Digital Commons Network^™

Altmetrics Is An Indication Of Quality Research Or Just Hot Topics, Chia Yew Boon, Joan Wee Jee Foon

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

With the widespread use of social media tools in the discovery, dissemination and discussion of research output, altmetric measurements are fast gaining popularity and they supplement the traditional research metrics by tracking the number of social mentions of research articles. In recent years, there a few such tools and they adopt different models and have different coverage. Publishers such as Scopus and PLoS have already incorporated altmetrics in their websites. This paper seeks to make sense of these available tools and evaluate their effectiveness. Do they identify quality research or just HOT topics? This paper also analyses most cited papers …

Collaboration Success In The Dataverse Libraries As Digital Humanities Research Partners, Sue Owen, Deb Verhoeven, Anne Horn, Sabina Robertson

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

At Deakin, the Humanities Networked Infrastructure project (HuNI), has paved new ground for facilitating the effective use and re-use of humanities research data. HuNI is one of the first large-scale eResearch infrastructure projects for the humanities in Australia and the first national, cross-disciplinary Virtual Laboratory (VL) worldwide.

HuNI provides new information infrastructure services for both humanities researchers and members of the public. Its development has been funded by the National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources project (NeCTAR) and undertaken by a consortium of thirteen institutions led by Deakin University. A Deakin University Library team with skills in data description, curation, …

Harnessing Open Internet Media Resources, Dorothea J. Coiffe

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Academic librarians support the efforts of teaching and learning at our institutions. Media librarians select and acquire media that support and enhance an instructors’ mission to accomplish their goals. Though the use of moving images for pedagogy is not new, wading through the myriad of online moving image websites is a daunting task. This paper will explore how one altruistic institution and a hard working librarian produced a shareable global open resource of a moving image/hypermedia hub. This community college media librarian’s hypermedia resource of moving image websites, which uses SpringShare’s Content Management System (CMS) as a platform, has continued …

Pragmatic And Cultural Considerations For Deception Detection In Asian Languages, Victoria L. Rubin

FIMS Publications

In hopes of sparking a discussion, I argue for much needed research on automated deception detection in Asian languages. The task of discerning truthful texts from deceptive ones is challenging, but a logical sequel to opinion mining. I suggest that applied computational linguists pursue broader interdisciplinary research on cultural differences and pragmatic use of language in Asian cultures, before turning to detection methods based on a primarily Western (English-centric) worldview. Deception is fundamentally human, but how do various cultures interpret and judge deceptive behavior?

Textual Appropriation And Attribution In Engineering Theses And Dissertations: An Exploratory Study, Edward J. Eckel

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This exploratory study seeks to build a clearer picture of the extent to which engineering graduate students use and attribute unquoted verbatim source text in the literature review sections of their theses and dissertations. In addition, it explores whether or not there are differences between master’s and doctoral engineering students in these patterns of copying and attribution and what this might indicate about their potential skill levels in source use.

The study asks the following research questions: (1) Do the literature review sections of engineering master's theses contain longer average verbatim text matches than the corresponding sections of engineering doctoral …

Privacy, Restriction, And Access: Legal And Ethical Dilemmas, Camila Z. Tessler

School of Information Student Research Journal

This paper examines the intersection of privacy and access in archival repositories. Archival repositories are well known for containing restricted material, and for protecting the privacy of the donors. This literature review examines the need for restricted material from both legal and ethical standpoints, as well as discussing culturally sensitive materials while determining what archives and libraries can do to protect both themselves and their donors while enhancing accessibility and freedom of information.

Beyond Assumptions: How Urban Students View And Practice Digital Literacies In And Out Of School, Storey Mecoli

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

This qualitative, ethnographic case study investigates digital literacy practices and perceptions of students at an urban public high school in the Boston metropolitan area comprising a racially, ethnically, linguistically, and economically diverse student body, an under-studied demographic. The study compares in-school and out-of-school literacy practices and posits the role schools might play in preparing learners. The study examines digital literacy practices among student based on information gathered through focus groups, survey methods, and interviews. Three controlling questions guided the study:

1. What digital literacy practices are students in Washington High School engaging in outside of school?
2. What purposes do these youth …

Library Portal 2.0: The Social Research Management System, Apostolos Koutropoulos

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

Library 2.0 (L2) has been discussed in depth in library circles in recent years. This article looks at L2 initiatives and technology implementation with regard to L2 and proposes a reboot, repositioning the library portal as a Social Research Management System (SRMS). This SRMS adheres to the L2 principles of purposeful, user-driven, library services. The SRMS is envisioned as the center of academic research and activity at universities, not as a peripheral tool. Creating a new generation library portal (the SRMS) is a group endeavor, thus by utilizing both on-campus and peer resources, the realization of the faceted, modularized, SRMS …

