Digital Commons Network^™

Too Warm To Win Big? Unpacking The Backer Dynamics Behind Female Crowdfunding Success Using A Warmth And Competence Perspective, Dan Liu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

While crowdfunding is often heralded as a democratized funding avenue that empowers women with higher success rates, this study reveals a more nuanced picture of gender dynamics. The Stereotype Content Model suggests that women are often perceived as warmer but less competent. Using a large dataset from Kickstarter, we find that female-led projects can attract more backers, likely due to warmth-driven appeal, but receive smaller average contributions, potentially due to concerns about risk linked to lower perceived competence. However, the total funding raised by female-led campaigns is comparable to that of male-led ones, showing no clear advantage or disadvantage. This …

Online Community Dynamics: An Analysis Using Louvain During Major Sporting Events, Anushka Jaint, Yashodhan Karulkar, Kashish Jindal, Sri Sai Harshita Gadavarthi, Sanya Gulati

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

With the power of social media transforming the way people connect and interact with each other, the dynamics of community formation on platforms such as X during major events are of crucial importance. While social media is an increasingly key driver in determining interactions, little is known about the online influence forming and developing fan communities in high-stakes events. This study looks into the development of user communities for datasets drawn from Kaggle on two of the world’s largest sporting events: the FIFA World Cup 2022, or football, and the T20 World Cup 2022, or cricket, with the aim of …

Educators' Uses Of Social Capital In K-12 Book Challenges, Danielle E. Sachdeva, Sue C. Kimmel

STEMPS Faculty Publications

In this case study, we apply understandings of social capital informed by Pierre Bourdieu and Nan Lin to analyze how seven educators used their capital to navigate book censorship incidents in K-12 public schools. Our findings indicate that participants often used social capital to meet expressive goals, such as seeking support from others, and less often to meet instrumental goals like advocating for policies and legislation in support of students’ intellectual freedom. These findings have implications for practitioners, school administrators, and university faculty, especially now as an unprecedented number of books is being challenged in public institutions throughout the U.S.

Peacock Competency Model For Online Library Instruction, Rebeca Peacock

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Academic librarians are an integral part of academia offering niche expertise that benefits faculty and students alike. But they often lack specific guidance on developing competencies for the online teaching that is increasingly expected of them. This article addresses the lack of field specific guidance for academic librarians' online teaching by proposing a competency model grounded in expert practice. The study used semi-structured interviews with 18 academic librarians to address this gap asking: what knowledge, skills, and attitudes are needed for academic librarians to be successful in providing effective online library instruction?

New Resource: Psyctests, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

APA PsycTESTS is now available through the TMC Library. Each record includes detailed test information, permissions for use, and—when available—full-text tests and supporting documentation.

Early Stem Impressions, Student Engagement, And Readiness For Digitalization, Myron Sheu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines how early impressions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) shape business students’ learning behaviors and, ultimately, their readiness for organizational digitalization. Focusing on gender differences, subgroup identities, and perceived obstacles, the analysis uses survey data processed through correlation matrices, regression models, and subgroup heatmaps to trace the relationship between initial attitudes toward STEM and subsequent engagement patterns. The findings reveal consistent links between positive early impressions and active participation in structured STEM activities, along with gender-based distinctions in action preferences. Subgroup analyses further uncover nuanced patterns where stereotypes or perceived barriers correspond with reduced engagement. Collectively, …

The Crowdfunding Paradox In Crisis: Rising Funder Demand Vs. Declining Entrepreneur Supply, Dan Liu, Guangzhi Shang, Cynthia Fan Yang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study investigates how the crowdfunding marketplace responds to major crises, focusing on behavioral shifts among funders and entrepreneurs. Results show a dual impact on platform dynamics. On the demand side, funders become more engaged, with notable increases in the number of backers, average contributions, and total pledge amounts. This heightened activity suggests stronger altruistic motivations, as individuals view crowdfunding as a way to support others during difficult times. On the supply side, however, entrepreneurs act more cautiously, leading to a decline in new project launches. This drop likely reflects increased risk aversion and uncertainty as creators navigate volatile conditions. …

