Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Digital Inclusion In The Lis Literature: An Intersectional Analysis, Hannah Nichole Fountain

Masters Theses

Digital inclusion refers to the conditions and degrees of access to information and communication technologies (ICT) among individuals and communities. This includes the variable determinants and outcomes associated with ICT connectivity, as well as efforts to mitigate digital exclusion. With the proliferation of ICT in the past 30 years, digital inclusion (and related concepts like the digital divide and digital literacy) has been a major focus of policymaking and public service efforts, with libraries serving as leaders in offering free public ICT and digital skills training. Digital inclusion research has commonly relied upon sociodemographic variables to survey determinants of …

Lgbtq+ Catalog Users: A Brief Survey, Karen Snow, Heather Moulaison-Sandy, Brian Dobreski

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

To promote social justice, recent work in knowledge organization (KO) has focused on providing access for members of marginalized groups including LGBTQ+ persons. Expanding on this work, the current project explores demographics and library usage as well as the participant-provided identity terms of LGBTQ+ library catalog users. Using a survey methodology that collected 141 respondents’ information, researchers found that LGBTQ+ catalog users who responded were primarily young, educated, and identified as either Black or White. The majority of respondents reported regular use of the library catalog, though also found materials in a variety of other ways, including social media. When …

Audit Team Communication And Risk In Trustworthy Digital Repository Certification, Rebecca D. Frank, Jessica Wylie

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper aims to investigate the Trustworthy Repositories Audit & Certification (TRAC) process by examining the communication practices and risk communication dynamics among auditors during the audit. Through an in-depth, qualitative analysis of the audit process and the interactions between auditors, this paper provides valuable insights into the importance of diverse backgrounds, effective communication, and consensus building in the assessment of TRAC checklist requirements. Furthermore, the paper highlights potential areas of improvement within the audit process, addressing concerns related to disagreements, reliance on leadership, and the comprehensiveness of risk identification and communication.

A Short On Time Short Story Contest: Inspiring Creativity In The Library, Alexandra Boris

UT Libraries Faculty: Other Publications and Presentations

This chapter is a case study on the impact of a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) a short story writing event and contest in an academic library setting. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is an international event which takes place in the month of November. During NaNoWriMo Participants from around the world attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days with the end product being a first rough draft of a novel. Many famous authors even participate in this challenge such as Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus, and Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants.

This chapter …

Burning The Candle At Both Ends How And Why Academic Librarians Who Are Parents Experience And Combat Burnout At Work, Amy Chew, Michael Holt, Jessica Lee, Robert Griggs-Taylor

UT Libraries Faculty: Other Publications and Presentations

Academic librarians already wear many hats, juggling a multitude of skills and duties in order to meet the needs of their patrons. When one of those hats is parenthood, however, balancing work and home life can sometimes seem like an insurmountable task. In this chapter we explore how and why academic librarians who are also parents experience burnout, as well as methods used to combat burnout by examining the results of a nationally distrib­uted mixed-methods survey. The survey also addresses practices to combat and prevent burnout, both on a personal and institutional level, and the perceptions of their effectiveness.

Repository Staff Perspectives On The Benefits Of Trustworthy Digital Repository Certification, Rebecca D. Frank

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper reports on the results from a qualitative study that asks whether and how staff members from TRAC certified repositories find value in the audit and certification process. While some interviewees found certification valuable, others argued that the costs outweighed the benefits or expressed ambivalence towards certification. Findings indicate that TRAC certification offered both internal and external benefits, such as improved documentation, accountability, transparency, communication, and standards, but there were concerns about high costs, implementation problems, and lack of objective evaluation criteria.