Digital Commons Network^™

Guide To The Dr. Jo-Ann Della Giustina, Esq. Social Justice Collection, Olivia Englehart

Archives & Special Collections Finding Aids

The bulk of this collection consists of a wide array of far-left political pamphlets on various topics, mostly communist and socialist political movements within the United States, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Vietnam, and China. The topics involve labor unions and strikes, political revolutions, global women’s rights, communist and socialist history and dispelling false propaganda, LGBTQ+ rights, and African American rights. In addition to pamphlets, Dr. Della Giustina also collected newspaper runs published by far-left US labor groups that sought to expose big businesses, highlight the struggles and threats to immigrant workers, and bring awareness to the …

The Shocker, Grand Valley State University

The Shocker

Literary publication collecting writings and art from the Thomas Jefferson College "Make-It" program and via student submission.

Quiet Service: Serving God And Others From Behind The Scenes, Amy Reinhold

Librarian Publications and Presentations

One of the tenants of the Christian faith is service to God and others. Serving others is typically a front-facing activity, but not always. This paper describes the nature of service, how academic libraries in general serve their patrons, and focuses on how behind-the-scenes activities in the Technical Services department serve patrons in impactful ways. By focusing on the needs of others and serving them well, one can bring honor and glory to God.

Decistifying Trans And Gender Diverse Inclusion In Library Work: A Literature Review, Keahi K. Adolpho, Stephen Krueger

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This comprehensive review illuminates the current state of scholarly literature on trans and gender diverse inclusion in libraries, with the intention to provide a foundation and identify gaps for further research. Covering 50 works published between 2002 and 2023 in the areas of general inclusion, public libraries, academic libraries, experiences of library workers, archives, information behavior, and cataloging, we found that, with the exception of works on archives and cataloging, little scholarly literature goes beyond introductory talking points on basic information about trans and gender diverse people. We conclude with a call for much more in-depth research on this essential …

Guide To The Helen "Nordie" Nordquist Collection, Orson Kingsley

Archives & Special Collections Finding Aids

The Helen “Nordie” Nordquist Collection is very large and diverse. Much of the material is original to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League such as artifacts, photographs, ephemera, documents, and much more. Nordquist played in the final four seasons of the league, from 1951-1954. Nearly all of the photographs in the collection have all the players identified in them. She had a sense of the significance of what the league represented and what she was a part of and collected and kept all she could. She dedicated decades later in life to researching and reconstructing the AAGPBL history down …

Supercharge Your Research Impact For The Health Sciences, Alanna Natanson

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Health science researchers at all stages of their career can use the strategies and tools in this guide to promote their scholarly research and document its impact on the field and wider world. Promoting and documenting research is important for crafting biosketches for grant applications and applying for promotion/tenure. Topics in the guide include selecting a journal for manuscript submission, open access publishing models, submitting supplementary materials to repositories, building a record of your scholarship, and exploring article-level and author-level metrics in Web of Science and Google Scholar. Explore the links to further background information and follow the step-by-step instructions.

The Inclusion Of Metacognition In Source Evaluation Instruction, Anthony Tardiff

Foley Library Scholarship

Though the ACRL Framework holds metacognition as crucial to exercising information literacy, its emphasis was reduced from prominence in early drafts to a single mention in the final document. At the same time, few of the frequently-taught sets of source evaluation criteria include a step for self-awareness. This raises the question: do librarians explicitly teach metacognitive concepts when they teach source evaluation? Online library guides about source evaluation from various colleges and universities in Washington state were analyzed, and librarians who taught source evaluation were surveyed to determine whether and to what extent metacognitive concepts were included as part of …

Ozark Folk Center Collection, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Archival Collection Finding Aids

The John E. Miller Collection was donated to Arkansas State University after his death in 2014. This thematic subseries is arranged as a collection and is a part of the larger John E. Miller Collection. No further additions to this collection are expected.

Crafting Effective Prompts: Leveraging Generative Ai In Libraries, April Sheppard, Kristin Flachsbart

Staff and Faculty Scholarship

Discover how strategic prompt design can help you harness the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in your library. Through a series of examples, the presenters will demonstrate the impact that well-crafted prompts can have on the quality and relevance of AI-generated outputs.

