{"id":2807,"date":"2019-06-26T14:45:55","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T19:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.iwu.edu\/library\/?p=2807"},"modified":"2019-06-26T15:43:15","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T20:43:15","slug":"experiential-learning-in-the-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.iwu.edu\/library\/experiential-learning-in-the-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Experiential Learning in the Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

At Illinois Wesleyan, we are committed to providing experiences that \u201cblur the line between the learning that takes place in the classroom and outside the classroom<\/a>,\u201d and The Ames Library and its faculty have supported these experiences for years, e.g., through information literacy instruction<\/a> that supports undergraduate research projects, and partnerships<\/a> with other units with a focus on \u201cengaged learning,\u201d including the Writing Center and the Action Research Center. But, the library can also be the site<\/em> for research, internships, and community projects that demonstrate our commitment to engaged learning, both for our undergraduate students and for graduate students working toward a future in library work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The Tate Archives and Special Collections<\/a>, for example, has hosted Library and Information Science (LIS) students from the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences as part of that program\u2019s Alternative Spring Break. This summer, Associate Professor and University Archivist Meg Miner<\/a> is serving as intern supervisor for Cynthia O\u2019Neill, a student in the Kent State University Master of Library and Information Studies program<\/a> pursuing a concentration in Archives and Special Collections. Ms. O\u2019Neill comes to her internship at Ames with experience in both the museum and public library fields.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThere are similarities in the missions of libraries, archives, and museums,\u201d Professor Miner notes, \u201cbut also subtle differences in the ways we go about achieving our shared goal of preserving and providing access to cultural heritage materials in our communities today and into the future.\u201d This internship, Miner continued, \u201cwill provide Cynthia with hands-on experience with these distinctions, and with strategies for applying both archival theory and her past experience to archival work in the academic environment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In her IWU internship, Ms. O\u2019Neill is learning about the management of archival collections, as a whole, and about the management of the archives as a research environment. She will do this in the context of completing a number of specific projects:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n