This exploratory and qualitative study examined the appraisal practices of archivists in university special collections, including how archivists define appraisal, decide what to keep and discard, apply a collection policy in their decision process, and contend with problematic aspects of the practice. The first part of this study examined the…

With resource sharing staff staying an average of 3-5 years, capturing policies and procedures to facilitate onboarding and strengthen institutional memory is key in building consistent workflows. Creating documentation was a multi-stage process executed over several years. Initially, the staff supervisor wrote office policies and assigned staff…

The terms Diversifying, Decentring and Decolonising characterise the ways that academic libraries are engaging with social justice issues, through multiple theoretical perspectives epitomised by the rejection of libraries as neutral spaces. The review covers numerous case studies of critically informed action, or praxis across a variety of…

This article presents the results of an online survey of access services departments at academic libraries on the responses implemented during the initial stage of COVID-19 in March-May 2020. The 33-question survey was completed by 121 respondents. The article identifies policies and procedures adopted by access services departments during the…

Noise in academic libraries has been a consistent concern of library staff and library users. This concern has intensified as libraries have emphasized their role in supporting student learning, including learning that occurs in a busy, collaborative environment. Studies of acceptable library noise levels have traditionally been conducted in areas…

The University of Baltimore Library was recently renovated. Part of the design in the newly renovated space was having one single service point, that we call the Information Desk. This desk serves as the public facing portal for what was previously three public facing service points to services by three separate departments, Academic Success,…

Academic libraries have been subjected to disruptive events throughout history. Academic literature primarily provides case study examples of incidents, guidance on developing an emergency management plan or advice on recovering or restoring items, particularly related to Special Collections, which require specific handling expertise.…

ERM librarians discuss their approaches to electronic resources management for an academic library consortium, the University System of Maryland & Affiliated Institutions (USMAI). They focus on innovation and developing actionable strategies for procedures and policies.