Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“Integrated Library Planning: A New Model For Strategic And Dynamic Planning, Management, And Assessment” [Book Review], Julene L. Jones

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Review of "Integrated Library Planning: A New Model for Strategic and Dynamic Planning, Management, and Assessment” by Myka Kennedy Stephens.

Looking Back: Put A Reading Bathtub In The Library, Reinette F. Jones

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Book lovers may remember when old school librarians warned children not to read library books while in the bathtub. Today those memories are in juxtaposition with the new National Read in the Bathtub Day on February 9th. The unanswered question is when exactly this special day became a thing. While the reference librarians search for a definitive answer, there is a companion question. Who came up with the fun idea to place a reading bathtub in the children’s library? A reading bathtub is just that, a bathtub in the public area of the library, an upholstered piece of library furniture …

On Being Seen, On Being Legible, On Being: A Black, Agender Perspective On A Career In Libraries, Adrian Williams

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This ethnographic essay explores the author’s journey in understanding, contending with, and building a career in academic libraries that is affirming to their Black and agender identity. The essay discusses the hypervisibility of the author’s race in libraries, in contrast to the invisibility of their transness, and how that contrast has affected how they navigate their work as a pre-tenure librarian.

Looking Back: Woman's Library Club In Kentucky, Reinette F. Jones

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

The Woman’s Library Club Movement arrived in Kentucky around 1896. It was not a true movement, but rather a period when dissociated groups named Woman’s Library Club were established throughout the United States. There was not a national office or state offices. Each club functioned independently. The state of Kentucky was a minor player in the Woman’s Library Club Movement. Had it not been for the Paducah newspaper articles, the state as whole may have been overlooked.

Looking Back: Kentucky And Children’S Book Publishers, Reinette F. Jones, Charlotte Stephens

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Though Kentucky was not a leader in the early publishing industry for children, it was an active participant. Printers within the state, as in the rest of the country, saw the potential in producing literature for young readers. Through the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries, this literature became more established. Slowly, children’s books started to step away from solemn moral instruction toward the playful stories we know and love today.

So You Want To Be A Leader? Examining Pathways To Special Collections Administration, Sarah Horowitz, Colleen W. Barrett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This article seeks to understand the current state of the field of special collections library administration in the United States. Using a dataset gathered through publicly available information about special collections directors from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Independent Research Libraries Association (IRLA), and the Oberlin Group institutional members, the authors explore the educational backgrounds of directors, the types of positions they held prior to taking on their current roles, and the effect of gender on leadership advancement. This article also discusses the similarities and differences between institution types as well as promotions within institutions and across types of …

Findings About Our Library Surveys: Universities Of Louisville And Kentucky’S User Surveys, Julene L. Jones, Anita R. Hall

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Academic library survey strategies may include implementing standardized and locally-developed survey instruments as part of assessment activities. Standardized instruments such as LibQUAL+, ClimateQUAL, Ithaka S+R surveys, and others are widely used and offer many advantages such as robust development and testing protocols, and may offer the ability to compare data with other institutions who use these instruments. Locally-developed survey instruments, on the other hand, offer the ability to customize instruments with reduced cost and increased institutional specificity. Libraries should evaluate the benefits of each survey type in order to create a strategy that best meets their needs.

Business Models For Post-Crisis Information Ecosystems, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Since early 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted activity across business, education, research, and communities. Public health safety precautions have forced drastic reductions in economic and educational activity, resulting in widespread economic uncertainty and sizeable budget cuts. With library budgets already declining since the 2001-2002 recession following the dotcom crash and more steeply since the 2007-2009 Great Recession spawned by the financial crash, the pandemic has accelerated trends that were already underway. Libraries’ reduced purchasing power places the information ecosystem at risk of contraction in the race to contain costs. While economic contexts and publishing forms have changed considerably. …

Maximizing Good: An Inquiry-Based Approach To Minimal Description For Online Archives, Sarah Dorpinghaus, Cory Lampert, Rebecca Pattillo, Kyna Herzinger

