Library and Information Science Commons^™

Aggregated Interdisciplinary Databases And The Needs Of Undergraduate Researchers, Barbara Fister, Amy Fry, Julie Gilbert

Amy Fry

After seeing growing frustration among inexperienced undergraduate researchers searching a popular aggregated interdisciplinary database, the authors questioned whether the leading interdisciplinary databases are serving undergraduates' needs. As a preliminary exploration of this question, the authors queried vendors, analyzed their marketing materials, surveyed librarians and students, and examined what titles were being downloaded at 14 liberal arts institutions. Although librarians are satisfied with these databases, and vendors intend to continue the trend of adding more content, actual usage patterns suggest that these databases are not serving the purpose one might expect. Librarians should learn more about user experiences in order to …

Scholarly Communication And Collection Development Librarians: Getting The Conversation Started, Karen S. Fischer

Karen S Fischer

In many academic libraries, knowledge of the issues surrounding scholarly communication is considered a skill set required by every librarian who has contact with faculty and students. Conveying the complexities of author rights, alternative publishing models, open access, and the economics of publishing can seem daunting, so how do we to begin the conversation?

Learning about these complex issues takes time, but there are ways to facilitate the process of empowering librarians with the information they need to be knowledgeable enough to have conversations with their constituents. This presentation is tailored to librarians who have not yet gotten started on …

Making The Switch From Print To Online: Why, When And How?, Adrian K. Ho, Joe Toth

Adrian K. Ho

No abstract.