Category: Recently in Academic Libraries

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Eleven students in 1860 posing for a photo

News and announcements

🌈 Karmine Beecroft at Illinois State University’s Milner Library is working to grow out the university archives’ representation of the campus LGBTQIA+ community. Over the past few years, Beecroft has overseen 66 oral history interviews, some of which are now available as part of the Alumni Oral Histories project. “I created this project because I wanted to make it clear that queer people have always been a part of Illinois State’s history” says Beecroft. 

🗃️ Also from ISU: This isn’t a library post per se, but it’s a format that any academic library could employ or work with their central MarComm unit to develop. It’s a classic “This Day in History” style post that makes heavy use of the Illinois State University archives, and undoubtedly other primary sources as well. The photo at the top of this post shows the first graduating class of Illinois State Normal University, 1860.

🎥 The University of Washington Libraries has announced this year’s winners of their annual student video contest. #IHeartUWLibraries asks students to create videos that see the library through students’ eyes. The 1st place winner certainly checks all the boxes, but how did the “mom” video not win!?

💻 Project LEND (Library Expansion of Networked Delivery) is a research project led by the University of California Libraries. This two year study “provides new insight into what students, faculty, and researchers want to be able to do with digital books, and how libraries, publishers and distributors of digital books can better meet those needs within the parameters of U.S. copyright law.” Not surprisingly, researchers want all their digital books to be accessible from the same source and they want persistent access. So do we, friends. So do we.

🐆 It was the leopard purse that drew me in. Doctoral students and librarians at Northwestern University have digitized (including 3D images) a collection of items gathered by a white traveler in Africa in the 1950s. To help move the objects beyond the colonizing gaze, the library team added more context, including essays about the artifacts, links to supplementary scholarly readings, and connections to the works of modern African artists.

💰 “When students don’t have to choose between living expenses and their textbooks, they are more likely to have better academic outcomes.” There’s a lot to unpack in that sentence, but it’s not an untrue statement. Which is why Duke University Libraries is hosting an Open Educational Resources community of practice. Open to instructors of any rank, participants are expected to redesign and “flip”  at least one meaningful element of tier syllabus to OER. The stipend is $1,000.

Notable mentions

Wooden boxes stacked together
From IU Libraries: The Soma Cube, designed by Piet Hein
  • Northwestern University Library received a gift of more than 3,000 Hebrew books, some quite rare.
  • Stony Brook has created and hired for a new library position: director of AI.
  • Oregon State has finished its first year pilot testing a library pop-up at its Graduate Research Center.
  • A curator of puzzles? Indiana University Bloomington has one of those and is highlighting some of its holdings. (shown above)
  • CalTech has new University Librarian. So does UC Santa Barbara. (Me: seems like there’s quite a few retirements and leadership changes happening this summer)
  • The J. Willard Marriott Library has a round up of materials related to the theme “libraries are essential.”

Finally, quite a few libraries posted recommended resources for Pride Month. Notable examples include Villanova, University of Utah, University of Dayton (and again), Emory, and DePaul.

On socials

Nothing recently has warmed my heart so much as this video of Utah Valley State University Libraries calling other libraries to tell them they love them. It’s not just the wholesome content, but the fact that it shows libraries interacting with each other, which (in my experience) always gets a positive response from students.

If I were hiring for a new student worker (and I am), I would utilize this format from Florida State University Libraries. The comments are enough to show this position is a desirable campus job. I mean, a working fridge should be standard.

This one only works on a mobile device, but I LOVE the various permutations of the “hold the dots and scroll” format on Instagram. Oklahoma State University Libraries used a simple version to highlight their building (and its fountain), but while I was there I noticed something else. Pop on over to their wall and you’ll notice all their recent posts use the OSU orange prominently. The overall effect is professional and shows a careful attention to detail.

I didn’t jump on this trend fast enough, so I was happy to see CSU Fullerton make a parody of the “plant boyfriend” meme to promote Pollack Library’s summer exhibitions. Give me all the wholesome content. You better be nice! (update: I finally jumped on it)

banner image: The first graduating class of Illinois State Normal University, 1860. (Photo/Milner Library’s Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives)

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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.

