Digital Commons Network^™

Predator-Prey Population Distribution, Robert Robinette, April Sheppard

Staff and Faculty Scholarship

Determining the extent of the predatory publication problem at an R2 research university, Robert and April share their discoveries as well as how that impacts library services. This was presented at the Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) conference on October 19, 2025.

Changes To Utah State University's Open Access Fund, David Advent, Yassin Nacer

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Utah State University (USU) Libraries established an open access (OA) fund in 2012 with the goal of helping USU authors offset the costs of publishing OA articles. The fund proved to be enormously popular, and funds were expended quickly each year—most recently being exhausted in less than 72 hours. In recognition of this unsustainability, as well as concerns about the rapidly changing role of OA and copyright in scholarly publishing, USU Libraries initiated significant changes to the fund. This lightning talk will share how we identified and assessed challenges with the existing OA fund, the modifications we implemented, our plans …

Enshrining Library And University Values Through The Creation Of A Policy Committee, Brian Sullivan, Rebecca B. French

Faculty Scholarship

As interprofessional organizations operating within the context of higher education, academic libraries find themselves pulled between competing forces with regards to both policies and values. Departmental, unit, library, division, university, and professional interests all hold sway over a library's decision-making and its implementation of policies and procedures, making balancing these tensions a complex endeavor. When faced with a backlog of needed policy revisions and a campus-wide review by the Provost's office that resulted in additional policy update requests, the authors formed a policy committee within their library's faculty governance body. This chapter details how we kept organizational values in mind …

W&L Law Fall Scholarship Celebration 2025, Andrew Christensen, Michelle Cosby, Brandon Hasbrouck, Jennifer Mitchell, Melanie D. Wilson

Library Events

On October 9, 2025, the Washington and Lee Law Library hosted the fifth W&L Law Fall Scholarship Celebration. The event was co-sponsored by the Frances Lewis Law Center and took place in the Law Library's main reading room from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

On display were dozens of scholarly articles, books, chapters, and court briefs authored by the W&L Law faculty and student body between October 2022 and October 2025. Additional works were accessible online via QR codes to W&L Law Scholarly Commons institutional repository. A selection of vintage scholarship by former W&L Law professors was also on display, courtesy …

Reference At A Remote Field Station: A Case Study Of Ecology, Environmental Science And Geology Fieldwork At An Embedded Library, Thomas Gerrish

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Purpose Field station libraries, particularly those serving biological and marine research stations, represent a unique but understudied class of special libraries. This case study investigates reference services at the remote University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) to provide a baseline assessment of how such services support the information needs related to research in ecology, geology and environmental science.

Design/methodology/approach The study recorded, coded and analyzed 209 reference transactions from the 2022 and 2023 summer sessions, revealing trends in patron inquiries and the role of the reference desk. Further, the case study examined the organizational structure, community interaction and mission of …

What Do Students Read? Let’S Talk About Data-Informed Library Collections Planning For Student Success, Nat Gustafson-Sundell, Heidi J. Southworth, Evan Rusch

Library Services Publications

Do students read? What do they read? What kinds of information resources are most used by students? What subject areas are most used by students? What do they need from their library if they are going to complete assignments? How can the library plan ahead to meet student needs? The modern academic library is mostly online and highly data driven. The MSU Library Services Collection Management Technology team briefly demonstrated some of the tools they’ve developed to understand student needs. They showcased some of the instruments they’ve used to communicate collections plans to administration, as they’ve strategized to conform to …

Klik Klik Boom [Book Review], Sierra Schuman

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

This review covers Doug Warner's comic series Klik Klik Boom. The review discusses how the non-speaking protagonist is depicted, and there's also discussion of how post-traumatic stress manifests in the protagonist and a supporting character. The review also covers the plot and illustration of the comic.

Livingness As A Liberatory Framework For Decolonizing Lis Praxis, Sarah Appedu

School of Information Studies - Post-doc and Student Scholarship

The fields of library and information science (LIS) are in a pivotal moment. While the stakes may seem higher than ever, Indigenous, Black, and queer communities have long anticipated this moment, demonstrating how libraries and archives are not yet equipped to meaningfully participate in the project of decolonization. I build on existing calls for decolonization in our discourse and practices by drawing attention to the living/non-living dualism in our ontologies and the ways it constrains our ability to reconcile with our fields’ colonizing origins. I contemplate what it would mean to treat all information as endowed with a sense of …

Social Media Prevalence: Information Anxiety Among The Librarians: Survey Study, Muhammad Yousuf Ali, Wasim Shahid Khawaja