Person-Centered Management And The Deming Cycle, Kristy White, John R. White

Library Faculty Scholarship

Academic libraries are vital institutions that support knowledge creation, offering essential resources and spaces for scholarly exploration. In the face of evolving challenges in the twenty-first century, these libraries must adopt adaptable and people-focused management strategies to remain effective and innovative. This chapter examines the application of W. Edwards Deming’s management philosophy to academic libraries, emphasizing person-centered management as a transformative approach.

Deming, renowned for revolutionizing quality management, offers principles that extend beyond industry, focusing on the value of individuals within systems. His emphasis on recognizing employee expertise, minimizing fear, and fostering a culture of innovation aligns seamlessly with the …

How’D They Make That?: Analyzing The Ingredients That Produce A Google Ngram Chart, Laura Baker

Library Research and Publications

Preprint for chapter in Digital Humanities Cookbook, published by ACRL in 2024.

Chapter Abstract:

Google Ngram is an online tool that graphs the relative frequency of words or phrases that appear over time in the millions of books digitized by Google. It is often used by digital humanists to analyze the popularity of topics, to track the rise and fall of words throughout the ages, and to explain changes in culture and history. Google Ngram is free and requires very little training to use, making it a popular tool for many. It is astonishingly convenient. Anyone can create an Ngram …

Relationship Building Advice For Liaison Librarians: Putting It Into Practice And Troubleshooting, Bettina Peacemaker, Kelsey Cheshire, Janet M. Reid, Carla-Mae Crookendale, Julie Arendt, Sergio Chaparro, John Glover, Stephani Rodgers, Erin Carrillo

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Liaison librarians depend on communication and cooperation to be successful, so professional publications about liaison librarianship regularly include discussions of relationship building methods. As a department of experienced liaison librarians, we identified the relationship-building ideas from previous publications that were proactive in nature and had worked for us. Even though the advice has been helpful, we faced challenges or heard about challenges from other librarians when we discussed implementing the ideas. To improve on the published ideas, we have added tips for putting them into practice and answered troubleshooting questions based on our experiences. Adapting to and working around challenges …

Cent Ans, Cent Opportunités, Cent Défis: Le Centenaire De L’Université Américaine Au Caire Et Le Rôle Des Archives De L’Université Comme Médiatrices De Mémoire (100 Years, 100 Opportunities, 100 Challenges: The American University In Cairo’S Centennial And Its University Archives As Mediator Of Memory), Stephen Urgola

Faculty Journal Articles

Throughout 2019 and 2020 the American University in Cairo (AUC) celebrated the centennial of its founding, supported extensively by AUC’s University Archives. This paper explores the opportunities that emerge for an archives playing the role of shaper of identity and memory when its parent organization reaches a major milestone, but also the challenges involved in such a commemoration. Beyond outlining the University Archives’ contributions to AUC’s 100th anniversary (including events, on-campus and online exhibitions and displays, and publications like magazines and a book) the paper will indicate how the run-up to such a commemoration can shape an archives’ program, for …

Ms 086 Guide To Paul R. Harrington, Md Papers (1962-1985), Paul R. Harrington (1911-1980)

Manuscript Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Thematic Mapping Of Apidae Holdings Within The University Of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, Baylie L. Day, Ashley P.G. Dowling, Austin Jones

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Museum biological collections store species data that can be utilized in research on biodiversity, environmental change, invasive species, public health, and disease. The University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, which began in 1905, houses over 750,000 specimens and has not yet been digitized. Making data publicly accessible via the internet makes the data available to the entire scientific community. The goal of this project was to create a digital resource to allow greater access to the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum holdings. To do so, data from Bombus (bumble bee) and Xylocopa (carpenter bee) specimens were entered into a database in …

Looking At The Past To Change The Future: Showcasing Featured Collections, Building Communities, And Co-Creating, Sherry Buchanan