Archives And Children's Knowledge, Elliott Kuecker, Ashley Rockenbach

Publications and Research

This article argues for the importance of collecting works created by children—not just about and not just for—in formal archival collections. Framed through the ideas of legitimate knowledge and epistemic injustice, this piece combines notions important to children’s rights activists and childhood studies scholars with the role archives can play in preserving children’s knowledge through child-created materials. The authors describe how researchers struggle to find work created by children within archives, impacting the ability to create child-centered research that centers children’s views of the world as prominently as adult views of the world. Some collections that do include child-created materials …

Toward A Centralized Cross Domain Database For Reproducibility And Replicability Studies, Rochana R. Obadage, Sarah Rajtmajer, Jian Wu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Reproducibility and replicability (R&R) are structural properties of scientific knowledge, yet existing R&R evidence remains fragmented across domains and initiatives. We present an ongoing effort to develop a centralized, cross-domain database of R&R studies that links published works to their corresponding R&R attempts and supporting assessments. Bibliographic metadata and title-based matching through scholarly indexing services identify canonical records and persistent identifiers. A heuristic, uncertainty-aware matching algorithm supports intra-source and inter-source deduplication, complemented by manual review of ambiguous cases. A unified schema accommodates heterogeneous assessment frameworks and records original studies, R&R studies, assessments, aggregated summaries, and source provenance. The database currently …

Cisheterosexism In Lgbtqia+ Health Resource Guides, Vanessa Kitzie, Olivia Reed, Amirezza Kalantari

Faculty Publications

Cisheterosexism in LGBTQIA+ Health Resource Guides Vanessa Kitzie, Amirezza Kalantari, Olivia Reed University of South Carolina, School of Information Science [email protected] Limited healthcare resources lead many LGBTQIA+ people to peer networks, often accessed via search engines to find community-created health resource websites [1–3]. Academic library guides benefit privileged LGBTQIA+ identities [4], but little is known about community guides, which may reinforce cisheterosexist narratives, causing stigma and stress [5, 6]. This study addresses this gap by scraping Google results for LGBTQIA+ health resources across US states, examining how cisheterosexism shapes health topics, geography, and representation of LGBTQIA+ populations. We hypothesize that …

Examining Challenges For Sociology Master’S Degree Students At California State University, David Ortuno

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the lived experiences of CSU sociology graduate students pursuing a master’s degree. Seven sociology graduate students from six of the eight (75%) total sociology MA programs throughout the entire CSU system were interviewed. Their responses were designed to analyze the support systems and challenges they face while pursuing a master's degree, as well as to investigate whether their experiences correlate with or fail to correlate with the promises in the CSU mission statement, and to answer the study’s research questions and achieve the purpose of this qualitative study.

Four themes emerged from …

Making The Case For Open Dental Education, Casey D. Wright, Pamela P. Smalley, Fanny Eliza Bondah, Jennifer L. Lehto, Tonia Morley, Danelle Orange, Elisabeta Karl, Royce Kimmons

Library Faculty Research and Publications

Dental education as a field and dentistry as a profession are facing significant challenges, including workforce shortages, ever-rising costs, unmet student and community needs, as well as quality of pedagogical practices. Open educational resources are learning objects that are freely accessible and are able to be retained, reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed under the philosophy of more openness and sharing. While some efforts are being made to address the aforementioned concerns, the prospects of more readily welcoming and adopting open education have not been discussed as a potential means of alleviating these barriers. Here, we expound on some of the …

School Library Professionals’ Perspectives On Current And Future Workforce Challenges, Margaret Kristin Merga, Saiyidi Mat Roni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

While school library professionals work across many nations, supporting student learning and wellbeing, there is limited current research capturing shared issues faced by this educational workforce. The International School Library Workforce Survey collected insights from 971 respondents across 63 countries derived from analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings suggest that in an international context, school library professionals are experiencing notable issues that impact upon their morale and their ability to enact their professional roles. Respondents were more likely to disagree then agree that school library professionals were typically valued in their country. While the vast majority of respondents …

(Re-)Developing A Library Faculty Mentoring Program, Curtis L. Kendrick, Sasha Frizzell

Library Scholarship

This article examines the redevelopment of a faculty mentoring program in a large academic library, situating it within the broader literature on academic librarianship and mentoring. It traces historical developments, innovative models, and psychosocial dimensions of mentoring, while presenting a case study from a northeastern R1 university library. A key contribution of this work is its focus on organizational readiness: the alignment of mentoring program design with institutional culture, faculty preparedness, and administrative capacity. The article emphasizes the importance of intentional matching, role clarity, and sustainability as essential elements for successful mentoring, and argues that mentoring should be viewed as …

Milner Library Annual Report, 2026, Milner Library, Illinois State University

Reports and White Papers - Milner Library

2025 annual report for Milner Library, Illinois State University.

