315 results
Search Results
2. Analyzing Citation and Research Collaboration Characteristics of Faculty in Aerospace, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering
- Author
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Zhang, Li
- Abstract
This article investigates citation and research collaboration habits of faculty in four engineering departments. The analysis focuses on similarities and differences among the engineering disciplines. Main differences exist in the use of conference papers and technical reports. The age of cited materials varies by discipline and by format. Regarding faculty connection with other subjects, the study finds that aerospace and mechanical engineering faculty collaborate more often with researchers outside their fields, while civil and environmental faculty, as well as electrical and computer engineering faculty, are more likely to cooperate with peers in their fields. Lists of highly cited journals are generated. The paper also provides suggestions for collection management, research assistance, and outreach efforts.
- Published
- 2018
3. Examining the Relationship between Faculty-Librarian Collaboration and First-Year Students' Information Literacy Abilities
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Douglas, Veronica Arellano and Rabinowitz, Celia E.
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Using surveys, interviews, and a rubric-based assessment of student research essays, the St. Mary's College of Maryland Assessment in Action team investigated the relationship between faculty-librarian collaboration in a First Year Seminar (FYS) course and students' demonstrated information literacy (IL) abilities. In gathering information on the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of faculty, librarians, and first-year students, the project team uncovered additional questions about the integration of IL in the FYS, the ways in which faculty and librarians work towards educational goals, and just what should be expected from students in their first year of college.
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- 2016
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4. Apportioning the Cost of a Full-Text Database among the Journals in the Database: A Comparison of Six Methods
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William H. Walters
- Abstract
Estimates of the price or value of the individual journals within a full-text database may be useful to librarians engaged in serials reviews or other collection development projects, to scholars investigating the determinants of journal prices, and to publishers seeking to rationalize their pricing strategies. This paper evaluates six methods of apportioning the cost of a full-text database among the individual journals in the database--methods based on variables such as journal size, total citations, Journal Impact Factor (JIF) percentile, and single-journal list price. Each method is evaluated based on how well the resulting prices can be predicted by the determinants of journal prices identified in previous research. Although the six methods yield similar results, the single best option is to use price estimates that account for JIF percentile. If citation data are not available and cannot be estimated, the best alternative is to rely on the equal-value assumption--to split the total price equally among the wanted journals in the database.
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- 2024
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5. Characteristics of United States Academic Libraries in 2020 and Regional Changes from 1996 to 2020
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Samantha Godbey and Starr Hoffman
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This paper provides a snapshot of United States academic libraries in 2020 and explores longitudinal trends in staffing and expenditures for 1996 to 2020. The authors merged and analyzed academic library data from the National Center for Education Statistics from over 4,000 postsecondary institutions. Characteristics are explored by region and maps are provided. Total inflation-adjusted library expenditures have increased steadily for all regions from 1996 to 2020, including in the two major expenditure categories of staffing and collections. In the Northeast and West, averages are markedly higher in staffing and total expenditures than the other two regions.
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- 2024
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6. Leading Change in the System of Scholarly Communication: A Case Study of Engaging Liaison Librarians for Outreach to Faculty
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Malenfant, Kara J.
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This narrative, single-case study examines how liaison librarians at the University of Minnesota (UMN) came to include advocating for reform of the scholarly communication system among their core responsibilities. While other libraries may hire a coordinator or rely on a committee to undertake outreach programs, UMN has defined baseline expertise in scholarly communication for all librarians who serve as liaisons to disciplinary faculty members. By "mainstreaming" scholarly communication duties, UMN is declaring these issues central to the profession. This intrinsic study uses evidence gathered from open-ended interviews with three participants, supplemented by documentation. It explores the context of these changes, systems thinking, and new mental models.
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- 2010
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7. Slow Fires Still Burn: Results of a Preservation Assessment of Libraries in L'viv, Ukraine and Sofia, Bulgaria.
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Baird, Brian J. and Schaffner, Bradley L.
- Abstract
Discussion of the threat of disintegration of library collections in East Central Europe focuses on a study of collection condition surveys and preservation operations of three major academic libraries in L'viv, Ukraine and Sofia, Bulgaria. Considers inferior materials used to produce most Slavic publications and inadequate facilities to house the collections. (Author/LRW)
- Published
- 2003
8. Inclusive Hiring in Academic Libraries: A Qualitative Analysis of Attitudes and Reflections of Search Committee Members
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Houk, Kathryn and Nielsen, Jordan
- Abstract
Academic librarian hiring processes are designed to allow hiring institutions to learn about candidates through a multiple-round process, but often these processes are not designed with the candidates in mind. This paper uses a qualitative approach to interpret and understand how the attitudes of search committee members shape on-campus interview practices, with a particular focus on how interview practices create barriers to inclusivity. Library employees who recently served on academic librarian hiring committees were recruited to respond to a questionnaire, and a text analysis of responses to open-ended questions was performed to identify themes in academic librarian hiring.
