Digital Commons Network^™

Faraway Flix: Connecting To International Students Through Film, Laura Bohuski

DLTS Faculty Publications

WKU has, at any given time, about 20,000 students enrolled in university programs across four campuses. WKU is a campus that is actively engaged in making international connections, so much so that its current vision statement asserts that WKU is “a leading American university with international reach.”1 Western’s drive to establish and maintain international connections has been successful: of the 20,000 students currently attending WKU, 1,300 are international students from 70 seventy different countries.2 With such a diverse student population, many of the departments at Western are actively engaged in developing programs to help connect our extensive international population with …

Lasting Experiences: Taking Galleries From Glass Cases To Online Access Repositories, Joseph J. Shankweiler, Todd J. Seguin

DLTS Faculty Publications

This chapter outlines the process of creating a permanent online presence from a curated gallery exhibition. Creating an open access version of the exhibition on an institution’s repository preserves the experience for the future and extends its engagement to a growing online community of students, interested community members, and others beyond campus. Through the use of video and audio, as well as images and documents, we strive to create an equally engaging experience for those who are unable to attend the original installation in person. The permanent online exhibit thus extends learning opportunities and preserves important scholarly work that would …

Showcasing Treasure: Creating Access To Special Collections, Joseph Shankweiler, Nancy Richey

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Talking To Ourselves: Internal Communication Strategies For Reference Services, John Gottfried, Laura Delancey, Amanda Hardin

DLTS Faculty Publications

At many academic libraries, spiral notebooks and three ring binders have given way to blogs and wikis as a means of facilitating communication at the reference desk. Western Kentucky University Libraries opted instead to create a custom internal website to log reference transactions, highlight current issues, and manage scheduling changes. This solution incorporated numerous platforms and technologies, including LibGuides, Facebook, and Google Calendar. It avoided some of the pitfalls described in the literature, such as relying too heavily on user-generated content, and has been successful largely because it is embedded in the reference workspace and contains features that librarians will …

Virtual Conference And Meeting Systems: Resources For Online Connections, John Gottfried, Laura Delancey, Carol L. Watwood, Amanda Hardin

DLTS Faculty Publications

Librarians have always tried to stretch the limits of applicable technologies to create effective connections among researchers and resources. We thrive on the tools and tactics that help us do this, and we are always on the prowl for newer, better alternatives. This is one of the best ways we have of keeping high service standards in the face of shrinking budgets and skeletal staffing. Fortunately, there have never been so many technologies to choose from, and there have never been so many challenges calling out for technological intervention.

Hosting online instruction sessions is, for example, an excellent opportunity for …

Assessing The Accuracy Of Vendor-Supplied Accessibility Documentation, Laura Delancey

DLTS Faculty Publications

Purpose

Design/methodology/approach

Findings

Java City: Developing A Successful Cultural Center, Jack G. Montgomery Jr.

DLTS Faculty Publications

Introduction:

Western Kentucky University Library had a large two-level, but largely unused lobby that had once been the library’s entrance but had been closed as a new entrance was created. By 2002, it sat empty and all but devoid of human traffic just outside our Reference area. Also, in 2002, Reference statistics were down, as was Circulation and library usage in general. Dean Binder believed that with the renovation and development of this former lobby, the library would realize an increase in campus visibility and library usage would increase.

Resource Discovery Tools: Supporting Serendipity, Tammera M. Race

DLTS Faculty Publications

Serendipity, the accidental discovery of something useful, plays an important role in discovery and the acquisition of new knowledge. The process and role of serendipity varies across disciplines. As library collections have become increasingly digital faculty lament the loss of serendipity of browsing library stacks. Resource discovery tools may have features that support serendipity as part of information seeking. A comparison of four commercial Web-scale discovery tools, Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) WorldCat® Local1, Serials Solution2® Summon3™, ExLibris4® Primo Central5™, and EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS)6™, links product features to characteristics that support serendipitous discovery. However, having such features is only …

Editorial: Journeys And Pathways: A Different Road, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fishing For Leadership: A Service Philosophy In Library Technical Services, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Public Libraries And Their Future, Uma Devi Doraiswamy

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: If You Could Freeze-Frame The Information Flow, What Would You Do?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: What Are Your Favorites?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Where In The World Is Library Technical Services? Finding Ourselves In Fun, Learning, And Food, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

Public libraries do it, historical societies are a natural, especially in Boston; media centers incorporate them into special events; the British started it. The “it” or “them” represents a tea party. But why in academic libraries? Why in Library Technical Services?

