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Few women major in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at the undergraduate level. Given the drive to attract and retain students in general, and women in STEM in particular, educational institutions need to know what resources and services might help support these students in their work. This study seeks to provide a better understanding of how undergraduate women in STEM use the academic library. The study involved focus groups and interviews with women at a research-intensive university in the United States. Grounded theory principles provided a basis for analysis of the collected conversations. The findings from this study indicate that undergraduate women in STEM depend on the academic library as a quiet place to study where there are few distractions and technology is easily available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library and information science practice and research have transitioned from positioning the user in the life of the library to placing the library in the life of the user. A review of OCLC Research themes during the past twenty years identifies a shift in focus from the optimization and quantitative analysis of library collections, systems, and services to the study of the needs and expectations of users of library collections, systems, and services. Just as libraries operate within local and global networks and ecosystems, users, with diverse needs and expectations, are embedded in communities in various ways. This new environment changes the focus from individual decision making to collaborative decision making, centering and emphasizing the importance of relationships and experiences. OCLC's research has addressed these trends, providing a path for library leaders and staff to create their New Model Library that focuses on agility, collaboration, virtualization, and space within their work, collections, and engagement experiences. This framework offers a way to navigate the transition to the library in the life of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on increasing emphasis on equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice in academia. Topics include higher education's commitment to diversity and social justice manifested in mission statements and highlighted in strategic plans; and other publishing groups staking a claim to coining the actual term overarching conceptualization.

This article describes the results of a survey that gathered data on perceptions and use of e-books from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff at two Maryland research universities in 2019. It follows two previous surveys in 2012 and 2014 by the same team of investigators, with slight changes in personnel, and compares results across time, by user affiliation with the university, and by STEM versus non-STEM disciplines. The study concludes with a discussion of the major findings and their implications for academic libraries and publishers, as well as areas for further inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost analyses are ways in which individual libraries can generate information about how their budgets are used, and can possibly help demonstrate the worth and value of work in catalog and metadata creation in academic libraries. However, despite their acceptance in the professional literature, cost analyses may be deeply flawed. This article begins with a broad survey of the professional and scholarly literature focusing on cost analysis and the elements composing it. The nature of cost analysis and the goals of costing practices, including the potential to calculate a return on investment (ROI), are presented. Next, through an analysis of the recent (2000–2019) scholarly literature on costing cataloging and metadata creation in academic libraries, we present peer-reviewed literature relating to costs; we demonstrate that the scholarly literature diverges from a focus on cost analysis to focus instead on improvements to individual aspects of cataloging and metadata creation work. In the final section, we propose approaching the catalog as a service that can be assessed in terms of opportunity costs for failed interactions. Overall findings suggest that focusing on user needs can be a productive alternative approach to considering the value and worth of academic library catalog and metadata creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory case study discusses how information literacy elements are presented in first-year composition assignments developed by teaching assistants. The study used content analysis of the instructions accompanying research assignments to understand research projects and their information literacy elements. The analysis found the library largely missing from discussion about research in the directions. Language about how to do research was vague or inconsistent, and guidelines offered flexibility where novice researchers might benefit from more structure. However, the assignments excelled at scaffolding learning. This study will help librarians collaborate with instructors and writing program administrators to ensure appropriate incorporation of information literacy into assignments while also offering ideas for tailoring library instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries remain one of the last places on campus where the purging of usage data is encouraged and "tracking" is a dirty word. While some libraries have demonstrated the usefulness of analytics, opponents bring up issues of privacy and debate the feasibility of student-generated library data for planning and assessment. Using a study conducted at the University Library, California State University, Long Beach, the authors of this article identified practical knowledge of data research that academic librarians will benefit from understanding. Readers will learn about the role campus culture plays in data gathering, be exposed to the complexities of learning analytics and Institutional Review Board (IRB) clearance, and read how the authors weighed the ethical use of big data analysis for assessing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an investigation into whether institutional repositories at member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) provide publicly available metadata documentation via the repositories' websites. The study compares the results of a September 2017 survey with findings from a review of ARL institutional repository websites. Slightly more than half of ARL institutional repositories do provide metadata documentation. Implications of the results are discussed, including specific research questions for moving forward. A call to reimagine documentation as a tool of transparency is delivered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bstract The aim of this paper is to determine access provision for sight-impaired students (SISs) in Nigerian university libraries. This is based on the principle that accessibility to available information in the library is a necessary fulcrum for effective use of information resources and services and the satisfaction of the information needs and educational growth of people in a community. Sight-impaired students refers to students who have sight disability. The main objective of setting up university libraries is to support and encourage scholarship and research in all fields of human endeavor, irrespective of abililty/disability. Thus, this paper examines the concept and characteristics of sight-impaired students and the role of Nigerian university libraries in serving SISs. The paper examines the gaps between available information resources and needed information resources, the challenges Nigerian university libraries face in filling the gaps, and makes relevant recommendations for enhancement of access provision for SISs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bstract This article provides an overview of the changing role of the library in scholarly publishing and the rising phenomenon of library-press collaboration. It examines, through a literature review and two case studies, how and why the library has taken on this new role in scholarly publishing and created partnerships with university presses. The case studies describe current library-press partnerships from the perspective of institutional context, publishing services, and respective roles and responsibilities. Authors also briefly discuss the possible future of the library-press partnership in scholarly publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including academic libraries, library publishing, and scholarly publishing.

