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The increasing availability of high quality digital texts and usage data about them provides opportunities to identify new uses for collections, alternative ways to present and explore content, and expanded audiences for the materials. Using this information and a rapid development model called a “flash build,” JSTOR is creating and partnering with other organizations to build new tools that add value to library investments in digital collections. Two examples are discussed: “Classroom Readings,” a tool designed to help educators find articles on JSTOR that are good candidates for teaching, and “Understanding Shakespeare,” a resource created in collaboration with the Folger Shakespeare Library that enables scholars to follow links in lines from Shakespeare plays to articles on JSTOR that reference them. The rapid development model used for these projects is easily reproducible and effective, and could be applied to many library-driven efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study conducted the bibliometric analysis of the journal "ALIS" and its comparison to other journals worldwide and in India. The data were sourced from the Scopus database with the help of advanced searching from 2018 to 2021, in which 108 papers were received for the study. This study studies the authorship pattern and the extent of collaboration. Total citations received, most prolific author and country's contribution, highest cited paper, and year-wise productivity of the journal The results reveal that India is the highest contributing country, i.e., from 2018 to 2021. Sri Lanka is the second-leading contributing country, and Iran is in third place. The extent of collaboration is 0.71 between authors. Four authors have published four articles each during this tenure. If we count the year-wise productivity of the journal, 2021 is the leading year both in terms of publication and the number of citations received. It found that in 2020, the journal's rank will be 110, which will continue increasing. It also reveals the top 10 ranking in the database, in which the International Journal of Information Management scored the first rank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrality in librarianship is a nonsensical concept that libraries of all kinds (e.g., public, academic, special, etc.) should not strive to embody in any shape or form. The following paper investigates the intricate relationships between neutrality and racism as they are demonstrated by tangible and intangible forms in library and information science (LIS) spaces. Ian Williams' book chapter, "More Than Half of Americans Can't Swim", from his book, Disorientation: Being Black in the World (2021), is utilized to critically reflect on Blackness as identity and some ways in which antiracist practices clash with neutrality within LIS spaces. I conclude with urgent reminders of how detrimental neutrality can be if it is not thoroughly rooted out and supplanted with antiracist practices that the LIS field is in dire need of. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Book banning is sweeping schools and libraries across the United States. This paper targets the book ban affecting children and young adult literature. I want to provide a cohesive look at the various attributes that play a role in book banning and censorship of children and young adult books. This paper touches on the process of banning/censoring books, whom these challenges are affecting, readers' rights, and the relevancy of this topic. Briefly, in my introduction, I address the history of book banning and where the motivation for this was initially encouraged. Moreover, the effects of book banning and/or censorship could have serious consequences for generations to come if the population is not made aware of this ever-growing pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is trauma in how Indigenous knowledge collections in libraries are managed. This paper seeks to understand the tikanga Māori context of Indigenous knowledges management in library collection policies. A review of selected library policies from five major AotearoaNew Zealand libraries regarding collection development, tikanga Māori integration and specifically Māori collection content will be explored using a modified Mead's Tikanga Test (of 2003). From this analysis will be inferred the ways in which the various library policies negate or affirm tikanga Māori. This will be followed by a brief introduction to the model Ngā Matatiki Mātauranga for culturally safe management of Indigenous collections to be integrated into collection policies. This paper will draw from a Māori perspective, in Aotearoa-New Zealand. The testing of library policies from five major libraries will drive the findings to represent the state of Indigenous collection policy in Aotearoa and how best for Māori to distinguish our futures in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to analyze the quality characteristics of Open Access Journals (OAJs) in Library and Information Science (LIS) published in India. The study assesses three OA journals, namely. International