Digital Commons Network^™

Werewolf On Campus: A Case Study In Inoculation Theory And Gamified One-Shot Library Instruction, Abigail Adams

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This case study details the development and results of an information literacy game in which undergraduate students evaluated fictional sources to learn how to recognize a werewolf on campus. The game relied on inoculation theory and fiction to teach students to identify indicators of mis and disinformation outside of any real-world examples that might affect their learning experience. The game showed promise as students were far more engaged and demonstrated better retention later in the semester than students who received a more traditional lecture about disinformation and source evaluation. However, the game would likely be more effective if it were …

A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Fairness Issues In Algorithmic Policing Systems, Emmanuel Sebastian Udoh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Algorithmic governance (AG) systems aim to utilize machine learning (ML) in the form of mathematical modelling and predictive analytics to achieve greater efficiency and accuracy, effect equal treatment and eliminate bias. In its application to policing, algorithmic policing (AP) or predictive policing applies tree-based risk training algorithms on criminal complaint data to predict where and when the next crime is likely to occur, and who the likeliest perpetrators and victims are. Thus, AP preemptively determines where, how, and when to deploy police resources. However, as more and more cities adopt AP, there are fears that AP may be reinforcing age-long …

A Bitmoji Marketing Campaign To Connect Students With Subject Librarians, Lauren Puzier, Tyler Norton

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The University at Albany Libraries launched a campaign using Bitmojis, cartoon avatars, to connect students with their subject librarians and to increase awareness of the role of subject librarians and the services they provide. The Bitmoji mobile app was the fastest growing app in the United States among adults in 2017; therefore, Bitmojis offered a potentially popular and recognizable way to represent subject librarians. Bitmojis are also highly versatile: they can be personalized, they offer librarians a digital likeness, and they lend themselves to a variety of other formats both physical and digital. This article will introduce the use of …

A Brief History And Overview, Elaine M. Lasda

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Chapter One from the book, The New Metrics: Practical Assessment of Research Impact

Provides an introduction, background information and overview of bibliometrics. Describes the new contexts in which bibliometric indicators are being used in specialized situations, and introduces five case studies where such metrics are being used in new ways.

Transfer Student Analysis And Retention: A Collaborative Endeavor, Trudi E. Jacobson, John W. Delano Phd, Linda Krzykowski, Laurie Garafola, Meghan Nyman, Holly Barker

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This paper aims to describe a multifaceted campus-wide initiative to retain transfer students that was undertaken when it was recognized that their retention rates were lower than those of first-time, full-time students. The “all-hands-on-deck” approach described in this paper demonstrates how strategic collaborations among the many institutional stakeholders at a public research university were marshalled to have a significant and positive impact on student retention.

Bioont : Improving Knowledge Organization And Representation In The Domain Of Biometric Authentication, Stephen Bryan Buerle

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation explores some of the fundamental challenges facing the information assurance community as it relates to knowledge categorization, organization and representation within the field of information security and more specifically within the domain of biometric authentication. A primary objective of this research is the development of a biometric authentication corpus and an empirically derived ontological prototype, which aids and promotes further research into the fundamental ontological structure of the field of biometric authentication. In doing so this research explores the use of automated and semi-supervised ontological engineering, corpus analysis and natural language processes techniques in the development of this …

Topic Modeling For E-Petition Analysis : Interpreting Petitioners' Policy Priorities, Loni Hagen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Obama Administration launched an e-petitioning site called “We the People” (WtP) in 2011 to encourage the submission of citizens’ policy suggestions. Since 2011, thousands of petitions have been submitted to this site. Analysis of the contents of petition texts using topic modeling may enable policy makers and government leaders to identify latent topics of public interest that are not otherwise apparent.

Journals Supporting Terrorism Research: Identification And Investigation Into Their Impact On The Social Sciences, Daryl R. Bullis, Richard Irving

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

A citation analysis of two preeminent terrorism journals (Terrorism and Political Violence and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism) was used to identify 37 additional social science journals of significant importance to terrorism research. Citation data extracted from the Web of Science database was used to investigate the impact of the two journals on the social science journal literature. The impact of the two journals was also analyzed in terms of SSCI subject categories. This study could provide useful information for collection development librarians interested in the social sciences.

