Social and Behavioral Sciences | Open Access Articles

Mission-Driven Recordkeeping: The Need For Rim Staff In U.S. Nonprofit Organizations, Emily Mercer Dec 2019

Mission-Driven Recordkeeping: The Need For Rim Staff In U.S. Nonprofit Organizations, Emily Mercer

School of Information Student Research Journal

As a robust and growing industry, often with strong ties to communities served, there is much potential for nonprofit organizations to harness powerful and rich databases of cultural information not found in any other sector. Yet research shows that in most cases, nonprofit organizations operate on limited budgets, tight deadlines, and may see the task of properly managing records as counter-productive to the mission of the organization. This research examines the systems of recordkeeping in nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and argues that record keeping staff must be considered an essential component for a nonprofit organization to survive and thrive.

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Her Story: Accidental Library Instruction, Michelle Leasure Dec 2019

Her Story: Accidental Library Instruction, Michelle Leasure

School of Information Student Research Journal

Game-based learning is a relatively new pedagogical method that typically targets students of the current and upcoming generations. Librarians have gradually begun experimenting with gamifying elements of library and research skills instruction to varying degrees of success. While some case studies and theoretical analyses are available currently, more published data will be necessary to evaluate and direct the development of game-based library instruction in the coming years. This paper explores attempts to use game-based learning techniques in library instruction courses and sessions, specifically highlighting Project Velius (developed by the University of Alabama Libraries) and its similarities to the commercially successful …

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Genealogical Plagiarism And The Library Community, Katherine S. Richers Dec 2019

Genealogical Plagiarism And The Library Community, Katherine S. Richers

School of Information Student Research Journal

Plagiarism is regarded as an academic crime, but can affect hobbies that rely on research and information sharing such as genealogy. The issue is well-known within the genealogy community. However, information professionals who aid genealogists in their research may not know enough about the issue. How can the library field respond constructively to the issue of uncontrolled plagiarism in genealogy? While the genealogy community condemns plagiarism and offers resources to correct it, current library practices concentrate on services and not on plagiarism education in the genealogy context, concentrating more on copyright and legal problems. The library field can help professionals …

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The Information Behaviors Of Fiction Writers: A Systematic Approach To An Understudied Information Community, Lisa Lowdermilk Dec 2019

The Information Behaviors Of Fiction Writers: A Systematic Approach To An Understudied Information Community, Lisa Lowdermilk

School of Information Student Research Journal

Within the context of creative information communities in general, fiction writers remain a relatively understudied community. This article seeks to rectify that gap by highlighting the information behaviors of fiction writers, including the ways in which they network, as well as the processes they use when writing. In doing so, it reveals that fiction writers of all genres have many experiences in common, such as the "seed incident" that serves as the starting point when writing fiction. In addition, it examines fiction writers' impact on readers, with the implication that everyone--writers and non-writers alike--would benefit from understanding fiction writers' information …

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Understanding Diversity And Intellectual Freedom As #Corevalues, Deborah Hicks Dec 2019