Book Review: Sudden Selector’s Guide to Philosophy Resources

The Sudden Selector’s Guide to Philosophy Resources, the ninth volume in its series, is a succinct introduction for the library professionals newly responsible for collection management and research assistance for the discipline. Its six chapters provide a broad overview of academic philosophy, issues of audience, common formats, flagship resources, and the financial aspects of effectively managing a philosophy collection.

On the State of Genre/Form Vocabulary: A Quantitative Analysis of LCGFT Data in WorldCat

The purpose of this paper is to report on a quantitative analysis of the LCGFT vocabulary within a large set of MARC bibliographic data retrieved from the OCLC WorldCat database. The study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the outcomes of the LCGFT project, which was launched by the Library of Congress (LC) in 2007. Findings point to a moderate increase in LCGFT use over time; however, the vocabulary has not been applied to the fullest extent possible in WorldCat. Further, adoption has been inconsistent between the various LCGFT disciplines. These and other findings discussed here suggest that retrospective application of the vocabulary using automated means should be investigated by catalogers and other technical services librarians. Indeed, as the data used for the analysis show somewhat uneven application of LCGFT, and with nearly half a billion records in WorldCat, it remains a certainty that much of LCGFT’s full potentials for genre/form access and retrieval will remain untapped until innovative solutions are introduced to further increase overall vocabulary usage in bibliographic databases.

Book Review: Sudden Selector’s Guide to Geography and GIS

As stated in the foreword, “The ongoing purpose of the sudden selector’s series is to provide current information on selection in specific subject areas in order to assist selectors in creating a manageable process in unfamiliar subject territories” (vii). This new entry in the series does just that; it provides new geography and geographic information systems (GIS) selectors with a baseline knowledge of the field. It accomplishes this by introducing the subject and a broad review of valuable tools and resources.

Digital Collections at a Distance: Telework during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This case study explores how one team tasked with the creation of digital collections at The University of Alabama Libraries succeeded at telework to carry on its essential functions despite not being able to digitize new content from March through July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Managers of similar units will gain strategies to create similar telework projects at their institution and lessons learned while working and supervising employees remotely.

Editorial

This past week marked the one-year anniversary of my staff and me working from home. When we packed up our cubicles and offices in March 2020, no one expected to be working remotely from home for long. We honestly expected to return in a few weeks or at least by the end of April. In the meantime, the university kept extending our work-from-home agreements. During the past year, we have acquired new skills and ways of working. For example, we have mastered how to use WebEx and Zoom for meetings and have realized that this technology can make our meetings more effective. Although some people complain of Zoom fatigue, we have found that our meetings are shorter, and no one lingers afterward. We may start meetings with small talk, but when we are done, people are ready to sign off. Participants who may have difficulty speaking up can choose to use the chat box, and entering terms like “stack” in the chat box helps to ensure that everyone gets a chance to speak and in a predetermined order. It avoids having everyone try to speak at once and ensures all have a chance to speak.

Book Review: Sudden Position Guide to Acquisitions

The third in the ALCTS Sudden Position Series tackles acquisitions and promises an easy-to-read introduction to the responsibilities covering “essential knowledge, tools of the trade, and best practices” (ix). At a slim eighty-six pages, someone “suddenly” in acquisitions, or those preparing to interview or start a new position, will still find a lot of ground covered.

Exploring the Impact of Digitization on Print Usage

Librarians and administrators speculate that the digitization and access of items through the HathiTrust Digital Library may reduce or eliminate demand for the corresponding print content. This belief feeds into a perception that monographs housed in academic libraries and delivered via such services are ripe for deduplication or outright withdrawal, yet other institutions may remain dependent upon those holding titles to provide print-based access for their patrons. Embracing HathiTrust’s emerging Shared Print Monograph Program, more than seventy-nine member institutions committed to retain print monographs that correspond to those digitized from their collections. Putting aside concerns expressed by some about the meaningfulness of those commitments, not all members made such commitments. Moreover, retention commitments are not always publicly displayed, leading to scenarios in which such commitments may be used by other institutions to withdraw from their collections, based on these holdings. This paper provides a data-driven examination of the use of one research library’s print items that correspond to the digital materials deposited into the HathiTrust, detailing both the results and the process by which data was gathered, managed, and digested to yield the results.

Editorial: The New Year

The year 2020 seemed to be one in which things steadily continued to get worse, with each event more terrible than its predecessor. The pandemic has overshadowed everything, and has affected many aspects of our economy. The expression “do more with less” has added significance in our current situation. Budgets have been cut, staff have been laid off or furloughed, and others have had salary reductions. Our profession showed resilience, creativity, and determination in the face of great odds. New service models and ways of working emerged, and how libraries operate will be forever changed. We have successfully proven that we can work remotely. Virtual meetings and conferences are here to stay for a number of reasons, including holding down costs and enabling greater participation. Services like contactless pick up and going fine free were welcome additions and exemplify the spirit of community during a crisis. I personally learned the importance of advance disaster and emergency planning, which included a Zoom call with internationally recognized emergency and disaster planning expert Guy Robertson.

A Controlled Vocabulary for an Electronic Resources Problem Reporting System: Creation, Implementation and Assessment

The Ohio State University Libraries’ Serials and Electronic Resources team tracked reports of problems with electronic resources through a ticketing system, but had not used the system functions to articulate the work involved in supporting such resources. When a new Electronic Resources Officer was hired, the librarian reviewed the type of statistics provided to management and identified an opportunity to more fully document reported problem and staff effort. With the help of team members, a mechanism was created to highlight different types of problems through the application of a controlled vocabulary developed specifically for that environment. Once the vocabulary was available and in use, after some time, terms were evaluated for efficacy, and for how the use of the vocabulary enabled analysis of the trouble-shooting process. Following an analysis by the Electronic Resources Officer of the terms after being in use for some time, the ways that staff were involved in the workflow was changed, leading to faster responses and more consistent communication of information to patrons and vendors. This paper describes the process of developing the controlled vocabulary, the insights found following implementation, and the changes to the workflow that came from that analysis.

A Large-Scale Collection Review with Faculty Collaboration: A Comprehensive View

Villanova University’s Falvey Memorial Library developed a multiyear comprehensive and strategic collection review of print monographs. In this paper, the authors focus on the operational components of the project, such as generating potential deselection lists with GreenGlass, convening working groups to plan the project, developing strategies for faculty outreach and faculty collection review, and analyzing deselection and retention data. The authors share decision-making processes as well as lessons learned that were involved in the project design and implementation phases throughout the extensive collection review project.