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students playing an Atari game

News and announcements

🕹️ The Hesburgh Libraries at Notre Dame invited students to explore its Legacy Technology Collection, which includes original copies of games from the 1970s through the 2000s, including such games as Pac-Man on Atari 2600, Oregon Trail on Apple IIe, and Michael Crichton’s “Amazon” on Commodore 64. Like working with medieval manuscripts, playing games on the original consoles (vs. digital downloads) offers students and researchers a more nuanced perspective on what it was like (for their parents) to experience these cultural artifacts. 

📺 Start an article with “discovered in an old basement” (or attic or garage), and you’ve got my attention. Stanford University Libraries has acquired the only known prototype of the MingKwai Chinese typewriter, the first Chinese typewriter to possess a keyboard. With support from a foundation, the typewriter will be preserved, with care and maintenance, and available for research, exhibits, and academic programs.

🤖 Yale Library has created a new leadership position: a director of AI initiatives in the humanities. In this role, Ben Glasser, associate professor of English, will help faculty navigate the use of AI in teaching, research, and curriculum development and take the lead on developing university-wide strategies and policies. “Glaser plans to develop group consultations with faculty around AI engagement in research and teaching, explore AI’s role in writing and composition, and develop streamlined access to AI resources for faculty and students.”

👨‍💻 The University of New Mexico Libraries has launched an AI and pedagogy summer program for humanities faculty and graduate students. During the 6-week cohort-based program, “participants will work toward a classroom project such as an AI-informed assignment, open educational resource (OER), or syllabus redesign.” The program also comes with a ChatGPT Plus subscription. I look forward to hearing about the outcomes of this learning community!

🧘‍♂️ Earlier this month, the University of Wyoming’s Coe Library hosted “Coechella: A Wellness and Destress Fest.” For nine days, they provided a variety of activities including goat yoga, foot massages, grab and go breakfast, craft kits, a silent disco, and more. The menu of options available to support students during a notably stressful time in the semester is incredible.

Notable mentions 

Bingo card with reading-themed options

Finally, with May being the traditional end of the academic year for universities on the semester schedule, numerous libraries were celebrating the winners of their respective student library awards, including the University of Texas at Austin, University of Kentucky, University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount University, Yeshiva University, Russell Sage College, Loyola Chicago, Emory University, UMass Amherst, Penn State, DePaul University, and UC Davis.  

On socials

Do libraries actually have books? Or is it all just one big conspiracy theory? That is what Oklahoma State University Library is searching to find out. “Between 2 (in)Terns” is a delightful series currently being produced in the deadpan style of “Cunk on Earth” (the series changes with each new host). I can only imagine the host is doing everything in their power just to hold it together (Note to OSU Library: please release the bloopers. I know they must exist. 😉).

File this next one under “videos I want to make.” Virginia Tech Libraries profiled one of their graduating seniors by creating a short video about their work as an architecture student in the University Archives. It’s a beautifully produced video, with excellent b-roll, that highlights the value of working in the library and connects it to the student’s overall university experience.

“Wait, are they back!?” was the first thing I said when I saw this Instagram post from UK Libraries. A couple years back, UK Libraries posted daily images on Twitter of their library building photoshopped into various famous images, including works of arts, movie posters, scenes from films, and photographs. The collection was a true work of genius. Their X account is now listed as suspended (though, who really cares because X is dead), so I’m eager to see if they’ll bring back the project on IG.

Finally, here’s one more shout-out to Oklahoma State University who took a terrible meme and offered an innovative twist. The AI-generated “X in a box” meme was sweeping the socials earlier this month, where “X” was some profession and the tools that came packaged with it aligned with the profession, often tongue in cheek. The over-saturation of the meme and the use of AI unsurprisingly sparked some backlash. So it’s refreshing to see OSU’s take. It’s human. It’s charming. As one commenter stated: “human art >>> ai ANY DAY”.

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six library staffers dressed as characters from the Clue boardgame

News and announcements

🔍 Let’s begin by acknowledging that to be “chair of the Clue Committee” might be the best service opportunity out there in academia. At UNC Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library, they are set to host their 20th live-action Clue game (pictured above). The classic characters are portrayed by library staff and teams compete using clues that introduce students to various aspects of the library. The student teams even coordinate their outfits! 

📸 “For the past eight months, Sabrina Gunn, the Feinstein Papers Digital Archivist, has pored over 16,000 digital photographs to arrange, describe, and paint a vivid picture of Feinstein’s incredible career as the longest-serving woman in the Senate.” That statement alone made my jaw drop, but then you look at the photographs. We’re all used to seeing the professional shots, but this archive from Stanford University Libraries showcases some of the BTS, informal photography that, for me, allows us to see a side of Feinstein that is more candid and visceral. 