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

Academic libraries have the opportunity and the responsibility to promote and advance content that creates transformative and iterative learning opportunities. To that end, and in an effort to build communities and facilitate co-creation, Portland State University showcases three main Featured Collections in our open access repository, PDXScholar: Climate Justice, COVID-19, and Racial and Gender Equity, with a fourth pilot collection—Student Work: An Open Showcase of Outstanding Student-Created Research & Creative Work—under development. The collections include a broad range of audiovisual materials, such as podcasts and webinar series, as well as sustainability and equity work, student-created content, and numerous future-focused multidisciplinary …

Outpatient Fall Prevention In Ambulatory Adults 65 Years Old And Over, Dorothy L. Osborne-White

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: In the United States (U.S.), falls are the leading cause of injury among adults 65 and over, resulting in 36 million falls yearly (Moreland et al., 2020). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), one in four older adults experiences a fall each year. Falls are the world's second most prominent cause of accidental deaths (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults (Moreland et al., 2020).

Methods: A quality improvement project that included a fall bundle was implemented in a primary clinic. A …

Designing For Everyone: Accessibility, Inclusion, And Equity In Online Instruction, Kimberly Shotick

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

This chapter introduces practices that promote equity and inclusion in online learning spaces through the lens of Universal Design for Learning.

Trans And Gender Diverse Inclusion In Academic Library Hiring, Keahi Adolpho, Stephen G. Krueger, Luke Sutherland, Adrian Williams

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

We do not know how many trans and gender diverse people work in libraries in the United States. Like the US Census, the American Library Association’s demographic survey of its members (which is by no means a complete or accurate representation of the profession) asks if respondents are male or female (Rosa & Henke, 2017). In addition to erasing anybody who is not one of these two things, this question does not provide information on whether respondents are trans or gender diverse. And yet, we are here: all four of the authors of this chapter are trans people who work …

Making A Grand Contribution: Professional Development Resources For Leveraging Assessment Data To Advance Equity, Julene L. Jones, Ciji Heiser, Glenn A. Phillips

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Describes professional development opportunities collected by the Grand Challenges Equity Implementation Team to advance equity in institutional assessment.

Julene L. Jones, Ciji A. Heiser and Glenn A. Phillips. "Making a Grand Contribution: Professional Development Resources for Leveraging Assessment Data to Advance Equity" Assessment Update Vol. 36 Iss. 1 (2024) p. 11 - 14 ISSN: 1536-0725

Where Do I Belong? : Creating An Inclusive Metadata Policy, Nicole Lewis, Karen Glenn, Jeremy Myntti, Sharolyn Swenson, Katie Yeo

Faculty Publications

Inclusiveness and honoring different cultures that reflect our patrons has been discussed in many different venues in the last few years. The staff of the Brigham Young University Library recognized the need for our metadata to demonstrate the commitment we have to honor others and to create a community of belonging. The staff also recognized that a policy would provide a roadmap for how to embark on fixing legacy metadata and how to move forward in creating metadata that reflects our core values in the library and at the university. This case study details how we developed an inclusive metadata …

Supporting International Students During Challenging Times, Anne Burnett, Szilvia Somodi

Articles, Chapters and Online Publications

Tips and best practices for law libraries working with international students.

Can Large Language Models Discern Evidence For Scientific Hypotheses? Case Studies In The Social Sciences, Sai Koneru, Jian Wu, Sarah Rajtmajer

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Hypothesis formulation and testing are central to empirical research. A strong hypothesis is a best guess based on existing evidence and informed by a comprehensive view of relevant literature. However, with exponential increase in the number of scientific articles published annually, manual aggregation and synthesis of evidence related to a given hypothesis is a challenge. Our work explores the ability of current large language models (LLMs) to discern evidence in support or refute of specific hypotheses based on the text of scientific abstracts. We share a novel dataset for the task of scientific hypothesis evidencing using community-driven annotations of studies …

Digital Literacy Activities, Sharell Walker

Publications and Research

In an increasingly technological-focused environment, it is paramount that library instructors infuse digital literacy skills into their teaching. Librarians as information professionals are in a prime position to impart digital literacy skills into patrons. This not only creates a more exciting lesson plan but also has the potential to teach students necessary digital literacy skills that are transferable beyond their schoolwork. In this chapter, the author examines the position of digital literacy in instruction and as a way to build employable skills. Examples of digital literacy activities’ that can be incorporated into information literacy instruction sessions no matter the length …

