Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Learning Outcomes Assessment At American Library Association Accredited Master’S Programs In Library And Information Studies, Win Shih

Win Shih

There is an increasing emphasis on learning outcomes assessment in the accreditation process in higher education in general and in library education specifically. This mixed methods study investigated the practice of outcomes assessment at master’s programs in library and information studies accredited by the American Library Association in the United States and Canada. Six salient themes emerged from the survey responses of Accreditation Liaison officers and the content analysis of 12 program presentations of MLIS programs. First, outcomes assessment has taken hold at MLIS programs in which 93% of programs have adopting a common set of learning goals and outcomes, …

Disaster Planning And Business Continuity Goes Virtual, Win Shih

Win Shih

Located in earthquake-predisposed geography, University of Southern California (USC) Libraries have long made every conscious and strategic decision to fortify disaster preparedness as well as to diversify their IT facilities and operations in order to minimize risk and potential impact of a large-scale temblor. In this paper, we will discuss USC Library’s cloud-centric IT infrastructure and holistic business continuity model; how it fits into our IT operations; and how we mediate vulnerabilities and minimize risk.

Student Literacy For Succeeding In A Pervasive Digital Environment, Win Shih

Win Shih

Today’s net-generation college students were weaned on multimedia, regularly viewing, sharing and loading video with YouTube and other social networking sites. At University of Southern California (USC), students across curriculum are producing video for their assignments and class assignments. Faculty in diverse disciplines now assigns projects requiring some manner of video feed. Not surprisingly, we’re seeing universities across the nation considering video production and related skill sets as part of their undergraduate core curricula. Today’s growing digital environment, new education programs are merging traditional information and research skills with IT fluency, digital and multimedia literacies demanding more-and-more knowledge of emerging …

2010 Ala International Relations Round Table International Librarians’ Preconference, Win Shih

Win Shih

International Relations Round Table is the only membership organization within the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses exclusively on international activities and interests. The International Relations Round Table (IRRT) Pre-Conference, designed specifically for international librarians at the ALA Annual Conference concentrates on the current state of librarianship in the United States, advocacy, literacy, information technologies and other issues impacting libraries and librarians globally. With a theme of “Web 2.0 and Mobile Technology – Building Global Connections,” this year’s program invited five panelists to talk about how their organization is applying Web 2.0, social networking tools and mobile technology in enhancing …

Discovery Services: Single-Search Access To Multiple Resources, Win Shih

Win Shih

Libraries can provide more effective services to their patrons with single-search access to multiple resources via “discovery service” products. These hosted discovery tools offer oneshot searchability of library local holdings and diverse electronic content from database producers, and electronic journal and book publishers and providers. Search results are ranked by relevancy, and offer navigation of large result sets using sorted groupings derived via facet limitation. Sometimes known as next-generation catalogs, these services encourage wider resource use, while recognizing the “long tail effect." Discovery services can exert “gravitational pull” similar to Google Scholar, empowering users to realize their scholarly goals with …

Partners Of Equals – Libraries “Mixing Molecules” Successfully With Private Organizations, Win Shih

Win Shih

Libraries and information services have a long history of forming joint ventures or partnerships with private organizations to advance services and resources. Such alliances at once boost and boast competitive advantages as described by Professor Michael Porter of Harvard Business School, including maximization of individual resources, access to collective technology and skilled human assets otherwise prohibitively expensive and precarious to obtain solo, along with minimization of operating expenses as well as minimization of risk.

Furthermore, within such close-knit and symbiotic relationships, participants share information and expertise freely and fluidly. Information, innovation, knowledge and technologies are transferred efficiently amongst participants within …

Signs Of The Times: Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, And It Audit, Win Shih, John Cashaw

Win Shih

The rapid evolution of Web technologies and standards has fueled the development of a raft of highly interactive and personalizable Web applications. AJAX (Asynchronous javaScript and XML)-powered and RSS-enabled Web sites, such as Google/IG, Google Map, Start.com from Microsoft, and Flickr.com from Yahoo make Web interfaces out of normally-nonweb-eanbled functionalities as running typical applications on your local PC.

Using similar technologies, we have been exploring the possibilities to a library-based portal that allows users freely configure their customized portal with contents of their choosing. Be this content e-mail, news, weather, blogging, photos, library’s catalog, or any RSS feed from publishers, …

From Opac To Library Search Engine, Win Shih

Win Shih

No abstract provided.

