ACRL’s vision for a long-term envisioned future is that academic and research librarians and libraries are essential to a thriving global community of learners and scholars. Through its strategic goal on the Value of Academic Libraries (VAL) — that academic libraries demonstrate alignment with and impact on institutional outcomes — ACRL seeks to expand professional development opportunities for assessment and advocacy of the contributions towards impact of academic libraries. ACRL’s VAL Committee invites you to learn how to better align with the mission, vision, and values of your institution; improve student learning and equity; and communicate more effectively with campus stakeholders during these upcoming free webinars.
Beyond Words: Initiating, Implementing and Sustaining Change (Friday, April 8, 2022, 1:00 – 2:00 PM Central): What does it mean to integrate equity and social justice into our practice and assessment in libraries? Efforts to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion have been a priority of most institutions of higher education for many years now. While there is awareness, how have academic libraries contributed to system change for equity and social justice? In this panel, hear from librarians profiled on the ACRL Insider blog as part of the VAL Spotlight Series: Practices of Equity & Social Justice.
The Impact of Covid-19 on Academic Libraries (Friday, May 13, 2022, 1:00 – 2:00 PM Central); Please join panelists from multiple institutions in a discussion centered around the theme of engaging students in academic libraries during the Covid-19 pandemic. This panel session is a follow-up to a 2020 COVID-19 Survey conducted by the VAL Committee to examine how academic libraries adapted and provided services to their respective institutions in light of pandemic related challenges. The survey revealed several themes around the pandemic’s impact including accessibility, engagement, communication, and employee dynamics.
Ethical Engagement in Learning Analytics: Lessons Learned by Campus Colleagues (Summer Date TBD): Is your library considering, initiating, or already engaging with campus partners in institutional learning analytics efforts? Are you concerned about negotiating new territory for students, establishing new practices and policies, guiding data collection and analysis, and aligning learning analytics with your professional and personal ethics and values? In this webinar, sponsored jointly by ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries and Professional Values Committees, hear from a panel of higher education experts in learning analytics, data governance, data privacy, data security, and assessment. These panelists have addressed many of the questions libraries are currently grappling with and are now engaging in learning analytics and assessment with and on behalf of their students.