The SSW Master’s Thesis and the Smith College Libraries: From Collecting to Collaborating to Cutting-Edge Experimentation

ABSTRACT

Smith College is one of a handful of liberal arts colleges to offer a master’s degree in social work. The Smith College School for Social Work (SCSSW)’s thesis requirement has had a major impact on the Smith College Libraries over the years, as the library role shifted from simply collecting books and journals in support of SCSSW—and warehousing the SCSSW thesis output—to developing a large array of services and teaching practices in support of the program. This reflection piece will detail the evolution of these services, practices, and support; it will also illustrate several ways the libraries used SCSSW as the proverbial “guinea pig” to test new services, new forms of access and authentication, new kinds of digital collections, new technologies, etc. In many ways, the master’s thesis has been a major driver of change for the Libraries—while at the same time it has provided an opportunity for collaborations in teaching and learning.

KEYWORDS:

• academic libraries
• graduate research
• educational technology
• innovation
• social work education

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sika Berger

Sika Berger, MLS, is User Experience Librarian at Smith College Libraries. She works with Libraries staff in Digital Strategies and Services, and Teaching, Learning, and Research, to support School for Social Work students and faculty.

Pamela Skinner

Pamela Skinner, MLS, is Head of Collection Development for Smith College Libraries. She has worked with School for Social Work students for 30 years, providing reference and research support.

Mary Lou Bouley

Mary Lou Bouley, MLS, supervises the Smith College Libraries Catalog and Metadata section. She manages the Smith ScholarWorks institutional repository records and catalogs theses and dissertations by students at Smith College School for Social Work.