Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Information - Verifying The Credibility Of Sources, Sandra Teft

Handouts

This in-class assignment was designed for students in a WRT 150 course. The purpose was to get students thinking about the credibility of different sources types, evaluating them based on the criteria presented.

Destined To Fail [Book Review], Jessica Schomberg

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

A deep dive into the eugenical ideas that grounded the work of influential educator and psychologist Carl E. Seashore. While Seashore was working a century ago, the author demonstrates how his ideas continue to influence education today.

Crawling Is More Fun With Friends: Active University Web Archiving Through Cross-Campus Collaboration, Ruth E. Bryan, Andrew Mcdonnell

Library Presentations

Between 2023-2024, staff of the University Archives at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center (Lexington, Kentucky, United States) reviewed the sustainability of our web archiving program. Preserving our institution’s vast web presence is technologically demanding, requires ongoing specialized expertise, and is underfunded. It is also absolutely necessary: If university archives do not determine how to sustainably acquire, preserve, and provide access to online documents, we will suffer (and already have experienced) significant gaps in our understanding of the university’s actions, events, and decisions. We used Kristin R. Eschenfelder, et al.’s “nine dimensional framework for digital cultural heritage …

Taming The Chaos: Strategies For Streamlining Library Work In An Interruption-Driven World, Melanie S. Brasher, Amanda K. Izenstark

Public Services Faculty Presentations

Library workers often can’t follow the typical productivity advice doled out by productivity experts. In a job that is essentially managing ongoing interruptions with the added bonus of needing to describe what you’ve accomplished to numerous stakeholders, how can you keep track of what you do, what you need to do, and what you need to know? Join this session for some examples of frameworks and connect with others to tame the chaos that is modern library work. Due to the size of this topic, we will poll attendees live in order to choose the topics of greatest interest to …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 06, October 27, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

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

Brewed Connections: Bringing Early Career Librarians Together Through Virtual Coffee Chats, Brandon Kennedy, Brianna Hales, Samantha Nunn, Sarah Villere, Alex Henigman

Library Staff Publications

Early Career Librarians (ECLs) thrive on collaboration, informal exchange, and community elements that have been challenged by remote and hybrid work. In response, an ECL task force developed and implemented a monthly Virtual Coffee Chat project aimed at fostering informal nationwide connections among ECLs and Library and Information Science (LIS) students interested or involved in health sciences. Hosts provided discussion prompts while also fostering an open forum to discuss challenges and current events such as: AI, systematic reviews, faculty conversations, organizational structures, and training challenges. This poster presents the design, launch, and impact of the ongoing Virtual Coffee Chat project. …

Demystifying Research Reviews, Sandra Y. Desjardins, Jennifer Stockton, Madison Hastings

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Feeling lost in a sea of research articles? Unsure which studies you can trust to inform your work?

In this 30-minute session, we'll demystify the world of research reviews, teaching you how to quickly and confidently navigate the literature like a pro. You'll move beyond feeling overwhelmed and become a research detective, equipped to find and evaluate the best evidence.

Kindness In Action: Leveraging Qualitative Data To Assess And Enhance A Library's Physical And Digital Space, Jennie Tobler-Gaston, Lori Schwartz

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library has a history of conducting kindness audits that evaluate our physical space. The “Kindness Audit” has been an internal effort to reflect on how welcoming, accessible, and responsive our library environment is to all who use it. In Fall 2024, a working group reimagined this effort with a broadened lens: incorporating the physical space, the welcoming atmosphere, and the usability of the library website.

This presentation outlines the process and purpose of this updated audit. We designed and distributed a qualitative observation paper survey for our physical …

Tracking Removed And At-Risk Government Information, Molly Blake, Sanga Sung, Ben Amata, Jenny Mcburney

SJSU Open Access Conference

The current U.S. administration is intentionally undermining public access to information as well as scholarly research by removing documents, reports, datasets, images, and language from government websites. In doing so, this administration is withholding publicly-funded information that we have a right to access, including data from government-sponsored research, historical information about marginalized groups, and speech transcripts. In removing these materials, the government is also deliberately sabotaging research related to topics it does not like, such as LGBTQ health, COVID, and climate change.

It is difficult to grasp the scope of this problem: how do we know when something is gone, …

Navigating Nih’S Revised Public Access Policy: On-The-Ground Experiences From Librarians And Researchers, Anneliese Taylor, Katie Fortney, Tim Vollmer

SJSU Open Access Conference

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) rolled out its revised Public Access Policy on July 1, 2025, in accordance with the 2022 Office of Science and Technology Policy Nelson Memo. The Nelson Memo calls on all U.S. federal funders to implement a policy requiring immediate public access to published articles and supporting datasets resulting from federal grants. On the surface, NIH’s new policy is a public good, ensuring that federally funded research outputs will no longer be held back from public access for 12 months after publication. But the implementation mechanisms of this new policy for researchers and publishers …

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 …

Who Let The Dogs In? Hosting A Therapy Dog Event At Your Library, Bradley P. Tolppanen, Janice Derr

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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 …

"Appalachian Pop Culture Fairs", Heather A. Lauer

Librarian Research

This presentation explores the development, impact, and challenges of pop culture conventions in West Virginia and the implications on the broader Appalachian region. Through in-depth interviews with organizers of eight regional conventions—including HerdCon, Tsubasacon, Causeacon, and the Mothman Festival— Lauer examined the motivations behind organizing such events, the cultural and logistical hurdles faced, and the personal and communal rewards experienced by those involved. By investigating how these events foster community, promote regional tourism, and provide inclusive spaces for fandoms, the presentation highlights the importance of pop culture in shaping identity and engagement in rural Appalachia. Special attention is given to …

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 …

Rehearsing For Future Scholarship: A Literature Review Elective For Medical Students, Jenny Mills, Sarah Keil

Library Faculty Scholarship

Objective This poster presents a four-week literature review elective for medical students, co-designed and co-taught by library and medical faculty. We will share course materials, including session topics, readings, assignments, and feedback from both instructors and students.

Methods The elective was first offered in June 2025 and taught by two library faculty members, one basic science faculty member, and one clinical faculty member. Five rising second year medical students enrolled, working in two groups to develop focused research questions and complete review protocols within the four-week time frame. Instruction emphasized literature review methodology, particularly systematic approaches applicable across review types. …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 05, October 6, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

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

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.

Open Access Week: What's New In Open Access Publishing At Utrgv, William Flores

University Library Publications and Presentations

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, …

Incorporating The Framework Into The Music History Curriculum, Or, How To Not Teach The Same Thing Three Times In One Day, Lina Sheahan

Library Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.