Are We There Yet? Moving to an E-Only Collection Development Policy for Books

Kate Moore’s presentation gave audience members an overview of the current e-book environment in academic libraries. Her presentation included a review of the literature on motivations for moving to an e-preferred collection development policy, information on user preferences and behavior with e-books, and technological barriers and other obstacles that still impede library uptake of e-books. She concluded with a list of items to consider when incorporating e-books into a collection development policy.     

Why Did We Buy That? New Customers and Changing Directions in Collection Development

This article describes the new role of academic libraries in higher education and shows how it has changed collection development objectives to serve a nontraditional constituency not served in the past. This is illustrated, in part, by Kent State University Library's review and selection of language-learning software, motivated by the university's strategic initiatives for globalization. It demonstrates a new trend to purchase resources that support administrative agendas and non-teaching programs, and the impact this has on how libraries frame collection development policies and allocate dollars for library content. As collection managers are redirecting support to revenue-building objectives, are they compromising support of educational objectives?     

Culture and evidence: or what good are the archives? Archives and archivists in twentieth century England

Archives have the potential to change people’s lives. They are created to enable the conduct of business and accountability, but they also support a democratic society’s expectations for transparency and the protection of rights, they underpin citizen’s rights and are the raw material of our history and memory. This paper examines these issues in the context of the historical development of archives and archivists in twentieth century England. The research lays the foundations for understanding how and why the modern archives and records management profession developed in England. This paper will investigate the historical conflict (or is it a continuum?) between archives as culture and as evidence. The story identifies and highlights the contributions made by many fascinating individuals who established archives services and professional practice in England in the twentieth century. They shaped the archive in a very real way, and their individual enthusiasms, interests and understandings set the course of the English archival profession. To a great extent, it was these individuals, rather than government or legislation, that set the boundaries of English archives, they decided what was included (acquired) and what was not (of archival value.) The conclusion will consider the more fundamental questions: what are archives and what are they for, or perhaps, ‘what good are the archives’?     

What Type of Internet Development Programme in Cameroon?

Everyone is trying to reap the extraordinary benefits of international networks, but without bothering to find out whether it is safe to do so. This paper echoes some questions being raised by the Cameroonian, and indeed the African, community. What will become of countries or social groups which do not get on to the Internet in time? Would the majority of the world population thus be cut off from a small group? What is the position regarding equality of conditions of access, freedom to communicate and interactivity facilities, understood as a network of exchanges? The programme for the development of the Internet in Cameroon is intended as a pilot experiment in a developing country, that could be taken up in other countries of the region.     

What Type of Internet Development Programme in Cameroon?

Everyone is trying to reap the extraordinary benefits of international networks, but without bothering to find out whether it is safe to do so. This paper echoes some questions being raised by the Cameroonian, and indeed the African, community. What will become of countries or social groups which do not get on to the Internet in time? Would the majority of the world population thus be cut off from a small group? What is the position regarding equality of conditions of access, freedom to communicate and interactivity facilities, understood as a network of exchanges? The programme for the development of the Internet in Cameroon is intended as a pilot experiment in a developing country, that could be taken up in other countries of the region.     

Will Library E-Books Help Solve the Textbook Affordability Issue? Using Textbook Adoption Lists to Target Collection Development

In response to rising textbook costs, many have urged adoption of open educational resources (OER) for students. However, library-owned e-books also provide free access to students, without the potential disadvantages of OER. In this study the authors explore the suitability of e-books as textbooks by examining the social sciences textbook list in Fall 2017 at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Overall, 18% of the textbooks were available as a multi-user format and this rate increased with course level. Despite their limited availability, multi-user e-books provide a free, convenient option for students, and they may play a role in the textbook affordability solution.     

Remember Me? Content Development in a User-Centered Services Library

As a response to the University of Kansas' (KU) strategic planning process and the need to identify budgetary efficiencies, the KU Libraries created a strategic plan and underwent a structural reorganization. In the new structure, the libraries went from thirty librarians doing collection development to seven selecting library materials for the core collection. The new, smaller, more agile department is responsible for all tasks related to collection development as the library moves from being a collection-centered institution to being user-centered. The new organization shifts the collection development paradigm from one based on academic disciplines to one that embraces a holistic view.     

Old Against New,or a Coming of Age? Broadcasting in an Era of Electronic Media

“Broadcasting” is often cast as an outdated term—we are constantly told that we are in the midst of a digital/social media revolution that will make the unidirectional, mass communication model obsolete. In response, we argue that to consider the continued relevance of terms like “broadcasting” in an era of electronic media is to neither hastily disregard the legacy of these terms, nor cling to them too rigidly. In this special issue of the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media written and edited by graduate students, we begin a new thread in the longstanding conversation about what it means for media to be “old” and “new.” While this distinction is not one we should take for granted, the articles in this issue all show how we can strategically approach the intricate intersections and interconnections of different media, old and new. As such, this issue collectively calls our attention not to the familiar trope of “old against new,” but rather to the tensions that arise around a “coming of age.” Presenting a wide range of international scholarship from graduate students across many different disciplinary backgrounds, topical literatures, methodological approaches, and theoretical frameworks, this special issue represents an emerging approach to what it means to study broadcasting in an era of electronic media.     