🧵 An internship at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has enabled one student to explore the ins and outs of archival work through quilts, quilt making, and quilt history. The UNL Libraries actually have 123 distinct collections that make up their quilt research collections. Related: The Woodruff Library at Atlanta University Center is currently hosting an exhibition that includes more than 60 quilts that celebrate historically black colleges and universities, the Divine 9 Black Greek-letter organizations, and other important African American traditions. 

🛳️ Closing an academic library branch is never easy, but it’s especially difficult when the location is off campus at a remote facility. Duke University Libraries has decide to close its library at the Duke Marine Lab, moving its collections and reallocating some of the staffing resources into a new position that has a broader portfolio of climate and sustainability strategy support. It sounds like this move was inevitable, but hastened by recent federal funding cuts.

hardcover book with brown and blue marbled cover that includes image of a rooster on front
Hand-made children’s book “King of the Coop” by Isabelle Pethtel

📕 The University of Kentucky Libraries has a lovely overview of all the benefits of exploring their King Library Press. Founded in 1956, the press still operates, hosting apprenticeships, events, and workshops, as well as producing new works. Earlier this month, they hosted a workshop that gave participants the opportunity to create a small globe. Wood engravings, typefaces, broadsides, cards, and keepsakes are just some of the many materials visitors can explore in addition to books and other printed ephemera.

🛠️ The University of Georgia Libraries, in collaboration with the campus’s Center for Teaching and Learning, has selected nine faculty members to be “Special Collections Faculty Teaching Fellows.” This program, now in its 10th year, supports faculty’s ability to explore, research, and develop courses that feature materials from special collections in ways that advance the learning objectives and interests of their respective disciplines.

📖 The River Campus Libraries at the University of Rochester follows the 500 year history of a book of hours they recently acquired. The library worked with the campus art gallery and Buffalo State University’s art conservation department to assess the book’s authenticity, condition, and provenance. I especially love how this post discusses the finer points of acquiring (and paying for) such a valuable resource, as well as the necessary storage logistics (turning the pages every 3 months!). 

🤓 Over the past year, more than 1200 K-12 students have come to the University of Minnesota Libraries to attend events like “Gopherbaloo,” a history event that helps students explore an academic library and attend lessons about project organization and development, and utilize the library’s print and online collections to find sources for their projects. 

🫦 San Diego State University Library has acquired the archive of Low Magazine, a protest publication that began in 1998 and grew from 100 copies to a circulation of 20K. The library is adding posters, news clippings, and ephemera to the collection as well. The magazine was distributed on college campuses throughout Southern California and Northern Arizona and ran for 27 issues from 1988 to 1997.

🤡 Milner Library at Illinois State University is offering a small fellowship to researchers interested in utilizing its Circus and Allied Arts Collection. The collection includes related arts such as carnivals, carousels, Wild West shows, and vaudeville. It sounds like the fund can be used to offset just about anything related to the cost of conducting research, including but not limited to costs of travel, room and board, and digital scans.

Notable mentions

various colored and patterned beads
  • The University of Delaware launched a new digital collection highlighting the life and legacy of civil rights leader Littleton “Lit” Mitchell (1918–2004).
  • Because we’re all talking about egg prices these days, the ZSR Library at Wake Forest has curated a list of resources for researching commodity markets.
  • In honor of their current exhibition “Textiles Tells Stories: Exploring the African Studies Library Collection,” Boston University Libraries hosted a Krobo beads crafting event. (pictured above)
  • Duke University is inviting students to donate their textbooks at the end of the semester to help future students save money.
  • The University of Southern California received a $2.5 million gift to name and endow the ONE Archives director position.
  • Purdue Libraries hosted its second annual “A Celebration of Books” to honor faculty who published books throughout the past academic year.
  • James Madison University Libraries temporarily took down their construction fencing to facilitate student graduation photos. Love that! Related: UNC Libraries has some advice for photographers in their reading room. 
  • Speaking of graduation, the more than 100 graduating student employees at Yale Library will receive a specially designed bookplate, placed in a book of their choice. 

Finally, some academic libraries have been posting about the recent federal funding and administrative changes (i.e. IMLS, NEH, and ERIC), including Drexel University, Villanova, University of Cincinnati, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

On socials

Over the years, I’ve shifted the balance of my Instagram feed away from graphics and text to instead favor photography and video, but I am still a sucker for eye-catching graphics. The UCSB Library posted a carousel deck (do you call them deck? I call them decks) to promote “Libtopia,” or some of the non-curricular services and collections they provide. (Update: Libtopia is a riff on “Deltopia,” an unsanctioned street party near UCSB’s campus. The post highlights resources that students may be interested in post-Deltopia, e.g. wellness vending machine to buy aspirin. Thanks, Johannes, from USCB Libraries for the insider info!)

