Dynamic Pathfinders

Abstract

Library pathfinders are a time-tested method of leading library users to important resources. However, paper-based pathfinders suffer from space limitations, and both paper-based and Web-based pathfinders require frequent updates to keep up with new library acquisitions. This article details a step-by-step method to create an online dynamic pathfinder with a clean, intuitive interface that performs predetermined searches in online library catalogs. This tool leads users to resources much as a traditional pathfinder does, but it is always up-to-date, requires almost no maintenance, and familiarizes patrons with the library's catalog as they use it. This article requires a basic knowledge of HTML. PHP and JavaScript are also used. While knowledge of these languages is helpful, these parts of the dynamic pathfinder are described in enough detail that no prior knowledge is required.     

‘Library as Laboratory’: Online Pathfinders and the Humanities Graduate Student

SUMMARY

This article explores how online pathfinders can best meet the information needs of graduate students and foster advanced research. The article reviews the literature on pathfinders, including the historic characteristics of print pathfinders, and the recommendations that have emerged for online pathfinder content. The article explores the information needs of humanities graduate students in general terms, and specifically examines extant online pathfinders in the field of art history. The article concludes with recommendations for the content of online pathfinders aimed at the humanities graduate student audience.     

21st Century Readers' Aids: Past History and Future Directions

ABSTRACT

This article provides a brief history of the development of library subject guides (often referred to as pathfinders) from the late 1800s to the present. During this period, subject guides have changed both their focus and format. The needs of academic institutions at the turn of the 20th century were very different than they are today, and technology that was non-existent then has become ubiquitous. Much can be learned from studying the evolution of these important library tools and looking to the future as they mature even further.     

Slavic and East European Web Catalogs as a Resource for Catalogers

ABSTRACT

Web catalogs of libraries in Slavic and East European countries are a useful resource for catalogers outside the region. The author gives some tips for using such catalogs and lists a few that she has found helpful.     

Technological Mediation: Reference and the Non-Traditional Student

Summary

The growth of adult education on college campuses is significantly affecting college and university libraries which now must deal with issues surrounding adult and distance education, along with the proliferation of information resources and unprecedented technological change. Desktop provision of licensed electronic library resources, along with Web-based tutorials, Web-based pathfinders, and skillful mediation of electronic reference questions can help alleviate anxiety, saving valuable time for non-resident, non-traditional students by enabling them to access and utilize remotely accessible electronic library resources effectively.     

Using Metadata to Discover the Buried Treasure in Google Book Search

ABSTRACT

Google Book Search presents an opportunity to search millions of books from the Google Library partners and publishing partners. How does metadata compare in Google Book Search and library catalogs?     

The European Union CASA (Co-Operative Archive of Serials and Articles) Project

Abstract

CASA is a project to develop a European metacatalog of serials and articles for both professional users (such as ISSN centers, bibliographic agencies, union catalogs, libraries, and publishers) and end users. The ISSN network will be the nucleus of the project, with ISSN centers being able to take advantage of telematic applications to exchange data, but union catalogs will also benefit. Moreover, users will be able to access a serials services directory, allowing them to find articles and supplying them with value-added data.     

The Librarian's Library

Abstract

The breadth and depth of subjects and the size of user population of a major university library demand a well-organized reference service. To manage such diverse disciplines and clientele, librarians rely on each other for shortcuts recorded and saved in a staff-access vertical file. A team approach of sharing useful reference sources helps all reference librarians improve their service to library users. If reference staff can efficiently store and organize fugitive material that can be shared by all staff members, they can use that material to meet immediate ready reference needs, and later develop sophisticated information-access tools such as pathfinders and knowledge bases.     

Racism for Sale

Abstract

Publications sold via catalog by the American racist organizations Noontide Press, Sons of Liberty, and National Alliance are studied for subject and media type. Of 1941 titles sold by the groups, only twenty appear in all three catalogs, and 134 titles appear in two of the three catalogs. A majority of materials sell with Jews and Zionism, conspiracy theories, religion, race, and the Second World War, print is the predominant media type. This study points to the existence of a wide body of literature supporting modern racist opinion, and that particular organizations sell those items that support their own specific ideologies.     

Diversity in the Classroom

Summary

Graduate schools of library and information science (LIS) are rediscovering civic engagement. Examples illustrate how LIS students further diversity efforts through service-based learning experiences. LIS students involved in the American Library Association's Spectrum Initiative helped plan the leadership institute and the longitudinal study of scholars. Students prepared pathfinders for faculty at tribal community colleges and tribal schools. LIS students helped develop and operate “If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything,” a national reading program for schools serving Native children. LIS students helped create a virtual tour of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).     