Can An Experienced Qualitative Researcher Distinguish Ai From Human Qualitative Content Analysis?, Alexandra T. Lucas, Jianna Ramos, Maria Bajwa, Aaron Calhoun, Mark W. Scerbo, Janice C. Palaganas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly embedded in research workflows. Large language models (LLMs) are being used to code segments of text, organise codes into themes and interpret patterns within contexts. Recent comparisons between human and AI analyses demonstrate up to 80% thematic overlap, yet humans consistently exhibit deeper interpretive integration and contextual understanding. This study assesses whether experienced researchers can distinguish between entirely human-generated and AI-generated qualitative content analyses of a simulation debriefing.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative descriptive study comparing human-generated qualitative content analysis (QCA) with ChatGPT-4o-generated QCA using a single focus group transcript on emotion management …

The State Of Funding For Curriculum Materials Centers And Collections, Caitlin Stewart, Jenelle Johnson

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, researchers analyzed whether there was a correlation between education student enrollment and curriculum materials center/collection (CMC) budget across eighty universities in the United States. Findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between those variables, although the relationship is weak. Universities with large education programs tend to have better-funded CMCs; however, variability across institutions is still significant. Findings suggest that many university CMCs may be comparatively underfunded based on student enrollment in education and historical trends.

Availability And Utilization Of School Library Resources And Its Impacts On The Academic Excellence Of Secondary School Students In Edo State., Iyobosa Ewere Mrs., Ben Asuquo, Glory Mbah Mrs.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examines availability, and utilization of school library resources and its impacts on the academic excellence in secondary school libraries in Edo state. The descriptive survey research was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 2162 senior secondary school students from Idia Girls’ College, Boiling Point Academy and UNIBEN Demonstration Secondary School. The sampling techniques used for the study was Random Sampling Technique, a total of 216 respondents was used as the sample size representing 10% of the total population. A well structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to respondents .A total of 216 copies of …

Library Support For Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs) In The Philippines: The Case Of American Corners, Princess Grace Wooden, Darin Jan Tindowen

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the role of libraries in supporting Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the Philippines, with particular focus on American Corners as library-based learning spaces. Grounded in the increasing demand for flexible and accessible education, the study aimed to assess the readiness of American Corner libraries and determine the extent of MOOC implementation, as well as examine the relationship between these variables. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was employed, involving 28 American Corner staff composed of directors and librarians from 14 participating institutions. Data were collected using a validated survey questionnaire and analyzed through frequency, percentage, weighted mean, …

Third Place And Nostalgia In Postcolonial Jakarta: Adaptive Reuse Of Cikini Post Office, Ade Ariyani Sari Fajarwati, Mochamad Aviandy

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The transformation of space in postcolonial cities extends beyond the restoration of old buildings; it involves cultural practices that reshape collective memory and identity. Through adaptive reuse, colonial-era heritage spaces are revitalised as social hubs. This study examines Post Kantoor cafe, a former colonial post office turned into a “third place” within urban spatial culture. Using qualitative methods—visual observation, spatial documentation, and a literature review—the study finds that nostalgic aesthetics, evident in antique artefacts, colonial atmospheres, and curated visuals, foster emotional connections across generations and social classes. More than a site of consumption, the cafe becomes a space for dialogue, …

Roblox As Open Text: Identity, Meaning, And Ideology Through Eco’S Semiotics, Yuyus Rustandi, Nanang Sutisna

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This study examines Roblox as a digital cultural space that constructs and represents adolescent identity through Umberto Eco's semiotic approach. Roblox functions not only as a game platform but also as an open text comprising visual signs, social symbols, and complex narratives. This studi is based on a literature review from nine prior empirical studies, this research analyzes how avatars, virtual environments, Robux economy, and user communities shape diverse systems of meaning. Findings show that Roblox serves as a site for identity construction, simulation of social values, and reproduction of dominant discourses such as capitalism and gender performance. The study …

The Silent Witness: The Journey Of Celibacy In The Life Of Diocesan Clergy Of Pagadian, Jumar T. Lague, Enrique C. Tapanan, Raven M. Leyte, Jinggle C. Selgas

