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Creating workflows that involve the work of multiple departments within a large organization can be challenging, especially when the procedures are complex and involve a number of stakeholders. This paper describes and evaluates the redesign of an interdepartmental workflow for the dissemination of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) at a mid-sized academic library. The paper outlines the collaborative planning process within the library as well as the eventual outreach to additional stakeholders on campus, addressing the challenges of tackling such communication between the library and other ETD stakeholders. It then presents a detailed examination of the newly revised, semi-automated workflow, the revised student submission forms that resulted from inter-departmental communication, and lessons learned that may be valuable to other mid-sized academic libraries who may be considering similar projects. Keywords: electronic theses and dissertations, collaboration, institutional repository, workflow, Introduction Creating workflows that involve the work of multiple departments within a large organization can be challenging, especially when the procedures are complex and involve a number of stakeholders. This [...]

The McGoogan Health Sciences Library at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) completed a 14-month renovation of two of its three levels, while its top-level remains under renovation. Besides standard library space for studying and collections, the library engaged with campus partners in bringing different services to the renovated library. The newly renovated space includes spaces managed by a range of faculty and student services, such as an E-Learning lab, simulation labs, Faculty Commons, Writing Center, Maker Studio, Reflection Rooms, and inclusion space. These spaces provide library users a suite of services for collaboration and consultation with the library serving as a central campus hub., Introduction The McGoogan Health Sciences Library at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) serves the information needs of University of Nebraska students, faculty, staff, licensed health professionals, and Nebraska [...]

This essay examines how collaboration is key to a successful scholarly partnership over an extended period. We firmly believe successful collaboration only works by trusting your colleague. Part of the balancing act of working on major projects and publications is deciding who will take the lead or take on the majority of the work, while the other person takes on a more supportive role. We share three successful ongoing projects (our information literacy assessment program, onboarding program, and inventory of the book collection with Agile methodologies) that could not have been completed without each other's knowledge and skills. Keywords: library collaboration; scholarly output; institutional research; academic library; emotional support, Introduction to Our Collaboration We started collaborating on projects at Goldey-Beacom College in 2015. Russell, currently the Director of the college's Library, Learning Center, & Archives, has a background in [...]

Since their inception in the health sciences field, systematic reviews have expanded into many other subject disciplines. To address this growing need, subject librarians at the University of Maryland Libraries collaborated on a pilot program in three phases to introduce researchers to the process of conducting systematic and scoping reviews. This article describes the design and development of a workshop series based on participant feedback. Assessment and evaluation techniques are shared to encourage further refinement of the systematic review service. Keywords: systematic reviews, research syntheses, librarian as a research partner, research services, expert searching, STEM libraries, participant feedback, participant-centered workshop design, social sciences, humanities, engineering, scientists, Introduction and Background Systematic reviews proliferated in the health and medical sciences in the late 1990s and recently have grown exponentially. (1,2,3) Requests for systematic review services have increased at [...]

This article describes a collaboration between Grinnell College's libraries and its Office of Development and Alumni Relations on an oral history project in which college alumni are interviewed about their experiences at the college. Such close collaborations between development offices and libraries are rare. This collaboration was successful due to the equal participation of all parties. Keywords: oral histories, institutional repository, accessibility, libraries, development, alumni, Introduction At Grinnell College, the libraries found themselves collaborating on an oral history project with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR). DAR sought to engage with alumni and [...]

Introduction 'There are powerful reasons for librarians to explore how their academic libraries can better satisfy the needs of researchers in the new data-intensive research atmosphere.' (1) Conversations surrounding data [...]

The University of Saskatchewan's University Library has been partnering with its institution's Disability Services unit for almost twenty-five years to provide space and equipment for students with disabilities in some of its library locations. This partnership has grown from piloting a Kurzweil reader, to the development of multiple assistive technology and exam writing rooms, to the recent creation of a multi-purpose room. These library spaces complement spaces Disability Services has within its own office suite and reflect the growth in the number of students registered with them, a widening spectrum of disabilities, and a collaborative desire to make disability services and resources more accessible. A literature scan revealed a small number of articles about partnerships, many of which were in response to legislation. A survey directed at North American post-secondary institutions' Disability Services employees surfaced further information about partnerships, but did not reveal any common best practices. With the increase in the number of students with disabilities attending academic institutions and a changing landscape of what is defined as a disability, how and how well academic libraries and Disability Services units are partnering to respond to these changes appears to require further exploration and assessment. Keywords: academic libraries, disability services, partnerships, disabilities, students with disabilities, Introduction The University Library at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) consists of seven physical locations distributed across the main university campus in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. These libraries vary in size and [...]

In May 2017, the George A. Smathers Libraries (Libraries) at the University of Florida (UF) and Elsevier delivered the Phase I findings of a pilot project that aimed to maximize visibility, impact and dissemination of articles by UF researchers who have published in Elsevier journals. Beginning April 2016, the collaboration provided metadata with article links automatically delivered to UF's Institutional Repository, the IR@UF, in the IR@UF-Elsevier Collection. As of December 31, 2018, links to over 42,000 articles by UF authors published between 1949 and 2018 are available through integration of the IR@UF with the ScienceDirect application programming interfaces (APIs) that are freely available to libraries. Access to full-text articles on ScienceDirect written by UF authors is available for all UF institutional repository users who are affiliated with a ScienceDirect subscribing institution. Keywords: institutional repository, collaboration, innovation, access, Introduction In May 2017, the George A. Smathers Libraries ([Libraries] http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/) at the University of Florida ([UF] http://www.ufl.edu/) and Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) delivered Phase I of a pilot project intended to [...]

From 2003 - 2016, the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library maintained a custom ColdFusion database of databases. Motivated by a myriad of issues, a project working group set the goal of decommissioning the ColdFusion A-Z list and migrating to SpringShare LibGuides platform A-Z list feature. This article focuses on our A-Z list migration, highlighting the collaborative approach we took to curating our list of journal databases and operationalising and distributing this shared task across several teams within our library. This article describes our project and approach, lessons learned, recommendations and best practices, as well as future directions. Keywords: subscription databases, electronic resources, LibGuides, project management, collaboration, access, migration, Introduction Libraries are stewards of information, but more importantly, they strive to provide access to these information stores. In the pre-digital world, libraries had a single system, the trusty card [...]