You can always tell when someone makes something for the sheer joy of making it. I haven’t spoken with this creator from Northwest Missouri State University, but I’m going to bet this audio was playing in their head for days and they just could not wait to find an opportunity to film it. Or maybe that’s just how it works for me.

@clubowenslibrary

End of semester crunch #library #librarylife #librarytok #college

♬ original sound – Amazon MGM Studios

The “doing ___ based on how much I like ___” format has been trending for a few weeks now, so I was glad to see a few libraries make it their own. Binghamton University Libraries rated spots around the library using book thickness, while Clemson University twirled for how loud you should be on different floors of the library.

Finally, we have a superbly done video tutorial from Ohio University on how to prepare the camcorder. It uses a simple overhead shot and it’s brief. They’ve just uploaded two other tutorials in this mode, including another for the camcorder and one for microphone assembly. As more academic libraries expand into YouTube Shorts (which we should all be doing IMO), this is a perfect use case.

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moose dressed in a sweater in a library

Social media happens so fast. I mean, just over a week ago, none of us considered making a banana peel part of our morning routine. So in between the monthly “Recently in Academic Libraries” posts, I pull together regular updates on what AcadLibs are doing on social. Please enjoy these recent highlights. 

Always check the calendar

Academic libraries stepped up their game this year for April Fools. Perhaps I wasn’t as attentive in the past, but I noticed more accounts engaging in what was obviously planned content for this internet high holy day. Carroll University Library pulled a blast from the past and decided to shrink all their books. Amherst College Library introduced their campus’s first silent dorm. Cornell University Library took flight with its latest mobile branch.

I honestly had to do a double take and remind myself what day it was with American University Library’s new coffee ad as well as Boston College University’s latest collection development priority (spoiler: it’s dolls).

The most popular trend by far was the inclusion of animals. Both Wash U and William & Mary offered therapy dogs for checkout. Not to be outdone, LSU advertised therapy tigers. And the University of Albany began lending horses. Animals became librarians as well. Catholic University Libraries hired Catalog Mary McCatFace and the University of Idaho hired the first ever moose librarian (seen above).

But the post that shocked me the most was this one from Sacred Heart University. Nope, nope, nope.

Poking fun at ourselves

Recently at my place of work, we’ve been experimenting with creating more engaging content that reminds students about our library’s policies, but in ways that feel non-confrontational (e.g. logging out of library computers, not taking our staplers, and not being too loud in study rooms). So I enjoyed seeing similar tactics employed by University of Wyoming Libraries to recognize difficult wayfinding needs. But it was K-State Libraries who hit the nail on the head with their gentle shaming of students who leave their belongings unattended in the library. So trusting!

@kstatelibraries

We’d ditch everything to get a treat from Cornerstone Café #kstatelibraries #collegestudent #relateable

♬ original sound – K-State Libraries

I feel pretty

Anytime I am struggling to come up with a piece of content, I know I can always count on beautiful photography and high-quality b-roll to carry the day. This is what makes UNC Greensboro’s “mindfulness moment” work so well, as well as Georgia Tech’s “go to the library.” But it has been the recent “not my house” trend that really gave libraries a chance to re-use some of those stellar shots. Here it is by Mizzou Libraries and Yale Libraries. Similarly, the “get me to god’s country” offers the same opportunity, as demonstrated by UC Santa Barbara Library.

And finally…

Someone had to do it. Not at all surprised to see Utah Valley University be the one to take the plunge.

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man with clip board inspecting a magnetic tape machine

When it comes to communications and outreach work, I think we often fall prey to the availability bias. This is the tendency to favor what is right in front of you, or what is most readily called to mind, and to assume it is the right or best available option. Case in point: Recently I was having a conversation with my team about how to best promote an event. Someone chimed in with “Put in on the homepage. That way everyone will see it.”

Breathe in.

As librarians, we see our homepage every day. It’s where we often start when helping students with their research. It’s how we most readily access our policies documents and forms. It’s where we go to look up another librarian’s contact information (because for some ungodly reason that information isn’t readily available in Outlook). 

Unfortunately, that’s not how non-librarians and staff experience our website. When most users come to our homepage, they immediately click on “Hours,” “Group Study Room Reservations” or the library catalog search. Most never scroll below the fold to see any of the promotional material posted there. Moreover, the 25% of users who access our site on handheld devices don’t see the promo content because it’s hidden in the mobile interface. A whopping 0.02% of users click on the promo material on our homepage.

