Digital Commons Network^™

Community College Librarian Needs Assessment: Academic Status And Research Interest, Christine (Mi-Seon) Kim, Stephanie Delano Davis

Publications and Research

This pilot study explores the results of the Spring 2023, “Needs Survey for Community College Librarians” conducted by the Community and Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS).  CJCLS is a section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). One hundred and seventeen individuals participated in the survey. The survey asked community college librarians about their academic employment status and publication requirements, their interest in research, and the support for research available to them at their institutions. The key findings of this research show a broad range of academic status classification among …

Supporting Bibliodiversity And Access Through Library Resource Sharing, J. Silvia Cho

Publications and Research

Librarians, with their core values of access, intellectual freedom, stewardship and democracy, share bibliodiversity advocates’ vision of an eco-social system of diverse cultures and reading as a democratic and emancipatory practice. Librarians bolster bibliodiversity by collecting inclusively, critically reviewing and decolonizing library collections, and centering access. Building on previous discussions on the role of open access in strengthening bibliodiversity, this paper acknowledges and articulates how interlibrary loan and library resource sharing also support bibliodiversity. Doing so is important to augment advocacy and support for these services. Advancing solutions to challenges in resource sharing means also advancing towards bibliodiversity goals, supporting …

Assessing Awareness And Use Of Artificial Intelligence Tools Among Library Personnel In Public And Private Institutions In Ekiti State, Nigeria, Thomas Aanu Ojo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Artificial Intelligence is a technology integrated into libraries as a tool to help eliminate tedious and repetitive tasks. However, its awareness and use in libraries are still in the early stages. Therefore, this study investigated the awareness and use of AI tools among library personnel in public and private institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study population comprised 107 library personnel in Ekiti State. The questionnaire was used to elicit data. Descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the level of awareness of AI tools among library …

I Think, Therefore I Am I Am, Therefore I Think, Zrinka Tomašić

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This work is bringing forward questions about animal, plant, inanimate objects (including AI and molecules, atoms and subatomic particles) and even post-mortem consciousness. It gives examples and researches that are made and still being made. It connects the real examples with the philosophic thought past and present, Western and Chinese. It even mentions the research assignment about plant consciousness that is suitable for school children to do. And, although it has so many examples in biology, philosophy, physics and other fields, in the end it asks a question „Are they really conscious“ to every reader to reflect on. To come …

Analysis Of “Oldest House In The U.S.” Photo And A Poor Retouching Job, Samuel Sisneros

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This working paper analyzes a historical photo housed at the UNM’s Center for Southwest Research and Special collections. It looks specifically at a discovery made by the author that the photo was at one time heavily retouched and how this retouching can correspond to current AI image manipulation.

(No part of this paper was written with AI assistance.)

Curating The Liberal Arts: High-Impact Approaches To Teaching Medical Humanities In The Archives, Alyssa Culp, Liz Bloodworth

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This article emphasizes high-impact practices in the archives and encourages instructors and archivists to use prolonged collaboration as a way to teach digital learners analog thinking. The digital and physical exhibits we discuss were designed to model liberal arts thinking and curate experiential learning opportunities that led students to make connections between artifacts and lived experiences. Our case study focuses on one course developed with sustained archival interaction, which demonstrates an effective use of archives for promoting active learning through direct engagement with primary source materials in a liberal arts environment and thereby serves as an example of partnership for …

Info 7009 / Lbsci 709: Research In Library And Information Studies, Ping Li

Open Educational Resources

This is a syllabus of INFO 7009 / LBSCI 709: Research in Library and Information Studies. Funded in part by the CUNY OER Initiative, this class uses open educational resources or zero-textbook-cost materials.

Fall 2026, John M. Pfau Library

Peacock – John M. Pfau Library Newsletter

In this issue:

Preserving 135 Years of Inland Empire Jewish History pgs. 1 & 2

William “Bill” Russler pgs. 1 & 2

An Eventful Year p. 3

Our Newest Databases p. 4

Eric Milenkiewicz p. 4

Not Just for Students p. 4

Pop-Tart, Pop In! p. 5

Our Newest Staff Members p. 6

Positioning the CSUSB Libraries for Success p. 7

What’s in the Works? p.7

Serials Spoken Here, Michelle E. Colquitt, Robert Hilliker, Jordan Claire, Jeremy Whitt, Taylor Ralph, Elizabeth Rapp, Alice Pearman, Megan Horn, Zachariah Motts, Joni Addis