Libraries

Library and information professionals also use social media platforms through computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones due to the excessive use of social media and health issues faced by library professionals. The primary purpose of this paper is to bring up the issue of information overload and its impact on the professional lives of librarians. It is a quantitative study, and survey methodology is used as the data collection source. A total of 162 library professionals participated in this study. The findings of this study showed that excessive use of social media anxiety has effects on the health of library …

Leadership And Advocacy In Technical Services: A Conversation With Melanie Mcgurr, Christina Beis, Jessica Morales

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

Technical services in academic libraries are often misunderstood or not widely known, yet they play a critical role in supporting research, teaching, and discovery. As libraries evolve to meet the demands of digital collections, AI-assisted metadata, and inclusive cataloging practices, technical services professionals are at the forefront of these challenges and opportunities. In this interview, Melanie McGurr, Associate Dean of Collections and Technical Services at Michigan State University, shares insights from her career journey, discusses the most pressing issues in technical services, and offers advice for those considering a leadership role.

6 Essential Booth Library Updates For Fall 2025, Anna Nelson

Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Understanding Faculty Engagement With Transformative Publishing Agreements, Andrea Goldstein Shipper, Marlowe Bogino, Daniel G. Kipnis, Benjamin H. Saracco

Libraries Scholarship

Transformative agreements, also known as read and publish agreements, are a journal subscription model used to facilitate both access to scholarly content and Open Access (OA) publishing for researchers. The Rowan University Libraries (RUL) have adopted 17 of these agreements in addition to supporting an OA publishing fund. This research study aims to discover how the use of these agreements has influenced perceptions of OA publishing and publishing decisions of faculty.

Prrla Members Digital Preservation Landscape, Pin Pin Yeo, Suqing Liu, Pimnapa Amaritworachai

Research Collection Library

The research aimed to assess the current state of digital preservation practices among PRRLA (Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance) member libraries. A literature review on digital preservation in academic libraries was conducted. Information was gathered through surveys and interviews. focusing on policies, staffing, skills, funding, collection maintenance and services related to digital preservation. Additionally, the study explored the role of AI, and future trends in digital preservation. Challenges and best practices for sustainable digital preservation were highlighted.

Usa Libraries Newsletter - V. 1, No. 1 (Fall 2025), Usa Libraries

USA Libraries Newsletter

Library News

What’s new at USA Libraries?

Library Personnel News // Lorene Flanders

Welcome to Vivienne Auvil! // Gail Kouame

Fall Semester at the Marx Library // William Baker & Kaitlyn Moody

Fall Semester at the MCOB Library // Amia Baker

The Healing Arts Exhibition at the Biomedical Library // Gail Kouame

USA Libraries Hosts ACHE NAAL OER Conference // Lorene Flanders

Summer Seminar & Professional Development // Muriel Nero

USA Libraries & LifeSouth Celebrate a Milestone // Heather Hoven-Glass

McCall Library Public Tours // McCall Archives

In Memoriam: Robert “Robbie” Runderson // Ellen Wilson

Research Round-Up

Spotlighting library tips, …

The President's Column, Laura Slavin

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Interview With The Past President: Crystal Gates, Camille Mccutcheon

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Government Documents For All: Statistical Abstract Of The United States, Tim Dodge

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Member Spotlight: Paula Lenor Webb, Blair Jones

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Preserving The Poetic And The Ephemeral: Archiving The Summer Seminar Of The Arts, Samantha Mcneilly

The Southeastern Librarian

The Summer Seminar of the Arts Papers, housed at the Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) Library, document a lively and eclectic arts festival that took place in Montgomery, Alabama, from 1969 to 1983. The collection brings together correspondence, manuscripts, broadsides, and ephemera, including unexpected items such as a poem typed on aluminum foil, from some of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, including U.S. Poets Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winners. This article explores how archivists managed the unique challenges of processing a small literary collection filled with delicate and experimental materials. By blending standard archival practices with creative …

The Teaching Librarian's Role In College Reading, Lori Spradley

The Southeastern Librarian

Reading is an essential function for everything people learn. The main goal of reading is for readers to interpret, comprehend, and receive meaning from the text. Academic reading differs from standard reading. It is a complex form implemented throughout all subjects in higher educational institutions. Academic reading involves a detailed and critical approach, whereas standard reading is casual and typically involves briefly skimming over information. Students entering college are often unprepared to comprehend the complicated reading materials and manage the heavy reading load required for their class assignments. To be successful in college, students must understand different terminology and styles …

Postmortem: Understanding The Life And Death Of A Multi-Year Writing Program In An Academic Library, Catherine Bowers