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Minimal descriptive practices have been embraced by archives over the past fifteen years for their efficiency and practicality. This paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of minimal description within the context of digitized collections and evaluates them against the assumptions made by cultural heritage professionals. It considers whether minimal description provides digitized collections with sufficient metadata to meet MPLP’s user-centered goals of improving access, sufficient context to ensure collections are understandable within their digital environments, and sufficient framework to facilitate data exchange across systems, all while considering MPLP within archival ecosystems that impact labor and resource allocation. The authors offer …

Two Separate Worlds, One Shared Goal: An Exploration Of Special Collections Catalogers' Reporting Lines And Institutional Organization, Colleen W. Barrett, Whitney A. Buccicone, Joseph J. Shankweiler

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This chapter seeks to better understand and quantify some of the challenges current special collections catalogers face through conducting and analyzing the authors' recent survey of special collections catalogers primarily working in American cultural heritage institutions. While these findings are neither simple nor straightforward, it is possible to suggest some preliminary solutions. Overarching trends and challenges included communication between departments, security of valuable materials versus workspace locations, and priority setting.

A Case Study In Revitalizing A State Library Association And Keeping It Vital During Covid, Rebecca J. Morgan, Tiffney A. Gipson, Lauren E. Robinson

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

The Kentucky Medical Library Association (KMLA) is an organization dedicated to building a networking community and providing resources to the health sciences and medical librarians of Kentucky. Medical and health science libraries within the state of Kentucky are encouraged to become annual members of KMLA. Organization membership exists on two levels: (1) individual and (2) institutional. Individual membership includes access to three KMLA business meetings a year, voting rights at business meetings, any conferences KMLA holds, an opportunity for continuing education (CE) reimbursement, and access to any CEs presented by KMLA. Institutional memberships are unique in that they provide interlibrary …

Podcasting, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Podcasts seem to be everywhere these days, on every topic including current events, games, entertainment, education, business, financial management and more.

As podcasts have now become a recognized source of entertainment, news, and information, how can we become familiar with listening to podcasts and integrating them into our work in libraries? The following resources offer a few places to get started. Given the nature of the medium, some sites are optimized for viewing and listening on mobile devices.

Legacy Missions In Times Of Change: Defining And Shaping Collections In The 21st Century, Antje Mays, Oya Y. Rieger

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Despite the rapidly changing information and technology landscape, collections remain at the heart of academic libraries, signifying their enduring importance in providing access to our cultural heritage. Given broader trends in research and the current information ecology of an increasingly networked, distributed, and licensed environment, building collections and developing collection polices is increasingly ambiguous. These trends impact librarians in form of ever-expanding portfolios, diffusion of effort, weakened sense of focus, and a rising sense of persistent yet unmet needs for developing new skills. This paper outlines current research on collection trends and summarizes the interactive exchanges from the 2019 Charleston …

The Collaborative Federal Depository Program: Managing Federal Depository Library Program Collections In The Southeast, Renee Bosman, Cheryle Cole-Bennett, Abigail Desoto, Amy Laub-Carroll

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

The Collaborative Federal Depository Program (CFDP) is an endeavor by the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) and Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) libraries in the Southeast to create collaborative “Centers of Excellence” (COE) collections of tangible U.S. Government information.

The CFDP was created to provide workable solutions to address the increasing cost of managing, preserving, and providing access to large collections of federal government publications in the Southeast. From its beginning, the program sought to not only relieve collection management pressures among Regional and Selective depository libraries but to provide a model for future development of innovative shared collections …

Environmental Conservation, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Staying Inspired In Difficult Times, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This issue's column suggests a few new releases to prompt professional reflection and renewal.

Basic Leadership Competencies--Change Management, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Google Drive For Digital Library Object Storage, Eric C. Weig

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This article will describe a process at the University of Kentucky Libraries for utilizing an unlimited Google Drive for Education account for digital library object storage. For a number of recent digital library projects, we have used Google Drive for both archival file storage and web derivative file storage. As a part of the process, a Google Drive API script is deployed in order to automate the gathering of of Google Drive object identifiers. Also, a custom Omeka plugin was developed to allow for referencing web deliverable files within a web publishing platform via object linking and embedding.

For a …

We All Belong: Celebrating Multiculturalism, Diversity, And Inclusivity, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

In this “Internet Reviews” column we enhance our understanding of multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusivity through a number of educational and organizational websites.