Publications

This edition of “Serials Spoken Here” contains a wide variety of session recaps. Conference sessions from both national/international conferences as well as state/local sessions. Recaps from the ALA Annual Convention & Exhibition, Electronic Resources & Libraries (ER&L), UKSG, the Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge, the American Association of Law Libraries, NISO Plus, ExLibris Users of North America (ELUNA), and the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) Resource Rendezvous. Topics are arranged under the broad headings of Collection Management, Contracts & Agreements, Legal & Government Serials, Scholarly Integrity, Workflows, Metrics, and Discovery. The editors hope you will take something away from this …

A Square Peg In A Round Hole: Academic Review And Exhibitions, Cory L. Nimer, Megan E. Frost

Faculty Publications

Academic libraries increasingly use exhibitions as scholarly communication, yet conventional peer-review models rarely account for their collaborative, interdisciplinary nature. Museums and other GLAM institutions have developed standards addressing exhibition goals, audiences, interpretation, attribution, access, and visitor engagement, offering a useful foundation for academic library practice. At Brigham Young University, a library task force examined peer-review models across disciplines and adapted museum standards into a policy for evaluating exhibitions as scholarship in retention and promotion processes. Approved in January 2025, the policy was first applied to By Study and By Faith: 150 Years of BYU, an exhibition developed for the …

Welcome To Our Charity Bazaar, Leslee Thorne-Murphy, Maggie Kopp

Faculty Publications

Catalog for the 2017-2018 exhibit at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, BYU Library. Charity bazaars were a product of a massive nineteenth-century philanthropic undertaking in the United Kingdom, as private citizens attempted to respond to the social ills created by a rapidly industrializing economy. Bazaars combined the entertainment value of a social gathering and the fun of a town fair, with the moral earnestness of philanthropic work. Typically organized by women, these bazaars offered handmade goods for sale, raising funds for numerous local and national charitable causes. The exhibit showcases the history and print culture of the charity bazaar, from …

Parental Perceptions Of Censorship In Utah: Working Paper, Rachel L. Wadham, Dallyn Edmunds

Faculty Publications

The rapid rise of book challenges and removals in U.S. school libraries has increasingly been justified through appeals to parental rights, yet relatively little research has explored what parents themselves believe about censorship and book removal. This exploratory qualitative study examined Utah parents’ perceptions of censorship in school libraries, the kinds of content they believe should be restricted, and the reasoning underlying those beliefs. Using a grounded theory-informed thematic analysis approach, data were collected through a survey of 319 Utah parents with children enrolled in public schools. The survey combined closed-ended and open-ended questions, allowing participants to articulate their views …

Back And Forth: The Status Of Ict Resources And Facilities For Opac Use In University Libraries In Nigeria, Perpetua O. Ukwueze, Jacintha U. Eze Prof, Docas Nnedinso Ugwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the status of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources and facilities supporting Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) utilization in university libraries in Nigeria. The paper specifically investigated the availability of ICT resources that facilitate OPAC utilization and identified the challenges preventing effective use of OPAC among library patrons in university libraries. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population of the study was 28,897 registered library users. The sample size for the study was three hundred and ninety five (395) respondents who were selected using Yamen’s formula. These respondents comprises both undergraduate and postgraduate library users. Data …

College Library Websites In West Bengal: Analysis Of Information Visibility And Digital Infrastructure Through A Content Analysis Approach, Niti Mollah, Debabrata Barman, Samim Haidar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In an era of digital boom and growing internet connectivity, college websites have become vital platforms for disseminating information and establishing communication among students, faculty members, researchers, and the general public who intend to use the library. The present paper aims to study the library web pages of various degree colleges in West Bengal by examining their structure, content, user accessibility, and interactability.  It explores and evaluates the contents of 465 college websites based on certain key parameters such as availability, visibility, comprehensiveness, navigability, design, and user experience (users’ ease). The research finds a significant disparity in the quality of …

Is Artificial Intelligence Intelligent? Trust, Verification, And The Responsible Use Of Al In Libraries, Norman Desmarais, Janice Schuster

Library Faculty and Staff papers

We live in an age of alternate realities. If we do not like the current situation, we can pick or rearrange facts to suit our worldview. It appears our information systems follow suit, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). Developers in the Al industry generally want friendly Al that does what the human user wants (as long as it is not too naughty). They do not want Al that says "I do not know," so they design models to be fluent, not factual. Consequently, the engines confidently invent citations, titles, or people if not constrained or verified, a phenomenon called AI …

