scholarly journals Simplifying Resource Discovery and Access in Academic Libraries

Author(s):  
June Thoburn ◽  
Annette Coates ◽  
Graham Stone

The University of Huddersfield and Northumbria University were two of the first adopters of the Summon™ Web-scale commercial discovery system in Europe. Both universities were moved to implement a discovery tool because they had encountered issues with their existing federated searching products, with students and staff expressing dissatisfaction. This chapter describes the selection, implementation, and testing of Summon™ at both universities drawing out common themes and differences, with suggestions for those intending to implement Summon™ and some ideas for future development. User feedback from surveys, focus groups, and user testing is described, and instruments are appended. User testing evaluated user search refinement, satisfaction with relevancy ranking, comprehension of results presentation, and feature approval responses. The perceived success rate in comparison with Google search results is briefly described. Other concepts described include launching new functionality, key points for effective implementation, MARC mapping, staff training, and marketing a discovery tool.

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110131
Author(s):  
Christopher V. Lavin ◽  
Evan J. Fahy ◽  
Darren B. Abbas ◽  
Michelle Griffin ◽  
Nestor M. Diaz Deleon ◽  
...  

Objective: It is important for health care education materials to be easily understood by caretakers of children requiring craniofacial surgery. This study aimed to analyze the readability of Google search results as they pertain to “Cleft Palate Surgery” and “Palatoplasty.” Additionally, the study included a search from several locations globally to identify possible geographic differences. Design: Google searches of the terms “Cleft Palate Surgery” and “Palatoplasty” were performed. Additionally, searches of only “Cleft Palate Surgery” were run from several internet protocol addresses globally. Main Outcome Measures: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Readability Ease, Gunning Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index, and Coleman-Liau Index. Results: Search results for “Cleft Palate Surgery” were easier to read and comprehend compared to search results for “Palatoplasty.” Mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores were 7.0 and 10.11, respectively ( P = .0018). Mean Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease scores were 61.29 and 40.71, respectively ( P = .0003). Mean Gunning Fog Index scores were 8.370 and 10.34, respectively ( P = .0458). Mean SMOG Index scores were 6.84 and 8.47, respectively ( P = .0260). Mean Coleman-Liau Index scores were 12.95 and 15.33, respectively ( P = .0281). No significant differences were found in any of the readability measures based on global location. Conclusions: Although some improvement can be made, craniofacial surgeons can be confident in the online information pertaining to cleft palate repair, regardless of where the search is performed from. The average readability of the top search results for “Cleft Palate Surgery” is around the seventh-grade reading level (US educational system) and compares favorably to other health care readability analyses.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Cari Merkley

