bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward Developing a Framework of Cost Elements for Preserving Authentic Electronic Records into Perpetuity
Authors: Sanett Shelby
Published: June 2014

The financial challenges of the processes involved in preserving electronic records into perpetuity are significant. Financial management tools will support the decision-making processes in which archives and libraries engage when preserving electronic records. Applying business concepts, in combination with archival precepts and collection management principles, to the challenge of preserving electronic records will assist institutions such as archives and libraries in making decisions that will support their mission statements and act in the best interests of their users. This article proposes that a cost model specific to preserving authentic electronic records be developed.
Use of Main or Branch Library Web Pages on Public Access Computers in Academic Branch Libraries: Results of a Listserv Inquiry
Authors: Breckbill Anita , Baldwin Virginia
Published: June 2014

Some academic branch libraries display a main library Web page as the default home page for their public computers. Others display a branch library page. In response to an inquiry sent to selected listservs, librarians from sixty-three academic institutions provided information about the choice and content of their default home pages. Although the numbers from the study do not clearly favor either choice, this paper, in summarizing the librarians’ input, provides insight into other available options and the considerations that contribute to maximum user benefit for a given library and library system.
Patterns in Electronic Journal Usage: Challenging the Composition of Geographic Consortia
Authors: Davis Philip M.
Published: June 2014

Annual electronic journal usage data for the NorthEast Research Library (NERL) consortium was analyzed for 2000 and 2001 for the Academic Press IDEAL aggregate package. Patterns indicated a high degree of skew in use of the journal collection: a small number of journals formed the majority of total use. Each institution illustrated a unique usage pattern, with some institutions using (proportionally) more or less of the collection. No institution used every title, and some titles were used very infrequently by the consortium as a whole. Title ranking showed high congruence between 2000 and 2001. Titles not subscribed in print received about ten times less use than locally subscribed titles. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups of institutions based on use of the journal package: large research institutions, medical institutions, and smaller liberal arts colleges and polytechnic institutes. Student enrollment is a good predictor of total usage, with medical institutions being an exception. It is recommended that institutions consider their consortial membership and organize themselves into groups of homogenous institutions with similar missions.
Caught in the Web: The Impact of Library Instruction on Business Students’ Perceptions and Use of Print and Online Resources
Authors: Lombardo Shawn V. , Miree Cynthia E.
Published: June 2014

Many business students rely heavily on the Web for research, in part because of their unfamiliarity with the breadth of their library’s business resources (online and in print). This study sought to determine whether library instruction could impact undergraduate business students’ attitudes and use of three information formats: print materials, library databases, and Web resources. Over the course of a semester, pre-/postinstruction questionnaires were collected from ninety students enrolled in a business capstone course. Results indicate that after library instruction, students held more favorable attitudes toward print resources and used them in their research more than they had initially expected.
Instruction for Web Searching: An Empirical Study
Authors: Colaric Susan M.
Published: June 2014

Users searching the Web have difficulty using search engines and developing queries. Searches tend to be simple, and Boolean operators are used infrequently and incorrectly. Users also are unaware that search engines operate differently from other information retrieval systems. Yet, there is little research on effective instructional methods for teaching users how to search the Web. Research has looked at instructional methods for other types of information retrieval, but these systems differ a great deal from the Web. The purpose of this study was to determine what undergraduate students know about search engines and to examine instructional treatments to aid searchers in using a search engine.
Trends in Distant Student Use of Electronic Resources: A Survey
Authors: Kelley Kimberly B. , Orr Gloria J.
Published: June 2014

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is one of the eleven degree- granting institutions of the University System of Maryland (USM). UMUC plays a unique role among academic institutions in the State of Maryland in that it serves a large distant student population, with the proportion of students studying online approaching 50 percent of enrollments.
Information and Library Services (ILS) at UMUC conducted a needs assessment survey to examine trends in student use of library resources, services, and instruction in order to understand how student usage patterns, needs, and preferences have changed as well as stayed the same.
One important element of the survey was to obtain in-depth information on student usage patterns for electronic resources and services because (1) the library has increased delivery of these types of resources and services in the five years leading up to the current (2001) study and (2) several studies suggest that students are relying more heavily on online resources, both proprietary databases and the “free” Web.1 Therefore, ILS was interested in determining whether the shift to more online delivery of classes, and the simultaneous shift observed in user behavior in libraries in general (i.e., relying more heavily on online resources), would also affect student usage patterns and dependence on the physical library and online resources at UMUC.
The findings of the survey followed national trends and demonstrated that nontraditional, predominantly part-time students’ usage patterns have changed and now favor the use of electronic resources (the Internet, in particular) and also mirror trends observed in traditional student behavior toward libraries and library resources in many important respects.
Information Retrieval in Domain-specific Databases: An Analysis to Improve the User Interface of the Alcohol Studies Database
Authors: Jantz Ronald
Published: June 2014

