how the responsibility of addressing ip also lies on the shoulders of the employers and in my case my research institution. i am a postdoc in the stem field and i’ve always been one of only a handful of urms. my talk will be the first time anyone has ever discussed ip and it’s coming from a (seasoned) postdoc. i had a much longer path to take in order to get my phd, but i did it and i am the oldest postdoc at my institution…..which is why i said ‘seasoned’. i can’t wait to share some of the awesome information i recieved in this article and i found some good information in the comments! a change is needed and i am taking the lead. 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				robert dickinson 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				spectacularly interesting article! i’m not an academic in this field; you did a great job making it accessible to those outside your field. very well argued, and insightful into yet another way in which society puts the pressure on victims of oppressive systems to overcome their own oppression by themselves, instead of even recognizing the need for systemic change as the real solution. just wanted to say good job :) glad this piece has been written 							 		 	 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 ryan randall – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				ryan randall 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					website: www.ryanpatrickrandall.com twitter: @foureyedsoul i am the instruction coordinator & faculty outreach librarian at the college of western idaho, a community college serving the boise metropolitan area. there i work with students, faculty, and other librarians to promote critical information literacy and library use. my mls is from indiana university in bloomington. while in library school i wrote for the hack library school blog. before pursuing librarianship i earned an ma in visual and cultural studies from the university of rochester, and both an ma and ba in english from the university of california, riverside. i’ve also taught first-year writing and lower division humanities courses at a variety of colleges and universities. i’m excited by the interdisciplinarity of librarianship, the ways we can work with patrons as “guides on the side,” and the reflective communities i’ve found around critical pedagogy, digital humanities, and critical librarianship. when i’m not in a library, there’s a very good chance i’ll be exploring a local record store, coffee shop, or hiking trail. i’m often not too far from the #critlib hashtag on twitter. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jul 					 				 				 					liz vine					/ comments 				 											training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief conceiving of student employment in academic libraries as an educationally purposeful experience requires adopting a learner-centered pedagogical approach to student employee job training. adopting such an approach is triply beneficial: it makes that job training more effective; it identifies training as an opportunity to pursue learning goals that support the growth of students as information literate critical thinkers; and it emphasizes the distributed nature of teaching and learning in the library, pointing to the need to support supervisors of student employees as educators and learners themselves. focusing on the pedagogy of workplace training for student employees thus provides a point from which to redefine the community of learners the library supports, and disrupt hierarchical distinctions among the library’s many teachers and learners. by liz vine introduction teaching and learning happen in more ways, and in more places, in the academic library than we commonly assume. and one of the most obvious and overlooked arenas of teaching and learning in the academic library is student employee training. training and learning are frequently set at odds with one another. training is often devalued because it happens in the workplace rather than the classroom, and is perceived as having limited aims and scope, not necessarily being overseen by experts, and not prioritizing the needs of learners. but to view training and learning as separate domains elides the fact that, for both trainee and trainer, training is learning. if we say that our aim is to help a specific group of people “develop a set of key component skills, practice them to the point of automaticity, and know when and where to apply them appropriately,” are we describing workplace training or classroom learning? to separate or oppose them is to create a false dichotomy that obscures the rich educational opportunity presented by the seemingly mundane task of ensuring that student employees know how to do their job.  we can more fully realize that opportunity by approaching training with a learner-centered mindset, and utilizing evidence-based practices not just from the academic library literature, but the scholarship on teaching, the science of learning, and the fields of instructional and training design. in this article i argue that explicitly thinking of job training as learning, and approaching it from a pedagogical orientation, is imperative because it makes for more effective training, identifies a valuable opportunity for libraries to achieve their learning objectives and support student success, and can foster an organizational culture of care and learning that encompasses all staff. training is an unexplored site for expanding where, how, and for whom the library is a partner in learning. improving job performance the most immediate and, for busy supervisors, pragmatically compelling reason for conceiving of training as learning is to increase its effectiveness. reconceiving of training as learning emphasizes the need for thoughtful design of both form and content, and points to the benefits of training that is learner-centered and evidence-based—that is, grounded in proven approaches to learning. these are approaches that libraries use to support student learning in other contexts, and that in this instance might draw not just on the scholarship around teaching and learning, but also on workplace training and instructional design, which frequently overlap and intersect in their findings and recommendations. though their end goals might differ, there are practical commonalities aplenty between teaching with your mouth shut and telling ain’t training—between problem- and inquiry-based approaches to classroom learning, and learner-centered approaches to workplace training, that both move away from the instructor as the principal conduit of enlightenment. having an effective learning-oriented training program sets student employees up for success in their job, to the obvious benefit of the library. attention to questions of retaining and transferring knowledge, to achieving what wiggins and mctighe identify as “understanding,” increases the likelihood of satisfactory job performance. it’s true that, even without formal training, student employees will learn on the job, will pick things up as they go along, and baldwin and barkley suggest that “that’s the danger.” is that really the only way we want them to learn? taking a learner-centered approach, we can recognize that no training program is fully comprehensive or sufficient unto itself, and that informal, on-the-job learning will happen, for good or ill, regardless. but supervisors can incorporate both modes of learning in intentional structures of reflection that encourage students to take a considered approach to both work and learning. we can provide opportunities to talk about how training does or does not match up with on-the-job reality; we can foster supported on-the-job learning through peer mentoring; we can give students means to record or track what they’re learning, no matter how they’re learning it; we can have more experienced employees lead a discussion on a topic such as “the most important things you need to know that aren’t addressed in training.” in these ways, formal learner-centered training can work with informal experiential learning to support student employee work performance, and improve the efficacy of our training programs.  a learner-centered, evidence-based approach to training that takes seriously student employees, their learning, and their jobs also has positive ramifications beyond how well they are able to do those jobs. an investment in training pays dividends not just in terms of performance, but also in reducing turnover of student employees, and increasing their engagement in and ownership of their work. as melilli and colleagues note, investing in student employees increases their investment in their work. training offers a tangible means of demonstrating that investment at the outset of a student’s work experience, creating a virtuous feedback loop of mutual reward that ultimately improves the consistency, efficiency, quality, and continuity of the work the library does.  designing effective training on proven learning principles, and gaining the benefits in terms of student employee competence, confidence, and commitment, also serves to mitigate many of the issues raised in the literature of complaint regarding student employees in academic libraries—a literature that extends from the early part of the twentieth century to the present day. framing training in terms of learning encourages supervisors to reflect on their own practices, rather than despairingly assume that employing students means tolerating high turnover, mediocre performance, and patchy attendance. successful college teachers don’t blame their students for difficulties they encounter in the classroom, and are willing to “confront their own weaknesses and failures.” likewise, it would behoove supervisors to reflect on their approaches to student employment before reflexively finding fault with student employees: “if librarians are not happy with the performance of their student staff, then the fault lies with the librarians.” to see whether we’re actively supporting the job success of our student employees, we might look first at the training we provide them.  the extensive body of literature that focuses on the specific details of managing and training students in academic libraries generally fails to connect training to learning at all, or does so in inconsistent or superficial ways. in fact, there often remains a sense in this and related work that training students is onerous and that it distracts and diverts librarians and library staff from more substantive and important work. one inevitable outcome of viewing training in this way is an approach to training design that is motivated as much by convenience as efficacy and by the misguided hope that student employees will teach themselves. though sometimes accompanied by pedagogically-inflected language around, for example, autonomous,  self-paced, or even active learning, these training approaches nevertheless feature a preponderance of passive learning via powerpoints, prezis, and in-person presentations, and share with the literature at large a marked and pervasive attachment to training student employees by having them read manuals or handbooks. evidence abounds as to the efficacy of classroom interventions that draw on research into how learning happens, and that utilize learner-centered approaches. brown and colleagues identify ways in which businesses such as jiffy lube have transferred these methods to workplace training with the effect of reducing staff turnover and improving customer satisfaction. given how infrequently such approaches are documented in the literature on training student employees in libraries, it’s not surprising that there is less evidence that points to their effectiveness in this specific context. there are a few examples, nevertheless, that indicate the rewards of deploying learner-centered, evidence-based training methods for both students and supervisors. surtees, for instance, “reduced lecture-style teaching of circulation and reference services in favor of a non-hierarchical peer-learning and active learning model,” and student employees have subsequently retained more information, are more confident and prepared, perform better on quizzes, and have a deeper understanding of the library. the literature also yields telling examples of training programs whose success is hampered by their failure to implement learner-centered principles, such as kohler’s conclusion that students found online training presentations unhelpful, didn’t learn enough to be able to answer quiz questions, and that this training method “did not solve the problems of student engagement and providing excellent training in patron service.” allied with the results of research from other learning contexts on and off campus, these examples demonstrate the value of learner-centered approaches to training, and of building assessment into training programs in order to be able to gauge whether and what student employees are in fact learning. there are undoubtedly logistical difficulties associated with training part-time, limited-term student employees, and these are certainly exacerbated by budgetary pressures and the many and varied demands on supervisors’ time. but foregrounding training as learning makes it clear that this is part of the educational work of the academic library. it’s an extension of one of its principal functions and reasons for being, and as such is not a distraction from the important work of the library, but a fundamental part of it (on which, more below). it also, however, points to ways in which supervisors can work smart, make adjustments to how they train that leverage what we know about retention and transfer, and utilize “methods that have seen success within other instructional venues.” these adjustments might take the form of large-scale overhauls of training programs, but they can also be made through focused, incremental changes, or what, in parallel to lang’s concept of “small teaching,” we might call “small training.” small training can provide achievable ways to move training plans that currently depend on passive consumption of content in more learner-centered and evidence-based directions. a handbook or manual can be deployed not as something to be read from cover to cover, but as a key, or one of a set of tools, that new employees use to solve realistic problems they may encounter on the job. existing presentations or tutorials can be revised to open with a question, problem, or puzzle that engages learners’ attention, and invites them to activate existing knowledge; other quick revisions might include building in brief opportunities for learners to summarize, reflect on, or respond to the content—variations, for example, on the “muddiest point” technique. those presentations or tutorials can be followed up a few days later with a short exercise that asks employees to retrieve and apply what they learned to a situation authentic to their job. other concrete small training practices might include: identifying specific learning objectives; chunking material in logical and digestible ways; designing tests, assessments, or knowledge checks that utilize the retrieval practice effect; providing opportunities to practice in contexts that resemble on-the-job reality and feature authentic scenarios and examples; using guideposts or touchstones that point us in the direction of effective, learner-centered training design, such as the empathetic question, “what is it like to be a person learning something?” these and many other interventions drawn from the literature on both classroom learning and workplace training are achievable through small-scale changes, and translate the recognition of training as learning into more effective job preparation for student employees. advancing student learning designing effective training invests in the job success of student employees. however, if we approach student employment itself as a structured learning experience—as an increasingly substantive cross-disciplinary body of work compellingly argues we should—then there is an additional imperative to conceive of training as learning. within the context of academic libraries, authors have emphasized the value of viewing student employment from a more holistic learning perspective, identifying it as an opportunity for libraries to make a meaningful contribution to student success. this integrative, learning-focused approach to student employment extends to aligning student employment with high-impact practices (hips)—educational practices that research shows have a particularly strong relationship with student engagement and retention. though not on the original list of recognized high-impact practices, student employment has since been identified as a possible hip both by student affairs and education researchers and by academic librarians. if we approach student employment as a whole as a learning experience, then every element of that experience should be viewed through a learning lens—including, and perhaps especially, the most obvious and direct scene of learning in any work experience: job training. however, the literature that advocates for student employment in libraries as a rich learning opportunity frequently either does not address training, or suggests that a broader focus on student learning is at odds with a reductive attention to training. bussell and hagman, for example, title their book chapter “from training to learning,” and suggest that “student employment is an opportunity for libraries to go beyond training and explicitly encourage learning,” setting training and learning apart, or at a distance from one another along a spectrum that has training at one end and “real” learning at the other. evanson suggests a tension between long-term learning objectives oriented to student employees as students and the more “employee-type skills” necessary for them to do their jobs. and while mcginniss recognizes the importance of continuing to think about job skills, he suggests that considering student development in only this way “impoverishes the library’s potential to challenge and grow its student staff,” again positing a value difference between “just” job training and additional forms of experiential development. thinking of student employment as an enriched learning experience, or as a hip, should not render the details of training obsolete. job training itself can be educationally purposeful as well as an integral part of student employment as a larger educational practice. job skills training cannot, indeed, be easily or usefully separated from the other, possibly more recognizable forms of learning that academic libraries can support through student employment. job training is, or should be, a feature of all student employee positions, whether or not those positions meet the criteria to be considered hips, and is thus an important location for advancing both specific job knowledge and broader learning goals for a wide range of student employees. it’s a place where we can work to “honor the essential learning outcomes while balancing the need for student employees to learn specific knowledge and behaviors that will enable them to perform their job responsibilities.” as scrogham and mcguire note, the clear relationship between training and learning makes training “an excellent opportunity for many seamless connections to students’ classroom learning, personal development, and citizenship.” the hybrid training method they identify as combining specific job tasks and skills with broader personal and professional development, from orientation onwards, provides a useful template that academic libraries might follow. however, to appreciate the potential deep learning value of job training requires dealing with training’s baggage. training has a connotation problem—training a dog, training for a marathon, potty training, basic training, hr-mandated training… it comes with some regimented and less-than-positive associations: “some people cringe at the word ‘training’: ‘training is what you do to monkeys; development is what you do to people.’” the very construct of “doing to” runs counter to what we know about best learning practices and how to nurture critical thinkers. it speaks to a perception of training as a unidirectional transfer of knowledge from experts to novices, designed for the benefit of the employer and very much aligned with paulo freire’s notion of the “banking” model of education, wherein knowledge is “bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing.” baird finds evidence of this approach in relation to student employees in libraries, whose “training is often minimal and directed from the trainer (top-down), feeding them skills that serve the library’s need.” in this version, training often occurs in a limited timeframe and is concerned with standardization rather than individuation, organizational effectiveness rather than personal growth. it centers on the expertise and authority of the trainer and posits the trainee as a passive blank slate. it is, in this rendition, a narrow form of learning focused only on inculcating consistently reproducible behaviors. but we can think of training, and of those who train, in more expansive and nuanced ways—and in ways that identify and make the most of the very real connections between training student employees and the larger educational objectives of academic libraries. that might involve, at one level, deploying proven pedagogical practices to increase the effectiveness of training. but at another level it means recognizing that training can have a purpose larger than just effective job performance. mcclellan and colleagues identify training as a “structured learning opportunity.” but that structure doesn’t have to be characterized by hierarchical knowledge transmission, and that learning does not have to be restricted to the mechanics of accomplishing a specific task.  indeed, besides the fact that such decontextualized learning is less likely to be effective, it also represents a naive appraisal of what’s happening during job training. student employees are always inevitably learning more than “just” how to shelve, or discharge returned materials, or scan documents. we are always already conveying more than how to accomplish a task when we train. to that end, it’s worth considering what our student employees are learning about the library and the workplace when we don’t devote care and attention to training. but if we provide that care and attention, are intentional in how we frame training, and connect it to the organization’s key learning goals, then training student employees more obviously becomes an opportunity not just to improve their performance as employees, but to shape their thinking as students. and it’s an opportunity shared by all student employees, whether they’re in a position or program crafted to function as a hip or not. setting its connotative baggage aside, training then is simply a word that signals that we’re concerned with learning in a workplace context. training can combine both the short-term goal of enabling someone to independently do something required of them as part of their job, and broader aims around supporting the growth of critical and information-literate thinkers.  approaching training as learning prompts us not just to think about what student employees need to know or be able to do, but also about how we want them to approach problems, what questions we want them to be able to ask, and how we want them to reflect on their work and learning. learning, as stolovitch and keeps note, is change, and in training employees we’re concerned not simply with the transmission of information, but with changing people, with transforming learners. that change—which challenges, modifies, and extends the mental models of learners—can be informed by student learning outcomes that exceed job requirements and align with the stated educational goals of academic libraries and the colleges and universities they serve. mapping the alignment between training goals and institutional learning outcomes is beneficial on a number of levels. it provides a framework in which student employees can identify the educational value of their work, and connect it to and integrate it with other learning experiences; it provides objectives for supervisors to build training and employment experiences around, and avenues for reflecting on how to make those experiences educationally purposeful; it furnishes concepts that can be folded into an expanded approach to performance evaluation, and can be used in assessing the learning impact of training and employment programs; and it enables the library to discuss its support for student success in language shared across campus. starkel affords an example of what such goal alignment might look like in practice in her description of how student employment and training in butler university’s information commons program is aligned with the university’s values and its nine institutional learning outcomes. and grimm and harmeyer have recently mapped the tasks, knowledge, and skills required of student employees at purdue university archives and special collections against the acrl framework for information literacy for higher education, demonstrating that information professionals can create work environments “built to impart educational growth, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.” as grimm and harmeyer show, those skills are in fact required to successfully accomplish many of the jobs students hold in academic libraries, which makes incorporating them in job training imperative for student success at multiple scales. the framework “envisions information literacy as extending the arc of learning throughout students’ academic careers and as converging with other academic and social learning goals” — and it converges too with training competent student library employees.  that convergence can involve building out training to accomplish student learning outcomes through “a syllabus-like professional development program” mapped out over the course of a semester. but it can also mean looking at the ways in which we currently train, and making adjustments that recognize the wider learning potential of training, while improving that training’s efficacy. for instance, learning scientists have shown that successful learners put newly acquired knowledge into a larger context; they improve transfer by recognizing underlying principles, rules, and patterns in what they’re learning, create connections between new and existing knowledge, and organize those ideas in mental models. hawks and mestre and lecrone provide examples of what that might look like in a library training context—such as focusing on generalizable principles, or explaining why as well as how to do something, in order to improve transfer and the creation of mental models by making explicit the assumptions underlying a particular task, process, or approach. while hawks doesn’t address student employment, and mestre and lecrone don’t frame their intervention explicitly in terms of learning, both suggest approaches to training that reflect learning research and workplace training literature, offering indications of how academic libraries might more intentionally and overtly incorporate those ideas within student employee training.   translating these ideas into concrete features of training can be as simple as remembering to provide learners with rationales that explain why a particular skill or task is important, and how it fits into the big picture of the employee’s job and library’s mission. it might also include, for example, creating brief two- or three-question reflection prompts, and providing a couple of minutes for students to respond to them at the end of a training session—prompts that ask them about what they’re learning, and how it connects to, adds to, or changes what they already know. it could involve learners practicing and applying what they’re learning in a range of different situations, or providing outlines or maps that student employees can fill out or create as they learn, in order to draw connections between and suggest a structure for what they’re learning. such interventions support student employees in successfully learning how to do their job, but they also support their learning about how to learn, and encourage them to make connections among the skills, concepts, and ideas they encounter across their academic and non-academic experiences. the result is training that both effectively deepens job learning and fosters metacognitive skills, integrated learning, and an awareness of how certain principles or approaches might apply across a multitude of scenarios. and these are features of educational practices—like hips—that strongly support student engagement and accomplishment.      we also know that learner-centered approaches are more effective—that they “promote a different, deeper, and better kind of learning […] a kind of learning that lasts” and that “enables higher education to achieve some of its broadest and highest goals.” recognizing that, and taking the constructivist approach that emphasizes learners’ active construction of knowledge also points to ways in which training can both be more effective and support learners in developing autonomy and problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. and, furthermore, it does so without reinforcing hierarchies of knowledge and authority that actually hinder learning. if effective teachers “think about what they do as stimulating construction, not ‘transmitting knowledge,’” then successful trainers too need to work with the idea that, as hawks notes, “engaged learners don’t just passively receive knowledge, they construct knowledge.” this approach makes training an exercise not in student employees “teaching themselves,” but one that can incorporate specific practices that encourage autonomy and foster higher-order thinking. we can create structured opportunities for learners to discover information about the library, explore the parts of a process, or investigate a database for themselves, perhaps even with the goal of having them share what they’ve learned with their peers. we can design training activities that ask student employees to make decisions, use their judgment, and grapple with the kinds of problems germane to their position. we can provide space for them to fail, reflect on what went wrong, and try again. in following this path, the trainer doesn’t abdicate responsibility or operate solely from a “hands-off” position, but provides guidance and structure within which student employees can exercise their autonomy and agency, and work with the trainer to build the skills necessary not just to their job but to their development as learners. a critically-informed training pedagogy also foregrounds the reciprocity of the teacher-learner relationship, emphasizing that those roles are fluid rather than fixed. throughout the term of a student’s employment, we can learn from their lived experiences, their perceptions of the library, and the knowledge they bring with them from other arenas of work and learning. in the context of job training specifically, we can learn from student employees about that training itself—about the experience of participating in it, its effectiveness, its ellisions or omissions, and how to do it better. both new and continuing student employees can and should be co-creators and critics of their work-learning experience at the library, including training. activating student employees’ existing expertise in the course of training, and having them contribute to rather than just receive that training, realizes the two-way learning opportunities that inhere in both student employment and job training. they point to student employment as a catalyst for change in the library, and student employee training as a learning moment that can exceed hierarchical models of knowledge transmission.   creating organizational change thinking of student employee training as learning reorients it from being a peripheral chore that gets in the way of the real and important work of the academic library, to something that is actually at the very heart of the academic library’s educational mission—directly connected to supporting student success not just in the very particular and local context of the job they’ve been hired to do, but in the broader arc of their college and life journey. and identifying the work of student employees, and of training student employees, as educationally purposeful redraws the boundaries of teaching and learning in the library. in particular, it highlights the importance of supervisors—many of whom are not librarians—to student learning, and the need in turn to support their learning. the fact that student employees are students is generating an increasing amount of thought about how to make their work experience educationally valuable. the fact that student employees are employees, however, might also create a route via which to think about the learning of other library employees, and develop continuities between the care taken with, and the practices and models used in, student and staff learning—which coincide at the point of the student employee and their supervisor. thinking about the learning of student staff might prompt us to consider further supporting the learning and success of all library staff, especially those who supervise student employees, and to recognize that the community whose learning the library supports is not just “out there.” as wilkinson and lewis note, “education is a core mission of all libraries. libraries should make the same commitment to educating their personnel that they have made to educating their users.” if training is learning, supervisors are themselves, of course, not just learners but also educators, a designation that disrupts typical demarcations around who in the library teaches. mcclellan and colleagues suggest that a good supervisor can operate like a good professor in creating “a positive and open atmosphere for learning.” however, markgraf notes there may be “hesitation among some staff to refer to themselves as educators, and […] resistance among faculty to cede any part of that role to colleagues outside of the classroom.” student employee training highlights, nevertheless, that clear distinctions between these terms and roles do not hold—supervisors “train, instruct, and educate […] one is not more important than the other. all three work together.” indeed, as reed and signorelli point out, “almost everyone within a library or non-profit organization is a trainer-teacher-learner.” our official titles and place within the library hierarchy don’t map in obvious and straightforward ways onto the work around learning that we actually do. thinking of supervisors as teachers might produce some dissonance and difficulties. but supervisors are already fulfilling that role and doing that work: “we spend more time with the student employees on average than any one professor, counselor, or advisor,” and spend that time “educating, training, helping to form students’ work ethics and habits.” burke and lawrence refer to this as “accidental mentorship,” but if we recognize the work of supervisors as directly contributing to student learning, then we can be more intentional about supporting them in this role, and untangling the “mixed signals” they receive “regarding the time that they spend training and managing student employees.” thinking about effective, pedagogically-informed student employee training requires conceiving of supervisors as both teachers and learners and seeing the learning of students, student employees, and full-time staff as interconnected and integral to the learning mission of the library.      through the lens of a learner-centered approach to training student employees, the academic library emerges as an organization whose support for learning isn’t restricted to instruction or public-facing services, and where responsibility for that support lies with both librarians and non-librarian staff. a distributed, shared attention to learning provides opportunities for groups within the library to gain from each other’s learning regardless of status and role, to the benefit of individuals and the organization as a whole. it might foster workplace learning programs like the one detailed by decker and townes, where librarians and non-librarian staff take turns sharing their knowledge with one another; this “vertically integrated” instruction model, with learning moving across hierarchical divisions within the library, aims to bridge the work divide between librarians and other library staff. that instruction model could easily extend to encompass student staff, and both baird and see and teetor provide accounts of training programs in which student and full-time staff participate together—a practice which, as baird notes, is “not commonly done,” but which can improve student employee motivation by creating stronger connections with the organization’s culture and objectives. why not, indeed, further recognize the distribution of knowledge and expertise throughout the library organization, and have student employees contribute to training new full-time staff, as mestre and lecrone recount? conclusion mcclellan et al. identify seven qualities that all student employment programs should have. one of them is meaningful relationships between student employees and their employers, focused on teaching and learning; another is that they “must have caring as an embedded and essential value.” caring, as they show, has a demonstrable impact on student success. investing in both initial and on-going training and development that is thoughtfully designed to support personal growth and broader learning goals manifests an affective orientation of care for student employees. paying attention to the quality and effectiveness of student employee job training, and to that job training as a specific and widely shared learning experience, grounds the supervisor-supervisee relationship in teaching and learning that moves in both directions. it also creates a bridge between the library’s often outward-oriented educational mission and nurturing an internal culture of learning and care for all library employees that can be integrated into our very operational fabric. reframing student employee training as a particular learning occasion within the broader work-learning experience, and insisting on the need for and benefits of approaching it with pedagogical care, in fact serves as a demonstration of what meulemans and matlin identify as “organizational care,” which supports change that benefits library workers “in an equitable, inclusive, and socially just fashion.” this article advocates incorporating not just student employment in general, but job training for student employees specifically, into academic libraries’ educational practices. such an argument points to a need for further research on and assessment of the relationship between student employment, training methods and programs, and student and supervisor learning. what support do supervisors need to effectively facilitate training as a learner-centered experience? how do we reconfigure the structure of our organizations to recognize supervisors as educators? how can we track the impact—on student employees, supervisors, and the work of the library—of adopting a learner-centered approach to work and training? answering those questions, and others, will work to shift hierarchized distinctions between types of learning within the library, and allow us to identify further overlooked educational opportunities and other arenas in which we might bring learner-centered approaches to bear to the benefit of library staff and users, as does looking anew at job training for student employees. reexamining student employee training from a learning perspective can not only improve job performance and advance key learning outcomes; it can also reconfigure assumptions about who “does” teaching and learning in the library, confound hierarchical distinctions that hinder organizational learning, and contribute to a reflective, learner-centered library, characterized by care, in which the learners are both patrons and staff. acknowledgements with many thanks to publishing editor jaena rae cabrera, internal reviewer ian beilin, and external reviewer cindy pierard for the many generous and insightful comments that have enriched my thought and writing on this topic; to paul moffett, for his time, support, encouragement, and getting excited about doing new stuff in access services; to michelle niemann, in-home writing coach and interlocutor par excellence; and to the student employees in access services at iupui university library, from whom i learn so much, and who make going to work a pleasure.   references ambrose, susan a. et al. how learning works: seven research-based principles for smart teaching. san francisco: jossey-bass, . association for college and research libraries. framework for information literacy for higher education. chicago: association for college and research libraries, . http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework .pdf.  bain, ken. what the best college teachers do. cambridge, ma: harvard university press, . baird, lynn n. “aloha to new learning: uniting student and career staff through training.” journal of access services , no. / ( ): - . baldwin, david a., and daniel c. barkley. complete guide for supervisors of student employees in today’s academic libraries. westport, ct: libraries unlimited, . becker-redd, kindra, kirsten lee, and caroline skelton. “training student workers for cross-departmental success in an academic library: a new model.” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - . black, elizabeth l. “library student employment and educational value beyond the paycheck.” in learning beyond the classroom: engaging students in information literacy through co-curricular activities, edited by silvia vong and manda vrlkjan, - . chicago: association of college and research libraries, . brown, peter c., henry l. roediger iii, and mark a. mcdaniel. make it stick: the science of successful learning. cambridge, ma: belknap press of harvard university press, . burke, kate and belinda lawrence. “the accidental mentorship: library managers’ roles in student employees’ academic professional lives.” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - . bussell, h. and j. hagman. “from training to learning: developing student employees through experiential learning design.” in the experiential library: transforming academic and research libraries through the power of experiential learning, edited by pete mcdonnell, - . cambridge, ma: chandos publishing, . decker, e.n. and j.a. townes. “going vertical: enhancing staff training through vertically integrated instruction.” in the experiential library: transforming academic and research libraries through the power of experiential learning, edited by pete mcdonnell, - . cambridge, ma: chandos publishing, . dirksen, julie. design for how people learn. nd ed. san francisco: new riders, . drewitz, jessica m. “training student workers: a win-win.” aall spectrum ( ): - . evanson, cara. “‘we aren’t just the kids that sit at the front’: rethinking student employee training.” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - . farrell, sandy l. and carol driver. “tag, you’re it: hiring, training, and managing student assistants.” community and junior college libraries , no. ( ): - . finkel, donald l. teaching with your mouth shut (portsmouth, nh: boynton/cook, ). freire, paulo. pedagogy of the oppressed ( ). translated by myra bergman ramos. new york: continuum, . gerlich, bella karr. “rethinking the contributions of student employees to library services.” library administration and management , no. ( ): - . gregory, david. “the evolving role of student employees in academic libraries.” journal of library administration , no. / ( ): - . grimm, tracy and neal harmeyer. “on-the-job information literacy: a case study of student employees at purdue university archives and special collections.” in learning beyond the classroom: engaging students in information literacy through co-curricular activities, edited by silvia vong and manda vrlkjan, - . chicago: association of college and research libraries, . hawks, melanie. designing training. chicago: association of college and research libraries, . hansen, sarah l. and beth a. hoag. “promoting learning, career readiness, and leadership in student employment.” new directions for student leadership no. ( ): - . hillyard, cinnamon and katharine a. whitson. “a multi-unit approach to interactive training of student employees.” library administration and management , no. ( ): - . hoag, beth and sarah sagmoen. “leading, learning, and earning: creating a meaningful student employment program.” in students lead the library: the importance of student contributions to the academic library, edited by sara arnold-garza and carissa tomlinson, - . chicago: acrl, . kathman, jane m. and michael d. kathman. “training student employees for quality service.” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - . klipfel, kevin michael and dani brecher cook. learner-centered pedagogy: principles and practices. chicago: ala editions, . kohler, jamie p.  “training engaged student employees: a small college library experience.” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . kuh, george d. high-impact practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. washington, dc: american association of colleges and universities, . kuh, george d. “maybe experience really can be the best teacher.” chronicle of higher education, november , . https://www.chronicle.com/article/maybe-experience-really-can-be/ lang, james m. small teaching: everyday lessons from the science of learning. san francisco: jossey-bass, . manley, laura and robert p. holley. “hiring and training work-study students: a case study.” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . markgraf, jill. “unleash your library’s hipster: transforming student library jobs into high-impact practices.” proceedings of the acrl conference. portland, or, march , - . http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /markgraf.pdf mcclellan, george s., kristina creager, and marianna savoca. a good job: campus employment as a high-impact practice. sterling, va: stylus, . mcginniss, jeremy.  “working at learning: developing an integrated approach to student staff development.” in the library with the lead pipe, april , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /working-at-learning-developing-an-integrated-approach-to-student-staff-development/.    melilli, amanda, rosan mitola, and amy hunsaker. “contributing to the library student employee experience: perceptions of a student development program.” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - . mestre, lori s. and jessica m. lecrone. “elevating the student assistant: an integrated development program for student library assistants,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . meulemans, yvonne nalani and talitha r. matlin. “are you being served? embracing servant leadership, trusting library staff, and engendering change.” library leadership and management , no. ( ): - . michael, joshua b. and jeremy mcginniss. “our student workers rock! investing in the student staff development process.” library faculty presentations ( ). https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_presentations/ mitola, rosan, erin rinto, and emily pattni,.“student employment as a high-impact practice in academic libraries: a systematic review.” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - . moore, cathy. map it: the hands-on guide to strategic training design. united states: montesa press, . perozzi, brett ed. enhancing student learning through college employment. bloomington, in: association of college unions international, . reed, lori and paul signorelli. workplace learning and leadership: a handbook for library and nonprofit trainers. chicago: american library association, . rinto, erin, rosan mitola, and kate otto. “reframing library student employment as a high-impact practice: implications from case studies.” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . savoca, marianna and urszula zalewski. “the campus as a learning laboratory: transforming student employment.” nsea journal ( ): - . scrogham, eva and sara punsky mcguire, “orientation, training, and development.” in enhancing student learning through college employment, edited by brett perozzi, - . bloomington, in: association of college unions international, . see, andrew and travis stephen teetor. “effective e-training: using a course management system and e-learning tools to train library employees.” journal of access services , no. ( ): - . starkel, amanda d. “investing in student employees: training in butler university’s information commons program,” indiana libraries , no. ( ): - . stolovitch,  harold d. and erica j. keeps. telling ain’t training: updated, expanded, and enhanced. alexandria, va: astd press, . surtees, laura. “training to learn: developing an interactive, collaborative circulation-reference training program for student workers.” proceedings of the acrl conference. cleveland, oh, april , - . http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /trainingtolearn.pdf  vassady, lisa, alyssa archer, and eric ackermann. “read-ing our way to success: using the read scale to successfully train reference student assistants in the referral model.” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - . weimer, maryellen. learner-centered teaching: five key changes to practice. nd ed. san francisco: jossey-bass, . wiggins, grant and jay mctighe. understanding by design. nd ed. alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development, . wilkinson, frances c. and linda k. lewis. “training programs in academic libraries: continuous learning in the information age.” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - . william iii, james. “starting off on the right foot: a library new student employee orientation,” south carolina libraries , no. ( ). http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/scl_journal/vol /iss / footnotes 	susan a. ambrose et al., how learning works: seven research-based principles for smart teaching (san francisco: jossey-bass, ), [↩] 	donald l. finkel, teaching with your mouth shut (portsmouth, nh: boynton/cook, ); harold d. stolovitch and erica j. keeps, telling ain’t training: updated, expanded, and enhanced (alexandria, va: astd press, ). [↩] 	grant wiggins and jay mctighe, understanding by design, nd ed. (alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development, ), . [↩] 	david a. baldwin and daniel c. barkley, complete guide for supervisors of student employees in today’s academic libraries (westport, ct: libraries unlimited, ), . [↩] 	james william iii, “starting off on the right foot: a library new student employee orientation,” south carolina libraries , no. ( ): http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/scl_journal/vol /iss / ;george s. mcclellan, kristina creager, and marianna savoca, a good job: campus employment as a high-impact practice (sterling, va: stylus, ); cara evanson, “‘we aren’t just the kids that sit at the front’: rethinking student employee training,” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): - ; beth hoag and sarah sagmoen, “leading, learning, and earning: creating a meaningful student employment program,” in students lead the library: the importance of student contributions to the academic library, ed. sara arnold-garza and carissa tomlinson (chicago: acrl, ), - . [↩] 	amanda melilli, rosan mitola, and amy hunsaker, “contributing to the library student employee experience: perceptions of a student development program,” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): . [↩] 	david gregory quotes a librarian in conceding that student employment might be “far less of an evil than it appeared” ( ), and suggests that unenthusiastic “characterizations of student help […] will always be with us” (gregory, “the evolving role of student employees in academic libraries,” journal of library administration , no. / ( ): ); those characterizations certainly persist in articles such as  bella karr gerlich, “rethinking the contributions of student employees to library services,” library administration and management , no. ( ): - , and laura manley and robert p. holley, “hiring and training work-study students: a case study,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	ken bain, what the best college teachers do (cambridge, ma: harvard university press, ), . [↩] 	jeremy mcginniss, “working at learning: developing an integrated approach to student staff development,” in the library with the lead pipe, april , , http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /working-at-learning-developing-an-integrated-approach-to-student-staff-development/ [↩] 	as even a quick scan of titles such as “retraining is draining,” “searching for solutions,” and “so many students, so little time” suggests. [↩] 	for training presentations see: kindra becker-redd, kirsten lee, and caroline skelton, “training student workers for cross-departmental success in an academic library: a new model,” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - ; cinnamon hillyard and katharine a. whitson, “a multi-unit approach to interactive training of student employees,” library administration and management , no. ( ): - ; manley and holley, “hiring and training,” - ; jamie p. kohler, “training engaged student employees: a small college library experience,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): - . for examples of the use of manuals and handbooks see: kohler, “training engaged student employees”; jane m. kathman and michael d. kathman, “training student employees for quality service,” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - ; sandy l. farrell and carol driver, “tag, you’re it: hiring, training, and managing student assistants,” community and junior college libraries , no. ( ): - ; lisa vassady, alyssa archer, and eric ackermann, “read-ing our way to success: using the read scale to successfully train reference student assistants in the referral model,” journal of library administration , no. ( ): - ; hoag and sagmoen, “leading, learning, and earning”; jessica m. drewitz, “training student workers: a win-win,” aall spectrum ( ): - . [↩] 	peter c. brown, henry l. roediger iii, and mark a. mcdaniel, make it stick: the science of successful learning (cambridge, ma: belknap press of harvard university press, ), . [↩] 	laura surtees, “training to learn: developing an interactive, collaborative circulation-reference training program for student workers,” proceedings of the acrl conference, cleveland, oh, april , - , http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /trainingtolearn.pdf [↩] 	kohler, “training engaged,” . [↩] 	amanda d. starkel, “investing in student employees: training in butler university’s information commons program,” indiana libraries , no. ( ): . [↩] 	james m. lang, small teaching: everyday lessons from the science of learning (san francisco: jossey-bass, ). [↩] 	carl rogers, quoted in kevin michael klipfel and dani brecher cook, learner-centered pedagogy: principles and practices (chicago: ala editions, ), . [↩] 	overviews of effective practices, how to implement them, and why they work include: stolovitch and keeps, telling ain’t training; lang, small teaching; julie dirksen, design for how people learn nd ed. (san francisco: new riders, ); brown, roediger iii, and mcdaniel, make it stick; cathy moore, map it: the hands-on guide to strategic training design (montesa press, ); ambrose et al., how learning works. [↩] 	see: hoag and sagmoen, “leading, learning, and earning,” ; melilli, mitola, and hunsaker, “library student employee experience,” ; joshua b. michael and jeremy mcginniss, “our student workers rock! investing in the student staff development process,” library faculty presentations ( ), https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/library_presentations/    [↩] 	george d. kuh, high-impact practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter (washington, dc: american association of colleges and universities, ), - . [↩] 	see: george d. kuh, “maybe experience really can be the best teacher,” chronicle of higher education, november , , https://www.chronicle.com/article/maybe-experience-really-can-be/ ; mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job; marianna savoca and urszula zalewski, “the campus as a learning laboratory: transforming student employment,” nsea journal ( ): - ; brett perozzi,ed., enhancing student learning through college employment (bloomington, in: association of college unions international, ); sarah l. hansen and beth a. hoag, “promoting learning, career readiness, and leadership in student employment,” new directions for student leadership no. ( ): - ; jill markgraf, “unleash your library’s hipster: transforming student library jobs into high-impact practices,” proceedings of the acrl conference, portland, or, march , - , http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/ /markgraf.pdf; rosan mitola, erin rinto, and emily pattni, “student employment as a high-impact practice in academic libraries: a systematic review,” journal of academic librarianship , no. ( ): - ; erin rinto, rosan mitola, and kate otto, “reframing library student employment as a high-impact practice: implications from case studies,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ); elizabeth l. black, “library student employment and educational value beyond the paycheck,” in learning beyond the classroom: engaging students in information literacy through co-curricular activities, ed. silvia vong and manda vrlkjan (chicago: association of college and research libraries, ), - . [↩] 	h. bussell and j. hagman, “from training to learning: developing student employees through experiential learning design” in pete mcdonnell, ed.,the experiential library: transforming academic and research libraries through the power of experiential learning (cambridge, ma: chandos, publishing, ), . [↩] 	evanson, “we aren’t just the kids,” . