Current Issue: May 2026
Feature
Robin Naughton
Document Everything
A Tenure Tracker for Academic Librarians
Document everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!” is the advice constantly given to tenure-track faculty. Tenure-track faculty librarians are no exception to the mantra of documenting everything, including simple daily activities and major projects or programs. The tenure portfolio represents ...
The Way I see It
J. M. Shalani Dilinika
Teaching Students to Think Critically About AI
Practical Approaches for Academic Librarians in Designing Literacy Instruction
The widespread use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications has reshaped how people interact with and interpret information. Within higher education, these technologies are already influencing core academic practices, from research and writing to teaching and learning, raising important questions about authenticity, critical thinking, and responsible use. Although we have witnessed the prevalence of generative AI use by students, restricting access to these technologies is neither feasible nor practical, as their daily digital environments are ...
Feature
Russell Michalak, Trevor A. Dawes, and Ava Wallace
Envisioning AI’s Role in Libraries
Perspectives from an LIS Student, a Library Director, and a University Librarian
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is no longer a distant horizon for libraries—it is already reshaping how we teach, preserve, and connect communities with knowledge. The question is not whether AI belongs in libraries but rather how we integrate it in ways that are ethical, equitable, and aligned with our missions. This article is framed as a dialogue among colleagues at three different career stages, offering distinct but ...
The Way I see It
Veronica Fu
Metadata and the Human Dimensions of Librarianship
Memory, Invisible Labor, and Professional Formation
Metadata is often treated as the invisible scaffolding of library systems—standardized, technical, and impersonal on its face. Yet beneath its structured fields lie traces of human labor, professional history, and the personal relationships that sustain our work as librarians. These dimensions don’t always surface in formal description, but for those of us who encounter metadata daily, even a single catalog record can carry unexpected weight ...
Feature
Karla Fribley, Katherine Fish, Cary F. Gouldin, and Christi Taggart-Osterday
Retaining Library Employees
What Works?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education has been grappling with the “Great Resignation” as employees leave jobs at higher rates than the industry has seen in years. Although turnover rates seem to be slowing, they still exceed pre-pandemic levels, with 33% of employees indicating they would be looking for new jobs within the next year. Employees that do stay may suffer from the “Great Detachment,” or ...
Academic Library Workers in Conversation
Kristina Clement and Rhiana Murphy
Loving It Enough to Critique It
A Year of Exploring Why We Choose Librarianship
Academic Library Workers in Conversation is a C&RL News series focused on elevating the everyday conversations of library professionals. The wisdom of the watercooler has long been heralded, but this series hopes to go further by minimizing barriers to traditional publishing with an accessible format. In past issues, the topics were proposed by the authors. However, during 2026, this feature will focus on the authors’ stories of librarianship. How they got here, why they stay, and even why they consider leaving or transitioning at times. During this time of great upheaval in ...