Journal of Information Dissemination and Technology (IJIDT), International Journal of Library and Information Studies (IJLIS), and International Research: Journal of Library and Information Science (IRJLIS). The analysis is performed in two parts. The first part is qualitative. The researchers measured parameters like basic information pertaining to the selected journals, publication trends, composition of the editorial board, and quality measures such as peer review and indexing. The second part of the analysis deals with citing journal sources, where the researchers evaluates the quality of citations received by the selected journals. The finding of the study reveals that all three OAJs established themselves as preferred sources to publish LIS research articles. The analysis of citing sources reveals that 73% of the citing journals are OAJs only. The results also show that only 50% of journals are from the core LIS subject, and the majority of the citing journals are from India. The study also revealed that there are many citing OA journals in the domain of LIS, which is not indexed in leading indexing and abstracting databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The American Library Association affirms that rights of privacy are necessary for intellectual freedom and are fundamental to the ethical practice of librarianship," reads a position paper by the ALA. Protecting user privacy is a cherished ethical position held within this field. Therefore, it is worth asking whether libraries have been aggressive enough to protect this standard, given the rapid advancement of information technology, digital surveillance, cybercrime, commercial exploitation of user data, and emerging privacy threats for the individual and culture. This paper seeks to reconcile the ethical vision with the hard reality that emerging cyber threats can easily circumvent basic library efforts to protect user data. The author imagines the "black box" library, which would be the end result of radical adherence to the ethical standard. In short, the "black box" library would protect freedom of conscience for the user by adhering to extremely rigorous standards, including: Mass encryption, proxy services, legal enforcement of privacy provisions in vendor contracts, recordless inventory systems, and other strict measures. The vision is for a space where critical information flows in, but very little if any "digital exhaust" escapes it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definitions of authorized users in license agreements not only dictate who is allowed to access licensed resources, but also define who can be considered part of an institution's user community. Researchers engage in collaborative research, sometimes holding multiple affiliations that, at times, may extend beyond a definition of authorized user. This paper examines how libraries play a role in supporting or inhibiting collaborative research by exploring a strategic partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to further collaboration related to atmospheric research and climate studies. While the goals of the partnership sought to enhance research and collaboration through access to licensed resources, the authors found that the paywalled model of access through license agreements, authentication, and access and discovery methods has complicated the effectiveness of creating a collaborative research environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As libraries commit to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, it is critical to measure the strengths and weaknesses of collections in response. Building off already established approaches of collection diversity audits, the author argues that it is possible to use MARC metadata to perform exploratory analyses at a large scale. This paper discusses the process of planning, preparing the data, and performing an analysis, following the trajectory of an analysis of the 2.8 million geographic subject headings present in the University of Toronto Libraries' MARC records. The tools developed during this project are cited and available for reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recommender systems, a subclass of information filtering designed to predict the rating or preference of a user, are among the most successful examples of machine learning in action. Drawing inspiration from the benefits of using recommender systems for business, and their success in heightening the perceived utility of recommendations, this project was developed using Python to optimize collection recommendations and to help librarians make collection decisions using a recommender system. This paper illustrates several examples of building recommender systems using a variety of recommendation techniques to aid in the selection of monographs. It also points out possible future uses of recommender systems in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including "world.me"; "The Implications of Social Media For Adolescent Critical Thinking From an Information and Advertising Literacy Context," and "Children's Classes and Workshops at Public Libraries".

