Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

The ACRL Board of Directors recently articulated a new core commitment of our strategic plan, the Plan for Excellence. Along with the association’s core purpose, “[t]o lead academic and research librarians and libraries in advancing learning and scholarship,” and our core organizational values, which include visionary leadership, responsible stewardship of resources, and the values of higher education and intellectual freedom, we have made an explicit commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

The changing landscape of scholarly communication has caused something of a chain reaction in academic libraries with increasing numbers setting up dedicated research support departments to offer advice and training to their users. Librarians are excited to see new job opportunities emerging in these departments which on paper seem like an excellent fit for their skills. But in reality are librarians the ones actually taking the roles in these departments or are they being beaten at their own game? Research, 'Where did they come from? The educational background of people working in scholarly communication', suggests that many of those appointed to these new roles within scholarly communication departments come to the library having completed a PhD and that for many their only experience of the library comes as a user rather than a staff member. 

The Publishing Trap is a board game from the UK Copyright Literacy team that allows participants to explore the impact of scholarly communications choices and discuss the role of open access in research by following the lives of four researchers – from doctoral research to their academic legacies. It is a full functioning, prototype game first developed in 2016 when it won a runner’s up prize at the LILAC Lagadothon. However, the game has evolved considerably since then.