Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

University Library Services Innovation: Strategic Ai Integration And Evidence-Based Insights, Liping Yang, Jun Wang, Lulu Wang, Zixuan Zhang

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Purpose

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is reshaping higher education. In response, university libraries are gradually adopting these tools to enhance service capability and foster user engagement. Aligned with Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s “Education + AI Strategic Framework”, specifically the strategic goal of AI for Research and Innovation, this study examines how the Library leverages AI technologies to support scientific discovery and provide more inclusive, responsive library services.

Design/methodology/approach

This study provides a comprehensive perspective on the XJTLU Library AI-enhanced service framework. This framework consists of the LibAI Portal, a unified service platform that includes the LibAI Chatbot, LibAI Database Navigator, and …

From Information To Impact: The Strategic Role Of Libraries In University Ranking, Tatiana Usova, Fiona Glasgow, Lisa Chisholm

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Academic libraries are increasingly positioning themselves as strategic partners within their institutions, moving beyond traditional support roles to actively advancing institutional priorities, particularly in global university rankings like QS and Times Higher Education (THE). These rankings significantly influence how universities are perceived and funded, and they rely heavily on the use of bibliometric data, research outputs, and institutional reputation.

This paper, presented by SIGMaRI, examines the evolving role of libraries in the rankings landscape. We will highlight impactful library-led initiatives and partnerships with other strategic university departments that advance the university's reputation and shape institutional research strategies. While libraries share …

Bridging Cultures, Building Communities: The Role Of Academic Libraries In Fostering Multicultural Engagement And Digital Inclusion, Emily Chan, Catarina Lei

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

This paper explores the evolving role of academic libraries in small, multicultural settings. Using the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) in Macao as a case study, we examine how the library acts as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration. By bridging the gap between diverse faculty departments—such as History, Sound Engineering, and Design—the library facilitates innovative projects that preserve local heritage and promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This document outlines two specific case studies: the "First Global Typhoon Macau 1874" exhibition and the "OttoSonic" sound installation.

Sparking Collaborative Connections Through Immersive Technologies, Jacky Wong

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

NIE Library created an innovative space called LIBytes to connect people and ideas through immersive technologies— Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality(MR), and AI robots—and to widen equitable access to digital experiences. LIBytes is both a space and a service: we co-design with departments to integrate immersive learning into teaching, research, and outreach.

For instance, we partner across NIE to build shared experiences:

• English Department – Digital Literature: VR for immersive narrative exploration and perspective-taking, with multimodal discussion.
• Asian Languages & Cultures Department – Digital Storytelling: co-creating VR stories that surface linguistic and cultural perspectives and support authentic …

Informed Learning In Place: Tales From A Field Station, Thom Gerrish, Rachel K. Fundator, Clarence D. Maybee, Karen A. Reiman-Sendi

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This study investigates how students learn to use information at a remote field station to prepare for roles as environmental researchers, climate advocates, and citizens. Using a semi-structured interview approach, the researchers examined the perceptions of twelve field station instructors on how their students engage with information to learn in a place-based educational context. Three interrelated themes emerged that demonstrate the varied ways in which students need to learn to use information: (1) Leveraging interdisciplinary lenses, where students integrate diverse perspectives to interpret environmental information; (2) Acculturating to field research practices, where students gain practical research and data skills through …

Preferences For And Effectiveness Of Role-Play On The Acquisition Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills, Logan D. Zupko

All NMU Master's Theses

Effective training of clinicians is crucial for ensuring high-quality clinical practices. This study evaluated the effectiveness of and preference for two teaching strategies within a behavior skills training (BST) framework for training novice adults in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) components. College students participated in multiple laboratory sessions across three study phases: Introduction, Choice, and Training. During the Introduction Phase, participants learned CBT Component 1 with either feedback only or feedback combined with brief role-play for incorrect skills. These two teaching strategies alternated across trials to ensure the participant was exposed to each equally. The Choice Phase allowed participants to select …

Pioneering Education In Holland, Michigan: The History Of Hope’S Preparatory School; Rare Books As Art And Artifacts, Rhian Machiela, Charlotte Ulloa

Archives and Special Collections Quarterly

Pioneering Education in Holland, Michigan: The History of Hope’s Preparatory School

Column: From the Director of Archives and Special Collections

Rare Books as Art and Artifacts

Enhancing Student Engagement And Learning Outcomes Through Microlearning In Academic Libraries, Kate Lora Cruz, Robert Vallente, Kelvin Samson