Academic libraries are becoming more directly involved in the design and publishing of electronic information resources, including bibliographic databases, electronic journals, and digital archives. As a result, librarians are dealing with many user interface design issues that computer scientists and information specialists in other fields have encountered. Transaction log analysis can provide a rich source of information on user behavior and insights as to how user interfaces can be improved. This article describes the methodology and results of the log analysis for the Alcohol Studies Database (ASDB), a domain-specific database supported by the Center of Alcohol Studies and Rutgers University Libraries (RUL). The goals of this study were to better understand user search behavior, to analyze failure rates, and to develop approaches for improving the user interface.
Establishing a Core List of Journals for Forestry: A Citation Analysis from Faculty at Southern Universities
Authors: Kelsey Paul , Diamond Tom
Published: June 2014

Citations of articles published from 1990 to 2002 of faculty teaching at selected southern universities are counted and analyzed to form a core list of the most highly cited journals for the field of forestry. Core lists are developed for assistant, associate, and full professors; and citation differences among the three groups are analyzed. The core list of journals is compared with the list of primary forestry serials compiled by the Cornell Core Agricultural Literature Project. The analysis focuses on the similarities and differences of both studies, and discusses the importance of ecological and interdisciplinary journals to forestry research.
Salary Market Equity at the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries: A Case Study Follow-up
Authors: Seaman Scott , Krismann Carol , Carter Nancy
Published: June 2014

During the 1995–1996 academic year, the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries received market equity funds to increase librarian salaries to the median Association of American University librarian salary. One stipulation of the university administration required that the market equity funds be distributed over four years rather than in a single year. In an earlier article, the authors predicted that, as result of spreading the increase over four years, salaries of libraries faculty would only reach the 1996–1997 mean in 2000–2001. This follow-up study analyzes the results of distributing the equity funds over the four years between 1995–1996 and 2000–2001. It finds that during that time, the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries rose from the bottom quartile of its comparison group to the top quartile when ranked by median salary, suggesting that spreading the equity over four years did not significantly impact the final salaries. Detailed analysis, however, reveals that although the overall salary pool rose in its comparison group, many individual librarians’ salaries did not reach market. This study concludes that the increase in overall ranking was due to a fundamental change in the profile of the faculty rather than to the application of market equity funds. The failure of some salaries to increase to market can likely be attributed to changes in the market rate of each position classification. Further, although the application of market equity might have been improved had the distances between the market and the librarians’ salaries been recalculated each of the four years, internal and external factors may have made that impractical.
Creating a Better Place: Physical Improvements in Academic Libraries, 1995–2002
Authors: Shill Harold B. , Tonner Shawn
Published: June 2014

Many academic institutions have benefited from new, expanded, renovated, or reconfigured facilities since the mid-1990s. Given current concerns about the future of the physical library and the nature of space needs, it is important to know what improvements have been made in recent facility projects and what impact these improvements have had on use of the physical library. Based on findings from a survey of 354 academic libraries, this article describes the types of projects undertaken and the kinds of improvements provided. A companion article describing the impact of these improvements on usage of the physical facility is in preparation.
Identifying the Role of Multidisciplinary Journals in Scientific Research
Authors: Ackerson Linda G. , Chapman Karen
Published: June 2014

Scientists in focused research areas customarily use specialized journals, and yet multidisciplinary journals also are widely cited. Prior studies have investigated the characteristics of multidisciplinary journals, but none have considered the role this type of journal plays in scientific research. Citation data from Nature, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences were used to profile the articles in the journals and the articles that cite them. In particular, when citation occurred across disciplines, the reason for the citation was investigated.
Theory into Practice: Applying David Jonassen’s Work in Instructional Design to Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries
Authors: Macklin Alexius Smith
Published: June 2014

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) recently updated the guidelines for instruction programs in academic libraries. This revised document includes the use of active learning techniques and instructional design tools for program development. Research in education currently contains a wealth of theories and strategies in these areas that are useful to instruction librarians. In particular, the work of David H. Jonassen is rich with guidance on designing active learning environments for problem solving and information retrieval. This article outlines how Jonassen’s research can provide a working context for using the ACRL guidelines to create successful instruction programs.
Subject No-hits Searches in an Academic Library Online Catalog: An Exploration of Two Potential Ameliorations
Authors: Graham Rumi Y.
Published: June 2014