The NASIG Digital Preservation Task Force was charged to, "...identify new roles for librarians and publishers as well as the impact of these changes on preservation in an ever-changing digital environment, and develop some best practices for the industry. The task force will identify ways in which NASIG can be involved in proactive digital preservation, including tools for marketing digital preservation to a broad range of library administrations and publishers." To that end, the task force created a survey to help inform how NASIG could best direct its efforts toward raising awareness and supporting digital preservation initiatives today. In this presentation, the task force (which is now a standing committee) shared the survey findings and highlighted the breadth of their work in the context of current best practices in digital preservation, and recent developments in the field. In addition, this presentation outlined the task force's resulting recommendations for NASIG's role in supporting digital preservation, and how the information community can move forward implementing and supporting digital preservation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a thorough bibliometric analysis of research published in Annals of Library and Information Studies (ALIS), an India-based journal, for the period 2011–2017. Specifically, it compares this journal's trends with those of other library and information science (LIS) journals from the same geographical area (India, and Asia as a whole) and with the 10 highest-rated LIS journals worldwide. The source of the data used was the multidisciplinary database Scopus. To perform this comparison, ALIS' production was analyzed in order to identify authorship patterns; for example, authors' countries of residence, co-authorship trends, and collaboration networks. Research topics were identified through keyword analysis, while performance was measured by examining the number of citations articles received. This study provides substantial information. The research lines detected through examining the keywords in ALIS articles were determined to be similar to those for the top LIS journals in both Asia and worldwide. Specifically, ALIS authors are focusing on metrics, bibliometrics, and social networking, which follows global trends. Notably, however, collaboration among Asia-based journals was found to be lower than that in the top-indexed journals in the LIS field, showing lesser internationalization. The results obtained present a roadmap for expanding the research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It can be a daunting task to keep track of everything related to the management of electronic resources, including vendor licenses. What terms does the university/State/Province require in a license agreement? What cannot be in the license agreement? Where exactly are you in that process? Is it under review? Sent for signature? With the university's legal office? Waiting on the vendor? Is it in the electronic resource management (ERM) system? Is it filed (either print or electronic or both)? Two librarians presented their use of open source tools for managing the licensing workflow. Alexis Linoski discussed how to use Trello to manage the license workflow at the Georgia Institute of Technology from receipt to entry in the ERM. Carolyn Carpan discussed how the Collection Strategies Unit at the University of Alberta Libraries is working on a project to display usage rights to users, using the Centralized Online Resources Acquisitions and Licensing module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monopolization of academic journal publishers concentrates power and valuable information into the hands of a few players in the marketplace. It has detrimental effects on how information flows and is accessed. This, in turn, has profound effects on how a nation progresses. Placed in a theoretical framework, utilizing the marketplace of ideas and the economies that coincide, this article takes a look at the history of Elsevier in order to chart this course toward monopolization. It exhibits the effect it has already had on the academic community, while offering two models of Open Access as a much sounder option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following article analyzes the current wave of book bans in the United States of America. Book banning has a long history; the modern predominant focus on young people's reading materials grew around fifty years ago with the increased publication of realistic depictions of the lived experiences, identities, and personhoods of children and young people. Nonetheless, the current form of censorship is different: bigger, more politicized, and more targeted at those living with marginalized identities, particularly people of color and those with LGBTQ+ identities. This article argues that book banning places a unique burden on adolescent development and is particularly harmful to those living with marginalized identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the rise of postmodernism and the archival turn in the mid-nineteen nineties with the writings of Jacques Derrida and others, much scholarship has been dedicated to the question 'who is not represented in the archives?' Indeed, suggested changes and alterations to traditional archival practice include the incorporation of newer models like social provenance, oral history testimonies, shared-stewardship, and community archives. While this wealth of attention and consideration towards creating more inclusive archives today are sorely needed, what can be done for archives of more distant pasts? In this article, I evaluate a number of different scholarly works which address, or demonstrate, the issue of finding minority voices in early modern archives specifically. Whether through the study of works of art, literature, or legal, government documents, these authors either find ways to breathe life into past histories once assumed to be utterly lost, or their problematic analyses uncover potential for using such methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vendor keynote speaker Caitlin Trasande addressed the practical and applied implications of how government mandates and regulations drive innovations and research information management technologies, while tying in remarks made by Jane Marks, the publisher keynote speaker, and Scott Plutchak, the librarian keynote speaker. She is uniquely positioned to do this as she has been at Digital Science for 5 years, most recently as Head of Research Policy; holds a PhD in Neurobiology; and was very recently appointed Senior Strategy Editor at Nature. Trasande used products developed by Digital Science as examples to demonstrate how all sectors of the scholarly community are finding solutions to help enable