More Than A Name: Reparative Description For Women’S Archives, Allison Mccormack, Hallie Oines

Journal of Western Archives

This article describes a reparative description initiative at an academic library aimed at improving access to women’s archival collections. By hiring a metadata specialist through grant funding, the project revised legacy MARC records to update, expand, and standardize collection descriptions. Prioritizing inclusive language and accurate subject headings, the team addressed gaps that previously hindered discovery of women’s materials. Over two years, 818 records were remediated, enhancing creator, topical, and genre/form access points. The article discusses project challenges, strategies for respectful description, and the resulting improved discoverability, offering a replicable model for reparative archival work.

From Withdrawal To Impact: Smu Libraries’ Book Rehoming Initiatives, Kai Leong Heng, Eng Ling Lynn Yeo

Research Collection Library

Academic libraries are no strangers to large-scale deselection exercises. Driven by space constraints, evolving curricula, and the shift towards digital resources, the question is no longer whether to withdraw print materials, but what comes next. In the past year, SMU Libraries explored a different answer: instead of recycling withdrawn books, could we reimagine their next chapter, and rehome them to create meaningful impact for the community?

September 2026 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean's Office Communication Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the September 2026 (Volume 5, Issue 1) Library & Learning Newsletter.

Raising History From The Grave: Reparative Archival Pedagogy, International Virtual Exchange, And Community Engagement, Antonia Macdonald, Leah Rosenberg

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This article brings together three threads in digital pedagogy: international virtual exchange, archival recovery work, and reparative pedagogy to argue that their convergence generates a transformative framework for reimaging critical archival practice and transnational collaborations. Our argument is supported by two related pedagogical projects that we undertook. The first is a collaboration with Pan Caribbean Sankofa (PCS) and the Panama Canal Museum Collection (PCMC) at the University of Florida (UF). The second is a collaborative online international learning (COIL) exchange that took place between two undergraduate classes at a university in the Eastern Caribbean and UF. Both initiatives were grounded …

Measure By Measure: Reflections On Building A Quiz Map For Critical Caribbean Digital Pedagogy, Ra Bacchus, Medardo G. Rosario, Alexander S. Butler

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This article reflects on the web development of a digital quiz map designed to help students critically engage with the representation of the Caribbean in digital space. Emerging from workshops organized by Visiones del Caribe—a digital humanities initiative using digitized maps and archives to teach Caribbean history, culture, and cartography—this tool responds to students’ inquiries about the region’s spatial boundaries. The quiz invites students to select on a map those countries and territories they consider part of the Caribbean, prompting reflection on the diversity of perspectives shaping Caribbean identity. Drawing from the discourse of critical cartography and digital pedagogy, we …

Tun Up: Building Digital Dancehall Fashion Archives From An Artist’S Perspective, Grayson Chong

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This article investigates the opportunities and challenges of building a dancehall fashion archive with particular emphasis on the transition from the material to the digital. As an artist-scholar, I use my own dancehall fashion collection as a case study to explore the process of digitizing material artifacts (in this case, fashion and textiles). I focus on dancehall fashion in particular because it speaks to themes of resistance, self-fashioning, and creativity in the global fashion market. Throughout the article, I highlight what the transition between material and digital affords scholars and public audiences. In particular, I ask: "How do we retain …

Acervos Documentales De Puerto Rico Y El Caribe @ Upr-Río Piedras: On Designing Digital Strategies For Preservation And Access Of Unique Puerto Rican And Caribbean Studies Collections, Mirerza González-Vélez, Mila Aponte-González

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This paper documents Acervos Digitales de Puerto Rico y el Caribe @ UPR-Río Piedras, its origins, goals, activities and participants. It reflects on the team engagement with fundamental discussions regarding the use of Omeka in a Caribbean context, that resulted in the articulation and enactment of ethical principles for digital curation, as well as in its commitment for fundamental digital preservation efforts based on minimal technology requirements. The paper also provides an assessment of its continuity as a DH initiative committed to preserving, improving open access, and building capacity for the effective use of unique digitized humanities collections, and poses …

Digital Research Tools, Newspaper Texts, And Enslaved Fugitives In The Atlantic World, Gunvor Simonsen, Natacha Klein Käfer, Heather Freund, Felicia J. Fricke

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This article demonstrates the benefits and pitfalls of utilizing Natural Language Processing to structure a large corpus of newspaper adverts on fugitive enslaved people from the Atlantic World between 1766 and 1821. We evaluate a model for multilingual event extraction trained specifically for fugitive ads and jail lists in its capacity to extract correctly the attributes relevant for historical analysis. Finally, we discuss how the current model may be used to expand and qualify databases concerning enslaved fugitives in the eastern Caribbean.