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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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. 

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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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.

header image: Ralph the tiger at the beach

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deconstruction of library flooring showing exposed beams

News and announcements

🎭📈🗿 DePaul University Library received a state grant of $149,278 to develop OER materials for select undergraduate courses. Entitled “Open Educational Resources Design and Development Across Disciplines at DePaul University,” the grant will help create three faculty-led publications (both original and remixes) in theatre, business, and history. If successful, the project has the potential to save approximately 2,715 students a total of $234,480 over three years.

🎶📖🎤 “Do you wanna touch it? You can touch it.” Students at the University of Dayton had the opportunity to learn and sing from 15th- and 18th- century antiphon books. For their final project, the students planned a public vespers service and faculty from the music department sang from an arrangement of the antiphons.

🏀🗨📸 Basketball players from Arizona State University and the Valley Suns came together to learn about Black history in Arizona. In addition to exploring the Black Collections, part of ASU’s Community-Driven Archives Initiative, the athletes learned about Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to ASU’s Tempe campus in 1964, including a speech by King that wasn’t made public until 2014.

📚💰📚 This was not a model I was familiar with. “All NC State undergraduate students have been automatically enrolled in the new Course Ready textbook billing program. […] The program charges students a flat fee each semester to provide access to digital-only versions of their required course materials within Moodle.” The NC State University Libraries created a guide to help students navigate the program and determine if it’s right for them. Related: They also support an alt-textbook program that awards grants to faculty to adopt, adapt, or create free or low-cost alternatives to expensive textbooks.

📜🧹👑 The J. Willard Marriott Library holds 770 fragments of Arabic language papyri, dating from the 8th through the 10th centuries CE, and is currently in the process of cleaning, repairing, and re-glazing the papyri. Personal note: even though I live in Los Angeles, I had not considered the need to earthquake-proof flat materials!

🔥💖🏙 The fires in Los Angeles have been devastating. Thousands of people have lost their homes and businesses. Even though much of L.A. was physically unscathed, the disruption and impact to our community stretches far beyond the areas hit most directly. The USC Libraries created a wildfire assistance resources guide for student and faculty affected by the fires.

🍎🏗📘 “Like coring an apple.” I’ve seen more than one library this past year remove its “old stacks” (you know, the ones with short ceilings) in favor of a more open and accessible layout. That’s what is currently happening at Duke Univeristy’s Lilly Library. It’s quite amazing to see these demolition photographs of what the stacks look like with their flooring removed.

✌🏾✌🏿✌🏽 The University of Maryland Libraries has established a new program, Truth, Reconciliation, and Understanding in the University Archives, in order to lift up marginalized narratives and bring more light more complex stories of the university’s history. “TRU-UA will address important issues regarding race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and difference in abilities in the University’s history.” This program is funded in part by a $9 million (!!!) gift made to the University Archives.

🗣📙🦇 Last year, Yale Library created a new residency program to support DEIA and student success efforts and to honor the legacy of the program’s namesake, Kenya S. Flash. The inaugural resident, Nick Wantsala, has partnered with the New Haven Free Public Library to promote early literacy and a local history project.

🎓🏫📄 Stanford University Libraries employs 5-7 part-time student assistants each year to help process collections in their University Archives. Students get to choose from among several collections which they want to process. “They’re having formative experiences and making intellectual connections without the pressure of writing papers and solving problem sets,” says Assistant University Archivist Claudia Willett.

Notable mentions

black and white photo of people assembled in a court room
Clarence Darrow addressing the jury (Sue K. Hicks Papers, Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee Libraries)

On socials

The J. Willard Marriott Library posts weekly meme round-ups. Whoever is running that account has their fingers directly on the pulse of the internet. In fact, all of their content is top-notch. Here is a simply, but beautifully-designed classic book recommendation. And this instructional video on how to scan a book chapter is 😘.