compliance with mandates, such as those on data and Open Access. She also provided a futuristic look at how the UK government has begun to ask funded researchers to document the social impact of their research; how Digital Science worked with the UK government, and how likely this is to also happen in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For this talk, Marks was tasked with summarizing the important trends in scholarly publishing in 45 minutes. The speaker reflected on the rapid changes that have occurred in journal publishing, which followed more than 300 years of relatively slow progress. Marks discussed key technology trends such as data curation, Open Access (OA) mandates, and the changes occurring in the global landscape of scholarly communications and library budgets. Wolters Kluwer Health has been responding to these trends with new publishing experiments including a Platinum OA model in emerging markets. Marks discussed the ways that publishers and libraries need to alter their traditional practices and instill a focus on their customers and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Classes and workshops for children are a core part of the service provided by many public libraries to their communities. But are libraries offering the kind of classes that children and parents are most interested in? Can libraries offer a compatible alternative to paid online platforms like Outschool? In this study, I attempt to answer these questions by looking at trends from an online virtual class marketplace. Outschool is an online marketplace of virtual classes for children. As of November 2021, Outschool offers over 140,000 virtual classes. To help users discover classes they might like, Outschool makes it possible to list classes sorted by popularity. In this project, I will look at the top 50 most popular classes offered by Outschool. By reading class descriptions and identifying common themes and subject matters, I will provide a taxonomic breakdown of the most popular topics on the site. I will then compare this to the class and workshop offerings for children provided by the largest public library system in North America, the New York Public Library. By comparing the offerings of the online marketplace with those provided by the NYPL, I will identify gaps in the library's offerings and suggest subject matters that are likely to have a broad appeal to the communities they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) recently revised the Open Discovery Initiative Recommended Practice (), which outlines best practices for discovery service providers. It streamlines the process by which libraries, content providers, and discovery service providers work together; defines models for "fair" linking; and suggests usage statistics that should be collected for libraries and for content providers. The recommendations in this document, created by members of the Open Discovery Initiative Standing Committee, enable libraries, discovery service providers, and content providers to work together to the full extent of their abilities – thus providing an effective and rich experience to end users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case will cover the experiences that the Online Learning Librarian (OLL) and E-resources Librarian (ERL) worked on adding a module about privacy to a 1 credit Information Literacy course at the University of North Florida (UNF). There will be a discussion of what motivated the OLL to include data privacy as a module within Canvas, how the module was implemented, and the student experience in this course. At UNF, librarians have taught undergraduates in LIS1001 "Beginning Library and Information Systems Studies since the 1980s. The course has focused on information literacy and information freedom; data privacy, however, has not been included. Despite this, many students have asked about what happens to their data submitted into UNF systems. When students enter the UNF Thomas G. Carpenter library, they must scan their student IDs, which provides the library statistical data of major, academic standing and other identifying information. In addition, all students, in person or online, must use authentication when logging into computers, into databases, when reading ebooks, etc. Since Dan Feinberg, the OLL, started working at UNF in 2017, students complained to him regarding the data necessary to attend school. These off-the-cuff discussions reflected a desire for information freedom. After discussing privacy issues, the ERL and the OLL decided to come up with a module on data privacy that would work for undergraduates in the LIS1001 course. The OLL and ERL considered what aspects of privacy to cover (i.e. how much on technology) and resources to include, focusing on materials appropriate for undergraduates and that related to their experience. The OLL developed and built a unique module in Canvas that was used already in one course and will be used in future semesters. Within this structure, students learned about privacy issues in higher education and expressed their interpretations of privacy, what it means to them, and considered what they are willing and able to sacrifice to maintain privacy as college students in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of supplemental journal article materials is increasing in all disciplines. These materials may be datasets, source code, tables/figures, multimedia, or other materials that previously went unpublished, were attached as appendices, or were included within the body of the work. Current emphasis on critical appraisal and reproducibility demands that researchers have access to the complete life cycle to fully evaluate research. As more libraries become dependent on secondary aggregators and interlibrary loan, we questioned if access to these materials is equitable and sustainable. While NISO RP-15-2013 Recommended Practices for Online Supplemental Journal Article Materials was published in 2013, it is unclear if these recommended practices fully meet the needs of users; if aggregators and publishers are following these standards; and if library processes and procedures are facilitating access to supplemental journal article materials. While studies have surveyed authors, reviewers, and readers, or examined journal supplemental materials practices, no studies have surveyed library staff and librarians about their experience with access to supplemental materials and requesting and receiving supplemental materials through interlibrary loan. This presentation reported on a study surveying library employees from academic, hospital, public and special library settings in the United States about their experiences identifying, finding, and retrieving supplemental journal article materials; and proposes ways that