Digital Commons Network^™

Erau Scholarly Commons, May 30, 2013-June 30, 2014, Anne M. Casey, Chip Wolfe

Anne Marie Casey

ERAU Scholarly Commons, the institutional repository of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), debuted to little fanfare but great hope on May 30, 2013. The implementation team had worked for five months with bepress, the vendor, to construct a home page that reflects the unique aerospace concentration of the university. From the outset, Scholarly Commons has proven to be an important university resource for faculty and student research as well as for the creation of new journals and the home of conferences and events. As the first year came to an end, faculty support continued to grow as did the requests for …

Health Information Literacy And Competencies Of Information Age Students: Results From The Interactive Online Research Readiness Self-Assessment (Rrsa), Lana Ivanitskaya, Irene O'Boyle, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

This study aimed to measure the proficiency of college-age health information consumers in finding and evaluating electronic health information; to assess their ability to discriminate between peer-reviewed scholarly resources and opinion pieces or sales pitches; and to examine the extent to which they are aware of their level of health information competency.

So You Have To Write A Strategic Plan: Why Not Make It Interesting?, Anne M. Casey

Anne Marie Casey

Writing a strategic plan can seem like a daunting and boring project. But it doesn’t have to be. There are many innovative ways to develop a workable strategic plan that can be interesting, involve staff and other stakeholders, and may even be fun! This presentation offers practical advice on interesting planning techniques, such as scenarios and appreciative inquiry.

Communicating Effectively In Rapidly Changing Times, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

This paper investigates communication in academic libraries that experienced rapid changes during the Great Recession and its aftermath. The investigator conducted a multi-case study, in which she interviewed library and university participants in three U.S. academic libraries in 2010. Results show that effective communication existed for the most part in the three libraries, all of which were maintaining strategic priorities while experiencing dramatic changes.

Can You Regain Their Trust?, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

He Asked Me What!? - Using Shared Online Accounts As Training Tools For Distance Learning Librarians, Kelly Robinson, Anne Marie Casey, Kathleen Citro

Anne Marie Casey

This study explores the idea of creating a knowledge base from shared online accounts to use in training librarians who perform distance reference services. Through a survey, follow-up interviews and a case study, the investigators explored current and potential use of shared online accounts as training tools. This study revealed that the participants viewed the concept positively, but many encountered barriers to effectively employing a local knowledge base as a training tool.

Erau Scholarly Commons, July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015, Anne M. Casey, Chip Wolfe, Brittany Blanchard

Anne Marie Casey

Scholarly Commons continued to grow in 2014-2015, not only in content added and downloads, but in maturity of the process. At the beginning of the second year, many of the early challenges resolved as teams that oversee the administration and new development began to understand the system and each other’s strengths. Members of the university community also developed a better understanding of Scholarly Commons and its value to many aspects of the research and academic mission. In particular, various departments turned to Scholarly Commons to host conferences and events. Also, members of the Oversight Team met with representatives of Sponsored …

Grassroots Strategic Planning: Involving Library Staff From The Beginning, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

Strategic planning is often considered a managerial tool. The management of an organization surveys the environment and develops a plan that they introduce to the organization as a whole. Most modern organizations seek employee involvement in the planning process and feedback to some degree with varied results. But for one academic library, employee involvement in the development and execution of the strategic plans has been a vital part of the processes. The Hunt Library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has been developing strategic plans for several years with active input from the librarians and staff. This case study chronicles the different …

Strategic Priorities: A Roadmap Through Change For Library Leaders, Anne M. Casey

Anne Marie Casey

Twenty-first century academic libraries need to adapt on a regular basis because external forces such as increased pressures from the institution and accreditation organizations, emerging technologies, or budget reductions create new conditions. In a twenty-year period ending in 2008, academic library spending shifted substantially from physical to electronic resources and from staff and student salary lines to professionals, signaling profound changes in the way libraries do business. “Then just as academic … libraries were settling into these new behaviors, the worst recession in seventy-five years occurred, forcing many … to concern themselves with survival and making difficult decisions based on …

Leadership Institute For Academic Librarians, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

The Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians (LIAL), which offered its first institute in 1999, is a collaboration of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.[i] Intended to provide participants with the tools and insight needed to improve effectiveness and respond rapidly to a changing environment, LIAL is held each year for one week in August on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[ii]

The need for leadership programs for librarians was recognized by John Collins, a librarian at Harvard University, who had …

Distance Learning Librarians: Their Shared Vision, Anne M. Casey

Anne Marie Casey

Shared vision is a component of leadership that fosters innovation through buy-in at all levels of the organization. It is often evident in circumstances people see a need for innovation but do not have the power to make changes on their own. Many librarians in academic institutions that were early adopters of distance learning envisioned a need for new services that were tailored to off-campus students. This study examines shared vision among librarians through a content analysis of planning documents from early distance learning library programs. It offers a shared vision model relevant to the study and application of leadership.