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- 2023
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9. Reverting Hegemonic Ideology: Research Librarians and Information Professionals as 'Critical Editors' of Wikipedia
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Thomas, Paul
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While many LIS publications have focused on Wikipedia, no LIS study has used intersectional class analysis to consider the site as a transmitter and reproducer of hegemonic ideology. Using both Antonio Gramsci and LIS theorist Michael Harris as starting points, this paper argues that Wikipedia is predicated on a philosophy of pluralism that serves as a transmitter of hegemonic ideology, thereby upholding the oppressive status quo. To counter this issue, the paper encourages librarians to embrace "critical editing"--an approach to Wikipedia editing built around an awareness of power, a penchant for critical literacy, a focus on desocialization, and an emphasis on self-education. The paper concludes with an example of critical editing praxis (dubbed the "Library Repository-to-Wikipedia" method) that research librarians and information professionals can replicate to counteract aspects of Wikipedia that inherently support the status quo and, thus, hegemonic ideology.
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- 2021
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10. Big Data: Opportunities and Challenges in Libraries, a Systematic Literature Review
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Garoufallou, Emmanouel and Gaitanou, Panorea
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Currently "Big Data" is an emerging field that presents several Information Technology challenges regarding the capture, storage search, structure, and visualization of this data. The real challenge for organizations is to find ways to extract value from it and provide better services to their clients. The data generated in academic and other institutions is vast and complex. Libraries face new challenges as they seek to determine their role in the handling of Big Data within their organization and use it to develop services. Thus, in most organizations, libraries will not have the knowledge to build new services unaided. Furthermore, libraries have always been information handlers and technology adopters; therefore, Big Data technologies will certainly affect their context. The purpose of this paper is to explore all these issues through a systematic literature review, unveiling the theories that underpin the paper's argument. It attempts to answer several research questions, such as how librarians are involved in the Big Data era? And what are the future research developments of Big Data within the library context? The study considered only papers published between 2012 and 2018 in English and presents the collected literature by grouping them according to the type of library each paper refers to. Thus, it identifies new and evolving roles in the context of all types of libraries. In addition, the study presents several interesting tables, which aim to help librarians locate relevant articles that will inform their practice and guide service development for users of large and complex datasets.
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- 2021
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11. Exploring Faculty Perspectives on Text Selection and Textbook Affordability
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Scott, Rachel Elizabeth, Shelley, Anne, Murphy, Julie, Park, Rachel, and Jallas, Mallory
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This paper reports the results of a pilot project conducted Spring 2021 in which Milner Library licensed seventy-five assigned texts to fifty-two courses at Illinois State University. The authors used the pilot as a springboard to explore faculty perspectives on textbook selection, textbook affordability, and the role of the academic library in addressing the rising cost of textbooks. The results highlight the strong and often deeply personal beliefs faculty hold about textbook selection and textbook affordability, reveal several obstacles to achieving affordable access to course readings, and demonstrate the willingness of some faculty to partner with librarians and other institutional stakeholders to explore more affordable access to assigned resources.
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- 2023
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12. Findings from the Condition Surveys Conducted by the University of Kansas Libraries.
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Baird, Brian J.
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Describes results of two collection condition surveys conducted at the University of Kansas libraries, one of which examined materials returning from circulation and the other which examined the general collection. Paper condition, text block condition, binding, and mutilation are discussed, and the impact on long-term preservation planning is considered. (LRW)
- Published
- 1997
13. The Library's Contribution to Student Learning: Inspirations and Aspirations
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Oakleaf, Megan
- Abstract
George Kuh and Robert Gonyea's 2003 article entitled "The Role of the Academic Library in Promoting Student Engagement in Learning" appeared in "College and Research Libraries" in July 2003, after being presented as an invited paper at the ACRL 11th National Conference that April. Herein, Megan Oakleaf describes not only the impact that this paper presentation had on her but also how Kuh and Gonyea--assessment experts, prolific authors, and national leaders in conversations about college experience, student success, and institutional quality--provide both an early example of a burgeoning research field and an exemplar for present and future authors to emulate. Oakleaf explains that despite not being librarians, or perhaps because they aren't librarians, Kuh and Gonyea offer a unique, valuable, and insightful contribution to literature of librarianship. She goes on to say that while a straightforward answer to answer Kuh and Gonyea's question, "What do libraries and librarians contribute to student learning and other positive outcomes?" is not revealed by their research, the complexity of their findings have provided librarians with a rich area for productive follow-on research as well as a number of substantive recommendations. Oakleaf also points out that while Kuh and Gonyea's article is an exemplar of early research exploring the impact of libraries on learning and other positive student outcomes, it also foreshadowed the research efforts librarians have undertaken in the years since its publication. In the intervening years, librarians have addressed many of the problems that caused difficulty for the authors. Other recommendations mentioned by Kuh and Gonyea are the subject of current research projects. And other issues noted by Kuh and Gonyea in their study still challenge the library profession today. Currently, librarians seeking to answer Kuh and Gonyea's question have been challenged by a host of information challenges including limited availability of library data (because the data are not collected, not maintained, or not accessible due to technological issues or librarian skill gaps), lack of integration between library information systems and campus student information systems, inaccessible vendor data, and issues related to privacy and data security. Oakleaf concludes that it's reasonable to expect that, as librarians gain access to more complex and more revealing information about student library activity and interactions as well as campus level learning analytics, they will gain the connections, skill, confidence, interest, and ability to conduct more sophisticated analyses of the ways in which libraries make a difference in students' lives.
