Abstract
Social capital is a way of viewing group relationships and the flow of information. Like many other types of students, law students have their own particular groups that affect how and when they interact with the library and how they seek out information. Because of these group dynamics law students may find it difficult to come to librarians when they need help. Positioning the library as a third space, and librarians as third people, is one way to build connections with students and build a community where students feel comfortable using the library. This article discusses the concept of social capital and group dynamics, third spaces, and the various ways librarians can build the library community to be open to all students through outreach, programming, and social media.
Introduction
Social-capital theory is a way of discussing social networks and the flow of information inside and outside of them. Students coming to all levels of academia are affected in similar ways. They are in a new space, away from their families and peers. They must find their place within their new roles as students. The library is one such place for students to make connections with their peers. The library’s nature means it has the potential to take on the role of third space for the community. As a third space, libraries can become central to the community and create supportive social networks for students. Librarians can use a variety of programming methods to create bonds with students to not only encourage them to use the library and its services but also to achieve academic success.
What is social capital
Social capital can be described “as the benefit of membership in a particular group.”Footnote1 This benefit involves sharing resources through a social network of “mutual acquaintance or recognition.”Footnote2 Social networks share the same norms and values and “trust or reciprocal sharing takes place in those relationships.”Footnote3 A simple way to describe this dynamic is one of insiders and outsiders. All people are part of their own insider and outsider group networks. You may be part of a law librarian social network. You have shared values with other librarians; for example, the importance of reference services or an idea of how information is best organized. You take part in professional organizations, where you can ask questions or share information. You will have resources non-law librarians do not.
Benefits between social networks can be numerous, but an important one is the flow of information. Although social networks can be a great place to gain insider knowledge, the dynamic of reciprocal sharing can stifle the flow of information. Insider status is not a given. In some groups it can be nebulous and may change with the passage of time or a change in social position. Because of its rocky foundation, people in insider groups may not seek out information or ask specific questions for fear of losing their status as an insider in their social network.
This is further seen in all aspects of social networks, including those of students. Students may outwardly demonstrate competency but “be less likely to admit when they don’t understand how to do something.”Footnote4 Even if they know the library has services to assist them, they may not seek out those services for fear of being seen as an outsider. If other insiders in their social network do not use the library, then the likelihood of them using the library decreases. This is exacerbated by power dynamics within groups. These power dynamics often mirror those of dominant groups, and the compulsion for insiders to not deviate from group dynamics may be further heightened for minority students.Footnote5
The flow of information and graduate students
Graduate students may also find it difficult to break away from their insider groups. Graduate school, law school included, is individualistic in nature. It encourages solitary practice and study without the group work dynamic that is seen in undergraduate programs. As a “result of the individualistic nature of [the] work [there] can be the emergence of self-protective behaviors”Footnote6 As with most insider groups, different fields and schools have different cultural expectations that can further impede students from seeking information or asking for help.Footnote7 Students can feel isolated, not just from their school faculty and staff but from their family and friends as well. Expectations from other students and from the structure of their academic work can “be in conflict with their ability to seek out supports via [those] social networks,”Footnote8 as well as from other services offered on campus.
An example of this are first generation law students. First-generation law students often do not know what is considered “basic” knowledge of law school functions. They are lacking in knowledge regarding parts of law school that are obvious to non-first-generation students, such as study guides, outlines, or law school exam structures. Further, they may find asking for help from a librarian an intimidating prospect. This is not only from a lack of foundational knowledge, but because they do not wish to feel more like an outsider than they already do. This makes outreach even more important if librarians are to encourage the use of library services.
Bridging bonds and information-seeking behavior
There are two main types of relationships between insider and outsider groups. These affect the way information flows within and without those groups. First are bonding relationships. These are connections made between people within the same social network,Footnote9 for example, law students within the same university. These students have their own methods of sharing information and what could be considered a sort of institutional knowledge. They form private group chats, they attend social events, they let new students know which professors to stay away from and who to go to with questions. Information is shared inside the group, but each group has its own set of values and there are certain subjects that students may not feel comfortable asking each other for fear of violating group norms.