Gazing Into The Crystal Ball: Using Scenarios For Future Visioning Of A Distance Learning Library Service, Anne Marie Casey, Jon E. Cawthorne, Kathleen Citro

Anne Marie Casey

This article describes the use of scenarios as a tool to assist a large distance learning library service in its strategic planning. Through a description of the scenario process from beginning to end, the authors detail the steps that the library director and the consultant took initially; their missteps; and the successful conclusion. This study of the journey through the scenario process to a new strategic plan should prove useful to library administrators interested in exploring new ways to plan for uncertain futures.

Gazing Into The Crystal Ball: Using Scenarios For Future Visioning Of A Distance Learning Library Service, Anne Marie Casey, Jon E. Cawthorne, Kathleen Citro

Anne Marie Casey

The Triple Bottom Line: Portable Applications And Best Practices For Sustainability In Academic Libraries, Anne M. Casey, Jon E. Cawthorne, Kathleen Delong, Irene M.H. Herold, Adriene Lim

Anne Marie Casey

Triple Bottom Line Accounting (TBLA) refers to a method of measuring the economic, environmental, and community service impacts of an organization rather than the traditional practice of measuring just the financial bottom line. This chapter explores TBLA from a historical point-of-view; offers examples in higher education and discusses the implications for academic libraries. It concludes with ideas for the implementation of TBLA in libraries.

Untapped Potential: Seeking Library Donors Among Alumni Of Distance Learning Programs, Anne Marie Casey, Michael Lorenzen

Anne Marie Casey

In recent years, decreases in higher education budgets have forced academic libraries to rely more heavily on philanthropy in order to operate or expand collections. Alumni are the most obvious potential donors to an academic library. Many alumni recognize the library as part of their higher education experience and are happy to give to the library. For many institutions with distance learning programs, a growing number of alumni have never been to campus or have rarely visited but they may use and appreciate library services. However, few academic libraries have attempted to tap this source of potential donors. This paper …

Onboard From The Beginning: A Successful Library Partnership With A Distance Learning Phd Program, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

This presentation described the development of a distance education PhD program that included a librarian in the planning from the start. Beginning its fifth year, the PhD in Aviation Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) considers the library an integral part of its success. The presentation covered funding, ongoing library participation, and tips for involvement in planning.

Who Will Do The Job? Hiring Older Workers To Fill Library Labor Gaps, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

This article discusses the potential shortage of librarians as baby boomers retire. Drawing from other industries that hire retirees for part time or seasonal work, the author discusses this as a possible solution to labor shortages in the field of librarianship.

Use Of Academic Library Strategic Priorities During Severe Budget Reductions, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

Poster presentation of initial findings from doctoral dissertation research.

The Knowledge Base As An Extension Of Distance Learning Reference Service, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

This study explores knowledge bases as extension of reference services for distance learners. Through a survey and follow-up interviews with distance learning librarians, this paper discusses their interest in creating and maintaining a knowledge base as a resource for reference services to distance learners. It also investigates their perceptions about the feasibility and practicality of a reference knowledge base. Primary findings indicate that the majority of participants view a knowledge base as an extension of distance learning reference services positively but see issues related to workload and quality control, in particular, which might hinder the development and maintenance of this …

Communicating Effectively In Rapidly Changing Times, Anne Marie Casey

Anne Marie Casey

This presentation explores communication in academic libraries that experienced rapid changes during the Great Recession and its aftermath. The investigator conducted a multi-case study, in which she interviewed library and university participants in three U.S. academic libraries in 2010. Results show that communication existed for the most part in the three libraries, all of which were maintaining strategic priorities while experiencing dramatic changes.

Does Tenure Matter? Factors Influencing Faculty Contributions To Institutional Repositories, Anne M. Casey

Anne Marie Casey

INTRODUCTION Institutional repositories (IRs) provide colleges and universities a way to ensure stability of access to and dissemination of digital scholarly communications. Yet, many institutions report that faculty willingness to contribute to IRs is often limited. This study investigates faculty attitudes about IR contributions by tenure status and category of material. METHODS Two focus group interviews were conducted in the spring of 2009 among English department faculty at a large Midwestern university. One group consisted of tenured faculty and the other of tenure-track and adjunct faculty. RESULTS Both groups recognize the benefit of open access to research materials but expressed …