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- 2015
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14. Faculty Perspectives on Mis- and Disinformation across Disciplines
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Saunders, Laura
- Abstract
Librarians, who have long promoted the criticality of information literacy, were quick to identify a role for themselves in confronting the challenges of mis/disinformation through library instruction. Nevertheless, little research has been done to examine discipline faculty's perspectives on mis/disinformation or the extent to which they are addressing the issue in their classrooms. This paper begins to address this gap in the literature through a nationwide study and follow-up interviews of faculty across disciplines to probe their perspectives on the challenges of mis/disinformation. Participants were asked about their views on mis/disinformation, whether and how they address mis/disinformation in their courses, and their perceptions of their students' ability to identify and evaluate mis/disinformation. The findings of this study have implications for academic librarians, especially liaison librarians with instructional responsibilities, and may be of interest to academic library directors and deans who oversee library instruction programs.
- Published
- 2022
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15. Toward a Critical Turn in Library UX
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Seale, Maura, Hicks, Alison, and Nicholson, Karen P.
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In the past decade, cataloguing and classification and information literacy have experienced a critical turn, acknowledging the political, economic, and social forces that shape complex information environments. Library user experience (UX) has yet to undergo such a transformation, however; instead, it continues to be seen as a toolkit of value-neutral approaches for evaluating and improving library services and spaces to enhance user satisfaction and engagement. Library UX draws upon ethnography but is also informed by the principles and values of usability and design. Little attention has been paid to the origins or epistemological underpinnings of UX as a construct, the ways these inform UX practice, and, ultimately, how they impact what academic libraries are and what they do. With the exception of a 2016 article by Lanclos and Asher, the relationship among corporatism, UX, and the mission and values of academic libraries has yet to be acknowledged or examined. This paper seeks to address this gap by drawing upon literature from LIS, anthropology and human computer interaction to interrogate library UX. While a handful of library UX practitioners have started to promote a more thoughtful study of individuals' activities and needs, in the main, library UX remains a theoretically weak practice, one that sets out to solve complex problems with practical "solutions." The failure to interrogate UX as a construct and a practice necessarily forecloses the user-centered problems we address, the tools and strategies we use, and the solutions we propose. We contend that UX would benefit from a deeper engagement with user-centered theories emerging from Library and Information Science (LIS) and critical and feminist perspectives on practice, embodiment, and power or risk perpetuating oppressive, hegemonic ideas about the academic library as a white space and its users as able-bodied.
- Published
- 2022
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16. Information Code-Switching: A Study of Language Preferences in Academic Libraries
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Albarillo, Frans
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Initially coined by sociolinguists, the term code-switching refers to the alternation of languages by multilinguals. Code-switching is an active research area that has significant implications for academic libraries. Using data from focus groups and a survey tool, this paper examines language preferences of foreign-born students for particular information tasks. The main finding of this paper is that students' culture and language represent an active influence on and important part of their identity, information consumption, and academic socialization. The author discusses the practical implications of these findings on academic library services in relation to ACRL's 2012 Diversity Standards Cultural Competency with an emphasis on standard 6, linguistic diversity.
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- 2018
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17. They Found It--Now Do They Bother? An Analysis of First-Year Synthesis
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Carlozzi, Michael J.
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This paper presents assessment data from a first-year writing library partnership to examine the relationship between student source use and written synthesis. It finds that first-year students could locate peer-reviewed, scholarly sources but that these sources were poorly integrated in their arguments--if they were used at all. In contrast, it finds that students attempted to synthesize their in-class reading material, suggesting that students "tack on" outside sources. Ultimately, this paper argues that librarians may want to consider shifting their instructional focus from traditional one-shot sessions to other solutions recommended by the literature.
