Library and Information Science Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Academic Library Research Guides For Building College Students’ Information Literacy Skills: A Scoping Review, Erica Defrain, Leslie Sult, Nicole F. Pagowsky

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Academic library research guides, ubiquitous tools for teaching information literacy, lack robust evidence for their effectiveness. This scoping review considered 1,724 publications, ultimately reporting on findings from 61 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Studies reviewed were highly individualized and primarily exploratory and correlational, with most using mixed methods designs analyzing data from student surveys and web traffic sources. Most studies focused on student satisfaction or guide usability as indicators of learning effectiveness, with few assessments of skills acquisition. We undertook this scoping review to assist practitioners in developing more impactful learning tools and practices as they create and assess guides.

Institutional Data Repositories Are Vital, Jen Darragh, Mikala R. Narlock, Halle Burns, Peter A. Cerda, Wind Cowles, Leslie M. Delserone, Seth Erickson, Joel Herndon, Heidi Imker, Lisa R. Johnston, Sherry Lake, Michael Lenard, Alicia Hofelich Mohr, Jennifer Moore, Jonathan Petters, Brandie Pullen, Shawna Taylor, Briana Wham

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

As funding agencies and publishers reiterate research data sharing expectations (1), many higher-education institutions have demonstrated their commitment to the long-term stewardship of research data by connecting researchers to local infrastructure, with dedicated staffing, that eases the burden of data sharing. Institutional repositories are an example of this investment (2). They provide support for researchers in sharing data that might otherwise be lost: data without a disciplinary repository, data from projects with limited funding, or data that are too large to sustainably store elsewhere. The staffing and technical infrastructure provided by institutional repositories ensures responsible access to information while considering …

The Dei Metadata Handbook: A Guide To Diverse, Equitable, And Inclusive Description, Harriet E. Wintermute, Heather M. Campbell, Christopher S. Dieckman, Nausicaa L. Rose, Hema Thulsidhos

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Readers will be able to use this handbook to:

• Gain a broad awareness of various DEI-related issues existing in metadata creation and management

• Learn techniques for retroactively reviewing and updating existing metadata to address these issues

• Develop strategies to create metadata that better meets DEI needs. Overview of contents

This handbook may be read cover to cover, but its organization also facilitates skipping to chapters that are relevant to your work or interests. Each chapter focuses on a particular area of metadata work, detailing different ethical considerations and approaches. Each chapter includes examples and use cases related …

Gray Literature In The Institutional Repository: Partnership Between The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries And Two Textile Societies, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Gray literature (GL) often contains valuable, unique knowledge but is sometimes difficult to source, collect, and preserve. Institutional repositories can serve as excellent platforms for such material due to their open accessibility for anyone with an internet connection. This chapter includes a brief discussion about gray literature as a material type in libraries generally and covers the partnership of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries with the Textile Society of America and the Centre for Textile Research that has resulted in the publishing of the groups’ conference papers. Together, as of mid-2022, these materials have been full-text downloaded nearly 1,500,000 times …

Simple Darwin Core For Non-Biologists Primer, Megan N. O'Donnell, Leslie M. Delserone

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

This primer focuses on Simple DwC (http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/simple/), a “mechanism used to share biodiversity information using the simplest methods and structure” (Darwin Core Task Group, 2014). With Simple DwC, the DwC schema is applied to a single flat file (i.e., table or spreadsheet). Because it is a self-contained data set that can be opened, edited, and analyzed using a wide variety of software, Simple DwC is easier to implement than other forms of DwC that use XML, RDF, or relational databases. The primer’s goal is to assist a curator presented with a data set structured in Simple DwC, or …

Tuition Related Library Fees Information, Ted Naylor, Casey Hoeve, Kiyomi D. Deards

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Tuition related library fees information, supplemental to the article 'How Libraries are Funded: Transparency Issues in Student Tuition and Fees Among ARL Libraries' in Journal of New Librarianship (2023) by Casey Hoeve and Kiyomi D. Deards.

The data were collected by Ted Naylor and enhanced by Casey Hoeve and Kiyomi D. Deards.

