Libraries have been involved in service-learning for years through instruction for service-learning courses, displaying and archiving related course projects, and providing assistance in finding and conducting research necessary for community-based work. But it’s only recently been moving toward a more systematic and programmatic approach. One tool that can assist libraries is the Self-Assessment Rubric for Development of Service Learning Programs in Academic Libraries, developed by Katherine Kott.

As the editorial team prepares to relaunch the Service-learning Librarian blog, we reviewed the blog's purpose. We envision this blog as the hub of a wheel, connecting those in academic libraries supporting service-learning efforts on their campuses. Our work may look different in our various settings, but we can learn from each other. To use another metaphor, a tree as the blog's new graphic shows, library workers can and do support the growth and vitality of community engagement and impact.

Congratulations to Jennifer Nutefall, university librarian at Santa Clara University, for editing Service Learning, Information Literacy, and Libraries, which was chosen as the 2018 Association of College and Research Libraries Instruction Section Publication of the Year. Read more about the award from the American Library Association.

[full disclosure: the moderator of this blog contributed a chapter to this publication.]

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Are you interested in discussing how libraries impact service learning? Have you attended regional or national Campus Compact conferences or the Colloquium on Libraries and Service Learning?