Pascal's Wager and the Long Conversation: Preserving the Scholarly Record in the Academic Library

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS M BLACK
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Information Production ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Pascal’S Wager ◽  
Thinking Differently

ABSTRACT This essay explores ubiquity and transience in information resources, raising questions about the nature of a work and how researchers and librarians may need to adjust our assumptions about the nature of the scholarly record. In the academic library, keeping up with the accelerating pace of information production and the development of formats has become extremely difficult. While one of the long-assumed functions of libraries is to preserve the human record, the task has reached impossible proportions. Our current environment challenges our basic notions of what constitutes the human record. As information online moves into formats less fixed but more accessible, along with the format shifts have come significant changes in ownership and access models, forcing us to reconsider how we interact with information. Today's information ubiquity helps us see that we have created far more material documenting human experience than libraries have ever captured and preserved, and we may not have been preserving the human record as comprehensively as we have believed. The concurrent transience of information—the increasing pace at which it is changing and even becoming deliberately changeable—points to the difficulty of continuing to believe that content is static and that preservation is what research libraries do. We may need to begin thinking differently about what constitutes the scholarly record and how we create, evaluate, and use it. We may need to begin accepting that our lives and their documentation are more transitory than we have ever wanted to think.

Assessment committees: good practices from ARL libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle H. Brannen ◽  
Sojourna J. Cunningham ◽  
Regina Mays
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Library Assessment ◽  
Current State ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Assessment Activities

Purpose Assessment activities in academic libraries continue to grow as libraries explore assessment endeavors. Ranging from basic stats gathering and reporting to surveys, focus groups, and usability studies and beyond. Many practitioners are finding it necessary to create new processes and programs, with little guidance. The purpose of this paper is to paint a broad picture of assessment activities in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) university libraries with the goal of creating a resource for libraries developing or improving their assessment programs. Design/methodology/approach A survey was developed that asked questions about assessment personnel, activities, mission, and website. A total of 113 surveys were sent to academic library members of ARL. Survey results were analyzed to compile a list of recommended good practices for assessment and working with assessment committees in academic libraries. Findings The investigators had a response rate of 43 percent. The open-ended nature of the survey questions allowed for the respondents to specifically narrow down the problems and opportunities inherent in library assessment committees. Originality/value This study takes the temperature of the current state of assessment programs in ARL libraries, demonstrating the growth of assessment programs. It begins to document the practices of these libraries, particularly in regards to the sometimes informal and hard to track use of committees and other in-house collaborations, as a first step toward developing best practices for the field. The results illuminate productive areas for further study, including investigating how to measure a culture of assessment and maximizing impact of assessment information presented on assessment websites.

scholarly journals Bibliotekininko edukatoriaus ugdymo galimybės: Lietuvos atvejis

2011 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 74-93
Author(s):  
Vincas Grigas
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
State College ◽  
Information Resources Management ◽  
Study Programme ◽  
Vilnius University

