Community Connections: Advocating for Libraries through Effective Brand Advocacy

ABSTRACT

Information professionals strive to understand the needs of communities in order to discover ways to connect and engage them in library resources and services. Positive word-of-mouth communication remains one of the most powerful tools used to develop mutually rewarding connections with the community. This article argues that libraries can harness the power of brand advocacy to transform their patrons into the most enthusiastic sharers of information, or informal brand advocates. Moreover, it emphasizes how libraries can carefully build and maintain mutually rewarding community connections through effective brand advocacy by utilizing the STEPPS framework – Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, Stories. Each principle in this framework can help an organization to effectively spread important brand messages. While the social currency principle encourages people to talk about topics that make them appear more favorable to others, triggers provide everyday cues that remind people of the library brand. Emotion focuses on appealing to feelings and the public principle calls for initiatives that advertise the brand. Finally, practical value motivates people to spread useful information and the stories principle explains that people share their experiences through memorable narratives. The article calls for adopting a holistic approach toward brand advocacy in applying the STEPPS framework in libraries.     

The Use of Polyethylene Glycols in the Field of Painting Restoration

Abstract

A stereocamera adapted to a binocular microscope is used to produce stereomicrograph colour transparencies. Such slides can be examined with a viewer or a stereoscope. They can also be projected on to a screen with a special projector and viewed through eyeglasses. Flash bulbs are used to eliminate vibration problems during exposure.     

Connecting with What Is Out There!: Using Twitter in the Large Lecture

Objectives: Students and teachers will develop both practical skills and theoretical/cultural understanding with regards to how Twitter can be used to present ideas and create dialogue between individuals and communities within and outside the classroom.

Course(s): Primarily, this student engagement method can be used in any large lecture class (e.g., Introduction to Mass Communication, Introduction to Communication Studies). However, such methods can be used for any course where frequent and short communications are required and/or encouraged between members of the class.     

Social Media Marketing: Determining and Comparing View of Public Library Directors and Users

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The present study aims to determine and compare the views of directors and users of public libraries on the use of social media for the marketing of library services.

Methodology: Data collection was done through two researcher-made questionnaires, one from the viewpoints of directors and one investigating the views of users. The questionnaires’ validity was done by four libraries and Information Science professionals, and the reliability was determined by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The statistical population of this research is made up of all directors and users of 12 public libraries of the city of Isfahan, one of the largest cities in Iran.

Findings: In users’ viewpoints, the “interaction capability” is the most important feature that social media marketing can have in libraries. From the viewpoints of the directors, “creating a true picture of the role of the library” and “informing users about library services” are among the most important reasons for the marketing of libraries in the social media. From the perspective of both groups, the Telegram is the most appropriate medium for the marketing of library services.

Results: To maintain their customers and their market position, libraries need to use more exciting tools such as social media for marketing. Library directors of this study emphasized on this fact and 79.1% of users expressed interest in receiving library information through social media.

Value: The findings of this study would help the library directors to better decide on the marketing of their library services in social media.

Type of the study: Scientific-Research     

A core competency model for clinical informationists

Objectives:Access to high-quality information improves the quality of patient care, but lack of time and sufficient skills in information seeking can prevent access to information by clinicians. To solve this problem, clinical informationists can provide high-quality, filtered information for clinical team members. This study identified the core competencies that clinical informationists need to effectively fulfill their roles on clinical teams.Methods:Participants were selected purposefully from clinicians and medical librarians. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Results:The authors identified six competencies—communication, research, education and training, domain knowledge, information services, and technology—which together were used to develop a “CREDIT” model of core competencies for clinical informationists.Conclusions:The CREDIT model can be used as criteria for evaluating the performance of clinical informationists as well as for developing and assessing clinical informationist educational programs and curriculums.     

