University of California, Berkeley librarians have incorporated the flipped instruction model into information literacy training by focusing on two primary elements: assigning pre-class assignments and increasing active learning techniques. We explore these two elements across five diverse instructional cases, which include one-shot and semester-long classes that were conducted through online or in-person delivery for both graduate and undergraduate students across a range of subject areas (sciences, social sciences, and humanities). We examine the enabling factors and the perceived outcomes of this instructional paradigm. Because students came to class with enhanced library understanding and experience from the pre-class assignment, they were better prepared to engage with the material and articulate additional learning needs. We note students' increased engagement during class and more time available for higher-order learning exercises and discussions. As a result, flipped instruction appears to enable more learning opportunities without increasing classroom time. The challenges of this model are the requisite commitment of time and effort, the need to foster class participation, and the facilitation of active communication within the class. We propose a framework of catalysts, building blocks, and instructional outcomes to help library instructors incorporate flipped instruction elements into their instructional design.

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This article explores how librarians and lecturers at the University of California, Berkeley worked together to make their union local more participatory in a context of increasing corporatization in public higher education. Written as a case study, we examine this ongoing revitalization process initiated by lecturers in the summer of 2016 and how it transformed librarian activism and bargaining strategy. For context, we also examine the history and unique nature of the University Council-American Federation of Teachers, the union representing both librarians and lecturers. We discuss why librarians had become ambivalent about their union and how an active group of librarians changed the culture in the organization and worked to bring members' voices into the 2018/2019 librarian contract negotiations. Engaging membership and encouraging participation required a group of committed organizers, with the support of paid union staff, to actively seek feedback from members, to communicate regularly and to organize solidarity events within the community. Throughout this process the local worked to build coalitions with other campus unions and, as a result, its members became increasingly aware of the important role unions play in protecting and advancing the mission of a public university and as a site for social justice activism.