Assessing Information Literacy Competency Of Arts Faculty Students At The University Of Dhaka, Md. Maidul Islam, Md. Anisur Rahman

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The prime aim of this study is to assess Information Literacy Competency (ILC) of the Arts faculty students at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and to determine their strengths and weaknesses. In general it was found that students had limited skills in the area of information literacy, as it is not discussed extensively in their academic course curriculum. This study urges the incorporation of an information literacy program in the course curriculum and more writing, discussion and other relevant issues that will make the students more information literate. The findings of this study show Arts faculty students agree that information …

Mapping The Social Sciences Landscape: A Way Forward, David A. Pendlebury

Library Events

The use of bibliometric data for the analysis of research performance in the social sciences presents significant challenges, especially in some fields whose publication patterns differ markedly from the sciences. For example, the book literature is a more important vehicle for scholarly communication in many social sciences fields than it is in the sciences and, therefore, should not be excluded from examination. A brief review of this and other issues will be presented as well as those that affect attempts to map research activity in the social sciences. Mapping the specialty and higher-level structure of scholarly research and detecting changes …

Using The Web 1t 5-Gram Database For Attribute Selection In Formal Concept Analysis To Correct Overstemmed Clusters, Guymon Hall

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Information retrieval is the process of finding information from an unstructured collection of data. The process of information retrieval involves building an index, commonly called an inverted file. As part of the inverted file, information retrieval algorithms often stem words to a common root. Stemming involves reducing a document term to its root. There are many ways to stem a word: affix removal and successor variety are two common categories of stemmers. The Porter Stemming Algorithm is a suffix removal stemmer that operates as a rule-based process on English words. We can think of stemming as a way to cluster …

Librarians’ Views On Critical Theories And Critical Practices, Robert Schroeder, Christopher V. Hollister

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This study was conducted to investigate levels of familiarity that librarians have with critical theory, to determine the extent to which it informs professional practices, and to examine how the social justice issues related to critical theory inform the practices of librarians who are unfamiliar with it. A survey found that librarians were versed not only in the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, but also in poststructuralism, feminism, queer theory, critical race theory, and postcolonialism. Many librarians, lacking familiarity with critical theory, were also shown to be concerned with social justice and these issues significantly affect these librarians’ professional …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Religious Non-Fiction Collections Of A Public Library And A Christian Church Library, Tanya C. Bolton

SLIS Connecting

The purpose of this study is to compare the religious non-fiction collection of a public library (Natchitoches Parish Library) with the religious non-fiction collection of a Christian church library (First Baptist Church, Natchitoches) focusing on those books classified in the 200s of the Dewey Decimal Classification system. The two libraries that are the focus of this study are located directly across the street from each other. By uncovering strengths and weaknesses of each collection and pinpointing areas of overlap, the staff of the two libraries may be able to use the findings to identify ways in which they may be …

The Anchor, Volume 127.23: April 16, 2014, Hope College

The Anchor: 2014

The Anchor began in 1887 and was first issued weekly in 1914. Covering national and campus news alike, Hope College’s student-run newspaper has grown over the years to encompass over two-dozen editors, reporters, and staff. For much of The Anchor's history, the latest issue was distributed across campus each Wednesday throughout the academic school year (with few exceptions). In recent years The Anchor moved to monthly print issues and a more frequently updated website. The Anchor is now published in print twice per academic semester. Occasionally, the volume and/or issue numbering is irregular.

Lanthorn, Vol. 48, No. 54, April 3, 2014, Grand Valley State University

Volume 48, July 1, 2013 - June 2, 2014

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

The Faculty Notebook, April 2014, Provost's Office

Faculty Notebook

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost.

Building A Library For A Non-Profit Organization: A Success Story, Li Chen

Georgia Library Quarterly

In this article, the author shared the experience of building a library for a non-profit organization.

Spring 2014, Gla Glq

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

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Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

From The Reference Desk: Reviews Of Reference Titles, Tom Gilson

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Production And Consumption: A Closer Look At Adult Digital Literacy Acquisition, Gloria Jacobs, Jill Castek, Drew Pizzolato, Stephen Reder, Kimberly D. Pendell

Presentations and Publications

In this column, the authors discuss emerging research in the field of adult digital literacy acquisition. The authors argue that the field of adult digital literacy acquisition has been under researched, especially in relation to multiliteracies and multimodal literacy practices. Data emerging from a large scale mixed methods study of adults engaged with Learner Web, a selfaccess online learning system, indicate that opportunities to engage in tutor-facilitated digital literacy acquisition, among populations that have been historically left out of the digital revolution, has the potential to change lives. Additionally, the research provides insights into the shifts learners undergo as they …

