Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Inclusive Global Scholarly Communication: Toward A Just And Healthier Information Ecosystem, Angel Y. Ford, Daniel G. Alemneh

Information Science Faculty Scholarship

Scholarly communication has long been a central topic in the field of information science. However, philosophical, and even perhaps some legal reflections, including the moral and ethical considerations of the health of information ecosystems, are fairly recent developments. In fact, recent topics are propelled by various contextual factors including economic, disciplinary, societal norms, and cultures.This article explores literature discussing the plight of scholars in low- and middle-income countries that struggle to engage in scholarly communications in their fields. This topic has been explored for years, however, has often been addressed in disciplines outside of information science and knowledge management. This …

Benchmarking It Services In Academic Libraries, Rebecca L. Mugridge, Janetta Waterhouse

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The presenters will share the results of a 2021 survey of the academic library members of the Association of Research Libraries to determine how information technology services are organized within the libraries and whether there is a trend toward centralizing IT activities at the institution level. Survey findings from the 72 responding libraries address 14 information technology services and activities and identify who is responsible for their technology services, their level of satisfaction with the services, whether the responsibility for them has changed recently, and if so, why. Respondents also provided information about IT assessment and top three challenges. The …

Copyright First Responders: Decentralized Expertise, Cultural Institutions, And Risk, Kyle K. Courtney, Emily Kilcer

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Today librarians and other information professionals regularly intersect with intellectual property law. As our work increasingly encompasses copyright-intensive programs and projects (e.g., digitization, scholarly publishing, open access, streaming media, MOOCs, and more), questions about fair use, public domain, and copyright law invariably emerge. Libraries occupy a liminal space, they both serve knowledge creation and information access and enjoy special privileges under copyright law.

Unfortunately, comprehensive copyright training is still not a pillar of LIS programs,1 and while there are seminal resources to look to and professional development opportunities to explore (e.g., MOOCs, copyright bootcamps, or one-offs at conferences), this sort …

Early Response To False Claims In Wikipedia, 15 Years Later, P.D. Magnus

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

Fifteen years ago, I conducted a small study testing the error-correction tendency of Wikipedia. Not only is Wikipedia different now than it was then, the community that maintains it is different. Despite the crudity of that study’s methods, it is natural to wonder what the result would be now. So I repeated the earlier study and found surprisingly similar results.

From Stacks To Screens: Creating A Virtual Browsing Experience, Lauren Puzier, Rebecca A. Nous

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The University at Albany Libraries has integrated visually compelling, subject-based Curated Collections into its discovery tool, Primo VE. These collections encompass resources on specific subjects, that highlight authors or groups, celebrate a genre, or that bring together a variety of resources to address campus initiatives, current events, or popular research topics. Curated Collections is an opportunity for the Libraries' to highlight what is special, new, trending, important, or underappreciated in our collections. We propose this project as a virtual browsing model to fuel intellectual curiosity, and seek to explore similar initiatives at attendees’ libraries.

A Research Data Services Fairytale, Kathleen H. Flynn, Emily Kilcer

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Whether for assignments or research, the faculty, staff, and students at all academic institutions will work with data. Some patrons seek assistance finding open data for their projects, while others would like lessons in data analysis or visualization. Data sharing is increasingly required by journals or funding agencies, and researchers may find this challenging while also navigating Data Use Agreements, confidentiality concerns, data documentation, locating a suitable repository, and more.

Furthermore, most funding agencies require a data management plan be included in grant proposals to ensure that researchers are prepared to follow best practices regarding the collection, storage, security, and …

Finding Harmony: Social Tags And Name Authority Records In The Popular Music Domain, Kabel Nathan Stanwicks, Hemalata Iyer

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Libraries and cultural institutions use cataloging and metadata standards to describe works and those responsible for creating them. These standards are used to create name authority records (NAR) to collocate creators’ works under single, authorized versions of their names. NARs employ controlled vocabulary to describe individuals and disambiguate names. NAR production is costly; therefore, few are updated when standards are revised, and controlled vocabularies are slow to adapt to a rapidly changing information landscape. Artificial intelligence provides opportunities to leverage social tagging to update and enhance NARs, while simultaneously improving user search and discovery. Our research demonstrates that social tags …

Forging The Future: Connecting Research To Communities, Angela Hackstadt

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Lightning talk delivered at the ACRL 2023 Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.