libraries, publishers and aggregators can enable access to the complete published life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Keepers Registry is an international registry of e-serial content preserved by archiving institutions and organizations. Willa Tavernier and Ted Westervelt examine the recent shifts in libraries' holdings and expenditures to increasingly digital content and show how the Keepers Registry, now hosted by the ISSN International Centre, can aid libraries as they identify at-risk journals and advocate for increased digital preservation. This presentation provides a glimpse into how digital preservation impacts the ongoing value and access for future scholars and the importance of a preservation commitment by individual institutions manifested through collective actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In her NASIG Vision Session, Janetta Waterhouse of the University at Albany provided an overview of domain knowledge in the overlapping areas of leadership, change management and project management, drawing on personal experience and the management literature. Ms. Waterhouse highlighted emotional intelligence as a foundational element of effective leadership. She also offered examples of how managers can negotiate conflict and support library staff during times of transformative change such as a system migration. The presentation provided a framework for understanding change in libraries and supported attendees in evaluating their existing skill sets and identifying areas for further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is a unique identifier most often associated with popular magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers. The scope of ISSN, however, includes many types of grey literature. This article will discuss and provide examples of the types of grey literature in scope for ISSN and describe the bibliographic metadata about these resources created to support each ISSN assignment. Benefits to the originators of grey literature that result from ISSN assignments are highlighted, especially the valuable exposure that the resources gain from the bibliographic records that are created to document ISSN assignments and are included in multiple international databases. Benefits that accrue to the ISSN Network from the inclusion of grey literature will also be covered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As society becomes more dependent upon technological resources, to share information and provide education, it is imperative that we ensure inclusive information access and provide resources for digital literacy in order to decrease barriers to information for marginalized communities. This research focuses specifically on the digital literacy needs of homeless youth. The findings presented here will contribute knowledge to the public library sector and allow librarians to develop, improve, and promote digital literacy programming for homeless youth. As a result, public libraries will be better positioned to bridge the digital literacy divide that exists today and begin moving towards a greater level of equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic resource management systems (ERMS) have yet to resolve the difficulty of electronic resource management to the satisfaction of librarians, in spite of widespread approval of the standards proposed in the 2004 Electronic Resource Management Initiative Report. This article proposes using the report's functional requirements as criteria to evaluate an ERMS systematically. Sharing local critiques of current and potential ERMS implementations enriches the library technology ecosystem with a shared understanding of common problems and potential solutions. This article illustrates this proposal using the author's ERMS, "RELIC," which is built on the Airtable platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interview with Tony Zanders focuses on a product he is building that will assist libraries and information professionals with job skill analysis and development, with the goal of "future-proofing" the professions in this realm. Skilltype is a platform that will assist with "analyzing, developing and sharing expertise" so that libraries and other information centers can make the most of their workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr. Sarah Sutton, who is an instructor of library and information science, walked attendees of this NASIG preconference through the history of text mining and larger implications of its usage. Sutton used Google NGrams (Google N-Grams Tool) as a way to ease into the interactive portion of the workshop. The tools and sources used were the HathiTrust (Bibliographic data and API), HathiTrust Analytics (Research Center), and PythonAnywhere. With these tools, attendees were able to learn and utilize some basic Python commands. There was a discussion on screen scraping and ethical (even polite) methods. Further discussion focused on preparing the data through methods such as chunking, grouping, tokenization, and then analyzing the text. Lastly, the workshop examined data visualization, and Sutton gave many examples of visualization types one can employ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library Leadership Your Way was a preconference intended to be a practical guide for anyone interested in library leadership. The point was not to explain how to lead, but for attendees to discover why they want to lead, how they can best lead, and what their unique leadership practice looks like. Attendees were asked to think about what leadership means to them, learn overall principles of how to effectively lead themselves and others, be exposed to major leadership theories and philosophies, and finally to revisit their initial ideas about leadership. By the end, attendees had developed their own definition of and approach to leadership, understand the basics of major leadership theories and philosophies, and have a leadership practice and plan in place they can use in their everyday leadership lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital scholarship issues are increasingly prevalent in today's environment. We are faced with questions of how to protect our own works as well as others' with responsible attribution and usage, sometimes involving a formal agreement. These may come in the form of Creative Commons Licensing, provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act, or terms of use outlined by contractual agreements with library vendors. Librarians at Eastern Carolina University and Kansas State University (K-State) are among several university libraries now providing services to assist with navigating these sometimes legalistic frameworks. East Carolina University Libraries are taking initiatives to familiarize