Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Retention Through Empathy An Invitation To Compassionate Progressive Discipline, Jessica Garner, Kay Coates

Library Faculty Presentations

Managing employee relations is a challenge that many leaders in the library face. High morale, collegiality, and active listening are the building blocks that facilitate compassion in the workplace. A productive work environment is a delightful patchwork of leadership savvy, SMART goals, employee retention and motivation combined with proactive measures for well-being. Library leaders must have a comprehensive plan for retaining employees that considers the whole person, often necessitating progressive discipline to ensure a positive work environment. Historically, progressive discipline has been used punitively with a focus toward termination. In this presentation, we will make a case for compassionate progressive …

The Future Of Academic Reference Services In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: An Overview, Lili Li, Kay Coates

Library Faculty Presentations

The purpose of this study explores the deep impact of ChatGPT on reference services in academic libraries. Based on the identified research literature, this study used the method of descriptive content analysis to evaluate the general capabilities of generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT, to transform reference services in academic libraries. With the homepage of the Georgia Southern University Libraries, two experienced librarians examined the potential of generative AI applications like ChatGPT to impact future reference services in ever-changing academic libraries. Based on the word limit, this study only focused on a few key areas of reference services, such as …

Leveraging Generative Ai And Chatgpt To Reference Services In Academic Libraries, Kay Coates, Lili Li

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence In Library Access Services, Xuan Pang, Jessica Garner

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Library Of Congress Classification Monthly Approved Changes Lists: Implementing An Ongoing Reclassification Workflow At Unlv, Katherine Manifold

Library Faculty Presentations

Changes to the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedules include updates to address the use of biased and harmful language and cutters that were built on this language. While the literature on why these changes are important is substantial, how these changes are implemented in individual institutions remains relatively unexplored in scholarship, most likely due to the unique nature of each library and the depth to which individual institutional environments must be considered when developing workflows. In this presentation, the practical impacts of implementing classification changes on collections will be examined and the process of implementing these changes in an …

Flow With Compassion, Kay Coates, Jessica Garner

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Reversing The Downward Curve: When Is Progressive Discipline Necessary And How To Focus On Positive Improvement And Retention Within An Access Services Department?, Kay Coates, Jessica Garner

Library Faculty Presentations

A challenge that many leaders face in Access Services is managing employee relations. A team with high morale will be well-functioning, collegial, and more likely to represent the library positively. What is a leader to do when they notice a slow degenerative change in morale or when a department has become toxic? This is when clearly defined progressive discipline can be used as a tool to guide a department back on track. Progressive discipline should not be punitive especially if it incorporates a sense of belonging steeped in DEI. Using positive discipline techniques that reinforce connectedness, team spirit, and genuine …

Addressing The Unmentionable At The Circulation Desk: An Unlikely Library Partnership For An Often-Overlooked Cause: Period Equity, Jessica Garner

Library Faculty Presentations

The role of libraries at universities has grown over the years in surprising ways to improve service to the academic and student community. One such surprising change came from a project aimed at decreasing period poverty. The Period Equity Movement (PEM) was created in collaboration with the university’s Office of Student Wellness and Health Promotion through funding that came from a $48,000 Sustainability Fee grant and other internal funding. The grant specifically focused on purchasing reusable products such as menstrual cups and fabric pads and organic disposable tampons and pads. The Access Services Department became an impactful partner in this …

The Seamlessaccess Audit Toolkit: A Framework For Librarians To Audit Resource Access, John Felts, Jason Griffey, Tim Lloyd

Library Faculty Presentations

Are your users having online resource access issues? Is access intuitive and reliable? Are you concerned that your user community’s online privacy isn’t sufficiently protected? Did you ever wish there was a toolkit to help you audit these and other issues? We can help!

To help navigate the complex issues that occur as a result of changing technology, regulations, and user expectations, SeamlessAccess is producing a toolkit that gives librarians a framework for auditing their resource access. Structured into four key areas - Usability, Privacy, Reliability, and Security- the toolkit enables libraries to identify the risks and opportunities that inform …

Are We Cringey?: Evaluating Social Media Strategies For Younger Audiences, Kathleen Schipano, Loren Mixon

Library Faculty Presentations

Have you ever stopped before posting to think, “Is this cringey?” Have you ever felt stuck or unsure of how to leverage social media to connect to your patrons? In this session, we will talk about key methods for staying on trend, taking the temperature of your audience, and finding ways to share your message that will resonate with younger audiences. You will see examples of workflow and idea creation while exploring trending media to develop skills to connect to students and patrons where they are.

Subscribe To Open In Practice: Library Lightning Round, John Felts, Moriana Garcia, Kate Mccready, Jason Price, Curtis Brundy

Library Faculty Presentations

• Where does S2O fit in with your open investment/collections strategies?

• What do you see as the strengths or the advantages of the model?

• What challenges have you encountered implementing the model?