The literature suggests that information users beyond the academy rely on a variety of sources in the course of their work, most of which can be described as grey literature. However, academic researchers tend to focus their efforts on other research publications, like peer reviewed journal articles, because there is little perceived professional benefit to producing grey literature. A 2022 survey of state government and local nonprofit workers sheds some light on the gap between academic researchers and a potential audience for their work and illustrates the potential for …

Connecting Research To Policy And Practice: A Case Study Of A White Paper Collection In An Institutional Repository, Angela Hackstadt

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Reflections On Moving On And Scaling Up: Adapting Past Experience To Emerging Scholarly Communication Programs, Emily Kilcer, Julia Lovett, Mark Clemente

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Scholarly communication librarianship is always evolving. It is inherently malleable and context-dependent. Relevant skills can be challenging to learn in most LIS programs.

As a result, the experiences that shaped our early careers in scholarly communication were essential. Time at institutions with well-resourced, well-established, and highly visible scholarly communication programs, at MIT, Harvard, and the University of Michigan, showed us what was possible with a team working toward shared goals: where to look for opportunities, how to engage in strategic decision-making, when to keep nudging, and when to back-burner an effort.

An interesting shift we have each navigated is what …

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 …

It Assessment In Arl Libraries, Rebecca L. Mugridge, Janetta Waterhouse

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

With the rapid pace of change and the high cost invested in information technology, it is important for academic libraries to evaluate the information technology solutions they use in their institutions to determine whether they are meeting the needs of their students, faculty, staff, and other users of their libraries and resources. This study presents the results of an online survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic library members to benchmark the assessment strategies that they used to evaluate their IT activities. This article compares their responses with earlier studies to identify trends and make recommendations for effective assessment …

The Organization Of Information Technology Activities In North American Research Libraries, Rebecca L. Mugridge, Janetta Waterhouse

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This study presents the results of an online survey that benchmarked the organization of information technology (IT) functions in academic library members of the Association of Research Libraries. The survey investigated whether responsibility for 14 key areas resided in the libraries or in an institution-level information technology department, whether responsibilities have shifted over the past 20 years, satisfaction with services provided, assessment methods used to evaluate information technology services, and top challenges facing library IT. This paper considers the survey results addressing where the responsibility lies, satisfaction with the support, and whether and when the responsibility changed.

Practicing Re-Enlightenment : Technology Revisited In The Age Of Climate Change, Gyuri Kang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the age of climate change, the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh asks whether humanity is prepared for the unthinkable nature of climate events. The Earth’s climate is changing faster than humans can expect and adapt. Ghosh warns that modern people are too deranged to imagine in what forms of changes are approaching. His term, derangement, suggests that humans are no longer able to imagine the future world shaped by climate change. The signals of the unexpectable realities of climate change, however, may be hidden in existing knowledge. Here, technology can help us access this hidden knowledge through its ability to …

Maker Programs In Prek-12 School Libraries : Identifying The Drivers And Consequences, Shannon Mersand

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In 2005, Dale Dougherty and O’Reilly Media founded Make Magazine, and coined the term Makerspace, which is broadly defined as a community workspace where people come together to solve problems using materials and tools they might otherwise not have access to (Dougherty, 2012). Recently, schools have allocated funding and resources into creating and maintaining maker programs in classrooms and libraries. Despite the overwhelming discussion of making and makerspaces in library practitioner-oriented publications, there is little scholarly discussion of maker programs in PreK-12 school libraries. This research addresses that gap by examining makerspaces in libraries in PreK-12 public schools in New …