Outcomes of the Bologna Process in LIS higher education: Comparing two programs in Europe

PurposeThe Bologna Process (BP) approach is distinguished by its emphasis on outcomes, moving the criteria for quality from input (what faculty teaches) to learning outcomes (what students will be able to do).MethodologyThe authors want to look at the issues and opportunities involved in applying the learning outcomes approach in two southern European countries with similar traditions and no previous experience of this approach. Data were collected from a documentary review based on official documents and open statistics and a survey of selected stakeholders connected to the LIS schools of Parma and Barcelona.FindingsWithin the BP framework, the LIS schools of Parma and Barcelona have distinctive missions and goals but differ in their approach to defining the attributes they expect of their graduates. Although LIS as an academic and educational undertaking has common historical roots in Spain and Italy, research and education since BP has developed in different directions.LimitationsFindings are based on the context of higher education in Italy and Spain, although the focus is on the two LIS schools of Parma and Barcelona.Originality/value of the paperThere are definite barriers to using learning outcomes as a measure of quality enhancement for LIS educational programs. Not least is the challenge of developing a list of learning outcomes that stakeholders at both national and international level can agree on. Nevertheless, this study concludes that LIS learning outcomes in Europe should be investigated as a means of benchmarking and determining the feasibility of guidelines regarding the equivalency and reciprocity of professional LIS qualifications.     

Scholarly Use of Web-based Information Resources and Services in University Libraries in Kerala (India)

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the use of web-based information services in university libraries in Kerala, India.

Design/methodology/approach: A survey method was used for the collection of data. The questionnaire method was used to collect data for the study. The study was conducted among the research scholars of four selected universities in Kerala, India.

Findings: This study has analyzed the services and resources in the libraries which are provided through the medium of the internet and also the usage patterns of web information services by the scholars of the selected universities. The analysis reveals that most of the university libraries have implemented web-based information services. However, the extent of usage is not to the expected level and this is due to the lack of sufficient awareness about the usage methods of web resources and services. With the help of proper user education and training programs, the present situation can be ameliorated. The findings of this study can be helpful to the authorities to improve the services in the libraries.

Originality/value: Proper use of library resources is essential for scholars to bring forth productive research outputs. This study provides recommendations for enhancing web-based services in university libraries in Kerala to provide better services to the users.     

SAGE Research Methods Datasets: A Data Analysis Educational Tool

ABSTRACT

SAGE Research Methods Datasets (SRMD) is an educational tool designed to offer users the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience with data analysis. Users can search for and browse authentic datasets by method, discipline, and data type. Each of the datasets are supplemented with educational material on the research method and clear guidelines for how to approach data analysis.     

Advocating for Sustainability: Scaling-Down Library Digital Infrastructure

ABSTRACT

Academic institutions have a long tradition of using content management systems (CMSs) for the production of networked scholarship in the digital environment. However, CMSs are complex and rapidly changing infrastructures that do not always meet the needs of smaller ad hoc collaborative projects. CMSs are also difficult to preserve in the library environment given their obsolescence over time. This article uses the History of the Book and Literacy Technologies project at UCLA to illustrate why library administrators should advocate for the systematic production of scaled-down platforms that can withstand the constantly evolving technical environment within libraries and foster more sustainable platform practices.     

Working to Alleviate Gendered Violence on College Campuses by Designing Public Service Announcement Storyboards

Courses: Gender and Communication; Health Communication

Objectives: Upon completing this activity, students will be able to demonstrate the ways in which their voices and actions can be used to reduce gendered violence on their college or university campus     

Stress corrosion cracking in ancient silver

Abstract

Six cases of ancient silver embrittlement by corrosion are discussed with respect to evidence for stress corrosion cracking. Both intergranular and transgranular cracking can occur, depending on whether there is retained cold-work in the silver. The severity of cracking is influenced by a combination of factors, including the amount of cold-work in the silver and the burial environment. The burial environment is important for two reasons. Firstly, the soil weight can induce high stresses, particularly in hollow, thin-walled, and incompletely filled-in artefacts. Secondly, grave burials can result in more aggressive soil environments owing to high salinity from body decomposition.     

Overlooked Reference Tools for Researching the Holocaust

Summary

General reference tools can be valuable sources of information for conducting research on the Holocaust. In addition to the articles in general encyclopedias, several specialized encyclopedias contain lengthy articles on this subject. Several sources for bibliographical essays are identified. Other publications discussed in this article are Gale's Literary Criticism Series and the thc Biography Index.     