“Living encyclopedia” or idle talk? Seeking and providing consumer information in an Internet newsgroup

The article investigates the character of the Internet newsgroups as fora of information seeking, and reviews the potentials of “weak and strong ties” proposed by Granovetter and the prospects of newsgroups as a “living encyclopedia” suggested by Rheingold. An empirical study in the field of consumer issues was conducted by focusing on a Finnish newsgroup sfnet.kuluttajat. The research questions deal with the nature of information needs and the ways in which the participants provided help regarding requests addressed to the group. About 9% of the 894 messages contained questions indicating explicit information needs. Attention was also paid to the sources and channels used by participants providing help to information seekers. About 24% of messages contained answers to questions. Help providers preferred their own experience as an information source. Both successful and unsuccessful attempts at information seeking were explored. Surprisingly, there was practically no dialogue between information seekers and providers, even though newsgroups provide opportunities for interaction.     

Analogy in persuasion: Translator's dictionary or art?

Rhetorical and communication scholars have long asserted the significance of analogy in persuasion. A variety of persuasive roles have been stipulated for analogies. These accounts are inconsistent, so individual explanations are either inaccurate or incomplete. This essay aims to refine understandings of analogy by reviewing, critiquing, and synthesizing several classical and contemporary rhetorical analyses, a cognitive model of analogy processing, and dual‐process theories of persuasion. The synthesis, which is presented in an integrated set of propositions, offers a systematic view of the potential suasory roles of explanatory and expressive analogies. Suggestions for testing the propositions are discussed as well.     

At a Crossroads or Caught in the Crossfire?

This study of crime reporting shows that keeping crime records secret hurts democratic consolidation. While many reporters and journalism experts interviewed claimed to value the presumption of innocence, at the same time, many skirted legal restrictions and ethical codes. Police and prosecutors supplied leaks, and reporters sought further information from witnesses. This porous secrecy leads to publication of rumors and unreliable eye-witness accounts. Four exacerbating factors affect this reporting method: widespread “clientelism,” a partisan news media, an alternative definition of “public interest,” and weak professionalism.     

Lead soaps in paintings: Friends or foes?

The origin(s) and role(s) of metal soaps in paints are a worldwide concern today. These hybrid compounds, containing both fatty acid chains and metals associated with a carboxylate function, are increasingly identified in paints. As reviewed in the first part of this work, the presence of metal soaps in paints is differently interpreted in scientific publications: metal soaps are sometimes considered to play a positive role as anchor points, during paint drying processes; they can also be considered as responsible for many degradation processes (protrusions, efflorescences, darkening, etc.). Their origins are also interpreted in various ways. In some paintings (in particular from the twentieth century), they have sometimes introduced on purpose, as additives, to modify the physical properties of the painting materials. In older paintings, metal soaps are usually thought to result from an uncontrolled reaction of oil with lead-based pigments, in particular lead white, red lead, and lead tin yellow. In the second part of this work, the review of historical recipes of lead-based paint shows an important number of recipes based on controlled mixing of oil with lead driers. In the third part, the experimental reproduction of such traditional recipes using walnut oil and litharge (PbO) shows that lead soaps can be formed, both in about one hour at ～100°C, or in about one month at room temperature. It shows as well that after a few years, litharge is no longer detected in the paint medium, while different lead carbonates are. Finally, the micro-infrared spectroscopy and micro-X-ray diffraction re-analysis of protrusions from a nine-year model painting shows together with lead soaps, the presence of Pb₅(CO₃)₃(OH)₂O (‘synthetic plumbonacrite’), an unusual phase recently observed in a protrusion from a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. This work highlights (i) the multiple origins and roles of metal soaps in paints and (ii) the importance of combining the analysis of fragments from historical paintings with the analysis and reproduction of historical recipes. In particular, we show that the components detected today in historical paintings may severely differ from those originally used or prepared by the painter, complicating the assessment of the painter's intentions. More than the presence of metal soaps, the key questions to be tackled should be about their origins and (re)mobilization.     

Is What’s “Trending” What’s Worth Purchasing? Insights from a National Study of Collection Development Librarians

ABSTRACT

New forms of data like altmetrics are helping librarians to make smarter decisions about their collections. A recent nationwide study administered to librarians at R1 universities shines light on exactly how these metrics are being applied in academia. This article is based on a presentation from the NASIG 31st Annual Conference. It includes survey results addressing previously unknown rates of technology and metrics uptake among collection development librarians, the most popular citation databases and altmetrics services being used to make decisions, and surprising factors that affect attitudes toward the use of metrics.     

Future Development of Academic Libraries in E-learning Times—— Interpretation and Thinking in ACRL＇ s Futhures Thinking for Academic Librarians： Higher Education in 2025

E-learning时代高校教育环境、学术交流的新发展对高校图书馆原有的工作和服务模式提出了新挑战。基于对ACRL未来研究报告的解读,分析高校图书馆未来15年可能要面对的新变化,对高校图书馆如何结合环境变化和用户需求,确定业务定位,制定战略目标,规划教学、科研信息服务的未来发展,调整组织结构、工作模式等提出参考意见。