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	eva scrogham and sara punsky mcguire, “orientation, training, and development” in brett perozzi, ed., enhancing student learning through college employment (bloomington, in: association of college unions international, ), . [↩] 	scrogham and mcguire, “orientation,” [↩] 	baldwin and barkley, complete guide, . [↩] 	paulo freire, pedagogy of the oppressed ( ), trans. myra bergman ramos (new york: continuum, ), . [↩] 	lynn n. baird, “aloha to new learning: uniting student and career staff through training, journal of access services , no. / ( ): . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	stolovitch and keeps, telling ain’t training, . [↩] 	stolovitch and keeps, telling ain’t training, . [↩] 	starkel, “investing,” - . [↩] 	tracy grimm and neal harmeyer, “on-the-job information literacy: a case study of student employees at purdue university archives and special collections” in learning beyond the classroom, . [↩] 	association for college and research libraries, framework for information literacy for higher education (chicago: association for college and research libraries, ): , http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework .pdf [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	brown, roediger iii, and mcdaniel, make it stick, - . [↩] 	for example: melanie hawks, designing training (chicago: association of college and research libraries, ), ; lori s. mestre and jessica m. lecrone, “elevating the student assistant: an integrated development program for student library assistants,” college and undergraduate libraries , no. ( ): . [↩] 	maryellen weimer, learner-centered teaching: five key changes to practice, nd ed. (san francisco: jossey-bass, ), . [↩] 	bain, best college teachers, . [↩] 	hawks, designing training, . [↩] 	frances c. wilkinson and linda k. lewis, “training programs in academic libraries: continuous learning in the information age,” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, . [↩] 	markgraf, “unleash,” . [↩] 	keeps and stolovitch, training ain’t telling, . [↩] 	lori reed and paul signorelli, workplace learning and leadership: a handbook for library and nonprofit trainers (chicago: american library association, ), . [↩] 	bussell and hagman point out, for example, that experiential learning requires that learners be able to challenge teachers, and as “tricky as it is to establish this level of trust between learner and teacher in a normal classroom, it can be even more difficult when the learner/teacher relationship is also an employee/supervisor relationship.” bussell and hagman, “training to learning,” . [↩] 	kate burke and belinda lawrence, “the accidental mentorship: library managers’ roles in student employees’ academic professional lives,” college and research libraries news , no. ( ): . [↩] 	kathman and kathman, “quality service,” . [↩] 	e.n. decker and j.a. townes, “going vertical: enhancing staff training through vertically integrated instruction” in the experiential library, . [↩] 	baird, “aloha,” - ; andrew see and travis stephen teetor, “effective e-training: using a course management system and e-learning tools to train library employees,” journal of access services , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	mestre and lecrone, “elevating,” . [↩] 	mcclellan, creager, and savoca, a good job, - . [↩] 	yvonne nalani meulemans and talitha r. matlin, “are you being served? embracing servant leadership, trusting library staff, and engendering change,” library leadership and management , no. ( ): - . [↩] 			 						 				librarian/faculty relationships, library instruction, library workplaces, student employment, training 			 					 	 						 												 						 							creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries 							“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	pingback : journal article: training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries | lj infodocket 	 	pingback : day in review (july – , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. 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				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					feb 					 				 				 					ian mcdermott					/ comments 				 											open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief this selective literature review evaluates open educational resources (oer) efficacy studies through the lens of critical pedagogy. oer have radical potential as transformative tools for critical pedagogy or they can serve as a cost-free version of the status quo, inclined toward propagating austerity. this review analyzes studies published since with regard to cost, access, pedagogy, commercialization, and labor. these criteria are used to make explicit subjects indirectly addressed, if not ignored completely, in the existing literature. typically, ample attention is paid to a study’s design and methodology but the underlying institutional infrastructure and decision-making process is unexamined. what emerges is an incomplete picture of how oer are adopted, developed, and sustained in higher education. measurables like student outcomes, while important, are too often foregrounded to appeal to administrators and funding organizations. the review concludes with suggestions for how to utilize critical pedagogy for future studies and grassroots oer initiatives. by ian mcdermott introduction open educational resources (oer) are misunderstood and underutilized in higher education (higher ed). in part, this situation can be traced to definitions. what are oer? in , the united nations educational, scientific, and cultural organization (unesco) coined the term oer ( ) and defined them as non-commercial learning materials. in , unesco refined their definition to include “any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license” (unesco, ). these educational materials encompass everything from textbooks and curricula to lecture notes and animation. the william and flora hewlett foundation, a charitable foundation that supports oer initiatives, states oer are “high-quality teaching, learning, and research materials that are free for people everywhere to use and repurpose” ( ). david wiley, founder and chief academic officer at lumen learning, argues that it is flexible licensing and permissions in opposition to conventional, restrictive copyright that are central to oer. wiley cites the rs of oer as the most important features: the ability to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute (hilton, wiley, stein & johnson, ; wiley, bliss & mcewen, ). these definitions, while useful, hint at the motivations of the organizations and individuals behind them. as an international, aspirational organization, unesco’s broad definition is inclusive and emphasizes the public domain and open licenses. the hewlett foundation’s definition signals an interesting shift, emphasizing “high quality” oer, which is not surprising since hewlett, as an oer funder, has a financial stake in oer development. in hewlett granted nearly $ million to oer initiatives at universities and organizations, including the university of california at berkeley, university of cape town, creative commons, and the wiki education foundation (hewlett foundation, grants). wiley’s rs model is arguably the preeminent oer definition. it is clear and concise while articulating a broad set of practices. one critique points out that several of the rs require access to technology and the requisite skills (lambert, ). like the hewlett foundation, wiley has a vested interest in the success of oer. lumen learning is a company that provides a suite of educational technology products that colleges and universities pay to use; lumen’s candela, waymaker and ohm provide the infrastructure for many instructors teaching with oer. while their products are often less expensive than commercial textbooks and platforms, some argue their business model betrays the ethos of open access initiatives (downes, ; see wiley, , for counterpoint). critically, wiley’s initial definition of only included rs (wiley, ). he added retain as the fifth r in . as a practice, creators of any work should retain certain rights. coincidentally or not, the right to retain is critical to the lumen business model. it enables lumen to monetize oer materials by packaging them in a proprietary, fee-based system. these definitions vary enough to preclude a shared understanding of oer. in fact, a majority of college and university faculty are not familiar with oer (seaman & seaman, , p. ). current oer practice varies depending on the practitioner’s affiliation (e.g. professor at a public university, academic librarian, lumen employee, adjunct faculty member, student). beyond sharing resources, higher ed lacks a common oer practice and existing oer practices lack an explicit social justice mission. this situation presents an excellent opportunity to define, develop, implement, and advocate for oer in critical ways that address social justice issues facing higher ed: cost and access, pedagogical practice, and academic labor. studies that assess oer’s impact on higher ed tend to focus on efficacy and perceptions. when compared to commercial textbooks and learning materials, these studies measure whether oer are effective at producing positive student outcomes and if they are perceived favorably by students and instructors. to develop a social justice-oriented analysis of oer, i am going to use critical pedagogy as a theoretical lens to review oer efficacy studies. listed below are criteria and examples for evaluating these studies. this literature review examines oer efficacy case studies based on how they address the below criteria. subsequent studies should be judged for how well they remedy them. critical pedagogy criteria : cost & access oer adoption eliminates textbook costs and democratizes access; online books are available in multiple formats and accessible for all learners, including formats that do not rely on consistent internet access (e.g. pdf download); acknowledges that high priced textbooks are a barrier to learning because many students do not purchase expensive textbooks; cost and access to textbooks and learning materials are connected to students outcomes: course grade, enrollment intensity, withdrawal rates, etc. critical pedagogy criteria : pedagogical practice replacing commercial textbooks with oer is a pedagogical decision, beyond cost and access; details are provided about commercial textbooks and oer; faculty are making pedagogical decisions and are transparent about materials adopted, including relevant software (e.g. learning management software); open and critical pedagogy is used to involve and reflect students’ voices. critical pedagogy criteria : academic labor labor required for oer initiative is described, including work done by faculty, educational technologists, graduate assistants, librarians, undergraduate students, and others; price of academic labor and funding sources included. critical pedagogy critical pedagogy has been used to analyze and reimagine education for over years. oer have this potential when put into critical pedagogy practice. for this review, i define critical pedagogy via two foundational texts: paulo freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed ( ) and bell hooks’s teaching to transgress: education as the practice of freedom ( ). brazilian educator and theorist freire ( ) argues for liberatory education, “[w]here knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful human inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other” (p. ). teachers minimize their authoritative role through a reconciliation of the teacher-student contradiction, “so that both are simultaneously teachers and students” (freire, , p. ). this model of education combats what freire ( ) termed the banking concept of education, “in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor” (p. ). for freire, education is one site in the struggle against larger forces of oppression. leveling hierarchy as much as possible in the student-teacher relationship is fundamental to the struggle. though his ideas have influenced educators throughout the world, freire’s early writings emerged from his experience teaching the illiterate poor in brazil how to read. in the united states, feminist educator and author bell hooks has explored critical pedagogy for decades in higher ed, as it intersects with race, gender, and class. in teaching to transgress hooks ( ) contrasts her ecstatic experience of education as “the practice of freedom” when she was a child in all-black schools in the south with the oppressive, racist schools she attended during integration that strove to “reinforce domination” (p. ). for hooks, critical pedagogy means “creating [a] democratic setting where everyone feels a responsibility to contribute” ( , p. ). this practice requires a desire to transgress, to empower the oppressed through critical pedagogy: students of color, queer students, poor students. more recently, classroom faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and others in higher education have examined oer with a critical pedagogy perspective (e.g. darder, torres, baltodano, ; accardi, drabinski, and kumbier, ). in her analysis of oer and the open access movement in libraries and higher education, crissinger warns “how openness, when disconnected from its political underpinnings, could become as exploitative as the traditional system it had replaced” ( ). in analyzing key texts of open educational practice (oep), lambert finds little explicit social justice ( ). critical pedagogy must be a part of oer practice. if students cannot afford a textbook, they are already oppressed. faced with this contradiction, how can we possibly create the “democratic setting” hooks strives for? replacing an expensive textbook with a free one is not critical pedagogy, because expensive textbooks are one symptom of higher ed’s disease. eliminating expensive textbooks is a first step toward confronting the contradictions students and faculty face in higher ed. for example, five publishers control % of the textbook market (senack and donoghue, , p. ) and over % of faculty members hold contingent positions (american association of university professors, n.d.). can the strategic use of oer effect the kind of change in higher education that places critical pedagogy at its center and eschews the austerity mindset that currently governs the field? background some broader context on the unaffordability of higher education is necessary to understand why oer are a pressing topic. first and foremost, the price of higher education continues to increase as the cost burden has been shifted to students and their families. according to the state higher education executive officers association (sheeo), was the first year a majority of states relied on tuition and fees more than state and local educational appropriations (sheeo, , pp. - ) to fund public higher education. nationwide, spending per student by public higher educational institutions has decreased by % since while per student tuition has increased % (sheeo, ; brownstein, ). student debt now exceeds individual credit card debt (johnson, ). focusing on textbooks, the bureau of labor statistics (bls) reports that the price of college textbooks has increased % between - , far outpacing tuition, fees and college housing during the same period ( ); a similar study by the u.s. government accountability office (gao) reached similar results ( , p. ). in some cases, the price of textbooks is greater than the price of tuition (fischer, hilton, robinson, & wiley, , p. ; goodwin, , p. ). % of surveyed students admitted high cost prevented them from buying a textbook (senack, , p. ). students specifically cite textbook prices as an impediment preventing them from passing, completing, or even enrolling in classes (florida virtual campus, , pp. - ). therefore, reducing or eliminating the cost of textbooks is one step toward lowering the barriers to higher education. scope, methods, objectives this review is limited to oer efficacy studies in higher education published in north america between and . books, news articles, reports issued by governmental and non-profit organizations, and blogs are included as secondary sources. the body of literature on oer efficacy is not voluminous, but it is growing. a comprehensive article-length review is not possible or desirable. as much as possible, the studies, reports, and articles selected for this review are published in open access journals and websites, though articles from the following databases and search engines were used: education resources information center (eric), library and information science source (ebscohost), education source (ebscohost), and google scholar. the open education group’s the review project is an indispensable resource, which “provides a summary of all known empirical research on the impacts of oer adoption (including our own)” (open education group, ). to date, this ongoing literature review includes peer-reviewed articles, theses/dissertations, and white papers. the studies were chosen as a representative sample and for their ability to meet the criteria discussed above: cost and access, pedagogical practice, and academic labor. past and current literature reviews on oer efficacy (hilton iii, ; abri and dabbagh, ; hilton iii, ) emphasize quantitative and qualitative data and survey design. following crissinger’s ( ) and lambert’s ( ) analyses, the objective for this study is to search for evidence of critical pedagogy and social justice in oer efficacy studies. analysis and commentary this section organizes oer efficacy case studies into three subsections. these subsections are organized in descending order by the frequency with which they are addressed in the studies under review. . cost reduction, increased access, and student outcomes every study addresses how oer help reduce the cost of higher education and increases access to textbooks and learning materials. the studies measure student outcomes in classes using oer (test group) compared with classes using commercial textbooks (control group); student outcomes include a, b, c grades, d, f, withdrawal rates, enrollment intensity, final exam grades, and others. often, student outcomes are similar across the test and control groups, though some studies present a case for correlation between cost and access and improved student outcomes. . oer and pedagogy some studies provide details about the pedagogical decisions made with regard to oer adoption. for example, which oer textbook replaced the commercial option. but studies rarely name the commercial textbook. even fewer studies discuss how oer intersect with pedagogical theories or faculty/student/staff collaborations. . oer and academic labor rarest of all is the study that provides details about the academic labor required for oer initiatives. adopting an oer textbook may require a significant amount of work for a single professor teaching a single section. the number of people only increases for large, multi-section courses reliant on course management software. very few studies detail the personnel involved or the costs required. some studies are discussed in more than one subsection, though each subsection foregrounds one of the above topics. while i use critical pedagogy as a lens to analyze oer efficacy studies, i am not primarily concerned with how critical pedagogy is used in specific oer textbooks or learning materials. the below studies do not provide such granular detail. instead, i am analyzing these studies for evidence, or lack thereof, of critical approaches to oer adoption and survey design as it relates to cost and access, pedagogy, and academic labor. cost reduction, increased access, and student outcomes many oer studies identify cost reduction and increased access as the initial motivation for oer adoption. the authors and investigators then track student outcomes for test and control groups across a variety of metrics. in nearly all studies, student outcomes are the same or better in classes taught with oer. the university of california, davis (uc davis), created the stemwiki hyperlibrary to provide students with a no-cost replacement for existing commercial textbooks (allen, guzman-alvarez, molinaro, & larsen, , p. ). chemwiki (part of the hyperlibrary) was used as the exclusive textbook in seven chemistry classes at uc davis, purdue university, sacramento city college, and howard university. allen, et al. ( ) claim that chemwiki implementation saved students approximately $ , dollars in textbook expenditures (p. ), though the commercial textbook replaced by chemwiki is not mentioned by name. it is not clear how the authors arrived at this figure; perhaps it is based on an estimate assuming all students purchased the commercial textbooks. all available research indicates many students do not purchase expensive textbooks. such opacity is not helpful. for oer to flourish, it is important to name the resources being replaced, and their cost. readers, especially those considering adopting oer, deserve to know these details to help them make informed decisions at their own institutions. the virginia state university school of business turned to oer in hopes of reducing inequality in the classroom and improving student outcomes. prior to this study, only % of vsu students purchased textbooks for their courses. students cited affordability as the primary barrier; many vsu students struggle financially and work at least one job in addition to their full-time courseload (feldstein, hilton iii, hudson, martin, & wiley, , p. ). vsu faculty investigated ebook alternatives in order to lower costs and ensure students would have ongoing access to course materials. they contracted flat world knowledge (fwk), then an oer provider, and paid for per-student seat licenses. vsu faculty purposely avoided commercial and proprietary platforms that would restrict access for students without regular internet access. therefore, students could read the textbooks online or download and retain all materials in several formats (feldstein, et al., , pp. - ). however, working with commercial entities on oer initiatives has considerable drawbacks. one year after the vsu study, fwk “evolved from open education resources to fair pricing” according to their website. this means that the textbooks vsu faculty had hoped to make available for free were now subject to “fair pricing.” fwk and vsu students and faculty may have divergent ideas of what’s a fair price for a textbook. at the time of this writing, the fwk website lists most e-textbooks between $ -$ and most print copies (ebook included) list for $ . this price is much lower than many commercial alternatives, but it is a lot more than free. the percentage of african american and latinx students that receive a bachelor’s degree or higher lags far behind white students. in a study at the university of georgia (uga), colvard, watson, and park sought to address the attainment gap through oer adoption in eight general education courses. the authors point to the connection between public disinvestment in higher education and rising costs for students. they argue that shifting the cost burden away from taxpayers and onto students exacerbates ethnic and racial disparities in educational attainment. students saved over million dollars as a result of these oer adoptions. cleverly, this study disambiguated student data in order to determine if oer have a greater impact on students eligible for pell grants, part time students, and non-white students (colvard, watson, & park, , p. ). the results are promising as the percentage of students receiving grades a, a-, and b+ in oer test courses increased dramatically for all three populations (colvard, et al., , pp. - ). the last study in this subsection presents a convincing argument for cost reduction as a contributor to student outcomes. fischer, hilton, robinson, and wiley designed the largest efficacy study upon its publication in . it is a quasi-experimental study that analyzed efficacy results across four four-year colleges and six community colleges for approximately , students in fifteen undergraduate courses: approx. , in the test group and , in the control group (fischer, hilton, robinson, & wiley, , p. ). the study measured outcomes in four categories: course completion, passing courses with at least a c- grade, credit hours during the semester tested (enrollment intensity), and credit hours in the following semester. fischer, et al. claim that cost is more impactful on student outcomes than instructional design and mode of delivery (fischer, et al., , p. ). in this study and others like it, student outcomes are similar when using oer or commercial textbooks. however, the authors see a correlation between saving money on textbooks and enrollment intensity. the test group (those using oer) enrolled in more credits in the surveyed semester, and the following semester, than the control group (fischer, et al., , pp. - ). their argument is that students use their savings to enroll in more classes. causation is impossible to prove but this hypothesis is provocative. the refrain that student outcomes are the same or better when using oer is increasingly common. this argument is used to encourage oer adoption. but oer need practitioners committed to critical pedagogy to move beyond a free version of the status quo. fischer, et al. ( ) admit that future studies should analyze textbook quality and teacher effects (p. ). they do not provide any details about the learning materials used in their study. this omission is too common in oer efficacy studies. these issues are taken up in the following subsections. oer and pedagogy the fact that the vast majority of oer efficacy studies show that student outcomes are the same or better when using oer is promising. however, most studies lack an in-depth analysis of the pedagogical choices driving oer initiatives. this section examines case studies for evidence of critical pedagogy with regard to oer adoption. though never specifically mentioned, critical pedagogy is at the center of the uc davis, chemwiki study discussed above. allen, et al. stress the importance of faculty and student engagement in authoring and reviewing chemwiki teaching materials. as the name suggests, chemwiki utilizes a model similar to wikipedia, a comparison the authors embrace (allen, et al., , p. ). teaching modules are created by many instructors and can be hyperlinked within each course’s instance of chemwiki. in other words, labor is distributed horizontally in an effort to draw on collective expertise and avoid the centralization of expertise used in authoring traditional textbooks. colvard, et al. argue that their study, and oer by extension, addresses all three of the great challenges facing higher education: affordability; retention and completion; quality of student learning (colvard, et al., , p. ). quality of student learning is measured by academic performance, which improved in the test group. but the study reveals little about pedagogy. most of the classes adopted openstax textbooks, a major oer textbook publisher based out of rice university. uga’s center for teaching and learning assisted with some oer adoptions but no further details are provided. as a result, pedagogy and academic labor are hinted at but never discussed. one study cannot cover all topics and this one does a remarkable job of situating oer in a social justice context. perhaps a future study could widen the aperture of social justice to better account for pedagogy and the academic labor required to adopt oer at a large, public university. hendricks, reinsberg, and rieger acknowledge that most studies ignore pedagogy by providing, “a very specific description of how the open textbook used in the course we are studying has been adapted to fit into that course” ( , p. ). in this study at the university of british columbia (ubc), the authors adopted an openstax physics textbook and edited out sections of the textbook that were not relevant to the course (hendricks, reinsberg, & rieger, , p. ). professors also stopped using a commercial software package for homework. instead, they added the textbook’s review questions to the course website in an attempt to reduce cost, simplify administration, and simplify students’ experience (hendricks, et al., , p. - ). in this instance, getting rid of the commercial homework system, rather than the textbook, generated the greatest savings. hendricks, et al. found that students’ problem-solving abilities were slightly negatively impacted by the new homework system. the previous commercial system provided hints and tutorials as students completed their homework, whereas the new system simply provided correct/incorrect feedback. however, their transparency demonstrates that moving away from commercial entities in higher education may not be painless. critical pedagogies are necessarily difficult because the intention is to leave behind pre-existing approaches. in this regard, the authors show that there is much more to student outcomes than “the same or better results.” critical approaches factored into the decision-making process in the virginia state university study. feldstein, et al. do not provide details on pedagogical methods used in the courses, but vsu business school faculty identified the value in adopting oer with creative commons licenses. this way, materials are relatively easy to revise and remix and their teaching materials can reflect current events and different points of view (feldstein, et al., , pp. - ). as one professor put it, “since students now had permanent access to content, the value was in the information and not in the textbook as a commodity” (feldstein, et al., , p. ). pawlyshyn, braddlee, casper, and miller document oer adoption for ten high enrollment courses at seven institutions, part of the project kaleidoscope open course initiative (koci). their writing is reflective to an extent rarely found in oer efficacy studies. they dedicate just as much space to pedagogical decision-making as to costs and student outcomes. this fact may be connected to the project design. participants collaborated across institutions (and held weekly skype calls!), which surfaced important differences at the respective institutions. for example, student populations varied from remedial to college entry (pawlyshyn, braddlee, casper, & miller, ). consequently, faculty developed targets for their specific student populations. for oer initiatives to succeed, the authors make the following recommendation: “introduce and facilitate oer efforts through faculty initiative rather than making a top-down institutional directive. eventually, institutional policy must support emergent practice” (pawlyshyn, et al., ). even when documenting koci’s shortcomings, pawlyshyn et al. provide critical reflections. some faculty resisted koci based on perceived limitations to academic freedom and of “corporate interference” since koci used lumen learning and received funding from the bill and melinda gates foundation and the hewlett foundation (pawlyshyn, et al., ). the following section examines how decisions regarding academic labor, which can include collaborating with commercial vendors, is discussed in oer efficacy studies—when academic labor is discussed at all. oer and academic labor academic labor is rarely covered in these studies. this is understandable insofar as the focus of most studies is cost savings and student outcomes. however, academic labor is central to any oer initiative. who is doing the work? are they getting paid? is this work acknowledged for promotion and tenure? based on the available literature, it is difficult to answer these questions. calling attention to the matter will hopefully help remedy this glaring omission in the literature. hendricks, et al. ( ) acknowledge the costs of adopting oer: “the literature on open textbooks related to cost focuses on cost savings to students, but it’s important to keep in mind the possible costs for faculty and institutions in terms of time and support when using open textbooks” (p. ). faculty and graduate assistants worked together during the summer months to prepare the course. the latter were paid with a teaching and learning grant of c$ , from university of british columbia. ensuring fair compensation for graduate assistants and contingent workers is crucial from a critical pedagogy perspective. however, there is no indication the grant covered the time and effort spent by faculty planning the project, securing funds, selecting materials, and learning new systems. are these tasks considered part of their job, were they paid a stipend for extra labor, or given course release time, to name a few payment options? transparency on the working conditions of all faculty and staff, contingent and full time, is necessary as we use critical pedagogy to implement and document just labor practices for oer initiatives. pawlyshyn, et al. directly address payment and incentives in a section called “motivations.” in addition to a small stipend, faculty participants received travel funds to attend oer conferences. the authors claim this was an even greater motivator than the stipend and they make explicit recommendations for other oer initiatives to allocate funds for conference attendance (pawlyshyn, et al., ). though the authors do not explain why professional development funds were so popular, the implication is that faculty relished the opportunity to share their work and learn from others in a community of practice. one shortcoming of their report is it does not include any information about how lumen learning was involved in koci, especially with regard to myopenmath (mom), a free, online course management system. it would be helpful to know if koci used the free version of mom or the lumen-supported version, lumen ohm. each option presents distinct cost and maintenance issues, namely vendor fees versus local maintenance expenses. allen, et al. contrast the commercial textbook publishing process–a small group of experts deciding on relevant content–with the horizontal crowdsourcing of chemwiki. the infrastructure of chemwiki is developed and maintained by professors, research assistants, and students who regularly review and update content for difficulty (allen, et al., , p. ). the authors do not discuss how, or if, in the case of students, this labor is compensated or otherwise supported. the final example in this subsection examines a study that looks to oer as an institutional cost saving measure. bowen, chingos, lack, and nygren ( ) examine an oer hybrid learning environment (a mix of in-person and online). published by ithaka s+r, a consulting non-profit, the study tested traditional and hybrid classes for a basic statistics course designed at carnegie mellon university and taught at six public universities. like most studies, bowen, et al. ( ) found the hybrid format produced the same or better results than traditional classroom instruction (pp. - ). unlike most oer studies, bowen, et al. also tested whether or not the oer/hybrid method can lower instructor costs. in their model, the hybrid course would be supervised by tenure-track faculty, with in-person sections led by “teaching assistants” and administrative work handled by a “part-time instructor” (bowen, et al., , p. ). admittedly, this is one line of inquiry in a lengthy report, but using oer as a way to lower operating costs is anathema to critical pedagogy and social justice. the authors estimate large scale implementation could reduce instructor costs %- % (bowen, et al., , p. ). they do not include how they reach these numbers, likely because they would be perceived as controversial, if not incendiary. conclusion and future considerations oer efficacy studies are just as revealing for what they omit as for what they include. it is challenging to design a methodologically sound study, especially under tight timelines and tight(er) budgets. given this reality, oer efficacy studies tell the tidiest story: saving students money is good and oer may improve student learning. in this respect, these studies conform to the logics of funders and administrators, not students, faculty, librarians, and staff working at colleges and universities. but this story elides an inconvenient truth: if students are not buying expensive textbooks to begin with (florida virtual campus, ; feldstein, et al., ), are they saving money or are they not spending money they do not have in the first place? this is not to say that well-designed oer efficacy studies are irrelevant. the above studies are valuable for their analysis of and advocacy for oer initiatives. but the desire to quantify all aspects of higher ed is reflected in the literature. the statistics are given primacy over pedagogy. can an education committed to measuring “student success” ever be liberatory? critical pedagogy does not reduce students to their letter grades or how many dollars they saved. rather, students and faculty engage in dialog about defining academic success. in contrast to the above oer efficacy studies, qualitative approaches used in oer perception studies could be incorporated more often to center students’ voices. action research is another approach. according to sagor, action research, “is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. the primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the ‘actor’ in improving and/or refining his or her actions” (sagor, ). action research on oer initiatives would be a welcome addition to the literature, as the method aligns nicely with critical pedagogy. bowen, et al. ( ) seem to accept the divestment of public funds for higher education as a permanent reality, instead of an ongoing struggle (pp. - ). their solutions address the perspective of administration, not faculty or students. moreover, how are oer being commercialized? david wiley, a co-author on several above studies, and many others, is the chief academic officer at lumen learning. a deeper investigation into “open washing,” or proprietary practices disguised as open access/licensing, as defined by watters ( ), in oer initiatives is needed. alternative perspectives abound. brier and fabricant decry austerity and commercialization in their full-throated defense of public higher education, austerity blues: fighting for the soul of public higher education ( ). winn’s ( ) marxist analysis of oer in higher education cautions against administrators’ attempts to exploit oer for surplus value in the form of increased enrollment, lower teaching costs, and cultural prestige (pp. - ). farrow ( ) criticizes the austerity mindset, obsessed with efficiencies that “promote the idea that technological innovation can offer neat solutions to challenges faced by educational institutions” (p. ). as the title of this article asks, open to what? a free version of the status quo? the above analysis shows that oer efficacy studies would benefit from greater transparency. this transparency applies to pedagogy, technology, and the financial and emotional costs for students, faculty, and staff. it is one thing to use critical pedagogy to diagnose the problem with the above studies. it is a far more important challenge to address higher ed’s contradictions and power struggles: teacher/student, faculty/administrator, proprietary/open access, banking education/open pedagogy. critical pedagogy opens the door. acknowledgements i would like to thank peer reviewers ryan randall and nicole williams for their insightful, critical, and encouraging comments. thank you to ian beilin for serving as publishing editor. a very special thank you to professor maria jerskey at laguardia community college, who runs the literacy brokers writing group. i never would have finished this article without her guidance, along with other laguardia colleagues who participate in the writing group. in particular, many thanks to professors dominique zino and derek stadler for their invaluable feedback on multiple drafts of this article. references abri, m.a., & dabbagh, n. 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( ). open textbooks and increased student access and outcomes. european journal of open, distance and e-learning, . retrieved from https://www.eurodl.org/. fischer, l., hilton, j., robinson, t.j., & wiley, d. ( ). a multi-institutional study of the impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of post-secondary students. journal of computing higher education ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /s - - -x. florida virtual campus. ( ). florida student textbook and course material survey: results and findings. retrieved from https://dlss.flvc.org/colleges-and-universities/research/textbooks. goodwin, m. a. l. ( ) the open course library: using open education resources to improve community college access. (unpublished doctoral dissertation). pullman: washington state university. retrieved from http://hdl.handle.ne/ / . hendricks, c., reinsberg, s., & rieger, g. ( ). the adoption of an open textbook in a large physics course: an analysis of cost, outcomes, use, and perceptions. the international review of research in open and distributed learning ( ), - . http://dx.doi.org/ . /irrodl.v i . . hilton iii, j., fischer, l., wiley, d., & william, l. ( ). maintaining momentum toward graduation: oer and the course throughput rate. the international review of research in open and distributed learning ( ), - . http://dx.doi.org/ . /irrodl.v i . . hilton, j. ( , august ). open educational resources, student efficacy, and user perceptions: a synthesis of research published between and . educational technology research and development. https://doi.org/ . /s - - - . johnson, d. m. ( , september ). what will it take to solve the student debt crisis? harvard business review. retrieved from https://hbr.org/. lambert, s. r. ( ). changing our (dis)course: a distinctive social justice aligned definition of open education. journal of learning for development ( ), - . retrieved from https://jl d.org/index.php/ejl d/article/view/ / . paulsen, m. b., & st. john, e. p. ( ). social class and college costs: examining the financial nexus between college choice and persistence. the journal of higher education ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . pawlyshyn, n., braddlee, d., casper, l., & miller, h. ( , november ). adopting oer: a case study of cross-institutional collaboration and innovation. educause review. retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/ / /adopting-oer-a-case-study-of-crossinstitutional-collaboration-and-innovation. sagor, r. ( ). what is action research? in r. sagor (author), guiding school improvement with action research. retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/ /chapters/what-is-action-research%c %a .aspx. senack, e. ( ). fixing the broken textbook market: how students respond to high textbook costs and demand alternatives. the student public interest research groups. retrieved from https://uspirg.org/reports/usp/fixing-broken-textbook-market. senack, e., & donoghue, r. ( ). covering the cost: why we can no longer afford to ignore high textbook prices. the student public interest research groups. retrieved from https://studentpirgs.org/ / / /covering-cost/. state higher education executive officers association. ( ). state higher education finance (shef) fiscal year . retrieved from https://sheeomain.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/ / /sheeo_shef_fy _final- .pdf. unesco. ( ). forum on the impact of open courseware for higher education in developing countries: final report. paris. retrieved from http://www.unesco.org: /iiep/eng/focus/opensrc/pdf/oerforumfinalreport.pdf. unesco. ( ). paris oer declaration. retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/multimedia/hq/ci/wpfd /english_declaration.html. u.s. government accountability office. ( , june ). college textbooks: students have greater access to textbook information (gao- - ). retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/products/gao- - . watters, a. ( , august ). from “open” to justice. hack education. retrieved from http://hackeducation.com/ / / /from-open-to-justice. wiley, david. ( , august ). open education license draft. iterating toward openness. retrieved from https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/ . wiley, d. ( , november ). if we talked about the internet like we talk about oer: the cost trap and inclusive access. iterating toward openness. retrieved from https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/ . wiley, d. ( , november ). more on the cost trap and inclusive access. iterating toward openness. https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/ . william and flora hewlett foundation. ( ). hewlett foundation: grants. retrieved from https://hewlett.org/grants/?sort=date&grant_strategies= &current_page= . winn, j. ( ). open education: from the freedom of things to the freedom of people. in m. neary, h. stevenson, & l. bell, (eds.), towards teaching in public: reshaping the modern university (pp. - ). london: continuum international publishing group. 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							teaching with care: a relational approach to individual research consultations 							communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd 							 						 						 												 						 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 liz vine – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								liz vine 							 	 		 		 			 	about liz vine 		 			 				 liz vine works in access services and as the student employment program coordinator at the iupui university library, indianapolis. she has a phd in literary studies and a master's degree in women's studies. with experience in college teaching and course design, liz is interested in broadening how academic libraries support learning. 											 		 articles by liz vine 	 			training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 editorial board – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				editorial board 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					current editorial board 	 	ian beilin is humanites research services librarian at columbia university and adjunct assistant professor of history in the mcghee division of the school of professional studies, new york university. 	jaena rae cabrera is an adult services librarian with the san francisco public library, specifically at the excelsior branch. outside the library world, she may be found searching for the best coffee in the city, or hanging out with her cat, gizmo. 	nicole cooke is the augusta baker endowed chair and an associate professor at the university of south carolina. when not teaching online or traveling, she loves a good audiobook (mysteries and psychological thrillers) or netflix binge while working on some type of crafty project. 	ryan randall is the instruction coordinator and faculty outreach librarian at the college of western idaho. when not at a library, he’s likely to be exploring cities through those other bastions of culture: local record stores & coffee shops. 	denisse solis is the interim digital collections librarian at the university of denver. she enjoys spending time exercising, running, traveling, napping, eating good food, and spending time with loved ones (especially her cat, murphy). 	kellee warren is the instructor and special collections librarian at the university of illinois at chicago (uic). she enjoys anything that will allow her to creatively express herself, and she really loves pugs. emeritus editoral board members 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 about – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				about 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					who we are 	editorial board 	emeritus 	authors what we do in the library with the lead pipe is an open access, open peer-reviewed journal founded and run by a team of librarians working in various types of libraries. in addition to publishing articles and editorials by editorial board members, lead pipe publishes articles by authors representing diverse perspectives including educators, administrators, library support staff, technologists, and community members. lead pipe believes libraries and library workers can change the world for the better. we improve libraries, professional organizations, and their communities of practice by exploring new ideas, starting conversations, documenting our concerns, and arguing for solutions. if you like reading in the library with the lead pipe and would like to write an article, we would love to hear from you. we encourage creative thinking, envelope-pushing, and constructive criticism. articles indulging in non-constructive criticism will not be accepted. what we publish we publish high-quality peer-reviewed articles in a range of formats. while we are open to suggestions for new article types and formats, including material previously published in part or full, we expect proposals to include unique and substantial new content from the author. examples of material we would publish include: 	original research with a discussion of its consequences (with or without an argument for action) that makes a unique, significant contribution to the professional literature. 	articles using autoethnography, testimonios, or other accounts of the author’s own experience to analyze, theorize, situate, or otherwise contribute new insights to the professional literature. 	articles arguing for a particular approach, strategy or development in librarianship, with suggestions for how it might be achieved. 	transformative works with additional explanatory or interpretive content. for example, a transcription of an interview or panel discussion, with a substantial introduction explaining the importance of the subject to librarianship and a discussion of related literature. why publish your article with in the library with the lead pipe? in the library with the lead pipe is internationally recognized as a forward-thinking, open access, peer-reviewed journal. formerly considered a peer-reviewed blog, in lead pipe won the salem press library blog award for ‘best general blog’. later that year, after consulting with our readership, lead pipe was repositioned as a professional journal with the issn - . we are listed by the directory of open access journals, lista, and ulrich’s as a peer-reviewed journal. thousands of readers subscribe via rss, and lead pipe receives over unique visits from across the world each month. if you are ready to submit an article proposal, please read our submission guidelines. you may also be interested in reading about the lead pipe publication process. open access, copyright, licensing, and article processing fees in the library with the lead pipe is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. this is in accordance with the boai definition of open access. authors of manuscripts accepted for publication with in the library with the lead pipe assign to the editorial board the non-exclusive right to publish and distribute their text electronically and to archive and make it permanently retrievable. all content posted on in the library with the lead pipe, including comments, is licensed under a creative commons attribution . international license. copyright remains with the author. material that has appeared on in the library with the lead pipe may be reused by the author in any form, provided that in the library with the lead pipe is acknowledged as the original place of publication. there are no article processing charges or any other charges associated with publishing in in the library with the lead pipe. contacting us if you wish to submit an article proposal or have any questions regarding our licensing or editorial policies, please email itlwtlp at gmail dot com our logo the “pipes” icon in our header logo is by raz cohen from the noun project. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 emeritus – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				emeritus 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					emeritus editorial board members 	derik badman is one of our founders. he did most of the design for our site and all of our author illustrations. [articles] 	brett bonfield is a co-founder of in the library with the lead pipe and the executive director of the princeton public library (as of january , ). he likes running, podcasts, serial commas, and baseball analysis. [articles] 	ellie collier is a co-founder of in the library with the lead pipe who served as an author and editor for magnificent years. she is so incredibly proud of everything the journal has accomplished. when not at work she is probably playing board, card, or video games or reading feminist critiques of them and/or their culture and communities. [articles] 	hilary davis is a co-founder of in the library with the lead pipe. [articles] 	erin dorney is a poet, writer, and editor based in minnesota. [articles] 	leigh anne focareta [articles] 	emily ford is one of our founders. she lives in portland, oregon, and spends her non-library time with cappuccino, bicycles, yoga, and cats. [articles] 	eric frierson lives in austin, tx. he is a father and a doughnut aficionado. [articles] 	amy koester is the learning experiences manager at skokie public library. when not librarianing, she is probably enjoying talking about and listening to one direction, reading space opera, or cooking. 	annie pho is the inquiry and instruction librarian for peer services and powell public programs at ucla library. when she’s not librarian-ing, she can be found riding her bike around the city and hanging out with her cats. 	gretchen kolderup [articles] 	sofia leung (she/her) is a librarian, facilitator, and educator offering tailored workshops, training, and consultations that employ anti-racist, anti-oppressive frameworks, in particular critical race theory. she is currently an editor for the we here publication, up//root, and a facilitator for the association of college and research libraries information literacy immersion program. [articles] 	bethany radcliffe is a reference and instructional design librarian at midway university. in her spare time, she drinks exorbitant amounts of tea, thrifts, and dabbles in interior design. [articles] 	kim leeder reed is a co-founder of in the library with the lead pipe, a library journal mover & shaker, and a american library association emerging leader. she lives in boise, idaho, where she serves as director of the college of western idaho library. [articles] 	lindsey rae served as lead pipe’s social media editor. she dabbles in all manner of hobbies and really likes owls. 	hugh rundle had great fun writing and editing with lead pipe. he worked with gretchen to overhaul our documentation and internal processes. he is now putting his energy into newcardigan. [articles] 	coral sheldon-hess served as our technology lead. she’s into technology, ux, crafting, and intersectional feminism. 	micah vandegrift wrote and edited with the lead pipe team after being a super fan for many years. [articles] 	cecily walker is assistant manager for community digital initiatives & elearning at vancouver public library in vancouver, canada. when not holding court on twitter, she enjoys riding her bike, watching bad tv shows, and movies with lots of explosions. 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					about us academic libraries advocacy ala burnout cataloging collaboration collection development college students conferences copyright diversity evaluation faculty future google group post information literacy instruction instructional design interview leadership librarianship libraries library assessment library instruction marketing networking open access open source organizational culture outreach professional development public libraries publishing research social media teaching technology teens training value wellness workplace wellness writing				 			 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 authors – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				authors 							 	 		 	 			 	 	adrian whatley 	adrienne warner 	ahniwa ferrari 	alexandra gallin-parisi 	alexis logsdon 	alice eng 	alicia kubas 	aliqae geraci 	alyssa russo 	alyssa vincent 	amanda e. cowell 	amy jankowski 	amy koester 	amy r. hofer 	andrea baer 	andrew lopez 	andria tieman 	angela galvan 	ania dymarz 	anne helen petersen 	anne-marie deitering 	annette day 	annie bélanger 	annie 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minchin 	rachel borchardt 	rana salzmann 	rasmus thoegersen 	rebecca halpern 	robert schroeder 	robin chin roemer 	robyn gleasner 	robyn vittek 	rosan mitola 	ross singer 	ryan randall 	sara seely 	sarah crissinger 	sarah laleman ward 	sarah lamdan 	sarah polkinghorne 	sarah r. kostelecky 	selden lamoureux 	shannon l. farrell 	shannon marie robinson 	shoma webster 	simon barron 	sofia leung 	stacy konkiel 	stephanie margolin 	stephanie rosen 	steve mccann 	susan ponischil 	symphony bruce 	theresa calcagno 	todd honma 	tom keegan 	veronica arellano douglas 	zoe fisher 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 kellee warren – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				kellee warren 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					 email: kewarren (at)gmail.com i am currently instructor and special collections librarian at the university of illinois at chicago (uic). i provide instruction and public services for students, faculty, and community members. i hold a mlis from university of illinois urbana-champaign ( ), and a ba in english: media, rhetoric and cultural studies from uic ( ). i enjoy introducing archival materials to people of all ages, and am interested in collaborative, interdisciplinary projects and research. my research interests include critical information literacy and culturally sustaining pedagogy, community archives, archives of underrepresented groups, oral history, and online learning. these research interests can manifest themselves in really interesting instruction activities. in my spare time, i enjoy music, knitting, crocheting…basically anything that will allow me to creatively express myself, and twitter. i love pugs, and other animals, but i really love pugs. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 conduct – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				conduct 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					summary in the library with the lead pipe intends to help improve communities, libraries, and professional organizations. our goal is to explore new ideas and start conversations, to document our concerns and argue for solutions. in keeping with our community building values, we are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, or economic status. we do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. this code of conduct applies to all lead pipe editors at all times, and to all conduct by all participants in any lead pipe sponsored spaces, including our website, mailing lists, and social media spaces, along with any other spaces that lead pipe hosts, both online and off. some lead pipe-sponsored spaces may have additional guidelines in place, which will be made readily available to participants, who are responsible for knowing and abiding by these rules. anyone who violates this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from these spaces at the discretion of the lead pipe editorial board. definitions harassment includes: 	comments that reinforce oppressive power dynamics related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, or economic status 	unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment 	failure to use a person’s chosen name and pronouns (see https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender) 	gratuitous or off-topic sexual images in public spaces 	physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub”) without consent or after a request to stop 	threats of violence 	incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm 	deliberate intimidation 	stalking or following 	harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes 	sustained disruption of discussion 	unwelcome sexual attention 	pattern of inappropriate contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others 	continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease 	deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse 	publication of non-harassing private communication without consent lead pipe prioritizes marginalized people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort. the lead pipe editorial board will not act on complaints regarding: 	‘reverse’ -isms, including “reverse racism,” “reverse sexism,” and “cisphobia” 	reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “i’m not discussing this with you” 	communicating in a “tone” you don’t find congenial 	criticizing racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions. reporting if you are being harassed by a member of the lead pipe community, if you notice that someone else is being harassed, or if you have any other concerns, please reach out to the lead pipe editorial board at itlwtlp at gmail dot com and include “conduct” in your message’s subject. if the person who is harassing you is on the editorial board, they will recuse themselves from handling your incident. we will respond as promptly as we can. we will follow the best practices as laid out in geek feminism’s conference anti-harassment / responding to reports. this code of conduct applies to lead pipe sponsored spaces, but if you are being harassed by a member of the lead pipe community outside our spaces, we still want to know about it. we will take seriously all good-faith reports of harassment by lead pipe members, especially members of the editorial board. this includes harassment outside our spaces and harassment that took place at any point in time. the lead pipe editorial board reserves the right to exclude people from lead pipe spaces based on their past behavior, including behavior outside lead pipe spaces and behavior towards people who are not involved with lead pipe. in order to protect volunteers from abuse and burnout, we reserve the right to reject any report we believe to have been made in bad faith. reports intended to silence legitimate criticism may be deleted without response. we will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. at our discretion, we may publicly name a person about whom we’ve received harassment complaints, or privately warn third parties about them, if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of lead pipe members or the general public. we will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent. consequences participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. if a participant engages in harassing behavior, the lead pipe editorial board may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from all lead pipe spaces and identification of the participant as a harasser to other lead pipe members or the general public. comment policy we appreciate and invite your comments and discussion about articles on in the library with the lead pipe. constructive criticism is one of our primary goals, and we applaud it in our readers. comments that violate our code of conduct, disregard the article’s topic, or fail to add to the discussion will be deleted. all content posted on in the library with the lead pipe (except where otherwise noted) is licensed under a creative commons attribution . international license, including comments added to the articles. as such, all comments may be archived along with the articles they accompany for the purposes of the author’s record of publication. note: in the library with the lead pipe moved from cc-by-nc licensing to cc-by on september , . comments prior to september , were written under the cc-by-nc license. further reading if you need more information on any of the social justice topics referenced in this document we suggest you start with some of the following resources: 	finally, a feminism blog 	feminism | shakesville 	ableist word profile | fwd (feminists with disabilities) for a way forward 	 things white people should know/do before discussing racism | the frisky 	another fact: there is no such thing as reverse sexism | the gender blender blog 	faq: aren’t feminists just sexists towards men? | finally, a feminism blog 	racism : this shit doesn’t go in reverse | whites educating whites (so poc don’t have to) 	why reverse racism isn’t real | feminspire (archived view via archive.org’s wayback machine) 	anger as a tool in social justice movements | life as i know it license and attribution this policy is licensed under the creative commons zero license. it is public domain; no credit and no open licensing of your version is required. this policy is based on the example policy from the geek feminism wiki, created by the geek feminism community. http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/community_anti-harassment 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 we've detected that javascript is disabled in your browser. would you like to proceed to legacy twitter? yes something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot. comments for in the library with the lead pipe comments for in the library with the lead pipe an open access, peer reviewed journal 	comment on creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners by name* elaine g i think this is great and am hoping to implement something similar on my campus. i noticed that you are using sidecar learning for your website tutorials instead of a guide on the side, which was created by u of a. is there a reason for this? i was just curious. is it worth the extra cost? 	comment on creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners by name*wally grotophorst tried something along these lines years or so ago. described here: : https://hdl.handle.net/ / idea was well received but it proved a bridge too far for many of our public services staff when it came time to keep the portals &quot;current&quot; and looking &quot;lived in&quot; 	comment on no holds barred: policing and security in the public library by anti-racism resources - book cart queens [&# ;] no holds barred: policing and security in the public library [&# ;] 	comment on power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians by day in review (september – , ) - association of research libraries [&# ;] power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians (in the library with the lead pipe) [&# ;] 	comment on it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers by robert dickinson spectacularly interesting article! i&# ;m not an academic in this field; you did a great job making it accessible to those outside your field. very well argued, and insightful into yet another way in which society puts the pressure on victims of oppressive systems to overcome their own oppression by themselves, instead of even recognizing the need for systemic change as the real solution. just wanted to say good job :) glad this piece has been written 	comment on librarianship at the crossroads of ice surveillance by aspb workshop am . oktober , – uhr: „wenn ihr buch sie liest: bibliotheksethische fragen zum data analytics business in der wissenschaftskommunikation“ mit dr. renke siems (universitätsbibliothek tübingen) – arbeitsge [&# ;] ethische grundsätze von bibliothek und information deutschland ( ): https://media .culturebase.org/data/docs-bideutschland/ethische% grundsaetze.pdfcody hanson: user tracking on academic publisher plattforms: https://www.codyh.com/writing/tracking.htmlsarah lamdan: librarianship at the crossroads of ice surveillance: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /ice-surveillance/ [&# ;] 	comment on the library commons: an imagination and an invocation by day in review (august –september , ) - association of research libraries [&# ;] the library commons: an imagination and an invocation (in the library with the lead pipe) [&# ;] 	comment on librarianship at the crossroads of ice surveillance by “information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism | todays news and updates [&# ;] s. ( ). librarianship at the crossroads of ice surveillance. in the library with the lead [&# ;] 	comment on “information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism by day in review (august – , ) - association of research libraries [&# ;] “information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism (in the library with a lead pipe) [&# ;] 	comment on it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers by dr. jones i am so happy to have come across your article!!!! i am giving a talk very soon on is and i have dedicated several slides on how the responsibility of addressing ip also lies on the shoulders of the employers and in my case my research institution. i am a postdoc in the stem field and i&# ;ve always been one of only a handful of urms. my talk will be the first time anyone has ever discussed ip and it&# ;s coming from a (seasoned) postdoc. i had a much longer path to take in order to get my phd, but i did it and i am the oldest postdoc at my institution.....which is why i said &# ;seasoned&# ;. i can&# ;t wait to share some of the awesome information i recieved in this article and i found some good information in the comments! a change is needed and i am taking the lead. awards & good words – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				awards & good words 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					we love working on lead pipe just as much as you love reading it. thanks for joining us & for the kind words. these are a few of our favorite tweets and mentions! 	in the library with the lead pipe was included in an article on the state of open peer review on acrl. 	in the library with the lead pipe was listed as an “ewoc to consider” in ariadne. 	“our profession’s understanding of diversity is progressing, thanks to efforts of publications like in the library with the lead pipe.” – ione damasco at #acrlny 	“randall munroe’s what if as a test case for open access in popular culture” by nancy foasberg was selected as an editor’s choice at digital humanities now. 	in the library with the lead pipe was mentioned along with library juice press, john buschman, and #critlib regarding critical theory/pedagogy in an editorial by james elmborg and scott walter in college & research libraries vol ( ). 	in the library with the lead pipe was mentioned in the journal for radical librarianship‘s first editorial. 	“ice ice baby: are librarian stereotypes freezing us out of instruction?” by nicole pagowsky and erica defrain was reviewed by jennifer ann bartlett for library leadership & management (vol , no ). 	“librarian, heal thyself: a scholarly communication analysis of lis journals” by micah vandegrift and chealsye bowley was selected as the library link of the day for may th; included in the london school of economics & political science “impact blog” roundup on april th; and was selected as ‘editor’s choice’ for digital humanities now on april th. 	“what we talk about when we talk about public libraries” by hugh rundle was selected as the library link of the day for november , . 	awarded best general blog award in the  salem press library blog awards: “in the library with the lead pipe was a clear winner of the public vote as well as a favorite among this year’s judges, who appreciated the blog’s cast of diverse writers and wide range of topics and perspectives. in the words of one judge, “almost every post is gold.”” salem press: 	join us at acrl ! our lead pipe panel proposal titled “from the periphery into the mainstream: library diy culture(s) and the academy” was accepted for acrl . hope to see you in indianapolis this april! 	anne helen petersen: “…in the library with the lead pipe, an awesome open-access, peer-reviewed publication for hip librarians” celebrity gossip, academic style: august , 	barbara fister: “…a blog that publishes substantial, sourced, peer-reviewed essays that are always worth reading…” inside higher ed library babel fish: august , 	paul lai: “…check out emily ford’s new article “what do we do and why do we do it?”, a thoughtful argument for why librarians need to take a step back to articulate a philosophy of what we do in order to understand our work better.” hack library school: august , 	coral sheldon-hess: “in looking for some facts about the el program, i found this really fantastic critique on in the library with the lead pipe. it’s a couple of years old, and they have taken some of the suggestions to heart; for instance, there isn’t a lot of brainstorming about how to change ala, anymore. lots of other things still haven’t changed, though, so i would encourage you to read it if you’re thinking of applying for emerging leaders.” web librarian — a newish librarian’s view of the world: july , 	ben hassenger: “this is one of the better articles i’ve found about teaching via video and other remote means, with many good tips. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /learning-to-teach-through-video/. one of the things i like about this article is how it talks about how to keep things simple and not give too much information at once, which will overload the student.” ben’s edublog: july , 	angela d. rathmel: “first up, brett bonfield of itlwlp http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /the-ebook-cargo-cult/ .  fear not the seemingly tired topics of ‘scholarly publishing crisis, e-books, and library core values’ upon which this particular post expounds.  bonfield gives a most clear, well paced, and relevant discussion, outlining the currently available and ideal purchase/license models in a nifty table and a brief discussion of each” desperately seeking truthbrarian: july , 	carrie moran: “i just read an excellent blog post about community college librarianship that i’d highly recommend to anyone in this field or anyone considering it.” digital carrie: june , 	jami bryan: “over at in the library with the lead pipe, kim leeder wrote a wonderful post that takes on the issue of “snobbery” towards community colleges. kim writes: “if you look down on community colleges, consciously or unconsciously, you may be surprised to learn that community colleges don’t look up at you. faculty, staff, and students are proud of their colleges and their accomplishments.” yes. exactly this.” view from beyond the stacks: june , 	cheryl laguardia: “i’d like to give a big shout out about this post, ‘consensus decision-making and its possibilities in libraries,’ by emily ford on the wonderful in the library with the lead pipe blog.” library journal reviews: january , 	robin hastings: “besides having one of the best blog titles evar, in the library with the lead pipe also has some of the most thought-provoking, long-form blog posts out there.” a passion for ‘puters: april , 	karen munro: “if you don’t know lead pipe, it’s a terrific blog edited by a great group of folks.  the posts are substantial and peer-reviewed, and always thought-provoking.  it’s definitely a good blog to put on your rss feed (if it’s not already there.)” karen munro, learning librarian: august , 	meredith farkas: “every semester my students seem about - split on whether in the library with the lead pipe is a fantastic blog or way-too-long journal articles pretending to be blog posts. to each his own. not everyone is going to like your writing. and if you’re not a long-form writer, don’t try to be. but i personally think blogs like in the library with the lead pipe and library babelfish offer such valuable food for thought. i usually have to save their posts until i really have time to digest them, but they’re so worth the wait.” information wants to be free: july , 	michael stephens: “in the library with the lead pipe is one of my favorite blogs. the writing is peer-reviewed, balanced and well-reasoned.” tame the web: november , 	jessamyn west: “one of the online things i’ve been reading has been the group library blog in the library with the lead pipe. it’s a long-form blog by six authors that gets to go a little more in-depth into library issues than your average blog. recent posts i’ve enjoyed include this look at the idea of universal catalogs and this look at how to make bibliographic instruction “sticky” (memorable). the thing i like about this blog is that in addition to having really good writing and heaps of links to more information, the authors actually comment on each other’s posts so that you get more of a sense of the authors’ perspectives and also some built-in discussion at the end of nearly every essay. this is one of my favorite new blogs of .” librarian.net: december , 	peter bromberg: “itlwtlp offers a superb and accomplished roster of authors, a truly engaging design (courtesy of derik badman), and a quality of writing that’s going to knock our socks off…” library garden: october , 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 none contact – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				contact 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					please talk with us in the comments, on facebook, or on twitter. if you have any questions regarding our licensing or editorial policies, please email itlwtlp at gmail dot com we look forward to hearing from you! in the library with the lead pipe po box  boise, id 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 search – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				search 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 			 				 											 									 				 					search				 				 					what are you looking for?				 				 					 	 				 			search: 			 		 		 		 	 				 			 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 none in the library with the lead pipe – page – an open access, peer reviewed journal 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					nov 					 				 				 					editorial board, ellie collier and brett bonfield					/ comments 				 											editorial: getting to know you 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			as a holiday break, the six of us decided to answer three questions about ourselves. we’ll have a new “real” post next week from emily. by editorial board, ellie collier and brett bonfield . if you could choose one thing to change about libraries, what would it be? emily: i would like to dismantle the... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					nov 					 				 				 					brett bonfield					/ comments 				 											a useful amplification of records that are unavoidably needed anyway 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			by brett bonfield depending on books can feel like relying on snail mail. “now that i’ve showed you how to find some articles,” i say to people at the reference desk, “i’ll show you how to use our website to find some books you might want to check out. and after that, wouldn’t it make... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					nov 					 				 				 					hilary davis					/ comments 				 											swings and roundabouts 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			by hilary davis “if where our scientists are and how they work is fundamentally changing, doesn’t that fundamentally change how we support them?” (luce, – audio | slides) a major change to our profession is afoot. well, more than afoot – the “e-science” ship has sailed and has some major momentum behind it, but... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					nov 					 				 				 					ellie collier					/ comments 				 											sticking it to instruction 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			made to stick: why some ideas survive and others die by chip heath & dan heath by ellie collier i always feel the need to preface my praise for this book with a little background. i’ve read a slew of best sellers on behavior. i started when a friend was raving about malcolm gladwell. i... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					derik badman					/ comments 				 											pro-con-ference 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			by derik badman earlier this month, i presented at a one-day conference. everything happened ordinarily. my submission of an abstract was accepted and i was scheduled in a session with two other presenters. preparing for the presentation, i worked up my outline, gathered images, and put my slides together. the night before, i practiced my... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					kim leeder					/ comments 				 											google, stupidity, and libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			by kim leeder as a teenager, i never tried drugs because i didn’t like the idea of any substance affecting the processes of my brain. it never occurred to me that the long hours i spend working, reading, and researching in front of a computer could have a similar effect. recently i found out that... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					emily ford					/ comments 				 											on the ala membership pyramid 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			“…i [sic] only renew [my ala membership] out of a sense of professional obligation, and also because of the fear that i’ll [sic] put it on my resume and get busted as not being a member.” –c-dog by emily ford membership in the american library association means professionals are bound together by the tenets of... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					brett bonfield					/ comments 				 											what happens in the library… 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			by brett bonfield in , robert venturi and denise scott brown, a couple of newlywed architects, had the humility to laugh with las vegas rather than at it. a few years earlier, tom wolfe had written, las vegas has become, just as bugsy siegel dreamed, the american monte carlo-without any of the inevitable upper-class baggage... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					editorial board, brett bonfield and ellie collier					/ comments 				 											editorial: introduction 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			an introduction to the blog, the mission, and the authors. 			 					 	 ‹ previous … 				 				 				 			 			 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 wordpress 	 yes 	 yes wordpress images/wlw/wp-icon.png images/wlw/wp-watermark.png view site dashboard 			{blog-postapi-url}/../wp-admin/ 		 			{blog-postapi-url}/../wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post={post-id} 		 manage comments images/wlw/wp-comments.png 				{blog-postapi-url}/../wp-admin/edit-comments.php 			 in the library with the lead pipe – page – an open access, peer reviewed journal 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jul 					 				 				 					sarah laleman ward, mason brown and stephanie margolin					/ comment 				 											shifting the balance of power: asking questions about the comics-questions curriculum 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief we shift the balance of power in this paper by discussing a particular library lesson, the comics-questions curriculum, with some of the students who participated in it, several years after they completed the workshop. by interviewing students and including them as co-authors of this paper, we re-center students in our analysis of this... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jul 					 				 				 					veronica arellano douglas and joanna gadsby					/ comment 				 											all carrots, no sticks: relational practice and library instruction coordination 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief: this article explores the relational practices that comprise the feminized work of instruction coordinators in academic libraries. it is a continuation of research originally presented at the association of college and research libraries conference. through the lens of relational-cultural theory and social constructions of work, this expanded research analysis names the specific... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jun 					 				 				 					miranda dube					/ comment 				 											new hampshire public library services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief domestic violence and sexual assault survivors experience unique information needs that can be answered through formal avenues such as a crisis center or police/court proceedings, but many survivors do not take a formal route to recovery. this survey seeks to identify what services and policies guide new hampshire public libraries in providing services... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					may 					 				 				 					aliqae geraci and shannon l. farrell					/ comment 				 											normalize negotiation! learning to negotiate salaries and improve compensation outcomes to transform library culture 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief this article explores academic librarians’ experiences with compensation negotiation, using a combination of survey and interview data. specifically, we focus on where librarians learned how to negotiate, where they sought or found advice, where they wished they had received information, and what factors would help them negotiate and improve their outcomes in the... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					may 					 				 				 					laura soito and sarah r. kostelecky					/ comment 				 											no results found: a review of biographical information about award-winning children’s book authors in subscription and free resources 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief prompted by recent discussions of diversity and representation in children’s literature, this study evaluates resources recommended to students for author study assignments in children’s/young adult literature courses at one university. striving to provide research materials that reflect the communities and experiences of students at the university of new mexico—a hispanic serving research university... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					apr 					 				 				 					camille thomas, elia trucks and h.b. kouns					/ comment 				 											preparing early career librarians for leadership and management: a feminist critique 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief this article explores the opportunities and challenges that early career librarians face when advancing their careers, desired qualities for leaders or managers of all career stages, and how early career librarians can develop those qualities. our survey asked librarians at all career stages to share their sentiments, experiences, and perceptions of leadership and... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					mar 					 				 				 					leo settoducato					/ comments 				 											intersubjectivity and ghostly library labor 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief libraries are haunted houses. as our patrons move through scenes and illusions that took years of labor to build and maintain, we workers are hidden, erasing ourselves in the hopes of providing a seamless user experience, in the hopes that these patrons will help defend libraries against claims of death or obsolescence. however,... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					feb 					 				 				 					kate dohe					/ comments 				 											care, code, and digital libraries: embracing critical practice in digital library communities 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief in this article, the author explores the necessity of articulating an ethics of care in the design, governance, and future evolution of digital library software applications. long held as the primary technological platforms to advance the most radical values of librarianship, the digital library landscape has become a re-enactment of local power dynamics... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					feb 					 				 				 					chelsea heinbach, brittany paloma fiedler, rosan mitola and emily pattni					/ comments 				 											dismantling deficit thinking: a strengths-based inquiry into the experiences of transfer students in and out of academic libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief library research on transfer students tends to focus on the idea of the “struggling” transfer student and creating solutions to “fix” them. while we might assume transfer students will falter because they missed our institutions’ first-year offerings, this oversimplifies their vast and heterogeneous experiences. our study complicates the narrative of the lagging transfer... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jan 					 				 				 					kirsten thorpe					/ comments 				 											transformative praxis – building spaces for indigenous self-determination in libraries and archives 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief this article explores questions regarding the development and support of indigenous priorities and self-determination in australian libraries and archives. it calls for greater use of indigenous research methodologies within library and archival science in order to seek ways to decolonize and simultaneously indiginze libraries and archives. as a written reflection, the article shares... read more 			 					 	 ‹ previous … next › 				 				 				 			 			 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 in the library with the lead pipe in the library with the lead pipe an open access, peer reviewed journal 	creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners in brief: research and course guides typically feature long lists of resources without the contextual or instructional framework to direct novice researchers through the research process. an investigation of guide usage and user interactions at a large university in the southwestern u.s. revealed a need to reexamine the way research guides can be developed and... read more 	power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians in brief academic librarians do not experience full academic freedom protections, despite the fact that they are expected to exercise independent judgment, be civically engaged, and practice applied scholarship. academic freedom for academic librarians is not widely studied or well understood. to learn more, we conducted a survey which received over responses from academic... read more 	the library commons: an imagination and an invocation by jennie rose halperin in brief commons theory can provide important interventions within neoliberal managerial information capitalism when applied to the library as an institution. the commons and its associated practices provide a model of abundance, sharing, and cooperation. libraries can and should participate in alternative economic and management models to create an inclusive vision... read more 	“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism in brief information capitalism dominates the production and flow of information across the globe. it produces massive information institutions that are as harmful to everyday people as they are powerful. to this point, information literacy (il) educators do not have a theory and pedagogy of information capitalism. this article appraises the current state of political... read more 	training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries in brief conceiving of student employment in academic libraries as an educationally purposeful experience requires adopting a learner-centered pedagogical approach to student employee job training. adopting such an approach is triply beneficial: it makes that job training more effective; it identifies training as an opportunity to pursue learning goals that support the growth of students... read more 	creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries in brief the work of social justice, equity, and inclusion is not a short-term investment by a limited number of people; instead, it should be a part of every library’s and librarian’s work. at the oregon state university libraries (osul), we felt that in order to create a program dedicated to employing mlis students of... read more 	it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers in brief library workers, as with other professions, are quick to diagnose ourselves and others with imposter syndrome when we doubt or devalue our everyday work.&# ; however, methods of coping with imposter syndrome have changed little in the forty years since the term was first theorized, and often centre on feel-good fixes which do not... read more 	multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries in briefthis article calls for a more holistic and inclusive approach to the under-examined issue of language in libraries. it begins by foregrounding language as a category of difference and arguing for its consideration in discussions of access, equity, diversity, and inclusion. by drawing on literature from applied linguistics and library and information studies, it... read more 	communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd in brief the focus of this article is twofold: it ) considers how digital humanities techniques and methodologies increase accessibility and scholarship opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder; and ) outlines how libraries can collaborate with existing services to provide subsequently appropriate supports for students. autism spectrum disorder (asd), one of the increasingly prevalent... read more 	open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies in brief this selective literature review evaluates open educational resources (oer) efficacy studies through the lens of critical pedagogy. oer have radical potential as transformative tools for critical pedagogy or they can serve as a cost-free version of the status quo, inclined toward propagating austerity. this review analyzes studies published since with regard to... read more 	 		 wordpress 		 https://wordpress.org/ 		 http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org 		 			 			 			 			 				 			 	 none lead pipe publication process – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				lead pipe publication process 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					open peer review lead pipe uses an open peer review model (as described in this article from ). each article has at least one internal reviewer and at least one external reviewer. a publishing editor coordinates peer review to ensure that it is of adequate standard. all draft articles must be submitted and reviewed using google docs. this allows peer reviewers to see and respond to each other’s comments and suggestions, and enables the lead pipe editorial board to ensure that external review has been thorough. we encourage discussion between reviewers as part of the peer review process. this provides more clarity for authors, and also allows reviewers and authors to spark off each other’s ideas. the publishing editor may also share drafts with other members of the editorial board in order to obtain their opinions and feedback. the content of the reviewers’ feedback might include: 	copy edits 	consistency of voice 	soundness of arguments and content 	grammar 	suggestions about related reading or ideas that could be considered in our experience, the best peer reviewers ask helpful questions and identify specific, remediable weaknesses within the article. they also ask encouraging questions, such as: “this makes me think of (x idea). have you considered including that viewpoint in your post?” our open peer review system is designed to ensure articles are well written and based on sound evidence; it is also designed to support authors in writing the best article they possibly can, whilst retaining their own voice. who is involved in publishing an article each lead pipe article has one or more authors, an external reviewer, an internal reviewer and a publishing editor. the author does the hard work of actually writing the article. articles may have multiple authors, but in this case one author must be designated as the primary point of contact for the editorial board. authors are also responsible for identifying an external reviewer. the external reviewer should have some professional connection to or knowledge of the article’s topic, and is expected to provide expert review and constructive feedback. the external reviewer does not necessarily have to be librarian. authors may work with someone they already know or reach out to the professional community. as a rule of thumb, an external reviewer should not be a person with whom the author/s have a direct institutional affiliation; an advisor/advisee relationship; or a longstanding personal relationship. the editorial board is happy to offer guidance in identifying and contacting an appropriate reviewer if needed. the internal reviewer is a member of the editorial board nominated by the board to review the article. the publishing editor is a member of the editorial board assigned to edit, coordinate peer-review, and ensure publication of a particular article. they will often, but not always, also act as the internal reviewer. the publishing editor is also responsible for ensuring the article adheres to the lead pipe style guide. publication and review timeline 	at least twelve weeks before publication date: the editorial board will notify the author that their proposal has been accepted and assign a publishing editor and internal reviewer. the author should begin identifying an external editor, in consultation with the publishing editor. 	at least ten weeks before publication date: submission of the first draft to the publishing editor, internal reviewer, and external reviewer via google docs. 	at least eight weeks before publication date: reviewer feedback is due. 	at least six weeks before publication date: submission of a revised draft to the publishing editor and peer reviewers. this draft should include full text-based equivalents (i.e. tables or lists, in addition to brief alt text) that make any infographics, charts, or other data visualizations perceptible for users of screen readers. the publishing editor and other members of the editorial board can help authors create these equivalents. 	at least four weeks before publication date: reviewer feedback is due. 	two weeks before publication: article finalized according to any further recommendations from reviewers and publishing editor. note that these are minimum standards. authors and reviewers are encouraged to work ahead of these deadlines. if the peer reviewers (internal and external) are not satisfied that an article is of publishable quality after the revised draft is submitted, they may ask for further revisions before publication. if major edits are still needed within a week of your scheduled publication date, publication may be delayed. if there is any difference of opinion between peer reviewers, we will attempt to find consensus; however, the publishing editor has the final say on whether an article is ready to be published. please see the about page for information on open access, copyright, licensing, and article processing fees.   				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 in the library with the lead pipe – page – an open access, peer reviewed journal 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					feb 					 				 				 					symphony bruce					/ comment 				 											teaching with care: a relational approach to individual research consultations 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief although single-session instruction makes it difficult for librarians to build deep relationships with the students they teach, individual research consultations offer great opportunities for these connections to occur. transformational learning and teaching begins with positive, reciprocal student-teacher relationships. unfortunately, these interactions are often tainted by the hierarchical power structures that keep students from... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jan 					 				 				 					charissa powell					/ comments 				 											information privilege and first-year students: a case study from a first-year seminar course using access to information as a lens for exploring privilege 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief this article explores the topic of information privilege and how this concept can be used with first-year students to teach about information literacy and privilege. it is building off the work of a credit-bearing first-year seminar that was taught on this topic and a survey that was conducted after the class was over.... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					dec 					 				 				 					ben robinson					/ comments 				 											no holds barred: policing and security in the public library 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief library and information studies (lis) has traditionally taken a conservative and uncritical approach to security and policing in libraries. the available literature usually adopts one of three frameworks: the liability framework emphasizing risk and its management, the security consultant framework featuring authors with private security or policing backgrounds, and the first amendment framework... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					nov 					 				 				 					sarah lamdan					/ comments 				 											librarianship at the crossroads of ice surveillance 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief information capitalism, the system where information, a historically, largely free and ubiquitous product of basic communication, is commodified by private owners for profit, is entrenched in our society. information brokers have consolidated and swallowed up huge amounts of data, in a system that leaves data purchase, consumption, and use largely unregulated and unchecked.... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					ania dymarz and marni harrington					/ comment 				 											consultants in canadian academic libraries: adding new voices to the story 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief the practice of hiring consultants in academic libraries is widespread, but research on the topic is not. we argue that this practice stems from underlying neoliberal ideals that may disenfranchise library workers. this research is the first to include the experiences and perspectives of library employees to better understand the practice of hiring... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					jade geary and brittany hickey					/ comments 				 											when does burnout begin? the relationship between graduate school employment and burnout amongst librarians 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief burnout issues are of increasing concern for many service professionals, including library and information science (lis) workers; however, the majority of articles addressing burnout in the lis field describe methods of coping with burnout, but do not ascertain trends and preventable factors. the purpose of this study was to identify the percentage of... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					sep 					 				 				 					ashley rosener, emily frigo, susan ponischil, annie bélanger, jacklyn rander and elisa salazar					/ comments 				 											leading from the center: reimagining feedback conversations at an academic library 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief what if we brought the same compassion and learner mindset that we use with students to our interactions with colleagues? inspired by change management through the lens of appreciative inquiry and interpersonal effectiveness, a team of university library faculty and staff developed a series of professional development workshops to establish a shared baseline... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					sep 					 				 				 					mary catherine lockmiller					/ comment 				 											against medicine: constructing a queer-feminist community health informatics and librarianship 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief community health informatics (chi) is rapidly developing as a field of library practice but remains constrained by unexamined definitions of “community”, “health”, and “informatics” as separate and unified terms. this is further complicated by a failure to situate libraries within a history of institutional oppression which continues to work itself out in the... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					aug 					 				 				 					adrienne warner					/ comments 				 											sliding across the database divide with proactive chat help 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief proactive chat help has gained attention in academic libraries for increasing the number of questions from online users. librarians have reported a significant increase in chat traffic, particularly related to research. so far, library websites have been the primary target of proactive chat implementation efforts, leaving subscription databases largely untouched and their users... read more 			 					 	 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					aug 					 				 				 					dylan burns and hailley fargo					/ comments 				 											“all i did was get this golden ticket”: negative emotions, cruel optimisms, and the library job search 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief drawing from survey results and interviews with recent job seekers, this article investigates the effect behind defeatist attitudes, anxieties, resiliency narratives, and intimacies that are central to librarian successes and failures. connecting these narratives with lauren berlant’s cruel optimism, we explore the dangerous attachment lis job seekers have with the field. while library... read more 			 					 	 ‹ previous … next › 				 				 				 			 			 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 style guide – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				style guide 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					purpose of this guide this style guide is intended to (a) to ensure a unified voice and style for all lead pipe articles; (b) provide clarity and support for guest authors; (c) empower new editors to understand and embrace lead pipe’s style and approach; and (d) to provide the most transparent experience possible for authors, editors, and readers of in the library with the lead pipe. general in the library with the lead pipe is a peer-reviewed journal that, over the past several years, has developed a unique voice in library publishing. articles at lead pipe are forward thinking, and while frequently offering criticism, they are intended to help improve our library community. those articles that offer criticism also offer solutions or ideas that are intended to help our communities move toward improvements. tone lead pipe prides itself on publishing well-written articles that use a less formal tone than many other peer-reviewed journals. nevertheless, the quality of our content is comparable. the editorial board and authors at lead pipe are encouraged to write with their own voice. editors remain cognizant of this, and will help authors write articles that fit with this style guide while still remaining true to the author’s unique voice and ideas. we avoid writing in the passive voice whenever possible and, for many articles, encourage authors to write in the first-person. inclusive language your word choice matters. lead pipe requires the use of inclusive language. this includes avoiding describing gender as binary (instead of men and women, use people), avoiding racist, sexist, transphobic, ableist, classist language, and using people-first language when describing disabilities. for more information see: reduce bias in language and the glaad media reference guide, especially the transgender glossary of terms. personal pronouns in line with the use of inclusive language, lead pipe requires the use of a subjects’ preferred pronouns when known. for general singular personal pronouns lead pipe requires the use of singular “they” and “their” (or rephrasing so as to not use a singular pronoun). geographic centricity lead pipe is an international publication. where possible, incorporate a global perspective in the context and arguments of articles (e.g., by considering what the broad international profession should do, not just what the american library association or u.s.-based librarians should do). it is acceptable for an article’s focus to be on one geographic region, but this should be made clear in the article, and avoid phrases like “across the country” without mentioning which country. where there are spelling differences, editors should defer to the standard of the country of the author(s) (e.g., color/colour or realise/realize). references we encourage our authors to read widely and across disciplines as they make their arguments, to be cognizant of the perspectives and positionalities of the sources they reference, and to critically consider perspectives and positionalities that are not reflected in their scholarship. citations there is no uniform citation requirement for articles at lead pipe. however, each article should use a consistent citation style within the piece. articles should contain a list of references, though well chosen links may complement this requirement or even serve as a substitute in some instances, and authors should provide attribution for direct and indirect quotations. footnotes footnotes are a good way to include parenthetical statements. to create a footnote, insert the footnoted text into double parentheses )) ** at the point where you’d like the footnote number to appear. a linked number and footnote will be automatically created. see http://elvery.net/drzax/wordpress-footnotes-plugin punctuation & grammar authors should use appropriate grammar and punctuation, but also avoid writing sentences in which structural elements like punctuation, tense, or subject-verb agreement are likely to draw attention to themselves. acronyms if using acronyms, first use the spelled out acronym and place the acronym as a parenthetical afterwards. throughout the rest of the article you may use the acronym. for example, “college and research libraries news (c&rl news) published its first article in . c&rl news has since published numerous articles each year.” commas lead pipe uses oxford/serial commas. numbers using numbers should be consistent. generally we ask that numbers less than should be spelled out. larger numbers are expressed with numerals. if you’d like to read more about using numbers in your writing take a look at the guidelines outlined by grammar girl. paragraph length paragraphs that consist of a single sentence can be effective if used sparingly. long paragraphs should be avoided. quotations lead pipe follows the following punctuation rules outlined by grammar girl: “in american english, periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation mark; semicolons, colons, asterisks, and dashes always go outside the closing quotation mark; and question marks and exclamation points require that you analyze the sentence and make a decision based on context.” tense tense should be consistent within each paragraph, though tense may change from paragraph to paragraph. formatting for the web in brief each article begins with an “in brief” abstract around -  words in length but no more than words. these statements are currently formatted as a block quote. images, graphics, and tables every infographic, chart, or other data visualization requires a full text-based equivalent (i.e. an html table or list, in addition to brief alt text) that makes the information contained in the image perceptible for all readers, including users of screen readers and those with other visual disabilities. to ensure accessibility, html tables will be used instead of images of tables. the final format of these text-based equivalents will most likely be html tables or lists included as appendices below the article’s references section, with links from the figure’s caption to the textual equivalent and back. the editorial board can help create these perceptible equivalents. images should be no wider than pixels, and should generally be between and pixels wide. if necessary, use an image editor to change the original image’s size before including it in your article, and also use the editor’s “save for web” feature to decrease its file size. using html to resize the image or posting an image whose file size is larger than it needs to be will slow down the website. each article begins with an image that is meant to complement its theme. please be sure to use only images you are allowed to include, and please give credit to its creator. to comply with lead pipe‘s overall licensing, images should be licensed under a creative commons attribution . international license or a license with even fewer restrictions. many lead pipe authors make use of the creative commons-licensed images that have been posted on flickr. note: in order to search creative commons-licensed images, use the link labeled “see more” at the end of each license’s section, not the search box at the top of the page. be sure to credit the image. cc by . requires that:  “you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.” see past articles for examples. using flickr has an added advantage, because flickr provides direct access to pre-sized images that can be served directly from flickr (and flickr has faster servers than lead pipe). from the flickr page for a creative common-licensed image, such as this image entitled “library bookshelf,” check the license linked at the right of the screen to verify its license, then select actions followed by view all sizes at the top of the screen. on the resulting “all sizes” screen, the appropriate image is labeled “medium ( x ).” headers use headers to delineate sections of text. headers are important for the look of articles, but are also an important component to making web published documents readable by accessibility software such as screen readers. start with header and then use headers sequentially after that, i.e., <h >, <h >, <h >, and <h >. hyperlinks since lead pipe is written for the web, using hyperlinks is appropriate and encouraged, especially when readers may not be familiar with the concept being discussed, or its particular context. give hyperlinks unique names and make them descriptive, a practice that is helpful for all readers that also dramatically increases accessibility. hyperlinks should not replace formal references. hyphens, n-dashes, and m-dashes the hyphen found on standard computer keyboard is appropriate when authors wish to use a hyphen. if you are using the html view within wordpress, please use &ndash; when an n-dash is appropriate, and &mdash; when an m-dash is required. within wordpress’s visual editor, use the punctuation page on copypastecharacter.com or copy and past the appropriate punctuation from within a word processor, such as word or google docs. as a style note, we believe that using m-dashes to set off ideas can be effective once or twice per article, but most sentences are clearer without the use of m-dashes. for more information on the use of n-dashes and m-dashes see punctuation matters. spaces when publishing on the web, only a single space is used after periods. block quotes block quotes are used for quotations that are several lines long. they are not used to highlight or reiterate portions of text. block quotes do not use quotation marks. the “in brief” section is currently visually delineated by using block quotes formatting. peer-review acknowledgement at the end of each article, authors acknowledge their peer reviewers and lead pipe editors. the acknowledgement section should be italicized and should appear after the article but before the list of references. other when referring to your writing on lead pipe, refer to it as an article. when first discussing lead pipe, use the journal’s full title, in the library with the lead pipe. this title should be italicized. subsequent mentions of the journal may be abbreviated to lead pipe as has been done throughout this style guide. be consistent when referring to individuals. introduce individuals with first and last name, or simply last name. if you wish to refer to individuals by their first name, first introduce them with first and last name. also give some context as to why you are introducing this person. ignore the category fields in wordpress. