Analysis of Academic Libraries' Facebook Posts: Text and Data Analytics

This research analyzed a dataset of academic libraries' posts on Facebook. It applied a text and data analytics approach to a dataset collected from the Facebook posts of academic libraries at the top 100 English-speaking universities, as listed by the 2014 Shanghai World University Rankings. The dataset is from a two-year posting history of 18,333 unique posts, 113,621 likes, and 3401 comments. Less than a quarter of the libraries had more than 2000 post-related likes, and only seven received more than 100 comments on their postings. Content analysis identified the most prevalent single word (unigrams), bigrams (two-word sequences), and trigrams (three-word sequences) in high and low engagement content. Semantic analysis identified the semantic categories for posts with high and low engagement. The findings can assist academic libraries in their social media strategies for engagement, marketing, and visibility.     

Ecological Study of Graduation Rates and GPA in a Library Credit Course

The purpose of this ecological study was to examine the impact of a library credit course on graduation rates and GPA using pre-existing records. Over 20?years of aggregate institutional data were analyzed to evaluate the course's impact on first-time-full-time, white, and black students. Results were mixed: students who took the course were less likely to graduate than their peers who did not take the course but enjoyed slightly higher GPAs at graduation. It was discovered that students taking the course are not representative of the overall student body and struggle academically. Implications for revisions to the library credit course are discussed.     

Instructor Use of Educational Streaming Video Resources

Although a substantial majority of academic libraries now provide streaming video, the literature contains few studies which focus on how such resources are used. This article presents the results of a qualitative research study consisting of in-depth interviews with 18 instructors who use of one category of streaming video resources, educational videos, which are important because they are sold a higher price than most individuals can afford, and thus are typically only available to instructors through the library. The study's main findings are that instructors think educational streaming video resources compare favorably to commercial and non-streaming alternatives in most respects and use them whenever possible, that the primary benefit of these resources is to facilitate better use of limited class time by enabling instructors to assign videos as outside-of-class viewing, and that the library is not the primary means instructors use to discover new educational streaming video resources. Additional insights are provided into factors that academic libraries should consider when deciding which resources to invest in, which acquisition models to pursue, and what marketing strategies to employ to ensure maximum usage.     

Crowdfunding for Academic Libraries: Indiana Jones Meets Polka

Crowdfunding – or creatively presenting a case for funding to like-minded individuals – is becoming an effective development strategy for academic libraries. The crowdfunding projects described offer multiple approaches to consider, from an adventure-themed video to embracing polka music to entice donors to give. Social media, used in conjunction with the web and well-established email communication formed the basis of successful project promotion. Developing a robust communication plan ahead of campaign launch is critical for success. Thanking donors for their transformational gifts and follow up communication describing the impact of their participation six months later raises friends for the library potentially for many years to come. With proper planning, an active and enthusiastic committee and effective donor stewardship, crowdfunding campaigns will help libraries raise funds to support strategic initiatives.     

Google Scholar's Coverage of the Engineering Literature 10 years Later

In 2008 Meier and Conkling first tested Google Scholar's coverage of the engineering literature against citations gathered from the Compendex database. Since that time, other studies have used the same methodology and found improvement in Google Scholar's coverage. This study uses engineering dissertations from Proquest Dissertations & Theses to create a data set of citations for the comparison of fee-based databases, Compendex and Scopus, against Google Scholar. From 1950 to 2017 Google Scholar outperformed both Compendex and Scopus in discoverability of citations in nine engineering subjects. These results have implications for collection management and information literacy program planning for librarians.     

Risk,affect, and policy support: public perception of air pollution in China

Air pollution is a critical environmental problem that has spurred great public concern in China. This study examines how issue salience, environmental value, risk perception, and affective response influence information seeking, objective knowledge, and policy support related to this issue. The recent release of a controversial environmental documentary on Chinese social media, Under the Dome, also prompted us to explore the impact of exposure to this documentary on Chinese social media users’ information seeking and policy support related to air pollution. Results showed that risk perception and negative affect influenced information seeking and policy support both directly and indirectly. Also, exposure to the documentary moderated the effects of key variables on information seeking and policy support. However, contrary to our expectations, no significant relationship was found between information seeking and objective knowledge. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.     

The Effect of Web Search Result Display on Users’ Perceptual Experience and Information Seeking Performance

ABSTRACT

Adding multiple sources of information in the display of Web search results may negatively affect users’ perceptual experience and information-seeking behavior. This claim was established by investigating the impact of different Web search compositions on users’ ability to extract specific information. In this article, we assumed that the quantity and order of different compositions (areas) in the Web search results page may contribute to individual’s ability to find information relevant to their search queries. An eye-tracking device was used to observe and compare the perceptual behavior of 14 users in an information-seeking task. The results showed that the use of different compositions in the display of Web results page significantly influenced users’ perceptual experience by reducing their attention to the organic results area. The quantity of these compositions was found to greatly increase the cognitive load of users when attempting to retrieve information from the organic area, which negatively affects their information-seeking performance. Our finding provides a rationale for further studies to consider the impact of quantity and order of Web page compositions on individuals’ perceptual attention and cognitive load in information-seeking task settings.     

基于Usage Metrics的中文学术论文用户平台偏好和兴趣偏好比较研究

研究中文学术论文用户使用模式有助于分析使用规律,为应用决策提供依据。本文以八个学科被CSSCI或CSCD收录的61本开放获取期刊发表于2014—2015年的学术论文为样本,以期刊官网和信息集成平台上的使用数据为来源,采用Usage Metrics的方法,从用户平台偏好和用户兴趣偏好两方面比较中文学术论文的用户使用模式。研究发现:①期刊官网与信息集成平台的用户平台偏好存在差异。一是从学科视角看,用户整体上倾向于使用期刊官网而不是信息集成平台获取所需论文,而社会科学的信息集成平台篇均下载次数均大于自然科学。二是从期刊视角看,社会科学用户比自然科学用户更倾向于使用信息集成平台获取所需论文;与信息集成平台相比,期刊官网的用户下载数据呈现更为明显的“两级分化”现象;期刊官网下载次数与信息集成平台下载次数整体上的相关性较低。②期刊官网与信息集成平台的用户兴趣偏好存在差异。每本期刊官网和信息集成平台下载次数前20%的学术论文的Jaccard相似系数较低;在所列举的图书馆、情报与文献学中,期刊官网与信息集成平台的用户关注主题不同。图7。表5。参考文献37。     

Retention Matters: Academic Libraries Leading the Way

Academic libraries have always strived to be purposively involved in the university's mission attainment efforts. Today, the increase of retention levels is paramount, and, in many cases, it is at the center of higher education institution's strategic plans. For Andrews University, for example, the goal is to reach 80% in the next five years. In the United States, student retention efforts become even more critical due, in part, to declining enrollment numbers set off by soaring higher education costs. Academic librarians are aware of the library's role in the university's overall efforts to increase persistence rates and curtail attrition. Through a literature review, this article highlights how academic libraries are participating in this process. This study focuses on how academic libraries can be leaders in their Institutions by adopting a user-centered philosophy and services that will promote life-long learning, enhance students’ academic experience, and promote engagement, leading to retention.