Spotlight: Craig Fellow Abby Gaugler

The Craig Fellowship and working the Reference Desk

“It's been a very useful hands-on experience for learning how to navigate important library resources like databases,” Abby Gaugler, a Craig Fellow, says of her experience working reference at the Scholars’ Commons Reference Desk at Herman B Wells Library. 

As the school year got underway, Gaugler started working reference for the first time. Understandably, she was nervous. “I've never done any kind of reference for other people. I've done my fair share of research for myself, but I feel like answering other people's questions is a little different.” After biweekly trainings, however, she found herself at home answering questions confidently.

E. Lingle Craig was no stranger to Reference. He was the Head Reference Librarian at Indiana University’s main library – now the Herman B Wells Library – from 1939 to 1970. The Craig Fellowship, which is named after him, offers graduate students studying library science an extra experiential learning opportunity besides day-to-day work at a reference desk within the IU Libraries system. The opportunity, or project, is proposed  by the student, and then voted on by Scholars Commons staff. This year, Gaugler, one of the two winners, created the project Slow the Scroll: A Screen Time Challenge, an endeavor to observe and change one’s phone habits. 

“It’s such an exponential learning curve, for reference, because it's different every single day; you don't know what you're going to get, so going into that without any experience was a little terrifying,” Gaugler said. Besides improving her communication skills and making her more confident in her growing library skills, Gaugler says, “I think it's just been a useful hands-on experience for learning how to navigate important library resources like databases.” 

Gaugler picked up skills rapidly. “All of my supervisors and the other librarians that I work with were very complimentary of my skills, so I gained confidence quickly.” One of the assignments given during their biweekly meetings was to explore a database in depth. After their deep dive, they had to write a report and give a presentation to the other students. Gaugler was assigned the business database MarketLine. “I have never worked with any kind of business database before,” Gaugler said. 

She explained that the Business/SPEA Library usually responds to business reference questions.  Intimidation, however, turned to excitement as she became familiar with the database. “It’s so fun. You can look at different companies. You can see SWOT analysis for them. You can see their competitors.” Gaugler loves using what she’s learned and uses the MarketLine when there is a question Business/SPEA can’t pick it up. “I feel like every single time I log in at the Reference Desk, I'm finding at least one new database.”

Slow the Scroll

According to the library research guide where the challenge can be found, “Slow the Scroll is all about becoming aware of your phone usage habits and implementing small changes that will (hopefully) make a huge difference.” Divided into weeks, the challenge asks for awareness, setting boundaries, and making small actions to change over-use habits. It relies on surveys to give Gaugler the data to make changes and improve the program.

Gaugler wanted to do the challenge because of her own experience realizing she was being overwhelmed by her technology usage. “It's so prevalent and unfortunately, as I'm growing up, I realize it is causing a lot of issues,” she explains. “I came up with the challenge because I realized how much my phone usage was having an effect on my life. If I'm having these issues, it's more than likely other people are also having these issues as well.”

When she started working on the challenge in January, the first thing she did was look for other challenges that aim to reduce screen time. She worked with Creative Technologies Librarian and Interim Head of Scholars' Commons Leanne Nay. To their surprise, they could not find any library who had done such a challenge, only programs that encouraged not using a phone for a period of time such as a whole day. Though it was frustrating to not find another challenge to use as an example, the challenge has been a positive experience. 

“It's been getting pretty good traction,” Gaugler explains. “I was very scared not a lot of people were going to sign up. That was my number one fear -- that I was going to do all this work and nobody was going to do my program.” The challenge has garnered a lot of participation and positive feedback. “The library research guide can show the statistics of how many people view the pages.”

Gaugler, who wants to be a public library librarian, is thinking of ways to incorporate it in a public library setting. She suggests it could be used to encourage people to do things outside or try to find a new hobby. “There are many different ways you could build off of this kind of program. I feel like what I'm running is just kind of baseline trying to reduce the habit of being on your phone, but there's so many different things you could add to it, like doing things outside or trying to find a new hobby.”

For now, Gaugler will keep the library research guide  up and running. “If people stumble across it, or want to do it in the future, then they can do it on their own time.”

Background and foreground

“I love Iowa City. I miss it with all my heart,” Gaugler says about the home of her alma mater, University of Iowa. “Iowa City is a UNESCO City of Literature. It's a phenomenal place to study English.” Like many who end up in librarianship, Gaugler earned her bachelors in English and creative writing. 
“English is where I thrived and when I went into college, I thought I would love to have a job where I get to share my love of books and reading, and to get other people to love books and reading.” 

As she continued her studies, Gaugler’s focused shifted to information access and research. She was also drawn to community building as well. She feels that those are the pillars of public librarianship. Eventually, she would love to get a job in a metropolitan library in adult services. 

In the meantime, Gaugler has a busy summer lined up. She will be working in Monroe County Public Library’s children services area, taking questions at the Wells’ Scholars Commons Reference Desk, and working circulation at the Law Library.