Search

Despite ongoing efforts to improve database accessibility, aggregated database vendors concede that they do not have complete control over document accessibility. Instead, they point to the responsibility of journal publishers to deliver articles in an accessible format. This may increase the likelihood that users with disabilities will encounter articles that are not compatible with a screen reader. To better understand the extent of the problem, a document accessibility audit was conducted of randomly selected articles from EBSCO's Library & Information Source database. Full-text articles from 12 library science journals were evaluated against two measures of screen reader compatibility: HTML format (the optimal format for screen readers) and PDF accessibility conformance. Findings showed inconsistencies in HTML format availability for articles in the selected journals. Additionally, the entire sample of PDF articles failed to meet the minimum standard of PDF Universal Accessibility of containing a tagged structure. However, all PDF articles passed accessibility permissions tests, so could be made accessible retroactively by a third party. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities and scientific educational institutions today need targeted information services to ensure that their user communities have the information they need. This study aims to design, develop, implement, and evaluate a mobile application for academic library services at Tarbiat Modares University (Tehran, Iran). A four-stage process was utilized to accomplish this aim. In the first phase, relevant literature was reviewed to obtain appropriate data requirements for the app. A questionnaire was designed and administered to survey expert librarians on the most suitable data requirements. The second phase involved the design of the user interface and user experience with the assistance of experts, followed by the evaluation of the experience. The third phase involved the development of the app in the Android Studio environment using the Java programming language, based on the requirements identified in the first and second phases. The app was then made available to the user community. Finally, the app was evaluated in the fourth phase using a questionnaire tool. The researchers found this approach to application development to be both economical and effective in the context of a developing country., INTRODUCTION Academic libraries are recognized as essential institutions for providing scientific resources and facilitating access to the user community. (1) Considering the role of university libraries in providing guidance and [...]

This qualitative, evaluative case study details the conceptual framing, development, delivery, and assessment of a privacy literacy workshop called Digital Shred. The workshop is a multi-institutional effort offered initially in-person in fall 2019 and adapted to virtual delivery in fall 2020. The conceptual framework underlying the workshop includes reputation management, behavioral surplus, data doubles, data governance, and information security damage assessments. Learning outcomes and activities were inspired by inclusive, responsive, active learning pedagogy. Anonymous formative assessment feedback suggests that participants are motivated by the personalized learning activities and value this theory-informed approach to privacy literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preprints play an important role in scholarly conversation. This paper examines perceptions of preprints through the lens of students using a simulated Google environment. Data were collected from 116 high school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate students with attention toward the helpfulness, credibility, and identification of preprints. Findings show preprint and peer-reviewed cues play little to no role in judging helpfulness or citability, but peer-review does when judging credibility. Further, most students did not recognize these resources as preprints. Implications and recommendations are discussed surrounding awareness and use of these openly available sources of scientific information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of an environmental scan conducted as part of a Digital Exhibits Intern Librarian Project at the Edmonton Public Library in 2016. As part of the Library's 2016-2018 Business Plan objective to define the vision for a digital exhibits service, this research project aimed to understand the current landscape of digital displays in learning institutions globally. The resulting study consisted of 39 structured interviews with libraries, museums, galleries, schools, and creative design studios. The environmental scan explored the technical infrastructure of digital displays, their user groups, various uses for the technologies within organizational contexts, the content sources, scheduling models, and resourcing needs for this emergent service. Additionally, broader themes surrounding challenges and successes were also included in the study. Despite the variety of approaches taken among learning institutions in supporting digital displays, the majority of organizations have expressed a high degree of satisfaction with these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting a web-scale discovery service is a large and important undertaking that involves a significant investment of time, staff, and resources. Finding the right match begins with a thorough and carefully planned evaluation process. To be successful, this process should be inclusive, goal-oriented, datadriven, user-centered, and transparent. The following article offers a step-by-step guide for developing a web-scale discovery evaluation plan rooted in these five key principles based on best practices synthesized from the literature as well as the author's own experiences coordinating the evaluation process at Rutgers University. The goal is to offer academic libraries that are considering acquiring a web-scale discovery service a blueprint for planning a structured and comprehensive evaluation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online linking to full text via third-‐party link-‐resolution services, such as Serials Solutions 360 Link or Ex Libris' SFX, has become a popular method of access to users in academic libraries. This article describes several attempts made over the course of the past three years at the University of Michigan to gather data on linkage failure: the method used, the limiting factors, the changes made in methods, an analysis of the data collected, and a report of steps taken locally because of the studies. It is hoped that the experiences at one institution may be applicable more broadly and, perhaps, produce a stronger data-‐driven effort at improving linking services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented reality (AR) technology has implications for the ways that the field of library and information science (LIS) serves users and organizes information. Through content analysis, the author examined how AR is conceptualized within a sample of LIS literature from the Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database and Google Blogs postings. The author also examined whether Radical Change Theory (RCT) and the digital--‐age principles of interactivity, connectivity, and access are present in the discussion of this technology. The analysis of data led to the identification of 14 categories comprising 132 total codes across sources within the data set. The analysis indicates that the conceptualization of AR, while inconsistent, suggests expectations that the technology will enhance the user experience. This can lead to future examinations of user behavior, response, and observation of technologies like AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries have been at the forefront in adopting emerging technologies to manage the library's operations and provide information services to the user community they serve. With the emergence of cloud computing (CC) technology, libraries are exploring and adopting CC service models to make their own services more efficient, reliable, secure, scalable, and cost-effective. In this article, the authors share their experience migrating some of the library's locally hosted ICT-based services onto the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The migration of services to a cloud platform has helped the library significantly reduce the downtime of its services due to power or network or system outages., INTRODUCTION Established in 1909, the Indian Institute of Science is a leading advanced education and research institution in the sciences and engineering. Since its inception, the Institute has balanced an [...]