The use of Loansome Doc to meet the needs of unaffiliated health professionals

Objective: This study was undertaken in order to determine how health sciences libraries in a ten-state region are using Loansome Doc, with an emphasis on whether this tool continues to be used to serve unaffiliated health professionals. Methods: Usage data were examined and health sciences libraries were administered a survey to determine how they are using this tool. Results: Loansome Doc usage across libraries is low and declining, and a number of libraries do not serve unaffiliated health professionals with this tool. Conclusions: Use of Loansome Doc is low and declining, in part, due to license restrictions, declining interlibrary loan, and the prevalence of alternatives, such as OCLC's ILLiad, for document delivery to affiliated users.     

Electronic Reserves: A Centralized Approach to the Scanning Process

ABSTRACT

Electronic reserves are being offered at colleges and Universities across the country creating an opportunity for collaboration between the library units of academic libraries. Library units with course reserves in medium and large academic libraries can capitalize on the benefits working with a centralized scanning unit, thus consolidating the scanning process of electronic reserves processing. The cooperation between library units to provide better service results in a positive relationship between course instructors, students, and the library.     

The Citation Cloud of a biomedical article: a free,public, web-based tool enabling citation analysis

Background:An article''s citations are useful for finding related articles that may not be readily found by keyword searches or textual similarity. Citation analysis is also important for analyzing scientific innovation and the structure of the biomedical literature. We wanted to facilitate citation analysis for the broad community by providing a user-friendly interface for accessing and analyzing citation data for biomedical articles.Case Presentation:We seeded the Citation Cloud dataset with over 465 million open access citations culled from six different sources: PubMed Central, Microsoft Academic Graph, ArnetMiner, Semantic Scholar, Open Citations, and the NIH iCite dataset. We implemented a free, public extension to PubMed that allows any user to visualize and analyze the entire citation cloud around any paper of interest A: the set of articles cited by A, those which cite A, those which are co-cited with A, and those which are bibliographically coupled to A.Conclusions:Citation Cloud greatly enables the study of citations by the scientific community, including relatively advanced analyses (co-citations and bibliographic coupling) that cannot be undertaken using other available tools. The tool can be accessed by running any PubMed query on the Anne O''Tate value-added search interface and clicking on the Citations button next to any retrieved article.     

Stress Relief: Help for the Technophobic Patron from the Reference Desk

Summary

Although much has been written on technophobia and how it can be treated, little has been published on how the reference librarian can help. Limiting the time spent introducing new technologies, speaking without using computer jargon, offering instruction through different learning styles, and preparing patrons to deal with the problems they encounter are a few of the strategies the reference librarian can do to help patrons deal with their fear of computers. This article examines and defines technophobia, offers short-term strategies that reference staff can use to alleviate the anxiety of their technophobic patrons, and finally touches upon long-term solutions and changes that can be made within the library environment itself.     

Health sciences librarian competency perceptions: a survey of national community college librarians

Objective:The primary objective of this study was to determine how community college health sciences librarians perceive their proficiencies in the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary for the practice of a health information professional as defined by the Medical Library Association (MLA) Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success. A secondary objective was to determine their current level of engagement with the professional community and identify barriers to further professional development.Methods:A survey was posted to various email discussion lists, and volunteer follow-up interviews were conducted.Results:The survey was completed by seventy-five community college health sciences librarians, and seven follow-up interviews were performed. Survey results indicated that community college health sciences librarians perceived themselves as having intermediate or advanced intermediate proficiency in the six MLA competencies. Survey and interview results indicated that community college health sciences librarians were engaged with the profession and faced the same barriers to continued professional development and continued education as other academic librarians.Conclusion:The results affirm that community college librarians who are responsible for collections and services in the health sciences meet the MLA competencies, which fills a gap in the literature regarding how these librarians develop professional competencies and are involved in professional associations. The results suggest that community college librarians can improve their skill levels by continuing their education and following trends in the literature.     

Academic games in the speech curriculum

Games are paradoxical vehicles for tryng out alternatives and consequences with both involvement and detachment, where mistakes can be made without serious injury. Some academic games create miniature environments particularly suited to studying concepts and content of speech communication.