Comparison Of Library Publishing Workflows By Open Access Model As Practiced In The University Of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, Sue Ann Gardner

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Workflows for green and diamond open access (OA) models in a library publishing program may be very similar to one another (green = republishing; diamond = original publishing). As administered in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, the details of each of these workflows are outlined and compared with each other and compared also with the interaction with authors that stems from gold OA (= outsourcing publishing). Vignettes related to each type of publishing model are included to demonstrate the types of conversations we tend to have with authors about the various OA types and give an indication of how much …

Situated Data: Feminist Epistemology And Data Curation, Scout Calvert

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

In the last decade or more, academic libraries have taken up the challenge of providing data curation and research data support, bringing expertise in metadata and digital preservation to key aspects of the research data life cycle. This activity has hastened since 2013, when the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a memo directing federal funding agencies to require data, among other products of research, to be shared as a condition of funding.1 The OSTP memo did not come out of the blue, but recognized changes in data practice in some disciplines as the costs of …

Applications Of Diversity Language To Descriptions Of Collection Development Activities At Academic Libraries: An Exploratory Analysis Of Strategic Plans And Diversity Information Webpages, David Macaulay

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Diversity is commonly invoked as a goal for libraries in a variety of domains, including collections. This study explores how diversity language is used to characterize collection development efforts at a sample of large North American academic libraries, through content analysis of strategic planning documents as well as library webpages providing information about diversity efforts. The topic of collection diversity was found to be not consistently addressed in these documents. While 90% of the institutions whose strategic plans were examined mentioned diversity in some way, less than half of these did so in relation to collections; about one-third of the …

Bringing Dei To The Forefront In University Of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries’ Collections, David Macaulay, Casey D. Hoeve

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

UNL Libraries’ recently released strategic plan codifies a longstanding organizational commitment to advancing principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Diversity of collections and equity of access are important components of the objectives articulated in this plan. This poster presents an overview of holistic efforts to incorporate considerations of DEI, as well as universal accessibility, into the mainstream of ongoing collection development and acquisition work at UNL Libraries. It covers topics including: the development of a set of guiding principles along with a diversity rubric for acquisitions; departmental reorganization; participation in consortial initiatives; optimizing use of support from Libraries' administration; …

Is There A Place For “Plagiarism Detection Software” In An Academic Library?, Anna Wigtil

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Many colleges and universities use Turnitin, SafeAssign, and other “plagiarism detection” software to detect, and deter, academic dishonesty. Since 2005, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries have provided students direct access to SafeAssign and Turnitin as teaching tools to help them identify improper citation of sources. Students appreciate having free access to these products when similar software can be cost-prohibitive. However, Turnitin commonly finds false positives in student papers, and students may find Turnitin’s originality reports difficult to understand. Therefore, it is unclear how helpful it is to offer this library service to students, versus focusing on teaching proper citation of …

Academic Libraries And Writing Centers: Collaborations At Us Public Research Universities, Mary Bolin

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

The websites of 71 US research universities were the source of data on the relationship of academic libraries and campus writing centers, which provide support for developing written communication skills. All 71 institutions have writing centers, generally administered by the academic success operation, the English department, or a college such as arts and sciences. Just under half (n=35) of the institutions have a writing center located in the library. In 16 of those institutions, the library is the only location of the writing center. The general issues of academic success and “library as place,” as well as the space that …

Future States Of The Research Library, Claire Stewart

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

What can be said about the year 2021 that hasn’t already been said? Challenging, unprecedented, extraordinary in almost every way, 2021 even surpassed the previous annus horribilis, 2020. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to ripple humanity-wide, ceaselessly rebounding off, and cruelly amplifying, almost every kind of inequity and social challenge. A long overdue reckoning with the legacies of racism in the United States did not materialize in any truly transformative way, political discord worsened, and anti-science voices grew to dominate what should have been rational conversations about a coherent and collective response to a profound global health threat. It …

Introduction To Special Issue Of Serials Review Devoted To Metrics And Scholarly Communications, Margaret Mering

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

The idea for this issue of Serials Review was developed by the Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section (SOCRS) of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Altmetrics, Bibliometrics, and other types of metrics are areas of special interest and expertise of the section members. For IFLA’s 83rd World Library and Information Conference held in Wrocław, Poland in August 2017, the theme of the SOCRS’s open session was “Altmetrics: It’s Time to Take Action.” Members of SOCRS were reviewers for many of the issue’s articles. The articles are grouped around the following four themes: strategies and tools for …

Crest Or Trough? How Research Libraries Used Emerging Technologies To Survive The Pandemic, So Far, Scout Calvert

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Introduction

In the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was impossible to tell if we were at the crest of a wave of new transmissions, or a trough of a much larger wave, still yet to peak. As of this writing, as colleges and universities prepare for mostly in-person fall 2021 semesters, case counts in the United States are increasing again after a decline that coincided with easier access to the COVID vaccine. Plans for a return to campus made with confidence this spring may be in doubt, as we climb the curve of what is already the second …

Deir (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion And Respect) In Chemistry Libraries, Kiyomi D. Deards

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Kiyomi Deards will examine a selection of past, present, and future DEIR strategies used by herself and University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Additionally, she will highlight DEIR strategies that individuals, departments, and organizations can pursue with varying levels of support.

