The High-Impact Digital Library: Innovative Approaches for Outreach and Instruction

Digital library terminology like “accessible,” “discoverable,” and “searchable” usually presumes passive collections waiting to be found by motivated information seekers. Rarely do we envision collection managers initiating outreach with those most likely to benefit from the collections. This new collection from Core flips the script, exploring the many ways that digital library practitioners at various types of cultural institutions proactively promote their unique resources. Providing both inspiration and pragmatic guidance to readers as they undertake their own initiatives, this book discusses the results of a unique survey that provides new and structured information on digital library outreach and instruction; presents outreach case studies illustrating uses of social media promotion, integration of digital collections into teaching and instruction activities, partnerships with external campus units or community organizations, and other activities; explores many types of instruction, from drop-in class sessions and training to course-integrated instruction and ways that digital library practitioners can contribute to the Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy movements; details the digital humanities and digital scholarship programs developed at the University of Utah by many of the authors through cross-departmental collaboration; describes the ways in which the pandemic spurred many institutions to use rapid response collecting to practice community engagement; and speculates on future directions for outreach and instruction for digital libraries.