Beyond the Wikipedian-in-Residence, or how to keep the flame burning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia E. Gutiérrez De la Torre
Keyword(s):  
Mexico City ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Background Data ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Product Approach

In 2017, the Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas, an academic (and public) library in Mexico City, drafted the first grant-funded project in the region for training academic librarians in the Wikimedia universe. Drawing on my experience coordinating this project, this case study outlines suggestions for ensuring the continuity of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia endeavors in libraries. Before going in detail, I offer background data on Wikipedians-in-Residence (WIR) experiences around the globe, followed by the specific characteristics this position has had in different libraries. I then present a brief timeline of our project, an overview of our first “flame” (the #1Bib1Ref campaign), the ways we kept the “Wiki-flame” burning: leveraging our team’s strengths and collaborating, and some ideas on how to build your own “fireplace” through a minimal viable product approach, documentation, and feedback (where I share some thoughts on why Wikipedia may not even be the fireplace you were looking for, and that’s ok).

Migrant Diplomacies: Rethinking Diplomacy Beyond State-Centric Perspectives. A Civic Bi-Nationality Experience from North America

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Alejo
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Global Politics ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Interdisciplinary Dialogue ◽  
Contemporary Politics ◽  
Migrant Activism ◽  
Point Of Departure

There is a pressing need to extend our thinking about diplomacy beyond state-centric perspectives, as in the name of sovereignty and national interests, people on move are confronting virtual, symbolic and/or material walls and frames of policies inhibiting their free movement. My point of departure is to explore migrant activism and global politics through the transformation of diplomacy in a globalised world. Developing an interdisciplinary dialogue between new diplomacy and sociology, I evidence the emergence of global sociopolitical formations created through civic bi-nationality organisations. Focusing on the agent in interaction with structures, I present a theoretical framework and strategy for analysing the practices of migrant diplomacies as an expression of contemporary politics. A case study from North America regarding returned families in Mexico City provides evidence of how these alternative diplomacies are operating.

Why Does Construct Validity Matter in Measuring Implementation Fidelity? A Methodological Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 153450842199877
Author(s):  
Wilhelmina van Dijk ◽  
A. Corinne Huggins-Manley ◽  
Nicholas A. Gage ◽  
Holly B. Lane ◽  
Michael Coyne
Keyword(s):  
Construct Validity ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Relative Rank ◽  
Rank Ordering ◽  
Adherence Data ◽  
Funded Project

In reading intervention research, implementation fidelity is assumed to be positively related to student outcomes, but the methods used to measure fidelity are often treated as an afterthought. Fidelity has been conceptualized and measured in many different ways, suggesting a lack of construct validity. One aspect of construct validity is the fidelity index of a measure. This methodological case study examined how different decisions in fidelity indices influence relative rank ordering of individuals on the construct of interest and influence our perception of the relation between the construct and intervention outcomes. Data for this study came from a large State-funded project to implement multi-tiered systems of support for early reading instruction. Analyses were conducted to determine whether the different fidelity indices are stable in relative rank ordering participants and if fidelity indices of dosage and adherence data influence researcher decisions on model building within a multilevel modeling framework. Results indicated that the fidelity indices resulted in different relations to outcomes with the most commonly used fidelity indices for both dosage and adherence being the worst performing. The choice of index to use should receive considerable thought during the design phase of an intervention study.

Extended and experimenting: library learning commons service strategy and sustainability

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Gunter King
Keyword(s):  
Planning Process ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Learning Commons ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Commons

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share a compelling example of a library’s willingness to develop and design itself as an open-ended process. Design/methodology/approach – The case study provides a historical review of the library’s founding design, and an overview of the process and approach to redesign. The study contextualizes the library within current academic library research and literature. Findings – This paper explores the research, engagement and planning process behind the library’s exploration of new models and service configurations. The project was an engaged, inclusive, transparent, library-led process. The commons reestablishes the library as the “nerve center” of the campus. Originality/value – The paper offers an update to a 1969 report, and later book by Robert Taylor on the Harold F. Johnson Library at Hampshire College, designed as a prototype of an academic library. This paper will be of value to academic librarians, administrators, and historians.

