Not Good Enough?

An increasing flow of amateur images of global crises presents challenges and opportunities for mainstream news media. Furthermore, many news organizations now solicit eyewitness reports for near-instant upload to Web editions. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research on amateur images in the regular news flow, in particular in newspapers. Thus, this case study examines the general frequency of amateur content, the gatekeeping process and the opinions of editors making decisions about images for publication in the online and print editions of four Swedish newspapers. Our findings, based on quantitative content analyses and interviews, indicate that a majority of the content falls in the hard-news category in contrast to findings in previous research about user-generated text content. Moreover, it appears regularly but in small numbers in a tabloid-content daily and a regional paper but hardly ever in broadsheet-content papers, and that opinions in the newsroom about amateur images vary from a lack of interest to a stated need for them in the regular news coverage. The low impact of amateur content may be due to the gatekeeping process and professional standards of photography, as well as a lack of audience interest and difficulties in implementing new structures in the newsrooms. In sum, the findings disprove predictions in the literature of a near-paradigmatic rise of amateur content in the mainstream news media.     

Are Library Science Programs Preparing New Librarians? Creating a Sustainable and Vibrant Librarian Community

Recent studies show a growing sense of frustration for new library and information science (LIS) graduates who struggle to gain employment, as well as for hiring libraries who find the skills of entry-level employee candidates to be lacking. This study endeavors to discover the origins of this troubling juxtaposition by examining the perceptions of recent LIS graduates. The researchers administered a large-scale survey with over 575 respondents, analyzed and coded the data, and compared codes using a Cohen's kappa calculation. The responses indicate that LIS graduates feel that their LIS education would have been more valuable had it given them more opportunities to gain experience, more courses in technology and instruction, more guidance in which courses to take, and more mentoring opportunities with practicing information professionals.     

Embedding Guides Where Students Learn: Do Design Choices and Librarian Behavior Make a Difference?

This study investigated whether library guides embedded in a university's learning management system fulfill their mission to promote library resources and maintain a librarian presence in the online course environment. Specifically, the study examined whether design elements, promotional practices, or other behaviors influenced guide use. It questioned whether students located the library guides and, if so, did students find the guides helpful. Results confirmed that students who used library guides found the guides helpful. Select faculty and librarian behaviors may also influence student use of library guides. Promotion and marketing practices, however, are not the only factors encouraging students to use library guides.     

You can't Get There from Here,or How Do I Become a Slavic Studies Librarian?

ABSTRACT

New librarians looking to enter the field of Slavic librarianship soon discover there is no clear template for how to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in this field. This article attempts first to define those skills and knowledge, and then to map out the opportunities for acquiring them in North American institutions. Toward this goal, it summarizes and analyzes the results from a survey of the educational and experiential background and current responsibilities of 128 working Slavic librarians. It then details the North American academic institutions offering specialized training or degree programs for Slavic librarians and those institutions where the component parts are all available to be assembled by the proactive student.     

“Ask a Librarian” Pages as Reference Gateways to Academic Libraries

A library's web site is a virtual “front door” to its services and collections. Libraries can use their “Ask a Librarian” pages to promote reference services and to inform patrons about the different options available. Much variation is found in the naming of those pages and the number and type of reference contact options they include. This article reports the results of an examination of the reference assistance pages of libraries that are members of the Association of Research Libraries. In particular, the study attempted to determine whether virtual modes of reference service are being promoted at the expense of traditional options.     

Being First Means Being Credible? Examining the Impact of Message Source on Organizational Reputation

Research in organizational communication and public relations suggest that in times of crises, messages generated by the organization are most likely to positively influence stakeholder perceptions, whereas those generated by the press may have negative ramifications. Although this advice seems logical, to date there is little research that investigates this claim empirically and directly. Two experiments were conducted to explore the separate and combined impact of print and televised messages concerning an organization in the midst of a crisis. The findings offer empirical evidence that statements from organizations experiencing crises may offset negative stakeholder responses. Theoretical and pragmatic implications are discussed regarding these findings.     

The Plugged-in Reference Librarian: Who Do We Think We Are?

In recent years, academic reference librarians often find themselves working in closer proximity to computer workstations, labs, and information commons. They are spending a greater portion of their time assisting library users with the vast array of software and hardware used to access library resources. This study examines whether an increased demand for technological knowledge and proficiency is reflected in job expectations for academic reference librarians. Researchers compared randomly chosen academic reference librarian job advertisements from 1999 to those from 2011, examining both job responsibilities and candidate qualifications. Results were mixed, with some variables gaining prominence but others declining. There was no apparent increase in demand for technological skills and responsibilities overall.     

Kill the One-Shot: Using a Collaborative Rubric to Liberate the Librarian–Instructor Partnership

Subject faculty sometimes limit information literacy when they ask a librarian for “the library talk.” On the librarian’s end, this unimaginative request translates into a traditional one-shot, often focused on point-and-click skills rather than building deeper competencies. The authors developed a collaboration rubric to liberate librarians from this deadlock. The rubric uses nine lenses to focus the librarian-instructor collaboration on relevant sub-categories that display various instruction modes. These lenses include assignment design, the timing of instruction, librarians’ visibility in virtual class spaces, and librarians’ involvement in assessment. The rubric also outlines levels of collaboration, from None to Minimal, Healthy, and Superlative.     

Are You Being Served? Designing the Customer Service Curriculum

Customer service is a core component of user experience and an important element in making patrons feel welcomed and valued within our libraries. At the University of Maryland Libraries, we took on the challenging task of creating a customer service training curriculum for all staff working at public service points and offering a digital badge for successful completion of a non-credit course. This article will detail our sometimes difficult, often uncertain, but ultimately worthwhile process of determining training needs and creating this course as we incorporate customer service into the daily work of our employees.     

新一代联机检索软件—Personal Librarian

本文主要介绍新一代联机检索软件PersonalLibrarian的特点与功能,以及该软件在CD-ROM、联机和DIALOG中的应用情况。