Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Chinese Canadian Librarians: Leadership Roles And Career Barriers, Yanli Li

Library Publications

Based on the data from the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada Network (ViMLoC) 2021 Survey, this research examined the leadership roles held by Chinese Canadian librarians and their perceptions of inclusivity of work climate, job satisfaction, and race as a career barrier. Their encounters with racial microaggressions and mentorship experience were also explored. Of the 38 respondents, 79% (n=30) were in non-management positions. 82% (n=31) felt very satisfied or satisfied with their jobs; however, their work climate was not found to be inclusive to all respondents. 87% (n=33) indicated that race was a barrier to their career. Fisher’s exact tests …

Changes In The Library Landscape Regarding Visible Minority Librarians In Canada, Yanli Li, Maha Kumaran, Allan Cho, Valentina Ly, Suzanne Fernando, Michael David Miller

Library Publications

As a follow-up to the first 2013 survey, the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC) network conducted its second comprehensive survey in 2021. The 2021 survey gathered detailed information about the demography, education, and employment of visible minority librarians (VMLs) working in Canadian institutions. 162 VMLs responded to the 2021 survey, 35% up from the 2013 survey. Changes occurred in ethnic identity, generation, where VMLs earned a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) or equivalent degree, library type, geographic location, and job responsibilities. The 2021 survey also explored other aspects of the VMLs not covered in the 2013 survey, …

Sources Of Covid-19 Information Seeking And Their Associations With Self-Perceived Mental Health Among Canadians, Yanli Li

Library Publications

Using two datasets from the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS), this study provides a longitudinal analysis of information sources Canadians consulted regarding COVID-19 and their associations with poor self-perceived mental health (SPMH) during March and July 2020. Nearly 20% of Canadians who were surveyed reported poor SPMH. The logistic regression results revealed that at Time 2 (July 2020), after controlling for demographic, socio-economic, and psychobehavioural factors, using social media was significantly associated with higher odds of poor SPMH than using six other information sources including news outlets, federal health agencies, provincial health agencies, provincial daily announcements, places of employment, and …

Racial Pay Gap: An Analysis Of Carl Libraries, Yanli Li

Library Publications

Using data from the 8Rs CARL Libraries Practitioner Survey in 2014, this study assesses the impact of race on the earnings attainment process based on a sample of 392 CARL library practitioners. It determines that there is a significant salary disparity between visible minorities and non-visible minorities. Racial differences in job characteristics account for a larger portion of the explained racial salary gap than individual and labor market characteristics. The effect of race on salary is shown to be weaker for librarians than for support staff.

More Than Child’S Play: The Scaffolding Role Of Toys, Games, And Play In Children’S Literature, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

Scholars have explored the way books about toys inculcate consumer, racist, and sexist ideologies in the young, subversively controlling their attitudes and behavior. Judging from the scholarship in this area, teachers, librarians, and parents may hesitate before recommending or purchasing toy-centered stories for children. Using insights from play theorists and psychology researchers, this article argues that toy fiction can empower children by both acknowledging their marginalized status and providing models of coping, learning, and agency.

Survival Of The Fittest: The Evolution Of The Children’S Survival Novel, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

Survival novels provide a host of attractions for children. On a continuum of danger, they are the high-risk counterparts of adventure narratives.

Characters in survival novels face not just adversity and risk, but also potential death. The fast pace and high drama of these narratives have always made them popular choices for children.

Conversational Gamers: Developing Language Skills And Connections Through Games, Michelle Goodridge

Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Systemic Workplace Barriers For Academic Librarians With Disabilities, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

Although studies related to diversity within librarianship as a profession are increasing, few have examined librarians with disabilities—and none so far have included their voices or perspectives. This qualitative study involved interviews with ten academic librarians with disabilities in Canada. With a grounding in the social model of disability, it examines their workplace experiences and concerns and the barriers they face within the context of cultural assumptions about disability and work, finding that the major barriers encountered are lack of awareness of disability issues and negative cultural stereotypes of disability.

Reading In The Age Of Continuous Partial Attention: Retail-Inspired Ideas For Academic Libraries, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

Reading is an essential skill that improves with practice, not just when we are learn-ing to read but as adults. College students may be out of the habit of reading except for required texts. Deep reading skills may be eroded by habits of interrupted and par-tial attention. This article explores ways to promote reading among college students through the implementation of best prac-tices from retail and marketing.

