Geographic Information and Library Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 239-266
Author(s):  
John Abresch ◽  
Ardis Hanson ◽  
Peter J. Rheeling
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Information ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Library Education ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Academic Librarianship ◽  
Data Collections ◽  
Gis Software

“I invite all of you to become geographers, if not by vocation then by avocation. GIS is about thinking geographically. Beyond being an essential component of GIS, geography also opens new avenues of examining and analyzing the world around us. More importantly, it provides us with totally new appreciation of everyday life and the environment in which we live it” (DeMers, 1997, p. 199). This quote sets the tenor for this chapter, in which we examine the educational requirements for librarians in the provision of GIS services. Implementing GIS services in academic libraries and facilitating associated digital geospatial data collections can be a daunting task for the librarian assigned these duties. The technical knowledge and computer skill-sets alone involved in understanding how GIS software operates are accompanied with a high learning curve. The research literature emphasizes collaboration with academic departments with the expertise in using GIS software. This chapter will cover the types of services that GIS users need for a prototypical GIS literacy project and basic geographic literacy for librarians. It will examine competencies in academic librarianship and geographic information literacy and offer a sample curriculum that meets the needs of geolibraries, librarians, and their patrons. A brief discussion of preservice and in-service issues, such as mentoring and communities of practice, follows. The conclusion discusses implications for library science in the preparation of new librarians and the professional development of practicing librarians.

scholarly journals Educating Assessors: Preparing Librarians with Micro and Macro Skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Applegate
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
American Library Association ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
American Library ◽  
Library Education ◽  
Library Assessment ◽  
Assessment Skills ◽  
Bodies Of Evidence

Abstract Objective – To examine the fit between libraries’ needs for evaluation skills, and library education and professional development opportunities. Many library position descriptions and many areas of library science education focus on professional skills and activities, such as delivering information literacy, designing programs, and managing resources. Only some positions, some parts of positions, and some areas of education specifically address assessment/evaluation skills. The growth of the Library Assessment Conference, the establishment of the ARL-ASSESS listserv, and other evidence indicates that assessment skills are increasingly important. Method – Four bodies of evidence were examined for the prevalence of assessment needs and assessment education: the American Library Association core competencies; job ads from large public and academic libraries; professional development courses and sessions offered by American Library Association (ALA) divisions and state library associations; and course requirements contained in ALA-accredited Masters of Library Science (MLS) programs. Results – While one-third of job postings made some mention of evaluation responsibilities, less than 10% of conference or continuing education offerings addressed assessment skills. In addition, management as a topic is a widespread requirement in MLS programs (78%), while research (58%) and assessment (15%) far less common. Conclusions – Overall, there seems to be more need for assessment/evaluation skills than there are structured offerings to educate people in developing those skills. In addition, roles are changing: some of the most professional-level activities of graduate-degreed librarians involve planning, education, and assessment. MLS students need to understand that these macro skills are essential to leadership, and current librarians need opportunities to add to their skill sets.

scholarly journals Survey Respondents Suggest that Some Academic Library Professionals without a Graduate Degree in Librarianship Have Prior Library Experience and Do Not Plan to Pursue a Library Degree

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 254-256
Author(s):  
Eugenia Opuda
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Advanced Degree ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Library Education ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
Academic Librarianship ◽  
Library Professionals