abstract Zines have begun to gain a place in higher education as pedagogical tools studied or made by students, and many academic libraries maintain zine collections. The library literature reveals little about how nonlibrarian faculty use zines in their classrooms. This paper describes the results of a survey of faculty from a range of academic disciplines and professions who teach with zines and other booklet forms. Survey results reveal the extent to which faculty zine pedagogies include collaboration with librarians and use of library collections. Faculty describe instructional activities and attitudes that many library professionals, including reference and instruction librarians, directors or deans, catalogers, acquisition and special collections librarians, and archivists, may find useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between architecture and interior space on student engagement at a newly constructed academic library. Using an action, mixed-methods approach with a convenience sample, researchers evaluated 744 photographs, 125 behavioral observations, and six group interviews. Analysis revealed four key attributes of engaging library design: engagement culture, core connectedness, environmental messages, and transformational challenges, thus affirming that spatial designs can influence behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the patterns of use of print materials and digital resources in an undergraduate library in a Chilean university, by the students' discipline and year of study. A quantitative analysis was carried out, including descriptive analysis of contingency tables, chi-squared tests, f-tests, and multiple linear regressions. The results showed that the use of the library by undergraduate students did not follow a common pattern and instead varied across disciplines. The article also shows that access to digital resources does not replace the use of print materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined gender and racial differences among undergraduate library collection users at the University of Mississippi. Checkout and electronic resource use data were compiled for the calendar year 2014. These data were used along with statistical testing to distinguish between groups and determine how well the library collection was serving both historically underserved and nonminority populations. The results indicate that minority groups are served as well as, if not better than, the control groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the role of librarians as stewards of the academic library in helping off-campus communities meet pressing challenges in the 21st century. According to the author, to help break the academe-community barrier librarians should look beyond the confines of the library to transform the place into a more outward-facing institution. Further, he notes that as stewards of place, librarians should view libraries and communities as an organic unity and not as separate entities.