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The rapid evolution of educational technologies and student learning preferences has prompted academic libraries to explore innovative strategies for instruction and engagement. One such approach gaining traction is microlearning—a method that delivers concise, targeted learning content designed to meet specific objectives in a short period. This research proposes to investigate the integration of microlearning in academic libraries, focusing on its impact on student engagement, information literacy, and the overall effectiveness of library instruction. The study aims to (1) assess the current awareness and use of microlearning in academic library settings, (2) suggest content and factors to consider in implementing microlearning …

Free-Dom In Creativity: Cost-Accessible Ai Tools For Makerspaces In Academic Libraries, Marvin Factor, Kate Lora Cruz, Yugosto Balbas

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into academic library makerspaces presents emerging opportunities for enhancing innovation, creativity, and user engagement. However, financial considerations often influence the adoption of advanced technologies, particularly in academic institutions located in developing regions. This study systematically reviews freely available AI tools applicable to makerspace environments in academic libraries, providing a descriptive and comparative analysis of their functionalities and potential applications.  By mapping the current landscape of open-access on a gratis level,  this research identifies key categories of AI applications such as design generation, image generation, language processing, and data visualization, highlighting the strengths, limitations, and …

Reimagining Library Services In The Age Of Ai: A Case Study From A Canadian Academic Library, Wei Xuan, Christine Shaw

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

As artificial intelligence reshapes higher education, academic libraries are reimagining their services to meet emerging challenges and opportunities. This article presents a case study of the University of Manitoba Libraries (UML), a Canadian academic library actively integrating AI to improve service delivery, enrich research support, and enhance user engagement while upholding core values of access, equity, and scholarly integrity.

Four key initiatives are discussed: (1) the development of an in-house AI chatbot built on Microsoft Azure services, offering real-time conversational assistance grounded in trusted library content; (2) the implementation of Ex Libris’ Primo Research Assistant to enhance discovery with GPT-based …

Strategic Collection Management In Academic Libraries - Balancing Digital Resources, Print Collections, And Study Spaces, Xiaolu Guo, Trish Wilson

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

In the time of digital transformation and constrained resources, academic libraries must align collections with institutional priorities. This paper presents how Victoria University of Wellington Library’s strategic approach to balancing physical collections and student needs for study space. By sharing practical approaches and lessons learnt from collection evaluation initiatives, this paper will explore how an academic library seeks to align collections with institutional goal s in a sustainable, user-cantered way. Key discussion points include collection budget and usage trends; stakeholder engagement and UX; data driven approaches; and staff capability building.

Generative Ai As Disruptor And Driver For Library Data Services, Shahira Khair

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Over the past decade, academic libraries around the world have focused on developing new services to support data-intensive research and open science. This shift has been driven by funder and publisher mandates emphasizing transparency, reproducibility, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) research l data. Just as these services are maturing, the rapid rise of generative AI tools and their application in research presents a disruptive l force, but also a transformative opportunity for library data services. This paper addresses the evolving impact of generative AI and library data services, contextualized by the experiences of researchers captured in a series of …

Ai Empowerment Of Medical Libraries For Promoting Accessible Reading Of Evidence-Based Health Guidelines, Wenjing Ding

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

In an age marked by overwhelming information and a rapidly aging global population, the need for accessible, comprehensible health information has never been more urgent. Although evidence-based health guidelines play a crucial role in supporting informed medical decision-making, their dense medical language and structural complexity often render them inaccessible to lay audiences. This study investigates the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in enabling medical libraries to serve as dynamic platforms for promoting the accessible reading of such guidelines, thereby advancing public health literacy and equity.

A dual challenge emerges: on one hand, the expanding volume and sophistication of clinical …

Navigating Transformation: Staffing, Structure, And Strategy In The Ai-Integrated Academic Library, Renji Jacob, Beth Russell

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The rapid integration of AI, automation, and digital transformation necessitates a strategic evolution of academic libraries in staffing, structure, and strategy. At NYU Abu Dhabi, a global campus navigating a transient, multicultural environment, workforce development is paramount for sustained innovation, service excellence, and future readiness.