faculty, researchers, and students with Open Educational Resources and Creative Commons Licensing. At K-State, librarians in digital scholarship and electronic resources identified the overlap of their subject matters through their correspondence regarding users' copyright and licensing questions; a partnership formed, and they implemented a proactive and public-facing approach to better meet user needs and liability concerns at a major research university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world of e-book records can be quite divergent, depending on the source of those records. Record content and quality can vary greatly. An engaging session about Metadata 2020 at the 2017 NASIG Annual Conference led the authors to wonder: is there a way to assess how libraries, publishers, and vendors are currently operating in this space for e-book records? This article will provide comparative data from two libraries and include a publisher's workflows and perspective on the subject. This library and publisher partnership highlights these differences and posits suggestions for collaboration and improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All across the United States universities are being called into critical conversations about social justice. The American Library Association Code of Ethics calls on librarians to "uphold the principles of intellectual freedom" and "distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties." Our ethics shape our engagement in these critical conversations. This article presents two ethical dilemmas experienced in Open Access electronic resource collection development and acquisition. Discussed first is the discovery and remediation of sharp practice in article processing charges. Second is the challenge of commercial Open Access projects and the role of libraries as investors of production. The author discusses how library professional ethics are applicable to and stretched by the goals of Open Access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an exploration of works both within and outside the realm of library and information studies, an overview of subject access to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTIQ) materials is presented. Common critiques of classification and organization systems, subject access to specific LGBTIQ topics, subject access in specific information institutions, and solutions proposed in the literature are discussed. Special attention is paid to points of convergence and divergence across the body of literature, and unique solutions to the problems posed by subject access to LGBTIQ materials are highlighted. A conceptual lens through which to view subject access to LGBTIQ materials is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Written by a panel of serials agents, two of whom are librarians, this article addresses the business aspects of serials purchasing from the subscription agent perspective. Topics include serial agent compensation, calculation of service charge, and points to consider when evaluating potential agents. The article will also address service agreements, contracts, and suggestions for successful library-agent relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents user experience data collected through surveys and interviews at an art museum library to offer a comprehensive picture of a diverse population of patrons’ print and digital access preferences for serials. The results of this study show that the line between digital and physical research preferences is incredibly nebulous, as patrons who start with digital sources often print out a copy for taking notes, and patrons who begin with physical resources often make a digital copy for future reference. Patrons do not necessarily prefer one format over the other in all cases, but rather realize that each new project requires a customized approach to research. This type of user experience data informs library services and empowers librarians to curate access to electronic and print serials in response to patrons’ specific research habits, impacting collection development, acquisitions, and outreach efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr. Carol Tilley delivered a vision session to the 32nd annual meeting of NASIG in Indianapolis, Indiana, on the history of comics readership and libraries, particularly in the United States during the mid-20th century, and the relevance of comics to libraries in the present. It raised awareness for the audience about progress that has been made on comics collecting and programming, as well as the need for librarians to continue and heighten their enthusiasm for this work. It also reminded us that comics tell stories and communicate ideas. They are part of our cultural heritage and they have been for decades. In questions and answers, the audience discussed both the challenges and the rewards of acquiring and organizing comics at their own institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers Bitcoin as a system of exchange, and the block chain technology it is built on, in the context of supporting developing nations. If integrated correctly Bitcoin could have far reaching applications, from tackling corruption to empowering women. This article found Bitcoin to be a feasible option, with support from real world applications and global endorsement from users. The discussion is then applied in the context of corruption as it puts forward this emerging technology as an alternative to traditional centralised fiscal systems. The article posits that public libraries could be potential facilitators and a crucial component of this integration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The case for digital information privacy has taken on new urgency for a 21st-century population reliant on personal digital devices. As smartphones and social media use become more ubiquitous, users must consider the security risks related to these devices and outlets. This article considers the legal “right” to digital information privacy, and the historical reaction of the American Library Association in cases of privacy protection and violation. This topic is considered through the example of the debate between Apple, Inc. and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding iPhone privacy rights in relation to the suspected terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California in December 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents information on international serials and electronic resource management which includes library schools, continuing education and library-orientated organizations. The article also discusses the awards and grants given by EBSCO Information Services and the recommendations provided by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO).