This article describes the results of a survey that gathered data on perceptions and use of e-books from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. The investigators analyzed the results based on user affiliate status and subject discipline and compared the results with the findings of a similar, smaller-scale study conducted in 2012. The study concludes with a discussion of the major findings and their implications for academic libraries and publishers, as well as areas for further inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special collections and area studies librarians face similar challenges in the changing academic library environment, including the need to articulate the value of these specialized collections and to mainstream processes and practices into larger discovery, teaching, learning, and research efforts. For some institutions, these similarities have led to combining these areas of librarianship into a shared administrative structure. This article articulates the concept of "distinctive collections," identifies the shared challenges of these programs, and enumerates some essential differences, as well as outlines some observations from institutions that have taken this step. It further suggests opportunities for these areas to build strength and significantly impact teaching, learning, and research together. Future research agendas that might propel further investigation of "distinctive collections" are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a brief introduction to the Republic of Slovenia and presents a history of its library system. Although the first "public" library opened in 1569 and the first "public" research library in 1701, the current library system originated in the twentieth century, after World War I. The library system of Slovenia today is an organized network consisting of publicly funded libraries of all types, which have been in continuous development since the end of World War II. Several academic and research libraries started using informationretrieval systems in the early 1970s, while other Slovenian libraries started using automated services during the late 1980s. Slovenian libraries have recently reached a relatively high level of development and are now focused on providing digital resources and other new services to their users. While digital libraries are active these days and several acquisition consortia are currently providing user access to numerous resources after a long period of stable and significant growth, the recent global financial crisis provoked austerity measures that are threatening the continued development of the country's library system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Building on the theoretical proposals of Kevin Guthrie and others concerning the transition from print books to e-books in academic and health sciences libraries, this paper presents data collected using the MINES for Libraries® e-resource survey methodology. Approximately 6,000 e-book uses were analyzed from a sample of e-resource usage at thirteen academic and health sciences research libraries between July 2009 and June 2013. The authors report on findings about e-book usage and propose explanations regarding how the adoption path from print books to e-books differs from the growth in use of e-journals and the associated decline in print journals usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses and compares the quality of sources found by undergraduate students when doing research using both Google and a library (federated) search tool. Thirty undergraduates were asked to find four sources (one book, two articles, and one additional source of their choosing) related to a selected research topic. Students used both Google and a federated search (resource discovery) tool to find material they believed to be relevant. Each source was evaluated for topic relevance, authority, appropriateness, and date, and assigned a total quality score. Results showed that the books found via Google were slightly higher quality than those uncovered via the federated search tool. The articles and additional sources students found via the federated search tool were slightly to moderately higher quality, respectively, than those discovered via Google. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to provide readers with a snapshot of the Lithuanian library sector since the year 2000. The sector functions as a modern, open, user-oriented, and professional system comparable to other library sectors in Europe. The community of Lithuanian librarians is organized in several professional associations that help in developing different aspects of library work: cooperation, supporting and expanding library activity, and coordinating mutual initiatives. The legal foundations for providing access to information, and the institutions providing information and ensuring its preservation in various forms, are set out in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and a set of laws regulating library work. The Lithuanian Ministry of Culture is authorized to regulate state administration of all libraries in Lithuania. The library system consists of the networks of public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries, and special libraries. This paper presents the developments in each of these networks over the past fourteen years. In 2011, a "scientifically" derived strategic plan was developed, which marked a new turn in the management of the state library sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes a broad view of the evolution of collecting behaviors in a network environment and suggests some future directions based on various simple models. The authors look at the changing dynamics of print collections, at the greater engagement with research and learning behaviors, and at trends in scholarly communication. The goal is to provide context within which libraries can discuss changing patterns of investment across collection categories. The authors argue that the network is reconfiguring not only individual academic libraries but also the whole library system, as reduced transaction costs facilitate the unbundling of functions and their consolidation in network platforms and with other external service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, we embrace a vision of the future of academic libraries where librarians confront and creatively address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity within our profession and actively pursue a social justice agenda within our libraries and in the communities we serve. This future requires that we acknowledge that many of our current practices reinforce existing structures of inequity and privilege, and that we leverage our services and resources to support, document, and encourage diversity and social justice efforts within librarianship and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of more than 1,300 faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in the humanities and social sciences at the University of Maryland generated a wealth of data on use and opinions of e-books among those users. While the initial purpose of the survey was to gather data that would aid humanities and social sciences librarians in making collection development decisions for their academic departments, the data will also be useful to all academic librarians who make decisions about e-books for their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The King Library in San José, California, is a unique combination of academic and public library. It serves the diverse populations of the City of San José and San José State University (SJSU). This article provides analysis of data collected in a study on the concept of "library as place" and SJSU students' sense of belonging toward the King Library building. This study involved a mixed quantitative-qualitative research approach. In total, 744 students were surveyed. The results show that SJSU students use the library and it is relevant to their needs. Ideas for improvement and creation of services are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of large collections by members of the American Association of Research Libraries is seen by them as fundamental to their research support role. This article outlines collection development and management practice and policy of the association members between 1945 and 1979. The study is a critical history where narrative is accompanied by analysis and context. Collecting policy and practice is reviewed with a focus on the strategies adopted to cope with the consequences of growth which led to pressure on capacity. A critique of collections policy reviews three significant causal factors: institutional competition, the conception of the role of librarian as a "bookman" as opposed to manager, and the belief that collections would be of longer-term value to the university in that they transcended immediate needs. The advent of usage studies is examined, and the implications of the study for current policy concerning printed collections are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the publication and copyright status of American dissertations produced prior to 1978. The study uses an exploratory review of documentation and a content analysis of written communications to investigate whether doctoral dissertation dissemination was in the form of college libraries or through microfilm. Results show that both library deposit and microfilm distribution of the dissertations were considered publication for copyright purposes.

Presents an overview on the impact of academic librarians on library science. Transformational issues affecting college libraries; Theories on digital libraries and information management; Impact of the Internet on librarianship.

Reviews the findings of the Association of Research Libraries E-Metrics project for institutional outcomes framework development. Four major techniques of data collection; Need for updated perspectives and additional research; Need for a comprehensive assessment of libraries in the broader university and societal context; Integration of outcomes assessment in a university setting.

Presents information from a project that Simon Fraser University library implemented to assess its collection allocations. Describes how the university's collection building was consistent with the university's academic priorities; Examines the factors employed in identifying misaligned allocations.

Explores the impact that electronic resources have on serials cancellation and remote storage decisions in academic research libraries. Cancellation issues to consider; Application of criteria to serial cancellations; Issues to consider in the selection of print materials for storage; Application of traditional criteria for storage when electronic resources are available.

Focuses on recent trends in statewide academic library partnerships in the United States. Why academic libraries were originally created; Why they have been forming joint ventures; Examination of five of these statewide efforts, including the Louisiana Library Network, OhioLINK and TexShare in Texas; Areas of particular interest in these efforts.