Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Teaching With Data In The Social Sciences At The University Of Richmond, Samantha Guss, Ryan Brazell

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

From Spring 2020 through Fall 2021, a team from UR participated in a multi-site study called “Teaching with Data in the Social Sciences” led by Ithaka S+R, a research and strategy organization that focuses on scholarly communication and libraries in higher education. Samantha Guss (Boatwright Library) and Ryan Brazell (Faculty Hub) interviewed 14 UR faculty, all of whom teach in social sciences disciplines or use social data, to learn more about faculty needs as they help their students build data literacy skills. The primary objective for participating in this study was to better understand UR faculty needs so that the …

Ethnography In Student-Owned Spaces: Using Whiteboards To Explore Learning Communities And Student Success, Anna Sandelli, Sojourna J. Cunningham

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

“Student success” and the “user experience” are terms that have gained prominence in conversations around the ways in which academic libraries support and engage with their student populations. Ethnographic methods provide a unique opportunity to incorporate student voices into these conversations. This study reports on a longitudinal ethnographic study conducted at two academic libraries in the United States. Through a semi-structured participatory approach using whiteboards, the researchers garnered more than 2,000 responses. By coding that qualitative data, the researchers were able to examine student usage of library spaces, how students create informal learning communities within these spaces, and how students …

Challenging The ‘Good Fit’ Narrative: Creating Inclusive Recruitment Practices In Academic Libraries, Sojourna J. Cunningham, Samantha Guss, Jennifer Stout

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Academic libraries operate under the assumption that there is one “right candidate” for a multi-layered position and that a search committee, a group of individuals formed with the purpose of assisting a responsible administrator in the recruiting and screening of candidates for a posted academic position, is the fairest and most equitable approach to hiring academic librarians. That assumption is running up against the fact that libraries and academic libraries in particular have an acknowledged a problem with recruiting and retaining librarians of color. According to the latest edition of the American Library Association Diversity Counts report, librarianship remains an …

Small Brown Faces In Large White Spaces, Rosalinda Hernandez Linares, Sojourna J. Cunningham

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

In this chapter we will explore how multiculturalism in the field of academic librarianship is mobilized and what the shape of that mobilization can tell us about issues of identity and the body. As former resident librarians of color, we the authors felt unmoored by the expectations put upon us as diversity resident librarians for a multitude of reasons. We had to learn quickly, but not ask too many questions or else we would seem unprofessional; we had to be ambitious, but not be intimidating to our coworkers. Above all, we had to be successful, which allowed little room for …

Gender And Scholarly Publishing: What Students Need To Know, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

As women and gender studies students emerge as citizens of the world, how can we educate them on scholarly communication issues? What role, if any, does gender play in successful scholarly publishing? How is open access publishing affecting global access to scholarship on gender? How do students’ lives on the Web influence their understanding of copyright?

Women and gender studies students need to understand the economics and legal aspects of scholarship, both as consumers and content creators. They need to be able to thoughtfully discuss who owns information, who controls it and who has access to it. Students also need …

Understanding Academic Patrons’ Data Needs Through Virtual Reference Transcripts: Preliminary Findings From New York University Libraries, Margaret Smith, Jill Conte, Samantha Guss

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

New York University (NYU) Libraries has an extremely high-volume chat reference service. This popularity presents a unique opportunity for gaining insight into library patrons’ conceptualizations of their data reference needs and how these needs are changing. Through analysis of three years’ worth of chat transcripts, we began to explore user needs and familiarity related to locating secondary data and statistics, performing data analysis, and using existing data services. Ultimately, we focused our analysis on requests for census data. This article discusses, in detail, the methods, preliminary results, limitations, and proposed next steps of our investigation. Our final goal is to …

A Studio Model For Academic Data Services, Samantha Guss

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This book serves as proof that there are plenty of effective ways to provide data services in an academic environment and that there can never be a one-size-fits-all approach. It is still valuable, however, to look closely at other's service models--to learn from successes, to borrow concepts and metaphors from other realms, and to think about one's own services through new lenses. A service model is a framework used to describe and understand the "who, what, where, when, and how" of a service from different stakeholders' perspectives; it can serve as a useful tool for developing and improving data services …

Assessment Committees: Good Practices From Arl Libraries, Michelle H. Brannen, Sojourna J. Cunningham, Regina Mays

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose – Assessment activities in academic libraries continue to grow as libraries explore assessment endeavors. Ranging from basic stats gathering and reporting to surveys, focus groups, and usability studies and beyond. Many practitioners are finding it necessary to create new processes and programs, with little guidance. The purpose of this paper is to paint a broad picture of assessment activities in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) university libraries with the goal of creating a resource for libraries developing or improving their assessment programs.

