Building Bridges at “The People’s University”:

Supporting Faculty Pursuits to Develop Service-Learning

ResearchHillary A. H. Richardson

Assistant Professor/Humanities Librarian, @hillaryAHRDr. April K. Heiselt

Associate Professor and Director Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence,

@CASLE_MSU

Introductions• Dr. April Heiselt• Director of the Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning

Excellence (CASLE) • Associate Professor, Counseling and Educational Psychology

Department• Student Affairs Graduate Program Coordinator• Originally from Anaheim, California (home of Disneyland)!• Eighth year at MSU• Recently returned from a six-day, service-learning course trip

with 18 graduate students to study the impact of southern colleges and universities on higher education

Introductions• Hillary A. H. Richardson• Assistant Professor, Humanities Research Librarian• Library Liaison to the Department of English • Embedded Librarian

• MSU Honors College• Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (CASLE)

• Former AmeriCorps Member• Former Lilly Endowment Community Engagement Fellow

Audience SnapshotHands up if you…• Have a service-learning office on your campus• Develop outreach initiatives with your local community• Work with faculty to develop service-learning projects • Have met with faculty who are publishing in service-learning• Have published in service-learning yourself

Presentation Overview

• History of Service-Learning at Mississippi State University• CASLE Description• Principles and Strategies of Service-Learning

• CASLE and MSU Library partnership• Challenges and Successes• Future areas for growth• Questions and Discussion

MSU’s Land Grant Tradition• Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862

• 1st Annual Catalogue of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi (1880):• Teaching, Research, and Service: “Students must be familiar, not

only with farms and labor, but also must labor themselves, and this labor is a part of their education” (Catalogue, 1880).

• Smith-Lever Cooperative Extension Act of 1914 • A “university of outreach” (Ballard, 2008, Maroon and White)

MSU’s Community Engagement History

• Maroon Volunteer Center (MVC) - Hurricane Katrina• Day One Leadership Program (2007)• Service DAWGS Day (2008)• President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

(2008 – present)• Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (2010)• Community Engagement Committee

• Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (2013)

Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (CASLE)• Began in January 2013

• Partnership between the Extension Service and Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President• Motto: Learn. Serve. Become.• Five focus areas

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math• Health Promotion and Nutrition• Global Affairs• Economic and Consumer Development• Youth Development

Service-Learning Defined• Variety of definitions of service-learning

MSU’s definition: “Service-learning is a holistic pedagogy that integrates meaningful community service, community engagement, or civic engagement into academic course objectives through experiential learning and critical reflection to enrich the educational experience of students, teach civic responsibility, and meet the needs of a community.”

• Agreed upon overarching concepts• Community Engagement, Reflection, Reciprocity, and

Dissemination of Learning (Heffernan, 2001)

• Different types of service-learning• Curricular, Co-Curricular, Critical

CASLE Vision StatementTo advance and support all faculty, staff, students, and extension agents, in making connections between and finding the value in the creation of engaged scholarship that connects research, service, and learning in the community, state, region, nation, and beyond.

MSU Librarian Participation in Service-Learning

• Day One Leadership

• Public libraries

• Service-learning experience

• Publications

Evolution of a Partnership

Making Connections

CASLE Open House

Ongoing dialogue about needs

MSU Libraries Liaison model

Service-Learning Librarian

MSU Libraries Liaison Model

Embedded LibrariansSubject Librarians

Service-

Learning

Librarian!

From the MSU Library Liaison Guidelines:

Make an effort to know your department audienceCreate LibGuides for the academic disciplines in your

departmentAssess how well the existing collection meets the needs of

your departmentSend a “Welcome” email to all new faculty members in

assigned departments. Explain how a Library Liaison can be of assistance.

A Different Audience: Faculty

• Supporting the Pedagogy• CASLE• Other S-L faculty

A Different Audience: Faculty

• Supporting the Pedagogy• CASLE• Other S-L faculty

• Supporting the Research• CASLE • Service-Learning Librarian

From the MSU Library Liaison Guidelines:

Make an effort to know your departmentCreate LibGuides for the academic disciplines in your

departmentRead or scan the literature of the disciplineAssess how well the existing collection meets the needs of

your department

http://guides.library.msstate.edu/servicelearning

From the MSU Library Liaison Guidelines:

Make an effort to know your departmentCreate LibGuides for the academic disciplines in your

departmentRead or scan the literature of the disciplineAssess how well the existing collection meets the needs of

your department

EndNote Library

From the MSU Library Liaison Guidelines:

Make an effort to know your departmentCreate LibGuides for the academic disciplines in your

departmentRead or scan the literature of the disciplineAssess how well the existing collection meets the needs of

your department

Collection Development Resources

• Library of Congress: LC 220.5• Campus Compact publications• HE-SL Listserv from nylc.org• Weekly alerts from YBP• Recommendations from CASLE• Yes…Amazon recommendations!

