After you secured your first professional library position, what did you wish you had learned in library school? What did you not learn that would have been helpful when starting out in the profession?
 
Please consider taking part in the survey What I Did Not Learn in Library School. The survey is located at surveys.csus.edu/jfe/form/SV_eIG9QGd2z7LiKPQ. The survey will remain open until June 30, 2026.
 
In 2016, a research team comprised of Sarah Allison, Adam Heien, and Caitlin Wells conducted a survey to better understand how professional development, library school curriculum, and mentorship could improve the library profession. This data was preserved and not published. Ten years later, a second research team, led by Sarah Allison, will compare the 2016 and 2026 data to analyze what has changed and what has stayed the same. 
 
The survey is open to anyone who has received their MLIS or a similar degree who works or has worked in an academic, public, and/or special library with a focus on special collections and archives. Your participation is voluntary, and there are no risks associated with taking this survey. Additionally, your responses will remain anonymous, and any result will be reported in aggregate.
 
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Sarah Allison at sarah.allison@csus.edu.
 
Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Sarah Allison, Head, Gerth Special Collections & University Archives, Sacramento State University 
Diane Dias De Fazio, Library Services Manager for Rare Books, Special Collections & Collections Care, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Evan N. Miller, Digital Preservation and Digital Collections Archivist, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, Indiana University Indianapolis

I am an Ed.D student at the University of North Georgia, and I am writing to invite you to participate in my research study:

Title of the Study: Credentialism in Higher Education: A Study of Archival Careers
Study Number: 2026-031
Principal Investigator: Allison Galloup, Higher Education Leadership and Practice
Faculty Advisor: Michael Lanford, michael.lanford@ung.edu

The purpose of this study is to investigate the social and cultural implications of the increase in number of archivists who enter the field through library and information science programs. Participants considered for this study are archivists currently employed at a higher education institution who hold a terminal degree (MLS/MLIS or MA, or a combination of these degrees).

The research will be conducted in two parts:

1.  Brief responses (no more than 500 words) to two questions related to your archival education and career as an academic archivist.
2. A 60-75 minute interview during which you will be asked about your training and preparation for becoming an archivist, your experiences as an archivist, and your relationships with other archivists and librarians.

For the interview, I will ask for your permission to record and transcribe the conversation for the purposes of data analysis. Your initial written responses will also be included in data analysis.

Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the process. The interviews, transcripts, and written responses will be de-identified. During the data analysis process, you will be given the opportunity to review, edit, and offer clarification of the transcripts of your interview.

Participation in this study is voluntary. You may request to leave the study and have any data relating to your participation deleted at any time. The risks involved are no greater than those you would encounter in daily activities. There is no compensation for participating in the study. However, you may find contributing to the larger conversation around graduate archival education fulfilling.

If you are interested in participating, please visit Credentialism in Higher Education: A Case Study of Archival Careers.

For questions about this study, you can call or email the principal investigator, Allison Galloup, at 678-717-3656 or allison.galloup@ung.edu or the faculty advisor, Michael Lanford, at michael.lanford@ung.edu. 

For questions about being a research participant, please contact the chair of the Institutional Review Board (irbchair@ung.edu) or the Research Integrity Officer (research-integrity@ung.edu).

Dear Colleagues,

I’m recruiting academic librarians and archivists to take an online survey about acquiring primary source material on conspiracy theories for research use. Your participation in this research project is completely voluntary. You must be at least 18 years old and be employed at an academic library or a special collections library/archive.

Your participation will take about 20 minutes. You will be asked to complete an online survey on your personal views. More detailed information on the procedures can be found on the survey website.

There are no risks or discomforts related to the study and subjects will not be paid. Possible benefits to the subjects and others include research and publications that can be used by librarians and archivists for decision-making in the workplace. Your alternative to participating in this research study is not to participate.

For questions or more information on this study, contact Kate Stewart, University of Kansas Libraries, at kate.stewart@ku.edu or 785-864-3339. The University of Kansas does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program or educational activity.

To take this survey and learn more about it, click on this link: kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0ePquzLVsiJewaa

The survey will be open until April 20th, 2026. Thank you for your time!

Hello,

I am a graduate student in the Library Science Program at East Carolina University, and I am conducting a research study to explore collaborations that occur between community archives and traditional archival institutions. State, academic, and museum archives are increasingly interested in collaborating with community archives to help preserve and manage community archives’ records. There is evidence that community archives and traditional archival institutions manage, use and relate to archival records differently and these differences may affect the relationship dynamics during the collaborations.

I am inviting anyone who is a staff or volunteer of a community archive in the United States that has worked collaboratively with a state, academic, museum or other traditional archival institution to complete a brief survey asking about your experiences during the collaborative project. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

The survey will remain open until an adequate number of responses have been collected. Click here for the survey. Thank you for considering to participate in this study. Please direct any questions about the study to Sarah West (wests08@students.ecu.edu). 

Sarah West (she/her/hers)

College of Education, Department of Interdisciplinary Professionals, Library Science Program

East Carolina University

My colleagues and I would like to invite you to participate in a short survey that focuses on the education and experiences of new professionals who teach with primary sources. 

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the training, if any, those who teach with primary sources receive formally in grad programs or informally through mentoring, workshops, etc. Anyone over the age of 18 who is a new library or archives professional (<5 years in the field) is eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to answer approximately 25 multiple choice and free-response questions, which should take about 15 minutes to complete. Please do not put any information in your response that could be used to identify you. The informed consent and survey are available at towson.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9FYnjm8mvfa5rQW.

Data gathered by this survey will be shared with the Society of American Archivists and we are seeking to publish the aggregate results. Anticipated benefits of this study include greater insight into the background and needs of new professionals in regards to pedagogical training for archivists and librarians. 

The survey will be live until mid-April 2026. If you have any questions, please contact the Principal Investigator, Ashley Todd-Diaz (atodddiaz@towson.edu). 

Sincerely,

Ashley Todd-Diaz (atodddiaz@towson.edu)

Abigail Nye (anye@uwm.edu)

Josue Hurtado (josue.hurtado@temple.edu)

Lindsay Anderberg (landerberg@nyu.edu)

Morgen MacIntosh Hodgetts (MMACINTO@depaul.edu)

My name is Manuel Mendez, and I’m leading a research project titled “Arturo Schomburg and Library and Information Science: A Multi-Method Analysis.” The project aims to explore the extent to which MLIS, PhD students, and faculty know about Arturo Schomburg’s library (bibliographic) and archival (curatorial) practices. 

Participants will be asked to complete a 20-minute survey questionnaire and an optional 20-30-minute follow-up interview. Participants will receive a $20 Tango card within 2 weeks. 

The study seeks to elucidate Arturo Schomburg’s LIS practices and to identify methods for integrating them into MLIS curricula. 

Involvement in this study is voluntary, and all responses will remain strictly confidential. Participants can withdraw from the study at any point. Stringent measures will be implemented to safeguard data integrity. 

You can sign up for the study by visiting our link below. If you have any questions, please contact the researcher directly at mduranme@umd.edu.

Participation link: https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_4T4eYQA6ryP4LKC 

Manuel Julio Durán Méndez, PhD Candidate

University of Maryland, College Park

College of Information