This paper describes a study that explored ways in which users’ subject-searching problems in a local online catalog might be reduced. On a weekly basis, the author reviewed catalog transaction logs to identify topics of subject searches retrieving no records for which appropriate information resources may actually be represented in the catalog. For topics thus identified, the author explored two potential ameliorations of the no-hits search results through the use of authority record cross-references and “pathfinder” records providing brief instructions on search refinement. This paper describes the study findings, discusses possible concerns regarding the amelioration methods used, outlines additional steps needed to determine whether the potential ameliorations make a difference to users’ searching experiences, and suggests related areas for further research.
Citation Autobiography: An Investigation of ISI Database Coverage in Determining Author Citedness
Authors: Nisonger Thomas E.
Published: June 2014

This article presents a case study investigating the coverage completeness of the Institute for Scientific Information’s citation data for specific authors, based on analysis of this author’s lifetime citation record, which was compiled through the ISI database, searching the literature for nearly fifteen years, and through various Web search engines. It was found that (with self-citations disregarded) the ISI captured 28.8 percent of the total citations, 42.2 percent of print citations, 20.3 percent of citations from outside the United States, and 2.3 percent of non-English citations. The definition and classification of Web citations are discussed. It is suggested that librarians and faculty should not rely solely on ISI author citation counts, especially when demonstration of international impact is important.
Selected Reference Books, 2003
Authors: McIlvaine Eileen
Published: June 2014

This article follows the pattern set by the semiannual series initiated by the late Constance M. Winchell more than seventy years ago and continued by Eugene P. Sheehy. Because the purpose of the list is to present a selection of recent scholarly and general reference works, it does not pretend to be either well balanced or comprehensive. A brief roundup of new editions of standard works is provided at the end of the articles. Code numbers (such as BD111) have been used to refer to titles in the Guide to Reference Books, 11th ed. (Chicago: ALA, 1996).
Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism Included, in the Digital Age: A Literature Review
Authors: Ercegovac Zorana , Richardson John V.
Published: June 2014

The reviewed literature reported on plagiarism in the context of the digital era from the perspective of a broader educational spectrum. The authors of this review ask questions with regard to what constitutes plagiarism, how prevalent plagiarism is in our schools, colleges, and society, what is done to prevent and reduce plagiarism, the attitudes of faculty toward academic dishonesty in general, and individual differences as predictors of academic dishonesty. This article identifies research questions that have not been addressed sufficiently in the literature and suggests specific research areas for further investigation.
Planning Bioinformatics Education and Information Services in an Academic Health Sciences Library
Authors: MacMullen W. John , Vaughan K.T.L. , Moore Margaret E.
Published: June 2014

This article describes a planning process for the development of bioinformatics education and information services in an academic health sciences library. The project’s five goals were to:(1) understand the changing environment for information related to bioinformatics;(2) understand the information needs of faculty whose work involves bioinformatics; (3) explore potential service offerings; (4) anticipate factors influencing the implementation of new services; and (5) envision strategies for recruiting and training information professionals to fill these roles. The authors describe the library’s practice environment and review recent research on the information needs of biomedical researchers and clinicians. A variety of potential library-based services in relation to bioinformatics are enumerated, and the institutional, environmental, and personnel factors affecting the deployment of services are examined. Finally, the authors describe the educational and training context of the library, and explore potential roles for librarians and information professionals in the context of bioinformatics services.
Library Jargon: Student Recognition of Terms and Concepts Commonly Used by Librarians in the Classroom
Authors: Hutcherson Norman B.
Published: June 2014

This article reports the results of a study that used a pair of fifteen-item multiple-choice surveys to measure first- and second-year university student recognition of a select group of commonly used library terms. A total of 297 students responded. The results from the surveys indicate that commonly used terms such as plagiarism, reference services, research, copyright, and synonyms have high levels of recognition whereas library or computer-specific terms such as Boolean logic, bibliography, truncation, precision, and descriptor do not. The article includes a number of suggestions for overcoming this potential impediment to classroom communication.
Do Open-Access Articles Have a Greater Research Impact?
Authors: Antelman Kristin
Published: June 2014