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- 2018
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18. The World's Approach toward Publishing in Springer and Elsevier's APC-Funded Open Access Journals
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Sotudeh, Hajar and Ghasempour, Zahra
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Purpose: The present study explored tendencies of the world's countries--at individual and scientific development levels--toward publishing in APC-funded open access journals. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using a bibliometric method, it studied OA and NOA articles issued in Springer and Elsevier's APC journals? during 2007-2011. The data were gathered using a wide number of sources including Sherpa/Romeo, Springer Author-mapper, Science Direct, Google, and journals' websites. Findings: The Netherlands, Norway, and Poland ranked highest in terms of their OA shares. This can be attributed to the financial resources allocated to publication in general, and publishing in OA journals in particular, by the countries. All developed countries and a large number of scientifically lagging and developing nations were found to publish OA articles in the APC journals. The OA papers have been exponentially growing across all the countries' scientific groups annually. Although the advanced nations published the lion's share of the OA-APC papers and exhibited the highest growth, the underdeveloped groups have been displaying high OA growth rates. Practical Implications: Given the reliance of the APC model on authors' affluence and motivation, its affordability and sustainability have been challenged. This communication helps understand how countries at different scientific development and thus wealth levels contribute to the model. Originality/Value: This is the first study conducted at macro level clarifying countries' contribution to the APC model--at individual and scientific-development levels--as the ultimate result of the interaction between authors' willingness, the model affordability, and publishers and funding agencies' support.
- Published
- 2018
19. Reference and Instructional Services to Postsecondary Education Students with Intellectual Disabilities
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Dow, Mirah J., Long, Bobbie Sartin, and Lund, Brady D.
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This paper presents the results of a survey completed by academic librarians at United States colleges and universities identified on the ThinkCollege.net website, a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston funded by grants from the Office of Postsecondary Education, US Department of Education. The objective of the study was to learn about the reference and instructional involvement of academic librarians in providing resources, library services, and learning activities with enrolled college students with intellectual disabilities (ID). The results reveal several recommendations for academic libraries and librarians toward improving access to postsecondary education for students with ID.
- Published
- 2021
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20. Is the Library's Online Orientation Program Effective with English Language Learners?
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Albarillo, Frans
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In this paper, the author examines four years of assessment data (N = 4,786) from Brooklyn College's Library Online Orientation Program (LOOP; url: https://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu/resources/loop/loop.php), which is used to provide all English 1010 students with an orientation to the library, to see if English language learners (ELLs) are performing as well as their non-ELL peers. This paper also reports on how useful the LOOP is to ELLs when compared to non-ELLs. By comparing data from ELL and non-ELL students using several independent samples T-tests, this paper shows that ELLs on the average scored lower on the quiz component of the LOOP than non-ELLs, though they found the LOOP tutorial more useful. In addition to reporting these assessment results, this paper includes a review of the different kinds of English language learners, discusses how to statistically operationalize this population for further quantitative studies for other libraries who would like to include these additional independent variables in their assessment data collection, and provides suggestions for making the LOOP more useful to ELL students in the future.
- Published
- 2017
21. Specialized Regional Conferences Support the Professional Development Needs of Subject Librarians: A 5-Year Analysis of the Great Lakes Science Boot Camps for Librarians
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McGowan, Bethany, Hart, Jenny, and Hum, Karen
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Conference attendance can play an important role in supporting the professional development of subject librarians by offering opportunities that allow librarians to learn about new services, strategies, and technologies while growing and maintaining professional networks. However, barriers such as accessibility challenges, budgetary and resource restrictions, difficulty measuring learning gains, and difficulty measuring the value of professional development when applied to the job can restrict opportunities for many librarians. Specialized regional conferences have the potential to reduce many of these barriers. How can librarians, library administrators, and conference organizers quantify the value of regional conference attendance as an accessible means for fostering librarian professional development? This paper examines five years of assessment data and participant feedback from attendees of a specialized regional conference for STEM librarians and measures participant learning and participant motivation for conference attendance. We propose specialized regional conferences, such as the Great Lakes Science Boot Camp for Librarians, as accessible and affordable continuing education opportunities that support the professional development of subject librarians.
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- 2021
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22. They Seek, but Do They Find? Investigating the Financial Information-Seeking Behavior of College Students
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Vaaler, Alyson, Reiter, Lauren, and Faulkner, Ash E.
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This paper reports the findings of a survey administered to a large academic university student population, assessing students' self-reported motivations, difficulties, and methods used in finding and using financial information. Results discussed include information types and sources students consult for financial information. The survey also explored students' perceptions of the relative ease of finding financial information and the degree of success students had in finding appropriate information. These results are relevant for librarians who support financial literacy through collection development or one-on-one patron support, or who are involved in developing financial literacy programs for libraries.
- Published
- 2021
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23. Comparing Use Terms in Spanish and US Research University E-Journal Licenses: Recent Trends
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Fernández-Molina, Juan-Carlos, Eschenfelder, Kristin R., and Rubel, Alan P.
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This paper describes the results of a study to compare contemporary e-journal licenses from two research universities in the United States and Spain in terms of e-reserves, interlibrary loan, text and data mining, authors' rights and treatment of copyright exceptions, usage statistics, governing law, data privacy, and obligations entailing security. The data include a higher proportion of scholarly society and academic press publishers than earlier license analyses. This analysis compares license terms over time, across publisher types and between the two libraries, and it compares findings with recommendations from model licenses. The results show progress toward model license goals in some areas, but deficiencies in others including self-archiving, usage statistics clauses, and clauses related to e-resource data privacy and library security and disciplinary obligations. Our findings also raise questions about international ILL and governing venue clauses in library licenses outside the North American context.
