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Library/librarian roles

Why service learning is important to librarians

Posted on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

My friend, colleague, and fellow service-learning enthusiast, Jennifer E. Nutefall, Associate University Librarian for Innovative User Services at Oregon State University Libraries, has a new article hot off the presses! Read Why Service-Learning is Important to Librarians in the OLA Quarterly here:  http://data.memberclicks.com/site/ola/olaq_17no3.pdf (see page 16).

Library Civic Engagement Survey

Posted on Thursday, August 25th, 2011

The American Library Association Center for Civic Life is surveying libraries to determine what they are offering in terms of civic and community engagement.  Some more information is available here.  Please take the survey!  It's important to offer some proof of how we are supporting and engaging with our communities.

Two signs that service-learning is growing in popularity

Posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Why service-learning?  How did this come to be my "research agenda?" Service-learning provides meaningful opportunities for teaching and learning.  And it's clearly growing in popularity, nationally.  How do I know this?  There are lots of signs, including all the research that indicates students retain what they learn better when it's applied to real-world issues through service-learning.  But today, I'll focus on two of these signs.

First-year seminar service-learning project

Posted on Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

About this time last year, I approached a friend, Craig This, who teaches a UVC 101 course (first-year seminar or FYS).  I told him I'd like to try a service-learning research project with a UVC 101 class.  He jumped at the opportunity and said "Sign me up!"  I had already approached a community partner, Project READ, about the potential partnership, and they had also (enthusiastically!) agreed to accept students' research and service.

Library impact

Posted on Thursday, June 16th, 2011

One of the emerging themes at the ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) conference was demonstrating the value of academic libraries (see Megan Oakleaf:  

Citizen Scholar

Posted on Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Wright State University is graduating its very first citizen scholar this June. The citizen scholar program was designed by the WSU Office of Service Learning and supports WSU's mission to "engage in significant community service." Students in the program complete multiple service-learning courses throughout their college careers. You can read more about it if you click on the link above.

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