EBSS: Education and Behavioral Sciences Section
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The Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (a division of the American Library Association) exists to serve the common interests of education and behavioral sciences librarians. Formed in 1968, EBSS now boasts about 1,000 members who are concerned with a host of issues in the areas of information literacy, applications of technology, collection development, library management, and communication of research findings in education and behavioral sciences librarianship.
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Read the Spring 2025 EBSS Newsletter (PDF) and access previous issues.
Chair's Report from the Spring 2025 EBSS Newsletter
By Ashlynn Kogut, EBSS Chair 2024-2025, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Greetings, EBSS colleagues!
Time continues to fly by! The spring semester will soon turn to (hopefully) more relaxed days of
summer. EBSS has accomplished many things over the past few months, and I want to highlight some
below.
The EBSS Executive Committee is committed to providing the structures needed to address the needs of the EBSS community. To this end, the EBSS Executive Committee approved the establishment of an Evidence Synthesis Committee which will officially begin July 1, 2025. I’m excited to see how this committee contributes to the growing area of evidence syntheses within the specific disciplines of education and behavioral sciences. Additionally, the Reference Sources and Services Committee’s revised committee charge was approved by the Executive Committee in January.
Earlier this year, Vice-Chair Robin Ewing and I had the opportunity to meet with the leadership of each EBSS committee and discussion group to receive updates on their work and to hear about their future needs. I left each meeting amazed at the passion and dedica- tion of all our committees. In this newsletter, you will find more information about the inno- vative work being done in our committees and discussion groups.
One thing EBSS can be proud of is that there is no shortage of professional development opportunities! So far in 2025, our Members-at-Large have hosted a virtual discussion on the Psychology Companion Document, the Curriculum Materials Committee held an event focused on academic libraries and historical children’s literature, the Communication Studies Committee has started a Practical Sharing webinar series, and the Education Committee has continued their partnership with SLA hosting monthly webinars. As I write this, more opportunities are still to come, including the EBSS Research Committee’s Virtual Research Forum!
EBSS will also host a few in-person professional development sessions at ALA Annual in Philadelphia this June. While the specific dates, times, and locations are still pending, please be on the lookout for the following opportunities: a media tour sponsored by the Communication Studies Committee, an EBSS Education Librarians Discussion, and an EBSS Membership Forum: Hot Topics in Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarianship. Additionally, all are welcome to attend the ACRL Leadership Council and Membership Meeting and the ACRL Welcome Reception which will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. The ACRL Leadership Council and Membership Meeting will be held from 1:00-3:00 pm followed by the ACRL Welcome Reception, from 3:00-4:00 pm.
This is also the time of year for transitions. The results of the recent ACRL election were announced. Congratulations to Stephen Maher who was elected vice-chair, Sabine Jean Dantus who was elected secretary, and Caitlin Stewart who was elected member-at-large! These folks will be assuming their new roles on July 1, 2025. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Carin Graves, Amy James, and Brittany Kester who accepted the nominations to run for an EBSS officer position. Your dedication to EBSS is what makes this an excellent Section!
Transitions are also happening in each of the EBSS committees. Robin Ewing has been working tirelessly on making committee appointments for the 25-26 cycle. Thank you to Robin and to all of the members who have volunteered to serve on these committees!
As my term as Chair draws to a close, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Yu-Hui Chen for sharing her experiences leading EBSS with me and to Robin Ewing for bringing her enthusiasm and ideas to the role of Vice-Chair. I am excited to see what EBSS will accomplish next.
Finally, with all of the uncertainty in the current environment, I have found EBSS a steadfast community dedicated to sharing information, creating opportunities, and working to solve problems. It is wonderful to have such a great network of colleagues to work with on critical issues. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Chair of this amazing Section!
Wishing you all the best!
Ashlynn Kogut
