How Service Learning Can Promote Soft-Skills Acquisition: Lessons Learned from a Project in LIS Education

Abstract

This research explores the acquisition of soft skills in a service learning project in the Complutense University of Madrid's library and information science undergraduate program. Reaching its fifth edition in 2021–22, the project aimed to integrate older persons into the social fabric of a residential enclave of Madrid known as “Parque Móvil.” The research method was a case study based on a diverse set of data, including a survey, a focus group, and journal observations. In the analysis of the data, attention was paid to the context in which the project took place, the notion of “social roles,” and the differences between two groups of participating students. The results show that working in different locations and outside the classroom changed students’ agentic position, as they were required to take on different roles and negotiate them with community partners. Additionally, these roles varied in terms of associated tasks and functions and were emergent, not static. By having to negotiate social roles with community partners, students experienced intense emotions, which equipped them with additional non-cognitive tools for reflection and comprehension. They also needed to engage in community information practices to deal with information silence and information noise, which, together with the need to get along with uncertainty, may support recent claims to introduce more information behavior theories in LIS education.