Objective — To compare the results of searching the MEDLINE database through Ovid and the free online version of PubMed administered by the National Library of Medicine for randomized controlled trials on the subject of the drug methotrexate (MTX) for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Design — Comparative analysis of search results. Setting — Searches conducted by researchers affiliated with Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, and the University of Toronto and the University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario. Subjects — A total of 3966 search results obtained from Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed. Methods — This study employs an Ovid MEDLINE search strategy originally created for a published systematic review that identified randomized controlled trials on MTX and rheumatoid arthritis (Katchamart, Trudeau, Phumethum, & Bombardier, 2009). Two of the authors of the original systematic review (Katchamart and Bombardier) are among the authors of this current study. Appropriate medical subject heading (MeSH) terms and their synonyms were identified for the three main concepts (rheumatoid arthritis, MTX, and randomized controlled trials). The search was performed in Ovid MEDLINE, seeking articles in any language that met the search criteria, from the earliest date covered by MEDLINE to January 2009. Each MeSH or keyword term within a concept was searched separately, and then combined with other like terms using the Boolean operator OR. The searches for the three concepts were finally combined using AND. The Ovid MEDLINE search was then translated for use in PubMed by an information professional. The formatting and terminology used in some of the original Ovid MEDLINE search statements had to be changed so they would work in the new database environment, but the researchers tried to ensure that the two searches were as similar as possible. The translated search was then executed in PubMed. The final results, as well as the number of articles retrieved for each key search concept (rheumatoid arthritis, MTX, and randomized controlled trials), were then compared. The final results were further analyzed for measures of sensitivity, precision, and number needed to read. Sensitivity is calculated by the number of eligible studies found in a database divided by the “total number of eligible studies in the review” multiplied by 100 (Katchamart, Faulkner, Feldman, Tomlinson, & Bombardier, p. 806). Eligible studies were identified using the inclusion/exclusion criteria developed by Katchamart et al. The figure for “total number of eligible studies in the review” is taken from that same study, which forms the “gold standard” for this analysis (Katchamart et al., p. 806). Precision is calculated by dividing the total number of eligible citations from a database by the total number of citations returned by the database for the search multiplied by 100 (Katchamart et al., p. 806). The number needed to read (NNR) formula used by the authors is 1/precision, taken from a study by Bachman, Coray, Estermann, and Ter Riet (2002). Main Results — The PubMed search found more results than Ovid MEDLINE for each of the three key concepts – rheumatoid arthritis, MTX and randomized controlled trials. Once the three concepts were combined, PubMed found 106 more articles than Ovid MEDLINE (2036 vs. 1930). Once the review eligibility criteria were applied to the search results from PubMed, 18 eligible articles were identified, one more article than in Ovid MEDLINE. The authors indicated that the additional article located in PubMed was from a journal that was not yet indexed by MEDLINE at the time the relevant article was published. To determine database sensitivity, these numbers were then divided by 20, the total number of eligible studies located in the Katachamart et al. 2009 review, which employed tools like EMBASE and strategies like hand searching in addition to MEDLINE in order to identify relevant studies. Because of the additional study it located, the sensitivity of PubMed was determined to be slightly higher than Ovid MEDLINE (90% vs. 85%). There was little difference between the two databases in terms of precision and NNR. Precision for Ovid MEDLINE was calculated at 0.881% and at 0.884% for PubMed. The NNR was 114 for Ovid MEDLINE and 113 for PubMed. Conclusion — The authors state that while PubMed had a higher calculated sensitivity than Ovid MEDLINE in the context of this particular search because it contained content not indexed by Ovid MEDLINE that proved to be relevant for this topic, its precision and NNR were almost equal to MEDLINE’s. Some technical limitations of the PubMed interface were experienced by researchers during the study, such as periodic instability and the inability to save and modify searches and their results line by line. These same issues did not arise while using Ovid MEDLINE. The need for a skilled translation of Ovid MEDLINE searches for use in the PubMed interface was also emphasized by the authors, as differences in syntax and formatting that are not properly addressed could impact PubMed’s sensitivity and precision.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Kim

Purpose There is a lack of clarity about what online business models are. The top 20 Google search results on online business models are articles that explain online business models. However, each of them deals with just one or two elements of business strategies. The list of business models is also a mixture of business strategies. This paper aims to provide practical guide that puts these business models into proper perspective. Design/methodology/approach A business model includes all key elements of the business, marketing and operational strategies. There are many such elements. The author has reviewed the popular use of the term online business models and found that just five of the key elements can put almost all of them into proper perspective. Findings Five elements of the business and marketing strategies constitute a practical guide for understanding, discussing and even designing the first working draft of a business plan. Practical implications The practical guide will serve as a robust vehicle for understanding, discussing and even designing the first working draft of a business plan. The current haphazard use of the term online business models does not shed light on online business models. Originality/value The author has examined 20 top Google search results for “online business models” and “business models”. These are articles that talk about 3-17 “business models”. The author examined all of them and confirmed that the five key elements of the business and marketing strategies can put all of them into proper perspective.


2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Ip ◽  
Annlouise Cavanna ◽  
Beverley Corbett

This paper examines the recent development of a computer-assisted learning program—in Practice— at the School of Health Science, in the University of Wales Swansea. The project, which began in 2001, was developed in close collaboration with The Meningitis Trust, the aim being to produce a software package to increase nursing students’ knowledge of meningitis-related illnesses, and to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills by using lifelike scenarios. It incorporates two multimedia meningitis modules incorporating the use of text, film, and sound, in which students are presented with information about the illness (symptoms, treatment etc.), and are required to use their knowledge to make decisions at various key points. A general discussion of decision-making theories and CAL design principles is presented, which has provided a foundation for the main design aspects of the package. This is followed by an outline of how the program was created to promote students’ application of knowledge and their decision-making and problemsolving skills. Results from an evaluation questionnaire are presented. Consideration is also given as to how the program can be extended.DOI: 10.1080/0968776042000339808


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3 Nov- Feb) ◽  
pp. 55-82
Author(s):  
Ana Felicitas Gargallo Castel ◽  
Francisco Javier Pérez-Sanz ◽  
Luisa Esteban-Salvador