Trans And Gender Diverse Inclusion In Academic Library Hiring, Keahi K. Adolpho, Stephen G. Krueger, Luke Sutherland, Adrian Williams

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

We do not know how many trans and gender diverse people work in libraries in the United States. Like the US Census, the American Library Association’s demographic survey of its members (which is by no means a complete or accurate representation of the profession) asks if respondents are male or female (Rosa & Henke, 2017). In addition to erasing anybody who is not one of these two things, this question does not provide information on whether respondents are trans or gender diverse. And yet, we are here: all four of the authors of this chapter are trans people who work …

Partners In Progress: Publishers And Librarians Support Open Access Publishing, Joseph Lerro, Rachel E. Scott

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

There is a tendency to discuss open access (OA) publishing as though it is monolithic. Those of us engaged in the work of researching, preparing, and negotiating, however, know OA agreements are as unique as the community they serve. Open access agreements are created based on local needs, with the input of a variety of stakeholders, and require flexibility on the part of the publisher and institutional client. Open access agreements represent a partnership, and ideally one that furthers the goals of both parties. This discussion between Joseph Lerro, Open Research Business Development Manager with Taylor & Francis, and Rachel …

Forward-Looking Academic Impact Rankings For U.S. Law Schools, Matthew Sag

Faculty Articles

Although the very concept of law school rankings is currently under fire, rankings abolitionism is misplaced. Given the number, diversity, and geographic dispersion of the more than 190 law schools fully ac­credited by the American Bar Association, rankings are essential to en­able various stakeholders to make comparisons between schools. How­ever, the current rankings landscape is dire. The U.S News law school rankings rely on poorly designed, highly subjective surveys to gauge "reputational strength," rather than looking to easily available, objec­tive citation data that is more valid and reliable. Would-be usurpers of U.S. News use better data but make other arbitrary …

Efficiently Learning An Encoder That Classifies Token Replacements And Masked Permuted Network-Based Bigru Attention Classifier For Enhancing Sentiment Classification Of Scientific Text, Muhammad Inaam Ul Haq, Khalid Mahmood, Qianmu Li, Ashok Kumar Das, Sachin Shetty, Majid Hussain

VMASC Publications

The exponential growth of scientific literature in digital repositories poses challenges in interpreting complex attitudes within academic texts. Traditional sentiment analysis methods often struggle with nuanced word meanings due to contextual variations. To address this, we propose the Electra-MPNet-based BiGRU attention classifier that extracts the high-level semantic features from citation sentences using the combined strength of Electra and MPNet encoder layers. These features are then combined to extract long-range dependencies through a stacked BiGRU layer. A linear attention mechanism is imposed to estimate the attention weights and context vector which enables the model to selectively focus on relevant information. The …

More Than Censorship: The Harm Of Libricide, James M. Donovan

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Libricide, although often deemed an extreme instance of censorship, is altogether different. Censorship involves the suppression of particular books due to alleged inappropriate content; libricide refers to the intentional destruction of entire libraries. Understanding the differing motives recognizes that the library is more than the books it contains, and is instead an institution rooted in its history of selection and use by the local community. Over time, the library reflects the users’ identity, a reminder that any aggressor would wish to eliminate when the goal is pacification by erasure of a population’s memory and history. Prerequisites for an act of …

Improving Inclusion With Universal Design In The Academic Library Hiring Process, Katelyn Quirin Manwiller, Heather Crozier, Samantha Peter

University Libraries Faculty Publications

To improve inclusion in academic library hiring practices, we must evaluate and prioritize addressing the barriers that currently exist in the process for LIS workers with marginalized identities. With the prevalence of disability in America, lack of representation in librarianship, and inherently intersectional nature of disability inclusion, it is essential that academic librarianship work to recruit and retain disabled librarians. Disability affects people in a variety of ways. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. As a result, broader disability inclusion techniques based on the principles of Universal Design are needed to remove barriers for disabled librarians during the hiring process.