Design/methodology/approach – A survey was developed that asked questions about assessment personnel, activities, mission, and website. A …

Experience Mandatory: Assessing The Impact Of Previous Career And Educational Experience On Lis Education And The Academic Library Job Hunt, Sojourna J. Cunningham, Ingrid J. Ruffin

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Since 2002, 97% of librarian jobs posted in American Libraries have required an American Library Association (ALA) accredited master’s degree (2004). The ALA Committee on Accreditation provides a general framework for library master’s program curriculum, “through a variety of educational experiences, for the study of theory, principles, practice, and values necessary for the provision of service in libraries and information agencies and in other contexts.” (Accreditation, 2014). ALA curriculum requirements are broad, however, so courses and requirements within ALA degree granting institutions vary immensely from program to program.

Building An Assessment Program In The Liberal Arts College Library, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Now in its fourth year, the Library Assessment Committee at the University of Richmond has made great strides in establishing a sustainable assessment program within Boatwright Library. Prior to 2008, limited staff, time, expertise, and commitment were barriers to establishing an ongoing assessment program. As with many other liberal arts college libraries, most of our assessment efforts had focused on information literacy, since instruction is integral to the library and the university's mission. Library surveys and other assessment methods had only received close attention when the university was embarking on its re-accreditation process. With the growing emphasis on assessment within …

What Role Can Peer Benchmarking Play In Planning For The Future Of Research And Teaching Technologies?, Samantha Guss, Jenn Stringer, Lynn Rohrs

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Institutional leaders are asking libraries and IT units, as service providers, to provide data about service use, service quality and return on investment as they make decisions about resource allocation. In 2012, New York University developed a Peer Benchmarking Methodology for prioritizing research support needs by benchmarking themselves with more than a dozen peer institutions. The University of California at Berkeley borrowed and adapted NYU’s methodology as the starting point and used it to benchmark teaching and learning services along with research services for a planning and community building initiative across the campus. Here we present the methodology and discuss …

The Personal Librarian Program At The University Of Richmond: An Interview With Lucretia Mcculley, Lucretia Mcculley, Cy Dillon

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

In the fall of 2010, two well-known liberal arts institutions, Drexel University in Philadelphia and Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut, began programs that provided “personal librarians” for incoming freshmen. This apparently new idea received some notice in higher education news feeds, and was even featured in Library Journal’s Newsletter.

Academic librarians are always inquisitive, of course, and a national discussion about the history of such programs began quickly in a variety of listservs. Within a few days it was revealed that the concept was far from new, and that the first successful version was still flourishing at the University of …

The Nyu Survey Service: Promoting Value In Undergraduate Education, Samantha Guss, David M. Mcgarry, Jason B. Phillips

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

New York University's Data Service Studio has recently launched the NYU Survey Service, whose ultimate aim is to support the development and administration of surveys of all types. For the web-based component, we utilize a product called Qualtrics, which allows university affiliates to develop and administer web-based surveys. This article describes the process by which we at NYU came to offer the service during a time when concerns abound about the ability of libraries to support and expand services while still meeting service imperatives such as robust data services. While many considerations went into this evaluation and the ultimate conclusion …

Digital Curation Education In Practice: Catching Up With Two Former Fellows, Samantha Guss, Lisa Gregory

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

From 2008-2010, as part of the grant: ‘DigCCurr I: Preserving Access to Our Digital Future: Building an International Digital Curation Curriculum’ (DigCCurr I) funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a number of fellows at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) were comprehensively trained by library and archive professionals in digital curation theory and practice. This paper examines the curriculum skill areas matrix of the DigCCurr I program from the perspective of two former fellows, now employed in professional positions that utilize digital curation principles. Each …

Taking The Best Of Both Worlds: Success And Challenges With The Hybrid Model Of Library Instruction, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The University of Richmond (UR) is an independent, privately endowed institution, with a total student body of around 5,000 students. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in the liberal arts, business, law, and leadership studies. Library instruction has been an integral part of the university libraries program since the 1970s, initiated by a five-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities College Library Program and the Council on Library Resources. During the past thirty years, the program has continued to grow and reinvent itself. Overall, the instructional services program can be described as a "hybrid library instruction model," emphasizing …

Managing Digital Resources, Or, How Do You Hold Electrons In Your Hand?, Anna L. Creech

