Digital Commons Network^™

Change – Watch For The Right Time Structuring Collections Budgets To Meet Current And Future Needs, John P. Blosser

Charleston Library Conference

Over the years Northwestern University Libraries has implemented various methods of allocating to the collections budgets, moving from traditional methods to ones that are more flexible and responsive to the needs of the times. The libraries have endeavored to keep the benefits of any previous allocation methods when thinking of new ways to allocate so that the important points of meeting the needs of the current research and teaching programs are still being met.

Something To Talk About: The Intersection Of Library Assessment And Collection Diversity, Roxanne Marie Backowski, Timothy Ryan Morton

Charleston Library Conference

Academic libraries have increasingly recognized the need to collect diverse materials. Simultaneously, academic libraries need to continue to develop additional measures to evaluate collections for diversity as well as connect to collections to their users and their campus initiatives and priorities. This paper features perspectives from two academic libraries and shares how both are grappling with not only assessing collections for the equity, diversity, and inclusivity, but also to place those collection efforts in the broader picture of institutional values and goals.

A New Synthesis: Research Resources To Research Experiences, H. Thomas Hickerson

Charleston Library Conference

Libraries should develop a new model for providing information resources and analytical tools for the use of scholars working in the current multidisciplinary research environment. This model, A New Synthesis, based on today’s research experience should replace the present concept of the “collection budget.”

Sources are proliferating and traditional scholarly resources are no longer at the core. Research itself has changed. Previously, finding information was primary, but now information is plentiful and today’s challenges are to understand, analyze, and extract insight from these vast resources.

To address this challenge, newly designed libraries are appearing that are radically different, reconceptualizing …

What Are Students Saying About Their Reference Needs?, Damon Zucca

Charleston Library Conference

Libraries and publishers rely on transactional data to support evidence-based decision making. However, by itself quantitative information does not provide a full picture. To anticipate the evolving needs of our audience we also need to hear from the individual users themselves. In this article, I will review the findings from several recent examples survey-based research into the question of how students use reference materials in and outside of their libraries. What are students actually saying about their needs and preferences when it comes to reference? While some uses cases for reference are moving out of the library into the open …

The Time Has Come For Ebooks, Or Has It?, Gabrielle Wiersma, Leigh Beauchamp

Charleston Library Conference

For many years, librarians and industry experts predicted that electronic books would surpass print books as the format of preference. The advantages that digital books provide seemed to all but guarantee the demise of print. But something happened along the way. Numerous studies during the last decade have demonstrated that print still has a place for libraries, vendors and most importantly, end users. So what’s happened – why hasn’t that time come like it has for journals? And will the “tipping point” for books ever arrive?

One explanation is that eBooks have not met user expectations, but optimizing user experience …

The Forest, The Trees, The Bark, The Pith: An Intensive Look At The Circulation Rates Of Primary Texts In Ten Major Literature Areas At The University Of Oregon Libraries, Jeff D. Staiger

Charleston Library Conference

This poster looks at the circulation rate for literary primary texts, which constitute a unique area of collecting in academic libraries: while they do not in most cases meet immediate research needs, it is assumed that libraries ought to acquire them, for reasons including future research needs, preservation of the cultural record, and the ability of members of the intellectual community to stay current, those these remain primarily tacit. The circulation trends of contemporary literary works in ten areas of literature (English, American, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin American, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian) over the past twenty years at the …

The Time Has Come... To Build, Reflect, And Analyze Connections Between Qualitative And Quantitative Data, Jordan S. Sly, Leigh Ann Depope, Cynthia G. Frank, Stephanie M. Ritchie

Charleston Library Conference

This paper will address the development process of a qualitative evaluation tool to aid in the thorough analysis of library resources at the University of Maryland. Specifically, our project looks at the use and added value of this tool for the building, reflecting, and analyzing the connections between qualitative and quantitative data. This will allow for more meaningful justifications of budgetary decisions compared to cost and use metrics alone. Given the necessity for meticulous review of continuing resources, our project addresses a request for enhanced transparency from the university faculty and library oversight bodies and serves as a useful tool …

Making Collection Management Manageable: A Three-Phase Approach To An Annual Subscription Review, Hannah Pearson

Charleston Library Conference

Annual subscription reviews are a normal part of many libraries’ operations, but this process is time consuming and can be particularly challenging for institutions with small e-resources staffs. The approach pursued by the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University includes strategies other libraries may find helpful in moving beyond cost per use in their reviews.

In early fiscal year 2019, the Michael Schwartz Library identified a need to systematically review all subscriptions annually. The library operates with a flat budget and cancellations are often required to manage inflation.