That is where bridging relationships come in. “Bridging relationships are connections made among diverse groups”Footnote10 These are relationships formed outside of a student’s insider groups. Relationships formed with faculty, students in other disciplines, or librarians are all types of bridging bonds. These connections help “provide exposure to new ideas.”Footnote11 Because they are already outsiders, students may feel more comfortable asking questions that they may not be able to ask their fellow students. These “weak” ties offer students a chance to gain “information-related social capital, which is not possible to gain otherwise.”Footnote12
Using third spaces to build community
If students are wary of going outside their social networks to gain information, how do we reach them? One way is by situating the library as a community space for students to go that is outside the academic structure of their classes. This concept of space as a place to build community is referred to as a third space. It is neither a first space, the home/family space, or a second space, the school/work space. Instead, it is a “social product”Footnote13 developed by concentrated work and design.
Libraries can occupy the liminal space between home and work or, for students, home and school, to create a third space.Footnote14 Further, librarians are unique in that they can be third people, neither within home nor school groups. Being third people means librarians have a better chance of creating strong bridging bonds with students through outreach. Students generally do not have to worry about speaking to a librarian affecting their grade or asking a question that their peers may find “dumb.” This allows for libraries to build community for students.
However, law librarians sometimes find themselves on the other side when they teach semester-long classes. This may put them firmly in the school space rather than that nebulous third space libraries occupy, negatively impacting their ability to bridge those gaps if students see them as part of the academic structure. However, librarians can find ways to solidify their position as third people by reemphasizing their role as librarian to students in ways like participating in the bond-creation activities mentioned below to reestablish their roles.
Additionally, “[a]cademic libraries, librarians, and library workers are especially well-positioned to be allies whose work centers on social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.”Footnote15 Because of the nebulous positioning between students and school administration, librarians can often have more freedom to engage in outreach and programming specifically for and in support of minority students.Footnote16 When not tied up with semester-long classes, time can be spent establishing connections with student groups to coordinate events and connections. Because of their positioning as third people, students may feel more comfortable sharing their difficulties and triumphs that can help librarians find ways to construct the library space with DEI initiatives in mind. This goes beyond the books carried or reference services offered and involves some “innovative thinking about what a library and a librarian should be.”Footnote17 It is about creating a culture of community that mirrors the values and identities held by all students. “These spaces become valuable based on what that culture deems important, and space is then managed by these values.”Footnote18
Most importantly, situating the library as a third space allows students to view it as partially their own, which encourages use. While reference services and places for solitary study are of incredible importance, outreach and community building are of equal importance, even for law students who spend long hours studying and need assistance navigating the sometimes-esoteric world of legal research. The ideal library should have opportunities for both learning spaces and community spaces as well.Footnote19 This allows students to develop stronger bonds with librarians and create channels to share information. Of course, the ideal is not always practical. Not every library will have the room for multiple spaces that can be dedicated to community and solitary study. Finding ways to balance the needs of the library’s user groups is important in these cases. Connections made with students are especially useful when determining how to structure the library’s spaces. What better way to learn the needs of patrons than by asking them?
Programming and outreach
Traditional outreach methods can be useful tools for creating shared social networks with students. Libraries can use services to promote a sense of community between librarians and students. The goal of creating these networks is to encourage students’ familiarity with the library. It can involve things as simple as sending emails at the beginning of the semester or offering online office hours at times more convenient to nontraditional students.Footnote20 Another method is pop-up librarianship,Footnote21 where librarians can meet students who do not use the library in a more familiar space such as a student lounge or near their classrooms. This allows for organic outreach with the community.Footnote22
Other methods can involve synchronous and asynchronous training for students with time to encourage questions afterward for students who don’t feel comfortable asking questions in front of their peers.Footnote23 Additionally, offering “summer institutes,” where students can get a head start on learning concepts both academic and cultural, can help students without strong academic support networks as they start their first semester.Footnote24 This may also look like post-graduate programs such as summer bar prep programs, which aim to bring students together as they tackle that first hurdle into their careers.
Creating outlets for sharing information
Communication can also create a sense of community. Although students may know about services and simply feel disinclined to use them, active communication is still necessary for students who may not have the foundational knowledge of library services when they start school.