Beyond The Academy: Connecting Research And Policy, Angela Hackstadt

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In April 2021, members of New York State Covid-19 and Minority Health Disparities Engaged Researchers Working Group began contributing a series of white papers to a collection in Scholars Archive, University at Albany's institutional repository. This poster reports on the reach of that collection after one year. The literature suggests that information users beyond the academy rely on a variety of sources in the course of their work, most of which can be described as grey literature. The poster will also present preliminary data collected from information users in the nonprofit and government sectors of New York State. It illustrates …

Design Thinking Repository Services: ​ Lessons Learned From Ualbany’S Covid-19 And Minority Health Disparities In Nys Collection And Scholars Archive, Emily Kilcer, Lindsay Van Berkom

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In April 2020, the University at Albany was commissioned to study the factors causing disproportionate harm from COVID-19 for New York Latinx and Black individuals. Thirty-five interdisciplinary UAlbany Engaged Researchers partnered with colleagues and community organizations to research solutions to these disparities.

The UAlbany Libraries’ Scholarly Communication Team recognized the opportunity to collect, preserve, and distribute this Minority Health Disparities (MHD) project’s assets from the University’s repository, Scholars Archive.

Following early conversations with the project lead, an expert in digital government, the author successfully demonstrated the repository’s value. With her support, and with a design thinking approach, the authors …

Beyond The Academy: Readership And Impact Of A White Paper Collection, Angela Hackstadt

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In April 2021, members of the NYS Covid-19 and Minority Health Disparities Engaged Researchers Working Group began contributing a series of white papers to a collection in Scholars Archive, University at Albany's institutional repository. This poster reports on the reach of that collection after one year and illustrates the potential for community-focused research published outside of traditional channels.

Taking A User-Centered Design Approach To Develop A Data Dashboard For New York State Department Of Health And Implications For Improving The Usability Of Public Data Dashboards / Narrative Competence And Cognitive Mapping As A Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In The Education Of Emergent Bilinguals, Bahareh Ansari

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In recent years, the increased availability of public data dashboards provided opportunities to democratize data access by summarizing large amounts of data into accessible snapshots to facilitate educational efforts and encourage evidence-based decision-making. However, many current practices have not reached their full potential because the dashboard design has not accounted for users’ needs and preferences. This dissertation employed the user-centered design framework with three studies. Study 1 investigated the usability problems of existing public health data dashboards through an expert review of existing dashboards on government websites. Study 2 established the requirements of a usable design for public health data …

Indicators And Warnings Of Russian Military Offensives, Evan Essex

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was the only Russian military offensive that had adequate warning that the Russians would invade. The four previous instances of Russian military operations including intervention in Moldova (1992), invasion of Georgia (2008), annexation of Crimea (2014), and support for separatists in Eastern Ukraine (2014) all occurred without warning that Russia was going to invade and consequently, those target countries had no time to prepare. If NATO, allied combatant commanders, as well as their respective intelligence organizations want to be able to prepare and effectively respond in the future to Russian military operations, …

What Does Innovation Look Like? System Statuses In Discovery, Lauren Puzier, Rebecca A. Nous

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

"Is Facebook down" trended on Google, October 4, 2021, when Facebook became temporarily globally unavailable. Web-users proactively seek information when they encounter issues online. System statuses are one way libraries can leverage this behavior to share changes to resources or services and improve transparency, reference, and the user experience.

Reference Service, Government Information, And Covid-19, Angela Hackstadt, Abigail D. Adams

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The authors designed and distributed two surveys to answer the questions of whether the 2020 federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic affected academic librarians’ trust in government information, and whether it affected the way they use government information professionally. The results showed a limited decrease in trust in 2020, somewhat mitigated by the administration turnover in 2021. Many librarians already discussed considerations such as bias, authority, and disinformation when recommending government information to students, and others indicated they are more likely to do so going forward. They will also use or suggest more caution with government documents than before. Reference …

System Statuses In Academic Libraries: Increasing Transparency And Improving The User Experience, Lauren Puzier, Rebecca A. Nous