The Evolution[S] Of Wlu Press: Towards Library–University Press Integration, Lisa Quinn, Charlotte Innerd

Library Publications

In March 2015, Wilfrid Laurier University administration announced that WLU Press would be integrating with the Laurier Library. Media coverage of this announcement has been mixed, and is an indication of the ambivalent response to library-press collaborations or integrations, in both the university press and library communities. This article considers the WLU case at its current early stage of development, discussing this transformation not necessarily as “progress” but as one response to a rapidly shifting scholarly environment. By examining the pressure points of the negotiations to merge the press and the library at WLU, this article considers the question of …

Academic Librarians With Disabilities: Job Perceptions And Factors Influencing Positive Workplace Experiences, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

Although there has been increasing attention to diversity in librarianship, little attention has been paid to librarians with disabilities. This study uses a mixed method approach, using results from a survey and in-depth follow-up interviews, to investigate some of the characteristics of Canadian university librarians with disabilities, their job satisfaction, their perceptions of their workplace climate for diversity and accessibility, and the factors that influence their workplace perceptions. Although librarians with disabilities report a generally high level of job satisfaction, they are less satisfied with some areas related to workplace stress and job flexibility than librarians without disabilities. Librarians with …

Giving Credit: How Well Do Librarians Cite And Quote Their Sources?, Peter Genzinger, Deborah Wills

Library Publications

The practice of citing references is integral to scholarship. This paper focuses on three prominent journals for library science: College and Research Libraries, Library Resources and Technical Services, and Reference and User Services Quarterly. Errors in both citations and quotations were found in all three journals, although no statistically significant differences among journals were discovered. Citation errors of less than 10 percent were found for all three journals, while in total, 30.3 percent of quotations were judged to be questionable in some way. The paper includes recommendations for authors, editors and librarians. It also recommends further study of errors in …

Legislating Usability: Freedom Of Information Laws That Help Users Identify What They Want, Mark Weiler

Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Economic Well-Being And Social Justice Through Pleasure Reading, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

Purpose – Librarians planning for the future and unsure about the place of books in an age dominated by technology and media need evidence to make sound decisions. Library and information science researchers have studied the impact of pleasure reading on individuals but not on society. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about the benefits of recreational reading for societies and to consider the implications of these findings for libraries.

Design/methodology/approach – Examining a wide range of studies by government bodies, intergovernmental agencies, and academics, this article addresses a gap in the library literature by critically evaluating …

Using New Venture Competitions To Link The Library And Business Students, Yanli Li

Library Publications

New venture competitions are designed to motivate university students to develop business plans and to present them to a panel of judges including business community members. Wilfrid Laurier University has integrated the new venture competition into its business school curriculum.This paper intends to share the experience of a new business librarian at Laurier Library in working with faculty to assist students to prepare for the new venture competition. A short survey is conducted to evaluate how students use the library resources and services for completing their projects. The results show that course guides and databases are the most used library …

Accessibility Of Vendor-Created Video Tutorials For People With Disabilities, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

Many video, screencast, webinar, or interactive tutorials are created and provided by vendors for use by libraries to instruct users in database searching. This study investigates whether these vendor-created database tutorials are accessible for people with disabilities to see whether librarians can use these tutorials instead of creating them in-house. Findings on accessibility were mixed. Positive accessibility features and common accessibility problems are described, with recommendations on how to maximize accessibility.

Aiming For Service Excellence: Implementing A Plan For Customer Service Quality At A Blended Service Desk, Joanne Oud, Peter Genzinger

Library Publications

This article discusses a public service review and redesign that resulted in a blended service desk combining reference and circulation functions, staffed by nonlibrarians. The redesign implements a number of organizational structures that encourage service excellence, as found in the business literature and in examples of nonlibrary organizations that excel in customer service. The article identifies key organizational structures that have been shown to support or hinder good service and discusses the process of implementing these structures in practice and the results of an assessment process designed around determining success.

Under The Floorboards, Greg Sennema

Library Publications

My grandfather Theo Polman (1904-1965) maintained a daily diary for his entire adult life, recording both banal and dramatic events that occurred in and around his home in Groningen. In reading and rereading his diary – in particular the dark years of Nazi occupation – I have become intimately familiar with the quotidian details of his life as a tobacco-store owner, as a doting husband to his homemaker wife, and as a caring father to his son and daughter (my mother). Theo's descriptions of tangible objects including heirlooms or food items are easily detectable in my own upbringing as a …

Perennially Popular: The Appeal Of Classic Fairy Tales For Children, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Reading Trends And College-Age Students: The Research, The Issues, And The Role Of Libraries, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