Open search systems present a free and less restricted alternative to commercial search services. This paper explores the space of open search technology, looking in particular at lightweight search protocols and the issue of interoperability. A description of current protocols and formats for engineering open search applications is presented. The suitability of these technologies and issues around their adoption and operation are discussed. This open search approach is especially useful in applications involving the harvesting of resources and information integration. Principal among the technological solutions are OpenSearch, SRU, and OAI-PMH. OpenSearch and SRU realize a federated model to enable content providers and search clients communicate. Applications that use OpenSearch and SRU are presented. Connections are made with other pertinent technologies such as open-source search software and linking and syndication protocols. The deployment of these freely licensed open standards in web and digital library applications is now a genuine alternative to commercial and proprietary systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors examined the value of research consultations, an important component of reference services. Previous research explored the sustainability and scalability of a large-scale research consultation project [...]

In spring 2015, the Cal Poly Pomona University Library conducted usability testing with ten student testers to establish recommendations and guide the migration process from LibGuides version 1 to version 2. This case study describes the results of the testing as well as raises additional questions regarding the general effectiveness of LibGuides, especially when students rely heavily on search to find library resources., INTRODUCTION Guides designed to help users with research have long been included among a suite of reference services offered by academic libraries, though terminology, formats, and mediums of delivery have [...]

To provide effective service at the reference desk, proper training for those staffing the desk is essential. Those responsible for reference training know that developing trainings that are both effective [...]

How can academic librarians improve reference services for marginalized students? How can research into such questions center students' ideas and experiences? This study uses Photovoice, a participatory method that combines [...]

The article discusses work of librarians as media advocates to find the media that satisfies their information needs, regardless of format. Topics discussed include importance of maintaining open dialogues in the media mentorship process; information on stratified random sampling, which works to identify a representative set of public library websites; and role of the librarian as mentor for parents and children.