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- 2021
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24. Collection Development in the Era of Big Deals
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Mongeon, Philippe, Siler, Kyle, Archambault, Antoine, Sugimoto, Cassidy R., and Larivière, Vincent
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Drawing on an original methodology using citations, downloads, and survey data, this paper analyzes journal usage patterns across 28 Canadian universities. Results show that usage levels vary across disciplines and that different academic platforms varied in their importance to different institutions, with for-profit platforms generally exhibiting lower usage. These results suggest economic inefficiencies exist in "big deal" academic journal subscriptions for universities, as most journals in such bundles are seldom or never used. We recommend that universities coordinate resource sharing and negotiate strategies with academic journal expenditures based on shared interests and usage trends.
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- 2021
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25. Student-Centered Design: Creating LibGuides Students Can Actually Use
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Barker, Amy E. G. and Hoffman, Ashley T.
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In this mixed-methods study, librarians at Kennesaw State University Library System conducted a year-long design research project to create a flexible subject guide "blueprint" for undergraduate students using LibGuides. Methods included a card sorting study with 18 undergraduate students and usability testing with 40 undergraduate students. The study's goals were to identify what content, aesthetic design, organization, and structure students preferred on a subject guide. This paper addresses the current literature on research guides usability, overviews the design and implementation of the study, and highlights practical results that will easily be transferrable to other libraries.
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- 2021
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26. News Credibility: Adapting and Testing a Source Evaluation Assessment in Journalism
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Bobkowski, Piotr S. and Younger, Karna
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This paper discusses the development of a source evaluation assessment, and presents the results of using this instrument in a one-semester information literacy course for journalism students. The assessment was developed using the threshold concept perspective, the "authority is constructed and contextual" frame, and an established source evaluation rubric. As formative assessment, the instrument showed that students' source evaluations lacked evidence and included ritualized language. As summative assessment, it showed that students used a greater range of indicators of authority than they used initially, and used evidence more frequently. The assessment can measure students' source evaluations across the disciplines.
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- 2020
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27. Exploring the Research and Library Needs of Student-Parents
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Scott, Rachel E. and Varner, Brannen
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This paper presents the results of focus groups conducted with student-parents at the University of Memphis. The objective of this study was to explore the research services and library spaces student-parents need to thrive in higher education settings. The results identify several ways in which academic librarians can support student-parents' research needs and contribute directly to their academic success.
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- 2020
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28. Documenting the Value of Librarians in the Classroom: Results from a Mixed-Methods Research Collaboration with Campus Partners
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Lowe, M. Sara, Currier, Abby, and Graunke, Steven
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This paper details the results of a mixed-methods study of first-year and upper-division students' information literacy (IL) competencies. The study used a rubric and a survey, seeking to answer two research questions: (1) Is there a correlation between National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) IL survey responses and IL rubric scores? (2) Are there any indicators that correlate to improved IL performance in first-year students? Results demonstrated that first-year students reported greater engagement with IL and also indicated that instructors placed greater emphasis on IL competencies than students in upper-division courses. They also show a statistically significant impact on first-year students' rubric scores when a librarian is in the class. This finding held even when controlling for other variables. Results provide an evidence-based foundation to spur conversations with faculty and university administration on the value of IL and the role of librarians in undergraduate student success.
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- 2020
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29. Information Literacy's Influence on Undergraduates' Learning and Development: Results from a Large Multi-Institutional Study
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Fosnacht, Kevin
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This paper investigated the reliability and validity of the National Survey of Student Engagement's Experiences with Information Literacy module, an assessment instrument developed in collaboration with a group of instructional librarians. After identifying three information literacy-related factors in the module, it assessed the relationship between the factors and students' engagement in Higher-Order Learning and Reflective and Integrative Learning activities and students' perceived gains. The results from these analyses indicated that information literacy activities were positively and significantly correlated with student engagement and students' perceived gains.
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- 2020
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30. Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking in Libraries: A Timeless Topic in a Timeless Article
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Tyckoson, David A.
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It has been almost 50 years since Robert Taylor published his classic 1968 article, "Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking in Libraries," in "College & Research Libraries"; yet much of what that article discussed is as fresh today as it was back then. It has been identified as a classic because it has enduring themes that have prevailed over time. Taylor was one of the first to systematically study how users formulate questions and how those questions get translated into the language of the information system. By studying users and the librarians who help them, he was able to identify his now-famous four levels of information need: visceral, conscious, formalized, and compromised. He also studied how librarians take these needs--especially the compromised need--and adapt them to the existing information systems. Throughout the article, Taylor talks about the interface between the human with an information need and the information system that is expected to fill that need. While today, of course, information is much more available and accessible than it was in Taylor's day, users still have problems finding information--and reference librarians still need to communicate with those users to figure out exactly what they want. The four levels of understanding of the information need that Taylor identified almost fifty years ago remain important factors in searching today. This is perhaps Taylor's greatest contribution--refocusing the conversation about information seeking away from the tools and the sources and toward the people who use them. It is Taylor's human focus that has made this paper a classic--and that will probably continue to define it as a classic well into the future.