That promo material has a purpose, but it’s not there to drive traffic (that’s a story for a different post). The point to understand is that the data doesn’t support the assumption that the homepage is a highly visible space. Or more specifically, that high visibility leads to conversion. It’s not like digital platforms such as Spotify or YouTube where users hang out for long periods of time, and which can use banner ads and takeovers: on our homepage, users are on their way to somewhere else and rarely come back in a single session.

The same could be said of fliers posted in the library. We walk by these spaces multiple times a day into and out of work, on our way to the bathrooms, or to a meeting. But that isn’t how most users experiences our spaces. Most users pop in to quickly grab a resource, to print something out, or to meet up with friends in a study room. At best, they might make two passes by a poster or a flier, and usually on the way to somewhere else. There are effective ways to use print media in a library context that might catch a student’s attention, but they don’t include a flier posted to a wall or sitting in an acrylic holder on a service desk. 

This isn’t to say that the library homepage and fliers are not somewhat effective. Perhaps in the “long tail” of library outreach, they do make a difference, especially over longer periods of time. But if we’re using metrics like engagement per visit, the numbers are essentially zero. 

Intentional outreach like email marketing, tabling, word of mouth via faculty, and social media (to an extent) are far more effective methods. The number of people I can get to scan a QR code to register for a workshop by talking to them 1:1 at a tabling event, or to click on an e-resources link in a personalized email, or engage with an entertaining social media post reminding students about a library policy, is far higher than any website embed or printed flier. Again, this isn’t to say those latter methods don’t move the needle at all, but our faith in their efficacy is grossly overestimated, I suspect, due to our overfamiliarity with them. 

I might even go so far as to suggest that passive outreach, like fliers and website posts, is more about making us feel better. We feel we’ve done something. We can brush off ours hands and go home. Promotion achievement unlocked! But the data doesn’t hold up. To effectively connect with students and faculty, you need intention. You need strategy. You need a plan. And you need to follow the data. 

Breathe out.

What I’m reading

🫣🇺🇸✏️ The Erasure of Diverse American Histories by Trevor Dawes. “American history is not a single narrative but a complex tapestry of interrelated stories. When we attempt to simplify this tapestry to showcase only certain threads, we not only do a disservice to historical accuracy but also deny future generations the full understanding of how our nation developed through the contributions of people from all backgrounds.”

🤝👊🏛️ Colleges Face a Prisoner’s Dilemma by David Asch. “If universities can see past the outcomes of any single encounter, and can reawaken the mutual trust they have long operated with, they may reset the terms of engagement between higher education and the state”

Links to the past

  • 1 year ago: At least one of these books is still in my TBR pile.
  • 5 years ago: I was only just beginning to understand what quarantine would do to my work-life balance, but I was coping as best as I could.
  • 10 years ago: I was publishing, presenting, and (most importantly) building a Battledecks competition for ACRL 2015. We should bring those back.
  • 15 years ago: I was reading André Cossette’s “Humanism and Libraries.” Wow, this is the first time I’ve added the 15 year marker to this section!

Overheard online

If they make a John Wick 5, I want it to be set in afterlife and Wick is contracted by the ruler of said afterlife to kill renegade demons/spirits. The payment is to be reunited with his wife and the puppy from the first film. The final scene shows him opening his wallet to look at his newly resurrected identity and it says John Constantine. — @fskornia on Mastodon 

banner image: Atlas Negative Collection Images on flickr

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Bottle of Epiphany 2020 Grenache and wine glass

It’s been a minute since I posted a wine tasting review! I’ve spent the last month experimenting with classic martini recipes and not paying as much attention to my first love, grapes. So it was refreshing to come back to something local with a distinct California flavor.

On the nose, there is raspberry and chaparral. Light to medium bodied, with hints of oak, rose water, and tart fruit. Maybe licorice as well? Good tannin balance and a tight/focused structure and a delicate finish. I would pair this with cheese and almonds. Possibly a light chocolate. Great to drink right now, but you could also hold back for 3-5 years.

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finder touching a printing of The Scream painting

News and announcements

🎶 Musical theatre students at the University of Georgia Libraries curated an exhibition of classic Broadway musical posters and artifacts. The selected items were then passed on to another performance-based class who will perform selections from the musicals at the exhibition’s opening reception. “The concert on March 24 will present standards from familiar titles like Brigadoon, Cabaret, Hair, and Kiss Me Kate. But it will also highlight songs from lesser-known shows such as Dear World, It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s Superman, Lost in the Stars, and No Strings.” I love the coordination and collaboration across multiple classes.

