Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Exploring Tech Tools And Productivity Apps, Lauren Puzier

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Technology is continuously changing, and there are always new tools and mobile apps to test out. There are tools for everything from productivity, audio, communication, content creation and design, coding, automation, VR, video, etc. As many libraries have shifted to remote operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, daily workflows have changed. The NMRT Online Discussion Committee asked members what tools they have found useful in their work at the library or home over the past year. Members shared tools they were interested in trying and which apps help their daily workflow.

Patrons And The Pandemic: How We Are Serving, Connecting, And Communicating With Library Patrons During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauren Puzier

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many libraries in the United States to focus on providing remote services and reimagine in-person services. At the same time, many library users are not or cannot visit physical buildings and may not be easy to reach. Libraries are communicating new service methods, protocols for health and safety, new and changing hours, policies, and more. This article discusses how libraries are communicating with patrons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Bitmoji Marketing Campaign To Connect Students With Subject Librarians, Lauren Puzier, Tyler Norton

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The University at Albany Libraries launched a campaign using Bitmojis, cartoon avatars, to connect students with their subject librarians and to increase awareness of the role of subject librarians and the services they provide. The Bitmoji mobile app was the fastest growing app in the United States among adults in 2017; therefore, Bitmojis offered a potentially popular and recognizable way to represent subject librarians. Bitmojis are also highly versatile: they can be personalized, they offer librarians a digital likeness, and they lend themselves to a variety of other formats both physical and digital. This article will introduce the use of …

Social Media And Libraries, Lauren Puzier

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses how libraries are using social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) as well as content creation, user engagement levels, and tips and tricks.

Likes, Shares And Follows: Launching A Facebook Page For Your Academic Library, Annie Jansen

JLAMS

This review provides (1) a discussion of best practices, including the content and frequency of posts, and (2) tips on how to get started on a library oriented page. Facebook is a powerful social media platform that, when used correctly, can have beneficial effects for academic library outreach and marketing. However, it is not a catch-all for engagement with students, staff, faculty, and the public. Engagement through Facebook needs to be carefully thought out and well-planned in order to meet the needs of library outreach and work toward the university and library strategic plan.

Will Boosting A Post Bring Them In?: Promoting Library Programs With Facebook Advertising, Cary F. Gouldin

JLAMS

Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform. Academic libraries have had some success using it as an outreach and marketing tool. However, few have taken advantage of Facebook’s advertising options, and most have only focused on increasing engagement and page likes. This paper investigates the effectiveness of using Facebook advertising for the promotion of specific library programs and services. The results of two advertising campaigns, one promoting a workshop series, the other promotion a one-on-one reference service, were analyzed to determine if usage of these programs was increased through advertising. While the advertising campaigns did have a …

Citation Apps For Mobile Devices, Mary Van Ullen, Jane Kessler

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the accuracy and functionality of a selection of basic Android and iOS apps for mobile devices designed to generate bibliographic citations.

Design/methodology/approach

– A number of inexpensive or free apps were installed on several different tablets and phones. Book citations in MLA and APA format were generated and evaluated for accuracy.

Findings

– Results show that the majority of the apps tested produced unacceptably inaccurate citations, and many had limited functionality. The best of the apps tested was EasyBib.

Research limitations/implications

– There are infinite combinations of operating systems, apps, …

Building Cathedrals: Mission Statements In Academic Libraries, Rebecca A. Nous

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Articulating an organization’s mission using a mission statement is a common method of communicating purpose, attitude, and priorities with stakeholders. While mission statements have been widely studied and written about in business literature, mission statements in libraries have not been studied as deeply. A survey of Association of Research Libraries library directors was conducted in 2014 to determine the current state of academic library mission statements, how they are being created, how they are informing the work of the library, and library directors’ satisfaction with their library’s mission statement.

Go Team! Using Teams To Manage Electronic Resources, Rebecca A. Nous, Wendy L. West

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The increasing prevalence of ejournals in library collections has impacted many aspects of library operations. Libraries have had to rethink workflows, processes, staffing needs, and other factors to account for the differences between print and online journals. The management of ejournals can often cross departmental boundaries and bring into question current workflow. To address the changing landscape of journal management, the University at Albany Libraries developed two teams: one to implement batchloading ejournal records and a second to address ongoing management and related policies. As a result of using a team approach for these responsibilities, the University Libraries was able …

Use It Or Lose It!: Results Of A Use Study Of The Print Sources In An Academic Library Reference Collection., Jane G. Kessler

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Describes a use study of a reference collection, which found that 7.1 percent of total volumes in the reference collection were used over the course of the fall semester.

Looking Back, Moving Forward In The Digital Age: A Review Of The Collection Management And Development Literature, 2004–8, Lorre Smith, Daryl R. Bullis

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The collection and management of digital resources dominated collection development and management literature produced during 2004–8. Themes covered the changing nature of local collections, redefining collection management responsibilities and practices, cooperation and collaboration, and collection assessment and evaluation. The literature reflected the struggle to manage a vast array of resources while library budgets stagnated. While publishers continued to offer more bundles of electronic publications, librarians responded with strategies to collaborate and negotiate for feasible pricing structures. A culture of continuous assessment was a major topic. During this review period, access to and ownership of digital resources reemerged as a pervasive …

Print Reference Collections In New York State: Report Of A Survey, Jane G. Kessler

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

An up-to-date, well-managed reference collection is essential to the provision of quality reference service in all types of libraries. This article presents the results of a survey of managers of reference collections at public and academic libraries in New York State.

Research In Academic Library Collection Management, Mary F. Casserly

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

This chapter describes the empirical quantitative and qualitative research and case studies pertaining to collection management practice in academic libraries published between 1990 and 2007. The topics covered include collection size and growth, material cost, library expenditures, budgets and budgeting, collection development policies, collection composition, organization and staffing for collection management, selection, and the evaluation of the collection development process and the collection itself. The chapter identifies the most influential and useful studies and the most active areas of research. The collection management research literature was limited in the methodologies employed (surveys and case studies), statistical analyses applied (basic and …

Academic Library Regional Accreditation, Mary F. Casserly

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The self-study documents of four academic libraries whose experiences with the regional accreditation self-study process ranged from unsuccessful to successful were analyzed. All four reports were predominantly descriptive and focused on processes. The successful sites employed user or expert opinion as types of assessments in their reports. No relationships were found between success and the resources, capabilities, products, services, and classes of evaluation addressed, the number of assessment measures included, or the extent to which association standards were addressed. The libraries' annual reports were found to contain more quantitative assessments of processes and outputs than the self-study reports.