Straipsnyje aptariamos galimybės rengti bibliotekininką edukatorių, kuris galėtų ugdyti informacinio raštingumo gebėjimus. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas bibliotekininko edukatoriaus ugdymo studijų metu analizei. Siekta įvertinti, kiek profesionalius bibliotekininkus rengiančiose Informologijos (Klaipėdos universitetas), Bibliotekininkystės ir informacijos (Vilniaus universitetas) bei Bibliotekos informacijos išteklių valdymo (Šiaulių valstybinė kolegija) studijų programose ugdomi gebėjimai atitinka bibliotekininkui edukatoriui būdingą gebėjimų visumą. Studijų programos analizuotos remiantis Instruktuojančių bibliotekininkų ir koordinatorių kvalifikacinių įgūdžių standartais. Tyrimo duomenų analizei naudota faktorių analizė. Tyrimo duomenys leidžia daryti išvadą, kad Informologijos, Bibliotekininkystės ir informacijos bei Bibliotekos informacinių išteklių valdymo studijų programos atitinka daugelį standartuose numatytų kriterijų, tačiau šių studijų programų atitikties standartams vidurkiai skiriasi. Labiausiai standartus atitinka Vilniaus universiteto studijų programa.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: bibliotekininkas edukatorius, informacinis raštingumas, profesiniai standartai, faktorių analizė, bibliotekininkystė, studijų programų analizė.Education Opportunities for Librarian as Educator: the Case of LithuaniaVincas Grigas Summary The article discusses whether the study programmes aimed at preparing professional librarians produce the entirety of competencies necessary for librarians as educators. The research aims to evaluate how the study curricula such as informology (Klaipėda University), library information resources management (Šiauliai State College), library and information studies (Vilnius University) are relevant to the professional standards of librarians as educators. For the research were used the standards for Proficiencies for Instruction librarians and coordinators prepared by the Association of College and Research Libraries. For data analysis factor analysis was used. The research proved that the Standards for Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coordinators and factor analysis may be an appropriate method for the assessment of the study programmes designed for preparing future professional librarians, i.e., in evaluating whether the competencies developed under the study programme correspond to the entirety of the competencies peculiar to librarians as educators. The study findings suggest that study programmes such as informology, Library and information science, and library information resources management meet most of the standards criteria. The Vilnius University study programme meets them best.Keywords: librarian as educator; information literacy; instruction; professional standards; factor analysis; librarianship; study programmes analysis.

scholarly journals Development vectors for research libraries: the review of the key reports at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2019

Bibliosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
N. S. Redkina
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
World Congress ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Vision

The main theme of the 85th IFLA World Congress – the International Federation of Library Organizations and Institutions, which was held in Athens, Greece in 2019, was "Libraries: A Dialogue for Change". Once again, the congress brought together professionals from many countries of the world to solve the problems facing libraries of various forms. Their solution is achieved by developing common approaches to challenges at the global level (projects “Global Vision”, “Library Map of the World”, etc.), sharing best practices and methods, innovative forms of user service and resources generating. The purpose of this review is to present keynote reports delivered at the IFLA World Congress in 2019 on global trends in the development of research libraries. The selection of the reports was carried out by expert evaluation by the author, as well as some materials published on the Congress website. As a result, it was determined that libraries choose various ways and new methods of work to support researchers: by analyzing user needs; integrating librarians into the research life cycle; implementing the principles of open science and open access; developing discovery services and expanding the functionality of information resources; using artificial intelligence technologies, augmented and virtual reality, etc. This allows the creation of popular research support services, improving the quality of services, expanding the repertoire of information resources / products and services provided, modernize traditional forms and methods of work, and fully satisfy the information needs of users.

Information Resources Development in China

2010 ◽  
pp. 1973-1978
Author(s):  
Maosheng Lai ◽  
Xin Fu ◽  
Liyang Zhang ◽  
Lin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Information Resources Management ◽  
Exploitation And Utilization ◽  
Government Project ◽  
Digital Library Project ◽  
Resources Development

In its several thousand years of social progress, China has put continuous effort into cultural development, which to a certain extent contributed to the exploitation and utilization of information resources. This article reviews the history and present situation of China’s information resources development (IRD), with the focus on some IRD projects launched since the mid-1990s. The specific projects that will be introduced include the China Academic Library and Information System, the China Digital Library Project, the construction of the China National Science and Technology Library, the China Online Government Project, and the construction of the National Institute for Information Resources Management. The goal of each project is described and its initial impact is discussed.

Academic and Research Libraries' Portals

2021 ◽  
pp. 847-874
Author(s):  
Barbara Blummer ◽  
Jeffrey M. Kenton
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Assessment Strategies

This chapter presents a synthesis of the literature on academic library portals. Library portals remain a component of the modern academic library. Portal features differ, but typically contain a single authentication process and access to metadata as well as some services (Laouar, Hacken, & Miles, 2009). The authors examined 87 papers in their review. This examination revealed six themes including: developing library portals, utilizing assessment strategies, collaborating on portal projects, incorporating personalization and customization features, conducting environmental scans, and creating instructional portals. The authors assigned themes to the papers based on the primary focus of the material. The findings revealed various issues with the development of academic library portals. The content of academic library portals continues to evolve as their importance to the user increases. Ultimately, an examination of the literature illustrated academic libraries' efforts to remain relevant through the availability of new resources and services on their portals.