🏀 Not sure what library merch is most appealing to students? The University at Buffalo Libraries is hosting a March Madness-style bracket challenge to find out. They are putting 16 potential library merch items head-to-head. What a simple an effective way to see what students really want.

😌 “Sometimes the hardest part about studying is staying focused.” The University of Cincinnati Libraries has created a “Study and Focus Tools” collection of items such as fidget toys, blue light glasses, white noise machines, and more. The collection won’t be available until fall 2025, but they are showcasing the items at upcoming tabling events, which is a great way to pilot test the items before putting them into circulation. 

🇮🇷 The University of Pennsylvania Libraries has received an extensive collection related to the late Iranian poet Nader Naderpour, donated by his close friend Farhad Mafie and his widow, Jaleh Bassiri Naderpour. The collection spans six decades and includes correspondence with literary figures, 400 tapes of lectures and interviews, 45 videos, over 1,600 scanned articles and notes, 1,000 images of handwritten poems, and 200 photographs.

🎤 Berkeley Library has created and released an Oral History Agreement Toolkit, “a collection of templates, guiding documents, and resources designed to help transform how institutions approach oral history agreements.” These resources can help libraries and archivists protect narrators’ rights and address privacy concerns, adhere to best practices, resolve ambiguities in usage permissions, respond to common scenarios, understand legal issues, and standardize terms. 

🖨️ It’s always wonderful to see libraries increasing access to information resources in new ways. At UTA Libraries, they have added Braille and PIAF (Pictures in a Flash) printers (pictured above) to assist visually impaired students. These printers convert digital documents into tactile Braille and raised-line images, respectively. The Braille printer translates PDFs into Braille text, supporting over 100 languages, while the PIAF printer transforms visual content into touchable graphics. 

Notable mentions

Room with potted tree, pillows, and a carpet
The Peabody Library reflection room at Vanderbilt University

Finally, there were two notable themes this month. A handful of libraries celebrated Open Education Week, including The Catholic University of America, UMass Dartmouth, and Emory University. Additionally, a fair number of libraries curated collections for Women’s History Month, including Binghamton University, Berkeley, Wake Forest, Touro University, WashU, and San Diego State. 

On socials

I love that feeling I get when I’m watching a Reel or a TikTok and I just know the folks involved had a great time making it. That’s the vibe I get from a recent University at Buffalo Libraries Instagram post. Maybe it’s just the nostalgia for the TV of my generation, but I watched this at least twice beginning to end just for the feels. If I could convince my colleagues to do this type of content, I would do it all the time.

Speaking of folks having a great time on social, Kay P Maye at Tulane Libraries went around to students asking them basic facts about the library. The results are hilarious and include (because why not?) someone dressed as a crawfish. Unless you read the title of the video, it isn’t until the very end that you get the reveal that it’s a promo for an upcoming book event. And props to leading with the crawfish to hook folks in the first two seconds.

Library reconstruction projects begin with high excitement but then immediately enter a long period of stagnation, frustration, and possibly resentment. So to keep the positive energy looking toward the eventual reopening, it’s important to keep the campus communuty engaged with the library’s progress. James Madison University Libraries did a fabulous job collaborating with their univeristy president to showcase what is essentially a poorly-lit construction zone. They also managed to work in appreciation for their donors. (I honestly think the president was learning about the project as they were filming this, so nice work JMU connecting with that major stakeholder).

As a supervisor, as much as I rely on my student assistants to help with content development, I have to regularly remind myself that they need profession development opportunities as well. Here, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries had their photography intern tag along with the university’s main marketing team on a photoshoot. I love all the BTS footage. 

Finally, I love the effect that UF Libraries is doing here by aligning faces of students in quick succession. It’s the type of template that could be used to highlight university photographs, buildings, mascots, or faculty and staff. With a title like “100 Years (and faces)” I would have expected to see a wider ranges of images, but the messaging is still the same: the university archives is the place where IHEs preserve their history.

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computer screen with numbers

Social media happens so fast. I mean, just over a week ago, saying that I can’t get anxiety out of my brain meant an entirely different thing. So in between the monthly “Recently in Academic Libraries” posts, I pull together regular updates on what AcadLibs are doing on social. Please enjoy these recent highlights.

The content is mysterious and important

I’m sure we’re not all watching Severance, but it feels like entire world is watching Severance (or maybe that’s just my fyp). Major props to Oklahoma State University Libraries for getting the dolly zoom elevator shot perfect. Over at University of Maryland Libraries, they put together a small set of Severance references to promote locking in at the library. I even jumped on the “outie/innie” trend at my library as a way to subtly poke fun at the things some students do in the library (and yes it’s true that someone actually left an entire bowl of spaghetti once).