Tracing Caribbean Narratives At The Intersection Of Language, Identity, And Social Media, Juan-Carlos M.E. Goilo

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This article delves into how the creole language of Papiamentu navigates the complexities of cultural identity and decolonial praxis within the social media landscape. Drawing from literature reviews, digital ethnography, content analysis, and an interview with social media influencer Gerald Lijde, I explore Papiamentu’s deep-rooted colonial ambivalence—a legacy that shapes its contemporary online use. While digital platforms offer new avenues for celebrating and formalizing Papiamentu, they also risk commodifying its radical, anti-colonial roots into tourist-friendly narratives. By linking online content production to theories of agency and digital culture, the article illuminates Papiamentu’s enduring role as a vessel of resistance and …

Infrastructure Of Lack: Defining Caribbean Vernacular Networks, Luis Rivera Jiménez

archipelagos: a journal of Caribbean digital praxis

This article offers a theoretical reflection on the forms and meanings of networks in the Caribbean, moving beyond traditional definitions rooted in computation and formal infrastructure. By turning to vernacular, improvised, and culturally embedded modes of exchange—such as in "Club Nintendo" culture and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) in the Dominican Republic, the DIY internet practices of Cuban users, and the ubiquity of memes and WhatsApp threads across diasporic communities—this piece reframes the concept of the “network” through a Caribbean lens. Rather than seeing the Caribbean as disconnected or technologically incipient, this approach understands the region as a space of creative, strategic, …

Promoting Digital Inclusion Through Mobile Learning In West African Educational Systems, Joshua Olaoluwa Jegede, Temitope Michael Jegede

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Mobile learning is the use of small and portable devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, for educational purposes. It influences where, how, what, and why students learn, as well as from whom they learn in the digital age. While the adoption of technology in education has brought a remarkable shift from traditional to digital learning, a global digital divide distinguishes developed and developing regions. However, mobile learning leverages the affordability and ubiquity of mobile devices to provide access to educational resources, bridging the digital divide in regions with limited educational infrastructure. This study is a systematic review of mobile …

Construction, Curation, And Customization Of Digital Collection For Lis Journals With Greenstone, Partha Sarathi Mandal, Sukumar Mandal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The digital age has not just revolutionized but transformed academic publishing, fundamentally altering how information is stored, accessed, and shared. This seismic shift, far from leaving professional librarians uncertain, presents an urgent and exciting opportunity to redefine the operations and procedures required for proper functioning. This paper aims to provide step-by-step guidance for constructing digital libraries, including software installation processes. Library data becomes visible on the World Wide Web by using a combination of Apache, PERL, and GSDL software. Through Dublin Core Metadata, users can describe their resources for discovery within distributed systems. Combining these methods allows libraries to create …

Info 7001: Technology Of Information, S E. Hackney

Open Educational Resources

BULLETIN DESCRIPTION INFO 7001. The Technology of Information. 3 hr.; 3cr. The course will introduce the conceptual and practical elements of visual and computer literacy for the library and information science profession. Particular attention will be paid to libraries and information centers.

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTION The evolution into the age of information has created a requirement that professional librarians establish and steadily increase their understanding of four areas of literacy: oral, print, visual, and technology. Professional training has long been concentrated on the oral and printed aspects of information with some minor attention to the visual and technological. Library and …

A Case For Societal Provenance: Marguerite Harper As Told By The Men She Represented, V. Emily Cranwell Deinert

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This paper argues for making societal provenance the grounding framework for archival descriptive standards to ensure that important voices already present in archives are no longer buried. This study reclaims from archival obscurity the career of literary agent Marguerite E. Harper to illustrate the need for this expansion. Harper proves strikingly absent from some of the archives for the authors she represented. Likely an unwitting omission from archivists that uncritically accepted the narratives of these male authors, Harper’s erasure provides a potent example of the ways that archival descriptive standards may unintentionally further silence historically marginalized voices within archives. The …

This Platform Combines Multiple Learning Resources. That Creates Some Challenges., Janice Schuster

Library Faculty and Staff papers

No abstract provided.