This presentation outlines our library's transition from a traditional repository to a dynamic knowledge facilitator and inclusive community hub. We are actively redefining roles to include AI competencies, creating professional development pathways that support AI literacy, and fostering hybrid positions that promote flexibility and growth. Key initiatives include cross-training, peer mentoring, and comprehensive AI literacy …

Ethical Governance Framework For Artificial Intelligence In Library Contexts——A Comparative Analysis Of Ifla Guidelines And Chinese Implementation, Xu Shan, Chengyu Zhang

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in libraries is becoming increasingly widespread, bringing with it not only enhanced service effectiveness but also various ethical challenges. This study constructs a framework for responsible AI ethical practice in libraries based on the AI ethics guidelines of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), contextualized within China's national conditions. The paper first deconstructs the 14 key issues in IFLA's ethical framework, categorizing them into three dimensions: technical risks, social risks, and governance risks, and analyzes the application limitations formed within the Western context. It then explores the policy adaptability of …

Robust Implementation In Rationalizable Strategies In General Mechanisms, Takashi Kunimoto, Rene Saran

Research Collection School Of Economics

A social choice function (SCF) is robustly implementable in rationalizable strate-gies if every rationalizable strategy profile on every type space results in outcomes consistent with it. First, we establish an equivalence between robust implementation in rationalizable strategies and “weak rationalizable implementation”. Second, using the equivalence result, we identify weak robust monotonicity as a necessary and al-most sufficient condition for robust implementation in rationalizable strategies. This exhibits a contrast with robust implementation in interim equilibria, i.e., every equilib-rium on every type space achieves outcomes consistent with the SCF. Bergemann and Morris (2011) show that strict robust monotonicity is a necessary and …

Digital Platforms, Mobility, And Cities, Shauna Brail

Asian Management Insights

The rise of the digital platform economy and urban mobility requires the reshaping of urban policy.

Beyond Turnout: What Gen Z’S Social Media Reactions Reveal About The 2025 Elections In The New Jersey’S Gubernatorial And Nyc’S Mayoral Elections, Yi Lou, Jin-A Choi, Bond Benton

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

The recent 2025 New Jersey Gubernatorial and NYC mayoral races captured national attention as this race could potentially project the mood for the upcoming 2026 midterm election to flip the conservative leaning during the 2024 Presidential election. Particularly, Democrats lost a significant number of votes from the younger demographic groups such as Gen Z, a 10-point decline compared to the 2020 Presidential election (Hartig et al., 2025). Gen Z constitutes about one-fifth of the American voting population (CIRCLE, 2025) and voted at record-high rates in the last two presidential elections. Engaging and mobilizing Gen Z seems pivotal for election candidates. …

A Comparison Of Comparisons: Evidence From An International Comparative Study Of 'Smart Cities', Kevin Ward, Teresa Abbruzzese, Tim Bunnell, Paolo Cardullo, I-Chun Catherine Chang, Byron Miller, Ramon Ribera-Fumaz, Haeran Shin, Zachary Spicer, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Every year the list lengthens of cities with some sort of ‘smart city’ public policy. In some, it emerges as the latest in a long line of urban digital and information communication policies. In others, the introduction of the notion of the ‘smart city’ marks a departure from past approaches to public policy. Additionally, the more studies emerge of actual smart city policies, then the less definitional agreement there seems to be. Nevertheless, that we have witnessed in the last two decades the ‘repeated instance’ of smart cities emerging in cities around the world seems incontrovertible. Like so much urban …

Living Longer, Working Longer, Michele Dinman, Cal J. Halvorsen

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly one-in-five Americans ages 65 and older (19%) were employed in 2023, a rate nearly twice that from 35 years ago. They’re also working more hours, on average, than in the recent past. In fact, more than three-in-five older workers (62%) work full time, an increase from the 47% working full time in 1987. Older workers today are also more educated and are more likely to be receiving employer-sponsored benefits, such as retirement savings plans and health insurance, than in earlier decades. While only 4% of the entire labor force was made up of …

Driving And Beyond, Michele Dinman, Nancy Morrow-Howell

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Transportation is a daily necessity in our lives, and many of us rely on driving our own automobile to get where we need to go. According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 2023 there were approximately 35 million licensed drivers aged 70 and older—fewer drivers than younger age groups and a group that drives fewer miles.

The Covid-19 Pandemic’S Effects On Older People, Michele Dinman, Morgan Van Vleck

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide ranging effects on people of all ages. In many respects, older people had the same experiences as younger people, but there were some aspects of the pandemic unique to the older population. While COVID-19 cases have been equal among different age groups, older people experienced a greater number of hospitalizations and deaths compared to younger people.