From the MSU Library Liaison Guidelines:

Make an effort to know your departmentCreate LibGuides for the academic disciplines in your

departmentRead or scan the literature of the disciplineAssess how well the existing collection meets the needs of

your department

More MSU Library Liaison Guidelines

Maintain and use a current list of selection tools pertinent to the assigned departments

Attend public lectures and other events sponsored by the assigned departments

Become knowledgeable of the curricular and research needs within their assigned subject areas

Send “Welcome” email to all new faculty members in assigned departments. Explain how Library Liaison can be of assistance.

Other CASLE events• Center for Teaching and Learning’s Brown Bag Series

• Mobile Open Houses• College of Business• Online for Extension Faculty

• “SLED” Talks

More MSU Library Liaison Guidelines

Maintain and use a current list of selection tools pertinent to the assigned departments

Attend public lectures and other events sponsored by the assigned departments

Become knowledgeable of the curricular and research needs within their assigned subject areas

Send “Welcome” email to all new faculty members in assigned departments. Explain how Library Liaison can be of assistance.

Research Consultations

More MSU Library Liaison Guidelines

Maintain and use a current list of selection tools pertinent to the assigned departments

Attend public lectures and other events sponsored by the assigned departments

Become knowledgeable of the curricular and research needs within their assigned subject areas

Send “Welcome” email to all new faculty members in assigned departments. Explain how Library Liaison can be of assistance.

From Research Services Discussions:

“Like” the Departmental Facebook/Twitter accounts to gather more intel

Review Departmental Web pagesCongratulate people on articles, new grants, etc.Read the ORED (Office of Research and Economic

Development) publication on research to see grants being awarded to your department

http://librarysciencelist.com/100-most-social-media-friendly-college-university-libraries/

From Research Services Discussions:

“Like” the Departmental Facebook/Twitter accounts to gather more intel

Review Departmental Web pagesCongratulate people on articles, new grants, etc.Read the ORED (Office of Research and Economic

Development) publication on research to see grants being awarded to your department

Resources Developed: A Summary

• http://guides.library.msstate.edu/servicelearning • Print Collection• Personalized Bibliographies• Email outreach• Research Consultations• Service-Learning Librarian• CASLE website• Scholarship of Engagement

Challenges and Successes

• Service-Learning Clearinghouse• Promotion and Tenure• Opportunities with non-tenured faculty• Expanse of S-L literature over the

disciplines• Outcomes-based Extension Service Plan of

Work

Tips for Partnerships• Know your audience• Establish Common Goals and Timelines• Keep up with the literature• Publications• Listservs

• Begin a dialogue• Keep an open mind

Evolution of Embedded S-L Librarian

• Cross-college grants and beyond (Co-PI)• Workshops for Extension faculty• Teaching specialized Library Instruction for S-L classes• Library publicity for S-L classes• Become involved in student S-L

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Hillary Richardson, HRichardson@library.msstate.eduApril Heiselt, april@ext.msstate.edu

http://guides.library.msstate.edu/servicelearning

Twitter:@msu_libraries @CASLE_MSU @hillaryAHR

Facebook: Mississippi State University Libraries

Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence

References• Ballard, M. B. (2008). Maroon and White: Mississippi State University, 1878-2003.

Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi.

• Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College. (1880). First Annual Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi 1880-1881. Jackson, MS: Clarion Steam Publishing House.

• Heffernan, K. (2001). Fundamentals of Service-Learning Course Construction. Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

• Smith-Lever Act, 7 U.S.C. § 341 (1914).

• Morrill Act, 7 U.S.C. § 301 (1862).

• Parker, B. (2013). 100 Most Social Media Friendly College & University Libraries for 2013. LibraryScienceList.com. Retrieved from http://librarysciencelist.com/100-most-social-media-friendly-college-university-libraries/