The e-book war in Denmark

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-105
Author(s):  
Lisbeth Worsøe-Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Book Market ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library System ◽  
Commercial Market ◽  
Book World ◽  
Traditional Understanding

The aim is to investigate how digitisation and in particular e-books have changed relations between private players and public institutions within the Danish book world through a case study of eReolen, a private-public partnership functioning as common platform for public libraries’ lending of e-books in Denmark. Traditional and new models of the book world are discussed as the basis of understanding relations between the players. A new way of analysing the field outlined by literary sociologist, Professor Johan Svedjedal, is adopted. The main conclusions are that the lending of e-books has disrupted the traditional understanding and interaction between the public library system and the commercial book market. In addition, the Danish library system through the partnership has taken on a new function in relation to the commercial market, namely acting as the engine in building a market for Danish e-books.

Library services enriching community engagement for dementia care: The Tales & Travels Program at a Canadian Public Library as a case study

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110651
Author(s):  
Jiamin Dai ◽  
Joan C. Bartlett ◽  
Karyn Moffatt
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
People With Dementia

Growing dementia-friendly library services are contributing to community-based dementia care. Emerging community programs in libraries and museums provide notable opportunities for promoting engagement and inclusivity, but these programs have yet to receive in-depth assessments and analyses to guide future research and practice. This paper presents a case study examining a social and storytelling program for people with dementia run by a Canadian public library. It investigates two research questions: How can public library programs contribute to community-based dementia care? And what are public libraries’ strengths and challenges in running programs for people with dementia? The study involves participant observations of the program and semi-structured interviews with people with dementia, caregivers, and program facilitators (librarians and Alzheimer Society coordinators). Through thematic analysis of fieldnotes and transcripts, the study reveals how this inclusive platform supports engagement, fosters relationships, helps caregivers, and reaches broader communities. This research further uncovers the librarians’ diversified roles as demonstrated through their collaboration with professionals, preparation and research, and facilitation of the sessions. This paper advances librarianship research on enriching community-based dementia care, including furthering inclusivity and engagement and extending accessible library services. By analyzing library programming for the dementia community and assessing its strengths and challenges, the paper highlights librarians’ awareness of the community’s evolving needs and their collaboration with other professionals. It offers practical insights on useful resources and emerging best practices that will hopefully inspire other initiatives in which information professionals can help improve the well-being of vulnerable populations.

Corruption and integrity in the urban water and sanitation sector: A case study of Mexico City

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhil Nesi
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Fund Management ◽  
Public Fund ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sustainable Water Management ◽  
Local Actors

Despite considerable public funding, Mexico City faces inadequate and inequitably distributed water infrastructure. Corruption in public fund management and at the interface between institutions and individuals is fed by opaque governing systems. Local actors agree that sustainable water management must begin with systemic changes to enable transparent and participative governance.

scholarly journals Creating an Outreach Plan That Accounts for the Seen and Unforeseen

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-40
Author(s):  
Zoe Bastone
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Academic Year

Outreach is a necessary component of an academic library’s operations and often requires extensive time for the planning, approval, execution, and assessment depending on the personnel involved and the scope of the event. Recent literature has started to examine how academic libraries are planning outreach to align strategically with the goals of their larger institutions, but not how they balance these efforts when new opportunities arise throughout the academic year. This article will provide a brief analysis of the literature which addresses issues that academic librarians who plan outreach face. The second half of this article will provide a case study of how the author planned, created, and implemented an outreach plan at her academic branch library. This case study will detail the process of how she used an outreach plan to establish outreach that was efficient and impactful with limited staffing, while also aligning strategically with the goals of her library and the larger institution. In addition, this case study will detail how she used this outreach plan throughout the 2019-2020 academic year to guide decision making when new outreach opportunities would arise. This article will conclude with lessons learned from this process.

scholarly journals “Book Nerds” United: The Reading Lives of Diverse Adolescents at the Public Library

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Literacy ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Public ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Adolescent Learning ◽  
Project Data

This research asks the question: How does a public library contribute to the literate lives of a diverse community of adolescents? To explore this question, this article presents portraits of three young women, for whom a public library provided transformative opportunities. These portraits come from a larger ethnographic case study that examined a public library’s role in sparking and sustaining adolescent learning. Over 18 months, the author observed library activities involving youth, interviewed library staff and adolescent patrons, and led teen volunteers in a participatory research project. Data were analyzed in a constant comparative method within a sociocultural-historical framework. Through attention to the girls’ activities within the public library, two contributing elements— 1) a democratic space created by library practices, and 2), the diversity in discourse facilitated by the teen librarian—expanded the participants’ literacy practices and perspectives on reading. This article informs our understanding of diversity in adolescent literacy and highlights the practices that libraries and communities can use to foster the next generation of readers.

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