Promoting OERs with high-quality content

KU Libraries used both video and still images to celebrate a faculty member who is an open educational resources advocate. The video is a solid interview with engaging b-roll footage, and a good example of what you can accomplish with skilled a videographer. The carousel works equally well, combining good photography with simple branded graphics. Instead of trying to put images and words together in a single slide, KU Libraries posted image, then graphic, then image, giving each its full space. I hope this is part of a series! 

Three pieces of trending content

1. “Last week, I just got two offers for the job that I want.” The J. Willard Marriott Library posted this solidly feel-good video across their socials, encouraging students to find the good in life. It follows on the heels of a trend I’ve seen many universities doing (including my own) but I love the tight camera angle and ASMR-style audio. It takes a familiar trend and makes it more intimate. 

@marriottlibrary

Big or small, every day is filled with good things waiting to be discovered…and these Utes know exactly what that’s about. ❤️ ⬇️ Tag a friend below who brings the good to your day! #UniversityofUtah #MarriottLibrary #LibrariesofTikTok #UofU #Library #College #GoUtes #GoodThings FYP@University of Utah

♬ original sound – marriottlibrary

2. The “subtle foreshadowing” meme is a great way to take advantage of the rule that you have to capture someone’s attention in the first 1-2 seconds of a social media post in order to hook them. It’s an obvious gimmick, but the self-referentiality of the format works. CSU Fullerton’s Pollak Library pied their dean and associate dean as a thank you to donors following a Day of Giving. I really hope that was a student worker throwing the pies. 

3. I am always impressed by libraries that have the time and energy to hop onto the awards season bandwagon by posting timely content. The go-to meme is, of course, the juxtaposition of a book cover with a celebrity’s red carpet outfit. So it was refreshing to see a slightly different take by Georgia Tech Library who used high quality photography and Oscar Awards categories to highlight their library spaces.

And finally…

Ok, Chatham University Library, this is hot.

header image: still from the University of Maryland Libraries Severance parody video

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black pub holding a tennis ball chew toy

“Have mercy now, save poor Bob, if you please.” – Robert Johnson, Cross Road Blues, 1936

I am at a crossroads. If I decide to stay in academic libraries, I am well-positioned at this moment to either (1) move into a more administrative/leadership role or (2) move into a more creative, content development role. I have enough experience and have built enough skills in both areas to pursue one or the other more deeply and each offers a path to greater satisfaction at work. Regarding the former, I enjoy managing large, complex projects and supporting a team of skilled employees. Regarding the latter, I also enjoy delving into creating something that is fundamentally unique to my talents. 

In my current position, it seems unlikely that I would have the space or resources to pursue both paths simultaneously. Still, I’ve been thinking about what it takes to be successful in either role: a good manager and a good content creator. What follows is a short list of attributes/habits that I find useful. Perhaps I’ll be utilizing one of these sets more fully in the near future. Or perhaps I’ll continue to cultivate both to the best of my ability. 🤷‍♂️

Tips for being a good manager

  • Your employees don’t support you; you support them. Start every day by asking your team “what do you need?” 
  • Start from a place of curiosity, not criticism. When your team comes to you with an idea, begin by framing it this way: “this could be successful if…”
  • Make your team part of the story. Regularly tell your team how their work fits into the bigger narrative. 
  • And then, give them the space to write it their own way.
  • If you have to say no, try to think of at least one thing that would “get you to yes.” That might not change your answer, but it could change how you both approach the issue.
  • Always assume your employees want to be as successful as you do.
  • Staying informed is a two-way conversation. You shouldn’t rely entirely on your team to keep you in the loop. At the same time, they shouldn’t rely entirely on you to follow up on things. It’s a relationship and it takes both parties to do the work.

Tips for being a good content creator

  • Constantly be learning new skills and closely examine what the best in the field are doing.
  • Block out your schedule so you can have longer periods of uninterrupted work.
  • Keep the number of projects on your plate as small as possible. Three is good rule of thumb.
  • Focus on quality even if it takes more time. This is what will set your work apart from others’… not how “responsive” you are to emails. 
  • Have a standard workflow but be willing to abandon it if you have the option for uninterrupted focus time.
  • Never skip the pre-production stage. Plan, plan, plan.
  • Whatever step in the creative process you’re avoiding, that’s where you’ll find joy. 
  • Take a break if it’s no longer fun. There’s no problem a good walk can’t resolve.

