Library and Information Science Commons^™

Faraway Flix: Connecting To International Students Through Film, Laura Bohuski

DLTS Faculty Publications

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WKU has, at any given time, about 20,000 students enrolled in university programs across four campuses. WKU is a campus that is actively engaged in making international connections, so much so that its current vision statement asserts that WKU is “a leading American university with international reach.”1 Western’s drive to establish and maintain international connections has been successful: of the 20,000 students currently attending WKU, 1,300 are international students from 70 seventy different countries.2 With such a diverse student population, many of the departments at Western are actively engaged in developing programs to help connect our extensive international population with …

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Lasting Experiences: Taking Galleries From Glass Cases To Online Access Repositories, Joseph J. Shankweiler, Todd J. Seguin

DLTS Faculty Publications

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This chapter outlines the process of creating a permanent online presence from a curated gallery exhibition. Creating an open access version of the exhibition on an institution’s repository preserves the experience for the future and extends its engagement to a growing online community of students, interested community members, and others beyond campus. Through the use of video and audio, as well as images and documents, we strive to create an equally engaging experience for those who are unable to attend the original installation in person. The permanent online exhibit thus extends learning opportunities and preserves important scholarly work that would …

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Showcasing Treasure: Creating Access To Special Collections, Joseph Shankweiler, Nancy Richey

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Talking To Ourselves: Internal Communication Strategies For Reference Services, John Gottfried, Laura Delancey, Amanda Hardin

DLTS Faculty Publications

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At many academic libraries, spiral notebooks and three ring binders have given way to blogs and wikis as a means of facilitating communication at the reference desk. Western Kentucky University Libraries opted instead to create a custom internal website to log reference transactions, highlight current issues, and manage scheduling changes. This solution incorporated numerous platforms and technologies, including LibGuides, Facebook, and Google Calendar. It avoided some of the pitfalls described in the literature, such as relying too heavily on user-generated content, and has been successful largely because it is embedded in the reference workspace and contains features that librarians will …

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Virtual Conference And Meeting Systems: Resources For Online Connections, John Gottfried, Laura Delancey, Carol L. Watwood, Amanda Hardin

DLTS Faculty Publications

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Librarians have always tried to stretch the limits of applicable technologies to create effective connections among researchers and resources. We thrive on the tools and tactics that help us do this, and we are always on the prowl for newer, better alternatives. This is one of the best ways we have of keeping high service standards in the face of shrinking budgets and skeletal staffing. Fortunately, there have never been so many technologies to choose from, and there have never been so many challenges calling out for technological intervention.

Hosting online instruction sessions is, for example, an excellent opportunity for …

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Assessing The Accuracy Of Vendor-Supplied Accessibility Documentation, Laura Delancey

DLTS Faculty Publications

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Purpose

– In an effort to ensure vendor compliance with Section 508, some libraries have begun requesting Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) or other documentation of accessibility compliance. The purpose of this paper is to assess the accuracy of vendor-supplied compliance documentation, and to identify common accessibility issues highlighted by the VPATs. A detailed discussion of vendor responses to each Section 508 checkpoint is provided in the Appendix.

Design/methodology/approach

– Researchers compared 17 VPATs with the results of an automated accessibility scan to identify inconsistencies and common problems.

Findings

– Vendors reported being fully compliant with 64 percent of the …

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Java City: Developing A Successful Cultural Center, Jack G. Montgomery Jr.

DLTS Faculty Publications

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Introduction:

Western Kentucky University Library had a large two-level, but largely unused lobby that had once been the library’s entrance but had been closed as a new entrance was created. By 2002, it sat empty and all but devoid of human traffic just outside our Reference area. Also, in 2002, Reference statistics were down, as was Circulation and library usage in general. Dean Binder believed that with the renovation and development of this former lobby, the library would realize an increase in campus visibility and library usage would increase.

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Resource Discovery Tools: Supporting Serendipity, Tammera M. Race

DLTS Faculty Publications

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Serendipity, the accidental discovery of something useful, plays an important role in discovery and the acquisition of new knowledge. The process and role of serendipity varies across disciplines. As library collections have become increasingly digital faculty lament the loss of serendipity of browsing library stacks. Resource discovery tools may have features that support serendipity as part of information seeking. A comparison of four commercial Web-scale discovery tools, Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) WorldCat® Local1, Serials Solution2® Summon3™, ExLibris4® Primo Central5™, and EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS)6™, links product features to characteristics that support serendipitous discovery. However, having such features is only …

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Editorial: Journeys And Pathways: A Different Road, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Fishing For Leadership: A Service Philosophy In Library Technical Services, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Editorial: If You Could Freeze-Frame The Information Flow, What Would You Do?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Editorial: What Are Your Favorites?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Editorial: Revisiting Open Access: Anything New In Four Years?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Editorial: Revisiting Open Access: Anything New In Four Years?, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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New Journey For Western Scholar, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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A Century Of Linkages And Synergy: Western Kentucky University And The Mammoth Cave System, Deana Groves, Chris Groves, Weldon Hawkins

DLTS Faculty Publications

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South central Kentucky's Mammoth Cave System is by far the most extensive cave system on earth, and has been designated not only as an American National Park, but also by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. In addition to the unique natural landscape, there has been a rich human history in and around the cave over several thousand years. Nearby is Western Kentucky University (WKU), which since the early 1900’s (and as various precursor institutions including the Potter School for Young Ladies and later the Western Kentucky State Normal School) has had numerous interactions with the …

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One Mission, Five Facets: Literacy And International College Students, Deana Groves, Shiu Yue Mak

DLTS Faculty Publications

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Today’s University population looks very different from those in the past. Multiple cultures combine to make-up both student and faculty personnel. With this in mind the library and librarian's role to ensure quality service can take cues from five forms of literacy that reach well beyond information literacy. This poster will identify and discuss five facets of literacy in relation to the University international student: Information literacy, Reading literacy, Media literacy, Technology literacy, and Visual literacy.

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In Memoriam: Alfred Jaeger (1923-2003), Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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No abstract provided.

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Textbooks To The Shelf -- Making The Connection Faster, Deana Groves, Nelda Sims, Ellen Micheletti

DLTS Faculty Publications

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The Educational Resources Center (ERC) at Western Kentucky University was searching for ways to shorten the processing time for its collection of textbooks for grades K-12. These textbooks are replaced on a regular rotation with new editions as they are published. The collaborative effort between ERC and the Bibliographic Access Unit streamlined the processing and greatly decreased the time between acquisition and availability to library patrons.

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The Net Result: Enthusiasm For Exploring The Internet, Connie Foster, Cynthia Etkin, Sandra L. Staebell, Mary Margaret (Peggy) Wright

DLTS Faculty Publications

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What began as a vision and committee charge from the dean of libraries at Western Kentucky University (WKU) ended as a successful faculty retreat focusing on the Internet. For the third year all University Libraries faculty from public and technical services, special collections, and the Kentucky Museum set aside one day before the beginning of the fall semester to retreat from their normal library responsibilities and environment to explore, in-depth, a single topic, and in 1993 the retreat focused on the Internet.

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Current Periodicals: Subject Access The Mac Way, Connie Foster

DLTS Faculty Publications

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At Western Kentucky University, the Library uses a Macintosh to filter and edit information on current serials to produce a periodicals guide for faculty and students. This tool has proven useful in collections development, reference and serials control within the Library. It has also provided the Library with a means to communicate to the academic community the extent of serials holdings in specific disciplines. Additionally, the Library has used the information within the guide to generate other lists of serials holdings for its patrons.

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