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- 2015
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31. Still 'Choosing Our Futures': How Many Apples in the Seed?
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Neal, James G.
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James Neal begins this essay with the introduction of the 1996 paper, "Choosing Our Futures," by calling it a provocation, and a call to arms for the academic library community to challenge complacency and move forward toward fundamental change. Neal writes here that in the context of extraordinary economic pressures, the early transformation of scholarly communication, new thinking about the role and nature of higher education, rampant technological innovation, rapidly shifting user behaviors and expectations, the authors confront the classic debate on the nature of transformation. Will it be incremental, evolutionary, or revolutionary? They also flirt with the prospect of extinction: that is, will it be terminal, the demise of the academic library, or will it be phyletic, the library surviving by progressing to a new species? They call for the systematic application of new knowledge to new resources to produce new goods and new services, responsive to the market. They advocate a process of lowering the costs and increasing the benefits of the work, adding value. They encourage new and deliberate thinking about existing challenges and unmet needs, a focus on solutions. Neal maintains that the "Choosing Our Futures" essay that was an important think piece when it was written in the 1990s remains so today because it translates thoughtful reflection about local practice into a series of observations and thoughts about the future of academic libraries. Neal concludes that this sort of writing still has a place in "College and Research Libraries " today because research libraries must continue to deliberate the past, document and analyze the present, and debate prospects and evolution to grow and remain strong, and relative.
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- 2015
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32. Ebook Rate of Use in OhioLINK: A Ten-Year Study of Local and Consortial Use of Publisher Packages in Ohio
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Fry, Amy
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This paper examines publisher ebook package use in the OhioLINK academic library consortium between 2007 and 2017 alongside use of the same titles at individual institutions. With nearly 100,000 titles acquired over 10+ years from three publishers and available to users at more than 90 institutions, the picture of ebook use this study presents is unique in its breadth and scope. The data show that, consortiumwide, close to 100 percent of titles were used, with their initial use overwhelmingly taking place within one year of their publication date. At individual institutions, the rate of use was far lower and never exceeded the rate of use of print books at the author's own institution. These findings have important implications for how institutions approach ebook acquisition to maximize rate of use of ebook collections.
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- 2019
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33. Collaboration, Consultation, or Transaction: Modes of Team Research in Humanities Scholarship and Strategies for Library Engagement
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Senseney, Megan, Koehl, Eleanor Dickson, and Nay, Leanne
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With the rise of digital scholarship, humanists are participating in increasingly complex research teams and partnerships, and academic libraries are developing innovative service models to meet their needs. This paper explores modes of coworking in humanities research by synthesizing responses from two qualitative studies of research practices in the humanities and proposes a taxonomy of multiperson research that includes collaborative, consultative, and transactional research partnerships among scholars, graduate students, academic staff, and a range of other potential stakeholders. Based on an analysis of humanities scholars' self-described research behaviors, we provide recommendations for academic librarians who are developing and sustaining service models for digital scholarship.
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- 2019
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34. Leading the Academic Library in Strategic Engagement with Stakeholders: A Constructivist Grounded Theory
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Harland, Fiona, Stewart, Glenn, and Bruce, Christine
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The current diversity and disparate needs of stakeholders present significant challenges to academic libraries globally. The constructivist grounded theory presented in this paper recognizes the guiding role of the library director in responding to this problem and the need for different strategic mechanisms for engagement with various stakeholder groups. Key contributions of this work include establishing a strategic framework for engagement with stakeholders and tentative suggestions for various types of university libraries. The implications of this research include the need for outward-looking library directors, an evidence-based approach to stakeholder engagement, and the encouragement of a customer-focused organizational culture among staff.
- Published
- 2019
35. Using Data Mining for Citation Analysis
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White, Philip B.
- Abstract
This paper presents a new model for citation analysis, applying new methodological approaches in citation studies. These methods are demonstrated by an analysis of cited references from publications by the Geological Sciences faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder. The author made use of simple Python scripting, the Web of Science API, and OpenRefine to examine the most frequently cited journals and compare them to library holdings data to discover materials absent from the local collection. Of the more than 20,000 citations analyzed, 80 percent cited approximately 10 percent of all titles (412 journals). A notable finding was the heavy reliance of faculty members upon works between zero and two years of age. The streamlined model presented here removes the constraints of time and effort encountered by academic librarians interested in conducting citation analyses.