What I’m reading 

🧑‍💻🏴‍☠️🪴 Why Personal Websites Matter More Than Ever by Joan Westenberg. “Personal websites matter – now, more than ever – because we can see, clearly, with our own eyes, what happens when a handful of companies control and own the medium and the message. It gets silenced, suppressed, and subtly reshaped without us.”

🧑🏽‍🏫✊🏽🎓 The Authoritarian Endgame on Higher Education by NYTimes. “For people in higher education, this is a moment both to be bolder about trumpeting its strengths and to be more reflective about addressing its weaknesses. […] University presidents seem to be hoping that if they keep their heads down, the threat will pass — or at least pass by their campus. They are unlikely to be so fortunate.”

Links to the past 

  • 1 year ago: I was singing the praises of using email marketing for outreach to college students. Some folks interpreted this as “libraries don’t need social” but that’s not what I said. Social media, as I’ve shown in recent posts, has a significant impact on how students view the library’s role on campus and how they feel about it. Feelings matter. Even if they can’t be quantified. 
  • 5 years ago: Nothing. It was March 2020. 🦠 I wasn’t focused on blogging at the time, though in hindsight I wish I had been.
  • 10 years ago: I was doing the “Day in the Life of a Librarian” post. We should all do that again.

Overheard online 

This historian gives you explicit permission to delete and destroy each and every bit of data (pun intended) that can put you or others in danger. Lives Saved >>> Historical Record Preserved – @lavaeolus on Mastodon

banner photo: Meet Poppy, the newest member of the family.

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rendering of large moss hanging from ceiling of a large room

News and announcements

🎙️ The University of Texas Libraries have digitized and published, with transcripts, more than 160 episodes of the radio program Latino USA. “The newly published episodes consist of over 80 hours of material covering Latin American and Latina/o topics, including interviews with figures such as labor activist Dolores Huerta, singer Little Joe Hernandez, San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, and writers Claribel Alegria, Américo Paredes, and Sandra Cisneros.”

🎒 The NC State Libraries have put together family backpack kits for students who are parents of young children. Similar to the UVU post from earlier this month, I love seeing libraries support non-traditional students, especially those trying to juggle caretaking. The kits contain age-appropriate books, activities, and toys. NC State developed this in consultation with their campus’s Student Parent Association and by examining what other academic libraries do to support parents.

⚛️ Chemistry. Lasers. Medieval manuscripts. Boy, you do know the way to this librarian’s heart. Dartmouth Libraries worked with their chemistry department to identify pigments in several of their pre-1600 manuscript fragments using Raman spectroscopy. What an amazing experience for their students! (I’m sure the librarians were into it as well).

🌿 File this under “things I want to do at my library.” LeHigh University’s Fairchild-Martindale Library has selected the winner of its library design contest. I highlighted this back in May. The winning submission, Mossgrove (prototype seen above), was co-developed by two students. “Studies show that indoor plants improve one’s productivity, focus, and wellbeing. Combining this with our personal experiences in nature, it made sense to create a timeless, biophilic design,” said one of the students.

🎵 Indiana University Bloomington is preserving the history of its state’s independent music scene through its Secretly Canadian publicity records, which consists of publicity material created and collected by the label from its founding in 1996 through 2012 including Bon Iver, Danielson, War on Drugs, Dirty Projectors, and more bands that I constantly have on repeat.

🤖 “Libraries are more than spaces for study—they are engines of opportunity, places where ideas are born, and futures are shaped.” Leo Lo, library dean at the University of New Mexico, recently spoke at the Global AI Forum 2024, and three institutions in Hong Kong. His reflections on artificial intelligence and the role that libraries could play in that field’s evolution is worth considering, if anything for its exploration of the adjacent possible.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏽 The University of California system, most of the California State University schools, and 30 private academic and research institutions (including my own place of work) have reached a comprehensive four-year transformative open access agreement with Oxford University Press through the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC).

✊🏼 The University of Maryland Libraries is working with Project STAND’s $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to support residencies that will “solicit 16 fellows from student organizers, memory workers, artists, and community organizers to think collectively about safeguarding histories of student-led liberation while imagining and developing primary resources to support the ongoing advocacy and education that make these critical histories accessible.”

Notable mentions

eighth-century wooden pagoda and paper strip imprinted with Muku jōkō-kyō: jishin’in darani, a Buddhist mantra
Hyakumantō darani, an eighth-century wooden pagoda and paper strip imprinted with Muku jōkō-kyō: jishin’in darani, a Buddhist mantra (The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, The University of Chicago Library)

Finally, as February is Black History Month, many libraries pulled together relevant resources from their collections. Notable examples include: University of San Francisco, Binghamton University, Stockton University, Southern Methodist University, Elon University, Emory University, Wake Forest, University of Cincinnati, Touro University, Berkeley, University of Arkansas, UNC, UC Davis, and Duke.

