Digital Commons Network^™

Planning Batch Cataloging Projects, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

Many libraries have uncataloged collections or backlogs which could benefit from batch processing, and much professional development for metadata specialists focuses on software tools that can facilitate this work, but it is not always clear how to get started putting those new skills into action. This webinar will introduce the basics of planning a batch cataloging project. Attendees will be led through a series of questions to help them identify appropriate projects for a batch cataloging approach, evaluate available technological and personnel resources, and assess their starting point based on a batch cataloging framework. The webinar will cover designing a …

Metadata Analysis For Pre-Migration Cleanup, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

When faced with a library system migration, it can be daunting to know where to begin with data cleanup. In many cases, there is a long list of tasks to tackle before switching to a new system and not enough time to perform them all. Therefore, it is important to target your efforts to the most impactful areas. In this presentation, I will provide guidance on deciding where to focus your available time for metadata cleanup. I will present metadata assessment criteria that will help you know what to be looking for in your data that could potentially cause issues …

Google Books, Jody Condit Fagan

Libraries

Google Books’ (GB) full-text search of more than 40 million books offers significant value for libraries and their patrons. However, Google’s refusal to disclose information about the coverage of GB, as well as observed gaps and inaccuracies in the collection and its metadata, makes it difficult to recommend with confidence for a given research need. While most search and retrieval functions work well, glitches aren’t hard to find, which suggests GB development is focused on user experiences that relate to monetization. Privacy and equity concerns surrounding GB mirror those of other big technology platforms. Still, every librarian should familiarize themselves …

Embodied Care: Exploring Mental Health Zines As Feminist Health Resources, Liz Chenevey

Libraries

In the traditional health information landscape, patriarchal knowledge practices of expertise, neutrality, objectivity, and ownership are held as the standard. This paper will explore zines as feminist mental health resources that embody radical care and subvert these knowledge practices. There are many personal zines on the topic of mental health, ranging from outlining self care strategies for overall mental wellness to deeper discussions of serious mental illness (trauma, mood disorders, personality disorders, etc). Even when not an explicitly feminist theme, I argue that these health zines are in themselves a feminist act. By utilizing attributes of feminist knowledge production, such …

Re-Envisioning The Virginia Journal Of Public Health: Leveraging The Institutional Repository For Publishing Success, Mark Lane, Rebecca Kruse, Maria Devalpine, Carolyn Schubert

Libraries

Lightning talk presented at 2021 Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries conference.

Faculty Perceptions Of Academic Librarians: Experts, Connectors, And Resource Stewards, Jody Fagan, Elizabeth Price, Hillary Ostermiller, Lara Sapp

Libraries

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. This paper presents results from the faculty population, with comparison to the librarian sample. The major research questions address perceptions about what librarians know (expertise and skills), what librarians do (role and duties), and what librarians are like (motivations and affective characteristics). Results showed faculty perceptions to be more in-line overall with librarians’ perceptions of themselves than the literature might otherwise indicate, at least in domains where the faculty are actively engaged. Faculty also identified a role not …

Practical Strategies For Transitioning, Jennifer A. Keach

Libraries

When it comes to transitioning to a new phase in our careers, we may be unsure about how to set the change gears into motion. Why not start with discovering strategies for transitioning to a new job from where you are now? Attend this session to explore how your personality preferences can influence how you approach your transition. Discover a range of strategies based on common scenarios including stretch assignments, job sculpting, informational interviews, shadowing, and volunteering. Don't wait for the next opportunity to come to you. Instead, keep moving closer to where you'd like to be in the future …

Academic Librarian Perceptions Of Academic Librarians: Building A Foundation Of Shared Understanding, Jody Fagan, Hillary Ostermiller, Elizabeth Price, Lara Sapp