Trends In Content Development And Licensing Of Electronic Resources, Christina Geuther, Casey D. Hoeve, Faye O'Reilly

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Academic libraries face the dual challenges of decreasing budgets and increasing demand for electronic resources. Librarians at three Midwestern US public research universities discuss the electronic resources environment, the direction of content development, and using future-proof as well as future-driven licensing language to best provide for the needs of today’s library collections decisions. Trends are discussed in both content development areas and the negotiated license framework. This article offers pragmatic approaches to answer current questions for electronic resources librarians as they experience inflation increases and the greater Serials Crisis while still looking to build access to their digital investments.

Mapping The Current Landscape Of Research Library Engagement With Emerging Technologies In Research And Learning: Final Report, Sarah Lippincott, Mary Lee Kennedy, Clifford Lynch, Scout Calvert, Jocelyn Cozzo

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

The generation, dissemination, and analysis of digital information is a significant driver, and consequence, of technological change. As data and information stewards in physical and virtual space, research libraries are thoroughly entangled in the challenges presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution:1 a societal shift powered not by steam or electricity, but by data, and characterized by a fusion of the physical and digital worlds.2 Organizing, structuring, preserving, and providing access to growing volumes of the digital data generated and required by research and industry will become a critically important function. As partners with the community of researchers and scholars, research …

From The Trenches To The Writer’S Desk: Establishing A Collection Of Children’S Books Authored By Military Veterans In An Academic Library, Casey D. Hoeve

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Kansas State University possesses a collection of juvenile literature to aid Education and English Department programs. KState is also the university with the largest military population in the state. It was discovered that several famous children’s authors were military veterans. Building upon this research, over 160 children’s authors who served in the military were identified. K-State Libraries NEH Endowment Committee funded the curation of a military veteran children’s literature collection, the only known academic library to possess such a collection. The collection enabled the libraries to provide outreach through access to the materials, internet resources, and special collections exhibits.

Mapping Collaborations And Partnerships In Sdg Research, Jane Payumo, Guangming He, Anusha Chintamani Manjunatha, Devin Higgins, Scout Calvert

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Collaboration has become an essential paradigmin sustainable development research and in strategies for meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study uses bibliometric methods and network analysis to examine research output and collaboration supporting the SDGs and explores means to detect and analyze research collaboration beyond the traditional definition of multiple, one-time co-authorship. We employed two additional lenses of collaboration: repeat collaboration and collaboration time point to quantify and visualize co-authorship data sourced from Microsoft Academic Graph. Our results show an increased collaboration rate over time at the author and institutional levels; however they also indicate that the …

Future Themes And Forecasts For Research Libraries And Emerging Technologies, Scout Calvert, Mary Lee Kennedy, Clifford Lynch, John O'Brien

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Given the proliferation of powerful emerging technologies available to research organizations, how should research libraries plan to adopt and engage with these technologies in pursuit of their missions in the near term of the next one to three years? How has the critical role of research libraries in the use and adoption of emerging technologies been amplified, refined, or changed as research organizations pivoted to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic? In two workshops, held a month apart in the first weeks of the US pandemic response, leaders and experts in learning and research were guided through a series of …

Turbulent Times In Content Development: Remaining Efficacious Among Reorganizations, Fires, And The Serials Crisis, Casey D. Hoeve

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

All too often, the internal organization of collection development departments are ignored. Perhaps inadvertently, more pressing issues of budgets, resource renewals, and vendor negotiations divert our attention; yet at the same time, the completion of these initiatives require capable and efficient faculty and staff. Burnout, now classified by the World Health Organization as a “syndrome conceptualized resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” (WHO, 2019) is appropriate to juxtapose against the organization of collection development departments. As self-care is vital to our health, the same question of vitality should be applied in collection development departments — …

Digital Libraries, Intelligent Data Analytics, And Augmented Description: A Demonstration Project, Elizabeth Lorang, Leen-Kiat Soh, Yi Liu, Chulwoo Pack