Understanding Patron Needs And Resource Usage In The Networked Academy, Win Shih

Win Shih

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to better understand various aspects of patrons’ access to library’s electronic resources and services via its Web site, their motivation, and the resources they used.

Brief Description: As library resources and services continue to evolve rapidly and ever-more-sophisticatedly along technological vectors, the imperative persists for librarians to develop an innovative, systemic methodology for fathoming the effectiveness in meeting the demands and necessities of our less-visible, yet omnipresent and “omni-diverse” patrons, as well as for promoting efficient resource management and capacity planning.

Methods: Traditional, web-transactional log analyses possess a raft of merits, including unobtrusive …

Virtual Evidence: Analyze The Footsteps Of Your Users, Win Shih

Win Shih

This paper presents a study of Web Crawler activities based upon Web access logs from the Web site of an academic library. It further compares crawler behavior with that of regular human visitors. The results provide practical insights and foster a culture of evidencebased practice for better managing network-based resources and maintaining a reliable IT infrastructure.

Working With Generation-D: Adopting And Adapting To Cultural Learning And Change, Win Shih, Martha Allen

Win Shih

Purpose – The paper aims to discuss the expectations and needs of Generation Y students for higher education specifically targeting issues relating to libraries and library management. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a brief overview of Generation Y personality traits and characteristics. This is followed by a discussion of organizational culture, explaining how to effectively adapt to meet the expectations of the Generation Y students. Two academic libraries’ programs designed to meet the needs of the new learners are discussed. Findings – The paper recognizes the need to address the challenges of the new learners from all levels of library …

A Brave New Web: Health Informatics And The Emergence New Technologies, Win Shih

Win Shih

The sky-rocketing evolution of web technologies and standards has fueled development of a raft of highly interactive, collaborative and personalizable Internet applications. Librarians and other information professionals are exploring innovative and creative ways to deliver increasingly indispensable web-based, media-rich content and services in order to encourage, as well as cultivate, a network of expanding communities across a geographically-swelling patron base.

Focusing upon the field of health informatics, we explore a wide range of technologies, based on two key elements of effective communication and value creation: personalization and interaction that will improve patrons’ information access experiences; unlocking and unblocking new outreach …

Working With Generation-D: Adopting And Adapting To Cultural Learning And Change, Win Shih, Martha Allen

Win Shih

Look around today’s college campus. You can’t help noticing students “tuned in” with “earbuds” securely fastened, a laptop and PDA in their backpacks, camera-phone affixed to their belts. Campus life now includes: Downloading lecture notes, viewing course videos and taking quizzes via class websites; checking E-mail every 30 minutes, interacting with friends locally/globally courtesy of IM/“blogging;” MMORPGing (“Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Gaming”); downloading music/video files in MP3/M4A formats; sharing multi-megapixellated jpeg photos with online friends, vis-a-vis highspeed internet “lines.”

Who are these students? They are “Generation D:” So-called “digital natives,” the “net generation;” the first ubiquitous cohort of learners raised …

Learning Objects And Repositories, Win Shih

Win Shih

No abstract provided.

Virtual Evidence: Analyze The Footsteps Of Your Users, Win Shih

Win Shih

This paper will discuss a practice of utilizing Web logs and usage statistics to maximize library resource and improve services at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Library. Like many of its peers, in 2004 the Library switched most of its print journals to online subscription. In this transformational process, the Library was faced with unique issues related to digital resources and services. Questions concerning reliable usage measurements, proficient access management and control, adequacy of user licenses, robust system performance and IT infrastructure, strong compliance of copyright laws and contractual agreements lead to the development of a decision-support mechanism …

Eres - How An Instructional Technology Department Is Only As Effective As Its Resources, Win Shih

Win Shih

The success of a 24x7 electronic reserves service requires a well configured and robustly managed system. Based upon a five-year successful experience of supporting Docutek’s ERes system at Saint Louis University, this paper discusses and examines the technical issues affecting the proper operation of the system. Areas covered include selecting an adequate server and scanner; proper server management; reducing PDF file size using various Acrobat 6 features; and interoperability between ERes and other systems.

Cluster Power - Library Internetworking In The Electronic Information Age, Win Shih

Win Shih

No abstract provided.