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 submission guidelines – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				submission guidelines 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					what we publish we publish high-quality peer-reviewed articles in a range of formats. while we are open to suggestions for new article types and formats, including material previously published in part or full, we expect proposals to include unique and substantial new content from the author. examples of material we would publish include: 	original research with a discussion of its consequences (with or without an argument for action) that makes a unique, significant contribution to the professional literature. 	articles using autoethnography, testimonios, or other accounts of the author’s own experience to analyze, theorize, situate, or otherwise contribute new insights to the professional literature. 	articles arguing for a particular approach, strategy or development in librarianship, with suggestions for how it might be achieved. 	transformative works with additional explanatory or interpretive content. for example, a transcription of an interview or panel discussion, with a substantial introduction explaining the importance of the subject to librarianship and a discussion of related literature. how to propose an article you may propose an article by submitting either an abstract or a complete draft of the article. please submit responses to our framework questions along with your initial proposal. abstracts if you are submitting an abstract, please submit the following to itlwtlp at gmail dot com: 	an abstract of your proposed article. the abstract should be – words. your abstract should ideally both summarize the contribution your article will make and situate that contribution within the existing conversation in library fields. 	your responses to our framework questions. 	a writing sample. please send this either as an attachment or as a link (if the sample is available outside of a paywall or password online). the writing sample lets us experience your writing style and authorial voice. it does not need to be a traditional or formal publication. a blog post, a class paper, or even a draft of a portion of your proposed article are fine. 	a to sentence bio, a resume, or a cv—whichever can highlight the perspective and experience you will bring to your proposal. for proposals with multiple authors, please provide one for each author. drafts if you are submitting a complete draft of an article, please submit the following to itlwtlp at gmail dot com: 	a complete draft of your proposed article. it should be approximately , to , words with citations as appropriate. if submitting a completed article, please ensure it follows our style guide. 	your responses to our framework questions. 	a to sentence bio, a resume, or a cv—whichever can highlight the perspective and experience you will bring to your proposal. for proposals with multiple authors, please provide one for each author. framework questions all proposals, whether submitted as abstracts or as complete article drafts, should be accompanied by responses to the framework questions. your answers to the framework questions are vital for giving the editorial board a stronger sense of your proposed article, your thesis, and what your article would contribute to the professional literature. we are particularly interested in well-written articles that have actionable solutions, and we intend that these questions will help frame your idea appropriately. we expect the framework questions will be answered thoughtfully and completely: 	briefly explain what specific event or experience led you to pursue this topic, what motivates you? how does your positionality or identity inform your relationship to this topic? 	what are the most important things to consider about your topic and why are they the most critical? 	what problem is your article addressing and what actions do you want readers to take after reading it? what do you want your readers to remember after they finish reading your article? 	how can lead pipe help you connect with your intended audience for this article? how is your topic meaningful to someone not in that target audience? 	in what ways does your article build upon and/or contribute to the existing literature? provide sources. depending upon your topic, these citations may be for research on which your article is based; examples of conversations to which you are adding reinforce issues that you’re raising in your article; articles to which yours is responding; conversations to which you are adding; etc. 	if your article involves research on human subjects, have you secured proper permissions and approval to report on this data? please indicate if your article includes images that require permissions to publish. response regardless of whether you submitted an abstract or a complete draft of your article, a member of the editorial board will respond to your message within to weeks. in general, we will make a decision based on how well your proposal seems to fit our goals, content, and style. we will include in our initial decision email any thoughts your submission raised among the editorial board. if your proposal is accepted if we choose to accept your proposal, you will be assigned a publishing editor who will guide you through the lead pipe publication process. please see the about page for information on open access, copyright, licensing, and article processing fees. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 none update your browser | facebook update your browser you’re using a web browser that isn’t supported by facebook. to get a better experience, go to one of these sites and get the latest version of your preferred browser: google chrome mozilla firefox get facebook on your phone stay connected anytime, anywhere. none none creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					jun 					 				 				 					natalia fernández and beth filar williams					/ comment 				 											creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief the work of social justice, equity, and inclusion is not a short-term investment by a limited number of people; instead, it should be a part of every library’s and librarian’s work. at the oregon state university libraries (osul), we felt that in order to create a program dedicated to employing mlis students of color, it was essential to understand the systems and histories of oppression, as well as the culture of whiteness, within our state, our university, our library, and ourselves. while the bulk of this article is dedicated to an in-depth explanation of the development and implementation of our diversity scholars program (dsp) to support mlis students of color, we first share information about our local context, specifically the ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion work within our library, as well as the professional literature that addresses these issues. the purpose of our case study is to provide a roadmap of our program, with lessons learned, for other academic libraries to consider creating a program like ours at their institution. we cover why and how the osul created the dsp, how the program functions, as well as current assessment practices used by the dsp committee to surface the already visible impacts of the program while we work towards the long-term goals of culture and systems change. within the article we have integrated the perspectives of the diversity scholars and the osul university librarian to create a more robust and thorough accounting of the work required to create and launch such a program. by natalia fernandez and beth filar williams introduction  master of library science students, particularly those getting online degrees, need experiences in libraries to better prepare them for their post-mlis careers. offering a concurrent opportunity to gain experience working in a library setting while earning an online degree provides this needed experience to not only obtain a holistic understanding of libraries, but also to focus and discover areas of interest. within the library and archives profession there are various programs and initiatives dedicated to supporting new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians and archivists, programs such as the association of research libraries (arl) kaleidoscope program, the arl/society of american archivists mosaic program, the american library association spectrum scholarship program, and the university of arizona knowledge river program. each of these programs, and other programs like these, offer mlis students of color scholarships or paid employment, mentoring, leadership and professional development opportunities, and career placement assistance. additionally, the association of college and research libraries (acrl) diversity alliance is a group of institutions with post-mlis residency programs also dedicated to supporting librarians and archivists of color to succeed and thrive within the profession. these programs exist as part of various equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives within the library and archives profession on the national level, through both the american library association and the society of american archivists, to address the whiteness of the profession, both in demographics and culture (strand, ). for these initiatives to fully develop and be impactful, institutions on the local level need to understand their culture and environment in order to consider implementation of a program that supports mlis students of color.   on the local level, at the oregon state university libraries (osul), we have hosted numerous mlis students over the years in paid positions, for credit internships, and practicums to offer a variety of work experiences, learning opportunities, and mentorship as they enter into the profession. in the mid- s, as part of the osul’s - strategic plan our institution recognized diversity as a core value with a goal to “sustain an intentional and inclusive organization” and an action item to “increase the diversity of the osu libraries and press workforce.” we recognized that our library had never proactively and systemically engaged in the recruitment, employment, and retention of mlis students of color. however, we also recognized that this was not a box to be checked, and that we needed to think holistically about our libraries’ environment and culture and how it would impact mlis students of color working with us, especially considering that our own library is a reflection of a majority white profession (ala diversity counts). we knew that we could not ignore the implicit and explicit systemic racism, the white supremacy narrative, and whiteness as a culture that exists within our library and is a reflection of our profession and our society.    the work of social justice, equity, and inclusion is not a short-term investment by a limited number of people; instead, it should be a part of every library and librarian’s work. though “it is clear that the information professions are now in the midst of a conversation about whiteness…not everyone is participating, and many remain unaware that the conversation is happening” (espinal et al., p. ). we each need to do our part. hence, it was essential for the osu libraries, especially those of us involved in the process to create a program dedicated to employing mlis students of color, to understand the systems and histories of oppression, as well as the culture of whiteness, within our state, our university, our library, and ourselves. while the bulk of this article is dedicated to an in-depth explanation of the development and implementation of our diversity scholars program to support mlis students of color, we will first share information about our local context, specifically the ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion work within our library, as well as the professional literature that addresses these issues.     who we are both the state of oregon and oregon state university have a dark history in their treatment of people of color as well as lgbtqia communities. past state and local laws excluded people of color from land ownership, prevented marriage between whites and those of other races and ethnic backgrounds, and discouraged immigration and permanent settlement by non-whites. (millner and thompson, ). however, in resistance to the societal and governmental racism endured, indigenous peoples and people of color in oregon formed community and organizational networks to retain and share their cultural heritage. within oregon, there are community archives, such as the portland chinatown museum and the gay and lesbian archives of the pacific northwest, as well as community led groups to research and share history, such as the oregon black pioneers. there are a number of advocacy groups including, but by no means limited to, the native american youth and family center, the urban league of portland, and pineros y campesinos unidos del noroeste. for us, it is essential to understand the history of our state, as well as the current community initiatives occurring in our state, because this is the environment in which our institution and our library exists. the history of and ongoing systemic injustices and white supremacy on the state level is deeply embedded and active on the local level. within the state’s context, osu is a pwi (a predominantly white institution is an institution of higher learning in which people who identify as white account for % or greater of the student enrollment or the institution is understood as historically white) within a predominantly white state. in the academic year, students of color accounted for just over % of the population of just over , students. this number mirrors oregon’s population estimate of % people of color living in the state. however, the faculty and staff from underrepresented groups is very low in comparison. as examples, of the tenure track, instructor, and research faculty, individuals from underrepresented groups range between . - . % and of the professional faculty and classified staff, the range is only slightly higher at about %. (oregon state university strategic plan . metrics - ). the osu libraries on the main campus in corvallis—with two branch libraries, one on the coast and one in central oregon—employs about faculty and staff, along with about student employees. our library matches the university’s demographics in being a predominantly white identifying library staff, though we often have a majority of underrepresented groups in our student employees.  both the osu campus and the library have, and continue to be, engaged in actions to change the whiteness culture. one of the actions brook, ellenwood & lazzaro suggest libraries can take is to “provide library staff with ongoing opportunities to participate in trainings and other professional development activities that build knowledge of their own cultural backgrounds and assumptions, the racial and ethnic diversity of the campus community, and the history of oppression, power, and privilege experienced by various groups” (p. ). in recent years, osu has been engaging with and revealing its history through educational initiatives, such as a building names evaluation and renaming process that renamed buildings originally named after individuals who were white supremacists, as well as the university’s social justice education initiative (sjei) that includes sjei workshops which examine of the existing systemic and institutionalized racism in oregon and at osu, and the workshops ask participants to understand “how did we get here, how do you locate yourself in this story, and why does social justice matter?” osu also has a search advocate program that trains individuals to participate in search committees to promote equity, validity, and diversity on osu searches. “the goals for diversity and inclusion in librarianship must be expanded to include recruitment, retention, and promotion” (espinal et al.,  p. ) and hence why this search advocate program is critical to make changes holistically on our campus. in connection to the osu libraries, the special collections and archives research center was deeply involved in buildings evaluation and renaming process, our library director strongly encourages all library staff and faculty to participate in the sjei workshops as a part of their work, and though not required by the university, the osu libraries strives for all of its searches to have a search advocate and many librarians are search advocates. the continual offerings of social justice trainings, invited library speakers such as dr. safiya umoja noble, and the search advocate community of practice all help continual growth and learning as the majority in our library have participated. we often follow up with discussions at library meetings on how to apply what we learned, helping us to “work collectively to understand racial microaggressions and to mitigate their impact” (brook, et al., p. ). we have also hosted numerous book groups to discuss and grow as espinal et al. states that we must educate our (white) selves through readings (p. ). titles discussed have included waking up white by debby irving and white fragility by robin d’angelo. both book clubs have allowed us to discuss and be self reflective on our own whiteness and changes we could make in our institution and personal work. osu also knows that it has a lot more work to do and recently launched a campaign – we have work to do – pushing this messaging throughout campus, acknowledging there is not one solution or checkbox, but a need for constant reflective practice and concrete actions. additionally, the osu difference, power, and discrimination (dpd) program works with faculty across all fields and disciplines at osu to develop inclusive curricula that address institutionalized systems of power, privilege, and inequity in the united states. several osu librarians have completed this program as well as work collaboratively with professors who teach dpd courses. within the library, librarians on staff have been observant and intentional in making systematic changes within our library classification, working on adding local headings to change controversial and outdated and often racist subject headings. and, librarians have also been collaborating with community groups to host events such as wikipedia editathon: writing pacific northwest african american history into wikipedia – another way the library is attempting to make systematic changes to our inherent whiteness in libraries.  while these initiatives show ways the osu libraries is growing and working towards combating its whiteness, it is essential for the members of any group thinking of beginning a program to support mlis students of color, to not only participate in these initiatives, but to be very self-reflective in their own identities and privilege. before engaging in a process to research, develop, and implement our program, we had to make sure that we did the work to educate ourselves.       beth: as a young child growing up in the baltimore area, i recall my mom saying she was embarrassed to be white and how terrible it was to be black in this county, reflecting on the injustices people of color face daily, taking me to marches or protesting. she was getting her degree while teaching in a head start program in baltimore city schools, learning and being mentored there as one of only two white people in the school. i don’t remember ever not thinking about racism as a problem in america, but i was hopeful others were like me and my family, accepting people for who they are, not thinking about skin color, helping your community and those in need, and accepting that change was slowly happening. as i got older, i began to realize that racism was deeply embedded in all systems, including librarianship. i learned that it is unhelpful to be colorblind, ignoring the hidden systems of whiteness and racism, and instead, action is needed to speak up, call people out, and continually grow myself. as a white cisgendered female tenured administrator and head of the library experience and access department at oregon state university libraries since , i have more power and influence to actually make inroads to changes in our systems. in my over years in libraries i have worked in various places and positions, but mentoring students, especially mlis students, has been part of whatever job i had and is my passion. based on many experiences throughout my career, and especially during my time at the university of north carolina at greensboro with the diversity resident program, i was able to help create our diversity scholars program and continue on as a committee to mentor the scholars, grow the program, and advocate for both.  natalia: as a latinx cisgender woman interested in pursuing a career in librarianship, specifically within special collections and archives, i was overjoyed to learn that in my home area of southern arizona, the university of arizona knowledge river program specialized in educating information professionals regarding the needs of latinx and native american communities. my experiences as an mlis student in the knowledge river program, including the mentorship i received from both librarians of color and white allies, the paid job opportunities offered through the program, the professional development funds to attend conferences, and the overall experience of being in a cohort of supportive peers, all effectively prepared and empowered me to begin my post-mlis career. my primary job as the curator of the oregon multicultural archives and osu queer archives, a position i have held since late , is to collaborate with lgbtqia and communities of color to empower them to preserve, share, and celebrate their stories. within my position, i have supervised numerous graduate students on various archival projects. in , i co-founded the diversity scholars program committee, and i am the supervisor of the diversity scholars. in order to create an environment in which mlis graduate students can thrive, i use both the lessons learned from others within the profession via conference presentations and publications, as well as reflection upon my own experiences as a knowledge river scholar to inform the ways in which i shape the diversity scholars program. over the course of my life i have been both othered and experienced privilege, i have experienced microaggressions and have made mistakes myself. i actively engage in social justice trainings and conversations, as well as recognize that fully understanding my identities is a process and a life-long journey.        due to our previous professional experiences and personal passions, a significant role for both of us is to ensure that the next generation of librarians includes more people of color who are well supported as they start their careers. as there will always be more mlis students, we also see our role as ensuring that the diversity scholars program is holistically integrated into our library so that even if we moved on to other positions in our careers, the program would remain.   literature review there is a great deal of literature on programs similar to the dsp, as well as the need for the profession to recruit and support more librarians of color. while decades worth of literature exists, for the purposes of our review, we will focus on the publications that most inspired and helped shape our program, and we will specifically highlight a few key publications from within the last five years that we feel are must reads for those considering implementing a similar program.  in order to have a foundation of knowledge for ourselves and to effectively advocate for the need for the dsp, we read publications that addressed the profession’s overwhelming whiteness, not just in staffing demographics, but in the profession’s culture of whiteness and the various systems of oppression working in tandem that continue to perpetuate whiteness. as april hathcock aptly states, “it is no secret that librarianship has traditionally been and continues to be a profession dominated by whiteness.” (hathcock, ) additionally, to learn more and see statistics on this read any of the following: galvan, ; bourg, ; beilin, ; roy, et al., ; boyd, et al., ; pho & masland, ; mcelroy & diaz, ; chang, . whiteness permeates numerous aspects of our profession. scholars such as angela galvan ( ) and april hathcock ( ) bring to light the myriad ways whiteness is embedded more implicitly within our profession through our recruitment and job application processes, and they offer excellent methods to interrogate and interrupt whiteness within those processes. jennifer vinopal ( ) builds upon their work by offering various methods for the profession to go “from awareness to action” as her article title notes.  she advocates for libraries, specifically library leaders, to take on action items such as, but not limited to, creating opportunities for meaningful conversations about equity, diversity, and inclusion; include diversity initiatives in strategic plans and ensure time and support for staff to accomplish them; and proactively recruit job candidates and then follow through with mentoring and professional development opportunities. all of these scholars reference how the race and ethnicity demographics of the profession do not match many of the communities we serve and the profession’s continued failure to address institutional cultures that maintain this dynamic. in response to the ongoing imbalance in our professional culture, boyd. et al. ( ) states, “deliberate and strategic action must be taken to recruit, mentor, and retain new librarians from diverse backgrounds to further increase these numbers in the profession.” (p. )  there are various publications detailing the “how tos” of designing residency programs and positions dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and retaining  people of color as part of diversity initiatives to change the demographics of the profession (boyd, blue, & im; mcelroy & diaz; brewer;  chang; pho &  masland; dewey & keally; cogell & gruwell and many more), so we highlight only a few key pieces. while beilin notes that even with the many diversity initiatives of the past and present “the demographics of librarianship have hardly shifted over the last generation,” he follows that statement by saying, “though their absence would presumably make things much worse.” (p. ) however, it’s not just about doing it, it’s about doing it right, so that when we recruit and hire individuals for positions to specifically support people of color, we want to ensure their work environments are such that they can thrive and choose to remain within the profession. if you are going to read one book, the book developing a residency program (practical guides for librarians) is a go-to guide for practical advice on how to develop and manage a library residency program. the book covers the processes to successfully develop, build support for and structure a program; recruitment, hiring, and onboarding; and program assessment as well as ideas for post program support for individuals who continue on in their library careers (rutledge, colbert, chiu, and alston, ).     additionally, there are two must-read research studies that analyze the experiences of diversity residents using both qualitative and quantitative methods to determine overarching recommendations when developing programs like the dsp.  in the first piece “evaluation of academic library residency programs in the united states for librarians of color,” the authors, boyd, blue, and im, implemented two nationwide surveys, one for residents and the other for coordinators, to determine what aspects of their positions and programs were most helpful. the survey respondents included individuals who were currently residents as well as those who had participated in a residency program in decades past and were able to reflect how their experiences shaped their careers. based on the data gathered and analyzed, the authors state that the need for institutional buy-in, a structured and formal mentoring program, the use of cohorts to transfer knowledge, and the need to facilitate socialization for residents, especially to create a sense of belonging and value, are all essential program components. the authors state that it is “[t]hese components [that] benefit the residents in priming them for a career in academic libraries and all of the impending challenges librarians of color face.” (boyd, et al. , p. ) the second must-read publication is jason alston’s “causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for diversity resident librarians–a mixed methods study using herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory.” alston’s dissertation is a deep dive into what works and what doesn’t for a residency program that is post-mlis. alston poses eleven research questions about the quality of experience of the residency with the purpose of the study and results being so current or future residency programs can be improved. his results were similar to the previous study, stressing the need for buy-in from the institution by ensuring a knowledge of who the residents are, as well as what the program is and why it was established; appropriate guidance, support, and mentorship from coordinators, supervisors, and administrators; opportunities for individuals to perform meaningful, challenging, and innovative work that enables them to grow professionally, especially in preparation for future positions; and the need for assessment of the position and program. even though the dsp is not a post-mlis program, the results of both of these studies are still very much applicable to our program. a recurring theme in the literature is the need to create a professional culture and environment for people of color to thrive through mentorship and strong professional networks of support (hankins & juarez, ; boyd, et al., ; vinopal, ; pho & masland, ; mcelroy & diaz, ; dewey & kelly, ; black & leysen, ; brewer, ). mentoring can help with the “culture shock” (cogell & gruwell, ) and “otherness” (boyd, et al., p. ) mlis students of color often feel and it helps them build bridges and connections (dewey & kelly, ). the chapters in the book where are all the librarians of color? the experiences of people of color in academia ( ) provide an amazing compilation of the shared experiences of academic librarians of color, but there are two chapters in particular, chapters and , that address this need. in both chapters the authors stress the need for mentorship and continued support from professional networks so the profession can retain librarians of color who grow and succeed throughout their careers. since the dsp focuses of mlis students of color, we were especially moved by the words of loriene roy ( ) in the book’s preface when she states, “…little attention is given to the experiences of librarians of color as they transition from student to information professional” (vii) and notes that “[m]entorships are often offered as the best answer for facilitating a smooth adjustment into the workplace and further advancement within the field” (p. viii). while roy shares that “[t]here is no single route to changing the characteristics of the workforce” (p. vii), a program like the osul diversity scholars program is one of many routes that academic libraries can pursue as part of their various initiatives to change our professional culture of whiteness so it is more diverse and inclusive.      overview of the diversity scholars program (dsp) after much research and conversation, the oregon state university libraries (osul) decided to create a program to support a cohort of mlis students of color who were enrolled in an online degree program. the reasons for making this decision were context-dependent and informed through conversations within the larger academic librarian community, consulting the literature, and determining what was fiscally feasible. after nearly three years of research, committee meetings, and planning, the osul diversity scholars program started with its first scholar in january , hosted its second scholar beginning in october of that same year, and is currently hosting its third scholar who began in october .    established in and implemented in , the diversity scholars program provides its diversity scholars with experiences in the librarianship areas of their choosing, along with opportunities for professional development, scholarship, and service within an academic library setting. the dsp at our academic library aims to contribute to creating a more diverse and inclusive library sciences field by providing mlis students of color career opportunities in academic and research libraries and archives. the dsp committee works to provide extensive support and mentorship for scholars who are pursuing their master of library and information science degree online while additionally providing paid, hands-on experience within the profession to broaden their professional opportunities after completion of their graduate degree. the diversity scholars are expected to engage in the primary assignment duties of an academic librarian. scholars are given the opportunity to experience the full scope of an academic library, working in all of our departments – from technological and public services to archives and meeting with administrators – to then be able to determine their area(s) of focus.   our scholars have engaged in a variety of experiences. they have worked with students in the library’s undergraduate research and writing studio, taught library information sessions and workshops, tabled at events such as student welcoming and oer faculty initiatives, worked the reference desk and online chat, compiled and analyzed library data, and participated in library-wide as well as relevant departmental and project meetings. as a part of developing their scholarship, the scholars have attended and presented at local oregon conferences, national ones like ala, and even an international conference. they have also served on a variety of library committees such as the library awards committee, search committees, and the library employee association. we make sure the scholars know that their mlis studies come first and they are strongly encouraged to use their work experiences for class projects. the flexibility in their schedules allows for support when and how they need it. as a conclusion to their position appointments, we mentor the scholars through the job search process. additionally, each scholar experiences the annual review process, which includes self-reflection and goal setting, and they are asked to assess their experience of the program itself.  we have strived to be mindful of isabel espinal’s statement that, in our case, the diversity scholars, “should not have to choose between technological focus [or any area of interest to them] and a diversity focus: both are future oriented and work well together. open access projects are a good example, as are digital/data curation roles and media/digital literacy efforts.” (p. ). while encouraged, like all faculty and staff in our library, to participate in equity, diversity, and inclusivity projects, trainings, and initiatives, it is always the scholars’ specific interests that determine which projects they choose. there are cases in which their interests and this work overlap. for example, one scholar interested in the work of archivists asked to participate in the wikipedia edit-a-thons, and the other scholars interested in teaching and engagement were excited for the opportunity to participate in the university’s mi familia day for the latinx community. if the opportunities align with the scholars’ interests and project capacity, we support it, otherwise, they do not participate and are not asked to participate. it is essential for this to be communicated and emphasized by the supervisor. natalia, as their supervisor, shares her own personal experiences with the scholars to express that because of her job, she is often invited to participate in numerous initiatives, and though she appreciates being asked, she will sometimes choose to decline involvement – and that’s okay. however, it is important to recognize the vulnerable position an mlis student employee may be in, feeling like an invitation is a directive or wanting to get as much experience as possible, even when it is overwhelming. therefore, consistent and regular conversations are key to talk with scholars about their interests, especially as they change or focus over time, and it is imperative for the scholars to know that their supervisor is their advocate and can say “no” on their behalf if that is helpful.   a part of our program that is still in development, in part because it is still relatively new, is creating a robust cohort, one in which the scholars have opportunities to work together and act as peer mentors. in our particular experience so far, with only two scholars hired at one time, due to non-overlapping schedules and differing areas of professional interest, an active cohort has not yet come to fruition. additionally, in a recent remodel of the library, we decided – with input from the scholars – that instead of creating a shared workspace for the scholars to work together, they should receive individual cubicle spaces as do our other library faculty and staff. while we want the scholars to have flexibility in their schedules and agency in their own professional development, based on their feedback, we are considering ways to create a more formal structure, such as set regular group meetings and shared readings for discussion, in which collaborations and relationships can develop. notably, we do know that each new scholar contacted the previous scholar to chat with them about the program prior to applying.  the purpose of our case study is to provide a roadmap of our program, with lessons learned, for other academic libraries to consider creating a program like ours at their institution. our case study describes the research, program development, implementation, and future plans for the dsp. we will cover why and how the osul created the dsp, how the program functions, as well as current assessment practices used by the dsp committee to surface the already visible impacts of the program while we work towards the long-term goals of culture and systems change. within the article we have integrated the perspectives of the diversity scholars and the osul university librarian to create a more robust and thorough accounting of the work required to create and launch such a program.   charge & research, it is important to note that our program stemmed from the top down, as getting administration buy-in is one critical piece and we had an advocate in our leadership. in february , we met with our library director, faye chadwell, donald and delpha campbell university librarian, and asked her to reflect upon her reasons for championing a program like the dsp five years ago. reflecting on the start of her own career in her first position as reference librarian in the late s managing a mlis graduate fellowship for underrepresented groups at the university of south carolina, she noted that the issues are still existing today. over the years, chadwell continued to see the positive impacts of the usc fellows program, and other programs like it. when she became library director of the osu libraries in , she finally had the power to implement a program to support students of color within the library profession, and she sought to do so. in the spring of , our university librarian charged a team of three librarians with investigating the options that the library had to create a diversity resident librarian position. we sought to create a position to promote diversity within the profession, reflect the changing demographics among our students, and to increase opportunities for diverse candidates to explore academic librarianship. beth, a newly hired department head at osul, had come from an institution with an established diversity resident program and had worked with three different residents while there. her experience and connections at the university of north carolina at greensboro helped get the team going with researching the concept.  the team began with an environmental scan of diversity residency programs within academic libraries. luckily, through the gracious sharing of the acrl residency interest group who had already compiled a spreadsheet of academic library residencies, the team quickly got started. using the spreadsheet, we each dove into a section to research more information we needed from the list of schools and programs, both looking online as well as contacting librarians at those institutions directly. we noticed most residencies are post-mlis with a few exceptions, such as the university of arizona knowledge river program that focuses on current mlis students. we also discovered two interesting initiatives we could glean from: nufp and kaleidoscope. the nationwide student affairs program nufp (naspa’s undergraduate fellows program) states “by mentoring students from traditionally underrepresented and historically disenfranchised populations, this semi-structured program diversifies and broadens the pipeline of our profession.” established in as the arl initiative to recruit a diverse workforce, renamed arl kaleidoscope in , its goal is “diversifying the library profession by providing generous funding for mlis education and a suite of related benefits, including mentoring, leadership and professional development, and career placement assistance.” the short term imls funded project ala ran in - called discovering librarianship selected early career librarians as field recruiters, to recruit ethnically diverse high school and college students to careers in libraries. we realized, recruitment must begin with underrepresented groups into an lis program (mcelroy & diaz, , p. ; pho & masland, , p. ). this research and these programs helped guide us in our research to think beyond a post-mlis position.  from our research, we realized that talking to current and former residents themselves about their experiences was crucial. having personal connections with former residents from uncg, beth reached out and set a few virtual conversations. the team also reached out to residents, as well as some residency coordinators. these conversations offered a variety of perspectives on barriers potential programs might face, and also helped illuminate ways the residents and institutions benefitted from the programs. many residency programs, alliances, and interest groups were examined to inform the team about the typical structure and components of such programs. we also read blog posts, book chapters, and articles written by former diversity residents to provide insight into the varied experiences of individuals who have participated in programs like these.   after our six months of research, and as part of our initial charge, the team wrote a short report for the university librarian and library administration management and planning group to share their findings and offer recommendations about what might work best for our library. although we offered two options—a post mlis diversity resident program and a concurrent mlis student diversity resident program—we recommended the latter based upon feedback from current and former resident scholars, along with the makeup of already existing opportunities within librarianship. the recommendation would work to both encourage osu undergraduates to consider an mlis degree as well as find and support local mlis students of color, not post-graduates, to apply. because oregon has no in-state library masters programs, we could offer a praxis opportunity for those locally getting an online master’s degree, and focus recruitment on our local community, especially within our own undergraduate library student employees. as roy said in the summary of spectrum scholars experience, “the single most predictive indicator for choosing to enter a lis program was prior experience working in a library.” (roy, et al., ) additionally, because the literature states, “solo library residents can find their residencies to be overwhelming and isolating experiences, especially in the case of diversity library residents” (boyd, et al., , p. ) and other scholars mention the need for cohorts rather than solo experiences as well (alston;  hankins & juarez; perez & gruwell; dewey & keally), we strongly recommended that the program be cohort based; and, if not more than one person could be hired at time, the hires’ appointments would at least overlap to offer opportunities for peer mentorship and collaboration. our library administration agreed, and a call went out to recruit volunteers for the next phase of the dsp creation process. by november , a dsp committee had been formed; it consisted of two members from the original team that wrote the report, as well as three new members, including natalia.  as part of our recent interview with the university librarian we asked her the following two questions: what advice would you offer administrators who are unsure about starting a program like the dsp? what advice to librarians would you offer so they can advocate a program like the dsp to their administrators? based on our conversation, as well as our own experiences in the research phase, below are some lessons learned:  	determine the library’s priorities regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion (edi) work: 	a commitment to edi initiatives cannot be a box that is checked off or a one-off program or workshop; the work needs to be integrated into all departments with a systematic and cultural shift. 	with edi initiatives as a priority, then the entire library administration and staff need to dedicate resources and time to concrete action items to move those initiatives forward. administrators can charge and support a group to conduct research and offer options for what would work best in their institutional context to support mlis students of color.   	if there is pushback from some within the library that ask why the entire library is spending so much time and energy on a few people who are not permanent, there needs to be administrative support and an overall library culture that understands and advocates for these positions because they are for the greater good of the institution and the profession.  	do your research:	seek out literature specifically written by scholars of color; and, beyond reading the literature, try reaching out to people who have been in residencies for advice. attend webinars or panels of residents/scholars and talk with library program coordinators. review the acrl diversity standards for cultural competencies for academic libraries. 	ask yourselves: what is happening in your campus community? what resources, partners, funding already exist? 	consider all possible options and potentially a phased approach if funding or buy-in is not completely there yet. don’t be afraid to pilot it or experiment.   	seek administrative support as well as advocates within your library staff:	whether you are library staff or an administrator, informally chat with colleagues about your research to gauge their interest and capacity, as well as plant the seeds for them to support future scholars. it is not a glorified internship; a scholar is to be treated as a colleague. getting advocates and buy-in from all departments is critical since not only are administrations involved in the decision making but library staff will be working with the scholars.  	determine what motivates your administrator – is it data? is it values? what does it mean for the library, campus, community? administrators tend to be competitive; one approach can be to frame the creation of a program at your institution as the opportunity for them to be the “first” or a “model” for other institutions.     	ask your administrator to talk to other library administrators about their approaches, what worked and what did not, for creating and funding these positions.  development, november – december during the research phase, we were especially inspired by april hathcock’s article “white librarianship in blackface: diversity initiatives in lis” in which she explains how diversity programs, especially the application process, are coded to promote whiteness, and the need to mentor early career librarians in both navigating and dismantling whiteness within the profession. the full cycle of our program was critically important: our recruitment and application process to encourage people of color to pursue a career in librarianship, the program experience itself to include a strong mentorship competent, support in the job search for program participants, and continued support in the post-mlis experience. with this insight, the dsp committee officially launched in november , with weekly meetings beginning in january . the committee’s task was to pick up where the previous group’s work left off and develop a plan to make the proposal for a program a reality. the main “to dos” included brainstorming the program logistics, creating a position description, and planning recruitment strategies. committee members reviewed the previous group’s report, read key pieces of literature on residency programs, and reviewed a variety of existing residency program position descriptions. we also spoke with our university’s office of equity and inclusion and human resources department about the creation of this type of position, especially for someone who would have been enrolled in an out of state graduate program while employed for osu. we created a space on our library’s wiki to document the committee’s work. beyond the administrative aspects of the program, we also used time in meetings to allow for discussion, growth, understanding and sometimes emotional releases as we supported each other to unpack the systematic whiteness found embedded in so much we do.  together, we brainstormed the ways in which we could best frame and implement our program to address the issues hathcock addresses, both in the short- and long-term vision of the program. we asked ourselves “what would success look like for this program, in both the short- and in the long-term?” we knew that - years from now, we would still want the program to exist, for the program participants to be connected, and for the program to be so embedded in our library that it would outlive us in our positions.  in order to more fully develop our program ideas, the committee decided to develop a one-time paid -week undergraduate student internship during the summer of . the internship experience served as a pilot for our proposed program and based on the questions raised and discussions we had, the dsp committee further developed the program structure and developed recruitment ideas. some initial insights included:  	we learned that it would be ideal to have more than one scholar at a time. however, we knew that we would have to balance this desire with our budget and attempt at least some overlap in the position time periods.  	we determined that if we wanted to hire mlis students, we could realistically only hire them to work hours per week so they could also attend school full time if they chose to do so.  	additionally, knowing that graduate students often want to take an internship, catch up on classes, or vacation in the summer, we did not want to have them locked into a -month position so we considered a shorter time frame with the ability to come back for a second year.  we settled on a position that would be a -month appointment, but only weeks of work during that time period, that could be renewed for a second -month appointment for a total program length of months, with the option for an extension. this year and a half could potentially have a -month break in between if scholars chose to do a summer internship elsewhere or potentially do a special project internship in our library. we aimed for flexible schedules for the varying needs of our scholars—and spoke with our university librarian to also be able to add an extra months if needed to assist scholars until graduation. in addition to their salary and full health care benefits, they receive $ in professional development funds to attend conferences or other relevant activities.  the dsp committee also had a lengthy discussion about offering benefits with a half-time position. our university librarian gave us a set amount of funds for the positions using soft money that could be spent at her discretion. we had to consider that since benefits through the university would mean % of the salary, the take home pay we could offer the scholars would be lower than a position without full benefits. it was disappointing to lower the salary but offering benefits seemed the socially just thing to do; and the fact that our scholars would be taking online degree programs not within our state, they generally would not be offered health care benefits from their schools. the scholars are part time; if they were full time, they would make less than an entry level position within the osul. we hoped with added benefits of our program, it would outweigh the lower salary even though the cost of living in corvallis, oregon is fairly high. we also hoped once the program was running, we could get more permanent funds and offer a higher salary.  to develop the diversity scholar position description, we used the template for library faculty positions. the ds position description is formatted as it is for our tenure-track librarians; the scholars would have a “primary assignment” but also service and scholarship components, divided at %, %, and % respectively. the expectation was for them to attend library-wide and relevant departmental meetings, serve on library committees and searches, attend and present at conferences, and participate in other relevant professional development activities. we would offer the scholars adequate funds toward these professional development activities such as traveling to conferences or workshops. as diversity scholars, they would each have their own cubicle space and be treated as colleagues. the next portion of our program development, which was the most time consuming, was working with the university human resources team to determine what classification our scholars would be. over the course of the spring and summer of , we researched classification options and spoke with various hr folks to ensure the classification we selected included health care coverage options, were paid via a stipend to offer scheduling flexibility, had a streamlined hiring and reappointment process, and could include additional money for professional development activities via the library.  we created an internal report with our new information and began sharing our idea of the program with library administration and other colleagues, to grow an understanding of the goals for the program, and to seek advice and ideas to strengthen the program. the goal was to have the majority of the departments in the library represented by members of the committee, who serve as advocates for the program, as well as mentors and personal contacts for the scholars. the committee would assist in recruiting potential scholars and send weekly updates to the library’s administrative group to keep them excited and updated about the program. we began attending library-wide administrative meetings and library management team meetings during the late fall. we especially sought the support of department heads to ensure communication to their departments and hear any concerns. with a finalized budget, we received approval from the university librarian in fall to move forward with the recruitment and hiring process for our first scholar.    