Service and community-based learning is one of several high-impact educational practices identified by George Kuh and the Association of American Colleges & Universities, and is increasingly seen as a vital part of the undergraduate experience. Classroom work is shifting to include more activities that are relevant to future careers, include action, and develop agency in students. Colleges and universities are actively promoting this work by including it in strategic plans, creating high impact practice-themed faculty development programs and initiatives, and offering grant funding to support their development. Divided into three comprehensive sections--Library and Information Literacy Credit-Bearing Courses or Sponsors of Undergraduate Community-Based Research; Library Support for Courses with Applied Service-Based Projects in the Disciplines; and Library as Location for Student-Led Educational Outreach Events and Projects--Library Service and Learning is a collection of case studies written by librarians, university faculty, and students who have successfully employed service-based or experiential learning experiences for students in higher education. Chapters include classes or programs that have been taught by or developed in collaboration with librarians and examine information literacy-related outcomes, utilize library resources, and/or take place in library facilities. Each chapter describes activities, motivations, curriculum materials, and outcomes, and appendices include assignments, rubrics, and other materials that enable you to replicate and adapt the activity to your own needs. Today's students want to work in groups, apply what they learn to real-life problems, and work in environments that are relevant and participatory. The active teaching techniques in Library Service and Learning help build community, are relevant to students' current lives and future career goals, and allow them to work together to solve real problems and shape their own successful and empowering learning.

There seems to be little resistance to the idea that children and teens learn in public library spaces. However, many public librarians do not see themselves as teachers. This implies that much of the learning that happens in public libraries is incidentalÑtangential to the ÒrealÓ purpose and design of these spaces and programs. In this book, we make the case that public librarians should embrace an explicit instructional role as a core part of their professional practice. Inside, youÕll find both a comprehensive review of what is known so far about instruction for youth in public libraries and a primer on core educational concepts and frameworks for current and future public librarians. Each chapter includes real-world examples of libraries and librarians who are already practicing powerful teaching.

While the achievement gap has dominated policy discussions over the past two decades, relatively little attention has been paid to a gap even more at odds with American ideals: the opportunity gap. Opportunity and achievement, while inextricably connected, are very different goals. Every American will not go to college, but every American should be given a fair chance to be prepared for college. In communities across the U.S., children lack the crucial resources and opportunities, inside and outside of schools that they need if they are to reach their potential. Closing the Opportunity Gap offers accessible, research-based essays written by top experts who highlight the discrepancies that exist in our public schools, focusing on how policy decisions and life circumstances conspire to create the "opportunity gap" that leads inexorably to stark achievement gaps. They also describe sensible policies grounded in evidence that can restore and enhance opportunities. Moving beyond conventional academic discourse, Closing the Opportunity Gap will spark vital new conversations about what schools, parents, educators, and policymakers can and should do to give all children a fair chance to thrive.

Community colleges are a cornerstone of higher education and serve the unique needs of the communities in which they reside. In 2019, community colleges accounted for 41 percent of all undergraduate students in the United States. Community college librarians are engaged in meaningful work designing and delivering library programs and services that meet the needs of their diverse populations and support student learning. The Community College Library series is meant to lift the voices of community college librarians and highlight their creativity, tenacity, and commitment to students. The Community College Library: Assessment explores the research, comprehensive plans, and new approaches to assessment being created by community college librarians around the U.S. Chapters include sample activities and materials and cover topics including assessing student learning while shifting from Standards to Framework; investigating and communicating library instruction's relationship to student retention; and building librarian assessment confidence through communities of research practice. This book demonstrates the innovative and replicable ways community college librarians are measuring, evaluating, and reflecting on the services they provide, and how to use these assessments to demonstrate the value and impact of library services and advocate for resources.