Are You Ready for Your Close-Up? Creating a Library Promotional Video

Learn how to create a promotional library video for your library using the multimedia software Camtasia. Challenges and lessons learned are explored by detailing one reference librarian’s efforts at creating a Ask A Librarian video.     

Librarians and Research Data Management–A Literature Review: Commentary from a Senior Professional and a New Professional Librarian

In the changing landscape of libraries and the roles of librarians, the area of Research Data Management (RDM) is emerging with new opportunities and challenges. This literature review identifies the current levels of publication that deal with the relationship of the librarian and their role in the research data management process and provides an examination of institutional research policies supporting collaboration of librarians as part of the research team.     

Is Management the “Tower of Babel” for Library and Information Science Programs?

Given the explosive growth of digital collections and the digital transformation of services in libraries, the need for management education in library and information science programs has grown. However, I contend in this article that confusion abounds like the “Tower of Babel” for LIS programs to accomplish this goal. A one size fits all approach does not work. Instead, management theory and principles need to be LIS-centric in accord with present day needs and conceptions. Management education also needs to be linked with scientific rigor to practice to meet the needs and expectations of LIS students. Rather than delivering management education that speaks the language of business, the content needs to resonate with the conditions for managing in the LIS context and to be supportive of the values of the LIS field. The article provides examples from research on management and innovation in libraries and other information-rich contexts. It also illustrates the types of issues that management education in LIS programs should address to deepen our understanding of the essential principles needed to manage information and knowledge.     

Where in the World Is My Librarian? Creating Cross-Campus Collaborations to Seamlessly Connect with Students When Librarians,Students, and Faculty Are in Different Locations

Research librarians often have a specialty in certain discipline, and many academic libraries thrive on this type of arrangement to support their researchers. But more often, new interdisciplinary programs are developed that require the expertise of more than one subject expert for support. In particular, students in a Master of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) program have unique, complicated research challenges that can only be addressed with careful collaboration amongst multiple subject experts. However, this program and the library saw the need for additional expertise to support their students, and began a collaboration with the medical library, bringing a clinical informationist onto the library support team. Together, the education librarian, clinical informationist, and program faculty collaborate to provide excellent services to help students in their research throughout the program.     

Stealing the Limelight? Examining the Relationship Between New Librarians and Their Supervisors

This study was conducted in order to determine how supervisor support relates to a new librarian's job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Factors examined include whether librarians in positions of power are reluctant to foster growth in beginning librarians and, if so, whether this reluctance is due to feelings of insecurity or fear of being outshone. This paper also examines the effect a supervisor's reluctance to offer advice and mentoring on the psychological state of new librarians. Suggestions for future research are discussed.     

How Much of Library and Information Science Literature Qualifies as Research?

There is an extensive amount of Library and Information Science (LIS) writing produced each year. While there is general awareness regarding the variety of journal literature, there is no certainty on the percentage of the collection that we can call research. This project is an important first step in answering the question. A content analysis of the LIS academic/scholarly journals at the Simmons College Library was conducted. The research level collection of LIS literature makes the library an ideal candidate for this study. The latest issue of each journal subscribed to for fiscal year 2012–2013 containing academic/scholarly content was analyzed. Each article was analyzed to determine: 1) if it was research or non-research, 2) the method used to collect data for the study in the article, and 3) the subject terms or keywords associated with the article. 105 journal titles were identified out of 177 periodicals. In the 1880 articles analyzed from these, 16% qualified as research. Surveys were found to be the most popular research method used. This study will benefit students, faculty, and staff with research requirements as well as librarians who guide patrons through a search for research literature.     

Community Libraries: The Concept and its Application—with Particular Reference to a South African Community Library System

Norms for community libraries were established, focusing specifically on the Pinetown community libraries. The five oldest community libraries in the Pinetown public library system were studied by way of questionnaires, interviews and observation. It was hypothesized that public library systems in South Africa have not yet made the paradigm shift to becoming true community libraries. However, the study proved that certain public library systems, such as Pinetown, have made significant progress towards becoming community libraries in the true sense of the word—moving away from the passive traditional Western public library model towards active service-oriented systems, based on the needs of the community as a whole: be it as agents of upliftment and development, or as sources of information and recreation. It can be concluded that certain adaptations still need to be made to become “true” community libraries. For instance, more community involvement in the running of the libraries, individual funds to purchase specific materials needed by the community, and the development of specific skills that will enable the staff to render a pro-active community library service, but the transitional process is still in progress.     

Who Are We Missing? Conducting a Diversity Audit in a Liberal Arts College Library

In the spring of 2021, Thomas Tredway Library at Augustana College undertook an audit of the library's print book collection to determine if there were gaps in representation of the voices of authors of differing races/ethnicities; genders; or sexual orientations. With the results of this audit, Augustana College librarians now have a better understanding of which voices and perspectives are missing and/or underrepresented in the print collection. This article documents the audit methodology; shares the results; and provides suggestions and a toolkit for other libraries to use in audits of their own.     

How Well Are We Preparing Them?: An Assessment of First-Year Library Student Assistants’ Information Literacy Skills

Most libraries have fully integrated cadres of student assistants into their daily operations, including helping at points of service. As libraries rely more and more on student assistants, we must maintain exceptional customer service to our users. This requires our student assistants to possess information literacy skills that exceed those of our users. This assessment investigates the information literacy skills of first-year library student assistants when compared to the general first-year student population, and it examines if first-year library student assistants’ information literacy skills increase more than those of their peers during their first semester at college.     