we developed an application process that focused on relationship building with potential applicants and presented as few barriers as possible. rather than a competitive process, we wanted to cultivate mutual interest. we developed a pre-application requirement to have an in-person or video call meeting with a member of the diversity scholars program committee to share information about the program, answer any questions the potential applicant may have, offer our assistance with applications for mlis programs, and importantly, give the potential applicant an opportunity to get to know us. the application process requires a resume and cover letter with reference contact information, but no letters of recommendation since obtaining letters can be prohibitive for potential applicants and the committee preferred to have the opportunity to speak directly with references. references can be professors, employers, and/or community mentors, broadly defined.        all libraries conduct their budgeting differently; in our case we did not have a set budget for the program (other than the salary and professional development). because we devoted the time and energy to speaking with department heads one-on-one, presenting at faculty and staff gatherings, and updating the library management team to share information about the dsp before the program began, a significant amount of buy-in existed to support the program. therefore, when we made particular asks to use existing departmental budgets that aligned with what we needed, departments were willing and eager to be supportive. our emerging technologies and services department bought the scholars’ laptops and other equipment; our teaching and engagement department provided office supplies and cubicle space; our library administration covered the costs of printing promotional brochures; and our library experience and access department covered nametags and business cards. budgeting in this way adds to the buy-in for all departments—now the dsp is integrated into all departments.  promotion and recruitment were the next steps, and for us, that meant local. we started simply and inexpensively, using word-of-mouth marketing to recruit through the library staff, library student employees, campus partners who work with students of color, and reaching out to osu library alums, such as former student workers. we reached out to the emporia state university mlis hybrid program in portland to ask if there were any students coming into the program who would be a good match for the dsp and lived within a commutable to corvallis area. using an easily editable libguide from springshare as our dsp website, along with our current internal wiki space for the communication and documentation of the committee, we began our recruitment and promotion. we also began creating a brochure in-house with student designers. because we do not have the funds to assist with relocation costs, the committee felt it would be a disservice to ask someone to move to corvallis with no promise of assistance with moving costs. at least for the start of the dsp, we purposely refrained from advertising the program too broadly, and instead focused on geographically local promotion and recruitment. therefore, our recruits have been students who are already living in the corvallis commuter area. we wanted to start small, develop effective strategies and models for the first few years, with the plan to expand our recruitment as the program gr ws, and more broadly promote the program through various networks such as the oregon library association and the reforma oregon chapter. another challenge to recruitment is that because there is no in-state mlis program in oregon, the students we are recruiting into the profession pay out-of-state tuition costs. therefore, it is essential for us as a committee to not only let students know of scholarship opportunities, but to actively help them in the application process—which we have done with some success. so far, the first two diversity scholars have been selected as ala spectrum scholars, and the third scholar has received several scholarships.  lessons learned  	be prepared to have conversations with hr. the hr process on campus takes a long time—plan for it, including talking to multiple people in hr, doing your own research around campus for position types, and being creative! though the role of hr will vary at different institutions, this is as much a critical piece as other phases, as for a truly socially just position you must make sure you get the right category in your institution’s structure; and also stick to your values and push back when you need to and can.  	connect with in-state library school masters programs for a potential collaborative partnership and help advertise your program when people are applying to their program; also learn how they recruit. if your state does not have an in-state library school master’s program, connect with online programs; determine if any of their students are local to your geographic region or if they can pass the word to their students directly.  	consider your existing campus partnerships, especially those who work with undergraduate students of color, who can serve as advocates and recruiters for your program. your current and former library student employees are perfect for these conversations too.  	benefits and professional development funding matters. be consistent with the edi values of the program so it does not seem like an exploitation; for us that meant not creating a part-time position with no benefits and no professional development funds. even if your administration is on board with the position, you might still have to push for these specifics.      implementation, january – present as we shifted into the implementation phase of the program in january , we recruited our first scholar via word of mouth – she was a local, former osu student, and she was already accepted into an online library master’s degree program. we heard about our first scholar, marisol moreno ortiz, through a contact in the university’s educational opportunities program. we reached out to invite her to meet up and talk about this new program we were growing. knowing it was a program we were just developing and might need iterations, we were looking for our first scholar to take the plunge with us. having existing relationships and trust already established from marisol’s use of the library as an osu alum made it an easy transition for us all. she knew and loved our libraries and was excited for the opportunity to work with us as she learned and grew through her online program.  an essential part of the program implementation was to identify the point person for the program. it made sense for natalia, as the committee co-chair who was already tenured, to serve in the role. in preparation for the role, she attended manager and supervisor trainings offered by the university and had numerous conversations with colleagues who are supervisors to learn from them as well. as a tenure track faculty member, she participated in the library’s formal mentoring program as a mentee, and after being tenured, served as a mentor. she received a pay raise for supervisory work, and now helps facilitate the day to day details of the program like working with hr, facilitating committee meetings, and supervising the scholars. as program coordinator she also leads the way with the mentorship, meeting weekly with the scholar and helping guide them, pulling in the committee as needed. this mentorship takes time, with a lot of informal conversations to help the scholar navigate the system of a large library. since the overall goal of the program is to allow flexibility for the scholar while they get to sample the library as a whole, seeing all parts and pieces to help determine areas they are more interested in learning more about, developing departmental buy-in has been key to the success of this program. the program coordinator is also the key communicator and advocate. natalia keeps the library’s administration, including department heads, updated regularly on the program, and meets both formally and informally with them to ensure the projects and activities of the scholars in other departments are going well. she sometimes meets directly with the university librarian, which sometimes includes an “ask” for special funding or other changes.   the program is set up on a rotation for the first quarter through about six departments (instruction, public services, emerging technologies, acquisitions and cataloging, special collections and archives, and administration). as we are on a -week quarter system, we divide the first term for the scholars so that the first week or two the scholar starts their onboarding, and then they rotate through a department for either one or two weeks. the goal of these weeks is to soak in what each department does, how individual staff or units play a role, to observe and shadow, and to reflect and ask questions. as they get to know the departments and the staff, they inherently learn about projects, processes, tasks and activities of interest to them. then, throughout the rest of their appointment, the scholars have the autonomy to determine which projects, and in which departments, they would like to pursue. a scholar is not tied to one department or project for the rest of their time at osu, so while the initial rotation period may seem relatively short, they have adequate time to dive deep into various areas over their time at osu libraries. until their official email and calendar is set up, we use a google doc to create a schedule for the department heads to choose a week, and the staff to invite the scholar to meetings, appointments, visits, shadowing, q&a, observing, or events. we use the dsp committee to help advocate in our individual departments with support from the library leadership team. getting all department heads on board is critical. the scheduling begins before the scholar starts so we have many learning opportunities set up in advance. scholars typically meet one-on-one with staff and faculty within a department to learn more about what they do, as well as attend unit and departmental meetings.  after this first term of rotation, the scholars begin picking projects or areas they want to immerse more heavily into for future terms. the dsp supervisor chats with the scholar about their project preferences, as well as colleagues and department heads to determine capacity, and then facilitates conversations to ensure a mutually beneficial experience. for example, if the scholar wants instruction and outreach experience, we have conversations with the teaching and engagement department about opportunities that could match each scholar’s interest. because the scholar is on a -month appointment with the option for a reappointment, we discuss the timing of opportunities not only for projects, but for service and professional development as well.  while the program is structured to treat the scholars as colleagues of our academic librarians, the reality is they are not being paid at that level, so while we want them to have the same experiences as academic librarians, it is essential for us to not use them to cover the duties of someone at a much higher pay scale. we try to find the balance to this by making sure that the activities and projects the scholars take on are of their choosing and help them in building the resume they want that will benefit them in their future career. we discuss what types of positions they would like to have, look at job postings to determine what qualifications are required and preferred, and set out to develop opportunities to create relevant experiences for them. additionally, one of the main priorities of the dsp committee is to be their advocate while also empowering them to advocate for themselves. we have conversations with them about the politics of not only the inner workings of our library, but of the profession as a whole.  something that occurred with our first diversity scholar that we have begun to replicate, and intend to continue to do with future scholars, is to assist with the job search process. our first scholar graduated in the month of may and her appointment with the dsp was set to end in the month of june. together, we determined that the best use of the her time during her last weeks in the program was to search for and apply for jobs. essentially, her job became to find a job. we discussed what types of jobs she desired, sent her postings, reviewed her resume and cover letters, prepped her for phone and on-campus interviews, and debriefed interview experiences. as their supervisor, natalia wrote letters of recommendation and served as a reference. she is currently employed at a community college library. our second scholar’s appointment ended several months prior to her graduation, but the same process applied. even after moving out of state, the dsp has kept in communication to support her job search process as she completes her mlis program later this year. the current diversity scholar will graduate in . while there is the possibility of our scholars’ positions turning into permanent positions, the dsp committee has discussed how this could be accomplished in a more proactive matter. to date, we have had to balance the osul positions available at the time of the diversity scholars’ appointment end date and the interest of a diversity scholar in those positions.  assessing the dsp and measuring its success there are many ways to measure success. when we spoke with our university librarian about her view of success, she expressed that since our program is so new, we need time to truly assess its value and its effect on the multi-generations within our library setting; we need to ask ourselves if our library culture is shifting and growing along with the scholars. additionally, she posed questions such as: is success just a good experience in the program? is it a high number of interviews for a job? is it about quick job placement? is it whether or not they find employment in an area of their choosing? is it long-term retention in the profession? what about how the program impacts each individual scholar: how do they measure success for themselves? moreover, how does the program, specifically the scholars’ projects and accomplishments, add value to the library? is it all of these elements combined? because the systematic whiteness of our profession has been ongoing for so long, the difficulty in assessing the impact on the field of librarianship literally will just take time (alston, , p. )  in order to document the many measures of success of our program we are continuously working on developing and implementing meaningful assessment. as of now, we ask the scholars to maintain reflective journals and write self-evaluations of their work, and as their supervisor, natalia seeks input from their peers. we survey the scholars’ project supervisors and department heads who observed or worked with the scholar while in their units, both about the program and about the scholar. the scholars also give a presentation at the end of their appointment to the entire library staff about their experiences in the program. we use all the feedback gathered to evolve and improve the program experience for our next scholars.  the dsp scholars and their perspectives on the program our first diversity scholar completed her -month appointment in the program in june of , our second scholar wrapped up her appointment in march of , and our third scholar started in october of . at least scholars overlap each other in their appointments. all three of the diversity scholars – marisol moreno ortiz, bridgette flamenco (née garcia), and valeria dávila gronros – are latinx women in their mid-to-late s, and two of the three scholars were library student employees and osu undergrads. a section of the dsp website titled “meet the osul diversity scholars” includes short biographies of each scholar. the first two scholars chose to focus on teaching and engagement, as well as public services activities, and our third scholar has an interest in archives, specifically audio/visual materials.  in mid-march of , we conducted a focus group with the three scholars to assess the dsp, from their collective perspective. it was the first time all three were together to provide feedback about the dsp. while our third scholar was only six months into her appointment, the first scholar had already finished up the program and graduated and the second was ending her time with us in two weeks to relocate and wrap up her online degree. even though we had already asked them to reflect on the dsp as part of their individual self-reflections, we wanted an opportunity for the three of them to connect and have ideas flow between them while we listened first and then conversed together about their experiences. we explained that their collective responses would be used as part of this article. we asked them to share their thoughts on the positive aspects of the program, what could be improved, and what “success” looks like for the dsp. we took notes and compiled their collective responses.  it is essential for us to acknowledge that there was a power differential between us and the scholars that more than likely hindered their responses, especially any negative feedback they may have had but did not feel comfortable sharing. because of our roles, we are in a position to act as references and write letters of recommendation for them. while it may have worked better to have someone else conduct the focus group, the scholars would still know that what they expressed would be shared with us and due to their unique experiences within the dsp, their responses could still have been identifiable. while we wanted to include their perspectives as a part of this article and the focus group was the method we used, moving forward we will work on different approaches to gathering feedback. additionally, this is why it is so important for anyone who coordinates a program like the dsp or would like to start a program, to read the previous literature as well as qualitative and quantitative studies on a larger sample of scholars that does not identify them. by reading other perspectives outside of your institutions, you can gain a better understanding of the issues that may be impacting the people within programs like the dsp that for many reasons, may not be able to fully share their experiences and thoughts with their colleagues and supervisors.     for the focus group discussion, we asked three questions: what were some of your positive experiences about the program? what do you wish would have been different about the dsp and should be changed? what do you consider “success” for the dsp? below are their collective responses:  what were some of your positive experiences about the program? one scholar expressed her appreciation that the program is structured so that each department is willing and ready to support the scholars and the program: she recognized the buy-in from all of the departments and how willing people were to work with her and train her. she also appreciated the opportunity to meet with our university librarian, to be able to talk with her to receive career advice from someone in a high-level administrative position. two of the scholars agreed that the autonomy and scheduling flexibility offered by the program enabling them to choose and develop their own projects, and for colleagues to offer them projects, was a positive for them. to expand on this idea, one scholar noted how helpful it was to be able to connect her dsp work to her mlis courses and vice versa; both experiences were enriched. an unexpected positive was how they appreciated access to osul resources, interlibrary loan for example, that they were not able to obtain from the libraries connected to their online mlis programs. all of the scholars noted how invaluable the professional development opportunities were to them, especially the opportunity to travel to regional and national conferences, and in one case, an international conference. they indicated that they would not have had the resources to attend conferences without the funds provided by the dsp. they expressed how much they learned in terms of navigating professional conferences, networking, and experiencing new cities.      what do you wish would have been different about the dsp and should be changed?  all three scholars noted that the monthly stipend is low but did state that a paid position helped them cover the costs of their graduate programs. additionally, all three scholars had recommendations for improving the structure of the program including: a recommendation that the program be extended, perhaps to a -month appointment or even a full two years to coincide with the time it takes to complete their mlis degree; the request to be paired with an official mentor within a department of their choosing to receive more dedicated support in their areas of interest; the idea to create a visual timeline of a scholar’s appointment with expectations, goals, and outcomes, broken down showing the program as a whole.  it was pleasing to hear that some of the recommendations offered were already in place. for example, our first scholar noted that her first ten weeks were very overwhelming—something she expressed during her time in the program. for our next two scholars we took great care to ensure their onboarding period was much more manageable. our most recent scholar requested that we offer them more opportunities to not only attend conferences, but to present at them. our first two scholars indicated that the program does encourage this, but more so in the second year and that this was beneficial since by their second year, they had more experience and confidence.       before moving on to the final question, natalia stated that she and beth always envisioned the dsp being a cohort program, but that the focus group was the first time all three scholars were together. she stated that now that there are three dsp scholars who have completed or are currently in the program, and as the program continues to expand, we can create more of a cohort environment. she asked how they would like to see that accomplished. they offered a number of great suggestions including: developing more structured meeting opportunities, especially as part of the onboarding process; offering opportunities to connect with past scholars, via conference calls if in-person gatherings is not an option; and creating a mentorship program within the dsp itself so that each scholar mentors the scholar hired after them.  what do you consider “success” for the dsp? perhaps not surprisingly, all three scholars described success in relation to their employment: this includes mentorship for navigating the job search process, securing employment in their areas of interest, and long-term retention in the profession. one of the scholars expressed a part of the program’s success is how, through experience, the program gives the scholars an understanding of an academic work environment. additionally, she noted that the scholars enter the profession with an extensive network of individuals they can call upon when needed. and lastly, and perhaps most touching to us, one of the scholars shared that the program helped her build her professional library identity and helped her see herself as a librarian.  plans for the future  even in just a few years, more opportunities exist than when we started, for us as program coordinators and for our scholars to build community. the arl diversity alliance is in full swing and as members of that group, we are slowly learning the benefits (e.g. our scholars are now part of a slack channel just for current residents), and we have seen the residency interest group of acrl grow. the opportunity to connect with other resident coordinators was a big plus in august , when natalia attended the first ever library diversity and residency studies (ldrs) conference in greensboro, north carolina. the conference focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in libraries, including but not restricted to library diversity residency programs. the conference was hosted by unc greensboro in collaboration with the acrl diversity alliance and the association of southeastern research libraries (aserl). the ldrs brought together individuals from academic and public libraries, lis programs, and other interested groups. natalia gave a presentation on the dsp as part of the panel “best practices in establishing library diversity residency programs.” in the spring of , the group that organized the conference published the first issue of the new journal the library diversity and residency studies journal which will no doubt become an excellent resource now and in the years to come.   our plan is to continue to support and mentor our past and current diversity scholars, and we look forward to seeing what comes next for them and are excited to begin recruitment for our fourth scholar. as more people participate in the program, we hope to build a strong network among our diversity scholars. notably, we—the two of us and the three diversity scholars—were accepted to write a chapter about the osul dsp for the upcoming book learning in action: designing successful graduate student work experiences in academic libraries. additionally, we are in conversation with our university librarian to secure permanent funding for the positions and raise the salary. we plan to work on ways to re-envision and expand the assessment of the program’s impact both for the library and for the scholars themselves. we also need to continue to practice as well as expand strategic and proactive recruitment; we have plans this year to connect with various groups on campus to speak directly with undergraduate students about the possibility of working in libraries, archives, and other cultural heritage institutions as a potential career path. in order to ensure the program’s sustainability, we will not take our existing buy-in from colleagues for granted and will continue to advocate for the program. a long-term vision is to grow our program as a model that can be replicated in other academic libraries in oregon and the pnw, perhaps through the orbis cascade alliance, to form a much larger cohort. through poster presentations by our scholars and committee members at oregon and pacific northwest library conferences we are slowly increasing awareness.  conclusion as angela galvan powerfully states, “while recruiting initiatives and fellowships are reasonable starting points, they become meaningless gestures for institutions which screen on performing whiteness. these actions are further undermined by framing diversity as a problem to be solved rather than engaging in reflective work to dismantle institutional bias” (galvan, ). on its own, the dsp cannot not solve the larger problem of a culture of whiteness in the field—but it’s a contribution as part of our library and university’s various equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives that tie into the broader profession’s work. if your library is considering a program like this, you must look at the cultural environment of your institution and consider where your institution is with changing this culture of whiteness. the environment has to be such that equity, diversity, and inclusion work is encouraged and celebrated – and continuous. it is vital to remember that social justice, equity, and inclusion should be everyone’s work. it is not a one-time endeavor, a box to be checked, but a process of continual growth and reflection of the library and its campus community. as the dsp committee flows from inception to new iterations, with new scholars and new committee members, we reflect on what we did and why, rethinking, learning and growing as individuals and a committee, and hopefully an institution as well. the questioning along with enthusiasm of new members and new scholars helps us grow a better program and also make shifts while checking our own perceptions. and most importantly to our dsp, is that our scholars are getting the experiences they desire, in an environment where they can be themselves, and a culture that supports them. acknowledgements we would like to thank our two peer reviewers denisse solis and dr. latesha velez for their incredibly thoughtful suggestions, insights, and additions to reframe and strengthen our article. special thanks to our colleagues kelly mcelroy and anne-marie deitering for offering their feedback, to lindsay marlow who helped us get started with the article, and to our publishing editor ian beilin. and, a big thank you to the osu libraries diversity scholars so far marisol moreno ortiz, bridgette flamenco, and valeria dávila – this program is what it is because of you!  works cited alston, j. k.( ). causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction for diversity resident librarians – a mixed methods study using herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. (doctoral dissertation). retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/ boyd, a., blue, y., & im, s. ( ). evaluation of academic library residency programs in the united states for librarians of color. college & research libraries, ( ), . https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/ / beilin, ian. ( ). the academic research library’s white past and present. in gina schlesselman-tarango (ed),  topographies of whiteness: mapping whiteness in library and information science. black, w. k., & leysen, j. m. ( ). fostering success: the socialization of entry-level librarians in arl libraries. journal of library administration, ( ), — . doi: . /j v n _ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ . /j v n _   bourg, chris ( , march ).the unbearable whiteness of librarianship. https://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/ / / /the-unbearable-whiteness-of-librarianship/ brewer, j. ( ). post-master’s residency programs: enhancing the development of new professionals and minority recruitment in academic and research libraries. college & research libraries, ( ), — .  http://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/download/ /   bridges, l. m., park, d., & edmunson-morton, t. k. ( ). writing african american history into wikipedia. oregon library association quarterly, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / - . brook, f., ellenwood, d., & lazzaro, a. e. ( ). in pursuit of antiracist social justice: denaturalizing whiteness in the academic library. library trends, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . /lib. . chang, h. f. ( ). racial and ethnic librarianship in academic libraries: past, present and future. acrl conference proceedings. cogell, raquel v., & cindy a. gruwell, eds. diversity in libraries: academic residency programs. westport, ct: greenwood press, . dewey, b., & keally, j. ( ). recruiting for diversity: strategies for twenty-first century research librarianship. library hi tech, ( ), — . https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article= &context=utk_libpub  espinal, i., sutherland, t., & roh, c. ( ). a holistic approach for inclusive librarianship: decentering whiteness in our profession. library trends, ( ), – . https://doi.org/ . /lib. . galvan, angela. ( ). soliciting performance, hiding bias: whiteness and librarianship. in the library with the lead pipe. retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /soliciting-performance-hiding-bias-whiteness-and-librarianship/ hankins, r., & in juárez, m. ( ). where are all the librarians of color?: the experiences of people of color in academia. library juice press. hathcock, a. ( ). white librarianship in blackface: diversity initiatives in lis. in the library with the lead pipe. retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /lis-diversity/  mcelroy, kelly &  diaz, chris, ( ). residency programs and demonstrating commitment to diversity.  ( ) faculty publications. https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/faculty_publications/ millner, d. & thompson, c. (eds.). ( ). white supremacy & resistance [special issue]. oregon historical quarterly, ( ). perez, m. z., & gruwell, c. a. ( ). the new graduate experience: post-mls residency programs and early career librarianship. santa barbara, calif: libraries unlimited. pho, a. & masland, t. ( ). the revolution will not be stereotyped: changing perceptions through diversity. in nicole pagowsky & miriam rigby, (eds), the librarian stereotype: deconstructing perceptions and presentations of information work. chicago, il: association of college & research libraries (pp. - ).  roy, loriene ( ). preface. in rebecca hankins & miguel juárez (eds), where are all the librarians of color?: the experiences of people of color in academia. (pp. vi-vii). library juice press. roy, loriene, et. al ( ).  bridging boundaries to create a new workforce: a survey of spectrum scholarship recipients, - . http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/diversity/spectrum/bridgingboundaries.pdf rutledge, l., colbert, j. l., chiu, a., & alston, j. k. ( ). developing a residency program: a practical guide for librarians. rowman & littlefield. strand, karla, j. ( ). disrupting whiteness in libraries and librarianship: a reading list bibliographies in gender and women’s studies, ( )   https://www.library.wisc.edu/gwslibrarian/bibliographies/disrupting-whiteness-in-libraries/ vinopal, jennifer. ( ). the quest for diversity in library staffing: from awareness to action. in the library with the lead pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /quest-for-diversity 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							it’s not imposter syndrome: resisting self-doubt as normal for library workers 							training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : journal article: “creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries” | lj infodocket 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. 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							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					aug 					 				 				 					dave ellenwood					/ comment 				 											“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief information capitalism dominates the production and flow of information across the globe. it produces massive information institutions that are as harmful to everyday people as they are powerful. to this point, information literacy (il) educators do not have a theory and pedagogy of information capitalism. this article appraises the current state of political economy in il and begins to build a foundation for teaching a political economy of information capitalism. introduction these are economically and politically tumultuous times. the great recession of - , the rise of right-wing populism across the globe, a life-threatening/altering global pandemic, and the threat of species-ending climate change have left many feeling uneasy about the present, let alone the future. one bright spot is the unprecedented number of people who have poured into the streets to demand that black lives matter, but this was sparked by horrifying police brutality filmed and circulated online. in the meantime, the day to day operations of librarianship continue, permeated by these anxieties. in this context, libraries have seen the impact of increased corporate domination, budget shortfalls, and the corporatization of higher education. we are gouged by publishers like elsevier who offer package subscriptions with exponentially increasing costs while they rake in exceptionally high profits. elsevier had a . % profit margin in amounting to about $ billion (elsevier fact sheet, ). many corporate library vendors have consolidated to further ensure market power and control, a process which has often rewarded the largest companies. these companies are positioned to potentially consolidate further during the covid- pandemic. this is in part because they have the resources to further entrench their products in libraries by offering services that are free in the short term, but convert to high cost in the long term. while companies like elsevier make record profits, library workers of all types face increasingly precarious work arrangements and they serve students who are anxious about affording skyrocketing tuition as well as outrageous textbook prices. students are facing an information climate in which it is difficult to know which sources to trust because of an abundance of political information and disinformation. simultaneously, their data is being extracted by numerous social media sites (likely owned by facebook or google) and library vendors and publishers (lamdan, ), and their behavior is being manipulated by corporate algorithms seeking profits and political power. in the midst of these challenges, each term, teaching librarians get the opportunity to teach students information literacy (il). how can librarians use this opportunity to work locally with students to think through and have an impact on these massive political and economic problems? in her blog post information literacy’s third wave, barbara fister argues that we are entering a third wave of il education, a wave that focuses on the systems that structure our information environment. the first wave involved teaching students to answer questions through navigating library resources. the second consisted of teaching students how to maneuver the rise of the internet as an unwieldy site of information circulation. the third wave, she argues, needs to respond to the vast commodification of the internet. she demands that we “have to think about the economics underlying both the distrust of institutions and these new institutions of capital that depend on gathering and analyzing the minutia of our lives for predictive and persuasive purposes….” librarian scholars are piecing together new ways to understand and teach about information structures. librarians aptly describe the neoliberal foundations of il and make a strong case for how learners should be aware of knowledge construction in media (nicholson, ; drabinski, ; seale, ; enright, ; eisenhower and smith, ; haggerty and scott, ; bussell, ). but, to this point, the conversation has not fully developed into a coherent analytical force that describes the hierarchies that guide the flow of money in information systems. the field of political economy (of communication) can provide answers to some of these challenges, and tie them together in a theory that we cannot ignore.   the “information has value” frame of the association of college & research libraries’ (acrl) framework for information literacy is a starting point for developing a political economic approach to il. the goal of this essay is to recruit marx and subsequent political economists of communication/information to sketch out a basic political economy of information capitalism. ultimately, this article seeks to understand the dynamics of information capitalism so that through our teaching we can use this understanding to mount credible, comprehensive challenges to the system itself. library workers and students need to think and act democratically and collectively in order to address the problems posed by information capitalism. this article will introduce the opportunities presented by the value frame, appraise the strengths and weaknesses of current political economic thinking in il education, and expand on the concept of political economy and what it offers il. i will then present a basic theory of information capitalism which includes the concepts of value, commodification, commodity fetish, concentration of ownership, labor, and surveillance. i conclude with recommendations for teaching information capitalism and alternatives, including ways to transform the system individually and collectively. information has value the “information has value” frame provides a welcome opening to discuss information capitalism, including the commodification of information, information labor, concentration of ownership, and audience data extraction/surveillance. the value frame is part of the framework for information literacy for higher education produced by the acrl ( ). it evolved from the previous information literacy (il) “standard” that urged students to “understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally.”  while the standard shied away from critical analysis of information structures and simply demanded that we act ethically and legally within existing information structures, the value frame prompts us to teach economic dimensions of il more critically. although many might not interpret it through a marxist lens, the new frame recognizes that information “production and dissemination” is influenced by “legal and socioeconomic interests”.  it notes that expert researchers should understand that “value may be wielded by powerful interests in ways that marginalize certain voices”, but that this value may also be used by “individuals and organizations to effect change and for civic, economic, social, or personal gains”. while the frame implores researchers to understand their “rights and responsibilities” when participating in information communities, it also recommends that researchers thoughtfully “comply with” and “contest current legal and socioeconomic practices concerning the value of information”. in other words, it not only asks us to understand the rules of information communities, but also to challenge unjust structures. and while it includes some of the tone of the standard by centering source citation, those of us seeking to understand and transform our current information structures can use the value frame as an entryway. it is not perfect, but it provides an institutionalized opportunity to explore and teach how information is bought, sold, and produced through labor. this political economy approach is rooted in marxist theory and the analysis of subsequent political economists of communication, which seek to comprehensively understand and challenge information capitalism. information literacy as a neoliberal project to this point, librarians have not fully outlined a political economy of information literacy (il) education, and the majority of the political economic discussion in libraries has been dedicated to showing the ways that information literacy has a neoliberal capitalist orientation. neoliberal capitalism is a global political project initiated in the mid- ’s by members of the capitalist class (those with ownership stakes in large businesses and corporations). they had the political backing of powerful government officials and the intellectual backing of chicago school economists and the austrian-british economist friedrich hayek. they had two primary goals: ( ) converting as much of human activity as possible into market-based exchange; ( ) transferring wealth to economic elites— and while this second goal was not explicit, when these two goals were in conflict, the second goal was to take precedence (harvey, ). this capitalist class effort was in response to difficulties in making profit. limits on capital’s ability to realize profit included corporate taxes, the falling rate of profit, and decolonization efforts in the global south that threatened capital’s exploitation of labor and resources from these areas. in many economies across the globe, neoliberals were successful at privatizing or eliminating government-provided social services (e.g. food, health, housing, and education). many scholars (smyth et al, ; o’sullivan, ) have shown that neoliberalism has influenced universities by turning higher education into a commodity as opposed to a fundamental right. for example, the massive increases in tuition and fees for public institutions, the stripping of tenure through the stark increase in adjunct faculty, etc.  in the last decade, librarians have paid considerable attention to the influence of neoliberalism on information literacy. both enright ( ) and seale ( ) argue that information literacy under neoliberal capitalism aimed to produce perfect neoliberal individuals. these imagined atomized individuals do not think collectively, but instead are able to use information to successfully navigate markets in order to better themselves and to be productive employees. nicholson ( ) argues that libraries are being swept into the corporatization of the university and that il is primarily about preparing people to compete in the international market. this results in the corporate culture-like quantitative assessment permeating il practice. eisenhower and smith ( ) are concerned that the higher education classroom in the neoliberal era is too commodified and entrenched in social and economic hierarchies to effectively challenge capitalism. they are even skeptical that librarians can use critical pedagogy without our efforts being co-opted by the corporate university. drabinski ( ), in a strategic twist, argues that il emerged from the context of neoliberalism, but nonetheless provides an opening for librarians. librarians now have a seat at the curricular table and we can use the opportunity to implement changes that benefit librarians and students in their local contexts. drabinski’s argument is an example of political economy thinking in that she roots il in history, but leaves room for struggle and change in the analysis. i hope to build on these arguments, recognizing that il teaching practices are shaped by a capitalist context, but also recognizing that we can take il in a direction that challenges information capitalism. that is where a political economic approach to teaching il enters the picture.  political economy for il a political economy lens for analyzing information creates many opportunities for teaching librarians and students alike. some define political economy simply as the relationship between democracy (how decisions are made about fundamental aspects of our daily lives) and the economy (how we sustain and reproduce ourselves materially) (mcchesney, ). a central question in political economy is: who has decision-making power and control over the production and dissemination of the materials humans need to sustain daily life? a political economy approach to information undoes the ideological damage wrought by mainstream economics. mainstream economics attempted to naturalize the laws of capitalism as though they are universal truths and the only way to conduct economic activity, as if capitalist economics were a natural science (mosco, ). this approach to economics forecloses the possibility for everyday non-elite people to change the structure of the economy to be more just. political economy has been around much longer than the modern discipline of economics. it is a long-standing intellectual tradition that maintains that the way in which humans provide life’s necessities is not natural or inevitable, but is something that can be altered through political struggle.  mosco ( ) describes four central features of a political economy analysis. ( ) a commitment to history. library workers’ economic analysis should understand the way in which historical transformation and social change occurs. in marx’s view, history is shaped by class struggle or the conflict over the fruits of human labor in any given society. for example, in our capitalist society, history is shaped by the conflict between those who own the means of production (capitalist class) and those of us who have to sell our labor for a living (working class). ( ) the social totality. rejecting the fragmentation of political and social realities, political economy reveals the big picture of our social and economic life. in other words, political economy asks: “how are power and wealth related and how are these in turn connected to cultural and social life” (p. )? ( ) moral philosophy. political economy is concerned with the underlying values and beliefs that are emphasized in economic systems (e.g. self-interest, collective well-being, or liberation from exploitation, etc.). ( ) social praxis. this is the unity between thought/theory and action. political economy theorizes our current world and possible future worlds and helps us do the work of moving towards those worlds.  additionally, a political economy of information enables us to understand the material basis for information production and dissemination. people make money by commodifying information which in turn consolidates power into elites’ hands. the political economy of information unveils how information producers are exploited for the profit of a few. in this sense, it helps us sharpen our identification of elites with concentrated power. this is particularly useful when the current popular discourse describes a wide range of people as “liberal elites” (e.g. academics, college students, media workers, etc.), which muddies the collective understanding of who is elite. political economy exposes the problems of commodifying information and identifies trends across multiple information markets like textbook, scholarly communication, and news media markets. it reveals similarities and contrasts between information markets and other kinds of commodity markets that library workers can use to, among other things, connect broader anti-capitalist struggles to anti-information capitalist struggles.  finally, a political economy of information capitalism sparks our imagination around avenues for resistance. since information capitalism is the dominant system, and has complex defense mechanisms, we need to devise comprehensive ways to push back against co-optation of our creative capacities. using the social praxis described above, how can teaching librarians work with our students to challenge information capitalism in impactful ways? teaching economic dimensions of il: toward more than source evaluation there are several promising attempts within the library literature to think about information literacy through an economic lens, but these largely emphasize individual solutions like source evaluation. some scholar-practitioners have applied critical media literacy (cml) to teaching information literacy in ways that work to help students think analytically about media production. cml is a pedagogical framework for a variety of educational contexts and age ranges, that comes out of cultural studies (bussell ). cml focuses on teaching students how to critically read and understand the media as well as participate in alternative media production. brayton and casey ( ) combine cml and il to teach their credit course. in this method, they have students identify ideology and propaganda in news sources. they also have students reflect on the capitalist paradigm by asking questions about info commodification such as: should information even be sold? lastly, they have students reflect on collective intelligence by having them encounter wikipedia.  hilary bussell ( ) also uses cml to support il teaching in a credit context. she applies the cml framework to the value frame because it provides an opportunity to discuss the socioeconomic and cultural underpinnings of information. bussell’s approach emphasizes understanding how meaning is made through news production and includes a component on media ownership and structure. bussell’s cml teaching practice critically culminates in a project in which students make their own media, an empowering way to have students engage with the issues addressed by cml.  haggerty and scott ( ) use media and information production to teach the legal dimensions of current information economics. in their chapter on teaching copyleft in credit courses, they discuss the way in which copyright was originally designed to spur creativity and was much more limited than the copyright policies we have today. breaking from its origins, copyright has evolved to primarily benefit corporations, which actually dissuades creativity (mcchesney ). in their view, it is important to teach the limitations of copyright and to enlighten students about alternatives like copyleft which is defined as: “a movement responding to the constraints of traditional copyright by allowing the licensed work to be used, modified, and distributed as determined by the work’s creator” (haggerty and scott, p. ). like other librarian scholars discussed earlier, they advocate student production of sources to teach the value of information.  these additions to the conversation are helpful, but they also present certain limitations. their strength is in the interpretive and ideological side of the information economy. in order for students to understand the dynamics of information capitalism we have to provide them with a theory that helps them interpret the system across multiple sites. the narrow focus of copyleft and cml cannot do this alone.  they also do not center capitalism, which weakens their analysis of the system of source production. this article seeks to build a more comprehensive approach. focusing on capitalism is necessary for improving our understanding of ideology and interpretation. however, despite these shortcomings, the teaching activities presented by these authors fit well into a broader political economic approach and should be consulted going forward.  char booth ( ) begins to address this more comprehensive picture under the banner of information privilege. their concept is very influential. so much so that it appears in the official information has value frame under the dispositions: “learners who are developing their information literate abilities…are inclined to examine their own information privilege.” information privilege is the notion that people have different access to information sources based on their position in society and institutional affiliations. for example, students at an institution of higher education have temporary privileged access to proprietary databases and the thousands of scholarly journal articles that they contain. students might not notice this privilege until they get out of school and experience various paywalls when attempting to access sources. part of teaching the concept of information privilege is uncovering these underlying issues and injustices. booth also hopes to encourage more open forms of information creation, critique of profit motives (although they do not elaborate on this in their original blog post) and to examine personal and institutional privilege. they have students think about the profit drivers beneath paywalls, the value of the openness of publications, and how to help those without information privilege circumvent strict licensing agreements.  in a talk for oclc, booth ( ) presents an even more comprehensive view of information privilege. they connect fighting white nationalism, advocating for higher wages for workers, eliminating overdue fees, and food and housing insecurity all to paywalls. booth also points to attempts by for-profit companies to co-opt the open access movement. they make mention of collective action in supporting the efforts to challenge information privilege by fighting for information justice. booth’s work pushes us towards a political economy analysis of information and i want to build from their information privilege concept towards a more comprehensive understanding of information capitalism. i suggest that we supplement the term information privilege with the term information capitalism because, as keeanga-yamahtta taylor argues, the concept of privilege without an analysis of capitalism muddies the overall picture of the political world. it obscures our ability to identify the elites and those who have power in a capitalist society, i.e. the capitalist class (taylor, ). this is not to say that privilege does not exist across or within classes, because it certainly does, but the phrase tends to focus on individuals who are not necessarily the owners of the means of information production and distribution, but are granted privileges by those owners. the process of granting privileges to certain groups is an essential capitalist strategy for maintaining power and avoiding a change in the overall social and economic structure. while individual students certainly have power, the vast majority are not members of the capitalist class and do not own the databases to which they have access. they are merely granted temporary access with their institutional affiliation. an information capitalism approach may alienate some students who are part of the capitalist class, or who strongly identify with this class. however, this approach gives members of these groups the opportunity to examine the issue structurally so they may see how inequality is produced. it is possible for members of this class to become allies of working class struggles. an example of this is resource generation, an organization that helps people who have inherited wealth funnel that wealth towards grassroots movements. this structural, information capitalism approach opens up collective inquiry and action as opposed to a focus on information privilege which emphasizes individual inquiry. foundations of information capitalism the current dominant global economic system is capitalism, a system that also dominates the production and distribution of information. capitalism is complex, but we can most simply define it as an economic system that includes strong private property protections, private ownership of the means of production, and a strong emphasis on markets for the distribution of goods and selling of one’s labor. i use the term information capitalism to describe our information economy because it largely fits into capitalist parameters. the fundamentals of capitalism apply to information capitalism and information markets in many ways, but information capitalism includes some complexities that require further exploration. key areas of focus are commodification of information, ownership, labor, and audience data extraction and surveillance. value the il frame states that information has value, but how does the political economy tradition define value? when defining value, marx is a fruitful starting place because value is a concept he spent a great deal of time and care developing. the marxian political economy tradition is central because his project sought to describe and disrupt capitalism and this inquiry is seeking to understand and challenge capitalist information relations. keep in mind, marx dedicated much of his work to describing capitalism from the inside, so he did not intend for his categories of value and beyond to be universal truths. instead, they are descriptions of the way that each concept works within capitalism. these concepts, like value and labor, can exist outside of capitalism, but they would take a different form (henderson, ).  