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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Creating An Inclusive Metadata Policy, Nicole Lewis, Jeremy Myntti Oct 2023

Creating An Inclusive Metadata Policy, Nicole Lewis, Jeremy Myntti

Faculty Publications

The BYU Library is creating an Inclusive Metadata Policy for metadata creators to use when creating and remediating descriptions to be more inclusive. Accompanying the policy is a companion document with recommendations and examples, including links to many external resources. In addition to working with stakeholders in the library to develop the policy, we consulted with the University’s Office of Belonging. This presentation describes the process we used to undertake the creation of the library policy and recommendations document.


Could Our Universe Have Been Initiated Intentionally: An Epistemological Framework, Dan Broadbent Oct 2023

Could Our Universe Have Been Initiated Intentionally: An Epistemological Framework, Dan Broadbent

Faculty Publications

The possibility that our universe was initiated intentionally is a compelling philosophical and scientific question that can be evaluated probabilistically based on four primary considerations: fine-tuning in our universe, hypotheses about the multiverse, the likelihood that intelligent life may be able to initiate a universe, and the possibility that we live in a simulation. This paper offers an equation analogous to the noteworthy Drake equation that is intended to be used as a structured thought experiment to help identify factors related to the initiation of our universe and to facilitate examining each in terms of what we know, do not …


Discovering Your Family In Digital Libraries, Jeremy Myntti Sep 2023

Discovering Your Family In Digital Libraries, Jeremy Myntti

Faculty Publications

Presentation on using digital libraries in family history research for the BYU Family History Library webinar series.


Key Elements Of A File Format Strategy, Tyler Thorsted Sep 2023

Key Elements Of A File Format Strategy, Tyler Thorsted

Faculty Publications

Within the Digital Preservation Community there are many references to policies on file formats, acceptable file formats, preservation policies and strategies, risk matrices, and action plans. All have the intention of defining and describing file formats and guiding decisions on which formats to preserve how, and when. My team and I originally created a File Format Action Plan, which was later migrated from OneNote to Confluence and then included more strategic plans for hundreds of file formats. This paper explores which key elements should be included in an effective file format strategy and the different ways such data can be …


Semi-Automated Techniques And Tools For Efficiency: The Case Of Etd Cataloging, Nicole Lewis Jul 2023

Semi-Automated Techniques And Tools For Efficiency: The Case Of Etd Cataloging, Nicole Lewis

Faculty Publications

Technological advances in the library industry have opened doors for new approaches and techniques for efficiently managing, manipulating, and remediating metadata. However, the thought of automation can often bring visions of garbage in the catalog or, worse, job consolidation or loss. With the right balance of automation and manual review, catalogers and metadata experts can optimize workflows for efficiency and quality. This frees up time for other essential projects. Developing efficiency skills may also help increase productivity and excellence in current job duties and provide job advancement opportunities regardless of background. Using an ETD cataloging workflow as a case study, …


Caveat Emptor: Scan Quality Of Elsevier's Digital Backfile Pdf Collection, Gregory M. Nelson, Paul K.J. Robbins, Dennis L. Eggett Jul 2023

Caveat Emptor: Scan Quality Of Elsevier's Digital Backfile Pdf Collection, Gregory M. Nelson, Paul K.J. Robbins, Dennis L. Eggett

Faculty Publications

Scans of journal articles originally published in print, otherwise known as digital journal backfiles, benefit library patrons by providing near instantaneous access to important older information and full-text searchability. Digital backfiles can serve as a reliable surrogate for their corresponding print journals which could be removed from the library, freeing up space for other patron services. Both benefits are realized when the scanned articles are of sufficient clarity to replace the print versions. Several studies have analyzed small and subject-narrow sections of Elsevier’s digital backfile. This article contains a scan-quality analysis from 1578 journals that contain nearly four million articles …


Unlocking The Mysteries Of Serials, Nicole Lewis, Sharolyn Swenson May 2023

Unlocking The Mysteries Of Serials, Nicole Lewis, Sharolyn Swenson

Faculty Publications

Serials cataloging can be confusing with its unique properties. This session will discuss some of the challenges involved in cataloging serials including choosing a title, what to do if you do not have the first issue or an early issue of the serial, determining the dates of serials, frequency changes and cataloging serials in languages that are unfamiliar to the cataloger.


Leveraging The Power Of Wikipedia And Wikidata For Your Library, Nicole Lewis, Rachel Helps May 2023

Leveraging The Power Of Wikipedia And Wikidata For Your Library, Nicole Lewis, Rachel Helps

Faculty Publications

Wikipedia is one of the most popular sources of information on the internet. As information professionals, we can change information on Wikipedia to be more accurate and complete. By using Wikidata, librarians can affect information searches at a deep, machine-readable level. This session will discuss some ways that librarians can increase the accessibility of the media and information in their libraries and bring their hidden collections to light.