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

In the 1995 publication New Automation Technology for Acquisitions and Collection Development, Nancy Markle Stanley wrote a chapter entitled "Purchasing Electronic Resources: an Acquisitions Perspective"¹ in which she outlines the challenges of managing electronic resources. I had to chuckle a bit when l read the book, because at the time of its publication, my undergraduate library was in the process of finally automating their catalog. The evolution of electronic resources in libraries has all of the characteristics of technological innovation. There are libraries with the funding and vision to be early adopters, and there are libraries on the tail …

Connecting With Aim: The Search For A Virtual Reference Niche, Lucretia Mcculley, Olivia Reinauer

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Launching virtual chat reference services at Boatwright Library at the University of Richmond has been an interesting challenge of “trial and error” over the years. After trying several different software programs and staffing options, librarians have finally found a niche with AOL’s Instant Messenger service. The first section of the article describes a path of experimentation, including early collaborations with the computing services help desk, staffing patterns within the library, technical and financial challenges with virtual reference software, and attempts to get students to use reference chat services. The second half of the case study will describe the great success …

Music Collections In American Public Libraries, Linda B. Fairtile, Karen M. Burke

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This article presents a broad survey of music collections in public libraries in the United States. Characteristics common to the majority of American public libraries are discussed, including origin, funding, and mission as an educational institution. Using a 1949 survey compiled by Otto Luening, Music Materials and the Public Library, as a basis for comparison, the authors surveyed seven libraries representing one or more of the following communities: small towns, school districts with nationally recognized music education programs, large cities, and locations associated recognizably "American" musical styles (e.g., New Orleans and jazz). The results this informal web survey demonstrate …

Enhancing Women's Studies Action Research Projects Through Technology, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This article describes how library and Internet technology enhanced an action research assignment in a unique women’s studies program, Women Involved in Living and Learning (WILL), at the University of Richmond. The Women’s Studies Liaison Librarian and the Director of the WILL Program collaborated to provide a meaningful assignment that incorporated the use of online databases and the Internet. The main objective of the assignment was to provide a research opportunity whereby the students would learn to use electronic women’s studies resources and actually utilize the information into some type of social action, such as writing a letter, volunteering in …

Feminist Empowerment Through The Internet, Lucretia Mcculley, Patricia Patterson

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The University of Richmond's upper division Political Science course, "Women and Power in American Politics," has several ambitions. Among these is an exploration of the power of information technology to foster political research by and about women and to advance feminist political aims.

Women's Studies Student Questionnaire, Lucretia Mcculley, Patricia Patterson

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The University of Richmond Women's Studies program developed a student questionnaire in 1996 as part of larger program assessment project from 1993-1996.

Linking Secondary School Students With College-Level Resources: Guidelines For Borrowing Privileges And Library Instruction, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Boatwright Library at the University of Richmond has developed a cooperative program with high school librarians to provide service to local high school students. The Library grants limited circulation privileges and offers library instruction for assignments that require university-level library resources. The program has reduced inappropriate library behavior by high school students and may help the University attract additional students. Future plans include closer cooperation with high school librarians.

A Model For College Library Visits, Lucretia Mcculley, Christine Campbell

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Describes how classroom teachers and librarians at J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico County, Va. worked together with librarians at the Boatwright Memorial Library of the University of Richmond to make a research project beneficial to the students.

Catching Diverse Users In The Library Instruction Web, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

The 1988 LOEX (Library Orientation and Exchange) Conference challenged our instructional staff to think beyond our traditional instruction program for our university students. With a well established freshman and upperclass student program, what other groups did we need to focus on? Four librarians from the University of Richmond (UR), including three reference librarians and the Director of Public Services, attended the LOEX Conference in Bowling Green, Ohio in May of 1988. The conference theme was "Reaching and Teaching Diverse Library User Groups" and it concentrated on atypical groups within a college or university community such as international students, high school …

Public Use Of Academic Libraries In Virginia, Lucretia Mcculley, Dan Ream

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Although often thought of as the domain of public libraries, providing access and services to the general public has long been an important, and sometimes controversial, issue for academic libraries. State and national policies have been suggested, but none have yet provided any definitive guidance to academic libraries in Virginia, leaving each institution free to find its own way of dealing with access and services to anyone outside its primary clientele of students, faculty, and staff. As the Association of College and Research Libraries' 1975 Access Policy Guidelines states,

Institutional goals and circumstances are highly variable, making it both unworkable …

Basic International Reference Sources, Lucretia Mcculley

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Numerous reference sources are available to help librarians answer questions regarding the geographical and cultural characteristics of nations. In this article, Lucretia McCulley identifies the features that determine the quality of such materials, and explains how each of 13 research aids meets her criteria.