This “welcome back” video from Virginia Tech Libraries gives all the good vibes. No voice over, just good beats and high-quality b-roll.

The always creative UVU Library put together a quick-and-dirty Spotify “playlist” for their students. Honestly, my only complaint is that they didn’t share a link! And I want to hear a mash-up of all the title lines from the songs, à la DJ Earworm. Related: Lauren Tolman from UVU Library talks about how to capture students’ attention by “stopping the scroll” in the latest issue of Public Services Quarterly.

Finally, this was a trend that I wish I had time to put together, but feel I’ve missed the boat. The University of Washington Libraries created a “ins and outs” for the new year video. “You’re in college. Figure it out.” 😂

banner image: renovations at Duke’s Lilly Library (source: Aaron Welborn, “Last Act for the Old Stacks“)

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News and announcements

🛳️🇵🇦📸 The Northwestern University Transportation Library has digitized a collection of photographs from the construction of the Panama Canal. “The photos show both construction sites of the canal and more leisurely photos of towns and people in Panama at the time […]. Parades, family portraits, and days on the beach are all shown in the photos.” It’s a relatively small collection (153 photographs and 30 postcards), but the photographs are fascinating! 

🔍🤖✨ The University of Arkansas Libraries are testing a new natural-language search tool, powered by generative artificial intelligence, as part of its discovery interface. More importantly, they provide a brief overview of how it works for students. I love that the instructions include the step “look for the sparkles.”

🆓👩‍🏫📚 The University of Virginia Libraries has an interview with two of the faculty involved in its Open Educational Resources Learning Community, which it co-sponsors with the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Through the interview, they talk about the library’s role in supporting OER, student support, and offer their advice to other faculty interesting in doing similar work.

🦋🪻🐝 The Woodruff Library at Emory University recently took a patch of grass and converted it to a pollinator garden. I love to see how academic libraries take responsibility for their spaces in ways that reach beyond simple building maintenance. 

🎙️👨‍🎓🐺 A fairly recent alumni from NC State University Libraries is creating an endowment to help fund an oral history program called “Wolf Tales,” designed to help the library capture the stories of NC State alumni though video narratives and interviews. 

On social

This TikTok from the River Campus Libraries at the University of Rochester [TikTok] does not have nearly enough likes. I don’t know whether this pinch-zoom idea is original (though it feels meme-ish, I haven’t seen it used elsewhere), but it’s brilliantly fun and an engaging way to show off large spaces. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@rivercampuslibs/video/7392311781915446559

I have been wanting to do a “view from a book” style video for ages now. UNC Libraries [Instagram] did a fun version. The soundtrack choice is perfect. Related: Also from UNC Libraries [Facebook], they asked their followers to help them name their book trucks. The results [Instagram] did not disappoint.  

The University of Kansas Libraries [Instagram] hosted a plant swap that included crafting and items from special collections. The resulting video makes good use of b-roll footage. Reminds me that I need to capture more video at our events!

I don’t know if this counts are sponsored content or a collaboration or what, but the University of Missouri Libraries [Instagram] made a video highlighting a local ice cream shop and the joys of reading. The two best parts of summer!

Notable mentions

Renovations 

Summer time for most colleges is the season of projects that can’t be easily accomplished during the school year. Not surprisingly, it’s often the best time to renovate or make substantial progress on long-term construction projects. A number of colleges are in the midst of renovations and upgrades. Here is just a sampling, in no particular order: 

UNC Charlotte, Cornell, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Arkansas, Texas Christian University, University of Central Florida, Rowan University, MIT, Stockton, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard, Northeastern, University of Georgia [Instagram], UT Dallas, Florida Atlantic University [Instagram], UC Riverside, and Northwestern

(header photo: Transportation Library, Northwestern University Libraries)

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Sand, trees, and grass at the Japanese Garden in Portland

I almost didn’t get this post out in time. Earlier this month, my family and I traveled to Portland for a week. I thought I had tied everything up before we left, but turns out I missed closing the loop on a couple key projects. But rejoice! Those are done now. So without any more delay, here’s what happened in academic libraries in June.

