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Want To See The Sites? Better Find A Better Guide: Do Popular Search Engines Return Librarian-Recommended Sites?, David Tyler, Scott Childers, Mary Elizabeth Mcneil, Alicia Dostal
Want To See The Sites? Better Find A Better Guide: Do Popular Search Engines Return Librarian-Recommended Sites?, David Tyler, Scott Childers, Mary Elizabeth Mcneil, Alicia Dostal
Beth McNeil
This paper presents the results of a study of the utility of several popular search engines and of two newer search engines with respect to librarian-selected lists of Web resources and internet searching behaviors. This study addresses whether said resources are returned where internet searchers could reasonably be expected to find them and whether the search engines employed serve as acceptable substitutes for the expert advice of librarians. Search engines included in the study were Google, MSN.com, Yahoo, Lycos, AskJeeves, Icerocket, and Acoona. Searches for the study were based on the topics/titles of the “Internet Resources” columns from College and …
A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Leadership Development Experiences Of Academic Research Library Leaders, Beth Mcneil
A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Leadership Development Experiences Of Academic Research Library Leaders, Beth Mcneil
Beth McNeil
This phenomenological study describes the leadership development experiences of academic librarians currently working in leadership roles in academic research libraries to discover their experiences of being a library leader and to explore how they describe their own leadership development. Study participants identified as having experienced positive leadership development experiences during their careers as academic research library leaders and were, at the time of this study, employed and actively working in leadership positions reporting directly to the head of their academic research library. The goal of this exploration was to understand what the academic library leaders had experienced, with regard to …
Electronic Text Centers: Creating Research Collections On A Limited Budget, The Nebraska Experience, Joan Giesecke, Beth Mcneil, Gina L. B. Minks
Electronic Text Centers: Creating Research Collections On A Limited Budget, The Nebraska Experience, Joan Giesecke, Beth Mcneil, Gina L. B. Minks
Beth McNeil
In this article, we will describe a slightly different approach to building digital collections. The approach is that of building collections as a by-product of a service center rather than collection building being the primary purpose of the program activity. Specifically, we will discuss how an Electronic Text Center can enhance digital collection development in the humanities.
Librarians And Link Rot: A Comparative Analysis With Some Methodological Considerations, David C. Tyler, Beth Mcneil
Librarians And Link Rot: A Comparative Analysis With Some Methodological Considerations, David C. Tyler, Beth Mcneil
Beth McNeil
The longevity of printed guides to resources on the web is a topic of some concern to all librarians. This paper attempts to determine whether guides created by specialist librarians perform better than randomly assembled lists of resources (assembled solely for the purpose of web studies), commercially created guides ('Best of the web'-type publications), and guides prepared by specialists in library science and other fields. The paper also attempts to determine whether the characteristics of included web resources have an impact on guides' longevity. Lastly, the paper addresses methodological issues of concern to this and similar studies.
Database Selection: One Size Does Not Fit All, Deeann Allison, Beth Mcneil, Signe Swanson
Database Selection: One Size Does Not Fit All, Deeann Allison, Beth Mcneil, Signe Swanson
Beth McNeil
With increasing costs and decreasing budgets, it is important for librarians to make sound purchasing decisions for electronic resources. What factors are important to consider in making a decision? How can librarians balance these factors, which may appear to be contradictory, and also meet the expectations of administrators, staff, and users? This article describes a strategy for making delivery decisions that address local conditions, pricing, feature options, hardware costs, and network availability. Finally, a model is presented for evaluating the decision based on dollar requirements and local issues.
Core Competencies And The Learning Organization, Joan Giesecke, Beth Mcneil
Core Competencies And The Learning Organization, Joan Giesecke, Beth Mcneil
Beth McNeil
Designing libraries that can thrive in changing, chaotic environments is a continuous challenge for today's managers. To succeed, libraries must now be agile, flexible, and able to adjust to a world that resembles an amusement park roller-coaster ride or white-water rafting.
One system that can help managers in today's environment is that of the learning organization. A learning organization is an organization that has an enhanced capacity to learn, adapt, and change, and is "skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge and insights." In these organizations, staff are encouraged to continuously learn new skills. For learning to be effective, however, …
From High School Users College Students Grow: Providing Academic Library Research Opportunities To High School Students, Debra Pearson, Beth Mcneil
From High School Users College Students Grow: Providing Academic Library Research Opportunities To High School Students, Debra Pearson, Beth Mcneil
Beth McNeil
The University of Nebraska was chartered by the Nebraska Legislature in 1869 as the state's landgrant higher education institution "to afford to the inhabitants of this State the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the various branches of literature, science and the arts."' The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) University Libraries take this land-grant mission seriously, serving as a statewide resource and making the research collection available throughout the state to Nebraska citizens. The focus of this article is on the University Libraries' service to one particular group of citizens-high school students. In the late 1980s, the libraries developed a …
Transitioning To The Learning Organization, Joan Giesecke, Beth Mcneil
Transitioning To The Learning Organization, Joan Giesecke, Beth Mcneil
Beth McNeil
Peter Senge popularized the concept of the learning organization, and several libraries have tried, with varying degrees of success, to adopt the learning organization model. This article explores why organizations consider attempting to become learning organizations, includes an overview of the theory of learning organizations, presents steps to becoming a learning organization, and describes examples of learning organization efforts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries and other libraries.
Perceptions Of Campus-Level Advocacy And Influence Strategies Among Senior Administrators In College And University Libraries, Janice Simmons-Welburn, Beth Mcneil, William Welburn
Perceptions Of Campus-Level Advocacy And Influence Strategies Among Senior Administrators In College And University Libraries, Janice Simmons-Welburn, Beth Mcneil, William Welburn
Beth McNeil
In recent years, interest has grown among academic librarians on developing strategies that garner support for library initiatives and influence campus-level decision-making. This practice has been characterized in the literature on managing academic libraries as increasing advocacy, or the capacity to grow support for library priorities among faculty and administrators using influence and persuasion.
Core Competencies For Libraries And Library Staff, Beth Mcneil
Core Competencies For Libraries And Library Staff, Beth Mcneil
Beth McNeil
Declining financial support and the explosion of new technologies and information resources have led library directors and leaders in the library field to rethink choices about services that libraries can and should provide. Considering these choices, library administrators are forced to carefully evaluate how adequately prepared library staff are to support new and changing services. Libraries, like all other institutions, must change. They must adapt to the changing environment and proactively prepare for the future. One step in the preparation for the future is the identification and development of core competencies for library staff.