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Engaged Scholarship:

Joining the ConversationJeffrey A. Knapp*

(Larry & Ellen Foster Communications Librarian)

Nicholas Rowland*(Associate Professor of Sociology)

* Ideas similar to these have been published in the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement and Reference Services Review, and presented at the 2013 PALA, 2013 PA Forward Information Literacy Summit, and Library 2.012, Worldwide Virtual Conference.

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Overview1. What is Engaged Scholarship (ES)? 2. What role for librarians in ES? 3. Lessons from Embedded Librarianship (EL)?4. Examples.5. Q&D (Questions and Discussion, but not

necessarily Answers).

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ES Defined• Shift to Engaged Scholarship (ES) at PSU:– “out-of-classroom academic experiences that

complement classroom learning,”1 such as:• undergraduate research,*• community-based learning, • internships, and • capstone experiences• (study abroad)

1. March 25, 2014, handout for the inaugural Engaged Scholarship Symposium at the Pennsylvania State University

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Reflection ES• New or New Umbrella? – Nothing new about High-Impact Practices1

– New emphasis on Equitable Student Access2

• Multiple Engagements3

– Student and Faculty*– University and Community– … and where does the Library fit in?– … and what does “outreach” look like now?

1. “High0Impact Educational Practices” available at: https://www.aacu.org/leap/hips 2. Finley, Ashley, and Tia McNair. 2013. Assessing Underserved Students’ Engagement in High-Impact Practices, available at:

https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/assessinghips/AssessingHIPS_TGGrantReport.pdf 3. March 25, 2014, handout for the inaugural Engaged Scholarship Symposium at the Pennsylvania State University.

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According to the literature …• Limited contribution of librarians:1

– Most positive view is of instruction1,2

– Faculty as active; librarian as passive2,3

– Library as ES archive; librarians as uninvited3

• … but support is not so bad, right?– Library has every student but no students– Student access in ES curricular arrangements– Archiving (or portfolio) support is big impact.

1. Nicholas J. Rowland and Jeffrey A. Knapp . 2015. “Engaged Scholarship and Embedded Librarianship” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, Volume 19, Number 2, p. 15..

2. Doberneck, D. M., Glass, C. R., & Schweitzer, J. (2010). From rhetoric to reality: A typology of publically engaged scholarship. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 14(4), 5–35.

3. Miller, W. A., & Billings, M. (2012). A university library creates a digital repository for documenting and disseminating community engagement. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 16(2), 109–122.

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Lessons learned from EL …• Embedded Librarianship, historical gloss:– 1970s “Informationist;” medical librarians1

– 2000s Expansion to academic librarians2,3

– 2010s Is ES the next practical step?

• Contemporary context for embedding:– Emphasis on student-centeredness and retention – Pressing financial realities for higher education– Proliferation of assessment culture

1. Kho, N. D. (2011). Embedded Librarianship: Building Relational Roles. Information Today, 28(3), 1, 35–36.2. Dewey, B. I. (2006). The Embedded Librarian: Strategic Campus Collaborations. Resource Sharing & Information Networks, 19(1), 5–

17. doi:10.1300/J121v17n01_023. Siess, J. (2010). Embedded Librarianship: The Next Big Thing? Searcher, 18(1), 38–45.

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Why ES & EL now? • So, why should librarians embed in ES now?• External Rewards:– Maximize impact, visibility, and recognition.– Examples to illustrate related to retention:

• Not ephemeral, but tangible and visible outcomes.

• Builds reputation (the currency of higher education).

reference transaction?

≠ student retention

request fulfillment?

≠ student retention

Resource support and archival training for the African American Heritage Undergraduate Research Project?

= student retention

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How does embedding work? • How Jeff got embedded in ES:

1. Casual networking1

2. Regular referrals2

3. Guest lecturing1,2

• Other strategies:1. Attending expos, fairs, and meetings*2. Willingness to collaborate (and liaise)3. Asking “Did you ask for the business?” 4. Following through (7 touches)

1. Boise, Robert. 2000. Advice for New Faculty Members. Pearson; 1 edition (January 31, 2000). ISBN-10: 0205281591 .2. Knapp, Jeff., Eric Charles, and Nicholas Rowland. 2014. ““Retaining Students by Embedding Librarians into Undergraduate Research

Experiences” Reference Services Review.

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Summary1. What is Engaged Scholarship (ES)?– Complementary out-of-class experiences*

2. What role for librarians in ES?– Few pre-defined roles; make one up!

3. Lessons from Embedded Librarianship (EL)?– Means of joining the ES conversation

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Question & Discussion• Strategy:

1. Which strategies work?2. Which strategies don’t?

• Engagement: 1. How do you engage students for ES?2. How do you engage faculty for ES?

• Expectations: 1. What barriers do we expect?2. What benefits do we expect?

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Resources• Engagement Scholarship Consortium• Penn State Engaged Scholarship• Journal of Community Engagement and Schola

rship (JCES)