scholarly journals Virtual reference amid COVID-19 campus closure: a case study and assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Garvey
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Virtual Reference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Eventual Return ◽  
Reference Service ◽  
Service Data

PurposeThis case study was conducted to assess and make changes to the consortial virtual reference service for the remainder of the period of fully virtual reference (campus closure); a second objective was to consider implications for service design and delivery upon the eventual return to the physical campus.Design/methodology/approachThis paper begins by introducing the institution, reference practices prior to the pandemic and the changes to reference service necessitated by the campus closure. After a literature review of material related to reference and the pandemic, several years of virtual reference service data are analyzed.FindingsThe use of consortial virtual reference service has significantly increased in the pandemic, as demonstrated by questions asked by users and questions answered by librarians. Changes to work practices based on these data have been made.Originality/valueThis work is original in that it relates to the physical closure of the campus due to the pandemic, about which, to date, little has been published specifically concerning the design and delivery of reference services.

Virtual reference librarians (Chatbots)

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Vincze
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Virtual Reference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Reference Librarians ◽  
Library Staff

Purpose This paper aims to explore integrating chatbot applications into libraries to improve reference services. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores the benefits of using chatbots as virtual reference librarians. Emma the Mentor Public Library’s Catbot is used as a case study. Findings Chatbots cannot replicate the complexity of human interaction (both knowledge and emotional), but these can provide a cost-effective way to answer the majority of routine reference questions and direct users to the appropriate service. Originality/value Readers will increase their awareness of how chatbots can streamline the work of the reference department by answering the majority of routine reference questions and freeing library staff to focus on more demanding research and tasks uniquely suited to humans.

Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing press: telework and telecommuting

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kesselman
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Virtual Reference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Better Than

Purpose – This article examines Current CITE-ings from the Popular and Trade Computing Press, Telework and Telecommuting Design/methodology/approach – The methodology adopted is a literature review. Findings – Readily available technologies now allow librarians to perform most of their work-offsite. Some traditional building-based services such as reference, have been taken over by virtual reference and now even instruction offers options on par with or even better than classroombased questions such as a webinar that can be viewed and reviewed at any time or by having librarians embedded into various courseware packages. Researchlimitations/implications – Librarians no longer need be limited to a single library; groups of subject librarians can work together in the cloud to provide services to multiple universities. Originality/value – This article collates some articles from the non-library literature that mayprovide some ideas and review advantages and disadvantages for both the library and employee

Measuring the academic library

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 109-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Salisbury ◽  
Jennifer Peasley
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Outcomes ◽  
Service Data ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an Australian perspective of impact and value by examining how the broader international and national perspectives play out in practice in the Australian context and where adaption for local requirements is necessary. Design/methodology/approach This paper will explore the assessment of impact and value in academic libraries and the tools available to translate today’s inputs into future impact and value. It will focus on a range of methods and procedures, including international and national standards, frameworks and benchmarks. Findings The La Trobe University Library is presented as a case study to examine the challenges of leveraging tools to assess impact and communicate the value of the library across the university community. Originality/value Assessing the impact and demonstrating the value of the academic library in a digital environment is a constant challenge. While usage and service data are plentiful, traditional metrics no longer sufficiently demonstrate the academic library’s contribution to university learning, teaching and research outcomes.

Instruction through virtual reference: mapping the ACRL framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-257
Author(s):  
Rebecca Hill Renirie
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Threshold Concepts ◽  
Virtual Reference ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Instructional Content ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine teaching intent of information literacy threshold concepts via asynchronous reference transactions. Instructional content in academic librarians’ replies to research requests are analyzed for and mapped to threshold concepts contained in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) framework. Design/methodology/approach The author mapped the instructional content of a research request reply template to the content of the ACRL framework, then took a random sample of research requests using the template during the calendar year 2016. Additional instructional content provided in the sample replies was also mapped to the framework. Findings In providing written instruction for students to create searches from keywords and search subject-specific databases, every frame is at least partially addressed in the template except Scholarship as Conversation. However, individual librarians adapt the template to teach as needed and there are examples in this case study of teaching aspects of all six frames asynchronously. Practical implications This study provides support for librarians to teach the threshold concepts of the ACRL framework asynchronously at the point of need during virtual reference, and the effective use of a research reply template to accomplish this instruction. Originality/value Few recent studies examine instructional intent in asynchronous/email reference. This study examines teaching the ACRL framework via reference rather than instructional sessions. A portion of this research was presented as a poster at the 2017 ACRL Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

scholarly journals The mediating role of documents: information sharing through medical records in healthcare

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1171-1191
Author(s):  
Esther Ebole Isah ◽  
Katriina Byström
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role

PurposeThe focus of this paper is on the mediating role of medical records in patient care. Their informative, communicative and constitutive facets are analysed on the basis of a case study in an African University teaching hospital.Design/methodology/approachA practice-oriented approach and the concept of boundary objects were adopted to examine medical records as information artefacts. Data from nonparticipant observations and interviews with physicians were triangulated in a qualitative analysis.FindingsThree distinctive practices for information sharing – absorbing by reading, augmenting by documenting and recounting by presenting – were identified as central to the mediating role of medical records in the care of patients. Additionally, three information-sharing functions outside the immediate care of patients were identified: facilitating interactions, controlling hegemonic order and supporting learning. The records were both a useful information resource and a blueprint for sustaining shared practices over time. The medical records appeared as an essential part of patient care and amendments to them resulted in changes in several other work practices.Originality/valueThe analysis contributes to research on documents as enacting and sustaining work practices in a workplace.