With the increasing virtualization of resources, reference service and instruction, college students have fewer reasons to visit the academic library, a place they believe lacks relevance in their lives. This article explores the idea of revitalizing academic libraries by reconsidering the place of pleasure reading in them. Considerable research has been conducted on reading in the last quarter century. Reading serves a host of essential functions, far more than we have ever guessed. The first part of this paper looks at the social, psychological, moral, emotional, and cognitive role it plays in our lives. The second half examines readers’ advisory …

Words Versus Pictures: Leveraging The Research On Visual Communication, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

Librarians, like many professionals in other occupations, tend to rely on text and underutilize graphics. Research on visual communication shows that pictures have a number of advantages over words. We can interact more effectively with colleagues and patrons by incorporating ideas from this body of research.

Review: Access In The Academy: Bringing Ati And Foi To Academic Research, Mark Weiler

Library Publications

This article reviews Access in the Academy: Bringing ATI and FOI to academic research.

Adopting Readers’ Advisory Practices In The Academic Library, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Research Data Management And The Canadian Academic Library: An Organizational Consideration Of Data Management And Data Stewardship, Michael Steeleworthy

Library Publications

Research data management (RDM) has become a professional imperative for Canada’s academic librarians. Recent policy considerations by our national research funding agencies that address the ability of Canadian universities to effectively manage the massive amounts of research data they now create has helped library and university administrators recognize this gap in the research enterprise and identify RDM as a solution. RDM is not new to libraries, though. Rather, it draws on existing and evolving organizational functions in order to improve data collection, access, use, and preservation. A successful research data management service requires the skills and knowledge found in a …

Can I Have Your Attention? Implications Of The Research On Distractions And Multitasking For Reference Librarians, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

The media have identified the last decade as “the age of distraction.” People today find it harder to work on long, sustained tasks because distractions are eroding their attention span, fostering a culture of discontinuity. Fields as diverse as psychology, business, education, human-computer interaction, and communication studies have produced a wealth of studies on interruptions, distractions, and multitasking–research that has important implications for reference librarians. The nature of our jobs invites interruptions by the public, requires familiarity with the latest technology, stimulates curiosity about a broad range of subjects, and demands adeptness at multitasking–all factors which can atomize attention.

Incorporating Online Instruction In Academic Libraries: Getting Ahead Of The Curve, Pauline Dewan, Michael Steeleworthy

Library Publications

A sea change in higher education is shaping the way many libraries deliver instruction to their students and faculty. Years of technological innovation and changes in the way that people discover and use information has made online instruction an essential part of a library's teaching and learning program. In order to evaluate our library's online instruction program and to determine its future goals, we analyzed the technology, pedagogical models, organizational structures, administrative supports, and partnerships we would need in order to succeed. Our findings may be useful for libraries reassessing their own online instruction programs.

Reading Matters In The Academic Library: Taking The Lead From Public Librarians, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

With the increasing virtualization of resources, reference service, and instruction, college students have fewer reasons to visit the academic library, a place they believe lacks relevance in their lives. This article explores the idea of revitalizing academic libraries by reconsidering the place of pleasure reading in them. Considerable research has been conducted on reading in the last quarter century. Reading serves a host of essential functions, far more than we have ever guessed. The first part of this paper looks at the social, psychological, moral, emotional, and cognitive role it plays in our lives. The second half examines readers’ advisory …

Web-Based Citation Management Systems: Which One Is Best?, Michael Steeleworthy, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

Librarians and researchers have long used citation management systems as research tools to help scholars organize their work, improve workflows, and ultimately save time. For many years, RefWorks has been the dominant citation management tool in many parts of Canada: the maturity of the product and its integration with many scholarly databases reassures users that it works well with these resources. However, a number of competitors now offer citation management systems that are as strong as RefWorks but offer different features to the user, therefore warranting a comparison with this leading tool. This paper reviews RefWorks, Zotero, WizFolio, and Mendeley, …

How Well Do Ontario Library Web Sites Meet New Accessibility Requirements?, Joanne Oud

Library Publications

New changes to Ontario law will require library web sites to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.0 (WCAG 2.0). This study evaluates 64 Ontario university, college, and public library web sites to see how well they comply with WCAG 2.0 guidelines at present. An average of 14.75 accessibility problems were found per web page. The most common problems included invalid html, poor color contrast, incorrect form controls and labels, missing alt text, bad link text, improper use of headings, using html to format pages, using absolute units of measure, and issues with tables and embedded objects.

Making The Most Of Google Scholar In Academic Libraries, Pauline Dewan

Library Publications

No abstract provided.