Developing E-Science and Research Services and Support at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries

ABSTRACT

This article describes the development and implementation of e-science and research support services in the Health Sciences Libraries (HSL) at the University of Minnesota (UMN). A review of the broader e-science initiatives within the UMN demonstrates the needs and opportunities that the University Libraries face while building knowledge, skills, and capacity to support e-research. These experiences are being used by the University Libraries administration and HSL to apply support for the growing needs of researchers in the health sciences. Several research areas that would benefit from enhanced e-science support are described. Plans to address the growing e-research needs of health sciences researchers are also discussed.     

Introduction

This introduction highlights the speakers and their topics presented at the Libraries eResource & Emerging Technologies Summit (formerly known as the MidSouth eResource Symposium) held at Mississippi State University (MSU) Libraries on August 3, 2012. The Summit was co-sponsored by EBSCO Information Services, North American Serials Interest Group's Continuing Education Committee, and MSU Libraries. Electronic resources continue to consume library budgets while remaining critical for today's researchers and students. Libraries must demonstrate their value and continually remind their stakeholders of the importance of these electronic resources and just how vital access to this digital information is. This year's Summit presentations focused on the acquisition, access, and management of eResources, and provided attendees with knowledge of new and emerging technologies related to electronic resources and the digital environment.     

Virtual Reference Services

Summary

Traditional reference services are changing in response to the rapid growth of electronic resources available outside of the library. There are an increasing number of libraries that are providing digital reference services to meet the demands and expectations of remote users. This article provides an overview of virtual reference services at Louisiana State University (LSU) Libraries. It also examines the planning, implementation, marketing and user feedback of real time reference service after its first year.     

《高等学校图书馆数字资源计量指南》评析及其实际应用研究

《高等学校图书馆数字资源计量指南》有利于各高校图书馆更加科学、理性地处理印刷型资源与数字资源的关系,对规范和统一全国高校图书馆数字资源的计量和统计工作具有重要意义。但同时在实际应用过程中也暴露出一些问题,如关于数字资源的分类及其定义与描述不准确、馆藏计量范围与类型不明晰、中外文数据库参照表滞后等,亟需重新修订与完善。     

Link It or Lump It

Abstract

Mounting digital images of art objects on a Web site is only the first step in providing patron access to such materials. Libraries and museums have a responsibility to provide not only high-quality digital reproductions but also high-quality access from an integrated library catalog with controlled vocabulary and consistent access points. While some digital collections may have excellent internal searchability and require no more than collection level cataloging in a library's OPAC, others may demand cataloging of individual components of the collection. A particular collection's significance, its potential audience, the types of access required, as well as factors such as its size and cohesiveness need to be considered before becoming locked into a specific Web designespecially when it is that of another institution.

This paper examines several online library catalogs in which records for art objects as well as historical objects and natural history specimens have been merged, with varying degrees of success, and briefly addresses a modest proposal to catalog ceramic objects at the Ohio State University Libraries. The importance of consistent subject access in a merged catalog, regardless of the thesaurus or thesauri used, is stressed. Library consortia and bibliographic utilities may offer an economically appealing alternative for libraries that cannot design and construct their own digital libraries but these external organizations often have limited capability for-or interest in-modifying the design for a particular library and even less interest in cataloging the collections. Libraries, too, must be faulted for simply listing available electronic resources, either alphabetically or in broad subject categories, on a separate portion of their Web page and failing to provide full catalog records in their catalog. Finally, it is emphasized that the current debate over the viability of MARC 21 versus other metadata standards remains largely irrelevant to the importance of continuing to cultivate a monolithic online catalog, maintaining cataloging standards, and not mindlessly developing what amounts to a separate, rudimentary catalog solely for electronic resources.     

Textbook access and affordability through academic library services: A department develops strategies to meet the needs of students

In the spring of 2015, the University of Minnesota Libraries formed the Content Services department, which is comprised of Interlibrary Loan, Publishing Services, and the Copyright Permissions Service. These three service points, as well as additional Library units, work together with campus partners to save students money on their course materials through a variety of programs and pilot projects. By employing multiple avenues to help faculty and students put affordable content into their existing workflows for providing and accessing required readings, the University of Minnesota Libraries are ensuring that there are many options available that support coursework and ultimately student success.     

Refocusing,Rebalancing, and Refining (R3):

At Michigan State University, long-range planning has existed for many years. Its current planning effort, Refocusing, Rebalancing, and Refining (R³) has been implemented effectively within the University Libraries with significant benefits. First, the staff became better informed about library funding which resulted in better and more realistic program proposals. Second, the staff are moving more effectively into the strategic planning process being implemented by the new director. Third, R³ has provided the Libraries with an effective platform from which to emphasize with University administrators the important role played by the Libraries in all academic enterprises. And finally, staff participation in the process provided them with a real sense of empowerment.     

Introduction

This article highlights the speakers and their topics presented at the MidSouth eResource Symposium held at Mississippi State University (MSU) Libraries on August 11, 2011. The Symposium was co-sponsored by EBSCO Information Services, North American Serials Interest Group's (NASIG) Continuing Education Committee, and MSU Libraries. Burdened with flat or decreasing budgets and the need for more digital collections driven by patron preferences, libraries continue to face many challenges. This year's Symposium presentations focused on the acquisition and management of e-resources, and provided attendees with knowledge of new and emerging technologies related to electronic resources and the digital environment.     