A “knowledge value chain” framework for contractor organisations to maximise chances of winning tenders

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaveesha Gihani Dewagoda ◽  
B.A.K.S. Perera ◽  
Sepani Senaratne
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competitive Tendering ◽  
Knowledge Value Chain ◽  
Expert Interview ◽  
Knowledge Value

PurposeKnowledge is a critical asset that places contractor organisations at a competitive advantage when they take part in competitive tendering. However, a dearth of literature exists on the mechanisms that contractor organisations can adopt to utilise knowledge to gain competitive advantage and win tenders through competitive tendering.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted an interpretive stance with a qualitative approach that comprised a literature review, 15 expert interviews and three case studies. The literature review and expert interview findings were used to develop an intermediate framework of knowledge value chain (KVC), while the case study findings were used to develop the final KVC framework with the intermediate framework as the basis.FindingsThe study developed, in three distinctive steps, a KVC framework based on Powell's (2001) KVC for use by the tendering divisions/units of contractor organisations employing quantity surveyors (QSs) to handle tendering work and to increase their chances of winning tenders.Originality/valueThe study developed a KVC framework for the use of contractor organisations to maximise their chances of winning tenders in the field of quantity surveying.

How to visualize performance measures in a manufacturing SME

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Larsson ◽  
Anna Syberfeldt ◽  
Kristina Säfsten
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Oral Presentation ◽  
Visual Communication ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Literature Survey ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify strengths and weaknesses in the communication of performance measures and propose guidelines for the visualization of performance measures supporting continuous improvement (CI) in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The goal is to help manufacturing SMEs improve their communication of performance measures, thereby improving performance, and strengthening the company. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on both theoretical and empirical research. It begins with a literature review of theoretical guidelines for the visualization of performance measures. This theoretical information is then supplemented with a case study and a survey, both carried out at the Vara plant, a manufacturing SME with well-developed communication of performance measures. The case study involved all organizational levels in the company and focused on identifying strengths and weaknesses in visual communication of performance measures supporting CI. The information acquired from the literature survey and the case study was then used as the basis for a survey of the employees in one department as regards their perception, understanding and opinion of visual communication of performance measures. The analysis of the results led to the development of guidelines and a substantive proposal improving visualization of performance measures in this specific company, and in manufacturing SMEs in general. Findings A model for the visualization of performance measures supporting CI in the company was carried out. The guidelines proposed for all such visualizations are as follows: keep the visualization as simple as possible without compromising understanding, use symbols and colors consistently, use simple words and do not include too much information in the visualization. The study also shows that it is important to support a written visualization with an oral presentation to explain the results. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in its focus on the visualization of performance measures in manufacturing SMEs and the guidelines and proposals developed.

scholarly journals Cultivating an organizational effort for development

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Crumpton
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Detailed Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Home Institution ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to explore the concept of providing education and guidance to library staff for the purpose of supporting philanthropic activities made on behalf of the library. The need for this type of activity and basic principles of philanthropy are included. Design/methodology/approach This paper includes a through literature review and a case study narrative with examples on activities at the author’s home institution. Findings The literature supports that cultivating a broader, more detailed understanding of philanthropic activities within the organization, will improve fundraising results and individual satisfaction for giving and receiving. Practical implications The concepts discussed have beginnings in other institutions and recognize a trend of adapting business models to libraries’ needs. Originality/value The is the author’s own work, shared with members of the author’s organization.

Taking librarians off the desk: one library changes its reference desk staffing model

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Peters
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Staffing Model ◽  
Central Michigan University ◽  
Reference Service

Purpose – This paper is a case study of the decision at Central Michigan University to take librarians off the reference desk. Departmental data on reference desk traffic and other ancillary functions of the reference department was used to make the case for removing the librarians from the desk. Data collected since the decision was made has supported the decision to move to an on-call reference desk staffing model. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The department reviewed and analyzed data on reference desk transactions of all types from previous years to inform its decision making. Data trends and an analysis of the nature of the questions asked at the reference desk were instrumental in the analysis. Findings – The department determined that the statistical data justified the removal of the librarians from the reference desk. Data collected since moving to the on-call model supports the earlier decision. Originality/value – This paper provides libraries considering their own desk staffing models with a discussion of another library’s decision-making process and evidence of a successful migration to a new reference service model.

Bridging the gap

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 498-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Rhodes McBride ◽  
Margaret N. Gregor ◽  
Kelly C. McCallister
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Master's Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Institution ◽  
Four Year Institutions

Purpose The aim of this paper is to profile the evolution of library services and information literacy instruction provided for transfer students in collaboration with other campus units at a Master’s level institution and for librarians wishing to develop services for this population. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a case study enhanced by a literature review, outlining the development of services, resources and instruction for transfer students at one institution. Findings This paper provides information about the need for library services designed specifically for transfer students at four-year institutions and the importance of cross campus collaborations to develop and offer these resources. Originality/value The literature on the provision of library services to transfer students is minimal. This case study details the development of cross campus collaborations that resulted in enhanced library services for this population.

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