The explosion of availability of information on the Internet requires that libraries evolve into value-added information providers, rather than mere curators of collections. Modern libraries need to stay relevant to a diverse, technologically savvy patron base and to facilitate and add value to the research community, while facing significant resource constraints. To face these challenges, libraries need to embrace digital technologies and library management systems (LMS) in order to work smart and achieve more with less. While LMS systems have been around for decades, libraries can explore the new frontier by embracing open source solutions, like open source software (OSS) library systems, which are free to acquire. They need to collaborate with computer experts and become technologically savvy to harness the full power of OSS solutions to meet the specific needs of the library and patron base. This article provides an overview of the availability, benefits, and drawbacks of various LMS systems and OSS variants, drawing from experiences in the present Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2011 the Library of Congress commissioned the development of the next generation of machine-readable cataloging. The result of that effort was the Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME), which employed linked data and Semantic Web technologies to provide the basis for the future of bibliographic description. Some people are optimistic about the potential of BIBFRAME, others view BIBFRAME as an interesting experiment with an element of uncertainty as to its practical application, and still others are less optimistic about its prospects. To get a clearer picture of BIBFRAME and its true potential, we contacted Eric Miller, a founding father of Semantic Web technologies, a member of the original BIBFRAME team and president of Zepheira, a company that helps libraries increase their visibility on the open web. This column is a conversation with Eric in which we discuss the past, present and future of BIBFRAME and library linked data, including some success stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers world news briefs, as of April 1, 2016. Librarian Melanie Church received the 2016 First Step Award from Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS). The membership of the Canadian Library Association (CLA) voted to dissolve the CLA in a meeting. The 2016 North Carolina Serials Conference was held on March 21, 2016 in North Carolina.

The digitization of collections is often lauded not only for its preservation benefits but also for its social ones, as it can facilitate increased access to information. However, it is crucial to consider such developments within the context of differential access to and use of digital information and resources, an issue broadly known as the “digital divide.” More specifically, it is important to consider the possibility that such technological developments might exacerbate existing inequities. This article reviews the development of the concept of the digital divide, and considers its implications for library and information studies, institutions, and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T. Scott Plutchak, director of Digital Data Curation Strategies, gave a talk about managing data, managing expectations, and opportunities to manage your institution in the move to make research data accessible. An historic view of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the funder’s mandates, and other policy formations set the stage for the discussion of the role of the library in this institutional challenge. In his new role at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Plutchak operates at The Edge of Chaos, with “data wranglers”— concerned parties from a variety of disciplines who all have an interest in data management and who come together to share ideas and move closer to an innovative solution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Much of the recent library literature related to scholarly communication and predatory publishers has focused on faculty concerns regarding publishing in questionable journals for tenure or promotion purposes. However, little attention has been paid to predatory publishers in the context of student research and library instruction. The presence of predatory journals in library databases may put students at risk of including questionable content in their academic output. While the results of this study reveal that the number of predatory publishers and their associated journals are fairly small in the three article database packages and one directory that were examined, predatory journal content was more prevalent in one particular resource and in certain subject areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

E-books play an important role in library collections; however, the sheer number of books and the nature of access models, such as limited simultaneous use, create some significant challenges for their discovery and access. For this column we asked Nettie Lagace from the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) to tell us about some of the work NISO has been doing in this area and highlight some of the initiatives designed to provide more interoperability among parties in the e-book supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]