Use It Or Lose It!: Results Of A Use Study Of The Print Sources In An Academic Library Reference Collection., Jane G. Kessler

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Describes a use study of a reference collection, which found that 7.1 percent of total volumes in the reference collection were used over the course of the fall semester.

Citation Help In Databases: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same, Mary Van Ullen, Jane Kessler

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In 2005 the authors reviewed citation help in databases and found an error rate of 4.4 errors per citation. This article describes a follow-up study which revealed a modest improvement in the error rate to 3.4 errors per citation, still unacceptably high. The most problematic area was retrieval statements. The authors conclude that librarians should include citation features in the evaluation of databases, and should open a dialogue with vendors about the importance of providing accurate, reliable information about citations to students.

Helping International Students Succeed Academically Through Research Process And Plagiarism Workshops., Yu-Hui Chen, Mary K. Van Ullen

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Workshops on the research process and plagiarism were designed to meet the needs of international students at the University at Albany. The research process workshop covered formulating research questions, as well as locating and evaluating sources. The plagiarism workshop focused on acknowledging sources, quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing materials, citation styles, and avoiding plagiarism. The effectiveness of the workshops was measured by administering pre-and post-tests and by interviewing students several months after the workshops. The results showed that students achieved significant improvement for both the research process and plagiarism by attending the training, and they continued to apply new skills several …

Socio-Technical Processes In Interorganizational Emergency Response And Recovery Process At The World Trade Center, Bahadir Akcam

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research explores the socio-technical processes in interorganizational collaboration by extending and elaborating a generic dynamic theory. The existing generic dynamic theory offers dynamic hypotheses about causal relationships between social processes and social accumulations based on a study of interagency information integration initiatives. The current study expands this theory and elaborates upon it using interview dataset from interagency collaboration during the response and recovery process following the World Trade Center (WTC) attack on September 11, 2001. Researchers at the Center for Technology in Government interviewed 29 responders in 2002 and 2003 to explore interagency collaboration in the context of information, …

The Effects Of Leadership And Authority On Cross-Boundary Information Sharing In Response To Public Health Crises : A Comparative Study Between The United States And Jordan, Fawzi H. Mulki

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Regardless of national context, cross-boundary information sharing is inevitably entangled with issues of jurisdiction, leadership, and authority. This study answers the question: "to what extent do officials in the United States and Jordan share key leadership characteristics and how are officials' uses of authority similar or different?"

Information Literacy For Social Workers: University At Albany Libraries Prepare Msw Students For Research And Practice, Mary Jane Brustman, Deborah Bernnard

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In a series of workshops, University at Albany librarians collaborate with the School of Social Welfare to impart information literacy skills to Master in Social Work students. The rationale, curriculum, and embedded ACRL information literacy standards are discussed. Also presented are assessments and a discussion of the challenges of implementation

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Documenting Environmental Activism In New York State, Brian Keough, Amy C. Schindler

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

A significant component of the political history of New York and other states in the second half of the twentieth century is the extraordinary growth of a social movement directed at environmental issues. The authors completed a case study of a documentation project to collect archival records about the history of environmental affairs in New York State. This article critically examines documentation strategy and the evolution of statewide documentation projects in New York, describes the implementation of a documentation project for environmental affairs, and suggests methods for improving the identification and selection of records of enduring value. The project set …

Documenting Diversity: Developing Special Collections Of Underdocumented Groups, Brian Keough

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This article explores the theoretical and practical developments in documentation planning for acquiring archival manuscript material of under-documented topics. The author examines the emergence of documentation planning theory in the 1970s and 1980s as a response to historians’ and archivists’ calls regarding the lack of historical records related to racial and ethnic groups, women, the working class, and the lives of ordinary people. Heeding this call, archivists initiated programs to assist repositories in identifying and selecting materials that present a more balanced historical record. The author concludes by assessing one repository’s experience with collecting records on underdocumented topics and suggesting …