We Cannot See Them,But They Are There

Abstract

Distance learners are a unique target-population for the marketing of library services and resources. Because these patrons do not visit the library often, if at all, it is crucial to actively promote the library resources and services available to them. Marketing strategies for distance learning library services need to take a multifaceted approach to reach distance learners in as many ways as possible, and collaboration with various groups and departments on campus is an important part of the process. Promotion of distance library services can take advantage of high-tech options, but it should also work in the realm of “traditional” publicity as well.     

They Teach Too:

When Auraria Library completed strategic planning and reorganization to increase efficiency, its popular library instruction program faced a shortage of teaching librarians. The Head of Instruction asked for volunteers from the experienced classified staff to take over the CARL demonstration program (use of Auraria's online catalog), freeing librarians to concentrate primarily on upper-division, course-related instruction. Presently, classified staff members teach approximately one third of the instruction sessions presented. These include both the CARL demonstrations and lower division general instruction. Paraprofessionals save over 100 librarian hours per semester; they report increased job satisfaction and feel that the break in their routine gives them more energy for their primary responsibilities. Providing energy, enthusiasm, and a fresh perspective on what students need, Auraria's paraprofessionals have definitely brought a breath of fresh air to the library instruction program.     

Yeah,I Found It! Performing Web Site Usability Testing to Ensure That Off-Campus Students Can Find the Information They Need

Abstract

A well-designed and user-friendly Web site is essential with the large and rapid increase in the number of off-campus users. Web site usability studies can help ensure that libraries provide effective and efficient access to their Web site for both on-and off-campus users. Formal usability studies, focus groups, and cognitive walkthroughs are usability techniques that can be incorporated into a Web site study. These three techniques will be discussed with real life experiences added in to provide the reader with suggestions of how to and how not to use the techniques.     

EXPO-nential Success Redux,or, If You Plan It They Will Come

An important aspect of the lifecycle of electronic resources is disseminating the arrival of new resources on campus and reminding the campus of currently subscribed materials. A database page accessible by subject, topic or format, training sessions by vendors, either live or via the Web, information literacy presentations for one-shot classes or workshops for the entire campus are standard marketing strategies; however, even with clear and comprehensive presentations demonstrating awareness of the strengths and limitations of subscribed resources, if only a handful of the 15,000+ users show up, the program may appear to be an exercise in futility. Another route to disseminate this important information is the library expo or vendor fair. Vendors set up booths for three to five hours to meet with users. They provide booth giveaways and help with door prizes to attract students, faculty, and administrators to the fair. Users can spare a short time to browse the booths between classes and meetings to learn about new resources and ask questions about their old favorites. This article will provide insights in the planning, marketing, and assessment of the library expo held at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.     

Comparison of select reference management tools

Bibliographic management tools have been widely used by researchers to store, organize, and manage their references for research papers, theses, dissertations, journal articles, and other publications. There are a number of reference management tools available. In order for users to decide which tool is best for their needs, it is important to know each tool's strengths and weaknesses. This article compares four reference management tools, one of which is licensed by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey libraries and the other three are open source and freely available. They were chosen based on their functionality, ease of use, availability to library users, and popularity. These four tools are EndNote/EndNote Web, Zotero, Connotea, and Mendeley Desktop/Mendeley Web. Each tool is analyzed in terms of the following features: accessing, collecting, organizing, collaborating, and citing/formatting. A comparison table is included to summarize the key features of these tools.     

Build It So They Will Come

Summary

As librarians become more familiar with the World Wide Web and its potential as a resource tool, it is increasingly important that they are able provide Web access suited to their and their users' needs. This workshop provided general guidelines as well as guidelines geared to technical services departments for the design, creation and maintenance of Web-pages.     

媒体创业的挑战与机遇

自2004年以来,美国有近2000家地方报纸倒闭,与此同时许多传统媒体的新闻记者被裁。在这样一种背景之下,一些新闻记者开始进入媒体创业领域。从2008年到2017年,美国和加拿大的创业者平均每月创办两家媒体公司。The Information已经成为科技报道领域有一定影响的新媒体公司。2019年,"金钱星球"播客节目联合创始人亚历克斯·布隆伯格以2.3亿美元的价格把自己创建的媒体公司Gimlet卖给了流媒体平台Spotify,这让他成为一位备受瞩目的新闻创业者。     

美国高校图书馆的采购品种及其经费开支

美国《图书馆杂志》最近对该国1000年高校图书馆进行了一次书刊采购调查，调查显示这是一个每年拥有20亿美元商业机会的广阔而复杂的图书市场。该文同时还对美国各类高校图书馆的采购倾向、购书偏爱以及经费预算等情况进行了详细的分析和研究。     

临床医生选择与应用医学信息的方法

通过查阅文献,咨询专家,与医生、数据库提供商交流访谈,对部分医院进行调研,收集整理和分析了有关资料,提出了临床医生如何合理选择与应用医学信息的方法。     

Where Students Start and What They Do When They Get Stuck: A Qualitative Inquiry into Academic Information-Seeking and Help-Seeking Practices

This study investigates two questions key to academic library resources and services: Which sources are students most likely to use to begin their academic work? Whom do students tend to consult for research assistance? In-depth interviews conducted with 15 undergraduate and graduate students were thematically analyzed through a three-step process. The findings indicate that students are most likely to consult faculty and peers for assistance and are largely unaware of librarians' roles, while they tend to begin research using library databases and do not necessarily start with Google. In addition, student use of small study groups as learning networks and reliance upon alternate sites to conduct research emerged as unanticipated themes.     

Citation Help in Databases: The More Things Change,the More They Stay the Same

In 2005, the authors reviewed citation help in databases and found an error rate of 4.4 errors per citation. This article describes a follow-up study that revealed a modest improvement in the error rate to 3.4 errors per citation, still unacceptably high. The most problematic area was retrieval statements. The authors conclude that librarians should include citation features in the evaluation of databases and should open a dialogue with vendors about the importance of providing accurate, reliable information about citations to students.     

What Administrators Talk About When They Talk About Libraries

Summary

The author gives personal suggestions about ways in which librarians might think about their own work and role in leading their library toward the new hybrid of print and digital collections and services.     

The Libraries They Are A-Changin': How Libraries Reorganize

This article will report on the results of a study of library reorganizations in the literature. The authors identified five steps common to all library reorganizations, and this article describes those steps as well as two management change theories most mentioned in the literature—the eight-step process of change by John Kotter and Reframing Organizations by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal. The article will draw conclusions formed by a comparison of these theoretical models to the practice and real-life experience of reorganizations as described by libraries in the literature.     

基于文献计量学的期刊编委遴选方法

针对科技期刊编委会成员产生方式主观性较强、编委作用发挥不充分等问题,提出一种基于文献计量学的期刊编委遴选方法.从专家学术影响力、学术活跃度和编委贡献度3个维度选取H指数、前3年年均发表文章数、本刊投稿数、审稿数等4个指标进行统计分析,以《中国舰船研究》编委会换届为例给出了计量结果.结果表明,该方法可遴选出学术影响力较高、符合期刊发展预期的编委,尤其是遴选出处于学术研究上升期的中青年编委.