The Inspiration Report highlights a technology-enhanced service or trend and provides background, context, application, and pros/cons. Your audience is a library director or administrative team.
Overview
The Inspiration Report invites you to explore an emerging technology, trend, or idea that inspires you and aligns with your professional aspirations. Through this creative and media-rich artifact, you will synthesize course concepts, reflect on evolving information environments, and envision future possibilities for libraries and related settings. This assignment encourages deep engagement with course content while fostering your ability to communicate complex ideas effectively in a professional context.
The Inspiration Report gives you the opportunity to hone in on a technology-enhanced service or a trend in participatory libraries that you’ve encountered in the modules, lectures, or peer discussions. Situated as a report-of-sorts for a library director or administrative team, you’ll be crafting a brief that informs your administrator of the trend’s origins, related terminologies, applications in LIS environments, and both positive and challenging aspects. This will be your most polished, detailed, and well-presented work of the semester.
You will write an Inspiration Report on ONE of the following FOUR options. Each option allows you to explore a unique avenue of innovation, grounded in course themes and tailored to your professional interests. Your report should be crafted as if you are presenting it to a library director, technology planning group, or administrative team—select a recipient that aligns with your career goals. Be bold and creative! Enhance your report with thoughtful design, images, hyperlinks, and engaging media elements.
Tech & Trends: Investigate an emerging technology or participatory service trend that sparks your curiosity. This brief can serve as an introduction of a new technology to your library director or offer recommendations for enhancing an existing service within your organization. Consider its origins, key terminology, potential impact, and both its promises and challenges in LIS settings.
Global Library Trends: Explore progressive library services, models, or participatory practices outside the United States that relate to our course themes. What lessons can we learn from global innovations? This brief can be a compelling introduction for your library director or admin team to international practices. This option also supports the development of a professional artifact aligned with Core Competency O (Global Perspectives).
The Power of Stories: Design a concept, initiative, or service that harnesses the power of storytelling to serve librarians, users, or communities. Your report can introduce a story-driven proposal aimed at enhancing engagement, empathy, or connection within a library context. Highlight the ways narrative can influence learning, community building, or service design.
Infinite Learning: Develop a participatory learning program tailored for a specific library audience—either users or staff. Reflect on the concept of infinite learning: how can your program evolve over time? Consider mechanisms for continued engagement, adaptability, and support for independent learners who wish to expand their skills and knowledge beyond the initial offering.
Requirements
- Visit the Assignment Inspiration Page for some examples from previous semesters.
- Craft your report as though you are sending it to your library director, a technology planning group, or the recipient of your choice (aligned with your career goals).
- Use design elements and formatting, images, hyperlinks, and media to enhance your work.
- Post on your course blog with the title: Inspiration Report: [Your Title].
- Submit the URL for the post to Canvas.
- If you are using media, link to the artifact stored in the cloud or use the information on embedding media.
NOTE: This is not a blog post. This is a creative artifact linked in a blog post.
Evaluation Criteria (30 points total)
Required Components (6 pts): Well-organized, clearly written report presented as a PDF or multimedia artifact. All required elements are included, including appropriate headings, professional tone, and logical structure. The final product is polished, error-free, and visually enhanced with graphics, media, and/or links. Report is submitted on time via the course blog and meets all formatting expectations.
Connections to Course Content (6 pts): Thoughtful integration of course readings, modules, and lecture themes. Clear connections are made between the chosen topic and core ideas from INFO 287 (e.g., participatory service, emerging technologies, storytelling, infinite learning). External sources are effectively synthesized with course content to support the report’s message.
Comprehension and Analysis (6 pts): Demonstrates high-level understanding of the chosen trend, service, or idea. Analysis reflects critical engagement with the topic, with attention to both opportunities and challenges. Shows an ability to contextualize the subject within LIS environments and professional practice.
Progression of Thought and Reflection (6 pts): Shows intellectual growth, curiosity, and evolving insight into the potential of innovation in libraries. The report reflects the student’s development across the course and articulates a personal, forward-thinking perspective. Professional voice and reflective synthesis are clearly present.
Overall Presentation (6 pts): Final report is professional, cohesive, and visually compelling. Design and layout enhance clarity and communication of ideas. Use of media is purposeful and supports content. The artifact demonstrates readiness for professional sharing or portfolio inclusion.
See full rubric here.