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The project was conducted to learn how the services of the digital media commons (DMC) impact and support student success. Data were collected to learn how faculty perceive the instructional support program, how patrons perceive the quality of the services and how students use the services, technology and the space that the DMC occupies. The results will be used to improve services and instruction and to inform the future direction of our instruction support service post-COVID-19.

The project included three phases. First, a survey was sent to faculty who had brought their class for an instruction session to gain input on how they perceived the impact of the instruction and follow-up services on the quality of media projects. The second phase was a customer service survey implemented in the area to learn how patrons used the spaces and technology, what types of projects they completed in the DMC and their satisfaction with the assistance they received. The third phase employed student focus groups that followed up on the information from the survey to pinpoint how students perceive that the DMC impacts their academic success.

The data gained from the research indicated that (1) the teaching program provides important instruction for media projects, (2) the DMC provides important services and technology that contribute to student success and (3) The DMC space is an important destination for students as a learning space.

The scope of this case study is limited by the size of sample groups surveyed and the presumed veracity of their responses. The implications of our results do, however, align with reported trends experienced by peer institutions.

This case study can be used by colleagues from other university's and learning environments to improve their space and instructional support offerings.

Digital learning and work environments are increasing across the country due to society's demand for multimedia literacy instruction and technical support. This research will serve as a reference point for institutions starting and/or assessing the direct impact of digital spaces on student success and learning outcomes.

Although there are many studies on the impact of academic libraries' services, space and resources on student success, few specifically address the contributions of academic library digital media services on student achievement. This project fills that gap and will serve as a model for future research.

To identify change in the understanding of entrepreneurship in libraries through content analysis of presentations that were a part of the Conference for Entrepreneurial Librarians from 2009 through 2016. This chapter will discuss key topics and findings related to libraries and entrepreneurship.

Presentations delivered at the conference were categorized into topics and were tracked to uncover perceptions of what is entrepreneurial in libraries and how the importance of certain issues has changed over time. This chapter summarizes the results of that evaluation and of a survey of attendees after the conferences ended.

Entrepreneurship in libraries in 2009 was more heavily linked to making money. Over time, however, the term “entrepreneurial” became more conceptually associated with finding value, reaching out to new constituencies, and taking risks. There is a definite distinction as to the definition of “entrepreneurial” between public libraries (who consider community outreach to be a part of their core mission) and academic libraries (who often see this as an entrepreneurial enterprise). The finding that librarians attended the conference to “find change agents” indicates a yearning to identify with others in the field who are likewise seeking ways to be entrepreneurial.

The evaluation of the status of “entrepreneurship in libraries” has never before been undertaken by evaluating the presentations of the practitioners in a conference setting. Since the practitioners are determining what is most valuable to discuss with others in the field, this provides some insight into the status of entrepreneurship in the field.

Adults in the United States have low health literacy skills which puts them at high risk for serious health consequences. Libraries have traditionally provided programming on a variety of topics for patrons but barriers such as technology and transportation access may prevent potential patrons from attending. Librarians can help increase the health literacy skills of community members by providing health outreach programming to the communities they serve. This chapter examines strategies and specific examples that library managers can implement to facilitate technology and health literacy skills through programming in communities.

The chapter seeks to address a current gap in the literature: envisioning and justifying community outreach projects and turning such insights into best practices for managing such projects. Drawing heavily on informational interviews, the article highlights the importance of defining shared missions and strategic plans, identifying partners, researching needs and expectations, building trust and partnerships, setting and fulfilling communication expectations, offering tangible benefits to the partner, and evaluating outcomes. While focused on health sciences librarians and their community partners, these practices are broadly applicable to many library outreach programs and can enhance credibility, approaches, and impact, while increasing funding opportunities and users while creating sustainable collaborations.

In the decades since the founding of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) in 1938, the array of functions considered core to archival work have grown and evolved. In the early years of SAA, the profession was largely focused on issues of collection maintenance, heavily emphasizing preservation as the fundamental mission of the archivist. Yet, at this time, there were archivists calling on their colleagues to engage with audiences outside of the archival reading room. It was not until the social history movements in the 1970s, however, that discussions of outreach as a core function of the archivist's work took hold in the profession. From the 1970s and moving through to today, outreach and proactive engagement with external communities has moved from a peripheral activity of the archivist to one seen as essential to the overall success of an archival program. In this chapter, we examine the evolving discourse surrounding outreach and engagement activities by archivists, focusing on how outreach has been discussed in professional literature. We also explore ways in which this shift in professional perspective is reflected in the work done today by archivists at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Public libraries are vibrant and trusted community hubs that provide services, support, and resources in a variety of ways that impact the well-being of their communities. The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) partnered with the National Institute of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program (All of Us) to support libraries to serve as health information resources for their patrons and provide All of Us awareness through community engagement. The NNLM All of Us National Program provides infrastructure and resources to public libraries, such as free training for library staff, health information outreach funding, connections with other organizations, and free programming tools to expand health programming beyond fitness to boost digital and health literacy in their communities.

In its simplest form, community engagement is a process whereby an organization works with the groups and individuals it serves to transform a shared vision into actions that ultimately benefit them. This chapter presents a framework to assist library managers and administrators in reimagining their outreach efforts from a community engagement perspective where users actively shape their shared experiences with the library. Although there are resources that discuss how libraries can structure these initiatives through the ACRL Library Marketing and Outreach Interest Group, the Public Library Association, and publications such as Marketing Libraries Journal, some of the literature surrounding community-based work is not as directly tied to outreach. By reading this chapter, libraries will find information related to defining their role within their communities, outlining strategies for collaboration, conducting needs assessment, gap analysis, asset mapping, and identifying a variety of outreach activities and their accompanying assessment strategies.

Public libraries are great at collecting data, but struggle with using it in meaningful ways. Presenting charts of numbers fails to engage community members in your library's successes. The Fox River Valley Public Library District streamlined statistical reporting to ensure the data were meaningful, and used online, interactive graphs highlighting a few key metrics and financial reports. To provide perspective, statewide data reporting was utilized to benchmark performance against libraries of similar size and location. Then these data were used to create an interactive platform to spark community discussions, soliciting feedback to help steer the Library's future direction. The result of one such platform led to the Library going fine-free, enabling economically disadvantaged patrons to once again check out items – especially younger patrons whose cards had been blocked due to parental use and late fees. Another charted the course for a future referendum question and building construction project, explaining how the district serves 70,000 which marks it one of the largest in the state; however, the small physical space prevents offering the whole range of products and services available in larger buildings and marks the district one of the smallest libraries in square feet per capita. The impact is more funding opportunities as well as positive feelings about the library's value demonstrated in improvements in community reactions via social media.