Social media is one tool for communicating with students. As one of the most popular uses of the internet, students find the various platforms familiar.Footnote25 This familiarity can create inroads not only to inform students about valuable informationFootnote26 but also to allow space for them to showcase their own accomplishments and student-group events. Further, timely posting allows more opportunity for followers to like and share content, which increases visibility.Footnote27 Types of posts can range from description of library services to promotion of student events. These culminate to show the library culture of service and its commitment to students and their successes.Footnote28 Additionally, creating on-trend videos that may be funny or silly helps show librarians as real people, which makes them more approachable to students.Footnote29 This shifts the perception of the library to be more community oriented rather than oriented for solitary study.Footnote30
Bridging bonds and community
Creating the bridging bonds necessary to foster community involves building trust and belonging via clear indication of values and representation of the student body. Book displays, LibGuides, and other resources offer visual indicators of the library’s values to students. This can look like affinity-month displays, LibGuides with student-focused resources, Footnote31 book displays focusing on the efforts of marginalized students,Footnote32 or name badges for faculty and staff with featured pronouns.Footnote33 Additionally, these resources can solidify a commitment to support diverse students.Footnote34
Creating a sense of belonging for students can be one of the most challenging aspects of developing a community. It involves not only programming and outreach but fostering trust with the library. The first, most important way to build that foundation is to center “the library as anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-oppression.”Footnote35 This means focusing on the students and their needs within the library. As librarians, we sometimes underemphasize our part within the hierarchy of our universities. However, “librarians are part of the institutional establishment.”Footnote36 For that reason it is important to continually build relationships with students and give them as much agency within the space as possible. “[E]xplicitly, and repeatedly, broadcast[ing] a message of belonging”Footnote37 is one way to start to develop a community atmosphere. That may look like exhibits or displays featuring diverse stories,Footnote38 hosting events for affinity/heritage months,Footnote39 or showing movies and documentaries.Footnote40 With limited resources, it could also look like a permanent sign that states the library is a space for everyone.
Creating “trust and reciprocity” can take many forms.Footnote41 Some common examples of this boil down to good service. Responding to students’ requests in timely manners, getting to know students working on difficult projects, or collecting helpful materials are all ways in which the library can foster trust.Footnote42 Sometimes creating trust is a more subtle act. A librarian’s presence alone can be a way to show students that they care about their needs. Attending important events, even when simply sitting in the back, can be just as important as reaching out.Footnote43 Librarians can also sign up for “student listservs or get embedded in the class LMS.”Footnote44 Following student groups on social media not only shows the library’s support, but offers a unique opportunity to boost student posts by sharing or retweeting. By establishing these connections, librarians are able to follow the conversations students are having and get an idea of their needs. Even small acts can be incredibly important to students.Footnote45 This enhances positive associations with the library and means students “are willing to seek help from library staff when encountering problems.”Footnote46
Conclusion
Social capital is just one way to look at the flow of information from the library to students. It is easy to see law students as their own insular groups. This is further emphasized by the often solitary and competitive nature of law school and the tendency for graduate students of all fields to be more independent than their undergraduate counterparts. The work, then, is breaking through the walls formed by student insider networks and finding ways to build bonds between students and librarians.
Building up the library community is a long process. It takes more than just a few semesters to effect positive change. More than that, it can be difficult to determine what the best method to promote community will be. “Not every initiative … will be accepted, and not every event… organize[d] will be well-attended.”Footnote47 Outreach methods are often a matter of trial and error, of listening to students, looking for their reactions, and adjusting course to find what works best. It should be acknowledged that, especially when looking at diversity initiatives, “not everyone engages in this kind of work, [and] the library workers that do are at risk for fatigue and burnout.”Footnote48 Finding ways to support students is important but remembering to support each other is just as important.
Notes
1 Hannah Gascho Rempel & Mary Markland, Bridging the Relationship Gap: Using Social Network Theories to Inform Library Services for Graduate Students, Libr. with Lead Pipe, Oct. 3, 2018, https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/bridging-the-relationship-gap/.