There is very little public data on usage of digitized library collections. New methods for promoting and sharing digitized collections are created all the time, but very little investigation has been done on the effect of those efforts on usage of the collections on library websites. This study attempts to measure the effects of reposting a collection on Flickr on use of the collection in a library-run institutional repository (IR). The results are inconclusive, but the paper provides background on the topic and guidance for future efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last several years, Google Earth and Google Maps have been adopted by many academic institutions as academic research and mapping tools. The authors were interested in discovering how popular the Google mapping products are in the academic library setting. A survey was conducted to establish the mapping products' popularity, and type of use in an academic library setting. Results show that over 90 percent of the respondents use Google Earth and Google Maps either to help answer research questions, to create and access finding aids, for instructional purposes or for promotion and marketing. The authors recommend expanding the mapping products' user base to include all reference and liaison librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the ways in which libraries are currently implementing and managing web-based research guides (a.k.a. Pathfinders, LibGuides, Subject Guides, etc.) by examining two sets of data from the spring of 2011. One set of data was compiled by visiting the websites of ninety-nine American university ARL libraries and recording the characteristics of each site’s research guides. The other set of data is based on an online survey of librarians about the ways in which their libraries implement and maintain research guides. In conclusion, a discussion follows that includes implications for the library technology community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web-scale discovery services for libraries provide deep discovery to a library's local and licensed content and represent an evolution-perhaps a revolution-for end-user information discovery as pertains to library collections. This article frames the topic of web-scale discovery and begins by illuminating web-scale discovery from an academic library's perspective-that is, the internal perspective seeking widespread staff participation in the discovery conversation. This included the creation of the Discovery Task Force, a group that educated library staff, conducted internal staff surveys, and gathered observations from early adopters. The article next addresses the substantial research conducted with library vendors that have developed these services. Such work included drafting of multiple comprehensive question lists distributed to the vendors, onsite vendor visits, and continual tracking of service enhancements. Together, feedback gained from library staff, insights arrived at by the Discovery Task Force, and information gathered from vendors collectively informed the recommendation of a service for the UNLV Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Click analytics is a powerful technique that displays what and where users are clicking on a webpage helping libraries to easily identify areas of high and low usage on a page without having to decipher website use data sets. Click analytics is a subset of web analytics, but there is little research that discusses its potential uses for libraries. This paper introduces three click analytics tools, Google Analytics' In-Page Analytics, ClickHeat, and Crazy Egg, and evaluates their usefulness in the context of redesigning a library's homepage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet Public Library (IPL), now known as ipl2, was created in 1995 with the mission of serving the public by providing librarian-recommended Internet resources and reference help. We present an exploratory case study on public perceptions of an "Internet public library," based on qualitative analysis of interviews with ten college student participants: some current users and others unfamiliar with the IPL. The exploratory interviews revealed some confusion around the IPL's name and the types of resources and services that would be offered. Participants made many positive comments about the IPL's resource quality, credibility, and personal help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries, as in most libraries, resources are dispersed into a number of closed "silos" with an organization-centric, rather than patron-centric, layout. Patrons frequently have trouble navigating and discovering the dozens of disparate interfaces, and any attempt at a global overview of our information offerings is at the same time incomplete and highly complex. While consolidation of interfaces is widely considered to be desirable, certain challenges have made it elusive in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the applications and importance of content-based information retrieval technology in digital libraries. It generalizes the process and analyzes current examples in four areas of the technology. Content-based information retrieval has been shown to be an effective way to search for the type of multimedia documents that are increasingly stored in digital libraries. As a good complement to traditional text-based information retrieval technology, content-based information retrieval will be a significant trend for the development of digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the technology brief is to familiarize library decision-makers with the opportunities and challenges of participatory networks. In order to accomplish this goal the brief is divided into four sections (excluding an overview and a detailed statement of goal): ∎ a conceptual framework for understanding and evaluating participatory networks; ∎ a discussion of key concepts and technologies in participatory networks drawn primarily from Web 2.0 and Library 2.0; ∎ a merging of the conceptual framework with the technological discussion to present a roadmap for library systems development; and ∎ a set of recommendations to foster greater discussion and action on the topic of participatory networks and, more broadly, participatory librarianship. This summary will highlight the discussions in each of these four topics. For consistency, the section numbers and titles from the full brief are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge organization systems denotes formally represented knowledge that is used within the context of digital libraries to improve data sharing and information retrieval. To increase their use, and to reuse them when possible, it is vital to manage them adequately and to provide them in a standard interchange format. Simple knowledge organization systems (SKOS) seem to be the most promising representation for the type of knowledge models used in digital libraries, but there is a lack of tools that are able to properly manage it. This work presents a tool that fills this gap, facilitating their use in different environments and using SKOS as an interchange format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how social scientists arrive at and utilize information in the course of their research. Results are drawn about the use of information resources and channels to address information inquiry, the strategies for information seeking, and the difficulties encountered in information seeking for academic research in today's information environment. These findings refine the understanding of the dynamic relationship between information systems and services and their users within social-scientific research practice and provide implications for scholarly information-system development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual search interfaces have been shown by researchers to assist users with information search and retrieval. Recently, several major library vendors have added visual search interfaces or functions to their products. For public service librarians, perhaps the most critical area of interest is the extent to which visual search interfaces and text-based search interfaces support research. This study presents the results of eight full-scale usability tests of both the EBSCOhost Basic Search and Visual Search in the context of a large liberal arts university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From major tasks—such as recruitment of new students and staff—to the more mundane but equally important tasks—such as providing directions to campus—college and university Web sites perform a wide range of tasks for a varied assortment of users. Overlapping functions and user needs meld to create the need for a Web site with three major functions: promotion and marketing, access to online services, and providing a means of communication between individuals and groups. In turn, college and university Web sites that provide links to their library home page can be valuable assets for recruitment, public relations, and for helping users locate online services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion on document-management technology (DMT) and presents a case study of the implementation of DMT. Library acquisitions has moved from paper to online records for ordering and receiving, but the audit archive for invoices has remained largely paper based. DMT offers a solution to this condition. The article considers the rationale and policy decisions that underpin the elimination of paper in favor of image files as an audit archive in library materials invoicing. It also presents a case study of the implementation of DMT to support and enhance traditional invoice processing in the acquisitions department of a large research library.