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Celibacy is a defining vow in the life of Catholic priests, requiring thorough preparation and ongoing commitment. While celibacy enables priests to devote themselves fully to ministry, it also presents challenges that can influence their fidelity to priesthood. This study aimed to explore how Catholic priests experience, sustain, and interpret their vow of celibacy within their ministry. Using a transcendental phenomenological design, ten diocesan priests from Pagadian, representing junior, middle, and senior clergy, were purposively selected and interviewed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, validated with participant feedback, and analyzed thematically while bracketing researcher biases. The findings reveal that priests …

Unseen Bias: How Ai Shapes Religious Narratives In Digital Spaces, Hilman Nurjaman, Achmed Faiz Yudha Siregar, Jasmine Rizky El Yasinta

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

This study explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping religious narratives in digital spaces, particularly on social media platforms and AI chatbots. Using sentiment analysis and qualitative content analysis, this research examines religious discourse in Indonesia, focusing on the impact of AI-driven content personalization, such as 'filter bubbles' and 'echo chambers'. The findings indicate that AI algorithms reinforce religious biases, intensifying polarization and discrimination, especially between majority and minority religious groups. The study also highlights the socio-political factors influencing these dynamics, including identity politics, historical religious tensions, and conservative social norms. This research emphasizes the need for a …

Attitudes And Perception Of Lis Students Towards Artificial Intelligence(Ai), Shahzadi Humbhi, Shabbir Tareen, Alia Humbhi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Artificial Intelligence refers to computer systems that can think and behave like humans. It is becoming essential in the education system as it has the potential to transform the way of teaching and learning in an academic environment. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate LIS students' attitudes and perceptions of AI, as well as how these technologies benefit their academic performance. The study also identified barriers that LIS students confront when adopting AI tools. For this purpose, a survey questionnaire was designed to assess students' knowledge and attitudes concerning AI, as well as its applications to improve academic performance. …

Ischool Student Research Journal, Vol.15, Iss.2

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Supporting Literacy And The Scholarly Conversation Through Understanding Apa Citation Style, Vanessa Sztym

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Research And The Information Landscape, Libby Wheeles, Helena Marvin

Open Educational Resources Collection

This open textbook accompanies the University of Missouri-St. Louis class INTDSC 1010: Research and the Information Landscape. Intended for undergraduates new to academic research, the course covers practical search and evaluation skills as well as a basic introduction to the world of scholarly communication. In Fall 2025, the course’s learning objectives were:

1. Evaluate whether a source is appropriate for college-level research.
2. Navigate library search tools to find relevant results and improve research efficiency.
3. Analyze the goals and limitations of non-library tools in the research landscape.
4. Explain the basic history and current broad practices of scholarly communication.
5. Contribute to a small-scale …

How To Describe A Massacre? A Collaborative Metadata Justice Project, Bailey Hoffner, Eugene Albin, Jennifer Watson, Jay Shorten, Jacquelyn Slater Reese, Todd Fuller, Karie Antell

Collaborative Librarianship

Throughout the summer of 2020 and into the following fall, a cross-unit working group at the University of Oklahoma Libraries (OU Libraries) collaborated to compile and submit a proposal to change the Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) Tulsa Race Riot, Tulsa, Okla., 1921 to Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Okla., 1921. The working group members situated this project in the context of the metadata justice movement, which seeks to correct problematic descriptions. They also see this proposal as part of the broader work undertaken over many decades by Tulsa activists and community leaders. This successful proposal required working group …

Archivist, Subject Librarian, And Education Faculty Collaboration: Co-Instruction In History Of Education Classes, Laura Cameron, Kara Flynn

Collaborative Librarianship

In many academic libraries, primary source instruction happens in a vacuum, and students don’t always make connections between the skills they learn in a primary source instruction session and skills they may have already learned in information literacy-focused library instruction that they have participated in previous courses. This case study describes the design and objectives of an instructional partnership formed between an Education & Engagement Archivist, Education Librarian, and History of Education professor at a public, four-year university. The Education & Engagement Archivist and Education Librarian worked in tandem to develop interconnected lesson plans, allowing the Education & Engagement Archivist …

December 2025 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean’S Office Communications Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the December 2025 (Volume 4, Issue 5) Library & Learning Newsletter.