Lanthorn, Vol. 48, No. 52, March 27, 2014, Grand Valley State University

Volume 48, July 1, 2013 - June 2, 2014

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

A History Of Collaboration, A Future In Crowdsourcing: Positive Impacts Of Cooperation On British Librarianship, Sally Ellis

Library Staff Publications and Research

This article looks at the varying definitions and usage of the term ‘crowdsourcing,’ including those that insist the term may only be applied to online activities. An argument is made that, semantics aside, the activities known as crowdsourcing, collaboration, and/or citizen science, were in use long before the current online medium was invented and should be recognized not for the terminology employed but for the mutual benefits reaped. The article addresses the strengths of such activities, including user engagement, the accomplishment of tasks otherwise not possible because of budget cuts, and diversity of viewpoint. In addition, the possible weaknesses of …

A Genealogy Of The Lesbian Herstory Archives, 1974-2014, Rachel F. Corbman

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This paper traces the collection development of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, a community based repository founded in 1974. I argue that the collection grew organically as a reflection of a dialogue between an evolving cohort of volunteer archivists and a community of donors. Primarily focusing on the first five years, this paper pinpoints key early decisions made by volunteer archivists. Specifically, I examine the Archives’ early collecting priorities and the introduction of the special collections in 1978. These decisions, I argue, laid the foundation for the Lesbian Herstory Archives and continue to shape it today, forty years later.

Community As Resource: Crowdsourcing Transcription Of An Historic Newspaper., Caroline Daniels, Terri L. Holtze, Rachel I. Howard, Randy Kuehn

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Like many cultural heritage institutions, the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Louisville faces the dichotomy of material abundance and budgetary scarcity. Driven by the desire to make historical primary sources accessible online, this organization harnessed the power of the public to transcribe the Louisville Leader, an historic African American newspaper. The first sections of this article define crowdsourcing and describe how it was implemented at the University of Louisville, including the tools adopted and the process used. The latter sections outline the marketing strategy, the public response, and lessons learned from this ongoing project.

Discovering Jewish Studies Collections In Academic Libraries: A Practical Guide, Izabella Taler

Publications and Research

The U.S. colleges and universities offering non-sectarian educational programs in Jewish Studies rely on the support of their academic libraries for research materials and library services. For college libraries which use Library of Congress Classification scheme, it is a common practice to integrate "studies" resources into their general library collections. Since Jewish Studies sources span a vast number of subjects within all major disciplines, shelving integration leads to the dispersion of all relevant sources and such dispersion in turn leads to a variety of problems for library professionals and library users. For collection development librarians the problems range from lack …

Claremont Colleges Faculty Survey (Fall 2013), M. Sara Lowe, Char Booth, Maria Savova

Library Staff Publications and Research

This survey was designed to gauge the Claremont Colleges faculty’s familiarity with, use of, and views about two areas: a) Library educational services / Information Literacy competencies, and b) Library collections.

Claremont Colleges Library Faculty Library Survey Summary Report: 2014, M. Sara Lowe, Char Booth, Maria Savova

Library Staff Publications and Research

This report highlights findings from the Fall 2013 Faculty Library Survey with information from the Fall 2012 Ithaka survey included where relevant. The Fall 2012 Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey focused broadly on research and teaching practices as well as the "dissemination, collecting, discovery, and access of research and teaching materials. The Fall 2013 Faculty Library survey was designed to gauge the Claremont Colleges faculty’s familiarity with, use of, and views about: a) Library educational services; b) student’s Information Literacy (IL) competencies; and c) Library collections. Both the Fall 2012 Ithaka and Fall 2013 Faculty Library surveys represent aspects of a …

A Literature Review Of The Role Of Libraries In The Provision Of Information Towards The Attainment Of The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (Mdgs) In Nigeria, Glory Onoyeyan, Odunola I. Adesina

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this paper was to highlight the role of libraries in the provision of information towards the attainment of the United Nation Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) in Nigeria. With the methodology of simple literature review, the paper made efforts to review related literature on libraries’ role in the provision of information for development. The relationship between libraries and the Millennium Development Goals was also discussed. Suggestions were proffered on ways libraries can contribute to the achievement of the MDGs. The challenges faced by libraries were also highlighted. Based on the review of literature, the paper provided some recommendations.

How Do Researchers Define Their Data Lifecycle And What Can We Learn From Their Definitions?, Jake R. Carlson

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This poster presents a comparison of the data lifecycles of 32 researchers as articulated by researchers themselves. Similarities and differences between the stages within these data lifecycles are noted and implications for data service providers are discussed.

A critical element of providing data services is developing a thorough understanding of the nature of the data being produced by researchers. Data lifecycle models are being developed by organizations providing data services as a means to communicate with researchers and other stakeholders who would make use of these services. The test of an effective data lifecycle model is its ability to resonate …