Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Student Experiences Of Renewable And Traditional Assignments, Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Lindsey Gwozdz

Library Faculty Publications

Renewable assignments are student created artifacts that have value outside of courses. However, more empirical inquiry in renewable assignments grounded in theoretical frameworks is necessary. In this study, students (N=69) engaged in renewable assignments and were asked to report on their perceptions based on the self-determination theory of motivation and social justice principles. Overall, students reported higher levels of motivation as well as more opportunity to represent their identities for renewable assignments than traditional assignments. Students who opted to publicly share reported higher levels of competence and relatedness than did students who did not opt to publicly share.

Scope Of Open Education: A New Framework For Research, Virginia Elizabeth Clinton-Lisell, Jasmine Roberts-Crews, Lindsey Gwozdz

Library Faculty Publications

The field of open education and research on the topic has notably expanded since the introduction of the term 20 years ago. Given these developments, a framework to structure research inquiry is necessary to ground and organize findings in open education. We propose the SCOPE framework for open education research: social justice, cost, outcomes, perceptions, and engagement. In this article, we explain how this framework emphasizes the need for social justice at the forefront of open education research. In addition, we incorporate existing theories in social justice, motivation, cognition, pedagogy, and engagement into each of the components to propose theoretical …

In Keeping With Academic Tradition: Copyright Ownership In Higher Education And Potential Implications For Open Education, Lindsey Gumb, William Cross

Library Faculty Publications

Most postsecondary institutions in the United States have a copyright and/or intellectual property (IP) ownership policy, outlining under various circumstances the ownership of copyright and IP generated by faculty, staff, and students (Patel, 1996). As awareness of open educational resources (OER) increases and both faculty and student creation of openly licensed materials builds momentum, a closer examination of copyright ownership policies and what legal and ethical implications they may have for open education is crucial. This study analyzed 109 copyright ownership policies at both public and independent two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions of higher education in the U.S. and surveyed …

An Open Impediment: Navigating Copyright And Oer Publishing In The Academic Library, Lindsey Gumb

Library Faculty Publications

Academic libraries around the world are leading the way to support the adoption, revision, and creation of open educational resources (OER), both saving students money and encouraging pedagogical innovation in the classroom. While there are varying definitions depending on the organization, it is generally accepted that a resource used for teaching, learning, or research can be considered an OER if it is both free and openly-licensed under Creative Commons (CC), general public license, or is in the public domain.

What Are They Doing Anyway?: Library As Place And Student Use Of A University Library, Angelica Ferria, Brian T. Gallagher, Amanda Izenstark, Peter Larsen, Kelly Lemeur, Cheryl A. Mccarthy, Deborah Mongeau

Library Faculty Publications

Objective - To determine student use of library spaces, the authors recorded student location and behaviors within the Library, to inform future space design.

Methods - The case study method was used with both quantitative and qualitative measures. The authors had two objectives to guide this assessment of library spaces: 1) To determine what library spaces are being used by students and whether students are working individually, communally, or collaboratively and 2) To determine whether students use these spaces for learning activities and/or social engagement.

Results - After data collection and analysis, the authors determined students are using individual or …

The Future Of Institutional Repositories At Small Academic Institutions: Analysis And Insights, Mary J. Wu

Library Faculty Publications

Institutional repositories (IRs) established at universities and academic libraries over a decade ago, large and small, have encountered challenges along the way in keeping faith with their original objective: to collect, preserve, and disseminate the intellectual output of an institution in digital form. While all institutional repositories have experienced the same obstacles relating to a lack of faculty participation, those at small universities face unique challenges. This article examines causes of low faculty contribution to IR content growth, particularly at small academic institutions. It also offers a first-hand account of building and developing an institutional repository at a small university. …

Carol And John Steinbeck: Portrait Of A Marriage. By Susan Shillinglaw. Reno: U Of Nevada P, 2013. Xv + 312 Pp. $35., Christine S. Fagan

Library Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Statistical Analysis Models: Applications For Libraries, Tim Spindler

Library Faculty Publications

Librarians and administrators are often looking for better ways to measure and promote library services. This article reviews the literature on statistics in libraries to identify statistical models and applications that are useful. The paper examines the use of statistical models in the context of service operations management and makes specific recommendations for future research.