in his enduringly influential work capital, marx ( ) began his inquiry into value, and capital itself, by examining the most basic unit of the system: a single commodity. commodities are goods that are produced for sale on markets. they may seem simple, but when examined closely, they have many sides: use-values, exchange-values, and values.  first, value is a foundational dimension of a commodity. to marx, value is a socially constructed category, because the value of commodities is in their relationships with one another and the people that produce and desire them. value in capitalism is contingent on labor and social relations in complex ways. therefore labor is a central category for marx, which we will explore further below.  second, commodities have use-values or something that makes it useful to someone. for example, a toothbrush is useful for keeping one’s teeth clean, avoiding cavities, and controlling breath odor. an information-based example would be a highly-cited scientific scholarly article published by elsevier. the article is useful because it provides unique insights on a scientifically important topic. all commodities have a use-value because if they cease to have a use-value then they are no longer commodities and are no longer available on the market.  finally, the last dimension of the commodity is the exchange-value. this is essentially the price that a producer can obtain by selling the commodity. a toothbrush might sell for something like $ - us dollars. the highly-cited scientific scholarly article published by elsevier might sell for something like $ - . in this way, all commodities are exchangeable through money. if something is not exchangeable for money it ceases to be a commodity on the market. ownership and exploitation most basically, we can delineate two major categories in capitalism: ( ) those who own the means of production (or communication) and ( ) those who do not. the non-owners or the working class tend to be what marx calls “doubly free”: “freed” from owning the means of production, and “free” to sell their labor as the only way to sustain their lives. this is often under coercive and exploitative conditions. the owners purchase workers’ labor in order to keep their profits flowing, which helps them reproduce themselves in their role as owners. there are owners of the toothbrush factory and then there are the workers who make the toothbrushes. there are owners of publishers like elsevier and there are (paid and unpaid) workers like copy editors and scholars who produce the published content.  owners exploit labor by paying workers less than what they produce in value. this is called surplus value or profit, which is one of the primary subjects of class struggle. since profits are created on the backs of productive workers, they are alienated from the products of their labor. this is central to the productive function of capitalism or how it is ever expanding. people always get paid less than they are worth. this coincides with outright theft, primitive accumulation, or accumulation by dispossession (harvey, ), which is how “free laborers” came into to being. examples of this are slavery and the outright theft of land from native americans. this also coincides with gendered reproductive labor that women traditionally do: activities like housework in factory-worker homes in which women did not get direct remuneration. a more just vision of political economy calls for democratic control and ownership over the surplus value and labor conditions. to be clear, capitalist exploitation is deeply intertwined with racism and patriarchy. cedric robinson ( ), who popularized the term racial capitalism, argued convincingly that capitalism always required racial differentiation and exploitation to function. silvia federici ( ) and others prove the same for gendered exploitation. the primary manifestations of racial and gender differentiation in capitalism are the production of racist and sexist ideologies, differentiated work arrangements across racial and gender identities, and disparities in the flow of material resources, i.e. varying degrees of exploitation. capitalists exploit these socially produced hierarchies in order to drive wages down and control workers. this uneven exploitation is evident in academia where women and people of color are rendered more vulnerable to the exploitative scholarly publishing process. it is difficult to take risks by publishing outside of the mainstream commodified journals when you are already under scrutiny based on marginalized identities. in this sense, being anti-capitalist also requires being anti-racist and anti-patriarchal. commodity fetish another concept from marx is the commodity fetish. capitalism fetishizes commodities in the circulation process by obscuring the social relations (hierarchies) involved in producing a commodity across space and time. we don’t see the factory conditions, how much the workers are paid, or the profits made by the owners of the toothbrush company when we purchase a toothbrush. we don’t see the struggle or ease through which the author was able to write their scientific scholarly article. nor do we see their paycheck, working/living conditions, and the profits elsevier makes when they sell the article. the commodity fetish also makes the process of exchange appear as though it creates profit for capitalists instead of the exploitation of workers. this false notion allows capitalists to claim to be the creators of profit because they circulate commodities. instead, workers created the surplus-value and profit, and are paid less than what they produced, if at all. they also have no democratic say over the fruits of their labor. the cycle of a scholarly journal article commodity  commodified information has a similar cycle to other commodity forms, with some variations. as a transition to examining the peculiarities of information capitalism, take the commodity cycle of a scholarly journal article as an example. this is a process that many library workers are familiar with, but its perniciousness becomes more clear in the context of examining information capitalism. a scientist, who is employed at a public university in the united states, wants to share their findings from a study they conducted. they write a scientific paper and send it to a top journal in their field. the journal editor accepts the submission, sends it out to several peer-reviewers, collects their feedback, and returns it to the scientist for changes. after they make changes, the scientist resubmits the paper and it goes through a final editing process. the journal is published by elsevier and elsevier provides excellent editing for this particular journal. the scientist approves of the edits and signs their copyright over to elsevier to circulate the article. elsevier then sells the article through database package subscriptions or through online article purchases by non-institutionally affiliated individuals. the scientist receives no remuneration for the sale and distribution of their work. instead, they may receive accolades from their colleagues, credit towards tenure, or the social satisfaction of sharing their research with the scientific community.  elsevier makes unparalleled profits off the sale of the scientists’ (and other scholars’) work. many scholars may condone this practice because they feel as though elsevier and other companies provide them with a service, but a growing number of faculty are dissatisfied and want to see their work shared more equitably (mckenzie, ).  again, this process makes scholars with precarious work arrangements and marginalized identities more vulnerable since they will likely be pressured to publish as much as they can in the most prestigious journals possible. these scholars have very little power and are easily exploited in these scenarios.  how did we arrive at a situation in which scholars gift their intellectual production to a massive corporation with no monetary compensation? in brief, the answer to this question is found in the power dynamics of scholarly publishing over the last - years (young, ). there was more competition in publishing at the beginning of this period, but the unique qualities of journals caused prices to rise at a high rate year after year. this became unsustainable for library budgets and major companies like elsevier started to claim that they could save libraries money by switching to digital publishing and selling libraries large packages of bundled journals. their promises of savings never came to fruition and instead prices continued to rise while competition shrank as major publishers bought up smaller publishers and scholarly associations.  this is a common story in information markets and the following exploration of the peculiarities of information capitalism help explain the construction and vulnerabilities of this commodity cycle. commodification of information, concentration, and oligopoly  the commodification of information may seem mundane and natural, but when examined closely the process presents many political economy problems. information is a “peculiar” commodity in that it does not get used up during its consumption. this is sometimes called a non-rival or non-excludable good. non-rival goods are different from most commodities,  which are exhausted in their consumption. for example, a toothbrush has a fairly short life, or at least that’s what my dentist says. in contrast, information remains usable after it is consumed and more than one person can consume the same information simultaneously. the contents of our scientific scholarly journal article remain after a patron reads them. furthermore, information of this sort is extremely inexpensively copied, especially in the internet era. in fact, some have called the internet “the largest copy machine” (kelly, ). but abundant goods do not have high exchange values, therefore information capitalists have to develop an artificial scarcity in information markets in order to increase exchange values. copyright laws and paywalls are erected around all types of digital information. as library workers and allies continue to build a politics of anti-information-capitalism, we need to know that information is an abundant resource. for examples of information abundance we can look to anti-information-commodification projects like wikipedia, oer, and free alternative news media. when information is commodified and sold on markets, this produces powerful ownership concentrations. political economists of information have documented the tendency for information markets to produce monopolies and oligopolies (mosco, ; fuchs, ; hardy, ). this type of concentration is endemic to information markets. currently, it is observable in textbook, scholarly communication, and news media markets.  in scholarly communication, the percentage of publications published by the top publishers increased dramatically over the last years in the social sciences.  for example, the top publishers published % of psychology publications in and that number steadily grew to over % in (larivière et al, ).  % of total textbook sales in went to companies (senack and donoghue, ). the top companies are currently pearson, cengage, and mcgraw-hill. in , according to their respective annual reports, these three companies controlled a combined % of the higher education textbook market with pearson at %, mcgraw-hill at %, and cengage at %. furthermore, in mcgraw-hill and cengage embarked on a bid to merge their two companies and further concentrate ownership in the market. two of the major problems associated with this concentration are the stark increase in textbook prices and the limited representation of people of color and women as both authors and subjects.  and lastly, there is concentration across print news and broadcast media. in the uk, for example, the top three newspaper companies controlled . % of the market in (hardy, , p. ), a trend which was stable for over ten years. a similar scenario exists in the us (abernathy, ). while these three examples are not exhaustive, they demonstrate that information markets have a consistent feature of ownership concentration.  this tendency exists in information markets for several reasons. first, markets tend toward concentration of ownership as marx observed, but info markets are particularly vulnerable because media is a public good and, in order to commodify it, a significant amount of legal and social effort must go into building the infrastructure that prevents copying and distributing it freely. for this reason, any market advantage is crucial because power players get to set the parameters that ensure their survival in the market (garnham, ). also, when a company gets a majority of advertising market shares, they can use the power of advertising to direct more traffic to themselves. this makes it very difficult for new companies to enter into competition. the barriers to entry are vast. (herman and chomsky, ) the ramifications of such an oligopolistic system are severe. political economy of communication scholar christian fuchs ( ) provides a non-exhaustive outline of the consequences of market concentration which is worth quoting at length: 	ideological power: corporations that produce or organise content have the power to provide material that aims to influence what people consider as correct and valuable views of reality and as truth. corporate monopolies hence have an ideological function; they can potentially lead to the simplification of complex realities.  	labour standards: monopoly corporations can set low labour standards (especially concerning wages) in their industry sector. 	political power: in capitalism, money is entangled with political power; hence monopolies enable huge political influence of a small group of people.  	control of prices: monopolies have the economic power to control prices of goods and services. 	control of technological standards: monopolies have the power to define and control technological standards. 	dependency of customers: controlling the power to define technological standards also means that the need of customers to buy evermore media technologies in order to remain up to date can be generated. hence a potential result is an increasing dependency on commodities produced by one corporation and increasing monopoly profits.  	economic centralization: monopoly capital deprives others of economic opportunities.  	quality: a monopolist might care less about quality because there are no alternatives to choose from for consumers.  	consumer surveillance and censorship: if content and applications are monopolized—that is, most users have to rely on certain products of single media companies—operations of surveillance (i.e., monitoring, statistically evaluating, and recording audience and user behaviour, which content they create and consume, and how and what they communicate) and censorship can be carried out easier and more completely than in the case of several competing companies. this concerns especially communication technologies, such as phones and the internet. (p. ) noble ( ) additionally demonstrates that information oligopolies can have devastating results for cultural content and reproduce racialized and sexist stereotypes (i.e. racist search results in google). also, in her exploration of the proliferation of fake news and disinformation, cooke ( ) describes the ways in which media concentration over the last several decades led to the weakening of information vetting practices and altered the construction of truth. for these reasons, the politics of anti-capitalist library workers includes challenging the commodification of information, the selling of information on markets, and its subsequent concentration of power into a few hands. labor and exploitation labor and exploitation are crucial starting places for teaching students about information capitalism because they are components with which students will likely relate. there are two primary forms of exploited labor in information capitalism: waged labor and unpaid prosumer (someone who is simultaneously a producer and consumer) labor. waged laborers have an arrangement that resembles that of traditional factory workers. they produce a product for a wage, but the owner pays them less than the worth of what they produce. the boss appropriates the surplus profit. there are laborers in this category that work across the range of jobs available in the information capitalist job market. for example, there are miners in regions of africa who extract minerals that are essential for modern computing (coltan, cobalt, etc). without them, many of our mainstream information technologies like cellphones and computers would not function. there is extensive documentation showing that these workers are super-exploited (exposed, ). there are also programmers that work for companies like amazon and facebook who make well over $ k per year and have a relatively privileged lifestyle. despite their relative privilege, these workers are paid less than the amount of value that they produce and are by definition exploited. tech companies appropriate the surplus profit these workers produce through software development.  students might particularly see themselves in the second category of unpaid prosumer laborers. this is the everyday social media user or even cell phone owner. people who through using a particular app or platform produce value without receiving payment. for example, facebook users do not get paid, but if all users decided to stop using the platform,  the company would be unable to make money. some scholars point to the similarity between this labor relationship and marxist feminist critiques of gendered labor (terranova, ). in industrial-era gendered labor arrangements, women performed the daily tasks of taking care of men so that they could fill the factories and produce commodities. this is called reproductive labor. their care work was not paid, but was essential for producing value. while there is a qualitative difference between the experiences of reproductive work in these two eras, the industrial era being associated with hard physical labor and the facebook era being associated with entertainment/leisure, the arrangement is comparable. both groups were/are essential to the process of producing profit through social interaction and care, and both did/do not get directly paid for their work. the prosumer arrangement raises questions about alternative forms of value, since value is created through everyday activities of everyday people. here, the autonomist marxist tradition argues that value is created through human social relations, highlighting one of marx’s concepts outlined in the grundrisse: the general intellect. this is the notion that human knowledge is collective and there are contradictions involved in privatizing it. the value created through human social relations should be shared with all! however, in capitalism, the general intelligence is easily integrated into the capitalist ownership structure. the task at hand is to revolutionize those relations so that the fruits of our labor can be shared. (terranova, ; hardt and negri, ) surveillance technology companies’ data collection and surveillance practices are now a powerful force in information capitalism, an additionally relatable issue for students. in order to understand the origins of tech surveillance we can go back to print news media that was dependent on ad revenue. to sell ad space and compete in the news market, a news media company needed to know as much as possible about its readers. the more a company knows about a user group, the more they can target them with ads that are geared towards them. in the internet age this evolved to emphasize gathering data on individual users as opposed to groups in interfaces like google and facebook, etc. in order to target individuals for ads. mosco ( ) calls this process of commodifying personal information, which is spurred by the necessities of market competition, immanent commodification.  further, the competition and the level of data gathered by companies have morphed into what zuboff ( ) calls surveillance capitalism, which is an economy that relies on the secret production of data profiles of individuals to urge them to act in certain ways. this enables tech companies and other elites to manipulate behavior in massive and alarming ways. one example of this was the cambridge analytica scandal in which a political firm accessed comprehensive data on million facebook users in order to manipulate their vote in the us election. sarah lamdan’s ( ) work demonstrates that surveillance capitalist logic applies to library resources as well. for example, thomas reuters sells user data to united states immigration and customs enforcement (ice). this form of information capitalism raises an alarm about human autonomy as companies and governments can have unprecedented sway over individuals. and for this reason, and reasons raised above, library workers need to undermine information capitalism. moving forward in the il classroom and beyond there are two primary components of an anti-information capitalism pedagogy that library workers can use moving forward. first, teaching about information capitalism, and second, organizing against information capitalism for what char booth calls information justice. an information capitalism il curriculum should focus on three categories outlined above. these are ( ) the commodification of information, ( ) information labor, and ( ) surveillance and privacy. a critical pedagogy rooted in student experience and liberation compliments each of these areas. students have myriad experiences with these areas. they have paid for expensive textbooks and hit paywalls for scholarly articles; they produce value through social media and databases search activity; and they have heard about personal data surveillance or experienced intrusive advertising. these common experiences make it easy to spark passionate student-centered conversations in the il classroom.  the energy, passion, and outrage generated by conversations about the harms of information capitalism can be directed towards organizing for information justice. in this sense, our il teaching expands beyond the walls of the literal classroom. library workers can pivot from conversations in which students sharpen their analysis of information economy to action that challenges the system. this action should be collective and organized. in credit-bearing classes, for example, students can work together on a campaign raising awareness of corporate media bias and ways to support alternative media. in one-shot instruction contexts, teaching librarians can channel righteous student anger about the high costs of textbooks towards grassroots campus oer initiatives. or, make room for students to direct the course of action. what do they think would be the most impactful ways to redress the harms of information capitalism and transform the system? additionally, library workers should continue to build their own ongoing anti-information capitalism organizing efforts. the most important organizing effort is for library workers to support the organization (union and otherwise) of information laborers of all types. organized workers can use their power to oppose the commodification of information and support alternatives, and pressure surveillance capitalists to stop extracting personal data. there is a wide variety of approaches to challenging information capitalism, but social praxis is central to any approach. engaging in theorizing the information economy landscape, taking action to change the unequal power relations, reflecting on the action, and repeating the process. conclusions the current form of information capitalism presents a range of significant problems, but it would be too bleak to only explore the problems without presenting alternatives and potential avenues for resistance. part of the pedagogy for information capitalism is to provide space for students to work towards transforming the system. in order to transform the system we can ask ourselves the question that the organizing collective movement generation asks as they develop strategy: “how can we come up with alternatives that starve the system?” (brown and brown, ). this first starts by understanding the system in order to avoid inadvertently reinforcing it in our acts of rebellion. one method for resistance is the individual strategy of evaluation. knowing the possibility of financial conflicts of interest that information producers have can help analyze the claims made by different outlets. how do the financial relationships of news organizations impact their coverage of certain topics? for example, how does the advertising support of big oil companies impact coverage of the climate crisis? students can use their understanding of information capitalism as well as these questions to guide their choice of sources for class assignments and other needs.  however, political economy approaches ask us to go beyond this narrow individual approach to think systemically and act collectively. again, political economy imagines that our economic arrangements are not natural or permanent, but constructed and changeable based on political organizing. this organizing should come from everyday people, workers (paid and unpaid) and our allies, and should challenge the social relations of information capitalism. in other words, organizing should move towards building power for the people who do the work and create the value, not economic elites or information capitalists. it means tearing down paywalls that block the flow of information that was created by the general intellect.  some alternatives that have the potential to build power and challenge information capitalism are open education (oe), open access publishing, and alternative media. in the oe movement, educators who believe that education is a human right realized that commodified textbooks are a barrier or burden to accessing education for many students. while the movement is producing real challenges for the textbook oligopoly, there are still debates about whether textbook commodities are appropriate, even when they have oe components. these decisions will be made in the coming years and educators with a political economic analysis should weigh in on this debate. but when working with students to challenge information capitalist social relations, the following questions are starting places: how can students and educators partner to support oe, open access publishing, collectively generated knowledge like wikipedia, and alternative media? how can they partner to challenge social media data extraction and surveillance with campaigns like wages for facebook? government regulation of tech company products, including racist search engine results is another option that noble proposed ( ). given the fact that governments have largely been captured by capitalist interests, can they be potential allies in anti-information capitalism struggles? what forums can we use to urge governments to regulate extractive tech companies, if any? working with students on these questions will assuredly produce exciting projects! acknowledgements writing this article was more of a collective than an individual project and i would like to acknowledge the incredible group of people that supported me in writing and publishing it. romel espinel and ian beilin’s formal peer-reviews were essential to polishing and clarifying my ideas. thank you to ryan randall for his expert editorial guidance throughout the process. several colleagues helped me develop and teach with the framework presented in this article. thank you to caitlan maxwell, katy dichter, lynn kanne, the librarians at uw bothell and cascadia college and the librarians at seattle central college. and thank you to christian anderson, emily drabinski, becca meredith, ben ellenwood, and vincent mosco for providing feedback on earlier drafts of the paper. bibliography  abernathy, p. m. ( ). the rise of a new media baron and the emerging threat of news deserts. retrieved from center for innovation and sustainability in local media, university of north carolina at chapel hill website: http://newspaperownership.com/wp-content/uploads/ / / .unc_riseofnewmediabaron_singlepage_ sep -reduced.pdf acrl. ( , january ). framework for information literacy for higher education. retrieved august , , from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework booth, c. ( , december ). on information privilege [blog post]. retrieved from https://infomational.com/ / / /on-information-privilege/ booth, c. (presenter). ( , november ). for the greater (not) good (enough): open access and information privilege. speech presented at oclc distinguished seminar series:, dublin, oh. brayton, s., & casey, n. 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( / ). neoliberalism and library & information science: using karl polanyi’s fictitious commodity as an alternative to neoliberal conceptions of information. progressive librarian, , - . drabinski, e. ( ). a kairos of the critical: teaching critically in a time of compliance. communications in information literacy, ( ). retrieved from http://www.comminfolit.org/index.php?journal=cil&page=article&op=view&path% b% d=v i p eisenhower, c., & smith, d. ( ). the library as “stuck place”: critical pedagogy in the corporate university. in m. t. accardi, e. drabinski, & a. kumbier (eds.), critical library instruction: theories and methods (pp. - ). duluth, mn: library juice press. elsevier fact sheet. ( , august ). retrieved october , , from mit libraries website: https://libraries.mit.edu/scholarly/publishing/elsevier-fact-sheet/  enright, n. f. ( ). the violence of information literacy: neoliberalism and the human as capital. in l. gregory & s. higgins (eds.), information literacy and social justice: radical professional praxis (pp. - ). sacramento, ca: library juice press. exposed: child labour behind smart phone and electric car batteries. ( , january ). retrieved october , , from amnesty international website: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/ / /child-labour-behind-smart-phone-and-electric-car-batteries/  federici, s. ( ). revolution at point zero: housework, reproduction, and feminist struggle. oakland, ca: pm press. fister, b. ( , february ). information literacy’s third wave [blog post]. retrieved from library babel fish: a college librarian’s take on technology website: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/library-babel-fish/information-literacy’s-third-wave  fuchs, c. ( ). information and communication technologies and society: a contribution to the critique of the political economy of the internet. european journal of communication, ( ), - .  fuchs, c. ( ). reading marx in the information age. new york, ny: routledge. garnham, n. ( ). emancipation, media, and modernity: arguments about the media and social theory. oxford: oxford university press. haggerty, k., & scott, r. e. ( ). teaching copyleft as a critical approach to “information has value”. in a. pashia & j. critten (eds.), critical approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses (pp. - ). chicago, il: association of college and research libraries. hagner, m. ( ). open access, data capitalism and academic publishing. swiss medical weekly, . https://doi.org/ . /smw. . hardt, m., & negri, a. ( ). empire. cambridge, ma: harvard university press. hardy, j. ( ). critical political economy of the media: an introduction. london: routledge.   harvey, d. ( ). a brief history of neoliberalism. oxford, uk: oxford university press. henderson, g. ( ). value in marx: the persistence of value in a more-than-capitalist world. minneapolis, mn: university of minnesota press. herman, e. s., & chomsky, n. ( ). manufacturing consent: the political economy of the mass media. london: vintage. kelly, k. ( , january ). better than free [blog post]. retrieved from https://kk.org/thetechnium/better-than-fre/ lamdan, s. ( ). librarianship at the crossroads of ice surveillance. in the library with the lead pipe.  larivière, v., haustein, s., & mongeon, p. ( ). the oligopoly of academic publishers in the digital era. plos one, ( ). retrieved from https://doi.org/ . /journal.pone. marx, k. ( ). capital: a critique of political economy (vol. ). london, england: penguin classics. mcchesney, r. w. ( ). digital disconnect: how capitalism is turning the internet against democracy. new york, ny: the new press. mckenzie, l. ( , july ). elsevier ends journal access for uc system. chronicle of higher education. https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/ / / /elsevier-ends-journal-access-uc-system  mosco, v. ( ). the political economy of communication ( nd ed.). los angeles, ca: sage. nicholson, k. p. ( ). on the space/time of information literacy, higher education, and the global knowledge economy. journal of critical library and information studies, ( ). retrieved from http://libraryjuicepress.com/journals/index.php/jclis/article/view/ / noble, s. u. ( ). algorithms of oppression. new york, ny: nyu press.  o’sullivan, m. ( ). academic barbarism, universities and inequality (palgrave critical university studies). houndmills, basingstoke, hampshire ; new york, ny: palgrave macmillan. robinson, c. ( ). black marxism: the making of the black radical tradition. chapel hill, nc: north carolina press. seale, m. ( ). the neoliberal library. in l. gregory & s. higgins (eds.), information literacy and social justice: radical professional practice. sacramento, ca: library juice press. senack, e., & donoghue, r. ( , february). covering the cost: why we can no longer afford to ignore high textbook prices. retrieved from uspirg website: https://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/national% -% covering% the% cost.pdf smyth, john, bottrell, dorothy, & manathunga, catherine. ( ). resisting neoliberalism in higher education volume i: seeing through the cracks (palgrave critical university studies). cham: springer international publishing. taylor, k.-y. ( , may ). picking up the threads of struggle (interview by d. denvir) [transcript]. retrieved october , , from jacobin website: https://www.jacobinmag.com/ / /black-lives-matter-baltimore-obama-racism-freddie-gray-election-whitelash  terranova, t. ( ). free labor: producing culture for the digital economy. social text, ( )( ), - . retrieved from google scholar database. young, p. ( ). the serials crisis and open access: a white paper for the virginia tech commission on research. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/ / /oawhitepaper.pdf?sequence= &isallowed=y  			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							training matters: student employment and learning in academic libraries 							the library commons: an imagination and an invocation 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : day in review (august – , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 ean henninger – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								ean henninger 							 	 		 		 			 	about ean henninger 		 			 				 ean henninger is currently on contract as a liaison librarian with simon fraser university. he has bas in english and spanish, an mlis from the university of british columbia, and experience working in public library systems as well. his research interests include both applied linguistics and precarious labor as they relate to libraries. he is on twitter @rhymewithzinger and with his labor research team @lisprecarity. 											 		 articles by ean henninger 	 			multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 the library commons: an imagination and an invocation – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					sep 					 				 				 					jennie rose halperin					/ comment 				 											the library commons: an imagination and an invocation 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 by jennie rose halperin in brief commons theory can provide important interventions within neoliberal managerial information capitalism when applied to the library as an institution. the commons and its associated practices provide a model of abundance, sharing, and cooperation. libraries can and should participate in alternative economic and management models to create an inclusive vision beyond and in opposition to current social formations. “i’m interested in the way in which a deepening of autonomy is a deepening, not just among few people.. a deepening of scale and the potentials of scale.” – the undercommons: fugitive planning and black study (moten and harney , ) the spirit of the commons is the spirit of imagining, of bringing people and resources together, and creating a necessarily positive vision for the world not as it is, but as it could be. and commons are all around us: from community gardens, to certain kinds of open source software, to worker cooperatives. we participate in a commons when we submit our work to institutional repositories that are tended by communities with the goal of disseminating research to the world, and we participate in a commons when we collaborate with our neighbors and catch a glimpse of this vision of our fate. for libraries, the moment has never been more urgent and emergent – we have the tools in our hands, and it is up to us to make it happen. the word “commons” often functions as “a placeholder or a promissory note for all those rich, nuanced, complex, and sophisticated forms of relationality and value practice that have been obliterated within capitalist societies where a huge proportion of social relations have been subjugated to the market” (haiven , ). in modern commons theory, the commons serve to represent all the ways in which “human beings learn to cooperate with each other in routine, large-scale ways” (bollier & helfrich , ). as the authors of free, fair, and alive: the insurgent power of the commons put it, “commoning is everywhere, but widely misunderstood” (bollier & helfrich , ). in daily life, commons can take many forms, like the gardens and cooperatives mentioned above, but also neighborhood associations, direct democratic processes, consensus based community organizations, and more. in libraries, they may take the form of community cataloging projects, civic engagement projects in conversation with artists, community archives, or open and direct dialogue on topics that concern the community. commons can be ephemeral or permanent, a long term project or a moment of transcendence. beginning with an introduction to commons theory from a library and information science lens and ending with a few specific, non-exhaustive examples of the commons in libraries as well as specific practices to engage in commoning practices, i will attempt to blend theory and praxis in order to introduce another vision outside or beyond traditional institutional paradigms. commoning as a set of practices when librarians think of a commons, they likely think of the academic commons buildings in their institutions, creative commons licenses, or preprint servers like humanities commons. these examples are illustrative: humanities commons functions as a governed network and community working toward the common good and creative commons licenses provide a necessary intervention in capitalist systems of copyright enclosure. more specifically, the humanities commons and other preprint servers support communities that come together to govern a field of knowledge, working together outside of the confines of a hegemonic and unequal access system, building interventions through engaged scholarship to provide access for all. this example from the library world provides an in-road to begin to think about the commons and commoning as a set of practices. as professionals concerned with the free and open dissemination of knowledge, librarians could and should enact commoning practices in their communities, but more often than not fall into the neoliberal paradigm of the managerial business class and free-market values. library literature often treats patrons as customers, and librarianship as an institution is rooted in supremacy and oppression, drawing on the values of the white middle class women who dominate the profession (ettarh ). in “neoliberalism within library and information science,” jonathan cope writes, “as more information is produced in distributed networks that have new and ambiguous relationships to the specific geographical and educational communities, which libraries have traditionally served, it is lis’s responsibility to articulate a vision of how to view information as a public and common good” (cope , - ). thus far, libraries as institutions have struggled to define themselves within this context of the common good, coopting the language of commons and making broad statements about “freedom” without inscribing these values in policy, worker rights, or provisioning of indigenous voices and voices of color in the field. in governing the commons: the evolution of institutions for collective action, nobel prize winner elinor ostrom writes, “all efforts to organize collective action, whether by an external ruler, an entrepreneur, or a set of principals who wish to gain collective benefits, must address a common set of problems. these have to do with coping with free-riding, solving commitment problems, arranging for the supply of new institutions, and monitoring individual compliance with a set of rules” (ostrom , ). in addressing existing social systems, particularly those that collectively govern the use of non-renewable resources such as water ways, ostrom proved that economically alternative situations could be beneficial to all parties involved. her writing is rooted in traditional economic reform – the commons in this definition provide a necessary alternative to the free market, rather than an overhaul of capitalism.  in other words, ostrom addresses what lewis hyde calls “the tragedy of unmanaged, laissez-faire, common-pool resources with easy access for non communicating, self-interested individuals” (hyde , ). to contrast ostrom’s fundamentally reformist vision of the commons, theorists fred moten and stefano harney present another form of commons: the undercommons. the undercommons is a state of “permanent fugitivity,” one that functions through “stealing” and “collective orientation” as a mode of functioning within and beyond institutions. the critical academic in this worldview questions everything, creates solidarity networks, and shares an aversion to neoliberal professionalization of communities, particularly academic communities. the undercommons can provide an important reframing of the commons, particularly when considering it from an historical and anti-colonialist point of view. in considering the institution, moten and harney write that libraries in the academy are “this incredible gathering of resources… it’s nice to have books,” but that the undercommons is “a kind of comportment or ongoing experiment with and as the general antagonism… it’s almost impossible that it could be matched up with particular forms of institutional life” (moten and harney , ). institutionally, the work in the undercommons is the work of the coalition, of the social, and against the neoliberal institution that precludes resistance and sociality. as an historical concept, the commons take root in medieval england, as lands where peasants could tend land in common, hold festivals, and govern independently outside of the purview of a feudal lord. this eurocentric definition is rightly criticized by many scholars. in “decolonization is not a metaphor,” tuck and yang address the commons directly, writing that the commons are often caught up in the liberal values of a natural right to property, a value that is withheld from native communities. in contrast, they describe, drawing from undercommons theory, “a labor that is dedicated to the reproduction of social dispossession as having an ethical dimension includes both the refusal of acquiring property and of being property” (tuck & yang , ). in commons discourse, the process of colonization is often described as “enclosures” of commons, but to “marshal all indigenous civilizations under the banner of the commons is to reduce a wide diversity of social formations under a eurocentric term… [and] reinforce a romantic idealism towards both the notion of the commons and indigenous civilizations”  (haiven , ). though fundamentally rooted in eurocentricism, the commons framework is diverse enough to hold radical, anti-colonialist, and anti-capitalist scholarship, particularly as regards decolonization, and blackness. addressing these roots, some of the most compelling commons writing comes from scholars like silvia federici or the work of the zapatistas, who declare autonomy and a “radical imagination that sees beyond the horizon of the state” or institution of “one no [to globalization], many yeses [to the commons].” if, as haiven writes, “when those many ‘yeses’ sound at once, we will hear the word ‘commons,’’ what do those many yeses look like for librarianship? when considering the patterns of commoning, which bollier and helfrich describe as a “triad” that contains many different elements, a theoretical framework can begin to be applied to libraries. the triad is defined by bollier and hilfrich as: social life, peer governance, and provisioning. elements within the triads include “cultivate shared purpose and values,” “bring diversity into shared purpose,” “consent-based decision making,” and “make and use together” (bollier & helfrich , introduction). which aspects of this triad do libraries represent? can an institution ever implement the care that the patterns of commoning require? how can we uphold the value of the crucial interactions within the library without descending into institutional awe or unfair criticism? why is solidarity between libraries important? how can we uphold the values of libraries while critiquing the institution? libraries in the commons/the commons in libraries in “what’s in a name? the evolving library commons concept,” sheila bonnand writes, “while there are many attempts in our professional literature to define commons specifically, what seems to hold up over time is not any one definition or a perfectly consistent and discrete set of commons attributes, but a more generic, profession-wide concept that grows out of our literature, dialogue, and shared knowledge of individual institutions’ commons efforts” (bonnand , ). the article adopts a positive outlook regarding the adoption of “learning commons,” discussing how the use of the name is a “compelling example of successful professional dialogue,” transforming spaces and technology that “conjur[e] up thoughts of sharing, collaboration, unrestricted access, public use, and other egalitarian concepts” (bonnand , ). this definition calls to mind haiven’s assertion that “the commons has become something of a floating signifier” (haiven , ). is this the case in academic or learning commons? “these names in large part are signals to each other,” writes bonnand. “they guide our discussion and stand as evidence that the commons concept is evolving” (bonnand , ). “commons” in this context provide a signal that the library is up on trends rather than being actually committed to provisioning of communities, direct democracy, and governance that commoning entails. parsing the word “commons”within library spaces is unnecessary at best and a fool’s errand at worst. the unthinking use of the word commons that has pervaded the neoliberal university articulates the worst parts of our profession: the majority white, professional, competitive, assessment obsessed, rigidly taxonomic and “neutral” mainstream, which sees itself as “sharing and collaborative” no matter its behavior. indeed, most of the behavior within libraries does not constitute commoning within theoretical, academic, or political frameworks, from the managerial mindset of library staff to the conservative and uncritical approach to policing to the data brokering vendors that hold the profession hostage (see lamdan). in the popular liberal imagination, libraries are a trusted “knowledge commons” with librarians as tenders or maintainers of that commons. with libraries claiming stake to the word and invoking its spirit, it is worth investigating the meaning and patterns of commons and commoning that are part of the current moment, in which consumer choice has taken over public good in our spaces and workplaces, including libraries. as neoliberalism continues to erode civil society, leaving libraries as one of the few visible bastions of enlightenment liberalism, is it any wonder that the public clings to the fairy tale of the commons? in “commons against and beyond capitalism,” silvia federici and george caffentzis write, “it is hard to ignore the prodigal use of ‘common’ or ‘commons’ in the real estate discourse of university campuses, shopping malls and gated communities. elite universities requiring their students to pay yearly tuition fees of $ , call their libraries ‘information commons.’ it is almost a law of contemporary social life that the more commons are attacked, the more they are celebrated” (caffentzis & federici ). within libraries, we see this pattern taking shape as more institutions adopt “commons” within capitalist learning spaces. as libraries continue to define and redefine themselves in the st century, the reformist and the radical branches are split – the problem with the information commons is the institution it protects rather than the idea it espouses. in critiquing the institution to uplift the worker and the patron, the commons can be reconstituted and revealed. the commons against the institution after years of pressure, the american library association’s key strategic values are framed through a social justice lens in fall , a list of lofty ideals including “advocacy; information policy; and equity, diversity, and inclusion.” as an optional professional organization rather than a union or worker’s rights organization, the ala’s framing of their mission does not necessarily reflect their actions. even if the organization did not continuously take problematic political stances for “neutrality” and “free speech,” the ala’s lack of teeth and enforcement means that the member-led, volunteer organization upholds the institution rather than the worker, or as lindsay cronk writes, “imagine if we stopped defending the idea of libraries and started to defend one another/stand together” (cronk ). in fobazi ettarh’s influential article on vocational awe, she writes, “librarianship, like the criminal justice system and the government, is an institution. and like other institutions, librarianship plays a role in creating and sustaining hegemonic values, as well as contributing to white supremacy culture” (ettarh ). from data brokering vendors that sell data to ice to management structures that cause and contribute to burnout to the “nice white lady problem” leading to a shameful lack of diversity in the field, the major organizations that uphold the institution focus on the institution rather than the worker. without fundamental, structural change, librarianship will continue to be reflective of racist, white supremacist society rather than its potential as a commons-space that works for all. in places journal, anthropologist shannon mattern observes that “public libraries are among the last free, inclusive, “truly democratic” spaces in american cities and towns” while recognizing that “libraries are not a universally inclusive space” (mattern ). drawing on the theory of “fugitivity as spatial condition” and the undercommons, she highlights a number of black archives that utilize this language and theoretical framework as a mode of operation. the highlighted projects, from alexis pauline gumbs’s “eternal summer of the black feminist mind” to olaronke akinmowo’s “free black women’s library,” are largely artist created and outside of the formal frameworks of institution, instead using library as metonym for free exchange of information, fugitivity, and the commons. embracing and supporting radical interventions in the space are crucial for libraries to provide a flexible canvas for marginalized groups. as mattern writes, “today’s fugitive librarians are free to transgress institutional conventions, operating outside the demands placed on (or imposed by) state-supported and commercial institutions” (mattern ). perhaps radical fugitivity will never, by definition, inhabit library spaces, but a more critical dismantling of the structures of oppression within the library can help libraries better partner with communities who are creatively working beyond boundaries. the promise is, drawing from a piece i wrote in community with other artists last year, “an alternate vision… to develop new ways of sharing resources, collaborating across boundaries, and engaging with larger movements for the liberated exchange of resources needed to live dignified and joyful lives in right relationship with one another and the planet” (arts, culture, and the commons ).  