Calibration against a reference set: A quantitative approach to assessment of the methods of assessment of scientific output

A set of authors whose scientific output can be unequivocally ranged from the highest to the lowest is used to assess the methods of assessment of scientific output. The rank-rank correlation coefficient between the known order in the calibration set and the order produced by certain method of assessment is a quantitative measure of the quality of that method. A common-sense-based reference may play a positive role in the communication between the enthusiasts and antagonists of bibliometric indices.     

Evaluation of outreach services for primary care and mental health; assessing the impact

Objectives: This paper reports an evaluation, carried out for London Health Libraries, of the impact of outreach services to primary care and mental health workers in 13 different settings. The main aims of the project were to identify the impact being made by the service, and to produce best‐practice guidelines for outreach services in this kind of community setting. Methods: Analysis of documents, analysis of any evaluation already carried out, interviews with outreach librarians, survey of a representative sample of users (eight services). The services evaluated were very diverse in terms of setting, structure, functions and activities. The evaluation was therefore largely qualitative. Emphasis was placed on trying to identify critical incidents, where it could be shown unambiguously that the outreach services made a difference to practice. Findings: Service recipients felt better informed, more up to date, more aware of resources, more confident and supported in their work, and saved time. Direct impacts, such as improved patient care, cost savings, etc., were more difficult to establish. Conclusions: The study identified the main areas of impact, and the main factors which affected this. Recommendations for good practice in such outreach services are made. Lessons of this evaluation for impact studies in general are presented, in particular the difficulty of assessing ‘direct’ impacts.     

A comprehensive framework for the assessment of eGovernment projects

The area of electronic government (eGovernment) has received increased prominence and attention over the last few years. In spite of the current developments, many avenues in the area of eGovernment remain unexplored. One such area is the comprehensive assessment of eGovernment projects. We propose that understanding the value of projects drives the assessment process. Assessment of information technology (IT) initiatives is conducted either as an ex-ante (before implementation) or ex-post (after implementation) procedure. In this study, we present an ex-post framework for the assessment of eGovernment projects. Assessment identifies the value of the eGovernment project post-implementation. This paper examines a three-dimensional framework for the assessment of eGovernment initiatives. The three dimensions are eGovernment maturity level, stakeholders, and assessment levels.     

The impact of supervisor and subordinate immediacy on relational and organizational outcomes

Hypotheses were advanced based on the immediacy principle, accommodation theory, reciprocity theory, and previous research in another applied context which argue that increased nonverbal immediacy behaviors of supervisors have the potential to enhance subordinates’ perceptions of that supervisor, increase subordinate satisfaction with the supervisor and communication with the supervisor, and increase motivation and job satisfaction on the part of the subordinate. All of the hypotheses were supported by the results. The “principle of immediate communication” received strong support. It is concluded that increased immediacy on the part of either the supervisor or the subordinate is likely to generate reciprocity and accommodation leading to a more positive work environment and more desirable outcomes.     

浅析图书馆职称评定过程中存在的问题与改进思路

文章回顾与总结了近十年来图书馆职称评审中存在的一些问题,分析了问题产生的主客观原因,并提出了改进图书馆职称评定工作的一些思路。     

Stories of impact: the role of narrative in understanding the value and impact of digital collections

Cultural heritage institutions leverage digitization to fulfill their mission to preserve, represent, and provide access to collections under their care. Despite their common interest in documenting the progress of digitization and online access, the library, archives, and museums (LAM) sector lacks a conceptual framework for assessing and demonstrating the impact of digitized ethnographic collections. Reporting the findings of a yearlong interdisciplinary study, this article underscores the importance of storytelling in articulating the value and impact of digitized ethnographic collections held in cultural heritage institutions. We begin with an overview of the literature on the assessment and describe the methods we employed in our study. Next, we identify and discuss the different ways that stories and storytelling are strategically mobilized in conversations about the impact of digitization. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for cultural heritage practice and collection development.     

Beyond citation analysis: a model for assessment of research impact

Question:

Is there a means of assessing research impact beyond citation analysis?

Setting:

The case study took place at the Washington University School of Medicine Becker Medical Library.

Method:

This case study analyzed the research study process to identify indicators beyond citation count that demonstrate research impact.

Main Results:

The authors discovered a number of indicators that can be documented for assessment of research impact, as well as resources to locate evidence of impact. As a result of the project, the authors developed a model for assessment of research impact, the Becker Medical Library Model for Assessment of Research.

Conclusion:

Assessment of research impact using traditional citation analysis alone is not a sufficient tool for assessing the impact of research findings, and it is not predictive of subsequent clinical applications resulting in meaningful health outcomes. The Becker Model can be used by both researchers and librarians to document research impact to supplement citation analysis.     

Matters of scale: small-scale intensive outreach to graduate students

Abstract

As an alternative to large-scale outreach events, three public services librarians created a series of small-scale outreach events aimed at educating graduate students about library services and increasing positive perceptions of the library. The librarians ran five events with a 2:1 student-to-librarian ratio, and one event with a 13:1 student-to-librarian ratio. Using pre- and post-event surveys, the librarians evaluated student knowledge and perceptions of library services. Events of both sizes indicated that graduate students valued the outreach events and perceived increased comfort with the library following the events. However, the events with 2:1 ratios resulted in higher perceived comfort levels and more interest in scheduling follow-up appointments with librarians than the 13:1 ratio event. The researchers of this case study conclude that small-scale events have positive benefits for graduate students and that outreach assessment can be used to justify the increased time and cost commitments that are necessary for small-scale outreach events.     