News and announcements

The University of Washington Libraries hosted a student video contest. The 2024 edition of their #IHeartUWLibraries contest asked students to create original videos showcasing the libraries through the lens of their experience. The top prize of $1,500 was awarded to the creator of this video (above).

A GIS librarian at UNC Libraries teamed up with an art historian to create an interactive map of local art galleries and exhibit spaces as part of “Loving Your Local Art Scene” summer class. I can’t not love the final paragraph: “We need to hire more librarians, give them better budgets and storage, and support any archival process they think they need to invest in. Librarians are the unacknowledged champions of the research process.” Amen!

At my place of work, we frequently talk about ways we can foster a culture of reading among undergraduate students. To that effect, Loyola University Chicago Libraries is hosting summer reading bingo. Students are encouraged to read in a variety of categories, such as queer romance, poetry, banned books, and books “published the year you were born.”

reading bingo card with rules
Summer Reading bingo card, created by LUC Libraries

Off-site and high-density storage facilities for libraries provide engaging ways to talk with students and faculty about the role of libraries in preserving human knowledge and how to continually grow their collections. UC Berkley Library recently wrote about their tour of the Northern Regional Library Facility for their legacy/estate donors group.

I’m amazed at the complexity of this seemingly all-staff library assessment project (aka “data party”) from Duke Libraries. Every two years, they run a large student satisfaction survey. Small teams of staff code thousands of comments to create dashboards. Then more than 50 staff dig into the results and brainstorm solutions to address the problem areas uncovered by the survey. The recommendations are then presented to library leadership, who then parcel out the next actions.

Speaking of library assessment, what does that have to do with bird watching? Well, Temple University Libraries has an answer for you. 

On social

Every social media manager should have the agency and opportunity to take a social media break. I love how Santa Clara University Library [Instagram] made their announcement. 

photo of black with two toggles, one for Instagram (off) and one for vacation (on).
@scu_library on Instagram

University of Wyoming Libraries [Instagram] created a video offering highly specific book recommendations.

UTA Libraries [Instagram] has a super profresh Reel about how they support experiential learning.

Grand Valley State University Libraries [TikTok] has a Black book exchange in a Little Free Library posted near their building.

If you’ve been on X/Twitter for a while, you might remember 2023 when UK Libraries [X] was photoshopping their building into famous images daily (for 365 days!). This week they posted a throwback in conjunction with Inside Out 2. I am always impressed when library creators commit to the bit. 

Interesting events and exhibits

Michael Flierl, an associate professor and student learning librarian at The Ohio State University Libraries hosted a virtual presentation on future considerations for artificial intelligence and information literacy, including questions about the role of librarians in all of this. 

“Let’s engage in historical capitalism!” The Virginia Tech University Libraries hosted a workshop entitled, “Archival Adventures: Decades of Advertising in Pulp Magazines.” Archivist Anthony Wright de Hernandez explored advertisements in speculative fiction magazines. The event was live streamed on Twitch (cool) and is part of a weekly series.

Penn Libraries hosted their first Death Cafe earlier this month. Distinct from bereavement support, counseling, or therapy, Death Cafes are an opportunity to talk candidly and openly about death and dying. And there’s cake! 

They might be old school, but I love a good book display. Duke University Libraries created a “Read like a Celebrity” display that included titles mentioned by celebrities in interviews or on social media. 

Next week, Yale Library will host its annual public reading of the Declaration of Independence and the oration by Frederick Douglass in which he asked: “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?” The event runs 90 minutes and is not live-streamed, but from what I can gather from the website, it’s a popular event!

Notable mentions

Pride and Juneteenth inspired a number of libraries to post about recommended readings, LibGuides, and special collections materials. Here are two quick roundups of some examples from across the field.

That’s it for this month! Do you find this useful? What would you like to see next time? Let me know in the comments!