Electronic Reserves

SUMMARY

At Rutgers University Libraries, the traditional reserve collection has migrated to a paperless electronic reserve service. To justify the change, Library Staff used two methodologies: a user survey and an analysis of reserve collections broken down by location and format, with circulation figures for each category. This change was made in stages; electronic reserves went to a digital only service. Librarians at Rutgers University are using electronic reserve services to gain experience with digital collections, homegrown and commercial databases, collections for distance education, and materials and services to remote users. In this paper we also look at some of the factors affecting academic reserve operations.     

Managing Serials in a Large Digital Library: Case Study of the UNT Libraries Digital Collections

The Portal to Texas History (http://texashistory.unt.edu) and the University of North Texas (UNT) Digital Library (http://digital.library.unt.edu) contain more than 445,000 items collectively, hosted by the UNT Libraries. These collections include a variety of serial publications such as newsletters, magazines, scholarly journals, annual reports, and yearbooks. Many of these serials are key resources for the user groups of both repositories. In this article, we discuss the importance of serials within our collections, some of the challenges, the standards we use, and how we leverage metadata to facilitate access to serials for diverse global users.     

Communication and Cooperation in Psychology Collection Development in a Large University:

This paper describes Selectors with Collection Overlap in Psychology Entente (SCOPE), a group of bibliographers at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and the process used to identify gaps and overlaps in psychology collection development. The project included informal meetings, the development of a directory, and creation of a worksheet correlating Psychological Abstracts classified headings with call numbers and Research Libraries Group (RLG) conspectus levels. The process is compared to Hale's theoretical framework from library research.     

Metadata Schema to Facilitate Linked Data for 3D Digital Models of Cultural Heritage Collections: A University of South Florida Libraries Case Study

ABSTRACT

The University of South Florida Libraries house and provide access to a collection of cultural heritage and 3D digital models. In an effort to provide greater access to these collections, a linked data project has been implemented. A metadata schema for the 3D cultural heritage objects which uses linked data is an excellent way to share these collections with other repositories, thus gaining global exposure and access to these valuable resources. This article will share the process of building the 3D cultural heritage metadata model as well as an assessment of the model and recommendations for future linked data projects.     

Making Search Engines Notice: An Exploratory Study on Discoverability of DSpace Metadata and PDF Files

ABSTRACT

This study analyzed the search results of four main Internet search engines on three newly created digital collections at Texas Tech University Libraries, in order to assess the search engine indexing on metadata and PDF files of digital items that are published in the institutional repository. The exploratory study found that only one search engine discovered PDF files, while the others only discovered metadata. The results of the study also suggested that metadata and PDF files can supplement each other to facilitate discoverability of the digital collections on search engines, and revealed some findings that are contradictory to conclusions in previous research.     

A case study: planning a statewide information resource for health professionals: an evidence-based approach

Question:

What is the best approach for implementing a statewide electronic health library (eHL) to serve all health professionals in Minnesota?

Setting:

The research took place at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries.

Methods:

In January 2008, the authors began planning a statewide eHL for health professionals following the five-step process for evidence-based librarianship: formulating the question, finding the best evidence, appraising the evidence, assessing costs and benefits, and evaluating the effectiveness of resulting actions.

Main Results:

The authors identified best practices for developing a statewide eHL for health professionals relating to audience or population served, information resources, technology and access, funding model, and implementation and sustainability. They were compared to the mission of the eHL project to drive strategic directions by developing recommendations.

Conclusion:

EBL can guide the planning process for a statewide eHL, but findings must be tailored to the local environment to address information needs and ensure long-term sustainability.     

The University of Texas: Looking Forward: Research Libraries in the 21st Century

ABSTRACT

This paper provides an overview of strategic initiatives identified by the University of Texas Libraries to address the challenges of operating research libraries in an increasingly digital environment.     

Making Paper Maps Relevant in a Digital Age

Special Libraries, Special Challenges is a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine, business, and so forth. In each column, the author will discuss public service dilemmas and solutions that arise specifically in given subject libraries, while drawing links to how such issues affect librarianship in general. Special or subject-matter librarians interested in authoring a piece for this column are invited to contact Melissa K. Aho at aho@umn.edu

Ryan Mattke is head of the John R. Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota where he has worked since 2007. When he is not poring over maps he can be found reading, writing, paddling, hiking, gardening or building canoes. He holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Minnesota and can be reached at matt0089@umn.edu.     

Community-Enhanced Repository for Engaged Scholarship: A case study on supporting digital humanities research

ABSTRACT

Building digital curation and sustainability into digital humanities project development is challenging, and engaging digital humanities researchers fully as partners in curation practices with the library is even more so. How can we represent the longevity and sustainability of digital humanities research projects as a shared responsibility between faculty and student researchers and library staff? Northeastern University Libraries Digital Scholarship Group has designed a series of tools and workflows to ease the burden of sustainable development, support community engagement with digital materials, and enable the library and its partners to work together to build sustainable digital projects.     

Marketing Electronic Resources and Services

Summary

In an effort to provide desktop access to information at Texas A&M University, an increasingly greater portion of the University Libraries' budget is being spent on electronic resources and services. This study, a survey of a random sample of the faculty and teaching staff, was designed to determine if these resources and services are being used by the targeted population and, if not, why. The results of the study indicate that a lack of information is the greatest obstacle to the use of electronic resources/services, and they suggest that the Libraries should place greater emphasis on outreach to the faculty and improved marketing strategies.