Celebrating Learning in Information Schools

Issue #104

by Gary Marchionini (UNC School of Information & Library Science)

The rhythms of academic life revolve around the start and finish of classes. iSchools follow different academic calendars organized into semesters, quarters, or terms of various length, however the excitement and anticipation that defines the beginning of an academic period is always book-ended by celebration and reflection at the end of classes and for many students graduation to the next phase of life. The events and practices we develop around these critical milestones vary across campuses, but there are common motivations and elements that serve to build community, set expectations, celebrate learning, and share interests. These events and practices have always been important to school culture; however, they are especially important in the post-COVID era for face-to-face and hybrid programs. This posting focuses on one end of school year event that celebrates learning and brings together students, faculty and staff.

Over the years, schools have used various welcome back programs to orient and energize students in the new year. Formal convocations welcome and inspire new students. Faculty ‘five-minute madness’ presentations may be used to give students a chance to meet faculty and quickly hear first-hand about their classes and research. These are fun and high-energy events whether face-to-face or virtual settings. Food events ranging from lunch to ice-cream socials give students, faculty, and staff a chance to meet each other in casual settings to build 1-1 rapport and community. Talks and orientation programs are also used to inform and unite a school community.

Throughout the term, special lectures, brown-bag lunches, reading groups, or ‘ask me anything’ forums by faculty or alumni continue to build and maintain school culture. When these events are recorded and made available, they also help to extend participation over time and document the culture and experience of a school.

All these events and practices lead to the culmination of an academic year when students graduate or prepare for extended breaks from classes to work, travel, or simply recover from the academic grind. In addition to formalized commencement ceremonies, many schools have long traditions of holding end-of-term or end-of-year programs to highlight key elements of the school year and celebrate learning. These programs take many forms, including symposia, fairs, showcases, poster sessions, and open houses. They provide students with opportunities to organize and present their work among peers, experience a ‘mini conference’ atmosphere in a familiar setting, and look beyond their own specific interests and expertise to see the breadth and depth of the information field.

Events from the beginning of an academic cycle to the conclusion reflect the values, culture, and content important to the school and to the information field. Last week, I attended the Annual Symposium on Information for Social Good¹ at UNC and was impressed by the range of topics and creative approaches students took to explain their work and what they learned this year. This year, the presentations were organized into panels from graduate students across the school (25 concurrent sessions across the day), undergraduate posters from the information ethics course (8 teams), graduate student practicum posters (19 teams), and term projects from students in various courses (19 teams). Most faculty and students were able to participate in the day’s events, and the energy and passion students showed served to raise spirits and focus attention on ideas and action to make the world a better place. Here are a few examples of titles for each of the types of presentation selected to show both topical range and the theme of information for social good. See the website¹ for a complete listing of the full 71 presentations.

Panel Examples

• “Informed Consent Is a Myth”: The Ethics of Third-Party Data Collection in Libraries

• “The Machine Strives for Nothing”: Redefining Work in the Age of AI

• AI as an Accessibility Tool for Blind and Low Vision Users: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• Universal Access to All Knowledge? Balancing Information Access & the Law in the Internet Archive

• Number One Party Anthem: Popularity Bias in Music Recommendation Systems

Undergraduate Poster Examples

• Biometric Boundaries: Bias, Privacy and the Panopticon Effect

• Misinformation Epidemic: A Public Health Crisis in Plain Sight

• Preserve or Perish: How Copyright Kills Gaming

Practicum² Poster examples

• Ackland Art Museum Statistics and Data Collection Practices

• Data Governance Oversight Group Program Effectiveness Review

• Fair Share: Challenging Inequity in Property Tax Assessment

Project Fair Presentations

• Pollen, Pollution, and People: Monitoring Environmental Triggers

• Now You See Me: Invisible Disabilities in Librarianship

• Helping Students Stay on Task with Arduino

• Patient Portals & Medication Adherence in the Elderly

As we prepare for commencement ceremonies next week, this culminating day of celebration of learning illustrates the power and potential of iSchools to innovate, critically evaluate, and address real-world problems.

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1: UNC School of Information and Library Science. (25. April 2025). UNC School of Information and Library Science. Retrieved from 2025 Symposium on Information for Social Good and Scholars Showcase: https://sils.unc.edu/event/2025-symposium-social-good/

2: The Practicum requires teams of students to work with an organization within or beyond the school to address a specific practical problem

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Feature Stories solely reflect the opinion of the author.