Although many authors believe that their work has a greater research impact if it is freely available, studies to demonstrate that impact are few. This study looks at articles in four disciplines at varying stages of adoption of open access—philosophy, political science, electrical and electronic engineering and mathematics—to see whether they have a greater impact as measured by citations in the ISI Web of Science database when their authors make them freely available on the Internet. The finding is that, across all four disciplines, freely available articles do have a greater research impact. Shedding light on this category of open access reveals that scholars in diverse disciplines are adopting open-access practices and being rewarded for it.
I Don’t Think I Click: A Protocol Analysis Study of Use of a Library Online Catalog in the Internet Age
Authors: Novotny Eric
Published: June 2014

A protocol analysis study was undertaken to explore how a Web-savvy generation of library users searches the online catalog. Eighteen users, including experienced and novice searchers, were recruited. Participants agreed to be recorded and to express their thoughts aloud while searching. Analysis of these data has revealed several distinct trends. Most notable among these trends has been the impact of Internet search engines on user expectations. Given the influence of the Web, these assumptions are likely common throughout higher education. This research reveals where bottlenecks occur and provides insights into how libraries can design systems that help users around trouble spots.
Collaborative Collection Management in a High-density Storage Facility
Authors: Seaman Scott
Published: June 2014

This case study reviews selected collection management issues encountered in a collaboratively managed high-density remote storage facility. In 2000, four Colorado institutions—the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Colorado at Denver, the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and the University of Denver—opened a shared high-density storage facility. This mix of public and private institutions agreed to collaborative collection management, including a nonduplication policy and the granting of direct access to stored materials for nonparticipating institutions through a statewide union catalog. Ownership of stored materials, selection of items for storage, operational management, and online and physical access proved to be challenging policy issues requiring committees, patience, and compromise to resolve.
Information-seeking Behavior of Physical Science Librarians: Does Research Inform Practice?
Authors: Brown Cecelia M. , Ortega Lina
Published: June 2014

Physical science librarians rely on personal communication and online discussion groups for information to enlighten their practice. Scholarly journals appear third on the list of resources used to inform daily activities and are used primarily to support information literacy instruction, subscription decisions, and their own research as well as to learn about best practices in other libraries. The preferred library and information studies journals publish virtually equal proportions of research and nonresearch articles, with the majority of research articles being reports of qualitative surveys without statistical analysis. The popular journals were not those most highly cited, nor were the research articles cited to a greater extent than the nonresearch articles. In essence, the experiences and opinions of colleagues and patrons were found to be of greater value to the practice of physical science librarianship than reports of original research.
Assessing the Impact of Reference Services Provided to Undergraduate Students
Authors: Jacoby JoAnn , O’Brien Nancy P.
Published: June 2014

This article describes a study assessing the impact of reference services on undergraduate students. The study targeted undergraduates receiving nondirectional reference assistance, yielding sixty-nine survey responses and five follow-up interviews. Three outcomes were examined: (1) Do undergraduate students perceive the reference staff as being friendly and approachable? (2) Do they learn something during the course of the reference interaction? and (3) Do they feel more confident about their ability to find information after the reference interaction than they did before? Our findings suggest that reference services can play a significant role in helping students become confident, independent information seekers. Correlations between variables and a multiple regression model further indicate that friendliness of the reference staff was one of the best predictors of students’ confidence in their ability to find information on their own. These outcomes are particularly salient in a college and university environment where building skills for independent information exploration is a primary goal.
Career and/or Children: Do Female Academic Librarians Pay a Price for Motherhood?
Authors: Zemon Mickey , Bahr Alice Harrison
Published: June 2014

Although women have made significant progress in traditionally male-dominated occupations such as law, medicine, business, and science, those who have children are unlikely to advance to the top positions in their fields. This study examines academic librarianship, a “feminized profession” in which women represent close to 70 percent of the work force, to determine if women in the highest-level job, the directorship, have been able to both succeed in their careers and become mothers.
New Roles for a Changing Environment: Implications of Open Access for Libraries
Authors: Schmidt Krista D. , Sennyey Pongracz , Carstens Timothy V.
Published: June 2014

This article examines the likely implications of open access on library operations. The context of the examination takes place assuming that the traditional model of publication and open access coexist. Open access presents numerous challenges and opportunities, but entrepreneurial libraries will find new ways to serve their patrons in the new mixed open-access–traditional (MOA) environment. In order to do so, these libraries will need to redesign their organization and this can be expected to stretch both monetary and human resources.
Perished or Published: The Fate of Presentations from the Ninth ACRL Conference
Authors: Fennewald Joseph
Published: June 2014