Libraries

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. The high response rate and the use of an instrument based on previous studies offers the possibility of longitudinal comparison and the identification of relationships between groups within one environment. This article focuses specifically on academic librarian perceptions about what librarians know (expertise and skills), what librarians do (role and duties), and what librarians are like (motivations and affective behaviours). Twenty librarians employed in James Madison University Libraries responded to an online survey (62.5% response rate); four follow-up …

To Discovery And Beyond: Using Workflow Automation As An Opportunity For Collaboration And Education, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

This poster describes a project to automate portions of JMU Libraries' workflow for distributing Special Collections finding aids to various discovery platforms. Through the development of a custom Python app called Spaceport, we were able to greatly improve the efficiency and sustainability of this process while also providing a more consistent discovery experience for our patrons. The project also had broad impacts in other areas. Our incremental and collaborative approach provided space for professional development related to the project, supported evolving project goals and the process of adapting to the new workflow, and strengthened relationships between departments. In addition to …

Getting Started With Digital Exhibitions, Grace Wilson

Libraries

This session gives an introduction to creating digital exhibitions with limited resources. By reviewing some basic concepts behind planning a digital exhibition, and exploring key considerations when selecting technology and tools, participants will make progress towards outlining a plan of action for creating their own exhibition. We’ll look at a few free tools and resources including Omeka and timelineJS, while reflecting on how digital exhibitions can balance accessibility and innovation.

Secrets Of The Save File: Using Connexion And Microsoft Access For Efficient Batch Cataloging Projects, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

Have you ever wished you could limit your Connexion batch search results to the one OCLC record with the most holdings? Or hoped for a way to confidently match those search results to existing metadata from your ILS without handling each record one by one? These tasks and more are all possible by working directly with the Microsoft Access database underlying Connexion's local save file. In this presentation, I will share how our library used this functionality in a workflow for efficiently cataloging a gift collection of jazz LPs. I will describe features of the local save file database, highlighting …

Small Steps Make Giant Leaps: An Incremental Approach To Technical Services Workflow Automation, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

James Madison University Libraries' workflow for distributing its Special Collections finding aids to various discovery platforms historically involved a significant amount of manual data entry and hand-encoding. Through a series of small steps, we have been gradually improving this process by automating select tasks. I will share different iterations of our workflow, the automated solutions we've put into place, and the tools and technologies used, including XSLTs, APIs, and Spaceport, a custom Python app. As evidenced through the efficiencies, staff excitement, and other benefits we've observed, automation has transformed a previously tedious process while also facilitating the completion of other …

Taking Control Of Your Faculty Identity: Exploring Your Scholarly Reach, Grace Wilson

Libraries

During this roundtable session participants explored and discussed how scholarly identities are shaped online. Participants reviewed tools and resources available to manage scholarly identities, discussed experiences, and considered the easiest ways to integrate scholarly identity management into existing workflows.

Image Organization & Presentation Tools, Mark Lane, Bodeene Amyot

Libraries

Workshop delivered to JMU faculty and staff.

Library And Academic Discipline Partnerships: Building A Foundation Of Oer Knowledge In Teacher Education Students, Liz Thompson, Jessica Lantz

Libraries

As libraries support OER across an institution, that support looks different in each discipline. In teaching future educators, building early awareness of Open Education Resources (OER) for preservice teachers creates a foundation for future growth. In a higher ed institution's College of Education, librarians and instructional designers interact with both faculty educators and students that are completing a degree to become PK-12 educators. Libraries can help build OER awareness through in-class instruction, outreach pop-up events, and online resource guides. The Library began this project in an effort to raise awareness of OER concepts before the students begin their professional teaching …

Librarian, Faculty, And Student Perceptions Of Academic Librarians: Study Introduction And Literature Review, Jody C. Fagan, Hillary Ostermiller, Elizabeth Price, Lara Sapp

Libraries

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. The high response rate and the use of an instrument based on previous studies offers the possibility of longitudinal comparison and the identification of relationships between groups within one environment. Results will be presented in a series of articles, beginning with this paper’s study introduction and literature review of librarian, faculty, and student perceptions of librarians. Subsequent papers will present results from the three surveys and offer analysis across the three groups. The literature review focused on research …

