Digital Commons Network^™

Dspace Eposter, Dspace Foundation, Duraspace

Institutional Repositories: Disseminating, Promoting, and Preserving Scholarship

Electronic poster on DSpace open source repository software that enables open sharing of content.

Glossary Of Terms For Pre-Industrial Book History, Richard W. Clement

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Glossary of terms on pre-industrial book history, compiled by Rich Clement.

Marginalia No. 26, Merill-Cazier Library

Marginalia

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times … Dean Clement on the economic downturn’s effect on USU & the Library

Books and Buckaroos: USU’s Cowboy Poetry Collection Exhibit” spotlighted

2008 Leonard J. Arrington Writing Contest Awards presented

Digital Commons @ USU: sharing knowledge with the world … Cheryl Walters & Heather Leary on new web portal

New Books … Three new books purchased by the Cazier Library Endowment & the Milton R. Merrill Endowment

Impressive Design Collection donated to Utah State … a gift from Kathryn Caine Wanlass

“Migrant Memoir” … Elva Trevino’s memoir is this year’s selection for …

Gathering Leadership Momentum Across Great Distances: Creating An Online Community Of Practice, Erin L. Davis, Danielle Theiss-White

Erin Davis

At the 2007 Mountain Plains Library Association Leadership (MPLA) Institute, held in New Mexico, USA, eight academic librarians formed an online multi-state, multigenerational community of practice. MPLA is a twelve-state library association within the United States. Using Google Groups™, the members formed an online environment called the MPLA Community of Practice for continuing development of the leadership skills presented at the Institute. These early-career librarians represent diverse educational backgrounds and work in libraries serving varied populations with differing disciplinary emphases.

The group meets monthly with each member preparing and facilitating online discussions, complete with personal assessments, topical readings, and questions. …

Developing A Review Rubric For Learning Resources In Digital Libraries, Heather Leary, Sarah Giersch, Andrew Walker, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes the development of a review rubric for learning resources in the context of the Instructional Architect (IA), a web-based authoring tool. We describe the motivation for developing a review rubric, the process for creating it by synthesizing the rubrics of other education-related digital libraries, and the results of testing the rubric with teachers. Analysis of usability and reliability indicates that the review rubric influences how teachers design online learning resources.

A Connective Ethnography Of Peer Knowledge Sharing And Diffusion In A Tween Virtual World, Deborah A. Fields, Y. B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Prior studies have shown how knowledge diffusion occurs in classrooms and structured small groups around assigned tasks yet have not begun to account for widespread knowledge sharing in more native, unstructured group settings found in online games and virtual worlds. In this paper, we describe and analyze how an insider gaming practice spread across a group of tween players ages 9–12 years in an after-school gaming club that simultaneously participated in a virtual world called Whyville.net. In order to understand how this practice proliferated, we followed the club members as they interacted with each other and members of the virtual …

Digital Commons Annual Report: Year One 2008-2009, Heather M. Leary

Digital Commons Reports

This report shows the progress for Utah State University's Digital Commons repository during it's first year, from October 27, 2008 through October 31, 2009.

Gathering Leadership Momentum Across Great Distances: Creating An Online Community Of Practice, Erin Dini-Davis, Danielle Theiss-White

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

At the 2007 Mountain Plains Library Association Leadership (MPLA) Institute, held in New Mexico, USA, eight academic librarians formed an online multi-state, multigenerational community of practice. MPLA is a twelve-state library association within the United States. Using Google Groups™, the members formed an online environment called the MPLA Community of Practice for continuing development of the leadership skills presented at the Institute. These early-career librarians represent diverse educational backgrounds and work in libraries serving varied populations with differing disciplinary emphases. The group meets monthly with each member preparing and facilitating online discussions, complete with personal assessments, topical readings, and questions. …

Societal Transformation And Reference Services In The Academic Library: Theoretical Foundations For Re-Envisioning Reference, Pamela N. Martin

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This paper draws on theories of societal transformation, specifically the information society and postmodernism, to pinpoint challenges and offer concrete advice for re-envisioning reference services in the academic library, including traditional reference work and formal library instruction. Rather than acting as experts to whom all patrons should defer, reference librarians should serve as helpful guides and fellow explorers of the information universe.

Encyclopedic History Of Utah State University, Robert Parson

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

From "A-day" to "Women's Athletics", this encyclopedic history of Utah State University by USU University Archivist Robert Parson covers people, buildings, programs, events, organizations, songs, school colors, traditions, and more.

What Do Students Gain From A Week At Science Camp? Youth Perceptions And The Design Of An Immersive Research-Oriented Astronomy Camp, Deborah A. Fields

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study explored American high school students’ perceptions of the benefits of a summer astronomy camp, emphasizing a full cycle of the research process and how the organization of the camp contributed to those perceptions. Semi-structured interviews with students and staff were used to elicit the specific benefits that campers perceived from their experiences and examine them in relation to the stated goals and strategies of camp staff. Among the perceived benefits that students described were peer relationships, personal autonomy, positive relationships with staff, and deepened science knowledge. These perceived benefits appear to influence the kinds of identities students constructed …