Marketing academic library information services using social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 228-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suha AlAwadhi ◽  
Sultan M. Al-Daihani
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social media in the marketing of academic library resources and services in Kuwait and identifies the factors related to the use of social media applications in marketing academic libraries.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative data-collection approach using a paper and online questionnaire has been employed to elicit the opinions of librarians working in academic libraries in Kuwait in both private and public institutions. In total, 89 valid questionnaires have been analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (factor analysis, correlations, experimental analysis and regression).FindingsThe study shows that the academic librarians have a positive perception toward the use of social media. The identified factors relating to the use of social media for marketing library information resources and services are the usefulness of social media tools in raising awareness and in providing needs analysis and satisfaction assessments. However, management support for the use of social media for library marketing is poor.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights into the factors related to the use of modern social media platforms to promote information resources and services at academic libraries to provide outreach services to current and potential users.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the field of information studies as it highlights the importance of using social media platforms in marketing academic library information resources and services. Library administrators could use the results to develop social media marketing plans to effectively promote their library resources.

scholarly journals Program Evaluation for Internship/Residency Programs in Academic and Research Libraries

2001 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Brewer ◽  
Mark D. Winston
Keyword(s):  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Program Coordinators ◽  
Effective Program

Academic libraries are turning increasingly to internship/residency programs to enhance their recruitment efforts. Yet, little evaluative information is available to measure the effectiveness of these programs or to justify funding for them. This article outlines the necessary components of an evaluation model for internship/residency programs based on a survey of academic library deans/directors and program coordinators. The study identifies the key evaluation factors that library administrators consider most important for measuring internship/residency programs, as well as the frequency, format, and sources of input for effective program evaluation.

scholarly journals The Wild-Card Academic Library in 2013

2003 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Billings
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Wild Card ◽  
Natural Progression ◽  
The Future ◽  
Wild Cards ◽  
Evolutionary Growth

The transformational agents that have produced dramatic changes in academic libraries in recent years will continue to influence those libraries over the next decade, but it should not be assumed that the academic library of 2013 will represent a natural progression from the library of today. Rather, the academic library of the future will be marked by unanticipated “punctuations” that will be just as surprising and unexpected as have been so many of the influences that have shaped the contemporary library. This paper suggests that “wild cards” will be introduced into the evolutionary growth of the academic library, some perhaps harmful, but more likely enabling libraries to provide even richer information resources and better services than they do today.

scholarly journals The Changing Nature of Work in Academic Libraries

2001 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 407-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly P. Lynch ◽  
Kimberley Robles Smith
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Behavioral Skills ◽  
Job Requirements ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Job Advertisements ◽  
Professional Degree

A content analysis of 220 job advertisements that appeared in College & Research Libraries between 1973 and 1998 demonstrates that by 1998, all academic library jobs routinely included computer technologies, that instruction had become an integral part of reference work, and that behavioral skills, especially oral and written communication skills, had emerged as new job requirements. The master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA continues to be widely accepted as the appropriate professional degree for academic librarians.

Library orientation in blackboard: supporting online and distance learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Diane L. Schrecker
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
First Year ◽  
Module Structure ◽  
Student Orientation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Video Viewing ◽  
Data Survey ◽  
Online Library

Purpose This paper presents a comprehensive review of the poster session “Library orientation in blackboard: supporting online and distance learners” presented at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2017 conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Design/methodology/approach Development of AU Library Student Orientation in Blackboard is discussed from the initial course proposal up to its completion of first year use. Orientation modules are reviewed and include purpose, organization and technology resources utilized to deliver content. Findings Complete library orientation information including project timeline, marketing, learning management systems (LMS) usage data, survey and assessment outcomes, video viewing statistics and plans for moving forward are provided. Practical implications This paper details steps taken and resources used to develop an online library orientation suitable for any LMS. Project design, orientation module structure and select orientation resources are provided. Originality/value This paper addresses the need for academic library orientation to support online and distant learners by delivering a practical library introduction in Blackboard.

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