- Published
- 2019
36. Authentic Assessment of Student Learning in an Online Class: Implications for Embedded Practice
- Author
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Alverson, Jessica, Schwartz, Jennifer, and Shultz, Sue
- Abstract
Growth in online course delivery has created challenges and opportunities for academic librarians. Working with an online undergraduate course for adult students, three academic librarians revised their model for embedded practice, focusing on high touch and quality contact with the students. Using a citation analysis of final papers collected over several quarters, we compared sufficiency of sources, quality of sources, selection of sources, and diversity of perspectives in bibliographies created before and after our revised curriculum. Findings show that our added attention to this cohort resulted in improvements across all of these metrics.
- Published
- 2019
37. Deal or No Deal? Evaluating Big Deals and Their Journals
- Author
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Blecic, Deborah D., Wiberley, Stephen E., and Fiscella, Joan B.
- Abstract
This paper presents methods to develop metrics that compare Big Deal journal packages and the journals within those packages. Deal-level metrics guide selection of a Big Deal for termination. Journal-level metrics guide selection of individual subscriptions from journals previously provided by a terminated deal. The paper argues that, while the proposed metrics provide helpful quantitative data for comparative analysis, selection of individual subscriptions must also involve informed judgment about a library's subject coverage needs and alternative sources of access. The paper also discusses how replacing a Big Deal with a reduced number of individual subscriptions may affect the collections budget, use of other resources, and interlibrary loan.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. The Citation Landscape of Scholarly Literature in LGBT Studies: A Snapshot for Subject Librarians
- Author
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Antell, Karen
- Abstract
This paper reports the results of a citation analysis of the scholarly literature of LGBT Studies. EBSCO's LGBT Life database was used to gather a sample of 4,321 citations from core scholarly journals in the field of LGBT Studies, covering the time period 1974 to 2010. The analysis reveals that, although LGBT Studies as an area of scholarship emerged from the gay rights activist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the field's literature appears to be firmly rooted in the mainstream academic literature rather than in popular publications or community and activist periodicals. However, the field has a very high rate of cross-disciplinary citation and cites particularly heavily from medical journals and books. In addition to illuminating the citation characteristics of LGBT Studies, this paper presents lists of highly cited books and journals that should prove useful for subject librarians supporting LGBT Studies programs.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. A Framework for Studying Organizational Innovation in Research Libraries
- Author
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Jantz, Ronald C.
- Abstract
The objective of this paper is two-fold: to propose a theoretical framework and model for studying organizational innovation in research libraries and to set forth propositions that can provide directions for future empirical studies of innovation in research libraries. Research libraries can be considered members of a class of organizations referred to here as institutional nonprofits. As such, these organizations inherit many of the innovative properties that are associated with the broader sector of service organizations. However, institutional nonprofits have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other service organizations such as government agencies and for-profit service firms. In this paper, institutional theory is used to explain the forces that are acting on the research library. Research from organizational learning, structural contingency theory, and typologies of service organizations are used to establish a more encompassing innovation framework. Based on the literature review, the theoretical framework, and empirical studies, this paper presents a process model and propositions that characterize how the research library might innovate. These propositions can be tested in empirical studies to develop a fuller understanding of innovation in research libraries.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Citation Analysis as a Tool to Measure the Impact of Individual Research Consultations
- Author
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Reinsfelder, Thomas L.
- Abstract
This study sought to determine the degree to which individual research consultations with a librarian can improve the work of undergraduate students. Citation analysis was used to evaluate the quality of sources selected on draft papers before meeting with a librarian and on final papers after meeting with a librarian. The rating scale presented here offers guidelines for measuring the quality of sources used by students. Findings of this research begin to provide some quantitative evidence demonstrating the positive impact of individual research consultations.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Social Construction of Authorized Users in the Digital Age
- Author
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Zhu, Xiaohua and Eschenfelder, Kristin R.
- Abstract
This paper analyzes changes to the definitions of "authorized users" contained in electronic resources licenses and embedded in access control technologies from the mid-1990s to the present. In analyzing changes to the license and technology-based definitions, it tracks shifts in major stakeholders' perceptions of authorized users and describes developments in licensing and access control technologies. The paper demonstrates that the concept of authorized users has been shaped by a mix of social and technical elements, including changes to information providers' and libraries' business models and missions, shifts in norms for license terms, and development of technological tools used to facilitate or constrain access.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Sustainability Challenge for Academic Libraries: Planning for the Future
- Author
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Jankowska, Maria Anna and Marcum, James W.