“Where Are the Bathrooms?”: Academic Library Restrooms and Student Needs

This article investigates bathrooms, paying specific attention to those in academic libraries. The authors describe how bathrooms have been considered in the library literature for the past century and challenges to changing the status quo. Finally, this work sets the stage for future inquiry. Research materials come from a range of sources: historical library literature, building codes, social science theory and research that address the issues around bathroom taboos, and checklists for assessing bathrooms. The authors propose librarians and library administrators reconsider all aspects of their own bathrooms: location, features, equity/inclusiveness, and maintenance in service to their patrons.     

Are Librarians Equipped to Teach International Students? A Survey of Current Practices and Recommendations for Training

Past studies of international students and academic libraries have often focused on students' own characteristics and experiences. Using an online survey, this study instead investigated librarians' teaching skills for serving this population. The analysis reveals that participants perceived an importance in developing skills specifically for international students. They tried to accommodate students' unique needs and optimize teaching approaches using their own experience working with the students. Although they reported having obtained knowledge of students' backgrounds as well as communication and teaching techniques, they showed strong interest in having further training opportunities to improve their teaching. The survey results thus give insight into recommendations for the provision of training to improve teaching in the context of serving international students.     

If You Build It Will They Come? Using a New Library Building to Establish a Culture of Marketing

Abstract

While most college campuses have strong support for the libraries, as competition on university campuses for limited financial resources gets tougher, support for libraries can be more theoretical than actual. Library users are unaware of the complexity of and expense required for library services. Not only must libraries compete for limited financial resources, they must also compete in a complex information marketplace. Today, libraries must market themselves to their constituents to ensure that services are utilized and appropriate resources are allocated for all formats of library materials. By committing to a strong marketing program, the University Library at Sonoma State University developed strategic plans to gain broader support from faculty, students, administrators and greater use of services. Libraries wishing to explore the possibility of integrating marketing efforts or libraries in the process of a move can adopt and/or adapt some of these techniques.     

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.     

LibGuides and Web-Based Library Guides in Comparison: Is There a Pedagogical Advantage?

This study investigates whether the platform used to deliver a tutorial matters in online information literacy instruction and assesses the overall quality of an information literacy tutorial assignment given to an undergraduate survey class. The study asks whether there is any pedagogical advantage between information literacy tutorials created in the LibGuides library guide creation software and tutorials created as Web pages. This research question is relevant to current studies of online information literacy tutorials, particularly given the increasingly dominant but under-researched position of LibGuides in the academic library world for delivering guides and tutorials. Two separate groups of students completed LibGuides and Web page versions of the same information literacy tutorial assignment in a university undergraduate communication course. Survey results of these 89 students indicated that both the LibGuides and Web page platforms deliver online instruction content effectively and achieve learning objectives almost equally well. Results also indicated content areas within the assignment that could be strengthened.     

What is a “MIVER” and How Does the Library Prepare for It?

ABSTRACT

The Military Installation Voluntary Education Review (MIVER) assesses the quality of selected on-base higher education programs and assists in the improvement of such programs through recommendations to the institutions and the military services. This poster relates the experience of one librarian's participation in such a review of the master's degree program in adult education offered by Kansas State University at Ft. Leavenworth. Topics covered include: the librarian's role in preparing the self-study document; steps taken to gather information; collaboration with responsible administrators/faculty members; pre-visit telephone interview with a site inspector; attending the actual site visit; and recommendations from the site team. Shared highlights and benefits specific to this librarian's experience include: developing a better working relationship with the teaching faculty; implementing a new method of reaching the students; gaining new knowledge of library services needed by this particular group of distance students; exploring opportunities for further activities; and reviewing outcomes and commendations received from the MIVER team.     

Are MLS Graduates Being Prepared for the Changing and Emerging Roles that Librarians Must Now Assume Within Research Libraries?

ABSTRACT

The focus of research libraries is changing to include digital resources, improving the information literacy level of patrons, and creating new partnerships on and off campus, among other things. This creates a need to recruit librarians trained in these areas and open to these changes. Library science training is a necessary foundation for preparing graduates to qualify for and excel in changing and emerging new roles. This article explores current recruitment efforts to articulate new roles and to successfully hire graduates with the skills and aptitude to fill them.     

Are Reference Desks Dying Out? Librarians Struggle to Redefine–and in Some Cases Eliminate–the Venerable Institution

ABSTRACT

This article describes ways in which reference service is changing, including an evolution away from desk-based service, appointment-based reference, the use of social-networking tools, and physical presence outside of library buildings at alternate service sites; summarizes divergent views toward the future of reference service as expressed at the 2007 ACRL National Conference.     

Economic Analysis and Copyright Law: Are New Models Needed in the Digital Age?

Summary

Economic analysis has played a central role in the development of intellectual property policy. Since information exhibits characteristics of a public good, both non-rival consumption and non-exclusivity, information markets are prone to market failure. This requires a policy response in the form of a subsidy or direct government provision. The monopoly rights granted to owners of intellectual property can be viewed as a form of subsidy intended to avert market failure. But in the digital environment, the tendency to market failure increases as information is more susceptible to copying and distribution with neither significant additional cost nor loss of quality.

While a wide range of policy tools are available to meet the challenges of the new digital environment, the range of current legislative proposals shows that the expansion of property rights in information is the only approach being given serious consideration.

This paper reviews these proposals as well as the wide variety of other approaches that could be considered including an increased role for the public provision of information. It is concluded that the traditional model of positive economic analysis is unable to explain the current policy environment and that a broader approach rooted in political economy would be appropriate.