Back To The Basics--Recent Titles On Getting Started As A Library Manager, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This issue's New and Noteworthy column review four recent titles on getting started in library leadership and management.

Best Websites For Finding Streaming Movies And Tv For Free, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

For browsing, here are only a few of the many websites that offer free, legal movie and TV show content with good video quality.

Reviewing Basic Leadership Competencies--Emotional Intelligence, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

In this "New and Noteworthy" column, we highlight recent and basic publications pertaining to emotional intelligence, one of the 14 Foundational Competencies identified by LLAMA as being necessary for leaders and managers.

Future And Value: The Library As Strategic Partner, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Broader economic trends spawn budget pressures for education and libraries, prompting a plethora of studies on the value and relevance of libraries. Numerous reports on economic decline in libraries and studies with mixed pronouncements on the value of libraries have led to a negative self-image within the library profession. Yet libraries' leadership in connecting learners to knowledge is at the heart of producing many of the key skills sorely needed in robust societies and economies. Librarianship has many untapped opportunities for positioning itself as a prominent strategic partner. This paper outlines current research on the economic and societal context for …

Dangerous Liaisons: Brainstorming The 21st Century Academic Liaison, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Academic liaison roles have seen massive changes over time and grown into an ever-broadening range of duties. What began as subject-focused collection involvement has evolved into a mix of instruction, reference, and various forms of course-embedded services, all while also retaining the earlier focus on subject-specific collection management.

This paper outlines current research on academic liaison roles and summarizes the interactive exchanges from the 2018 Charleston Conference Lively Session on academic liaisons. Through live polling and discussion, session participants identified key functions and core competencies for liaisons, as well as factors contributing to success or hindrance for liaison success. Key …

Dealing With Dysfunction, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

It is the rare library that does not experience some level of dysfunctional behavior among staff. Problems arise when weak leadership, poor communication, and lack of goals result in toxic behaviors including gossiping and bullying. Several recent publications offer tips on identifying and dealing with dysfunctional library workplaces.

Beautiful Connector: Collection Showcase Exhibits As Teaching Tools And Community Builders, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Libraries’ quest to strengthen connections with their constituencies often finds expression in new services and repurposed user spaces. Some literature portrays libraries as focusing away from collections toward new trends in library portfolios, but showcasing collections can prove very effective in bringing the library and user communities closer together. This article recounts two recent library collection showcase exhibits as successful examples of bolstering stakeholder connections: The first collections exhibit showcased books on Chinese language, literature, culture, art and architecture, history, and medicine received through the Window of Shanghai program. The second collections exhibit showcased scholarly books, U.S. government publications, citizen …

Best Websites For Careers And Job Hunting, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Here are just a few tried-and-true free websites to help our patrons (and maybe us!) get started on the road to that perfect job.

Libraries As Sustainability Leaders: Ala’S Special Task Force, René Tanner, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Monika Antonelli, Adrian K. Ho

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This article discusses the work of the American Library Association (ALA) Special Task Force on Sustainability, which identified 52 recommendations, including the adoption of sustainability as a core value of librarianship. The group aims to promote libraries as catalysts, connectors, and conveners to promote sustainability, resilience, and regeneration. The Task Force is guided by the concept of the triple bottom line, which states that an organization’s practices must be not only economically feasible but also socially equitable and environmentally sound. The article also provides examples of how libraries engage in sustainable practices to support the cities and towns they serve.

Making The Most Of Your Yard With Gardening And Plants Websites, Jennifer A. Bartlett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Whether you are an experienced master gardener or a novice struggling to keep an indoor houseplant alive, there are thousands of websites and blogs offering ideas, suggestions, and answers to tricky gardening questions. In this column, we’ll scratch only the surface as we dig into the best websites to help you and your patrons develop a green thumb.

Distinction For The Library Profession: Taking A Page From The Business Playbook, Antje Mays

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Library and information professionals have much to offer the world-at-large, yet are often under-recognized beyond the sphere of librarianship. Looking beyond traditional library advocacy, this second article in the "Mayflower: Ode to New Beginnings" presents theory and practice of recognition-building strategies from the business world -- strategies applicable to librarianship: The article looks to the business playbook for building connections with the broader community and thereby enhancing the profession’s exposure.