- Abstract
There is growing concern that a variety of factors threaten the sustainability of academic libraries: developing and preserving print and digital collections, supplying and supporting rapidly changing technological and networking infrastructure, providing free services, maintaining growing costs of library buildings, and lowering libraries' ecological footprint. This paper discusses the multidimensional issues of sustainability in academic libraries and identifies needs for designing an integrated framework for sustainable strategies in academic libraries. Additionally, the paper presents a synthesis of existing literature on the increasingly popular topic of "green libraries" and prepares a background toward developing a framework for sustainable strategies in academic libraries.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Buy, Borrow, or Steal? Film Access for Film Studies Students
- Author
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Rodgers, Wendy
- Abstract
Libraries offer a mix of options to serve the film studies curriculum: streaming video, DVDs on Reserve, and streaming DVDs through online classrooms. Some professors screen films and lend DVDs to students. But how do students obtain the films required for their courses? How would they prefer to do so? These are among the questions explored using data obtained by surveying students at one Canadian university as well as faculty and librarians at ten Canadian universities that offer film studies programs. The study finds that more students are engaging in digital piracy than using the Library Reserve desk and that faculty and librarians must contend with formats, licenses, and copyright to provide effective, legal access. The paper recommends that libraries increase streaming options, collect DVDs for preservation, digitize DVDs when legally possible, screen films in class, investigate social screening spaces, and lobby industry and government for changes to law and practice.
- Published
- 2018
44. Learning Analytics and the Academic Library: Professional Ethics Commitments at a Crossroads
- Author
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Jones, Kyle M. L. and Salo, Dorothea
- Abstract
In this paper, the authors address learning analytics and the ways academic libraries are beginning to participate in wider institutional learning analytics initiatives. Since there are moral issues associated with learning analytics, the authors consider how data mining practices run counter to ethical principles in the American Library Association's "Code of Ethics." Specifically, the authors address how learning analytics implicates professional commitments to promote intellectual freedom; protect patron privacy and confidentiality; and balance intellectual property interests between library users, their institution, and content creators and vendors. The authors recommend that librarians should embed their ethical positions in technological designs, practices, and governance mechanisms. (A list of notes is included.)
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Shame: The Emotional Basis of Library Anxiety
- Author
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McAfee, Erin L.
- Abstract
In 1986, Constance Mellon found that 75 to 85 percent of undergraduate students experienced library anxiety as well as shame about their anxiety. Fifteen years earlier, Helen Block Lewis began her groundbreaking research in shame theory. This paper explores the affective components of library anxiety using the pioneering research of Constance Mellon, Helen Block Lewis, and others. Two issues are discussed: 1) how unacknowledged, recursive shame or "shame about shame" creates painful, emotional states such as library anxiety; and 2) how to recognize and neutralize unacknowledged shame in library service interactions.
- Published
- 2018
46. The Practice and Promise of Critical Information Literacy: Academic Librarians' Involvement in Critical Library Instruction
- Author
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Tewell, Eamon C.
- Abstract
Critical information literacy is a way of thinking and teaching that examines the social construction and political dimensions of libraries and information, problematizing information's production and use so that library users may think critically about such forces. Being an educational approach that acknowledges and emboldens learners' agency, critical information literacy has much to offer librarians. Using a survey and follow-up interviews with thirteen librarians practicing critical information literacy, this paper illustrates some of the many ways that librarians incorporate this vital approach to teaching the complexities of information, as well as the potential advantages and difficulties of doing so.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Worth the Wait? Using Past Patterns to Determine Wait Periods for E-Books Released after Print
- Author
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Kohn, Karen
- Abstract
This paper asks if there is an optimal wait period for e-books that balances libraries' desire to acquire books soon after their publication with the frequent desire to purchase books electronically whenever feasible. Analyzing 13,043 titles that Temple University Libraries received on its e-preferred approval plan in 2014-15, the author looks at the delays from the publication of print books to publication of their electronic versions. The analysis finds that most books on the approval plan are published electronically within a week of the print. Recommended wait periods are provided for different subjects.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Commentaries on 'Choosing Our Futures.'
- Author
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Lee, Susan
- Abstract
Provides three responses regarding an article, "Choosing Our Futures": (1) disagrees with how much and how fast change in academic libraries should be made, arguing that reorientation not revolution is needed; (2) sees it as a foundation for dialog and action; and (3) notes the article's lack of supporting research, questions its vague call for change, and urges caution. (PEN)
- Published
- 1996
49. Research Notes. Archimedes: Analysis of a HyperCard Reference Tool.
- Author
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Ottaviani, J. S.
- Abstract
Presents a study of Archimedes as a HyperCard reference tool at the University of Michigan, and compares uses to similar projects. Results from studied points (i.e., system design and use statistics) support Archimedes: the system sees more use during reference hours when a librarian is unavailable, and user time is comparable to time spent with a librarian. (JMV)
- Published
- 1995
50. Job Satisfaction among Support Staff in Michigan Academic Libraries.
- Author
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Voelck, Julie
- Abstract
In partial replication of a 1989 Ohio study, job satisfaction questionnaires were distributed in 1994 to support staff in 13 Michigan state academic libraries. Results indicated that, although staff are satisfied with supervision, coworkers, and benefits, there is dissatisfaction with opportunities for promotion, pay, and contingent rewards. These results differ from the Ohio study's findings. (JMV)
- Published
- 1995
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