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

From July 16-to November 8, 2019, the Aida digital libraries research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln collaborated with the Library of Congress on “Digital Libraries, Intelligent Data Analytics, and Augmented Description: A Demonstration Project.“ This demonstration project sought to (1) develop and investigate the viability and feasibility of textual and image-based data analytics approaches to support and facilitate discovery; (2) understand technical tools and requirements for the Library of Congress to improve access and discovery of its digital collections; and (3) enable the Library of Congress to plan for future possibilities. In pursuit of these goals, we focused our …

A Brief History To The Future Of Open Access, Margaret Mering, Casey D. Hoeve

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

There are many challenges when attempting to understand the current open access environment, and the frameworks and best practices that are driving the movement forward. Collection development and scholarly communications have become a partnership of blurred lines, as paid subscriptions must be managed in parallel with open access content. Given the rapid pace of change, the coverage of the past 20 years of open access is the most relevant to grasp present conditions and the trajectory of the future of open access initiatives. Within that time frame, important milestones, advocacy groups, open access models, and sprouting enterprises will illustrate what …

Research Libraries, Emerging Technologies—And A Pandemic, Scout Calvert

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Last October, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), and EDUCAUSE partnered to explore how research libraries can leverage emerging tech-nologies to meaningfully and productively support research and learning, given ongoing evolutions of digital tools and data collections. Even while we were working on the slippery task of identifying and predicting technologies and processes that could have big impacts on research library objectives, we did not anticipate that a pandemic with world-stopping power might be a scenario we should consider.

Pandemic Advice Not long after the novel coronavirus reached US shores in late Janu-ary 2020, …

Emerging Technologies For Research And Learning:Interviews With Experts, Scout Calvert, Mary Lee Kennedy, Clifford Lynch, John O'Brien

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

This report is a companion to Mapping the Current Landscape of Research Library Engagement with Emerging Technologies in Research and Learning,1 which was commissioned by the Association of Research Libraries, the Coalition for Networked Information, and EDUCAUSE to survey research libraries’ adoption and use of emerging technologies2 to collaborate for the benefit of research and learning. The present report complements the landscape review by summarizing and synthesizing a series of interviews conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 with experts in research and academic technologies from several allied sectors: associations, businesses, academia, and the nonprofit research sector (see Appendix A). …

Evolution Of An Institutional Repository: A Case History From Nebraska, Paul Royster

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

The 13-year history of the institutional repository (IR) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is recounted with emphasis on local conditions, administrative support, recruitment practices, and management philosophy. Practices included offering new services, hosting materials outside the conventional tenure stream, using student employees, and providing user analytics on global dissemination. Acquiring trust of faculty depositors enhanced recruitment and extra-library support. Evolution of policies on open access, copyright, metadata, and third-party vendors are discussed, with statistics illustrating the growth, contents, and outreach of the repository over time. A final section discusses future directions for scholarly communications and IRs in particular.

Your Internet Data Is Rotting, Paul Royster

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

The internet is growing, but old information continues to disappear daily.

Many MySpace users were dismayed to discover earlier this year that the social media platform lost 50 million files uploaded between 2003 and 2015. The failure of MySpace to care for and preserve its users’ content should serve as a reminder that relying on free third-party services can be risky. MySpace has probably preserved the users’ data; it just lost their content. The data was valuable to MySpace; the users’ content less so.

Preserving content or intellectual property on the internet presents a conundrum. If it’s accessible, then it …

Academic Library As Learning Space And As Collection: A Learning Commons' Effects On Collections And Related Resources And Services, Deeann Allison, Erica Defrain, Brianna D. Hitt, David C. Tyler

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

A tremendous amount has been written about the library as a learning space and about this model's two most popular outgrowths, the information commons and the learning commons. Little to nothing, however, has been written about how reshaping an academic/research library and repurposing library space affects the library as a collection, its resources, and its collections-related services. This study looks at the immediate impact of opening a learning commons in an academic/research library on circulation, document delivery and interlibrary loan requests for returnables, and on- and off-campus database accesses at one institution.

Additional tables and statistical analysis are contained in …

Resource Management In A Time Of Fiscal Scarcity: Combining Qualitative And Quantitative Assessment For Journal Package Cancellations, Casey D. Hoeve

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

As a result of continual resource inflation and a decreasing budget, Kansas State University Libraries were required to conduct a large-scale electronic journal cancellation project. The current organizational model does not require librarian subject specialists to perform comprehensive collection development duties; therefore, content development librarians developed a methodology of collecting quantitative and qualitative statistics to collaboratively evaluate journals. This article will demonstrate the methodology of assessment, and serve as a working model for libraries operating under circumstances of labor shortages, budget cuts, and leadership restructuring.