The scientific merit of the Ninth ACRL Conference is assessed by tracking the subsequent publication of its presentations. The results indicate that presentations in all formats—papers, panels, posters, and roundtables—achieved publication in refereed journals. Papers and panels were more likely to be published (18%) than posters and roundtables (8%). Overall, 13 percent of all presentations became refereed articles. In addition, eight percent of the presentations were based on prior publications. The rate of subsequent publication identified here is similar to that of a previous study of a library conference. However, it is much lower than rates reported for medical and scientific conferences. This may suggest that the ACRL conference resembles a technical, not a scientific, meeting with an emphasis on presenting best practices rather than disseminating research. This study should be replicated to determine if the publication of presentations is higher at other and future library conferences.
Using Cited Half-life to Adjust Download Statistics
Authors: Ladwig J. Parker , Sommese Andrew J.
Published: June 2014

“Supplying accurate CPU [cost-per-serial use] information to faculty and appropriate marketing of the alternate modes of delivery ... become the key to achieving an optimal cost-efficient serials collection in an academic library.”1
A model is presented for adjusting use statistics using a journal’s ISI Journal Citation Reports cited half-life. The goal is to improve the method used to evaluate the raw electronic download figure. The proposed model will still undercount total use, but the undercounting will be proportional across disciplines and less severe. By using this model, librarians can avoid making cancellation decisions that may cost their libraries more money in the long run.
Accuracy of Cited References: The Role of Citation Databases
Authors: Buchanan Robert A.
Published: June 2014

The nature and extent of errors made by Science Citation Index ExpandedTM (SCIE) and SciFinder® ScholarTM (SFS) during data entry have been characterized by analysis of more than 5,400 cited articles from 204 randomly selected cited-article lists published in three core chemistry journals. Failure to map cited articles to target-source articles was due to transcription errors, target-source article errors, omitted cited articles, and reason unknown. Mapping error rates ranged from 1.2 to 6.9 percent. SCIE and SFS also were found to correct errors made by authors in cited-article lists roughly one-half and one-sixth of the time, respectively.
Behavioral Citation Analysis: Toward Collection Enhancement for Users
Authors: Fuchs Beth E. , Thomsen Cristina M. , Bias Randolph G. , Davis Donald G.
Published: June 2014

A pilot study was developed to determine use of the University of Texas at Austin General Libraries’ research collections in the fields of civil engineering and educational psychology and to investigate the research behavior of graduate students. First, the authors sampled bibliographic citations from dissertations completed during the years 1997 and 2002 in the above-named fields. Then, a survey was sent to the dissertation writers to gain insight into use and opinions of library services for their graduate research. Analysis of information provided by both collection-and user-centered data-gathering techniques serves to underscore the value of the merged evaluation methods.
Oversized and Underused: Size Matters in Academic Libraries
Authors: Jones D. Yvonne
Published: June 2014

Data on the collection size, shelving, and usage of oversize books in the general library collection was requested using an e-mail survey targeted at fifty U.S. liberal arts college libraries. Typical size of oversize collections ranged from a few hundred to almost 200,000 volumes, with a median collection size of 6,359 and median percentage oversize of 1.6 percent. When the percentage circulation within the oversize collection was compared with the percentage circulation within the general collection, statistically significantly lower circulation was evident for oversize volumes (one-sided P=0.02), with a surprisingly small median difference of 3 percent.
Last Copies: What’s at Risk?*
Authors: Connaway Lynn Silipigni , O’Neill Edward T. , Prabha Chandra
Published: June 2014

Last copies are a class of unique library materials that are at risk and warrant consideration for long-term preservation. WorldCat, the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. bibliographic database, contains 24 million records for items held by only a single OCLC member library. The characteristics of these unique materials are not well understood. This study proposes a conceptual model derived from the examination of materials held exclusively by Vanderbilt University Libraries. The libraries hold approximately 1.5 million items in WorldCat. Of these, more than 23,000 are held only by Vanderbilt University Libraries. The bibliographic records and, in selected cases, the items themselves, were examined to determine characteristics and to identify the items whose content is at risk. The last copies at Vanderbilt University Libraries fell into four broad categories: (1) unidentified manuscripts, (2) last copies, (3) duplicate records, and (4) last expressions.
Convergence in the Library’s News Room: Enhancing News Collections and Services in Academic Libraries
Authors: Cheney Debora , Knapp Jeffrey , Alan Robert , Czapla Pamela
Published: June 2014