El enfoque de enseñanza-aprendizaje impulsado desde el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) incorpora una nueva forma de concebir la educación universitaria, donde el alumnado asume un papel principal en su aprendizaje. A su vez, implica una revalorización de la tarea docente y de la acción tutorial para reforzar el proceso formativo y el desarrollo integral de los alumnos y alumnas universitarios/as. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo conocer la opinión del alumnado acerca de los elementos relevantes en el uso de las tutorías académicas con el fin de identificar sus necesidades y mejorar la acción tutorial. En el diseño del estudio se adopta un enfoque descriptivo a partir de un cuestionario dirigido a estudiantes universitarios, que incluye preguntas relativas a su comportamiento y actitud personalante las tutorías, a la eficacia de las mismas, a su grado de utilización, y a la comunicación y relación establecida con el profesorado en dicho proceso. Los resultados, obtenidos a partir de una muestra de 322 estudiantes del campus de Teruel de la Universidad de Zaragoza, muestran cuatro aspectos relacionados con la autoconfianza del alumnado, la utilidad percibida, la motivación personal y el ahorro económico y/o de tiempo que supone el uso de las tutorías académicas. Si bien el grado de utilización de las mismas resulta moderado, es preciso destacar el valor que el alumnado otorga a la acción tutorial como estímulo para afrontar el trabajo requerido para superar la materia, así como para optimizar su tiempo de estudio. The teaching-learning process promoted by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) calls for a new approach in which the student is the main actor of his/her learning. This implies an increase in the value of the teaching task, in general, and tutoring in particular. Tutoring reinforces the training process and the integral development of students. The main objective  of this study is to examine the opinion of university students about the use of academic tutoring in order to identify their needs and improve tutorial action. In the design of the study, the students were given a questionnaire to survey their personal attitudes and behavior toward tutorials, the extent to which they used tutorials and their effectiveness, and the level of communication and the relationship established with the teacher in the tutorials. The results, obtained from a sample of 322 students at the University of Zaragoza, Campus of Teruel, reveal four key points related to students’ self-confidence, perceived utility of the use of tutorials, personal motivation and financial and/or time cost (saving) that the students gain by attending tutorials. Although university students make only moderate use of tutorials, they emphasize the value of the tutorials as a stimulus to face the work required to pass a subject, as well as to optimize their study time.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-86
Author(s):  
Manzoor Ahmed

This paper provides a background to the on-going discourse on post-2015 global development agenda. It mentions key points from the UN Secretary General’s report on MDG progress and the process of formulating the future development agenda. The recommendations of the High Level Panel on post-2015 agenda and the work of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) are examined from the perspective of Education for Rural Transformation (ERT). It is concluded that the premise and rationale of ERT has received scant attention in the future development agenda discourse. The arguments regarding the pertinence of ERT in combating poverty and promoting sustainable development are noted, drawing on the recent UNESCO- INRULED study on this topic. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5(74)) ◽  
pp. 33-38
Author(s):  
M.V. Kozis

The paper focuses on language conceptualization of objects’ state of being within the framework of the frame approach studying cognitive frame of spatial position of entities. The author offers a linguistic overview of Russian metaphoric posture verbs stoyat', sidet', lezhat'. The analysis is based on a sample of over 1,500 Russian sentences from the Russian National Corpus, Google search results and utterances offered by native speakers of Russian.Distributive analysis allowed to define the co-occurrence of posture verbs with nouns denoting different objects and to hypothesize the verbs' meanings. Triangulation approach involving corpus experiment, semantics experiment and inquiries in searching systems revealed frequency and acceptability of the verbs stoyat', sidet', lezhat' in utterances representing various denotative situations, which allowed to verify the hypothesis on the verbs' meaning and describe their semantics. The study reveals variability in cognitive interpretation of physical objects’ sate of being and the key role of human prototype in conceptualization of spatial position of entities. The study shows that language representation of the frame “the object’s state of being in space” relies on its salient element –possible one-to-one correspondence between the object’s position and a human posture. The final stage of the research features semantic description of the verbs under study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-171
Author(s):  
Hiroo Ide ◽  
Naonori Kodate ◽  
Sayuri Suwa ◽  
Mayuko Tsujimura ◽  
Atsuko Shimamura ◽  
...  

Japan is facing a ‘care crisis’. There is an urgent need to ascertain the extent to which potential users are willing to use robotics-aided care before its roll-out as a formal policy. Based on our recent survey, we discuss home-care professionals’ real perceptions and their implications for the future development and implementation of home-care robots. While they showed some concerns about robotics-aided care, they perceived ‘physical support’, ‘communication’ and ‘monitoring’ functions positively. A small number of care professionals recommended assistive technologies listed in the insurance payment scheme. We conclude that both individual preferences and formal policy options are necessary for an effective implementation of robotics-aided care.


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