Evaluating The Outcomes Of Social Media Marketing Alongside Traditional Promotional Techniques In Library Outreach, Liana Bayne, Caroline Hamby

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

James Madison University MALA (Madison Academic Library Associates) graduate assistants worked together with Special Collections and the library’s Outreach department to help market and support JMU’s First Annual Pulp Studies Symposium in Fall 2016. Social, digital, and physical ultimately came together to highlight and surface Special Collections’ extensive holdings of pulp magazines. Hashtags, archival ephemera, and everything in between melded in this multi-part exhibit. Since one of the least known and studied genre of pulps are the romance pulps, Love Story Magazine was the focus of our social media outreach project. Its florid narratives led organically to the idea of …

Building The Future Of Oer Through Pre-Service Teachers, Liz Thompson, Melissa Wells, Jessica Lantz

Libraries

According to recent literature and research, in-service teacher awareness of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creative Commons licenses continues to be uneven and relatively low. Providing OER education while teachers are focused on learning in their degree-granting programs could be a sustainable long-term strategy to build awareness of OER with PK-12 instructors. A small research team, consisting of two Librarians, an Instructional Designer, and an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at two higher education institutions, designed a survey and intervention for pre-service teachers to measure and increase their levels of OER awareness. The purpose of the survey is …

Empowering Your Staff To Solve Problems: Evidence-Based Training For Strategic Thinking, Rebecca B. French, Jennifer A. Keach

Libraries

Are you teaching procedures or are you teaching problem solving? Discover an approach to help develop your staff’s strategic thinking skills to meet the needs of the 21st-century library workplace. Explore how to apply learning theory and walk away with actionable steps for training independent problem solving.

5 Steps To Creating Quality Educational Programs: Lessons From The Field Of Instructional Design, Jennifer A. Keach

Libraries

Whether you are developing a staff training program or programming for your community, the field of instructional design offers valuable advice if your goal is to help your attendees to learn. Learn how to build your own programs from scratch with easy-to-implement steps based on learning science.

Spaceport: A Finding Aid Launchpad, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

JMU Libraries distributes its Special Collections finding aids to a number of discovery platforms, a process which historically has involved a significant amount of hand-encoding and manual data entry. We recently developed and implemented Spaceport, a Python app that has revolutionized this workflow. This presentation provides an overview of the app's functionality, which includes generating EADs for Virginia Heritage, HTML files for upload to the Libraries website, and MARCXML records for our catalog and OCLC. It also describes the efficiencies and other benefits we have observed from Spaceport's use.

Building An Inclusive Library Through Staff Accessibility Training, K.T. L. Vaughan

Libraries

Libraries provide a needed third place for students to engage with their peers and faculty, both academically and socially. Staff behavior, knowledge, and skills in providing an accessible and inclusive environment are key to helping students with disabilities feel that they belong in the libraries. This makes training in disability and accessibility awareness a necessary component of the overall program for the library. This study assessed a locally-developed, online training program for staff of all levels that was intended to improve staff knowledge and skills in disability etiquette, library services and spaces that support people with disabilities, and the policies …

High Impact Practices: Developing A Framework For Integrating Hips At The Individual Course Level And General Education, Jessica Lantz

Libraries

Libraries faculty are in the research stages of developing an instructional framework to map high impact educational practices (HIPS) strategy integration to help build meaningful student experiences in their academic and general education experience at James Madison University. This framework will utilize instructional design recommendations and the wealth of opportunities available to students through the University and the general education program.

Taking Control Of Archdesc: Implementing Spaceport For Special Collections Finding Aids, Tiffany Cole, Rebecca B. French

Libraries

This poster describes a project to develop Spaceport, a Python app that transforms EAD finding aids from ArchivesSpace into EADs for Virginia Heritage, HTML files for the JMU Libraries website, and MARCXML records for the catalog. It outlines the challenges and needs that led to Spaceport's development and describes benefits experienced from its implementation.