The use and importance of newspaper collections in academic libraries have been in decline as acquisition costs have increased significantly as the difficulty obtaining daily issues in a timely manner has grown, and as newspaper readership has declined nationally. In contrast, today’s student and researcher are using television and Internet news sources heavily. This article explores the role of the academic library’s news collections in complementing the university’s Newspaper Readership Program and supporting faculty efforts to develop their students’ critical thinking and media literacy skills. The authors suggest that digital news forms, including television, should be considered and included as part of the library’s collections. In this light, lessons can be learned from convergence taking place in the news industry. Libraries must also “converge” news sources to provide library users with news sources, which reflect today’s news environment and also reflect the “information cycle.” The newly created News Room at Pattee Library incorporates a three-television news viewing area; a broader selection of newspaper titles (particularly international titles); and a news magazine collection, as well as providing access to a wide variety of news aggregator database, and the library’s significant historical microfilm collection. A temporary television installation and focus groups were used to help inform the development of the News Room and to determine interest and resistance to sound and televisions in the library. The Libraries’ Serials Department provided analysis of newspaper delivery options (and reliability) and related subscription costs, as well as suggestions for reducing the number of missing/nonreceipt issues. In addition, greater focus was placed on niche reference service supporting news sources and news-related research. Use of the News and Microforms Library has increased.
Selected Reference Works, 2005-20061
Authors: Witte Sarah , Cargill Mary
Published: June 2014

This article follows the pattern set by the semiannual series initiated by the late Constance M. Winchell more than fifty years ago and continued first by Eugene Sheehy and then by Eileen McIlvaine. Because the purpose of the list is to present a selection of recent scholarly and general works, it does not pretend to be either well balanced or comprehensive. A brief roundup of new editions of standard works is provided at the end of the articles. Code numbers (such as AC527) have been used to refer to titles in the Guide to Reference Books, 11th ed. (Chicago: ALA, 1996).
From Perceptions to Connections: Informing Information Literacy Program Planning in Academic Libraries Through Examination of High School Library Media Center Curricula
Authors: Islam Ramona L. , Murno Lisa Anne
Published: June 2014

Academic librarians are challenged to provide instruction to freshmen who demonstrated varied levels of research skills. To investigate how extensively particular information literacy skills are addressed at the secondary level, the authors distributed a nationwide survey to school library media specialists. Results reveal a common set of skills that respondents perceive they teach in depth and a common set of skills that are perceived as neglected. Qualitative data identify hindrances to information literacy instruction in high schools. Avenues for collaboration between academic and school librarians are suggested as a means to closing the knowledge gap between high school and college.
The Blended Librarian: A Job Announcement Analysis of the Newly Emerging Position of Instructional Design Librarian
Authors: Shank John D.
Published: June 2014

This exploratory study uses job advertisements from periodicals (College and Research Libraries News, Library Journal, and The Chronicle of Higher Education), a job discussion list (libjobs), and an employment Web site (Educause) from 1999–2004 to investigate position announcements of the newly emerging position of Instructional Design Librarian. Ten unique position announcements were identified and examined to determine the positions’ qualifications and job responsibilities. The research reveals some notable similarities and differences among these positions and identifies a broad set of key characteristics.
Conduciveness to Scholarship: The Essence of Academic Library as Place
Authors: Antell Karen , Engel Debra
Published: June 2014

The dawn of the Internet era has prompted many researchers to investigate changes in the use of academic libraries, but most studies explore student use, rather than faculty use, of library space. In contrast, this study surveys use of the academic library space among faculty and doctoral students and explores the phenomenological differences between using library space and using the library remotely. The authors hypothesized that older scholars (by age and by “scholarly age,” as measured by the year in which the scholar’s last academic degree was earned) would report greater use of the physical library and less use of the library’s electronic resources and would make more positive statements about the physical space than would younger scholars. In three of the four major themes that emerged from the qualitative survey data, this hypothesis is supported. However, in the fourth theme, “conduciveness to scholarship,” the opposite position was supported. Younger scholars were far more likely than older scholars to make statements reflecting the idea that the physical library is a unique place that facilitates the kind of concentration necessary for doing serious scholarly work.
Accessing E-books through Academic Library Web Sites
Authors: Dinkelman Andrea , Stacy-Bates Kristine
Published: June 2014