while it sometimes seems as if neoliberalism can function as a proxy for “all that is wrong within academia and the social sphere,” the undercommons and its related concepts can provide an alternative to the business mindset and settler-colonial enlightenment paradigm that pervades the taxonomic organization and vendor training that has become a pandemic within library work. in an interview with the association of research libraries, sylvester johnson says, “libraries cannot simply become tenants in the platform ecosystem of private capital, handing over billions of dollars to a small number of data landlords in exchange for storage, access, and analytics services. libraries will either become bankrupt in this new environment, or they will become active agents on the value-creation side, not as vehicles for private capital but levers for public good” (kennedy ). unfortunately, the landscape of information retrieval and access through licensing and databases has severely hindered the “public good” aspect of libraries and made workers and communities increasingly beholden to vendor capitalists who charge the public obscene amounts for what should be public, free, and shared. rethinking the library from an anti-capitalist commons perspective means upholding the value of the library worker, of the daily interactions that make the instruction, the arranging, and the describing useful and significant. in adopting a radical and experimental lens that seeks to change the world rather than simply maintain it, librarianship can engage more fully with the world that could be, rather than the world that is. in order to meet the demand of the community, the library should cast an eye toward the amateur, the outside of the box, the small, and the messy – the libraries, organizations, and communities that are the life-blood of what makes up the commons of libraries. toward the unprofessional, the small, the messy, the worker power of the library as librarians, we are taught that the undergraduate degree, graduate degree, professional job track has taught us invaluable skills that no other professional could possibly replicate. we are the chosen ones, and we have skills – if only the public, faculty, and management would listen. some of this possessiveness derives from the bleak job outlook of libraries, which has suffered from poor job prospects for at least the last years. a “pink collar” job with over % of librarians identifying as women, libraries are one of the least racially diverse professions in the country. library leadership remains predominantly white and male, and job outlooks have been on a downward slope with depressed wages and cutbacks for as long as anyone can remember. with debt at our backs, we find ourselves thrust into institutions stuck in the past. our patrons and our communities are the lifeblood of the profession, but an administrative mindset and lack of worker autonomy within many libraries causes a high burnout rate and a feeling of lack of control. in conversation with communities, we can continue to shape another vision for what the library can be. constituting and reinventing commons ideology within the library context will be a series of small, local interventions, possibly coming from outside the field, and it must happen in conversation with communities. in order to define what commons ideology looks like more concretely, i will use the triad of commoning previously mentioned (governance, social life, and provisioning) to define the interventions and reinterpret commoning for information professionals. peer governance: worker power though the majority of librarians express relatively high job satisfaction, the field is rife with stories of burnout, micromanagement, exhaustion, and frustration with the status quo. in a recent survey, nearly % of library workers responded that they have experienced burnout in their careers (geary & hickey ). according to alique geraci, union members, who comprise approximately - % of the library workforce, generally have higher pay and are provided better resources for negotiation and collective bargaining within the library. union members earn % more than their non-union counterparts, and are more likely to be covered by health insurance. when joined with teacher’s unions, librarians have made historic gains, as in the case of the university of california, which ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in . besides major raises, the contract also included an intellectual freedom clause, protecting workers and patrons at the contract level (afl-cio fact sheet ). from a commoning perspective, unions provide access to direct democracy, which provides access to autonomous and self-organized groups. union drives, like the recent one at mit to unionize clerical workers, are a crucial step to build worker power, but there are other types of worker power that libraries could harness. in the book democracy at work: a cure for capitalism, richard wolff considers “worker self-directed enterprises” as central to the struggle for a more civic-minded and engaged workforce. he writes, “workers in most modern capitalist corporations are required by law and/or custom to accept working conditions over which they exercise no democratic control… for most workers in capitalist systems, there is no democracy in the workplaces where they must spend most of their lives” (wolff , ). worker self-directed enterprises (wsdes) can provide a series of democratic options to managers who may be hostile to unions. in their purest sense, the wsde is democracy in action, and there are several steps toward democracy that libraries can take on their way to worker autonomy. in wsdes, no executive is paid more than five times the lowest paid worker, and workers sit on the board of the organization. rather than following a managerial chain of command, a wsde as a “worker managed enterprise” provides workers more autonomy over the cooperative outputs of their labor. for example, in a traditional library context, directives would come from an executive director with a series of committees reporting upward, often creating bottlenecks and a lack of final decision-making power. in a wsde, the executive director would serve a primarily administrative role, with workers and committees running the primary functions of the library. participation in democracy at work has been shown to improve democracy in communities – a stated goal of many libraries in the st century. as the economy becomes increasingly rapacious and hostile to workers’ rights, it is imperative for libraries to move out of corporatized managerial space. to quote mark fisher, “if businesses can’t be run as businesses, why should public services” (fuller )? social life: decolonize, decolonize, decolonize the impetus to “decolonize” praxis in librarianship is powerful. from re-reckoning with collections to stripping the institution of the “neutral” values that too often pervade professional spaces, decolonization is key to reconsidering libraries in anti-racist space. as nina de jesus writes in “locating the library in institutional oppression,” “the clear solution is decolonization…no reform is possible if we understand libraries as fundamentally white supremacist institutions” (de jesus ). providing some specificity to the steps of decolonization and steps of dismantling of white supremacy within libraries and knowledge institutions, in “imagining: creating space for indigenous ontologies,” duarte and lewis identify five steps to building indigenous knowledge systems toward decolonization. “make no mistake,” they write. “imagining is a specific, difficult, laborious task. it requires seeing with fresh eyes, and thinking with a new mindset. it requires imagining indigenous futures.” the five steps are summarized thus: 	     understand how colonization works 	     identify means to decolonize 	     spread awareness of indigenous epistemologies 	     build deep domain knowledge 	    design experimental systems, theory (duarte & lewis - , ) canadian libraries, particularly the vancouver library system, have taken concrete steps to begin a decolonization process. from addressing structural biases in classification to culturally appropriate space planning, their management report addresses colonization by name, asking even if the process of decolonization applies to location of branches, not only layout (vancouver public library report ). through their first nations storyteller-in-residence program and culturally aware programming, vancouver public library is incorporating living culture into their work, programming and community (roy & frydman ). at x̱wi x̱wa library, also in vancouver, the library has taken an indigenous approach to cataloging, learning from people and users to better classify their collections, organizing their collections geographically and in support of indigenous research and needs (worth ). amy parent, the researcher who created the ontology, described the librarians at ubc as “very much aligned with the way we form relationships with our communities” and committed to creating a “safe space” for indigenous communities (worth ).  in “imagining,” duarte and lewis cite the example of the southern california tribal chairmen’s association tribal digital village intranet, a homegrown system built to bridge the digital divide. supported by a doctoral student in information studies at ucla, the community created an ontology based on their ways of knowing, posting artifacts and discussing the intellectual project within their own knowledge framework (duarte & lewis , ).  moving from colonization to decolonization can take many forms, from alternate ontologies to creating more inclusive digital and physical spaces, and the work continues to emerge within the library and information context, if the end goal is to divest from colonization, hegemony, and white supremacy.  decolonization and coming together in alternative and community built knowledge systems creates a social life, or what moten and harney call “study.” to enter into the undercommons, they write, one must be engaged in a “study,” or social life, and the undercommons and the study are “what you do with other people. it’s talking and walking around with other people, working, dancing, suffering, some irreducible convergence of all three, held under speculative practice… to do these things is to be involved in a kind of common intellectual practice” (moten & harney , ). from a sociological point of view, a social life of the commons can help, per bollier and helfrich “cultivate shared purpose and values,” and “ritualize togetherness” (bollier & helfrich , - ). building community and taking steps to decolonize is not just creating culturally sensitive programming. it means bold and often uncomfortable action to dismantle privilege and oppression within institutions.  provisioning: funding and supporting communities library funding is a loaded subject, and one that is seemingly endlessly beholden to the influence of foundations and grant cycles, taxpayer dollars, and $ , per semester tuition. bollier and helfrich provide several examples that communities can use to resource themselves by “relationalizing property” and supporting care work. in bethany nowviskie’s words, “how might taking care—and taking the concept of care more seriously in graduate education and cultural heritage infrastructure-building—serve to expand our scope” (nowviskie )? by their nature, libraries already participate in relationalized property, as an extra-market space where commons should thrive. however, when asking how libraries fund and support their communities, it is important to remember that, like a field, commons are cultivated, and not left to grow without supervision. ostrom’s examples of watersheds and ecosystems are all highly complex, governed, dynamic systems, and under constant “intentional cultivation.” creating a commons is animated by acts of commoning, which is always active. the cultivation of “collaboration, horizontalism, direct democracy, member-participation, egalitarianism, anti-oppression, and the radical imagination” is essential to building the world that we want to see (haiven , ). while there are multiple examples of community funding in librarianship that invest in large-scale collective action and institutional buy-in for resources, the educopia institute can provide a model through its hosted communities: the library publishing coalition, the bitcurator consortium, and the metaarchive cooperative. educopia provides a “community cultivation field guide” that “provides a powerful lens that can provide both emerging and established communities with ways to understand, evaluate, and plan their own growth, change, and maturation” (skinner , ). through a matrixed community empowerment model, educopia provides resources on four aspects of community growth: formation, validation, acceleration, and transition. by centering communities in their work and assisting them in funding, hr, infrastructure, engagement, and governance, educopia is building smaller commons or community based projects outside of the traditional institution and providing an alternate vision for library work and funding. alternatively, by hiding their participation in extractive capitalism, whether through necessary capitulation to greedy e-book publishers or purchasing data brokering systems like westlaw that exploit patron information, libraries are effectively shutting their communities off from important conversations about procurement of resources that directly affect or threaten them. and when libraries address the needs of their communities, for example by eliminating library fines, communities are better served and provisioned. a budget is an expression of values. another concrete step libraries could take to better provide for and support their communities is participatory budgeting, which is used around the world to better resource communities and meet their needs. participatory budgeting “empowers people to decide together how to spend public money” (participatory budgeting project). direct, participatory democracy strengthens communities, and libraries should be at the center. conclusion a quote from the gwendolyn brooks poem “paul robeson” ran through my head throughout the writing of this article, “. . . we are each other’s harvest: we are each other’s business: we are each other’s magnitude and bond” (from danticat, ). the commons is a space of empathy, a knowledge that we are all interconnected with the gifts and abundance that the earth has to offer. it means moving beyond scarcity economics, resource hoarding, and anti-egalitarianism. the promise of the commons is what drew me to libraries to begin with, and it is the vision that keeps many of us working toward a more equitable future. acknowledgements to the editorial board of itlwtlp, thank you for accepting this paper and working with me to refine it. thank you in particular to ian beilin for his communication throughout the process and ryan randall for edits. enormous thank you to my friend and co-conspirator jessica farrell for her excellent feedback and support. overflowing love to my partner josh tetenbaum for endless discussions, edits, and book recommendations. thank you to my cohousing community for living the commons in daily life, to the harvard law school library for providing me the intellectual space to explore this topic, and to my colleagues and community members at creative commons for supporting thought and action to inspire sharing in action. so much gratitude to arts, culture, and the commons. your art makes the world a better place for everyone who’s lucky enough to be in community with you. bibliography arts, culture, and the commons. “the promise of the commons.” october , . howlround theatre commons. accessed march , . https://howlround.com/promise-commons. bollier, david. . “to find alternatives to capitalism, think small,” august , . https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/to-find-alternatives-to-capitalism-think-small/. bollier, david, and silke helfrich. free, fair, and alive : the insurgent power of the commons. gabriola island, bc, canada: new society publishers, . bonnand, sheila, and tim donahue. . “what’s in a name? the evolving library commons concept.” college & undergraduate libraries ( – ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . buschman, john. . “november , , the public, and libraries.” progressive librarian. http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/pl/pl / buschman.pdf. caffentzis, g., and s. federici. . “commons against and beyond capitalism.” community development journal (suppl ): i – . https://doi.org/ . /cdj/bsu . chen, kristina. “mit libraries support staff vote to unionize” the tech. november , . accessed march , . https://thetech.com/ / / /library-workers-unionization-vote. community wealth. “the cleveland model—how the evergreen cooperatives are building community wealth.” . accessed july , . https://community-wealth.org/content/cleveland-model-how-evergreen-cooperatives-are-building-community-wealth. cope, jonathan. winter . “neoliberalism and library & information science: using karl polanyi’s fictitious commodity as an alternative to neoliberal conceptions of information.” https://academicworks.cuny.edu/si_pubs/ /. cronk, lindsay. “i’ve been considering if the base issue of @alalibrary is what its name tells its membership- that the org is about institutions rather than workers. imagine if we stopped defending the idea of libraries &amp; started to defend one another/stand together. that’s my big #alamw mood.” january , . twitter. accessed march , . https://twitter.com/lindsonmars/status/ . de jesus, nina. september , . “locating the library in institutional oppression.” in the library with the lead pipe. accessed march , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /locating-the-library-in-institutional-oppression/. ettarh, fobazi. january , .  “vocational awe and librarianship: the lies we tell ourselves.” in the library with the lead pipe. accessed march , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /vocational-awe/. danticat, edwidge. january , . “poetry in a time of protest.” the new yorker. accessed march , . https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/poetry-in-a-time-of-protest. de castell, christina. “vancouver public library management report.” vancouver public library. july , . accessed march , . https://www.vpl.ca/sites/vpl/public/cfla_trcrecommendationendorsement.pdf. dpe afl-cio. . “library professionals: facts, figures, and union membership.” department for professional employees, afl-cio. accessed march , . https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/library-professionals-facts-and-figures. duarte, marisa elena, and miranda belarde-lewis. . “imagining: creating spaces for indigenous ontologies.” cataloging & classification quarterly ( – ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . fuller, matthew. . “questioning capitalist realism: an interview with mark fisher.” mr online (blog). december , . accessed march , . https://mronline.org/ / / /questioning-capitalist-realism-an-interview-with-mark-fisher/. “garrett hardin.” n.d. southern poverty law center. accessed march , . https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/garrett-hardin. geary, jade, and brittany hickey. “when does burnout begin? the relationship between graduate school employment and burnout amongst librarians.” in the library with the lead pipe. october , . accessed july , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /when-does-burnout-begin/.  geraci, aliqae and shannon l. farrell. “normalize negotiation! learning to negotiate salaries and improve compensation outcomes to transform library culture” in the library with the lead pipe.” may , . accessed march , . http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ /normalize-negotiation/. haiven, max. . “the commons against neoliberalism, the commons of neoliberalism, the commons beyond neoliberalism.” in the handbook of neoliberalism, edited by simon springer, kean birch, and julie macleavy, – . london and new york: routledge. harney, stefano, and fred moten. the undercommons : fugitive planning & black study. wivenhoe: minor compositions, . hyde, lewis. common as air: revolution, art and ownership. farrar, straus and giroux, .  joranson, kate. . “indigenous knowledge and the knowledge commons.” international information & library review ( ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . . . lamdan, sarah, when westlaw fuels ice surveillance: legal ethics in the era of big data policing (august , ). new york university review of law & social change ( ), available at ssrn: https://ssrn.com/abstract= . marx, karl. . “economic manuscripts: capital vol. i – chapter twenty-six.” marxists.org. accessed march , . https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/ -c /ch .htm. mattern, shannon. . “library as infrastructure.” places journal, june. https://doi.org/ . / . mattern, shannon. . “fugitive libraries.” places journal, october. https://doi.org/ . / . ostrom, elinor. governing the commons : the evolution of institutions for collective action. cambridge new york: cambridge university press, . nowviskie, bethany. “change us, too.” bethany nowviskie. june , . http://nowviskie.org/ /change-us-too/. skinner, katherine, phd. “community cultivation: a field guide.” november . accessed july , . https://educopia.org/wp-content/uploads/ / /communitycultivationfieldguide.pdf. kennedy, mary lee. “sylvester johnson on humanism in our technological age.” november , . association of research libraries (blog). accessed march , . https://www.arl.org/news/mary-lee-kennedy-interviews-sylvester-johnson-about-humanism-needed-in-our-technological-age/. participatory budgeting project. “about us.” n.d. participatory budgeting project. accessed august , . https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/. roy, loriene (anishinabe), phd & antonia frydman, msis.“library services to indigenous populations.” . accessed march , . https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/indigenous-matters/publications/indigenous-librarianship- .pdf. tuck, eve, and k. wayne yang. . “decolonization is not a metaphor.” decolonization: indigeneity, education & society ( ). https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/ . wolff, richard d. democracy at work : a cure for capitalism. chicago, illinois: haymarket books, . worth, sydney. “this library takes an indigenous approach to categorizing books.” march , . yes! magazine. accessed march , . https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/ / / /decolonize-western-bias-indigenous-library-books. 	i worked for creative commons from to . the “creative commons network,” reorganized in , is a hierarchical structure built on top of the licenses to encourage uptake. organizationally, it is fully subsidiary of the organization and not autonomous. [↩] 	garrett hardin, who coined the phrase “tragedy of the commons” was a eugenicist white nationalist whose disproven theory nevertheless continues to be cited. his influence extends to neoliberal systems, which are also called “neo laissez faire economics.” [↩] 	see democracy collaborative, in particular white papers about the cleveland model. [↩] 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							“information has value”: the political economy of information capitalism 							power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians 							 						 						 												 						 	 		 response	 		 	pingback : day in review (august –september , ) - association of research libraries 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					apr 					 				 				 					frederick carey					/ comments 				 											communicating with information: creating inclusive learning environments for students with asd 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			in brief the focus of this article is twofold: it ) considers how digital humanities techniques and methodologies increase accessibility and scholarship opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder; and ) outlines how libraries can collaborate with existing services to provide subsequently appropriate supports for students. autism spectrum disorder (asd), one of the increasingly prevalent manifestations of neurodiversity within higher education, presents significant challenges to students interacting with academic resources and producing traditional scholarly outputs. traditional scholarship presupposes that students possess a certain level of ability to interact with their course materials, analyze that interaction, and then write both about their interaction and analyses. however, limitations in working memory and theory of mind create additional barriers for students with asd in meeting these presumptions. fortunately, emerging scholarly practices within the digital humanities now provide more equitable mediums for scholastic output as well as new opportunities for students to access and interact with course content and materials. while current structures within academia presuppose that students are able to interact with materials in a specific way, libraries are uniquely positioned to collaborate with constituent departments and services across campuses of higher education to teach students emerging strategies to more effectively interact with scholarly materials. by frederick c. carey introduction institutions of higher education not only offer students the academic freedom to cultivate intellectual interests and develop skills that they can hone into lifelong careers, but they also establish social and professional expectations that provide the foundations for sustained success. as such, students are expected to interact with social and professional networks both in person and virtually. however, studies show that perpetual connectivity through social media and other technological platforms contribute to increased cases of stress, anxiety, and depression. therefore, institutions of higher education support students’ needs in these areas by offering mentoring, mental health, and transitional services to better equip students to successfully adapt and thrive within their new environments. the effectiveness of these services, however, are explicitly connected to the makeup of the student population they serve. currently, student populations across higher education continue to grow increasingly neurodiverse , and as such, both social and academic services have been institutionalized to meet student needs. institutions provide supports for transitioning into new routines; navigating new social structures both in and outside of classroom settings; managing fatigue and sensory overload; treating anxiety, depression, and stress; as well as developing executive function (ef) skills related to planning, organizing, and prioritizing information; self-monitoring; self-regulating; and creating time management plans. these services are essential for acclimating to the social and professional structures of higher education and post-collegiate life, but do not provide all the tools neurodivergent students need to succeed in academia. autism spectrum disorder (asd), one of the increasingly prevalent manifestations of neurodiversity within higher education, presents significant challenges to students interacting with academic resources and producing traditional scholarly outputs. traditional scholarship presupposes that students possess a certain level of ability to interact with their course materials, analyze that interaction, and then write both about their interaction and analyses. however, limitations in working memory and theory of mind (tom) create additional barriers for students with asd in meeting these presumptions. fortunately, emerging scholarly practices within the digital humanities (dh) now provide more equitable mediums for scholastic output as well as new opportunities for students to access and interact with course content and materials. while current structures within academia presuppose that students are able to interact with materials in a specific way, libraries are uniquely positioned to collaborate with constituent departments and services across campuses of higher education to teach students emerging strategies to more effectively interact with scholarly materials. therefore, the focus of this article is twofold: it ) considers how digital humanities techniques and methodologies increase accessibility to course materials and scholarship opportunities for students with autism spectrum disorder; and ) outlines how libraries can collaborate with existing services to provide subsequently appropriate supports for students to more effectively interact with their course materials. autism spectrum disorder the th edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm- ) characterizes asd as a range of neurodevelopmental conditions that manifest through either deficiency in social interaction and communication across multiple contexts, or restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities . since the publication of dsm- in , asd now “encompasses disorders previously referred to as early infantile autism, childhood autism, kanner’s autism, high-functioning autism, atypical autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, childhood disintegrative disorder, and asperger’s disorder.” subsequently, the challenges that those with asd face can vary depending on the manifestation in each individual. asd continues to grow as one of the most common manifestations of neurodivergence both inside and outside of higher education. the center for disease control and prevention’s most recent statistics indicate that the overall prevalence of asd is approximately in children over the age of years old, or approximately . % of the overall student population. despite the increased prevalence and understanding of asd, graduation rates within higher education for students with asd remain low. according to a report commissioned by the us department of education, % of students without any registered disability graduate from their respective programs, while only % of students with asd graduate. these statistics reveal a gap in equitable higher education opportunities for students with asd. this gap becomes even more apparent when considering the number of students who enter higher education without a formal asd diagnosis or who choose not to disclose their diagnosis. in a study conducted by white et al. evaluating the prevalence of students with asd on college campuses, none of the participants who met asd criteria from the sample set had previously been diagnosed. furthermore, underhill et al. discovered that many students elect not to disclose their diagnosis out of fear of either becoming stigmatized by their instructors and peers or creating new social barriers for themselves. subsequently, these students do not receive many of their entitled supports, and it is likely that the true gap in graduation rates is larger than the statistics indicate. supports prioritizing immediate social, environmental, and executive function challenges are increasingly becoming routine procedure across institutions of higher education. in order to effectively establish equitable learning environments for students with asd, however, it is imperative that support be given to students in navigating the inherent social and communicative components of scholarship, especially within disciplines that emphasize expository and persuasive writing. acknowledging these fundamental characteristics of traditional scholarship and the added challenges that they create for students with asd will positively contribute to establishing more inclusive, equitable learning environments. social and communicative characteristics of traditional scholarship the social and communicative interactions inherent within traditional modes of scholarship create barriers for students with asd. despite oral communication barriers appearing more immediate than those created by written language due to observable extrinsic manifestations, the skills required to understand and interpret both modes of communication remain similar. in fact, the syntactical structure and language of the written word is often more complex than oral speech. this can be especially true of the materials that students work with in higher education that, depending on the discipline, may incorporate high amounts of technical writing, figurative language, or older systems of speech that are no longer used in contemporary language. language comprehension is established by forming inferences and hypotheses from the language used, the schemata in which it exists, and the context in which it was delivered. it presupposes an inherent understanding of the social constructs of language. in order to accurately and effectively make inferences based on the schemata and structure of the communicated information, one must have mastered the social context in which the information exists and is delivered. current social skills interventions offered through therapy treatments can assist those with asd to interpret facial expressions, body language, and other markers to better navigate social interactions. these strategies can be used to indicate when sarcasm, metaphor, or other nonliteral expressions of language may be changing the meaning of what is spoken. however, students do not have the same markers that help recognize such constructs when reading. in speaking of figurative language, vuchanova et al. state that “such expressions are characterized by interpretations which cannot be retrieved by simply knowing basic senses of constituent lexical item, and where the addressee needs to arrive at the intended meaning rather than what is being said.” therefore, while the skills required to understand oral and written language are similar, interpreting written language relies solely on the intrinsic social and communicative literacy of the reader, while oral language interpretation can benefit from extrinsic interventions. producing written language, however, proves even more challenging than interpreting it. in a study on effective writing interventions for students with asd, accardo et al. state that “writing has a social context, follows rules and conventions, and makes use of inferences and ambiguous meaning to convey humor and metaphor, all of which can be challenging to individuals with asd.” when reading, students only need to recognize the social context of what is presented, but when writing, they are expected to recreate that social context and use it to deliver their thoughts and findings. the skills needed to recognize social structures differ drastically from those needed to replicate these structures, and as such students with asd face significant barriers in producing traditional scholarly outputs. furthermore, the rules and conventions of writing differ depending on genre. in a study, price et al. demonstrate that expository and persuasive writing prove more challenging than narrative writing for students with asd. additionally, walters’ case study into the experiences of two first year writing students with asd states that one student “struggled to translate her passion for writing into the classroom because her ways of writing – particularly in her fan fiction communities – were not valued as social or socially meaningful in her course.” students in higher education are not only expected to write across genres, but also are often writing across academic disciplines that incorporate their own specific conventions. all of these challenges can be further understood by considering the roles of working memory and theory of mind in these processes. working memory working memory proves essential for communicating any thoughts, ideas, or connections as it dictates the amount of information an individual can efficiently process at any given time. camos and barrouillet describe it “as a kind of mental space, located in frontal lobes of the brain, corresponding to a quick-access memory able to hold temporary, transient plans for guiding behavior.” it enables the multitasking functionality required when making connections, taking notes, and presenting information. subsequently, students with asd experience numerous challenges when interacting with their course materials due to limitations in their working memory. thoughts easily get lost while considering the syntactical components and structure of language when performing tasks such as reading and writing. graham et al. point to spelling as one such challenge. they state that “students may forget plans and ideas they are trying to hold in working memory as they stop to think about how to spell a word.” similarly, thoughts and connections can be lost when attempting to parse the syntax and structure of complex writing, metaphors, figurative language, or other nonliteral structures. while executive function strategies, such as immediately writing down thoughts when you have them, are helpful techniques for overcoming such challenges, limitations in working memory present persistent obstacles for students with asd. theory of mind tom directly impacts how individuals recognize, empathize, and interact both with thoughts and emotions, and subsequently highlights many of the challenges that students with asd face when interacting with their course materials. the role of tom can be better understood by distinguishing between cognitive tom and affective tom. pino et al. state that “cognitive tom refers to the ability to make inferences about beliefs, intentions, motivations and thinking, whereas affective tom is the ability to understand what people feel in specific emotional contexts such as their own emotional states.” in order to effectively make inferences and connections through cognitive tom, it is necessary to recognize and understand emotional states and undertones through affective tom. scholarship, especially in the humanities, expects a high-level cognitive tom, and subsequently, a strong foundation in affective tom. however, the inherent social and communicative components of language and traditional scholarship create major barriers for students with asd in establishing an affective tom foundation. limitations in working memory further exacerbate this loose foundation as students attempt to build upon it using the skills involved in cognitive tom. furthermore, studies demonstrate that students with asd do not develop tom skills at the same rate as their peers. tom development progresses in a specific sequence, and broekhof et al. demonstrate that while students with asd follow the same sequence as their peers, their developmental timeline is comparatively delayed. in order to create equitable and inclusive learning environments in institutions of higher education, it is therefore essential that supports be implemented to assist students with asd in overcoming these barriers and accessing course materials more effectively. emerging opportunities over the last few decades, research and the way it is conducted has developed just as rapidly as the technology available to researchers. in reflecting upon research developments during this era of technological growth, it is easy to think about the way that new (and not so new) tools have been adopted into the research process. the digital humanities, however, encapsulates much more than just tools and how they can be integrated into humanities research. dh represents the discovery of new methodologies for doing research, new ways of interacting with materials, and new manners for telling stories and disseminating knowledge. dh is not a replacement for the humanities; it enlarges the scope of what is possible within the humanities and how humanities research can be done. it increases accessibility not only to how materials can be analyzed and interrogated, but also to how information can be shared and communicated. it allows for a much more inclusive environment that invites new perspectives and collaborations across disciplines. not only do dh methodologies, techniques, and outputs grow the humanities, but they can also provide respite to many of the scholastic challenges that students with asd face. these emerging scholarly practices create opportunities for people to access and interact with materials in ways that were previously not possible. textual analysis techniques such as sentiment analyses and topic modeling can provide students with asd opportunities to move beyond some of the challenges they face when interacting with course materials. various forms of visualizations can provide alternative scholastic outputs for students instead of the more limiting traditional forms. dh practices can not only provide students with asd the opportunity to interact with scholarly materials in a more unrestrained way, but they can also empower students to communicate their work and tell the stories they are interested in telling through a more unrestricted outlet. furthermore, libraries have emerged as the center of dh support in institutions of higher education. this is due in part to libraries serving the needs of all constituent departments as a neutral entity. more importantly, however, libraries are devoted to helping students develop information literacy skills. the association of college & research libraries’ (acrl) framework for information literacy in higher education (framework) defines information literacy as “the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.” ) the values of information literacy and dh methodologies and practices ideally dovetail to make libraries the natural support structure for dh projects. textual analysis strategies mckee describes a textual analysis as “a methodology – a data-gathering process – for those researchers who want to understand the ways in which members of various cultures and subcultures make sense of who they are, and of how they fit into the world in which they live.” traditionally, researchers conduct such analyses by interrogating, interacting, and interpreting texts through close readings that combine their individual perspectives, contextual awareness, and the structures of the texts undergoing analysis. however, through dh practices the scope of what can be analyzed and how things are analyzed continues to grow larger. individual words and the subsequent grammatical and syntactical structures in which they exist can now be analyzed as individual data points that allow increased accessibility to texts. information hidden in the structure of the texts now can be mined, visualized, and interpreted. these practices do not replace traditional processes for gathering data from texts, instead they provide alternate access points for individuals to interact with the data, identify patterns and trends, and interpret the information presented. these alternative access points present students with asd increased opportunity to interact with texts and bypass some of the social and communicative structures inherent within them. idioms, similes, metaphors, and other representations of figurative language all base their comparisons on an intuited set of shared characteristics. glucksburg claims that one technique for grasping the abstract meaning of figurative language is categorization, which “involves finding the nearest available category that subsumes both x and y.” as previously discussed, connecting abstract concepts provides a barrier for students with asd and consumes a large amount of their working memory. topic modeling is a textual analysis strategy that simplifies this process by clustering similarly used words together to help illuminate the syntactical structure and schemata of the text. this allows students to more easily recognize patterns based on how the words are used within the local context, and focus on the meaning of those patterns instead of struggling to establish the syntactical structure of the text. students are able to establish labels for these word clusters based on those patterns and assign their own meanings and interpretations to the groupings. the structures created by topic modeling allow students to move beyond the social and communicative schemata used to deliver the meaning, create a more solid affective tom foundation, and maximize the amount of working memory available to interact with the meaning of a text though cognitive tom skills. students can also perform a sentiment analysis on a text as a strategy for moving beyond literal language. sentiment analyses, or opinion mining, allow students to perform emotion recognitions and polarity detections to establish words or phrases in a text that represent emotional meanings. emotion recognitions can not only help solidify an affective tom foundation within the context of any given text, but they can also alleviate some challenges posed by limitations in working memory by providing a non-abstract structure for students to recognize and assign more figurative and abstract concepts. similarly, polarity detection creates a structure in which abstract ideas can be categorized by emotional relation and be used comparatively. cambria states that polarity detection is “usually a binary classification task with outputs such as ‘positive’ versus ‘negative,’ ‘thumbs up’ versus ‘thumbs down,’ or ‘like’ versus ‘dislike’.” such identification can be especially useful in comparing voices within a single text or comparing tone within larger corpora. similarly to topic modeling, sentiment analyses maximize students’ functional ability to employ cognitive tom skills to interact with course materials beyond the meaning of the language within that set schemata. strategies such as these relate directly to two of the threshold concepts in acrl’s framework: “information has value” and “research as inquiry”. first, acrl states, “information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world.” when interrogating texts, there are several layers of information and dimensions of value. researchers can extract a plethora of information and insight conducting a close reading of a text. however, incorporating textual analysis strategies allows for different information and insight to be drawn from different layers of resources. these strategies increase the scope of what is possible when working with texts. furthermore, acrl adds that “research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.” these strategies allow researchers to ask questions and embark down roads of inquiry that were not possible in the past. in helping students develop information literacy skills, librarians encourage the use of new research strategies to find new ways of interacting and interpreting information encased within materials. alternative outputs emerging dh methodologies not only allow for outputs, such as story mapping, geographic information system mapping, and social network analyses to be considered as alternatives to traditional forms of scholarship, but in some cases they necesitate it. as technological advancements grow and new methods of conducting research emerge, traditional forms of scholarship grow increasingly restrictive. unilaterally relying on traditional scholarly outputs undermines the research process and places greater emphasis on individual outputs than on the research itself. scholarly outputs are simply instruments used to communicate knowledge derived from the research process. to adhere to a singular, prescriptive output while more appropriate outputs exist for communicating specific information is not only counterintuitive, but also jeopardizes the impact of the research itself. in leading the charge to develop student’s information literacy skills, libraries emerge as ideal advocates for promoting the implementation of increased scholarly outputs. acrl’s framework cites “information creation as a process” as one of the threshold concepts of information literacy. in defining this frame, acrl states, “information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method.” it adds that “the iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.” in order to properly assist students in developing information literacy skills, it is therefore essential that librarians not only make students aware of alternative outputs, but that they also advocate to constituent departments on campuses of higher education to do the same. in order to create inclusive learning environments for students with asd, the emphasis needs to be placed on the research process itself, not the output. emphasizing traditional outputs highlights limitations beyond students’ control. in focusing emphasis on the research process, students will be empowered to direct their efforts to conducting research and developing strong foundational research strategies. it is imperative to encourage students to communicate their research through the medium that they perceive to be the appropriate output for their project or individual communication style. opportunities for library supports libraries provide an ideal infrastructure for supporting neurodivergent students to more effectively interact with scholarly materials. these supports need to take a more prominent role in conversations regarding the future of information literacy. as emerging scholarly practices continue to become an increasingly prominent part of research, it is important to consider the challenges that neurodivergent students face when interacting with materials, and consider new research techniques and methodologies as opportunities to create more accessible, inclusive learning environments. this endeavor is not only a cornerstone of information literacy, but a principal value of librarianship. in discussing the differences between data and information, lanning asserts that information needs “some kind of context for their meaning to be discerned.” as discussed, there are numerous layers to this context that create barriers for neurodivergent students to effectively interact with information due to the social and communicative aspects of the syntactical schemata in which it exists, limitations in working memory, and comparatively delayed tom development. however, the unique role of libraries within institutions of higher education creates opportunities to teach emerging research techniques and strategies to students directly, collaborate with services across campus to create more holistic support networks, and work directly with constituent campus departments to establish inclusive learning environments. campus-wide collaborations in a study into establishing strategies for more effectively integrating student supports into their academics, dadger et al. found that all strategies have the same two aims: “(a) to make student services and supports a natural part of students’ college experience and (b) to increase the quality of both support services and instruction.” in order to effectively meet these goals with relation to supporting neurodivergent students and establishing a strong network of services, increased collaborations between librarians and disability services, academic mentors and coaches, and advising personnel are crucial. the challenges that neurodivergent students face are multifaceted and require a widespread system of supports that work harmoniously together. dadger et al. found that the first step to creating such a network is to connect preexisting services. many established library services, especially one-on-one consultations with librarians, can prove beneficial to neurodivergent students, but students may not be aware that these services exist. students who disclose their diagnoses and seek supports from campus are involved in at least some, if not all, of the aforementioned programs, so increased collaborations can increase visibility of preexisting library services. such collaborations would also invite the establishment of new supports. in a survey assessing which supports students with asd found most helpful, accardo et al. discovered that % of participants identified academic coaching as a preferred service, with one participant adding that coaching is a support that “isn’t contingent on somebody’s agenda for me.” academic coaching and mentoring provides increased agency to students, and librarians can positively contribute to furthering that development by providing services around interacting with course materials. if greater collaboration exists between librarians and mentors, then mentors will both be able to suggest to their students specific library services that benefit their individual goals and plans, as well as make suggestions to librarians for new services that they think would benefit their students. all of these collaborations can help students interact with their course materials by making library services more visible and encouraging increased communication between students and their full network of supports. liaising with constituent departments as previously discussed, many neurodivergent students elect not to disclose their diagnoses and subsequently do not receive any of the services to which they are entitled. this makes it all the more important for liaison librarians to work closely with their constituent departments to establish inclusive environments and practices. much of the outreach that liaison librarians do is already geared towards creating inclusive learning environments, but it is imperative that liaison librarians bring new research strategies both to their students and faculty to ensure continued growth in developing such practices and spaces. as conversations focused on neurodivergent inclusivity within information literacy continue, many new practices will emerge and liaison librarians will be the primary drivers of delivering these practices across campuses. for now, many of these practices within the humanities are emerging through dh engagement, so it is imperative that liaison librarians focus on cultivating dh understanding and acceptance within the culture of their constituent departments. organizing workshops and presentations that incorporate dh practices relevant to departmental research interests, inviting constituent faculty to collaborate on a project incorporating emerging scholarly practices, and sharing digital projects are a few examples of efforts that may lead to increased opportunities to grow emerging practices in constituent departments. many disciplines are still in the midst of establishing best practices for considering scholarship and outputs that fall outside the traditional scope, and as such, may be unsure as to how to appropriately encourage students to engage with such practices. moving forward, libraries will continue to play an integral role not only in supporting the creation of new information and scholarship, but also ensuring that best practices are created for using research innovation to create inclusive learning environments. teaching emerging research techniques the majority of students will engage with library-led information literacy opportunities through supplementary sessions within courses taught through constituent campus departments. while some courses may integrate these sessions at numerous points during a semester, it is common that students either only have the opportunity to participate in one session or are not presented with the opportunity at all. the focus of these content-oriented courses is not to develop information literacy skills for interacting with course materials, but instead is on extrapolating knowledge or ideas by interacting with the course material and then presenting this knowledge through a largely proscriptive medium. their structures presuppose that students are able to interact with the materials in a specific way, and are not designed to teach students how to interact with the materials themselves. they may introduce new forms of materials and teach students how to use or incorporate those materials, but even within these situations the ability to interact with the information is assumed. while these courses may not be the appropriate place to teach students techniques or research methods that enable a deeper interaction with their texts, such a course is necessary. the mission and values of librarianship make libraries the ideal home for such courses. libraries are becoming the central support for emerging scholarly practices and dh, and the devotion that librarians demonstrate to information literacy make them ideally suited not only to teach students how to interact with materials, but also how to present their work in nontraditional ways. such courses can empower all students, but especially neurodivergent students, to not only take control of their own research endeavors but also to increase agency when participating in other courses. despite most academic disciplines requiring some variation of a discipline-specific research and writing course, these courses are structured around traditional academic norms that do not provide neurodivergent students with the supports they need for effectively interacting with materials. if libraries begin offering courses that teach these supports, then neurodivergent students may face reduced barriers in their discipline-specific courses. more research into the effectiveness of such courses needs to be conducted, but indicators discussed in this article suggest that they have the potential to positively contribute to more inclusive learning environments. conclusion institutions of higher education are currently maneuvering shifts both in the neurological makeup of student populations and the composition of scholarship itself. as student populations continue to grow more neurodiverse, and dh practices establish themselves as research norms, libraries will play an important role in establishing more inclusive learning environments for students and faculty. neurodivergent students face a plethora of additional challenges to their peers. while many of those challenges are already being supported through various services, there are no institutionalized supports that help students approach the social and communicative aspects of interacting with information and their course materials. limitations in working memory and tom development combined with the social and communicative components inherent within the engagement with and production of traditional modes of scholarship significantly impact neurodivergent students’ abilities to successfully maneuver collegiate expectations. however, libraries can play a decisive role in supporting these students and creating more inclusive learning environments. dh methodologies and practices challenge the limitations of traditional modes of scholarship and provide neurodivergent students an opportunity both to interact with and present information in ways that they were unable to in the past. libraries can currently teach strategies for interacting with information by integrating into the ever-growing system of services campuses offer students. they can implement research strategy courses that specifically target the research needs of neurodivergent students and advocate for more inclusive practices to be implemented within constituent departments. moving forward there is an increasing need for greater emphasis to be placed on supporting the information literacy needs of neurodivergent students. as institutions of higher education continue to grow more neurodiverse, it is the responsibility of libraries to create accessible means and strategies for students to effectively interact with and present information. acknowledgements i would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to peer reviewers jessica schomberg and bethany redcliffe, as well as publishing editor ian beilin for their insight, enthusiasm, and encouragement throughout the review process. their thoughtful feedback and probing questions contributed immensely to the formation of this article. i would also like to thank merinda mclure, 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(november ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . wei, xin, mary wagner, laura hudson, jennifer w. yu, and harold javitz. “the effect of transition planning participation and goal-setting on college enrollment among youth with autism spectrum disorders.” remedial and special education , no. (january ): – . https://doi.org/ . / . 	fox et al., “the dark side of social networking sites: an exploration of the relational and psychological stressors associated with facebook use and affordances.” computers in human behavior ( ): – .; kross et al., “facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults.” plos one , no. ( ): - .; lin et al., “association between social media use and depression among u.s. young adults: research article: social media and depression.” depression and anxiety , no. ( ): – .; twenge et al., “increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among u.s. adolescents after and links to increased new media screen time.” clinical psychological science , no. ( ): – .; vannucci et al., “social media use and anxiety in emerging adults.” journal of affective disorders ( ): - . [↩] 	accardo et al., “accommodations and support services preferred by college students with autism spectrum disorder.” autism , no. (april ): .; anderson et al., “a systematic literature review of the experiences and supports of students with autism spectrum disorder in post-secondary education.” research in autism spectrum disorders ( ): – .; gena p. barnhill, “supporting students with asperger syndrome on college campuses: current practices.” focus on autism and other developmental disabilities , no. ( ): .; underhill et al., “autism stigma in communication classrooms: exploring peer attitudes and motivations toward interacting with atypical students.” communication education , no. ( ): .; van hees et al., “higher education experiences of students with autism spectrum disorder: challenges, benefits and support needs.” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): .; wei et al., “the effect of transition planning participation and goal-setting on college enrollment among youth with autism spectrum disorders.” remedial and special education , no. ( ): – . [↩] 	american psychiatric association. diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition ( ). [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	centers for disease control and prevention, prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged years. autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, sites, united states, ( ): . [↩] 	newman et al., the post-high school outcomes of young adults with disabilities up to years after high school. a report from the national longitudinal transition study- (nlts ) ( ): - . [↩] 	white et al., “college students on the autism spectrum: prevalence and associated problems,” autism , no. ( ): . [↩] 	underhill et al., “autism stigma in communication classrooms: exploring peer attitudes and motivations toward interacting with atypical students,” communication education , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	alan g. kamhi and hugh w. catts., “language and reading: convergences, divergences, and development,” in reading disabilities ( ): - . [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	matthew d. lerner and amori y. mikami., “a preliminary randomized controlled trial of two social skills interventions for youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.” focus on autism and other developmental disabilities , no. ( ): – . [↩] 	it is important to remember here that there are multiple manifestations of asd, and while these techniques can be modified to support individuals with asd, they are not applicable universally and do not prove effective for all people. furthermore, these techniques help recognize that something more may be contributing to what is being communicated beyond the literal meaning of the words, but they do not always help decipher the full meaning of what is being communicated. [↩] 	vulchanova et al., “figurative language processing in atypical populations: the asd perspective,” frontiers in human neuroscience ( ): . [↩] 	accardo et al., “writing interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder: a research synthesis,” journal of autism and developmental disorders ( ): . [↩] 	price et al., “a preliminary study of writing skills in adolescents with autism across persuasive, expository, and narrative genres.” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): – . [↩] 	shannon walters, “toward a critical asd pedagogy of insight: teaching, researching, and valuing the social literacies of neurodiverse students,” research in the teaching of english vol. , no. (may ): - . [↩] 	valerie camos and pierre barroulillet, working memory in development ( ): . [↩] 	graham et al., “writing characteristics of students with learning disabilities and typically achieving peers: a meta-analysis,” exceptional children , no. ( ): . [↩] 	maria chiara pino et al., “simple mindreading abilities predict complex theory of mind: developmental delay in autism spectrum diorders.” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): . [↩] 	evelien broekhof et al., “the understanding of intentions, desires and beliefs in young children with autism spectrum disorder,” journal of autism and developmental disorders , no. ( ): - . [↩] 	association of college and research libraries (acrl). “framework for information literacy for higher education.” ( [↩] 	alan mckee, textual analysis : a beginner’s guide. (london: sage publications, ), proquest ebook central: . [↩] 	s. glucksberg, “understanding metaphors: the paradox of unlike things compared,” in ahmad k. (eds), affective computing and sentiment analysis: emotion, metaphor, and terminology, springer, dordrecht ( ): . [↩] 	e. cambria, “affective computing and sentiment analysis,” ieee intelligent systems , no. (march ): . [↩] 	acrl ( ). [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	ibid. [↩] 	scott lanning, concise guide to information literacy ( ): . [↩] 	mina dadgar et al.“strategies for integrating student supports and academics: strategies for integrating student supports and academics,” new directions for community colleges no. ( ): – . [↩] 	ibid, - . [↩] 	accardo et al. ( ), - . [↩] 			 						 							 					 	 						 												 						 							open to what? a critical evaluation of oer efficacy studies 							multilingualism, neoliberalism, and language ideologies in libraries 							 						 						 												 						 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 denisse solis – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				denisse solis 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					i am currently spending the rest of my residency as the interim digital collections librarian at the university of denver in denver, colorado but was born and raised in miami, florida. i spent the beginning of my library career at florida international university where i first worked as a staff member in the cataloging department and then as a reference librarian. i earned my mlis from kent state university and hold bachelor’s degrees from fiu in history and art history with a certificate in european studies. while i was pursuing my mlis i was named an arl diversity scholar and ala spectrum scholar. these two programs sparked new interests, encouraged me to dream bigger, and introduced me to a supportive community that has shaped my career path and goals. i have a wide array of interests which include language use and demographics in libraries, lis programs, cataloging and metadata, library administration, special collections, outreach and engagement, and mentorship—just to name a few. on the rare occasion that i am not thinking about libraries or librarianship, i spend my time running, traveling, napping, enjoying good food, or spending time with loved ones. feel free to tweet @ me in english or spanish. my handle is @luna_dee 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				 							 	 		 	 			 		 		 			 				 					 										 						 						 	 				 		 		 			 				 					 					oct 					 				 				 					jeremiah paschke-wood, ellen dubinsky and leslie sult					/ comments 				 											creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners 								 					 				 				 			 			 		 			 in brief: research and course guides typically feature long lists of resources without the contextual or instructional framework to direct novice researchers through the research process. an investigation of guide usage and user interactions at a large university in the southwestern u.s. revealed a need to reexamine the way research guides can be developed and implemented to better meet the needs of these students by focusing on pedagogical support of student research and information literacy skill creation. this article documents the justification behind making the changes as well as the theoretical framework used to develop and organize a system that will place both pedagogically-focused guides as well as student-focused answers to commonly asked questions on a reimagined faq/research page. this research offers academic libraries an alternative approach to existing methods of helping students. rather than focusing on guiding students to a list of out-of-context guides and resources, it reconceptualizes our current system and strives to offer pedagogically-sound direction and alternatives for students who formerly navigated unsuccessfully through the library’s website, either requiring more support, or failing to find the assistance they needed. introduction the way librarians teach research methods and interact with faculty and staff across campus has changed over the years. this is due to a number of factors including reduced or flat budgets, increasing undergraduate enrollment, and changes to content delivery brought on by technological adaptations and users’ needs. amid these trends, more and more librarians search for active ways to engage novice researchers with instruction that provides guidance and scaffolding into more complex research practices and concepts, instead of instruction that focuses on search mechanics or rote practices. strangely, since their inception almost years ago, research guides, often used to supplement instruction, have evolved into resource lists despite ample research suggesting this approach has limited efficacy as an instructional approach. librarians also now often need to look to technology to help support student learning or provide this instruction, with fewer opportunities for in-person instruction or fewer librarians to conduct this instruction. while academic libraries have long relied on subject guides as a means for supporting students through the research process, the advent of widespread internet usage allowed libraries to begin making guides available online. this process was streamlined even further with springshare’s development of the libguides platform in . the ease of creating and copying libguides has provided librarians a means of developing online, scalable research support for students. in surveying guides across institutions, it is clear that the guides tend to follow a traditional “pathfinder” model that provides students with extensive lists of resources. while this is a valid use of guides, the changing expectations of students and faculty as well as more nuanced views of the research process require libraries to rethink the ways they support students as they attain information literacy skills and competencies. given these factors, our research focuses on whether or not current practices around the use and presentation of guides, which generally include comprehensive lists of resources without context or instruction, align with information literacy concepts as well as with commonly accepted practices around the way students learn. if the answer is no, what can we – as academic librarians and educators – do to provide a more useful and pedagogically sound option for early career undergraduates? how do we leverage our technology solutions to better serve this constituency who might not receive information literacy instruction through their coursework and might be intimidated by the prospect of asking for assistance from a person at a public service desk? at the university of arizona (uarizona), where this research is taking place, liaison librarians are tasked with serving as the primary research support for the entire campus of over , students, while a smaller group focuses on information literacy instruction to the , - , new undergraduates that arrive on campus every year. the students possess varying levels of experience and skill in research. with the small number of liaisons working with this large community, the need for research support delivery via the library website and other online tools is more and more important. in this article, we will discuss utilizing the libguides and libanswers platforms to allow students to have more control over their research journey as they navigate the types of resources and library instructional support they need to develop successful research habits and practices. the methods we have used for these changes correspond to research in the application of adult learning theory in library instruction and the conclusions drawn by kathy watts in her analysis of the application of principles of andragogy in online library instruction that “college students… display the characteristics of adult learners. they like to know that their learning is relevant. they learn best when tutorials are problem-based. they come to library instruction with prior learning that needs to be accommodated. they prefer, and are capable of, self-directing their learning.” background given the current resource-heavy content in the university of arizona libraries’ (ual) course and subject guides, we began our research by looking for older literature about subject and research guides with the hope of discovering how research guides evolved. while we knew of more recent literature and projects – such as those identified by alison hicks in her article “libguides: pedagogy to oppress” – that position libguides as instructional tools, we were surprised to find that researchers have stressed the importance of designing guides with pedagogy at the forefront for decades. few of the suggestions that researchers previously put forth have been followed, including in the creation of libguides at our own institution.   the origin story of library research guides usually starts with topic-specific reference aids developed at mit in the early s as part of the model library program of project intrex. these printed aids were called library pathfinders and marketed as such. the pathfinders were expressly “designed to be useful for the initial stages of library research.” they were not intended to be bibliographies, exhaustive guides to the literature, or accessions tools. pathfinders were a “compact guide to the basic sources of information specific to the user’s immediate needs” and “a step-by-step instructional tool.” canfield ( ) explained that by “a judicious combination of a series of selected informational elements … a pathfinder enables the user to follow an organized search path.” the initial intention was never to create a comprehensive listing of resources but rather a suggested sequence of first steps. an even earlier precursor may have been the montieth college library experiment at wayne state university in the early s. patricia knapp, an academic librarian and library educator, was an early proponent of integrating librarianship with academic instruction. knapp’s “path-ways” instruction embedded the library, both its physical collections and the organization of the collections, throughout the four-year montieth curriculum, building assignments that progressed in complexity as students advanced in their study and understanding of their disciplines. early articles described the strategic purposes of research/resource guides. alice sizer warner ( ) acknowledged that library pathfinders could be used as teaching tools and could enhance students’ research skills, though she did not offer specifics on how to accomplish those goals. thompson and stevens ( ) felt that traditional pathfinders were unsatisfactory because “they provided specific references to information and did not require students to develop their own search strategies.” jackson ( ) described the guides created at the university of houston-university park as “search strategy guides.” their guides emphasized a process for searching rather than pointing to specific information resources. the intention was to teach users methods for searching that could be applied in situations where subject guides did not exist. kapoun ( ) suggested that pathfinders failed to serve their original purpose. he stressed that pathfinders “should not dictate a single ‘correct way’ to perform topical research. instead they should facilitate individual styles of information gathering…. a pathfinder should offer suggestions, not formulas [emphasis kapoun].” by the late s most libraries had developed online guides to both locally-held and internet-based subject resources, according to research by cohen & still ( ). while much of the literature continued to focus on the instructional purposes of online guides, many articles described methods, applications, and software that could be used to produce guides. yet even within these “how-to” articles were references to the instructional uses of guides. andrew cox ( ) described hypermedia library guides. he promoted the incorporation of graphics, images, sound and video files while acknowledging the technical challenges and limitations of existing browsers (netscape at that time). corinne laverty ( ) suggested that the web could function as a library’s desktop publishing system, revitalizing subject guides and pathfinders and allowing the creation and incorporation of interactive library tutorials. in addition to a discussion about technical solutions, she suggested several desired features of online pathfinders, including the “addition of a complete research strategy within a subject area rather than limitation to the traditional list of reference tools,” how to critically evaluate information and write a paper, and links to databases and tutorials. the challenge, according to laverty, was to “take advantage of the versatility and accessibility of the web in a way that enhances the library learning process.” a study of electronic pathfinders from nine canadian university libraries (dahl ) considered the intended functions of these guides. dahl felt that pathfinders had an instructional purpose — if they were mere bibliographies, they could not help students learn how to do research. carla dunsmore ( ) looked at the explicit and implicit purposes, concepts, and principles of online pathfinders. using both canadian and american university library pathfinders on three business topics, dunsmore identified two major functions: “facilitating access and providing a search strategy.” galvin ( ) found that “[p]athfinders which only list resources without providing explanations of the type of information offered in different sources do not teach students to evaluate information.” bradley brazzeal ( ) compared online forestry research guides to study how the guides incorporated the acrl’s information literacy competency standards for higher education. findings showed that some guides engaged the users by incorporating features that corresponded directly to elements of a library instruction session. he concluded that research guides had great potential to educate library users by helping them to understand the practical use of library resources and services. the time required to create and maintain internet-based subject guides was noted by morris and grimes ( ) in their study of research university libraries in the southeast. while the creation of guides was time-consuming, the librarians surveyed believed that the guides saved their users’ time in finding quality sites. the additional challenges of creating internet-based guides included the possible need for web masters, student workers, paraprofessionals, and new software to create, monitor and maintain the guides. consideration of search strategies or methods of conducting research were eclipsed by the technical challenges of creating online guides. in a follow-up study, the same authors concluded that library internet-based subject guides were becoming almost universal. the researchers’ use of the term “webliographies,” speaks to their use as a list of links rather than as a pedagogical tool. creation of “dynamic subject guides”, at york university, using an open source cms application was discussed by dupuis, ryan, & steeves ( ). the key objective of their guides was to serve as a starting point for research for undergraduate students. while the guides could be updated and maintained by librarians rather than computing staff, the guides themselves were chiefly search interfaces for library e-resources. moses & richard ( ) detailed the experience of two university libraries in implementing web . technologies (subjectsplus and libguides) for building online subject guides. at the time of writing in november , the open source subjectsplus, developed by andrew darby at ithaca college, had been adopted by libraries. libguides, a vendor solution developed by springshare, was reportedly being used by over institutions. another early article (kerico & hudson ) about adopting libguides as a web-based platform described the ease of use and functionality of the libguides platform. the embedded web . features allowed librarians without expertise in computer programming or web design to quickly create general online resource guides and course-specific subject guides that utilized interactive web . features. more importantly, libguides could help refine instruction: the platform could make it easy to identify instructional elements that are common to all disciplines and encourage a “refined and collaborative approach to best practices for delivering content online to students and faculty alike.” glassman & sorensen ( ) suggested several web-based tools for the creation of library subject guides, pathfinders, and toolkits. options included content management systems such as drupal, blogging software such as blogspot and wordpress, and wikis such as mediawiki. other options included the open source applications libdata, developed by the university of minnesota libraries, and subjectsplus. ultimately glassman & sorensen’s library chose libguides for their online guides, citing the platform’s ease of use, customizability, strong vendor support, and content sharing. a nuanced criticism of research guides was offered by alison hicks in . hicks questioned whether the predominant usage of libguides focused far too heavily on the decontextualized listing of tools and resources which isolated research from the reading and writing processes. this was troublesome because it positioned research as static and linear, leading to a predefined or pre-identified truth or right answer. a better solution would be guides designed around research processes, allowing opportunity for students to construct their own meaning-making process. hicks argued that “when we construct libguides around the resources that the librarian thinks the student should know about in order to ace their research paper, we attempt to simplify the processes of research.” ruth l. baker ( ) suggested that libguides could be used more effectively if they were structured as tutorials that guided students through the research process. such guides would “function to reduce cognitive load and stress on working memory; engage students through metacognition for deeper learning; and provide a scaffolded framework so students can build skills and competencies gradually towards mastery.” in one of the few studies conducted to assess the impact of research guides on student learning, stone et al. ( ) tested two types of guides for different sections of a dental hygiene first year seminar course. one guide was structured around resource lists organized by resource types (pathfinder design) while the second was organized around an established information literacy research process approach. the results showed that students found the pedagogical guide more helpful than the resource guide in navigating the information literacy research process. stone et al. concluded that these pedagogical guides, structured around the research process with tips and guidance explaining the “why” and the “how” of the research process, led to better student learning. a study focusing on the influence of guide design on information literacy competency (as delineated in the acrl framework for information literacy for higher education) for guides used outside the classroom by lee & lowe ( ) showed similar results. the pedagogical guide was organized around the research process identified in carol kuhlthau’s information search process ( ) and employed numbered steps to lead students through the research process. students using the pedagogical guide reported a more positive experience, spent more time using the guide, interacted more with the guide, and consulted more resources listed on the guide than students using a more traditional pathfinder (resource lists) guide. even though the study did not reveal a statistically significant difference in the information literacy learning outcomes between the students using the pedagogical guide and the students using the pathfinder guide, the authors proposed that there was a pedagogical advantage to having a more usable guide as well as lessening students’ negative emotions and anxiety related to research. if, as hemmig ( ) suggests, the origin of subject guides was knapp and the montieth library experiment project’s library “path ways”, then one of the central aspects of knapp’s research has been repeatedly lost and rediscovered, reiterated and ignored, over the last years. there has been recurrent consideration of subject guides as pedagogical tools to teach how information is used within the disciplines and how research is conducted, but too often the focus has shifted to the maintenance, readability, format, consistency, language usage, and discoverability of guides. several authors share the same message of teaching strategies and methods; few reported on the successful implementation of those recommendations. our challenge as a large, public, land-grant university with over , undergraduate students, the two small departments of liaison librarians at ual face a daunting task of supporting students in pedagogically sound ways with limited resources. librarians often turn to online tutorials and guides to support the large student population. the ual has a recently updated suite of tutorials that librarians work to embed into early career undergraduate courses. in addition, liaisons consistently collaborate with faculty to develop course guides that support specific classes and assignments. although this approach has been useful, when we analyzed the usage of our guides as well as the questions that students were asking via chat and the reference desk, we found that the ual could improve our support for students by investing more effort and energy into developing guides that better connect information literacy practices to the principles of andragogy and that better support students in the meaning making processes of research that alison hicks so adroitly champions in her article “libguides: pedagogy to oppress?” research has shown that “[l]ibrary instruction seems to make the most difference to student success when it is repeated at different levels in the university curriculum, especially when it is offered in upper-level courses” and that “[a] tiered approach to teaching information literacy is in line with the way many universities teach other literacies, such as writing and math, with introductory skills at the freshman level and then more advanced practice as students matriculate.” a utah state university study that examined the impact of sequenced library instruction reinforces these findings as well as the need to use online learning tools to take advantage of flipped models of instruction when setting up a scaffolded program. given the need for scaling and providing opportunities for scaffolded and flipped instructional experiences that online research guides help fulfill, the use and usefulness of research guides for students is a primary concern for librarians. courtois, higgins, and kapur ( ) studied user satisfaction of online subject research guides at george washington university and found that while just over percent of respondents rated the online guides positively, a full percent rated the guides negatively. reeb & gibbons ( ) studied the disconnection between students and librarians’ mental models of information organization within academic disciplines as evident in online subject guides. their usability testing repeatedly revealed low usage of or dissatisfaction with subject guides. reeb & gibbons suggested that an undergraduate student’s mental model was focused on courses or specific coursework rather than the discipline itself. students found discipline-based subject guides lacking in context – they were confused by subject categorization and frustrated by not finding resources specifically tailored for their informational needs. the authors concluded that creating guides to support specific courses would be more useful to students than discipline-based guides. data on the usage of subject guides produced at ual bears out previous researchers’ doubts regarding usefulness. the research supports the conclusion that even though librarians may want to rely on subject guides as teaching and research support tools, most guides are underused. in observing the ual website and existing subject guides in the period from january to may , , there is an apparent gap in the way that librarians present information and the way that library users wish to interact with the information being provided. multiple subject guides produced by ual have less than views for that five-month period, which amounts to less than one view per day. the most heavily viewed guides on the ual website focus on a specific, narrow topic or those developed for a specific course or program. ual libguides page views, jan. , –may , 	libguide	page views 	az residential tenants rules (topic)	 , 	bcom (course)	 , 	gis & geospatial data (topic)	 , 	engl / (course)	 , 	mexican law (topic)	 , 	business (subject)	 , 	art (subject)	 , 	psychology (subject)	 	music (subject)	 	nutritional sciences (subject)	 along with issues related to the use of ual subject guides, an analysis of our current site reveals that novice researchers encounter a number of navigational challenges when looking for guided research and/or instructional support. when looking for guidance, a user must navigate to the “research and publish” link, which then activates a dropdown selection where the user can select between links to research by subject/topic, research by course/program (both linking to alphabetical lists of libguides), “learn with tutorials,” which links to a set of foundational tutorials, “write & cite,” which provides links to citation and plagiarism resources and “support for researchers,” which links to specialized support for advanced research. while this linear and alphabetical representation of instructional support materials is not uncommon in academic libraries, it creates access challenges and misses an opportunity to demonstrate to students that research is process-oriented and recursive. it also raises the question of whether students understand the terminology in a way that allows them to find the help they need. in addition to navigational challenges, local decisions that were made when libguides were first implemented in further confound the research process. the original templates that the ual developed for libguides pages were designed through a lens that focused heavily on creating a consistent user experience (ux) across guides and are very linear and somewhat rigid in nature. as research on how students learn online has grown, we believe that ux concerns with navigation and consistency must be wedded to design approaches that incorporate the learner experience (ldx). we believe that the purposeful melding of ux and ldx will help ensure that libraries design interfaces that support and enhance “the cognitive and affective processes that learning involves.” a two-pronged approach: faqs and libguides several attempts have been made by the ual over the years to address these challenges and better integrate guides into the academic lives of students. one of the more successful projects has involved embedding library resources and instructional materials directly into the campus learning management system (lms). this project, named the library tools tab, began in the early s and remains in use today. the goal of the project was to develop a tool that would provide access to a robust, embedded set of library instructional materials and resources through the campus lms. while the team did succeed in developing and launching a tool that integrated into the lms, it struggled with maintaining ongoing support and development and was never able to build it into as robust of a learning system as initially intended. in response to the above observations and experiences, a small working group of librarians began the process of rethinking and revising the ual’s approach to supporting online student research and learning. at the outset, the focus and intent was to improve the design of our subject and course guides. our project grew as we worked to incorporate the research and best practices that we had uncovered as part of our research. several factors influenced this expansion in scope including research conducted by william hemmig ( ), jennifer little ( ), shannon staley ( ), carol kuhlthau ( ), and meredith farkas ( ).  hemmig’s article credited patricia knapp and the montieth college library experiment project in the early s as the genesis of pathfinders and later subject research guides. knapp’s work to develop library instruction as part of the college curriculum was user-centered. it was designed to teach students the effective use of the library and its resources, creating both ways for the student to progress from their current state (what they know) to their desired level of knowledge (what they want to know) and methods for the student to navigate the organization of scholarly information resources. knapp explained that “[k]nowing the way means understanding the nature of the total system, knowing where to plug into it, knowing how to make it work.” jennifer little ( ) pointed to cognitive load theory to inform the creation of pedagogically sound and useful research guides. little’s suggestions for incorporating cognitive load theory principles into research guide creation included tying guides to specific courses rather than broad subject areas and assisting students in developing self-regulated learning strategies by breaking down research into smaller steps. according to little, such guides “will motivate students to learn and remember how to navigate and use a wide variety of information resources.”   shannon staley used the results of a study on the usefulness of subject guides at san josé state university to suggest that the prevailing model of subject guides – primarily a presentation of lists of resources – did not match the information search process (isp) used by students that was first documented by carol kuhlthau in . kuhlthau, who focused on students’ information behavior, identified six stages of the isp: initiation, selection, exploration, formulation, collection, and presentation. staley proposed that subject guides incorporating “the cognitive process to completing course assignments – steps addressing the different stages of the student isp – would more closely parallel students’ mental model” and thus prove more useful to and more used by students. in , meredith farkas and a team of librarians at portland state university released library diy, which is a “system of small, discrete learning-objects designed to give students the quick answers they need to enable them to be successful in their research.” the library diy approach is grounded in the idea that “libraries also need to rethink how we create online instructional content, which is often designed based on how we teach. a patron looking for information on how to determine whether an article is scholarly doesn’t want to go through a long tutorial about peer review to find the answer.” a common theme across the instruction-focused articles on library guides is the need for libraries to unveil systems and processes so that students can engage in research in a way that supports them as creators, explorers, and interlocutors in the research conversation. after exploring several different ideas, we landed on developing a scaffolded approach that is centered on an online, student-initiated, and self-guided research experience. our intent is to have a system that addresses discrete research concerns while surfacing the iterative nature of the research process. the centerpiece of the redesign is a set of reconceived frequently asked questions (faq) pages, developed to support the pedagogical approaches identified by knapp, little and kuhlthau, and heavily modeled on the library diy approach – so students have a great deal of personal control in the ways in which they plug into, navigate, and engage with library research.  to begin, we gathered local data by looking at queries submitted to our current faq system between jan. and may , .the queries represent suggested questions for the faq, which theoretically will guide the user to their topic via a keyword system. however, for the six-month time period, questions did not result in users clicking on a faq item. we found that though over half (n= ) of the questions submitted by users were related to account, software or facilities issues — e.g. “how do i renew books when i have fines?” most  of the remaining questions submitted by users dealt with traditionally research-related topics. citation/copyright help was heavily represented, as were questions about peer review and scholarly articles, general searching, finding liaison librarians, and other miscellaneous research topics. chat transcripts followed a similar theme. the bulk (n= ) of the sampled questions asked for basic research help — generally of the “how do i find an article about x?” variety or known-item searches, followed by general access issues (such as ebook or database access) then by citation and or copyright help questions. although the ual has a multi-search box in a central location on the website homepage, the data gathered from local chat transcripts and faq meshed with the research literature and confirmed that students need support related to how they navigate, understand, and apply the steps of the research process, not just ease of access to resources.  armed with data and a strong theoretical underpinning, we began the process of creating landing pages that serve as the gateway to the new system. after a few false starts, we worked with our instructional designer to develop the landing page below. it is designed to be visually simple and to help provide a quick on-ramp to research and library navigation as well as straightforward access to help via chat, text, telephone, email, or a liaison librarian. all answers to faqs are searchable from the landing page and are organized by category on the sub-pages. image . image of ask us landing page. image . image of library research faq subpage. we labeled and ordered the sub-categories to represent the major components of the research process, but also included a search bar so that students can quickly access information that they are seeking. the faq answers are grounded in approaching reference through the lenses of pedagogy and andragogy  and are designed to scaffold students into increasingly more complex and in-depth information after they have gleaned what they need from the introductory materials. each faq is constructed to answer a specific question as succinctly as possible and then provide links to more in-depth tutorials and resources that students can use as they continue on their research journey. this approach supports elmborg’s ( ) idea that librarians “must see our job as helping students to answer their own questions” and nancy fried foster’s assertion that librarians need to provide opportunities for students “to develop their information seeking skills and their judgement.”   we feel that this treatment allows us to support students as they take ownership of their searching and learning processes and devise paths through the research process. image . image of faq answer on how to pick a topic for a research assignment page. although the initial rationale behind faq pages on library websites might have been a means to avoid potential redundancy in the sort of questions asked by patrons to an already understaffed and overtaxed public services staff (west ), the authors feel that the platform has potential to provide an additional opportunity for research help, particularly for novice researchers. since faqs provide an opportunity to create a living document that is updated often (west), the authors hope that the faqs might also provide an excellent opportunity to create a living pedagogical document that helps support students through the iterative process of research. along with restructuring the faqs, our research helped us identify several ways that we could improve the pedagogical functioning of our course, subject and topic guides. our original guides were structured to encourage creators to list all resources and content in a single column. this approach was heavily informed by ux best practices and aligned well with those but at times was overly restrictive and pushed creators into developing lists of decontextualized resources. image . image of a linear course guide layout for an anthropology course to address this, we worked closely with our instructional designer to develop guides that allowed the ual to expand out of our linear, resource centric approach. image . image of dissertation proposal design course page. the pilot guides have been well-received by faculty and students, and we soon realized that we would need to implement a system that supported content creators to develop their own instruction-focused guides rather than rely on a single person to develop these guides. to reach the goal of reimagining the way libguides can be developed and implemented to better support students in gaining research and information literacy skills, we constructed a system designed to support content creators in developing pedagogically sound guides that adhere to instructional best practices. we want this system to allow for flexibility in presentation and design while maintaining a consistent user experience. we searched across institutions to learn how different libraries managed guides and found that developing blueprint guides would be the most effective way of supporting ual content creators. the blueprint guides we have developed are meant to synthesize and represent the findings of the many years of research that librarians have conducted on the best ways to teach and learn with library guides. the blueprints are designed to provide creators with flexibility in design as well as efficiency in creation. this support is achieved through providing easy to adapt frameworks as well as specific directions (https://libguides.library.arizona.edu/guidelines/blueprints) on how and why to use a particular type of guide.  image . image of one page four column guide page. image . image of libguides blueprint guidelines page. conclusion our goal for the new process was to purposefully redesign our existing guides and reference ecosystem to move away from decontextualized lists of resources which encourage students to “engage in a one-stop shopping process.” instead, we would focus on students as active learners constructing their own meaning through the process of research. doing so would hopefully  strengthen students’ sense of self efficacy and ownership of the process, allowing them to become thoughtful contributors to the scholarly conversation. the new system was launched in august , and guide creators are receiving training and support in adapting existing guides as well as in creating new ones. to ensure that librarians across the ual system are able to successfully implement this new approach, we have developed an infrastructure that starts with pedagogically oriented faqs that have been designed to adhere to adult learning theory and encourage independent use and discovery.  along with the faqs, guides have been rethought to better accompany students through the process of research rather than simply provide them with lists of potential resources. although constructing guides in this way often requires creators to commit to a philosophical move away from a “just in case” provision of resources mindset  as well as invest more time in thinking about how to construct paths through a particular research process, we have attempted to lessen the workload by providing a set of easy to duplicate blueprints as well as regularly updated instructions on how to implement these new practices. as of this writing there are six different blueprints with more in development. in the next phase of our research, the authors will be collaborating on a multi-institutional study to assess the pedagogical efficacy of the different blueprints and will share findings in a future publication.  finally, this model offers a means of bridging the gap between the ual discovery tool and the more in-depth tutorials and guides that ual librarians create to support students in their in-class research. it has been designed to provide  a way to support students who need help understanding or navigating a specific facet of their research process but are not in need of (or willing to invest the time in) more in-depth instruction. these changes are being undertaken with the intent of developing concrete ways to make the research experience as intuitive and seamless as possible for novice researchers.  acknowledgements many thanks to publishing editor kellee warren, internal reviewer dr. nicole cooke, and external reviewer erica defrain for their many insightful and generous comments on the manuscript. a special thanks to nicole hennig for all her hard work and expertise taking our ideas and turning them into something concrete and functional. thank you also to jennifer church-duran for being supportive of the need for changes and our research around it.  references baker, r.l. ( ). designing libguides as instructional tools for critical thinking and effective online learning. journal of library & information services in distance learning, ( - ), - . https://doi.org/ . / x. .   bowles-terry, m. ( ). library instruction and academic success: a mixed-methods assessment of a library instruction program. evidence based library & information practice ( ), – . https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/eblip/article/view/ /   brazzeal, b. ( ). research guides as library instruction tools. reference services review, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / canfield, m.p. ( ). library pathfinders. drexel library quarterly, , - . cohen, l.b. & still, j.m. ( ). a comparison of research university and two-year college library web sites: content, functionality, and form. college & research libraries, ( ): - . https://doi.org/ . /crl. . . courtois, m., higgins, m. & kapur, a. 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( ). a comparison of academic libraries’ webliographies. internet reference services quarterly, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /j v n _ hemmig, w. ( ). online pathfinders. reference services review, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /   hicks, a. ( ). libguides: pedagogy to oppress? hybrid pedagogy. http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/journal/libguidespedagogytooppress/ jackson, r. & pellack, l.j. ( ). internet subject guides in academic libraries: an analysis of contents, practices, and opinions. reference and user services quarterly, ( ), - . jackson, w.j. ( ). the user-friendly library guide. college & research libraries news, ( ), - . kapoun, j.m. ( ). re-thinking the library pathfinder. college and undergraduate libraries, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . /j v n _   kerico, j. & hudson, d. ( ). using libguides for outreach to the disciplines. indiana libraries, ( ), - . kline, e., wallace, n., sult, l., & hagedon, m. 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( ). getting your faqs straight. computers in libraries ( ), - . wilbert, s. ( ).library pathfinders come alive. journal of education for librarianship, ( ), - . https://doi.org/ . / worrell, d. ( ). the work of patricia knapp ( - ). the katharine sharp review, no. . available at http://hdl.handle.net/ / 	little ; hicks [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	wilbert ; sizer warner ; dunsmore ; hemmig ; brazzeal ; vileno [↩] 	canfield ; stevens et al [↩] 	stevens et al., , p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	hemmig ; worrell [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	grimes and morris [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	hicks [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	bowles-terry [↩] 	lundstrom et al [↩] 	 [↩] 	 [↩] 	peters [↩] 	kline [↩] 	knapp - [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	p. [↩] 	farkas [↩] 	farkas [↩] 	p. [↩] 	p. [↩] 	 [↩] 	hicks, [↩] 			 						 				andragogy, libguides, pedagogy, research guides, subject guides 			 					 	 						 												 						 							power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians 														 						 						 												 						 	 		 responses	 		 	 		 		 			 				name*wally grotophorst 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : am						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				tried something along these lines years or so ago. described here: : https://hdl.handle.net/ / idea was well received but it proved a bridge too far for many of our public services staff when it came time to keep the portals “current” and looking “lived in” 							 		 	 	 	 		 		 			 				name* elaine g 				 					 					 						 						 – – at : pm						 					 				 			 				 reply			 					 			 			 			 				i think this is great and am hoping to implement something similar on my campus. i noticed that you are using sidecar learning for your website tutorials instead of a guide on the side, which was created by u of a. is there a reason for this? i was just curious. is it worth the extra cost? 							 		 	 	 	 		leave a reply cancel reply save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time i comment. 		 			current ye@r * 			 			 		 		 			leave this field empty 			 		 	 	 		 						 										 				 				 				 			 			 	 		 			 		 				 	 				 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 jaena rae cabrera – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 				 			 			 				jaena rae cabrera 							 	 		 	 			 	 		 						 		 					 				 					 email: jaenarae [at] gmail.com website: https://jaenarae.com/ twitter: @jaenarae hi! i am an adult services librarian with the san francisco public library, specifically at the west portal branch. at the excelsior branch, i used to manage the filipiniana and fiction collections, as well as organized programs and events with a focus on filipino culture, arts and crafts, and digital literacy. i earned my mlis from syracuse university, and my ba in journalism from san francisco state university. before delving into library life, i was a web producer for renaissance journalism and reveal from the center for investigative reporting, where i managed websites and developed story layouts. as much as i believe in journalism, i needed something more in my professional life. that’s why i became a public librarian. here in san francisco, i’m on the front lines of our communities. i’ve always enjoyed helping people, and now, instead of sitting in front of a computer, i’m able to help people from all walks of life every day, whether it’s with a job application or learning how to use a computer or tablet. i focus on programming that really reflects the excelsior community. as a somewhat new librarian, i’m still learning each time i’m on the desk. i’m excited by learning with our patrons, and opening new doors for them along the way. outside the library world, i may be found searching for the best coffee in the city, or hanging out with my cat, gizmo. i also spend an inordinate amount of time on twitter, so feel free to ping me there too. 				 			 			 		 		 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 ellen dubinsky – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								ellen dubinsky 							 	 		 		 			 	about ellen dubinsky 		 			 				 ellen dubinsky is scholarly communication librarian at the university of arizona where she advocates for the broadest possible dissemination of the university community’s scholarly output. she is actively involved in promoting open-access, managing institutional repositories, facilitating library publishing, and promoting sustainable approaches to scholarly content creation and stewardship. 											 		 articles by ellen dubinsky 	 			creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 alexis logsdon – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								alexis logsdon 							 	 		 		 			 	about alexis logsdon 		 			 				 alexis logsdon is the humanities research and digital scholarship librarian at the university of minnesota-twin cities. her research interests explore the less visible aspects of library labor, from emotional labor to prison contracts. you can find her at www.alexislogsdon.com or on twitter as @offalcute. 											 		 articles by alexis logsdon 	 			power and status (and lack thereof) in academe: academic freedom and academic librarians – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 natalia fernández – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								natalia fernández 							 	 		 		 			 	about natalia fernández 		 			 				 natalia fernández is an associate professor and the curator of the oregon multicultural archives (oma) and the osu queer archives (osqa) at the oregon state university special collections and archives research center. fernández’s mission for directing the oma and the osqa is to work in collaboration with oregon's african american, asian american, latinx, native american, and osu’s lgbtiaq+ communities to support them in preserving their histories and sharing their stories. her scholarship relates to her work as an archivist, specifically best practices for working with communities of color. fernández has published in the oregon historical quarterly, journal of western archives, the american archivist, multicultural perspectives, and archival practice. fernández holds an m.a. in information resources and library science from the university of arizona (u of a). she graduated from the u of a knowledge river program, a program that focuses on community-based librarianship and partnerships with traditionally underserved communities. fernández is the recipient of a i love my librarian award. 											 		 articles by natalia fernández 	 			creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 beth filar williams – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								beth filar williams 							 	 		 		 			 	about beth filar williams 		 			 				 beth filar williams is an associate professor and head of the library experience and access department at oregon state university libraries since . overseeing the library’s public services, with a user experience and service design focus to create student centered services and spaces, she also frequently hosts interns, and is active with the diversity scholar program from its start. in her over years as a librarian, she has worked in all types and various facets of librarianship but always includes sustainability principles, mentoring students, and collaborations.  beth earned a master's of library science from the university of maryland and a ba in geography from the johns hopkins university. 									 more current biographical information may be available at https://twitter.com/filarwilliams. 							 		 articles by beth filar williams 	 			creating a library wide culture and environment to support mlis students of color: the diversity scholars program at oregon state university libraries – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 jeremiah paschke-wood – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								jeremiah paschke-wood 							 	 		 		 			 articles by jeremiah paschke-wood 	 			creating a student-centered alternative to research guides: developing the infrastructure to support novice learners – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct 				 			 		 				 	 	 jennie rose halperin – in the library with the lead pipe 		 		 				 			 				 					 						skip to main content 						 					 				 				 					 						chat .webcam					 				 				 			 		 		 		 		 			 				 				 					 											 					open menu	home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 				 				 					home 	about 	awards & good words 	contact 	editorial board 		denisse solis 	ian beilin 	jaena rae cabrera 	kellee warren 	nicole cooke 	ryan randall 	emeritus 	announcements 	authors 	archives 	conduct 	submission guidelines 	lead pipe publication process 	style guide 	search 	 		 				 			 		 		 	 	 	 			 			 			 				by 								jennie rose halperin 							 	 		 		 			 	about jennie rose halperin 		 			 				 jennie rose halperin is a digital and content strategist, facilitator, writer, and librarian based in boston. a communicator and community builder, she has had the pleasure of working with a variety of organizations including mozilla, creative commons, o’reilly media, harvard law school, mit community innovation lab, and more. she is enthusiastic about most things, but particularly about communal living, the commons, community strategy, collaborative art, open access and copyright, urban gardening, and cooperatives. she can be found on the internet at https://jennierosehalperin.me or on twitter @little_wow 									 more current biographical information may be available at https://jennierosehalperin.me. 							 		 articles by jennie rose halperin 	 			the library commons: an imagination and an invocation – – 		 	 		 			 			 			 		 		 	 		 	 		 	 		 				 			 				 										 this work is licensed under a cc attribution . license. issn - 				 										about this journal | archives | submissions | conduct