Creating A Library Orientation Card Game To Reach New Transfer Students, Kelly Giles, Kristen S. Shuyler, Andrew Evans, Jon Reed

Libraries

Librarians and staff at a public university drew upon previous experience with instructional games to develop, implement, and assess a card game as a library orientation activity for new transfer students. This project was shaped by a desire to meet transfer students’ unique needs as well as the logistical constraints associated with the university’s transfer student orientation. The card game, modeled after Apples to Apples, presented information about the campus library system in a fun, informal way that allowed transfer students to socialize with each other while learning. Survey responses indicated that students found the game both enjoyable and …

The Visibility Of Authority Records, Researcher Identifiers, Academic Social Networking Profiles, And Related Faculty Publications In Search Engine Results, Rebecca B. French, Jody Condit Fagan

Libraries

Information about faculty and their publications can be found in library databases such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, WorldCat, and institutional repositories; in identifier registries like ORCID and ISNI; and on academic social networking sites like Academia, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, but the way search engines use such identifiers and profiles is unclear. Therefore, researchers at a large comprehensive university conducted several rounds of web searching before and after the creation and modification of faculty authority records. The sample consisted of 24 faculty and the 35 publications associated with their authorities. The researchers searched for the …

Alternative Summer Break Academic Library Internship: Exploring Professional Engagement As An Acting Librarian, Brian Flota, Stephanie Akau, Alexandra Haubrick, Mark Lane, Juhong Christie Liu, Kate Morris, Kaitlyn Sisk, Liz Thompson, K.T. Vaughan

Libraries

This poster session visualizes an innovative Alternative Summer Break Academic Library Internship program for current or recently graduated library and information science (LIS) students. Currently in its fourth year, the program provides opportunities for graduate students to experience professional engagement in a real academic library. Logistics, planning, recruitment, management, and lessons learned will be shared, which will provide valuable insights for libraries wishing to build similar programs. Prospective interns will learn about the structure of the program, expectations and outcomes, and how to apply.

Revealing The Hidden Humanities: Strategies For Academic Libraries To Improve Access And Awareness, Jody Condit Fagan, Malia Willey

Libraries

While research in the sciences and social sciences has become increasingly visible to search engines, research in the humanities has remained relatively hidden. There are discipline-specific challenges to scholarly communication in the humanities. Visualizations from two studies illustrate how humanities scholarship currently has limited discoverability and access. These results suggest that academic libraries are well-positioned to increase the visibility of humanities scholarship if they can leverage relationships. This poster presents opportunities for collaboration across library areas and strategies for revealing research in the humanities. Ideas for further exploration are identified and attendees will be invited to share their insights.

James Madison University Special Collections: Collections Management, Tiffany Cole, Kate N. Morris

Libraries

This presentation covers different facets of collections management at James Madison University Special Collections. Presented to archival professionals from institutions and organizations within the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the presenters also discuss collection development, access, and outreach operations at their repository.

Established in 1983, Special Collections serves as JMU Libraries’ repository for rare, irreplaceable, unique, or otherwise valuable materials in various formats which warrant special handling or care to assure their long-term availability. Historically, Special Collections has acquired materials that document the Central Shenandoah Valley, the history of James Madison University, as well as other unique materials that support the …

Critical Information Literacy: From General Education To The Major How Assessment Shapes Competencies And Student Learning, Kathy E. Clarke, Gretchen A. Hazard, Brian C. Leventhal

Libraries

Information literacy became formally shaped by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in the late 1990s with the creation of the Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education. James Madison University adopted the Standards as learning outcomes into its general education program at that time. We continue to evolve our program to forge foundational skills for all entering students, and are in the process of moving towards the new ACRL Framework.

JMU is committed to an outcomes and assessment model of general education. For the information literacy learning domain, we’ve created a course-embedded, tutorial-test model. Thanks to the partnership …