This article examines access to electronic books as provided on the Web sites of academic libraries in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Our goal was to discover the ways in which that access occurs and to analyze the merit of the various approaches. We found some common barriers to access, as well as many cases of exemplary access. Many libraries could improve access to e-books by providing guidance to the content of e-book packages, by including the word “book” in links from the homepage to the pages that provide e-books, by providing a one-step limit to e-books in the catalog, by explaining which types of resources are available through search structures outside the catalog, and by featuring e-books in library publicity and instruction.
Charting Academic Library Staffing: Data from National Surveys
Authors: Applegate Rachel
Published: June 2014

Many issues in academic library practice and research are affected by staffing patterns. To provide an overview of librarian distribution among large, medium, and small institutions, librarian to nonlibrarian ratios, and ratios of library staff to students and faculty, a database comprising 1,380 four-year nonspecialized U.S. academic institutions was constructed. Among other findings, these descriptive data show that academic librarians are distributed bimodally, with a few large libraries employing about half of all academic librarians. Findings concerning librarians, institutions, and staffing ratios by library size, Carnegie classification, and control are presented.
Attitudes of Presidents and Provosts on the University Library
Authors: Lynch Beverly P. , Murray-Rust Catherine , Parker Susan E. , Turner Deborah , Walker Diane Parr , Wilkinson Frances C. , Zimmerman Julia
Published: June 2014

This study replicates an investigation conducted by Deborah Grimes in 1992–1993 and published in her 1998 book, Academic Library Centrality. This paper reports the results of interviews conducted in 2004 with the presidents and provosts of six universities and compares them with Grimes’ findings. The analysis shows that major changes have occurred in the attitudes of university leaders toward their libraries during the last decade. These new findings provide direction for library leaders as they seek out new models of library service and reshape old models to fit the current environment of American higher education. The findings also point to the emergence of new competencies, skills, and knowledge as essential components of the job of the library director. The results of this study call into question the applicability of the centrality concept to libraries in universities and indicate the need for research that offers a relevant model for use in those settings.
The Development and Validation of the Information Literacy Test
Authors: Cameron Lynn , Wise Steven L. , Lottridge Susan M.
Published: June 2014

The Information Literacy Test (ILT) was developed to meet the need for a standardized instrument that measures student proficiency regarding the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. The Web-based, multiple-choice ILT measures both lower- and higher-order skills. Evidence is presented that the ILT scores provide reliable and valid measures of information literacy. In addition, a rigorous standard setting method was used to identify score values corresponding to various absolute levels of proficiency. The ILT can be used to help institutions measure student information literacy outcomes and determine the effectiveness of instruction programs.
Critical Thinking Disposition and Library Anxiety: Affective Domains on the Space of Information Seeking and Use in Academic Libraries
Authors: Kwon Nahyun , Onwuegbuzie Anthony J. , Alexander Linda
Published: June 2014

Because both critical thinking and library anxiety have been found to play an important role in determining learning outcomes, it is possible that these two constructs are related in some way. To date, however, this link has not been empirically examined. In the present study, we have attempted to identify the nature of the association between critical thinking disposition and library anxiety among 170 graduate students. Findings revealed a negative multivariate relationship between these two sets of affective variables. Specifically, weak dispositions toward critical thinking were associated with high levels of library anxiety. Implications of the findings were discussed with respect to the approach to teaching information literacy in academic libraries.
You Can’t Get There from Here: Student Citations in an Ephemeral Electronic Environment
Authors: Hovde Karen
Published: June 2014

This study investigates 1,666 citations to Internet resources from 529 freshman English composition papers from two different years, 1999 and 2004. Web citations are examined in relation to traditional print resources, by type and domain, and with special attention to their persistence through time. After 7 months from submission of the papers for the 1999 sample, 38 percent of the links led to the document cited. After 12 months for the 2004 sample, 45 percent of the links accessed the document. A resubmission of the 1999 citations after 7 years reduced the number of successful links to 9 percent. The instability of Web citations in undergraduate student papers is discussed in the larger context of citation structure, with implications for future scholarship.
Geographic Search: Catalogs, Gazetteers, and Maps
Authors: Buckland Michael , Chen Aitao , Gey Fredric C. , Larson Ray R. , Mostern Ruth , Petras Vivien
Published: June 2014

Libraries need to support geographic search. The traditional reliance on place names and political jurisdictions needs to be complemented by greater attention to space, using latitude and longitude. If place name authority files are linked to (or developed into) place name gazetteers, spatial coordinates can be added, places can be located in space, similar and multiple place names can be disambiguated, additional spatial relationships can be established (for example, near, between). Map visualizations used to display geographic aspects of retrieved sets can also provide a more flexible way in to specify the geographic facet in search queries. Analyses show that library catalog records contain geographic data that remains unused. Recommendations and prototype interfaces are presented.
Retaining and Advancing Librarians of Color
Authors: Johnson Peggy
Published: June 2014

