Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

It Takes A Library: Growing A Robust Institutional Repository In Two Years, Todd A. Bruns, Stacey Knight-Davis, Ellen Corrigan, Steve Brantley

Steve Brantley

In 2010, Booth Library began establishing an institutional repository, The Keep, an effort that involved multiple departments within the library. Potential content recruitment for the repository included large-scale digitization of archival materials and migration of previously created digital collections. Creation of the repository resulted in increased accessibility, better presentation of content that had existed on outmoded legacy Web platforms, and the rescue of damaged content that had been disintegrating on other digital storage formats. By utilizing personnel across many departments and incorporating content from the Archives and Digital Collections areas, Booth Library has developed a robust institutional repository in only …

Discovering Usability : Comparing Two Discovery Systems At One Academic Library, Mireille Djenno, Glenda Insua, Gwen M. Gregory, John Stephen Brantley

Steve Brantley

In the spring of 2013, the University Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago was in the unique position of having access to two discovery systems, Summon and WorldCat Local, at the same time. When tasked with choosing between the two systems, librarians undertook a usability study of Summon and WorldCat Local. The goal of this study was two-fold: to test the ease-of-use of each discovery system with an eye toward identifying one tool to retain for the longer term, and to learn about the search behaviors of different types of user groups. Eighteen subjects, consisting of undergraduate students, …

Natural History Collections: Connecting With Faculty And Content, Stacey Knight-Davis, Todd A. Bruns

Stacey Knight-Davis

For well over a century, American biologists have built collection of plants, animals, fungi, insects, and other natural materials. Often, these collections serve as a record of the unique biodiversity of the local area and provide a record of change over time. Many taxonomic, genetic, and environmental discoveries lay waiting in the drawers and cupboards in which these specimens are stored. / / Uploading images of natural history specimens to Digital Commons allows them to be easily discovered in with a web search, leading the user back to the home collection. As an example, a search for 'big leaf magnolia …

Crossing The Line: The Experience Of Catalogers On The Reference Desk, Ellen Corrigan, William N. Schultz Jr

Ellen K. Corrigan

Presentation to the Cataloging Norms Interest Group, ALA Midwinter Meeting, 25 January 2014

Academic Libraries Supporting Visual Culture: A Survey Of Image Access And Use, Jennifer Mayer, Cheryl Goldenstein

Cheryl Goldenstein

Academic library collections have largely reflected the dominance of text for teaching and scholarship, though our culture is increasingly visual. The authors developed a survey to answer questions about the demand for images in academic libraries and how librarians are adapting services and collections to a more visual culture. The survey was distributed to nine electronic mailing lists related to academic librarianship, resulting in 225 unique responses from diverse institutions. Survey responses indicate librarians embrace images and are finding creative ways to access both individual images and collections, though aspects of visual resources pose challenges.

Tablet Technology In Support Of Professional Productivity, Barbara Lewis, Drew Smith

Barbara Lewis

In 1987, Apple Computer, as it was then known, produced a five-minute video about potential human-computer interaction, set in a time approximately 25 years in the future (coincidentally, about the time in which these words are being written). The video depicted a university professor interacting with a touch-activated tablet-like device and a voice-activated artificial intelligence (AI) agent, communicating with students and colleagues, reviewing his daily agenda, and preparing a presentation for later delivery. It appears that the hypothetical “Knowledge Navigator” tablet device was imagined as a great aid to professional productivity.

In 2012, our reality involves the existence of touch-activated …

Makerspaces: Top Trailblazing Projects: A Lita Guide [Book Review], Ellen Corrigan

Ellen K. Corrigan

Review of: Makerspaces by Caitlin A. Bagley (ALA TechSource, 2014).

Pda, Ebooks, Print Books Usage And Expenditures: Knowledge Ecosystem Remix, Antje Mays

Antje Mays

This article presents data-rich finding of a comprehensive follow-up study on the patron-driven/demand-driven ebook acquisitions (DDA) plan chronicled in two prior articles from the DDA ebook plan's October 2011 inception. Into the third fiscal year, print vs. ebook usage preferences have begun to emerge.