Extremism Governance In The United Arab Emirates: A Case Study Using Qualitative Policy Framework, Haya Saleh Almansoori

Theses

This thesis investigates how the United Arab Emirates governs extremism using various models of governance and Gareth Morgan’s metaphorical organizational models. This research goes beyond a focus on security and looks at extremism as a governance and policy problem related to social cohesion, institutional trust, and legitimacy. The research utilizes a qualitative case study design through analyzing federal laws and national strategies, as well as institutional frameworks to understand how authority, coordination and meaning are organized in the UAE’s governance of extremism.

The results show that the UAE’s governance of extremism is characterized as a hybrid governance model with hierarchical …

More Alike Than Not: The Open Access Preferences Of Humanities Scholars, Rachel E. Scott, Ana Dubnjakovic

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Several studies have noted that humanists have not been as quick or enthusiastic in their adoption of Open Access (OA) as their colleagues in other disciplines. This article leverages the Ithaka S+R US 2021 Faculty Survey to provide contextualized analysis of the OA and Open Education Resources (OER) preferences of humanities scholars, as well as some practices related to OA and OER, relative to their colleagues in other disciplines. Findings suggest that although humanists do stand apart in many OA preferences, the small effect sizes render these differences less important than previously suspected. The implications of these findings are considered …

Living With Purpose, Michelle Dinman, Cal J. Halvorsen, Nancy Morrow-Howell

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Having purpose is good for all of us at any age. Patrick Hill, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at WashU, defines purpose as the “notion that you have daily activities you find meaningful or engaging and that give you direction for your life [and] reasons to continue going.” In a major sense, purpose can be described as the why of living, instead of the how.

Relu-Based And Dnn-Based Generalized Maximum Score Estimators, Xiaohong Chen, Wayne Yuan Gao, Likand Wen

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We propose a new formulation of the maximum score estimator that uses compositions of rectified linear unit (ReLU) functions, instead of indicator functions as in Manski (1975, 1985), to encode the sign alignment restrictions. Since the ReLU function is Lipschitz, our new ReLU-based maximum score criterion function is substantially easier to optimize using standard gradient-based optimization pacakges. We also show that our ReLU-based maximum score (RMS) estimator can be generalized to an umbrella framework defined by multi-index single-crossing (MISC) conditions, while the original maximum score estimator cannot be applied. We establish the n −s/(2s+1) convergence rate and asymptotic normality for …

New Measures For Richer Theories: Some Thoughts And An Example, Orazio Attanasio, Victor Sancibrian, Federica Ambrosio

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

For a long time, the majority of economists doing empirical work relied on choice data, while data based on answers to hypothetical questions, stated preferences or measures of subjective beliefs were met with some skepticism. Although this has changed recently, much work needs to be done. In this paper, we emphasize the identifying content of new economic measures. In the first part of the paper, we discuss where the literature on measures in economics stands at the moment. We first consider how the design and use of new measures can help identify causal links and structural parameters under weaker assumptions …

Borderplex Business Barometer, Volume 9, Number 11, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Steven L. Fullerton

Border Region Modeling Project

No abstract provided.

The Lexicographic Preference And The Tops-Only Property, Xinning Geng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This paper studies the structure of the lexicographic preference domain in the context of strategy proof Random Social Choice Functions (RSCFs). Classical sufficient conditions for the tops-only property—namely, the Interior and Exterior Properties—do not hold in lexicographic domains. Nevertheless, these domains still exhibit the tops-only property. We first provide a structural explanation of why the Interior and Exterior Properties fail in this setting. We then introduce two new structural conditions, Property 1 and Property 2, and show that any two-dimensional lexicographic preference domain satisfying these conditions is a tops-only domain. Finally, we prove that the two-dimensional lexicographic domain meets both …

Optimizing Future Cropland Allocation In A Biodiverse Savanna By Integrating Agricultural Benefits And Ecological Costs, Lei Song, Amy Frazier, Christopher L. Crawford, Anna B. Estes, Lyndon Estes

Geography

Context: Producing sufficient food to meet a growing population while minimizing the ecological impacts of agricultural expansion is a major global challenge, particularly in biodiverse regions where cropland development threatens ecological integrity. Tanzania exemplifies this tension, as efforts to meet food security goals often conflict with the conservation of its rich ecosystems. Objectives: We aimed to optimize the spatial allocation of future cropland to balance agricultural productivity with key ecological objectives. Additionally, we evaluated alternative strategies for meeting future food demands, such as increasing cropland usage intensity and expanding high-yield crops, to reduce pressure for further cropland expansion. Methods: We …