Digital Commons Network^™

Library Services For Patrons Experiencing Homelessness: An Examination Of Three Urban Libraries, Jason Lefebvre, Mlis

SLIS Connecting

The need to consider the most equitable way to provide services to people experiencing homelessness must also be balanced by how these services will affect staff in their daily duties. What can realistically be expected from a staff member when dealing with more complex social service issues? At times, the staff is tasked with answering questions that may fall outside their education and training. It is necessary to establish which needs in the community can successfully be provided by someone with an educational or professional background relating primarily to the Library and Information Science field, and which are better facilitated …

Redefining Reference Services In The 21st Century, Johanna Tunon

School of Information Student Research Journal

The role of reference services in libraries has evolved significantly in the 21st century, driven by technological advancements and changing user needs. This paper explores how reference services have transitioned from traditional, desk-centric interactions to encompass a wide array of platforms and tools, including digital innovations and generative AI. The decline in reference transactions has prompted librarians to adapt, shifting focus towards more complex consultations and instructional roles, while also navigating the blurred boundaries between reference assistance and formal instruction. The paper also examines the updated definitions and limitations of reference services by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), …

Neo-Documentation’S “Copernican Revolution” Upon Information Science, Ronald E. Day

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The article discusses neo-documentation's "Copernican Revolution" upon information science from the aspect of Heideggerian phenomenology and a documentality of relation and emergence.

Conversations On Cultural Heritage: Confirming The Family Home As An Archive, Vanessa Reyes, Vanessa Irvin

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Family archives, as repositories of cultural heritage, play a crucial role in preserving multi-generational knowledge. The family is the first collaborative unit in which community memory-keeping is operationalized. The family home is an archive or library of data for generations of family members living through historical movements, patterns of migration, and technological advancement. Thus, 'home' is a data-rich repository of local history. Memory-keeping tasks, such as recording events in family Bibles and maintaining photo albums, scrapbooks, and journals, are multi-generational literacy practices. The stories within a family archive endure, but the narrators may change over time. Archiving family cultural heritage …

Space And Context: Exploration Of Information Experience And Document Experience, Carrie A. Boettcher

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This paper explores documents that are recorded and cataloged, but the original is a one-of-a-kind phenomenon that only exists once. It ponders where information ends, and document begins and the concepts of space and context that contribute to the shape or structure of the document. Specifically, the confidential counseling session, only experienced by the individuals present during the session, repeated but not duplicated, and how information and documents contribute to understanding of the counseling session.

Modeling Context And The Characteristica Universalis, John Kausch

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This paper proposes prototypes for the exploration of the context of terms in a knowledge organization system by visualizing machine learning produced word embeddings. It puts this work in the context of the search for a universal language, typified by Leibniz’s characteristica universalis. This tradition of the search for universal languages is put in the context of universalizing tendencies in taxonomic classification in library and information science. Following this there is a discussion of the use of machine learning models to represent context. These two concerns inform the construction of prototypes for exploring the contextual spaces produced by word embeddings …

The Norwegian Public Library Of The Future – What Are The Challenges To Meet?, Roswitha Skare

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This article examines the future challenges facing Norwegian public libraries in light of legislative changes and evolving societal needs. Since the Public Library Act of 1986, with updates in 2014, libraries are mandated to be accessible cultural and educational centers. The 2019 national library strategy further emphasizes their role in public enlightenment and community engagement, particularly in the digital age. Despite high usage rates, challenges remain in attracting non-users and enhancing digital services. The article highlights the need for libraries to adapt to an aging population and to expand their role in public health, digital literacy, and community resilience. It …

Relevance, Works And Context Engineering, Michael K. Buckland, Wayne De Fremery

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Relevance is regarded as centrally important in documentation and information science but has resisted satisfactory definition. The literature presents vague, subjective descriptions and/or operational definitions based on untenable theoretical assumptions. The “work” is a similarly central and poorly defined concept in bibliographic theory and cataloguing. This short essay summarizes previous scholarship that reformulates concepts of relevance in information science as functions of use and works in bibliographic theory as useful sets of objects. Conceptual utility in both cataloging theory and information science is sought by developing descriptive models that attend to the positionality and temporality of “works” and “relevance” as …

The Mutability Of Personal Documents And Mediated Memories As We Age: A Collaborative Reflection, Vanessa Reyes, Bhuva Narayan, Annemarie Zijlema, Mary Anne Kennan