Sustaining The Vision: Best Practices For Design, Implementation And Service, Susan Mcmullen, Betsy Peck Learned

Library Faculty Publications

Librarians from Roger Williams University developed a model of best practices for planning library space projects while planning the first phase of the Learning Commons. They visited and gathered data from 18 libraries with recently-reconfigured spaces, tapped into their collective wisdom, and distilled it to a list of pragmatic, universally applicable best practices. Using examples from their own project and those of the libraries they visited, the presentation describes how to lay the groundwork for planning, incorporate the lessons learned, and achieve buy-in for the project.

Us Academic Libraries: Today’S Learning Commons Model, Susan Mcmullen

Library Faculty Publications

In 2007, the author examined existing academic libraries in the United States to determine best practices for the design, implementation and service of learning commons facilities. A primary objective of this study was to discover how to create a higher education learning environment that sustains scholarship encourages collaboration and empowers student learning. This article explains how to plan for a modern learning commons and presents the various components that comprise the space.

Catalogers Explore A New Frontier: Establishing A Neasc Evidence Center, Mary J. Wu

Library Faculty Publications

This article describes how cataloging staff at the Roger Williams University Library established, managed, and planned to preserve an online NEASC Evidence Center for the University’s reaccreditation process. It highlights use of MARC and AACR2rev for effective organization of the Center’s records and the continuing importance of professional cataloging skills.

Revitalizing The One-Shot Instruction Session Using Problem-Based Learning, Barbara Kenney

Library Faculty Publications

Problem-based learning (PBL) provides the theoretical framework for a learner-centered active instructional experience that relies on collaboration, critical thinking, and hands-on interaction with resources. When used in a one-shot session, PBL challenges the instruction librarian to strengthen and renew their pedagogical skills. Sessions are lively and provide the opportunity for students and faculty to experience library instruction in a new and dynamic way. PBL and information literacy are ideal partners with limitless possibilities for enhanced library instruction.

Libraries In Transition: Evolving The Information Ecology Of The Learning Commons: A Sabbatical Report, Susan Mcmullen

Library Faculty Publications

This sabbatical report studied various models in order to determine best practices for design, implementation and service of Leaning Commons, a library service model which functionally and spatially integrates library services, information technology services, and media services to provide a continuum of services to the user.

Collection Development Strategies For Online Aggregated Databases, Susan Mcmullen, Patricia B. M. Brennan, Joanna M. Burkhardt, Marla Wallace

Library Faculty Publications

Before 1990 few library materials were available in electronic format. Most libraries did not have Collection Development Policies specific to the electronic format, simply because they were not needed. Today, it is common to find electronic materials in library collections. The exponential growth in the number of items available in electronic format, and the acquisition of those materials in libraries has created a need for collection policies that address both the format and the contents of electronic materials. Creating policies for some of these materials has been problematic. Some types of materials have become less popular due to changes in …

International Conference On Dublin Core And Metadata Application 2004, Mary J. Wu

Library Faculty Publications

The International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications took place on October 11-14, 2004 in Shanghai, China. It was the fourth in a series of expanded Dublin Core conferences that included a conference, tutorials and workshops. Prior to the first in this series of conferences held in Tokyo in 2001, eight Dublin Core workshop series had been held in various North American and European countries starting in 1995. These workshops and conferences have provided a forum where researchers and practitioners can exchange new ideas and demonstrate the development of metadata standards and applications from practical aspects.

Usability Testing In A Library Web Site Redesign Project, Susan Mcmullen

Library Faculty Publications

An intuitive library information gateway is critical to meeting the information needs of library users in the digital age. This article describes the process involved in redesigning a library Web site. In addition to first determining the goals and requirements for the library Web site, a user and task analysis was conducted for defining the library's user base and types of tasks which users might be performing at the site. Usability testing methods, such as observational interviews, provided fresh insights about how users are interacting with the library Web interface as they approach various information seeking tasks. These usability studies …

Us Government Information: Selected Current Issues In Public Access Vs. Private Competition, Susan Mcmullen

Library Faculty Publications

Web information systems are having a profound effect on the way information is being disseminated today. Current technological advances have caused many government agencies to re-evaluate their practice of contracting with private sector vendors who have traditionally repackaged and marketed the agency's raw data. These new opportunities for government agencies wishing to make information publicly accessible have blurred the traditional distinctions between public and private dissemination activities. Low-cost public dissemination of information has resulted in private sector vendors arguing that public electronic distribution and publication creates unfair competition. New partnerships, such as the recent venture between the National Technical Information …