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

"is facebook down" trended on Google on October 4, 2021, when Facebook became temporarily globally unavailable. Web users proactively seek information when they encounter issues online. System status dashboards are one way libraries can leverage this behavior to share changes to resources or services and improve transparency, reference services, and the user experience. The University at Albany Libraries Discovery Services Librarian and User Experience Librarian implemented Springshare’s System Status Management tool to share system statuses with library staff and the campus community. The institutional context, implementation, and impact are described in this article. The authors reviewed Association of Research Libraries …

Government, Citizen, And Social Media : Understanding Police-Citizen Interaction On Weibo In China, Yumeng Luo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation systematically examined the Beijing Police Department (BPD) daily use of social media and citizens’ comments it received. Previous studies in the field of e-government and political communication in the Chinese context focused only on the measurement of quantitative indicators of government use of social media or a single event. This dissertation incorporates theoretical frameworks of e-government, public relations, and the public sphere to provide a detailed picture of citizen and government interaction in the Chinese context. Using the BPD as my case study, I not only explored government’s daily activities and engagement strategies but also examined the nuances …

Cheating Detection In A Privacy Preserving Driving Style Recognition Protocol, Ethan Sprissler

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The growth of cloud-based services collecting user data for online analytical processing (OLAP), machine learning, and applications relating to the Internet of Things (IoT) has also increased concern with data privacy. Privacy-preserving data sharing using Secure Multiparty Communication (SMC) enables the exchange of encrypted data between parties to perform calculations while maintaining data privacy for both parties simultaneously. This research builds on established work that proposed a privacy-preserving driving style recognition protocol designed to work well with semi-honest actors. In this protocol, both parties follow the established algorithms and do not overtly attempt to deceive the other party into revealing …

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 …

Insiders' Perspectives On The Acrl Framework For Information Literacy, Jean-Michel Lapointe, Craig Gibson, Trudi E. Jacobson

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This interview with the two U.S. librarians who co-chaired the Task Force that led to the creation of the Association of College & Research Libraries' Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL 2016) revisits the process of its creation as well as the reception this document has received five years after its inception. The authors retrace the main conceptual debates that have shaped the Framework and propose a typology of contemporary currents in information literacy, providing insight into the issues that inform the evolution of different conceptions of the pedagogical role of librarians in higher education from yesterday until …

An Investigation Of Open Government Data Utilization And Impact : Influential Factors And Stakeholders, Xiaoyi Yerden

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since 2009, increasing numbers of countries have started their open data development. Through these efforts, they aim to improve government transparency, advocate innovation in public services and business, boost economic development and improve quality of life. In order to achieve these values of Open Government Data (OGD), just making the data open is not enough; OGD has to be actually used by people. Among previous research, there is a limited discussion on the actual utilization of OGD and the generation of OGD impact. Focused on OGD utilization and impact generation, this dissertation is designed 1) to identify research status, gaps …

Telling The Technical Services Story: Communicating Value (Presentation), Rebecca Mugridge

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Technical Services isn’t the hidden discipline it once was. Despite some cross-departmental interaction, misconceptions about the work are all too common. It’s incumbent on technical services staff to take a proactive approach by communicating to others their value to the library and institutional mission. This session spotlights successful initiatives and gives you the guidance to bolster communication within departments, across the library, and campus-wide.

Aligning Metaliteracy With Self-Directed Learning To Expand Assessment Opportunities, Trudi E. Jacobson, Thomas P. Mackey, Jako Olivier

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Metaliteracy is a holistic model that emphasises information-related knowledge attainment whilst challenging individuals to take charge of their learning strategies and goals. It prepares learners to become informed consumers and responsible producers of information. Metacognition is a core concept in metaliteracy, just as it is in swelf-directed learning (SDL) and in methods of assessment appropriate to SDL, such as assessment as learning (AaL) and assessment for learning (AfL). This congruence provides clear avenues for using metaliteracy’s framework in ways that support SDL. The first part of the chapter explores metaliteracy and its connections with SDL and assessment. The remainder of …