Proceedings from the Document Academy

How do our personal documentation practices change as we age, and how can we create and save personal evidence of ourselves for our family’s future? All of us continually accumulate information about ourselves in our everyday lives, intentionally, incidentally, or otherwise, for self-presentation, self-fulfillment, reminders of our past, reinforcing identity, as a hobby, for personal documentation, or for peace of mind. Increasingly, this evidence is in digital form, and often in the cloud. The authors use a collaborative autoethnography and narrative methodology, as outlined by Ford (2020), to document how aging affects our personal documentation and our memories. In the …

The Meaning Of Collections For The Identity Of University Libraries: The Document Concept As A Tool For Understanding, Hanna Hallnäs

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Historically, university libraries have been defined by the collections they housed and it was the collection that formed the basis of their identity and organization. However, societal developments have shifted this focus, leading to significant changes in both the content and conditions of these collections. What was once predominantly characterized by printed materials has now transitioned to primarily electronic resources. This paper explores how the concept of documents can be utilized to examine the identity of contemporary university libraries. Specifically, it employs David Levy’s notion of documents as ‘talking things,’ examining their relationship to various genres and rhythms. Furthermore, the …

Listening To Ghosts In The Appalachian Mountains: The Western North Carolina Tomorrow's Black Oral History Project As A Community Archive, Elizabeth Harper

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This case study invites archivists to broaden our understanding of what constitutes a community archive using the Western North Carolina Tomorrow Black Oral History Project as its focus. The oral history project captured the experiences of Black elders in Western North Carolina in the 1980s and provides a unique insight into a Black community in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The leaders and participants wanted this project to increase Black representation in Appalachian history and intended the materials be distributed widely. However, university staff kept the collection closed for almost forty years, and it was only opened in 2018. Fitting definitions, …

Lanthorn, Vol. 59, No. 08, December 2, 2024, Grand Valley State University

Volume 59, August 5, 2024 – April 14, 2025

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

Acf Response To Ostp Memo, 2022: Public Access Plan (December 2024)

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

ACF response to OSTP memo, 2022: Public Access Plan (December 2024)

From Pages To Pixels: Library Workers’ Perceptions Of Power In The Digital Era, Sean Gaffney

Dissertations

This work explores how library workers experience power during the era of digital transformation. As libraries transition from traditional knowledge repositories to dynamic, technology-driven information centers, power structures within these institutions are undergoing significant change. Despite the extensive implementation of digital transformation initiatives, there is a critical gap in understanding how digitalization is impacting employees’ experiences of power within the library context.

Drawing on French and Raven’s Bases of Social Power model, this study investigates how digital tools, platforms, and processes influence how power is perceived among library workers and its distribution and sources. A qualitative survey study was conducted …

Cognitive Apprenticeship Strategies For The Media Literacy Classroom, Nate Floyd, Jaclyn Spraetz

Communications in Information Literacy

Inspired by the apprenticeship model of teaching and learning, two instructors report on their efforts to place current events at the center of a semester-long media and information literacy course. They discuss strategies to harness curiosity about contemporary topics (e.g., misinformation, climate change, algorithms, right-to-repair, blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc.), and create engagement-driven course content. The paper provides concrete examples of activities and assignments used to situate learning in real-world contexts and build students' confidence in navigating information independently. This case study offers insights for other educators seeking to apply cognitive apprenticeship principles to media and information literacy instruction.

Centering Relevance In Information Literacy Teaching And Learning, Anne Jumonville Graf

Communications in Information Literacy

The process of determining whether a source of information is relevant is multidimensional, dynamic, and subjective. This essay puts information science scholarship on relevance, including the process and nature of making relevance judgments, in conversation with models of teaching and learning information literacy. Teaching librarians are encouraged to recognize students’ relevance judgments as sites of reflection and instruction. This essay suggests a variety of ways librarians might do this, from re-thinking source evaluation methods to emphasizing the opportunities available at the source selection stage. The process of determining relevance is a practical site of reflective possibility and deserves greater attention …

Accessibility Of National Parks And Other Natural Protected Areas For People With Disabilities: A Scoping Review Of The Academic Literature, Mark Weiler, Alison Whiting, Waqas Sajid, Neha Dewan, Tilak Dutta

Library Publications

National parks and protected wilderness areas provide benefits through leisure activities to many. Yet, many people with disabilities are unable to experience these benefits because of barriers. Therefore, it is important to understand how to improve access to these spaces for people with disabilities. The objective of this study is to identify barriers and facilitators to accessibility in national parks and protected natural areas. Using a scoping review methodology, we searched eighteen academic databases and found 44 sources meeting our eligibility criteria. Our findings include tables that map the literature by publication year, types of disabilities, specific national parks, park …