On socials

I am a glutton for well-produced video content. The KU Libraries created a promo video highlighting their participation in Douglass Day, during which students, faculty and staff joined a nation-wide effort to transcribe historical documents from the Library of Congress in honor of Frederick Douglass’ birthday. I love the mix of faculty and student voices, the b-roll footage, and the elegant lower-thirds. Very well done.

Speaking of simple, but elegant, I also love this collection highlight from UC Davis Library of their Food and Wine collections. Curator Audrey Russek gives a brief overview of the Beaulieu Vineyard Records. If I ever leave my current job, I hope it would be to work on a collection like this.

Not only is William & Mary Libraries’ Diversify It reading challenge a brilliant idea (Pizza Hut’s Book It anyone?), but this promo video is equally compelling. I love the challenge from a student spokesperson to prove the haters wrong! The thumbs up from the circulation staffer is the icing on the cake.

I don’t know if this is an original idea, but the Fondren Library Instagram Reel about bad ideas for bookmarks had me clutching my librarian pearls the entire time. The camera person not being able to control their laugh at the end was ::chef’s kiss::

Finally, long-form video can be difficult to pull off but a recent information literacy video from UF Libraries had me watching the entire time. April Hines, journalism and mass communications librarian, has a presence that is equally engaging, inspiring, and affirming. It’s clear she’s used to regularly connecting with students in the classroom.

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toy tiger at the beach

Social media happens so fast. I mean, less than a week ago the Duolingo owl was still alive. So in between the monthly “Recently in Academic Libraries” posts, I’m hoping to pull together regular updates on what AcadLibs are doing on social. I already have a post brewing about some of my favorite go-to libraries for discovering creative social media work. In the meantime, please enjoy these recent highlights of higher ed libraries on social!

Main character energy

One of the best ways to build a community of followers and encourage them to continually re-engage with your content is to establish familiar characters who over time become instantly recognizable and, if you play your cards right, will nurture their own lore.

For example, I am incredibly invested in the relationship between the team of creators at UCSB Libraries. Their playful mix of behind the scenes content, their self-referential nods, and the way they highlight their collaboration stops me from scrolling past every time a new post hits my FYP.

https://www.tiktok.com/@ucsblibrary/video/7470254310761319726

Of course, you don’t need to use actors if that’s not an option for you. I am just as invested in what the Auburn University Libraries’ toy tiger (his name is Ralph) is up to. Currently, he’s at the beach.

Memes memes memes

In both #HESM (higher ed social media) and wider SMM (social media manager) professional communities, there are regularly discussions about whether to use memes, how often, and for what purposes. Even before the ascendence of short-form video, academic libraries were always shy about using memes, or using them too frequently, but following the rise of TikTok and Reels, I’ve noticed a substantial increase in the AcadLibs trying to capitalize on trending content.

Here are two safe, easy, and evergreen memes that any library could adapt: Carroll University Library using the “Can Ashley change a tire” video meme and the Bass Library at Yale using the “how are you feeling today” meme with still images of architectural features in their building.

Of course, some memes are short-lived or age quickly. I would bet the “college acceptance letter” meme will eventually fall into that category (we can only handle so much emotional tension… plus I think the trending audio for this meme is a tad bit too long). But until then, I did enjoy how Willamette University Library used it to highlight their interlibrary loan services.

Keep it local

At the most recent Library Marketing and Communications Conference in November 2024, Krystal Ruiz and Keith Kesler from Los Angeles Public Library spoke about the importance of highlighting local history in short form video. For libraries especially, it’s the type of content that connects directly with their niche audience. Academic libraries can benefit from this advice: obviously, with university archives materials, but local city/state materials as well. Such as in this Ball State video on local buildings in Indiana.

It’s not just about the stats

Finally, I want to spotlight a recent TikTok from one of my favorite accounts, UVU Library. It’s a simple green screen-style post, but it recognizes an often-overlooked demographic in academic libraries: students who are parents of young children. The post did not perform as well as their other posts (at least not at first: it’s only a day old at the time of this writing), but that’s not important. What matters is that this type of content helps specific members of our community feel seen. Sometimes, it’s about more than shares, sends, and watch-time. It’s about how our content makes our users feel.

@uvulibrary

Student parents, find peace in our family study suite! UVU Parenting Kids Student CollegeLife CollegeHumor Library

♬ original sound – uvulibrary – uvulibrary

header image: Ralph the tiger at the beach