By Hiromi Kubo and Raymond Pun

April 21-28 is Money Smart Week (MSW)! Co-sponsored and promoted by ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, this national campaign aims to help consumers manage their personal finances and develop financial literacy skills. Many libraries participate in this effort by promoting financial trainings and resources to students and the general public. It is also an opportunity to focus conversations and training on this important matter and how it relates to managing student debt and loans. Below are some ideas to consider as you prepare for MSW in your library!

By Jody Burum and Raymond Pun

FYE Correspondent Raymond Pun talks with Jody Burum, Career Counselor at Fresno State, who discusses the importance of Career Development/Internship experiences in the academic curriculum. Career development/Internships are considered a high impact practice (HIP), an active learning approach that can increase student engagement and retention. In this post, they explore how their collaboration supports students' career success.

Since 1996, April has been designated National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poetry through greater awareness and public engagement. Your library's participation in this annual observance can serve as a fun way to engage students and cultivate the type of interactive relationships essential for first year success initiatives and more. Here are a few activities to consider:

By Ariana Santiago and Raymond Pun

FYE Correspondent Ray Pun talks with Ariana Santiago, Instruction Librarian at the University of Houston, about her work supporting FYE programs and first year students through collaborative efforts and student engagement programs. In this interview Ariana also talks about how she and her colleagues make instruction relevant, engaging, and practical, and how they’re working to create a welcoming environment in the library.

Addressing information literacy with first year students is a multifaceted challenge. Librarians may be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the Framework for Information Literacy’s threshold concepts. Faculty buy-in (or lack thereof) can help or hinder. Students potentially hold misconceptions, as illustrated by Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe’s research. Finally, some institutions, such as my community college, do not provide 1) a formal first year experience and/or 2) a credit-bearing IL course. You know where this leads: a Framework-skittish instructional librarian standing for about an hour in front of students who think they can Google the answer to anything and faculty who just want you to “show some databases.”

By Anne Marie Gruber and Raymond Pun

In this blog series, FYE Correspondent Raymond Pun will interview academic librarians who integrate high-impact practices (HIPs) into their work. The Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) has defined HIPs as active learning approaches that can increase student engagement and retention. Service-learning is considered a HIP, and in this interview, Ray speaks with Anne Marie Gruber, Instruction and Liaison Librarian at the Rod Library in the University of Northern Iowa, to learn more about this HIP in action.

By Heather Snapp and Raymond Pun 

FYE Correspondent Raymond Pun recently interviewed Heather Snapp from Florida Gulf Coast University Library. Heather shared her role as the first year experience and outreach librarian, where she works with library student ambassadors to support FYE learning in the library. Heather also discussed her next project, creating research guides on integrating information literacy concepts and objectives for instructors’ curricula.

By Regina Gong and Raymond Pun

This week from March 5-9, it is Open Education Week! FYE Correspondent Ray Pun interviewed Regina Gong, OER Project Manager and Manager of Technical Services and Systems in Lansing Community College (LCC) on the role of OER in enhancing student learning on campus. Regina also shares her OER initiatives and upcoming projects, and how they support student success.

Did you know that selected regional accreditation programs may include information literacy as a core competency skill? Are you involved in the accreditation process for your school or library? Today, many academic libraries are tasked with providing students’ IL learning data for accreditation purposes.

Bryant University is known for its vigorous academic program, a design thinking experience for first year students, and a campuswide focus on student success. The culture at Bryant provides fertile ground for innovation at all levels of the university. The Douglas and Judith Krupp Library embraces this culture and the elements of flexibility, experimentation, and collaboration, offering library staff the opportunity to innovate within the library and with campus partners.