The Southeastern Librarian

A shared interest in a month-long novel writing event inspired two reference and instruction librarians to develop a serialized program built around writing and research. Through leveraging resources and partnerships, the librarians planned to foster creativity and confidence in research writing skills within an ethos of community. This project relied on multiple forms of outreach and assessment with an intention that would be meaningful and valuable to the students. The goal from the beginning was to develop an event that incorporated the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, fit the library’s mission, …

Printz Award Titles In Mississippi Public Libraries: A Collection Analysis, Ally Watkins, Harley Rogers, Melissa Dennis

The Southeastern Librarian

The Michael L. Printz Award is presented annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) to recognize one book as the Printz Award winner and up to four books as Honor books. In areas of rapid growth like young adult (YA) publishing, librarians may add books recognized by an award as part of their collection development practice. The number of Printz Award winner and Honor books in a Mississippi library’s holdings can be viewed as a standard to see if Mississippi is falling behind or keeping up with trends in young adult publishing. Building on research completed for an …

Sela News, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

News From The States, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

University Of South Alabama Oa Week 2025 Promotional Fliers, Leesha Coleman, Jana Herrmann

Open Access Week 2025

Promotional fliers for presentations associated with International Open Access Week 2025 on the University of South Alabama campus.

Covid-19 Asian American Oral History Project: Reflecting On Identity And Oral History At A Community College, Thomas Cleary

Publications and Research

In this article, I share narrators’ stories from the Covid-19 Asian American Oral History Project based at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, to illustrate how Covid-19 and increased anti-Asian hate during the pandemic shaped Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) identities in Queens, New York. Narrators’ stories shed light on how Black Lives Matter impacted their own understanding of race and racialization, particularly as AAPI identity and race relate to the Model Minority Myth. This project also laid the groundwork to develop a broader oral history culture at the college, developing faculty pedagogy to incorporate oral history interviews and interviewing into …

Research On Identification And Evaluation Method Of Medical Experts' Expertise Domains In Online Health Community Based On Knowledge Graph, Yunjiang Xi, Qian Zhang, Man Li, Juan Yu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This study aims to identify the expertise domains of medical experts, and evaluates their domain levels to provide a basis for community expert recommendation.

[Method/process] This study utilized the improved OneRel model to structure community historical Q&A into entity relation triples. Then used the knowledge graph triples to test the consistency between the medical knowledge in the community Q&A and the domain knowledge, and finally obtained the doctor's domain levels by aggregating in each expertise domain.

[Result/conclusion] Using the data example from xywy.com website, 214 doctors in the community were ranked in terms of their average level of expertise …

Libraries And Human Trafficking: A Study Of New Jersey’S Public And Academic Library Engagement In Anti-Trafficking Efforts, Christabelle Robinson, Daniela Peterka-Benton

Articles, Presentations, and Reports

This study, conducted through the Global Center on Human Trafficking, explores the underexamined role of public and academic libraries in addressing human trafficking across the state of New Jersey. Despite limited formal guidance on their role in anti-trafficking efforts, libraries are increasingly acting as informal hubs for access to resources, education, and social service referrals. Through a statewide survey and qualitative responses from library professionals, this research examines how libraries are currently engaging in training, social work partnerships, programming, and public awareness initiatives. Findings reveal that while only a small percentage of libraries have received formal training, there is widespread …

Gonzaga Digital Scholarship & Publishing Newsletter, Fall 2025, Foley Center Library

Foley Library Publications

Volume 2 of the Digital Scholarship & Publishing Newsletter (formerly Gonzaga Institutional Repository Newsletter).

In this issue: 

• Learn about Pure Faculty Profiles
• Find out about the Digital Scholarship Lab @ Foley Library 
• Read about options for publishing OERs
• Explore how your department’s research and scholarship is represented in the IR
• Find out where to go for Copyright and Intellectual Property questions
• Data Management Plan consultations and options for support

When Old Meets New: Two Louisiana State University Outreach Librarians Build, Work, And Learn Together To Support Collaborative Student Engagement, Alia Kempton, Mitch Fontenot

Faculty Publications

In this essay, outreach librarians Mitch Fontenot (he/him), Louisiana State University, and Alia Kempton (she/her), Louisiana State University, Special Collections, reflect on their inaugural year of working together, highlighting key achievements, challenges, and growth that have marked their collaborative journey. They discuss how they established effective communication, built trust, and developed a shared understanding of goals and expectations. Additionally, they explore where they envision their partnership heading in the future, touching on long-term aspirations, potential areas for deeper collaboration, and the strategies they plan to implement to continue fostering a successful and productive working relationship.