PART V: ALTERNATIVES TO CURRENT ACCESS MODELS IN RESEARCH LIBRARIES

Abstract

With the transformation of the card catalog into the online public access catalog came the expectation of its increased functionality. For the most part, today's online catalogs perform an expanded list of tasks quite effectively. Bibliographic utilities, system vendors, and individual libraries continue to improve bibliographic retrieval by providing new and better services through the catalog. In spite of these improvements, many observers believe that online catalogs have reached their maturity. Today's information environment includes a wealth of material to which online catalogs cannot provide universal and up-to-date access. Increasingly, librarians are turning to federated searching portal applications to find a means of managing the flood of digital information that threatens to engulf users. This chapter describes essential functionality of such tools, suggesting directions and strategies for improving them. The author concludes that, while the online catalog will continue to function as the principal tool for access control of the library's physical collections, the federated searching portal will ultimately serve as the library's principal Web gateway to digital resources.     

Academic Libraries as Digital Gateways: Linking Students to the Burgeoning Wealth of Open Online Collections

ABSTRACT

Digital collections of full-text e-books are proliferating on the Web and provide a wealth of open content for students. To examine whether academic libraries are providing a digital gateway to these resources, ten e-book titles from open digital collections were searched in the online catalogs and Web pages of ten academic libraries serving distance learners. Only three of the digital collection e-books were available from any of the library catalogs, and none were found on library Web pages. Availability of the ten e-book titles through Google and other digital discovery tools also had mixed results. Continued projects for improved delivery of open online content are necessary. In order to fulfill their role as digital gateways for their academic communities, libraries must pursue metadata standards to support cross-searching, collaborative projects, and development of e-resource search software, which integrates with the library catalog.     

Accessing Locally Created Subject Guides via the Library's Catalog

Abstract

For decades libraries have created subject guides to assist users in navigating their collections. These guides are universally accepted as a core library product of high value across all user groups. No longer confined to paper stashed in kiosks and on counter tops, subject guides are now available online from library Web sites and often emphasize and link to other Web resources. Typically, a link on the library's home page directs users to a Subject Guide List which offers active links to the topical guides. But are these links and listings sufficient to attract users? This article describes the results of a study to catalog selected subject guides on U.S. and British History and analyze usage statistics before and after cataloging. It appears that the library catalog is effective at exposing subject guides and should be considered an additional point of access amidst a growing number of discovery mechanisms.     

Bibliographic Data Science and the History of the Book (c. 1500–1800)

Abstract

National bibliographies have been identified as a crucial resource for historical research on the publishing landscape, but using them requires addressing challenges of data quality, completeness, and interpretation. We call this approach bibliographic data science. In this article, we briefly assess the development of book formats and the vernacularization process in early modern Europe. The work undertaken paves the way for more extensive integration of library catalogs to map the history of the book.     

Interactive Reference at a Distance: A Corporate Model for Academic Libraries

Summary

Distance education's steady evolution from correspondence courses to virtual classrooms poses a significant challenge to the delivery of library services. Success in achieving widespread electronic access to library catalogs and online databases serves only as the foundation for meeting this challenge. Full evolution to virtual library services demands the addition of dynamic and interactive electronic reference services. The Telebase Help Desk service is one model of an Internet-based interactive reference service.     

Everything We Do Is A Celebration of You! : Pleasant Company Constructs American Girlhood

The American Girl (AG) collection is an enormously successful line of girls merchandise that includes dolls, books, and accessories. Through mail-order catalogs, AG has become a part of the cultural universe of young girls in the United States. We examined the dolls, books, accouterments, and catalogs as texts and, therefore, sites of cultural construction, attempting to uncover the ways in which nationality, history, race/ethnicity, consumerism, and gender are immersed in these products. Our study underscores how the AG dolls and products render the world for its young consumers. This rendering is not innocent. Inclusions, exclusions, and hierarchies are naturalized, offering a particular view of race, gender, and the imagined community that is embedded in social practices and power relations that help determine our ways of seeing and imagining from a very young age.     

The Service Side of Systems Librarianship

Abstract

Describes the role of a systems librarian at a small academic library. Although online catalogs and the Internet are making library accessibility more convenient, the need for library buildings and professionals has not diminished. Typical duties of a systems librarian and the effects of new technology on librarianship are discussed. Services provided to other constituencies on campus and the blurring relationship between the library and computer services are also presented.