• What offers are you participating in?

Creating Flow Thru The Compassion Of Satisfaction, Kay G. Coates, Jessica Garner

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

One Form To Rule Them All: A Simple Codebase For Streamlined Search Form Creation And Management, Jeffrey M. Mortimore, Justin Barnett

Library Faculty Presentations

Creating and managing database search forms can feel like a daunting task. Vendor form builders often produce overweight, complex, heavily styled code that may not support remote authentication or meet accessibility standards, are hard to reformat, are easy to break, and stop working the moment the vendor updates the platform. To address these challenges, we have developed a single, streamlined codebase that can be reused to create search forms for most databases that support stable URLs for result lists. Using this codebase, we can quickly create, customize, troubleshoot, and maintain search forms for a variety of databases. Also, our public …

Links, Links Everywhere: Supporting Creation Of Reliable Access Urls, Jeffrey M. Mortimore

Library Faculty Presentations

Creating reliable links to library resources is a challenging task, for patrons and library personnel alike! Databases have different linking requirements, ranging from identifying the correct base URL to revising the URL for remote authentication. Often, databases’ built-in linking features are unreliable, especially for off-campus users. Linking isn’t just a technical issue, it’s an equity issue. To address this challenge, we have developed a dedicated “Linking to Library Resources” guide that includes unique link creation tutorials for each database we support. These linking tutorials appear in our database detailed descriptions, library personnel use them for staff training and reference, and …

Improving Library Discovery: Assessing Practices With The Odi Conformance Checklist For Libraries, Jeffrey M. Mortimore

Library Faculty Presentations

The ODI Conformance Checklist for Libraries provides a structured and practical tool for libraries to assess and improve their discovery practices, ultimately leading to a better user experience for library patrons. Employed as an assessment tool, the ODI Checklist supports self assessment, vendor assessment, benchmarking, and continuous improvement. As such, technical service units will benefit from repeating the checklist regularly over time. This poster presents the ODI Conformance Checklist as an internal assessment tool and highlights ways in which we are using its findings to identify and prioritize improvements to discovery workflows and practices.

Artificial Intelligence History, And Libraries: History And Legacy Of Library Contributions To Machine Learning, Wilhelmina Randtke

Library Faculty Presentations

Machine learning seems to be newly everywhere. It's not new, so much as faster processing makes it newly useful. Imagine an automated cataloging program that takes 300 years to run, versus one that takes a week to run. Increased processing speed is a substantive change. This presentation overviews the history of libraries and artificial intelligence. First, teasing out past applications of machine learning in libraries. High quality results and concrete applications of artificial intelligence in libraries have been explored and published for decades. Over time, faster processing allows use at scale. Second, how library and metadata work contributes to machine …

Growing And Maintaining Your Tech Collection: A Guide For Libraries Large And Small, Kyle Culpepper, Wilhelmina Randtke

Library Faculty Presentations

Are you curious about how to start, grow, or maintain a circulating technology collection in your library? Join our upcoming webinar as we discuss the library's dynamic role in providing essential equipment circulation services for diverse patron groups.

Discover:

✅ The array of A/V and computer equipment available.

✅ Borrowing and circulation policies.

✅ Support, training, and accessibility initiatives.

✅ Real success stories from the Valdosta State University and Georgia Southern University communities

✅ Exciting plans for the future!

Don't miss this opportunity to explore how the New Media Center at Valdosta State University and the libraries at Georgia Southern …

Take A Joy Ride: Applying The Theory Of Interdependence To Library Practice, Kay Coates, Jessica Garner

Library Faculty Presentations

From the viewpoint of librarianship, when closely examined, the theory of Interdependence emphasizes the shared responsibility between libraries and the patron communities they serve. It can lead to creating inclusive and welcoming environments. Libraries are sensitive to the needs of diverse cultures. Library services are tailored to meet patron needs by training and supporting staff to work effectively with diverse groups. Promoting cross-cultural understanding and supporting lifelong learning libraries can better serve their communities and promote the common goals of literacy, education, and community engagement. Overall, the theory of interdependence highlights the importance of collaboration, partnership and mutual dependence between …

Software Maintenance: Planning A Server Upgrade - A Library Perspective, Wilhelmina Randtke, Melissa Jackson

Library Faculty Presentations

Like many libraries, the Georgia Southern University Libraries (GS Libraries) rely on tools to support library services which are run on in-house servers. The servers are run by main campus Information Technology Services (ITS), and ITS is not familiar with how each piece of software is used and how it is supposed to work. ITS monitors the basic high level server architecture but does not work with the actual applications installed on these servers.