Previously, subscription reviews were in response to immediate needs (e.g. budget …

Communicating Collections: Strategies For Informing Library Stakeholders Of Collections, Budget, & Management Decisions, Laura Pascual, John Abresch, Anna Seiffert

Charleston Library Conference

A challenging aspect of the collection management process is effectively communicating with stakeholders about library resources.  Communication can range from obtaining patron feedback integral in collection planning to effective messaging elaborating on collection budgets and cancellation decisions.  It has also become increasingly necessary to explain the various acquisition models that affect the landscape of library content and use of electronic resources. In this paper, the University of South Florida will present the results of a survey of the approaches used in academic library websites to communicate collection policies along with related considerations, statistics and data, justifications, and factors affecting selection …

Collections Data, Tools, And Strategy: Applying R, Tableau, And Excel To Print Assessment, Lori M. Jahnke, Chris Palazzolo

Charleston Library Conference

As is the case at most academic libraries, collection assessment has become an essential component of collection management and development work. Although much of the assessment focus has disproportionately fallen on e-resources, print collections remain fruitful areas for evaluation and review. At Emory, print collections, including a complex approval plan, continue to be a significant component of our overarching collection strategy (in volume and expenditure). However, shifting priorities for library space and the growth of interdisciplinary programs and centers within the University are placing a higher demand on subject librarians for communication and coordinated decision-making regarding print acquisitions. As a …

New Usage Reports, New Insights! How To Use Your Counter Data In Decision Making Processes, Athena Hoeppner, Sonja Lendi, Kornelia Junge

Charleston Library Conference

Librarians have been receiving COUNTER Release 5 reports since February 2019 and are becoming familiar with the new robust usage data. In this paper three experts explain how the new usage reports provide greater clarity and how they give insight into users’ actions. Athena Hoeppner outlines the new reports and metrics and explains how to interpret book usage data and how to use the data effectively in decision making process. Sonja Lendi focuses on journal usage data and the differences between Release 4 and Release 5 of the COUNTER Code of Practice. She also explains Distributed Usage Logging (DUL). This …

Reference: Product Categories In The Digital Age, Kathryn Earle

Charleston Library Conference

In September of 2016, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc launched a new division charged with creating digital resources for the academic library market. A number of these have Reference at their core. This paper outlines in brief the logic for creating the new division and the role of Reference within the resources. It then summarizes research we have undertaken since the division’s inception to establish how ‘product categories’ (ie, encyclopedias, monographs, images etc) are valued by academics and librarians, the aim of which is to create products that are user-focused. And finally this paper provides a brief case study of our most …

Talking Of Many Things: Dashboards For Reference Services Decision Making, Hui Hua Chua, Rachel M. Minkin

Charleston Library Conference

Staffing challenges are well-documented in reference services, but the use of dashboards to support data-driven scheduling for in-person and virtual reference shifts are not often discussed. This poster examines how Michigan State University Libraries utilized data-influenced decision-making and dashboard design iterations to streamline reference staffing and adapt to evolving conditions over the course of three years. This required continuous communication between dashboard users and creators and constant iteration of visualizations and designs to ensure dashboards remained relevant and current. Limitations of a purely quantitative data-driven strategy are also discussed at the conclusion of the final year.

Get It From The Source: Identifying Library Resources And Software Used In Faculty Research, Karen S. Alcorn, Erin E. Wentz, Gregory A. Martin, Shanti C. Freundlich, Joanne A. Doucette

Charleston Library Conference

Libraries and Information Technology departments aim to support the educational and research needs of students, researchers, and faculty members. Close matches between the resources those departments provide and the resources the institution’s community members actually use highlight the value of the departments, demonstrate fiscally responsibility, and show attentiveness to the community’s needs. Traditionally, libraries rely on usage statistics to guide collection development decisions, but usage statistics can only imply value. Identifying a resource by name in a publication demonstrates the value of that resource more clearly. This pilot project examined the full-text of articles published in 2016-2017 by faculty members …

Presenting Smaller ‘Component Designs’ In Place Of Large Discrete Choice Experiment, Courtney Bir, Michael S. Delgado, Nicole Olynk Widmar

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Employing a sample of US residents, a new WTP (willingness-to-pay) data collection method using component discrete choice experiments is proposed and compared to the traditional method. The WTP experiments elicit consumer's WTP for potentially animal welfare improving production practices and product attributes in yogurt. The new data collection method was designed to decrease complexity by having respondents participate in fewer choice scenarios. Incidences of attribute non-attendance (ANA), a potential simplifying heuristic, occurred less frequently for all but one attribute in the new WTP data collection method. Exhibiting ANA for any attribute was negatively correlated with the time for completion.

Performance Of 20 Bell Pepper Cultivars In Southwest Michigan, Ron G. Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Differences in all traits measured were found in the 20 entries. Total yield ranged from 745 to 1125 – 1.25-bushel cartons/acre, a range that is somewhat lower than expected due to late planting and high temperatures shortly after transplanting and during fruit maturation. Four entries, 10374 (PanAmerican Seeds), 10868 (PanAmerican Seeds), USAP17699 USAgri Seeds), and Regulator (Enza Zaden) stood out as strong possibilities for growers to plant for commercial production.

Evaluation Of 19 Specialty Pepper Cultivars In Southwest Michigan, Ron G. Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

All entries evaluated proved to have commercial potential in their category for production in Southwest Michigan. Pepper types with sufficient entries were subjected to statistical analysis for entries within that type. Significant statistical differences were found for the traits evaluated with lunchbox-types showing the largest differences while jalapeno entries showed the least.