Discusses the technological changes occurring in libraries and how these changes will impact the role of librarians in the future. Concerns over the continued relevance of information professionals as infomediaries in the future; Concept of digital libraries; Description of the virtual shelves.

The ever-increasing need for information, with its complexity and escalating costs; the enormous growth in publications, and the emergence of subject specialization have compelled librarians to share resources through information networks and systems. This paper describes the necessity of networking among the Himalayan Studies and Research Centers in India, allowing the sharing of information originating from the Himalayan Studies Information System (HIMIS). The paper also discusses in brief the definition of information systems, as well as the objectives and needs of a proposed HIMIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the significance of search engines to both the librarian and the patrons in Washington, D.C. Creation of the Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) by the Library of Congress; Objectives of CDRS; Mechanism of the service.

The current library marketplace includes five index-based discovery services from three vendors. It is notable that the products in this category have remained constant since the initial slate of offerings [...]

In the last chapter, we discussed some examples of rapid technology change, evolving technology and job duties in libraries, consumer technology innovation cycles, and the way changes in consumer technology [...]

Focuses on the possible demise of libraries. Definition of library; Means through which organizations and communities subsidize the distribution of information to residents and members; Transition of information communication technology from tangible objects to electronic bits on a network; Subsidies for networked information.

Focuses on the concerns of the electronic information environment. Obligation of libraries to act globally to express their market positions on the pricing, terms and conditions relating to the purchase of electronic information; Information on the scholarly communication system; Reference to the number of key issues that have impacted upon the provision of electronic information; Expectations of libraries.