Lanthorn, Vol. 59, No. 07, November 11, 2024, Grand Valley State University

Volume 59, August 5, 2024 – April 14, 2025

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

Relationships Matter: Unpacking Personal And Professional Grief In Archival Labor, Caroline Kinsley, Molly Stothert-Maurer

Journal of Western Archives

Archival donations are often triggered by critical transitions in donors' lives, like the end of a career, the selling of a family home, or the death of a loved one. Because donors approach archives during these transitions, archivists often find themselves in the middle of emotionally charged relationships with donors working through feelings of grief and loss. However, archivists are often unprepared and untrained for this emotionally demanding labor. A literature review reveals that while this is a common experience among archivists, there is very little guidance on how to approach this aspect of donor relations. Other fields that provide …

Illness Politics And Hashtag Activism [Book Review], Jj Pionke

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

Lisa Diedrich discusses the use of social media and hashtags in disability activism. She examines both how social media can help and hinder disability advocacy efforts.

Review: Copyright For Scholars: Osmosis Doesn’T Do The Trick Anymore, Janet Brennan Croft

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Reviews of:

Kevin L. Smith. Owning and Using Scholarship: An IP Handbook for Teachers and Researchers. American Library Association, 2014. 240 pages. ISBN: 978-083898747-6.

Kenneth Crews. Copyright Law for Librarians and Educator: Creative Strategies and Practical Solutions, 3rd edition. American Library Association, 2012. 192 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1092-4.

Rebecca P. Butler. Copyright for Academic Librarians and Professionals. American Library Association, 2014. 278 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1214-0.

Russell, Carrie. Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators. American Library Association, 2012. 172 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1083-2.

0886: Ken Reffeitt Collection, 1852-2023, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Ken Reffeitt was employed by Marshall University Special Collections for many years and was a member of a number of fraternal organizations. His extensive collection of materials on this subject was donated in 2024.

The Ken Reffeitt Collection consists of annual reports and other documents of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) of West Virginia, the Rebekah Assembly, I.O.O.F., the Improved Order of Red Men, the Department Council Patriarchs Militant, I.O.O.F., the M. W. Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of the State of West Virginia, and other organizations. The collection also includes a number of books …

Let’S Get Digital: Retrospective Digitization Of Etds For An Institutional Repository, Marc Jaffy

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Franklin University Library conducted a retrospective digitization project to make a collection of education master’s theses available in its institutional repository. Digitizing bound theses and dissertations to make them available in an institutional repository benefits the institutional repository, the university, the student authors of the works, and external researchers. When conducting a retrospective digitization project for theses or dissertations that are protected by copyright, a university library must consider how the students’ copyright in their work affects the library’s ability to digitize the theses or dissertations and make them available in an institutional repository. University libraries should also consider making …

Law Library Blog (November 2024): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Sela Officers And Executive Committee, Sela State Representatives

The Southeastern Librarian

Current SELA officers and representatives.

Exploring The Structure Of Space Science Research In Mexico Using Science Mapping Tool: Citespace., Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano, Humberto Carrillo-Calvet, Jose Luis Jiménez-Andrade, Ricardo Arencibia-Jorge

UTA Libraries Staff Publications - Archive

This paper presents an analysis of the knowledge structure of the Mexican scientific community in the field of Space Science in Web of Science, between 2000 and 2019. CiteSpace software helped to identify the influential papers in the domain. The findings of this study shed light on the historical development of Space Science in Mexico and highlight the country's scientific performance with the worldwide trend. Moreover, the study emphasized the importance of bibliometrics in understanding the scientific undercurrents of a discipline. By analyzing co-citation networks, the study identified prominent clusters and research fronts in the field, providing valuable insights into …

Kennesaw State University Libraries Celebrate Constitution Week, Courtney Gardner

Georgia Library Quarterly

During Constitution Week, Kennesaw State University Libraries organized a series of engaging events from September 16 to 20. The festivities kicked off with a faculty panel discussing the 25th Amendment and presidential succession, featuring insights from political science faculty. Voter registration events were held on both Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, allowing students to register, check their status, and interact with historical figures, and most importantly a therapy dog and library mascot, Summer the Corgi. A highlight of the week was the unveiling of a rare 1840s facsimile of the Declaration of Independence, accompanied by the launch of the exhibition "We …

Kennesaw State University Libraries' Reorganization, Ashley Dupuy, Catherine Lewis

Georgia Library Quarterly

Kennesaw State University Libraries have gone through an extensive reorganization over the past year.

Fall 2024, Georgia Library Quarterly

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

From The President, John Mack Freeman

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.