Yield Of Eight Summer Squash Varieties In Southwest Michigan, Ron G. Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

The seven zucchini squash evaluated ranged in total yield from 1432 to 1798 half-bushels/acre. All seven entries were statistically similar in total yield, however differences were found in yield of small, medium, large, and cull fruit. Each entry has commercial potential in Southwest Michigan, especially if they have virus tolerance. One yellow squash (Blonde Beauty) was also in the trial but not included in statistical evaluation.

Response Of Pepper And Tomato To Six Nitrogen Rates, Ron G. Goldy

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A surprising lack of statistical difference was found for most metrics measured. Similar total yield was found across all fertilizer levels tested for tomato, and for the 100 to 300 pounds nitrogen/acre for peppers, only the 350 pound/acre level had lower total yield. Pepper plant height was stunted by higher nitrogen levels. This lack of differences may indicate that the important factor in nitrogen (and perhaps other nutrients) application is not in how much is applied, but more on how it is applied, especially in conjunction with how the plants are irrigated.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Activity Of Gallium‐Substituted Haemoglobin On Silver Nanoparticles, Ana V. Morales‐De‐Echegaray, Lu Lin, Badhu Sivasubramaniam, Aiga Yermembetova, Qi Wang, Nader S. Abutaleb, Mohamed N. Seleem, Alexander Wei

Department of Chemistry Faculty Publications

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a major scourge in skin and soft-tissue infections, expresses surface-bound haemoprotein receptors that can be exploited for the targeted delivery of photosensitizers. We have developed a nanosized agent for targeted antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), comprised of GaPpIX (a hemin analog with potent photosensitizer activity) encapsulated in haemoglobin (GaHb), mounted on 10 nm Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). The average GaHb-AgNP contains 28 GaPpIX units stabilized by Hb αβ-dimer units. Eradication (>6-log reduction) of S. aureus and MRSA can be achieved by a 10-second exposure to 405 nm irradiation from a light-emitting diode (LED) array (140 mW cm−2), …

U.S. Government Military And Space Force Literature, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Established in 2018, the U.S. Space Force is the newest branch of the U.S. military. The reality of space as an arena for international geopolitical and military competition has been around for decades in scholarly literature. This presentation will examine recently published and publicly accessible U.S. Government and military literature on Space Force. These works examine various economic, military, and political aspects of this entity and how it may affect U.S. national security policy in years to come.

Protein Arginine Methyltransferase Prmt5 Regulates Fatty Acid Metabolism And Lipid Droplet Biogenesis In White Adipose Tissues, Zhihao Jia, Feng Yue, Xiyue Chen, Naagarajan Narayanan, Jiamin Qiu, Sabriya A. Syed, Anthony N. Imbalzano, Meng Deng, Peng Yu, Changdeng Hu, Shihuan Kuang

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

The protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is an emerging regulator of cancer and stem cells including adipogenic progenitors. Here, a new physiological role of PRMT5 in adipocytes and systemic metabolism is reported. Conditional knockout mice were generated to ablate the Prmt5 gene specifically in adipocytes (Prmt5AKO). The Prmt5AKO mice exhibit sex- and depot-dependent progressive lipodystrophy that is more pronounced in females and in visceral (than subcutaneous) white fat. The lipodystrophy and associated energy imbalance, hyperlipidemia, hepatic steatosis, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance are exacerbated by high-fat-diet. Mechanistically, Prmt5 methylates and releases the transcription elongation factor SPT5 from Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy …

Hybrid Breeding For Restoration Of Threatened Forest Trees: Evidence For Incorporating Disease Tolerance In Juglans Cinerea, Andrea N. Brennan, James R. Mckenna, Sean M. Hoban, Douglass F. Jacobs

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Hybridization is a potential tool for incorporating stress tolerance in plants, particularly to pests and diseases, in support of restoration and conservation efforts. Butternut (Juglans cinerea) is a species for which hybridization has only recently begun being explored. This North American hardwood tree is threatened due to Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum (Ocj), the causal fungus of butternut canker disease (BCD), first observed in 1967. Observational evidence in some wild J. cinerea populations indicates that naturalized hybrids of J. cinerea with Japanese walnut (Juglans ailantifolia) may be more tolerant to BCD than non-admixed J. cinerea, but this has not been formally tested in …

Second Reaction: Bears, Pink Pants And Trunpets: What Can A Citizen Do?, Lee Heffernan

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: The Canary In The Coal Mine: A Review Of What Can A Citizen Do?, Sarah Vander Zanden

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: Re-Historicizing Voting Equity For Young Readers, Lenny Sanchez, Lauren Hunt

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Lillian Has Been Climbing This Hill For Generations: The Impacts Of The The Voting Rights Act Of 1965, Nicholas Husbye

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: Facing Obstacles With Resilience In Around America To Win The Vote, Leslie Rowland

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Around America To Win The Vote: Two Suffragists, A Kitten And 10,000 Miles, Beth Buchholz

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Second Reaction: Captivating Personal Tales About Abraham Lincoln--Students Will Request This Story Time And Time Again!, Chelsea Bradley

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.