Tools like EZProxy and ILLiad are mission critical and are run in-house. Over the past year, the GS Libraries have formalized an upgrade process for the …

Software Testing: How To Design A Software Testing Process For Everyone, Wilhelmina Randtke

Library Faculty Presentations

Software testing is about making sure software does what it's supposed to do, and doesn't do anything extra or different. Most academic presentations about software testing are done by people with large complicated projects. Those are the leaders. Many libraries use "shelf ready" software, including open source, to accomplish important work, and do not contribute code or do extensive customization to the software platforms they use. In fact, the ability to grab a piece of software and implement it without spending a lot of time, is part of what makes great software. Great software can be reused and shared without …

Getting Onboard The Intranet, Wilhelmina Randtke

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

The “Butterfly Effect-Cascading Compassion Satisfaction In Library Land, Kay Coates

Library Faculty Presentations

Kay Coates explores the concept of compassion satisfaction in library work. The webinar discusses how compassion satisfaction can be a source of meaning and satisfaction for library practitioners, as well as how it can help to mitigate the effects of professional stress and representation burnout. The webinar also examines the interplay of empathetic helping, professional stress, and representation burnout, and how these factors can impact the helping exchange transaction in library work.

Ways To Participate In Ongoing Regulation Around Artificial Intelligence Ethics In The United States, Wilhelmina Randtke

Library Faculty Presentations

In January 2021, the US passed the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020. The goal is a cohesive federal AI initiative, and part of that is safety, ethics, and transparency. The act includes funding appropriations for 2021-2025, and roll out takes place over that time. In implementing this law, there is recent and ongoing activity to regulate AI in the US. Regular calls for public participation go out to the public on www.federalregister.gov in the form of open ended questions on which input is requested, and feedback on reports or action plans.

The linked data community is uniquely positioned …

Management Challenges Around Vacancies, Jessica Garner, Karen Doster-Greenleaf

Library Faculty Presentations

In this conversation, participants will have the opportunity to share ideas and hear from their peers on a variety of topics related to management in academic libraries. The first portion of the discussion will be management issues around vacancies, morale issues, conflict, and DEIA initiatives

Opening The Door To Open Access, Samantha Duncan, Ariana Baker

Library Faculty Presentations

University Libraries at Coastal Carolina University acknowledges the importance of open access as a doorway to equity, access, and inclusion. In spring 2023, the library voted on and approved an open-access statement that encourages librarians to publish their work openly and to support faculty by providing guidance, encouraging the use of the institutional repository, and helping to fund the cost of open access.

We launched an open-access awareness program to educate librarians and faculty about these initiatives. We developed classes and, in order to promote them, we produced our own informative and concise videos to help librarians and faculty understand …

Open The Gate! Ensuring Easy Authentication While Mitigating Cybersecurity Risks, John Felts, Matthew Ragucci, David Green

Library Faculty Presentations

The pandemic has changed almost all aspects of our professional lives. Before shuttering their doors, libraries quickly mobilized to meet the anticipated demand of content usage happening from outside the building. The ability to work remotely has been a blessing in some ways, however, library users still face challenges. Many content providers, in response to these challenges, unlocked swathes of content to prevent barriers for remote users. Upscaling remote authentication has always been a challenge. To compound matters, cybercrime risks loom large threatening campus security, specifically targeting users who are accessing resources remotely. This has uncovered skills gaps for both …

The Google Analytics Change: Universal Analytics To Google Analytics 4: Overview And Checklist For Libraries, Wilhelmina Randtke, Justin Barnett

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Copyright, 3d Printing, And The Value Of Open Vetted 3d Oer, Nathaniel Lee Bareford, Wilhelmina Randtke, John Schlipp

Library Faculty Presentations

Libraries are protected from copyright lawsuits when patrons make copies, as long as signage is posted and patrons make the copies themselves. But, unlike copying or printing in libraries, self-service 3D printing in libraries is unrealistic. 3D prints take hours to finish, and troubleshooting 3D printing problems takes skill and experience. Meanwhile, the top websites for finding CAD designs to download and 3D print are rampant with copyright infringement. This presentation provides an overview of the status of copyright for 3D printing, covers the tech of why 3D printing is different from printing and copying on paper, and advocates for …

My Library Loves Me: Creating Distinct Spaces To Support Student Wellness And Mental Health, Alison Downey, Rachael Muszkiewicz

Library Faculty Presentations

• Within the course of a year, we developed four individual spaces which are adaptive to the ethos of each floor of the library.
• After overcoming obstacles with budget and bureaucracy, these spaces are now a template for wellness space at the university.
• With the rise in the neurodivergent student population, these spaces provide them a non-judgmental and cost free space to help alleviate the stress of academic life.

When Leadership Changes How Do You Build A Project Team On The Fly, Jessica Garner, Kay Coates

Library Faculty Presentations

In 2019, the Georgia Southern Libraries hired a new Dean of the Libraries. The Access Services department was responsible for implementing several new projects and was required to assemble a project team using the new Dean’s foundational approach of shared governance. This presentation will outline how the Access Services department built a project team on the fly. We will outline the criteria used to select members from across two campuses to complete several different projects.