Random Thoughts About Volume 34, 2008, And Some Insights Into Journal Production, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Institutional Repositories—Strategies For The Present And Future, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

Institutional repositories can create exciting possibilities for scholarly communication with access, discovery, and permanency for the intellectual capital of a university. Digital research repositories capture student and faculty research and allow publishing opportunities for electronic journals in an open access environment. Western Kentucky University launched TopSCHOLARtm in May 2007 and is reaping benefits from the decision to contract with an established publishing platform, bepress' Digital Commons.

Institutional Repositories are intended to create an alternative publishing model, enhance scholarly communication, showcase an institution's intellectual output, and preserve and provide access to an institution's digital assets. What are strategies and challenges involved …

Chapter One: Beneath The Spanish Moss: The World Of The Root Doctor, Jack G. Montgomery Jr.

DLTS Faculty Publications

The spiritual practice of the Shaman is most likely the oldest spiritual tradition on Earth. Shamanism is a way in which humanity has sought a psychic connection to the world of healing, life and death, as well as a sense of social and individual balance. It is a complex psychological grammar that allows the Shaman to function in both the conventional and an alternative "spirit" view of reality. Shamanisn has been a part of American culture since the colonial settlement and continues today despite technology and modern scientific rationalism. This chapter is a brief social history of the African-American shamanic …

Editorial: Revisiting Open Access: Anything New In Four Years?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Revisiting Open Access: Anything New In Four Years?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Practicing Librarianship Around The World, Deana Groves

DLTS Faculty Publications

More and more librarians are sharing their knowledge with colleagues around the world. This paper examines several examples of the type of international work conducted by librarians and also explores the various opportunities available worldwide. A general list of suggested travel tips is also included.

Editorial: Serials Review, A Changing World, You And I, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

New Journey For Western Scholar, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: The Serials Information Chain, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lessons Learned As Author And Editor, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

Writing and editing are dynamic, creative processes. At some point both author and editor must release the finished product and submit to the production process (more copy editing, proofing and queries). To offer the best manuscript possible, some tips are presented.

The Role Of Organizational Culture In Effective Team Development, Jack G. Montgomery Jr.

DLTS Faculty Publications

The concepts surrounding team management and organizational culture may seen unrelated when initially considering the implementation of some form of team management however in fact both concepts are intimately connected. The success of any team management effort may depend on the successful identification, understanding and management of that wide variety of social and procedural elements collectively known as the organizational culture. This paper examines the role of organizational culture and how it impacts a manager or administrator introducing and implementing team management concepts to their workplace. The author will examine the definition of organizational culture, the various types of cultures …

A Look At 20 Academic Libraries Technical Services Web Pages, Deana Groves

DLTS Faculty Publications

The 21st century technical services librarian has access to a plethora of electronic and online work tools from which to choose to complete daily tasks. An assessment of the Western Kentucky University Libraries 19 benchmark institutions shows a great disparity of online work tools made available through university libraries technical services departmental web sites. Four areas (technical services, cataloging, serials, and acquisitions) are discussed. Outcomes indicate that 1) few of these institutions list online work tools and 2) of those that do, there is very little overlap. This paper investigates this phenomenon of inconsistent technical services online work tools.

A Century Of Linkages And Synergy: Western Kentucky University And The Mammoth Cave System, Deana Groves, Chris Groves, Weldon Hawkins

DLTS Faculty Publications

South central Kentucky's Mammoth Cave System is by far the most extensive cave system on earth, and has been designated not only as an American National Park, but also by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. In addition to the unique natural landscape, there has been a rich human history in and around the cave over several thousand years. Nearby is Western Kentucky University (WKU), which since the early 1900’s (and as various precursor institutions including the Potter School for Young Ladies and later the Western Kentucky State Normal School) has had numerous interactions with the …

One Mission, Five Facets: Literacy And International College Students, Deana Groves, Shiu Yue Mak

DLTS Faculty Publications

Today’s University population looks very different from those in the past. Multiple cultures combine to make-up both student and faculty personnel. With this in mind the library and librarian's role to ensure quality service can take cues from five forms of literacy that reach well beyond information literacy. This poster will identify and discuss five facets of literacy in relation to the University international student: Information literacy, Reading literacy, Media literacy, Technology literacy, and Visual literacy.

In Memoriam: Frank F. Clasquin (1915-2002), Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam: Alfred Jaeger (1923-2003), Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.