This paper will explore the concept of group mentoring and the possible impact of creating learning communities on retention. It will consider one model, a training institute held biennially at the University of Minnesota, which is directed to early-career librarians of color, and will explore the impact of this institute, which includes group mentoring, on retention and professional contributions.
Librarians’ Attitudes Toward Conferences: A Study
Authors: Vega Robert D. , Connell Ruth S.
Published: June 2014

The authors surveyed librarians to determine the reasons why they do or do not attend conferences, as well as what their attitudes were toward the various conference offerings such as roundtables, poster presentations, and the like. Librarians were queried to gather a variety of demographic and professional data. The resulting data were analyzed to find significant relationships between respondents’ demographic information and their attitudes toward specific conference offerings. The two most cited reasons given for going to conferences were professional rejuvenation and networking, both benefits not directly related to conference content. In addition to quantitative results, respondents replied to open-ended questions, and these qualitative results are included as well.
Recruiting a Diverse Workforce for Academic/Research Librarianship: Career Decisions of Subject Specialists and Librarians of Color
Authors: Kim Kyung-Sun , Chiu Ming-Hsin , Sin Sei-Ching Joanna , Robbins Louise
Published: June 2014

In libraries and other related organizations, information professionals with subject and cultural/ language expertise are invaluable as they can contribute to the provision of better service for users who are becoming increasingly diverse. Recent statistics indicate that there is a great need to recruit more librarians with subject specialties and with diverse ethnic/cultural backgrounds, especially in academic libraries. Two separate studies were conducted to examine career decisions of such individuals who are already working, or likely to work, in academic libraries. Suggestions are made to develop effective recruitment strategies and to ensure that the supply of the two special groups of the library profession will effectively meet the demand.
Using Circulation Systems for Special Collections: Tracking Usage, Promoting the Collection, and Addressing the Backlogs
Authors: Whittaker Beth M.
Published: June 2014

Innovation and change are perennially hot topics in libraries: traditional library services are being rethought in response to emerging needs. At The Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries, a cross-departmental team responded to a new emphasis on assessment and outreach by using the circulation module of our integrated library system (ILS) to measure the use of special collections and archives materials. This endeavor enabled us to streamline workflow and document our successes, increasing knowledge across the libraries about circulation functions and practices. This project's findings may apply at other institutions to assist librarians in planning and implementing such a project.
Status of Approval Plans in College Libraries
Authors: Jacoby Beth E.
Published: June 2014

The author surveyed college libraries in the United States to determine their use of approval plans as a method of acquiring printed books for their collections. Survey results indicate recent trends over a five-year period, including shelf-ready books, e-notifications, and virtual approval plans as well as impending use of approval plans for e-books. Findings show a correlation between the size of the library book budget and the likelihood of having an approval plan. The author also presents results from an informal survey of domestic approval plan vendors on the status of the scholarly monograph market and its effect on approval plan use. While the number of books acquired through approval plans may have decreased slightly, overall approval plan use in college libraries has not declined. The approval plan continues to evolve and is an effective, time-saving tool for librarians pressed for time in a rapidly changing digital world.
The Role of Information Architecture in Designing a Third-Generation Library Web Site
Authors: Duncan Jennifer , Holliday Wendy
Published: June 2014

Library Web sites have evolved over the past decade, from simple pages with a few links to complex sites that provide direct access to hundreds of different resources. In many cases, this evolution occurs with little overall planning, often resulting in Web sites that are hard to manage and difficult for users to navigate. This article outlines the process of using Information Architecture (IA) to redesign a third-generation library Web site from the ground up. The result was a much more usable and cohesive library Web site that meets the needs of a broad range of users.
Continuing Assessment of Library Instruction to Undergraduates: A General Education Course Survey Research Project
Authors: Zoellner Kate , Samson Sue , Hines Samantha
Published: June 2014

An assessment project was conducted by the Mansfield Library to evaluate the teaching and content of a research module embedded into a popular undergraduate course, Introduction to Public Speaking, part of the University of Montana's General Education Requirement. The project aimed to develop internal benchmarks and improve the curricula, as needed. Pre- and post-surveys were developed to assess student research confidence, perceptions of information tools, Web evaluation abilities, and assistance-seeking attitudes. Data from 426 student responses were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. The process, results, and analysis of the project are discussed.