2 Shweta Mishra, Social Networks, Social Capital, Social Support and Academic Success in Higher Education: A Systematic Review with a Special Focus on Underrepresented’ Students, 29 Educ. Rsch. Rev. 100370, 100308 (2020).
3 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 13.
4 Id. at 4.
5 Id. at 26.
6 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 25.
7 Id.
8 Id. at 26.
9 Id. at 14
10 Id.
11 Id.
12 Mishra, supra note 2 at 2. Additionally, establishing bridging bonds can result in a “higher likelihood of a successful degree completion.” Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 26.
13 Endang Fatmawati, et al., Functional Shift of Library: The Third Space; Production, 1 Soc. Sci. & Human. 19 (2018), https://doi.org/10.29037/digitalpress.401237.
14 Stephanie Everett, Visualizing the Silent Dialogue about Race: Diversity Outreach in an Academic Library, 44 J. Acad. Libr. 518, 519 (2018).
15 Brittany Paloma Fiedler, et al., Responding to Hate: How National and Local Incidents Sparked Action at the UNLV University Libraries, 48 Reference Serv. Rev. 63, 78 (2020).
16 Jennifer Wooten & Leah Griffin, Social Justice in the Library is Critical, 82 Pac. Nw. Libr. Ass’n Q. 17, 18 (2018)
17 James K. Elmborg, Libraries as the Spaces Between Us, 50 Reference & User Serv. Ass’n 338, 339 (2011).
18 Fatmawati et al., supra note 18 at 21.
19 Tin Nok Leung et al., User Perceptions, Academic Library Usage and Social Capital: A Correlation Analysis under COVID-19 After Library Renovation, 40 Libr. Hi Tech 304, 305 (2021).
20 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 21.
21 Asha Davis et al., Exploring Pop-Up Libraries in Practice, 64 Aus. Library J. 94, 94-95(2015).
22 Id. at 101-02.
23 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 21.
24 Id. at 28.
25 Apps like TikTok are some of the most downloaded in the world. TikTok specifically occupyies the space for second most downloaded app. Juan Carlos Medina Serrano et al., Dancing to the Partisan Beat: A First Analysis of Political Communication on TikTok, 12th ACM Conference on Web Science, July 2020 at 257.
26 Dina Mokgadi Mashiyane, Libraries Breaking Barriers Through TikTok: Enhancing Access and Visibility, 39 Libr. Hi Tech 22, 22 (2022).
27 Sree Sreenivasan, How to Use Social Media in Your Career, NY Times, https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/social-media-for-career-and-business (last visited Nov. 15, 2022).
28 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 21.
29 U Buffalo Law Library has posted videos ranging from Wes Anderson–style intros to videos about ping pong. When the goal is building community, what better way than to create videos in a style that students understand while being a little fun, too?
30 Discussing possible reasons why students did not engage socially with each other in library spaces, see Leung et al., supra note 19 at 317.
31 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 21.
32 Fiedler et al., supra note 15 at 66.
33 Id. at 70.
34 Other methods to consider are public diversity statements, id. at 69, hiring practices, id. at 71, or supporting networks of scholars in the field. Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 28–29.
35 Fiedler et al., supra note 15 at 65.
36 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 30.
37 Id. at 29.
38 For further looks into what other universities have done to promote diverse perspectives, see Texas A & M: Cushing Memorial Library & Archives exhibit focused on showcasing various identities in the realm if sci-fi fantasy (Jeremy Brett, Diversities of Choice, Choice of Diversities: Practical Aspects of a Diversity-Centered Exhibit, 29 Alexandria 96 (2019)); Race Card Project, where students were encouraged to write their experiences with racism on cards and post to a wall (Everett, supra note 14); and UNLV Special Collections Exhibit on Student Activism and Wikipedia Edit-aTthon (Fiedler et al., supra note 15 at 73).
39 Fiedler et al., supra note 15 at 75.
40 Fiedler et al., supra note 15 at 72.
41 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 24.
42 Id. at 22-28.
43 Wooten & Griffin, supra note 16 at 2.
44 Rempel & Markland, supra note 1 at 24.
45 Id. at 33.
46 Leung et al., supra note 19 at 316.
47 Fiedler et al., supra note 15 at 75.
48 Id. at 76.