A Review of: Oliver, A., & Prosser, E. (2018). Academic librarianship without the degree: Examining the characteristics and motivations of academic library professionals. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 44(5), 613-619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2018.07.006 Abstract Objective – To examine the motivations and career paths of professionals outside the field of library science who work in academic library settings, including their reasons for not pursuing a graduate degree in librarianship. Design – Multiple-choice survey questionnaire. Setting – Not clearly stated. Subjects – 193 adults without graduate degrees in librarianship employed in professional positions in academic libraries. Methods – A nineteen-item multiple-choice questionnaire hosted on Select Survey and a previous study by the same authors. Filtering excluded survey respondents who did not currently work in academic libraries, who had graduate degrees in librarianship, or who do not identify as an academic library professional. Main Results – Most of the survey respondents (n=115, 59.9%) had positions in a library prior to pursuing a professional academic library career. Of those with prior library experience, most (n=98, 85.2%) had gained experience in academic library settings. The two top reasons cited for becoming an academic library professional were an interest in employment in academic library settings (n=59, 52.2%) and meeting  position requirements (n=54, 47.8%). A fifth of respondents both met the requirements for their position and had an interest in working in academic libraries (n=23, 20.4%). Most respondents had less than five years’ experience (n=41, 36.6%) or six to ten years’ experience (n=43, 38.4%) in an academic library. Less than half of respondents had became academic library professionals after applying as an external candidate (n=83, 44.6%) and a number of respondents had applied as an internal candidate (n=52, 28%). Several respondents had become academic library professionals because they were promoted, appointed, or recruited within their academic libraries (n=35, 18.8%). Few respondents were actively working on a graduate librarianship degree (n=21, 11.3%) and most expressed that they did not need such a degree (n=112, 67.9%). Those who were pursuing a graduate degree in librarianship did so because of their desire to advance their careers (n=17, 81%). Respondents’ current positions were mostly categorized in areas such as administration (n=77, 31.2%), scholarly communications (n=34, 13.8%), technical services (n=27, 10.9%), and information technology (n=20, 8.1%). Conclusion – Having prior experience working in an academic library served as a notable motivating factor for entry into the position of academic library professional. Two main pathways towards obtaining such positions included positions without graduate library degree requirements and the transition of paraprofessionals into professional-level jobs. Most survey respondents noted their lack of interest in pursuing an advanced degree in librarianship, as they did not see the significance of having one. These findings may help library education programs to better understand growing needs in librarian education and prepare the future library workforce to meet these new demands.

Domestic Library Education Turns 95 Years

2009 ◽  
pp. 120-124
Author(s):  
Yury N. Stolyarov
Keyword(s):  
Library Science ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Library Education ◽  
Starting Point

The article is about sources and milestones of regular library education development in Russia. Starting point of the librarian training is 1913 — the year, when library courses at Shanyavsky People’s University began their activity. As time goes the courses outgrew into Institute of Library Science and then it was reformed into Moscow Library Institute, which became the flagship of library education in the country.

scholarly journals Free and Open Source Tools for Volunteer Geographic Information and Geo-Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 838-863
Author(s):  
Maria Antonia Brovelli ◽  
Blagoj Delipetrev ◽  
Giorgio Zamboni
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Device ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Geospatial Data ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Volunteer Geographic Information ◽  
The World ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Gis Software

The availability of new mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) equipped with many sensors is changing or, better, enriching the way we monitor and sense the world that surrounds us. The internet has permeated completely not only our scientific and technological development, but also our life. Only some years ago, we used geospatial data and GIS software installed within our computers. Nowadays, data and operators are provided via the net by means of distributed and shared geo-services and a simple and powerless mobile device is enough to connect them. The possibility of interaction has become not only faster and more user friendly but also active, being individuals and communities free of adding, deleting, and changing contents in real time in the new GeoWeb2.0. This chapter explores GeoWeb2.0.

Geoprocessing Techniques for the Visualization of Subsurface Geologic Data in Geographic Information Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan D. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
3D Gis ◽  
Borehole Data ◽  
Plan View ◽  
Commercial Off The Shelf ◽  
Gis Software ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
Geologic Data ◽  
Geologic Information

ABSTRACT The ability to visualize subsurface geologic information is critical to sound decision making in many disciplines of geology. While there are numerous commercial off-the-shelf software solutions available to model geologic data in both 2D and 3D, these can be costly and have a steep learning curve. Some of the same functionality of these software packages can be accomplished by workflows that incorporate built-in geoprocessing tools of Geographic Information System (GIS) software. These workflows allow the geologist to plot vertical or inclined borehole data in 2D or 3D, create section views of raster data along section lines, and provide a means to convert contact elevations from existing geologic cross sections into plan-view or 3D space. These workflows have been successfully used to visualize construction data and subsurface geologic information for several embankment dams. Grouting and exploratory borehole data from databases with tens of thousands of records have been transformed into 2D and 3D GIS features. The workflows were instrumental in developing a 3D GIS model of site geology from which a series of geologic cross sections were drawn. These sections were critical in informing risk decisions related to the foundation conditions for a recent risk assessment of an earthen embankment dam.

Nature of Geographic Knowledge Bases

2019 ◽  
pp. 94-125
Author(s):  
Robert Laurini
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Analysis ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Geographic Feature ◽  
Geographic Knowledge ◽  
Planning Experts ◽  
Gis Software

In many domains such as environmental and urban planning, experts need to make reasoning and propose solutions. However marketed GIS software products are limited to store, display geographic information together with additional tools such as in spatial analysis, but they do not offer users the real functionalities which are useful for territorial intelligence. This first step is to propose novel models to represent this kind of knowledge needing not only to integrate geographic aspects, but also be independent of data acquisition technologies (satellite images, laser, crowdsourcing, etc.) and able to be used in different languages. After the definitions of geographic ontologies (to organize geographic feature vocabulary) and gazetteers (to structure toponyms in various languages), various examples will be presented in order to extract geographic semantics. A special attention will be devoted to geographic rules.