高校图书馆开展工作人员岗位培训探索——以西北政法大学图书馆为例

开展岗位培训是提高图书馆工作人员业务素质的重要途径。近年来,笔者所在馆把工作人员岗位培训与考核作为全馆工作的一项重要内容,积极组织,认真抓好,力争抓出成效。本文介绍了笔者所在馆内组织开展图书馆工作人员岗位培训与考核的一些具体做法。     

网络级发现服务-通向深度整合与便捷获取的路径

介绍近两年来兴起并在图书馆业界得到迅速和广泛应用的发现服务(Discovery Serv-ice)的缘起、发展、理念、特点、技术框架和设计思路等,并着重以北京大学图书馆"发现界面与资源整合(Interface and Integration,简称II)"项目的实施经验为依据,总结归纳在进行发现服务的评估和选型中需要着重关注的几个要点:系统架构和功能、元数据规模与质量、商业电子资源、本地馆藏与数字特藏以及中文化与本地支持等,以期为国内图书馆界在筹划发现服务时对相关系统和服务进行调研、选型与实施提供参考。     

社会化标注系统的检索功能及其效果评价

标签是类似于关键词的标注语言,与主题词相比,标签属非受控词,允许用户任意进行标注,对信息资源组织有一定的作用。社会标注,即由网络用户为其所创建和关注的资源添加的标签,成为当前网络信息资源组织系统对资源进行组织和管理的重要方式之一。通过比较社会化标注系统的三大功能及其效果评价,提出了改进未来社会标注系统中信息检索功能的建议。     

Faculty citations: An approach to assessing the impact of diminishing resources on scientific research

In an effort to assess the impact of diminished library resources on scientific research, the Georgia Institute of Technology library collection was evaluated by analyzing the sources cited in the publications of faculty in the applied and physical sciences for 1989. This study indicates that even with substantial periodical cancellations, the periodical collection supports the majority of faculty needs since they rely primarily on core journals in their disciplines. Other materials cited less frequently in published faculty research — monographs, proceedings, technical reports, other serials, and government documents — are examined. The limitations of this method, its institutionally specific results, and the need to learn more about the information-seeking behaviors of research science faculty are also discussed.     

A social identity approach to understanding the impact of television messages

Based on the postulates of social identity theory (SIT), this study examined the relationship between exposure to stereotypical media messages regarding race/ethnicity and subsequent social judgments. Specifically, the association between Whites' evaluations of self and other (Latino) as a result of varying media content pertaining to criminality stereotypes was investigated. The findings were partially consistent with the posited relationships. As predicted, negatively stereotypical racial depictions in mediated messages were found to be significantly associated with social judgments. Only limited support, however, was provided for the predictions that increasing levels of racial identification would be related to increased ingroup favoritism, or that esteem would be enhanced from this mediated process of intergroup comparison.     

Library outreach near and far: programs to staff and patients of the Piedmont Healthcare System

The librarians at the Sauls Memorial Library at Piedmont Hospital describe two services they offer to Piedmont Healthcare personnel and patients. Included are the system-wide library outreach program and the Sauls Memorial Library Business Center at the main hospital. These services create good will between patients, employees, and the healthcare system, and are also vital elements in promoting and marketing the library. This article illustrates the steps that were taken to create these services within Piedmont Healthcare's growing system.     

隐性知识表达与分享的绩效研究——以“真人图书馆”为例

隐性知识是改善人们知识结构并产生创新能力的关键。真人图书馆活动是传播隐性知识的良好平台。论文以真人图书馆活动为例,对构成知识转移绩效的传播主体、传播过程、传播结果等方面开展研究,认为传播者的意愿、能力是影响绩效的因素,引进有效的激励机制能更好的促进隐性知识的表达与分享。     

Looking beyond satisfaction: evaluating the value and impact of information skills training

In this feature guest writers Michael Raynor and Jenny Craven from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) present an overview of their evaluative research study on the value and impact of the information skills training courses they provide at NICE. In particular, this small study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative data to look beyond satisfaction and confidence levels and identify whether learning had actually taken place as a result of attending the sessions, and how new skills were used by the attendees in their day‐to‐day work. H.S.     

A stochastic approach to the relation between the impact factor and the uncitedness factor

Empirical analysis of the relationship between the impact factor – as measured by the average number of citations – and the proportion of uncited material in a collection dates back at least to van Leeuwen and Moed (2005) where graphical presentations revealed striking patterns. Recently Hsu and Huang (2012) have proposed a simple functional relationship. Here it is shown that the general features of these observed regularities are predicted by a well-established informetric model which enables us to derive a theoretical van Leeuwen–Moed lower bound. We also question some of the arguments of Hsu and Huang (2012) and Egghe (2013) while various issues raised by Egghe, 2008, Egghe, 2013 are also addressed.     

On the Shapley value and its application to the Italian VQR research assessment exercise

Research assessment exercises have now become common evaluation tools in a number of countries. These exercises have the goal of guiding merit-based public funds allocation, stimulating improvement of research productivity through competition and assessing the impact of adopted research support policies. One case in point is Italy's most recent research assessment effort, VQR 2011–2014 (Research Quality Evaluation), which, in addition to research institutions, also evaluated university departments, and individuals in some cases (i.e., recently hired research staff and members of PhD committees). However, the way an institution's score was divided, according to VQR rules, between its constituent departments or its staff members does not enjoy many desirable properties well known from coalitional game theory (e.g., budget balance, fairness, marginality). We propose, instead, an alternative score division rule that is based on the notion of Shapley value, a well known solution concept in coalitional game theory, which enjoys the desirable properties mentioned above. For a significant test case (namely, Sapienza University of Rome, the largest university in Italy), we present a detailed comparison of the scores obtained, for substructures and individuals, by applying the official VQR rules, with those resulting from Shapley value computations. We show that there are significant differences in the resulting scores, making room for improvements in the allocation rules used in research assessment exercises.