The June 2020 issue of C&RL News is now freely available online. Every two years, ACRL’s Research Planning and Review Committee produces their “Top trends in academic libraries.” The 2020 edition discusses change management; evolving integrated library systems; learning analytics; machine learning and AI; the state of open access and research data services; social justice, critical librarianship, and critical digital pedagogy; streaming media; and student wellbeing. Many thanks to the committee for pulling together this important survey of the current landscape of academic and research librarianship.
One event since the writing of the trends article that promises a great impact is the COVID-19 pandemic. Marta Mestrovic Deyrup and Sarah Ponichtera write about Seton Hall University’s efforts to collect their community’s pandemic stories in “Community sourcing a response to COVID-19.”
Inclusion and social justice issues are highlighted in two articles this month. First-generation students and the Framework in everyday contexts is the focus of the latest Perspectives on the Framework column written by Darren Ilett, while Dennis Ocholla provides perspectives on “Decolonizing higher education in Africa” in the International Insights column.
Colleen Lyon, Gina Bastone, and Sarah Brand focus on the continuing trend towards open as they write about ways to create open education awareness in their Scholarly Communication column “Opening up to OER.”
Make sure to check out the other features and departments this month, including a look at a collaboration between a library and local historical society by Jennifer Murray, and the results of the 2020 ACRL elections.