Nature of Geographic Knowledge Bases

2017 ◽  
pp. 29-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Laurini
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Analysis ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Geographic Feature ◽  
Geographic Knowledge ◽  
Planning Experts ◽  
Gis Software

In many domains such as environmental and urban planning, experts need to make reasoning and propose solutions. However marketed GIS software products are limited to store, display geographic information together with additional tools such as in spatial analysis, but they do not offer users the real functionalities which are useful for territorial intelligence. This first step is to propose novel models to represent this kind of knowledge needing not only to integrate geographic aspects, but also be independent of data acquisition technologies (satellite images, laser, crowdsourcing, etc.) and able to be used in different languages. After the definitions of geographic ontologies (to organize geographic feature vocabulary) and gazetteers (to structure toponyms in various languages), various examples will be presented in order to extract geographic semantics. A special attention will be devoted to geographic rules.

scholarly journals MATHEMATICAL ARCHITECTURE OF MICROSERVICES FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankush Rai ◽  
Jagadeesh Kannan R
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Management System ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Sparse Learning ◽  
Mathematical System ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Cloud Technologies

Despite the wide adoption of distributed computing with several webs standards and cloud technologies; building of city wide health management system for smart city platform is a daunting task. Owing to the limitations in sparse learning of disease outbreak and its dynamic nature. As it would require development of a scalable, distributed and evolving architecture on the web; where a sparse machine learning based algorithm will enable authorities collaborate in preventing, controlling and responding to a specific disease outbreak and its time factor analysis.  In this work, a mathematical system model is presented for sparse learning in Geographic Information System (GIS) based architecture to support continuity of microservices in health management setting. The model is able to continually cope with the transformation in architecture to match with the system goals of microservices and anticipate the evolutionary aspects of the architecture configuration.        

scholarly journals GIS Mapping of Driving Behavior Based on Naturalistic Driving Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 226 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Balsa-Barreiro ◽  
Pedro M. Valero-Mora ◽  
José L. Berné-Valero ◽  
Fco-Alberto Varela-García
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Geographic Information Systems ◽  
Driving Behavior ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Gis Mapping ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Naturalistic Driving ◽  
Gis Software ◽  
Operational Capacity

Naturalistic driving can generate huge datasets with great potential for research. However, to analyze the collected data in naturalistic driving trials is quite complex and difficult, especially if we consider that these studies are commonly conducted by research groups with somewhat limited resources. It is quite common that these studies implement strategies for thinning and/or reducing the data volumes that have been initially collected. Thus, and unfortunately, the great potential of these datasets is significantly constrained to specific situations, events, and contexts. For this, to implement appropriate strategies for the visualization of these data is becoming increasingly necessary, at any scale. Mapping naturalistic driving data with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows for a deeper understanding of our driving behavior, achieving a smarter and broader perspective of the whole datasets. GIS mapping allows for many of the existing drawbacks of the traditional methodologies for the analysis of naturalistic driving data to be overcome. In this article, we analyze which are the main assets related to GIS mapping of such data. These assets are dominated by the powerful interface graphics and the great operational capacity of GIS software.

Identifying suitable regions for amaranth production using a geographic information systems approach

1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Disease Information ◽  
Grain Crop ◽  
Sorghum Production ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
River Valleys ◽  
Gis Software

AbstractAmaranth is an alternative grain crop that shows significant promise in the U.S. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the most suitable regions for growing amaranth in Missouri. GIS software provides tools to manipulate and display geographically based information, in this case the factors affecting amaranth's suitability. Of several such factors considered, the ones used were soils, rainfall, sorghum production, disease potential, and labor availability. Soil, rainfall, and disease information were assumed to be direct factors in yield potential. Current sorghum production areas were considered likely areas for amaranth production, given the similarities between the crops. Labor availability also was assumed to affect adoption, since amaranth requires more labor than traditional grain crops. The analysis showed that central and southeastern Missouri would be the most favorable areas for amaranth production. Other suitable areas are along the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys and in western Missouri. This GIS approach can be modified to include additional factors and refinements, and could be used with other alternative crops or for other regions of the country.

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