Library and Information Science Commons^™

Charting Queer Visibility: A Content Analysis Of Queer Picture Books, 2000-2024, Amanda Melilli, James W. Rosenzweig, Alicia G. Vaandering

Library Faculty Research

This poster session presents findings from a content analysis of queer picture books published from 2000 to 2024. In an initial review of more than 650 books, the authors analyzed narrative themes and the identities, orientations, and BIPOC and/or disability intersectionality of queer characters in each book. This research built a final book sample of more than 430 unique titles with identifiably queer characters. The findings map queer representation and narratives in picture books published in the U.S. and Canada during the twenty-first century.

From One-Shots To Gems: Building Scaffolded Microcredentials In Information Literacy, Layla Barati, Kevin Sebastian

Library Faculty Research

Discover how UNLV Libraries redesigned first-year information literacy instruction into the GEM Knowledge Series—scaffolded microcourses awarding stackable badges. Learn how this model moves beyond traditional one-off library lessons, embeds assessment, and empowers students to Gather, Evaluate, and Make knowledge across academic, professional, and civic contexts.

Paywall Payout: A Three Year Review Of The Soml Open Article Fund, Aidy Weeks

Library Faculty Research

In 2022, the School of Medicine Library launched the Open Article Fund as a way to support faculty, residents, and fellows with their scholarly activities when submitting open access publications that would otherwise be ineligible for funding through the University Libraries fund which limited recipients to tenure-track faculty. After feedback from the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine Office of Research, The pilot fund was structured after the University Libraries funds with some modifications including awarding $2,000 instead of $1500 towards a publication, allowing for publications in hybrid journals, and requiring multi-author team submissions. The fund was initially supported by $30,000 …

The Evolving Roles Of U.S. Academic Librarians: A Snapshot Of Job Responsibilities In 2023, Russell Michalak, Laura Rose Taylor, Michelle Reed, Amanda Koziura, Devon Ellixson

Library Faculty Research

This study examines the evolving roles of academic librarians across North America. Adapting a survey tool published in a prior Canadian study, it surveys over 350 librarians in the United States, analyzing shifts in Research Support, Teaching and Learning, Digital Scholarship, User Experience, and Scholarly Communication. Results indicate significant engagement in information discovery and digital scholarship with a growing need for training in digital tools and data management. The resulting report highlights the crucial role of academic librarians in adapting to technological and educational changes, underscoring the necessity for ongoing professional development.

Adapting Publishing Principles And Best Practices For Repository-Hosted Journals: Sustainable Ideas For Enhancing Local Open Access Publishing, Andrea A. Wirth

Library Faculty Research

This poster addresses the question: How can librarians and administrators working with repository-hosted journal editors incorporate best practices into hosted journals without taking on the role of publisher and without overextending themselves?

The "Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing" (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME, 2022) provides foundational guidance for journal publishing. The guidelines cover a robust suite of topics such as authorship, peer review, funding sources, author cost transparency, and licensing and copyright. Publishers with staff who support a suite of journals (whether 10 or 1000) may be able to evaluate and adopt such guidance relatively quickly and …

I Have To Pay To Keep My Job: Examining Financial Barriers To Promotion And/Or Tenure, Amanda Koziura, Faith Bradham, Maura Seale

Library Faculty Research

Drawing from data collected in 2020 and 2023 through national surveys, this paper will illuminate financial barriers faced by academic librarians in tenure-track or professional positions with a promotion requirement related to service, scholarship, or other professional engagement.

Reframing Information Seeking In The Age Of Generative Ai: A Critical And Humanistic Approach, Joseph Kevin Sebastian

Library Faculty Research

Information-seeking has long been the subject of theoretical modeling, often drawing from cognitive, behavioral, computational, and even evolutionary perspectives to explain how individuals navigate, filter, and utilize information. Several dominant frameworks—Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process, Marcia Bates’ Berrypicking Model, Peter Pirolli & Stuart Card’s Information Foraging Theory, Kiyohiko Nakamura’s Information Criteria framework, and Ian Ruthven’s Information Shaping Theory —have provided structured ways of understanding how people interact with information environments. However, while these frameworks offer valuable insights, they often operate within mechanistic or efficiency-driven paradigms, which risk overlooking the complex, embodied, and socioculturally situated nature of human information behaviors. These …

Improved Open Access Support Through A Popular Open Access Fund, Andrea A. Wirth

Library Faculty Research

This paper describes results of a 2023 survey of authors who applied to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Open Article Fund, a fund that supports article processing charges (APCs). The survey sought feedback about the fund’s impact, value, and award criteria as well as opinions on other open access topics. Results show that the fund has had a positive impact on open access uptake and opinions of open access. Respondents reported that they participate in other open publishing activities and believe that most publications should be made open access. The results suggest opportunities for better strategic connections between the …

Relational Database Schema To Support Research Profiling Studies, Natural Language Processing, And Bibliometric Analysis, Darnelle Melvin

Library Faculty Research

In this paper, a relational database schema is introduced that supports rapid prototyping, data preprocessing, and warehousing tasks associated with research profiling studies, natural language processing, and bibliometric analysis. Python scripts are leveraged for the seamless retrieval and processing of data from Semantic Scholar. This schema is tailored to efficiently analyze entities such as authors, their scientific papers, referenced papers, and cited papers. Adhering to the relational model, this schema offers a standardized approach to data storage and detailed information retrieval for scientific papers. Enhancing knowledge discovery in scientific databases, this schema provides researchers with a powerful platform for robust …

Introduction, Amanda Koziura, Amy Tureen

Library Faculty Research

Introduction to the book Making Values-Based Decisions in the Academic Library.

Don’T Do More With Less: Sustainable Work As A Management Value, Amanda Koziura

Library Faculty Research

Discusses a series of decisions a middle manager made to keep the work of her department sustainable and how she incorporated her values into her process.

Power, Labor, And Hierarchies: Deconstructing Work In Speculative Fiction, Joseph Kevin Sebastian

Library Faculty Research

In discussions of literary and speculative fiction, a persistent divide emerges regarding the modes and aims of each genre. Literary fiction generally aims to reflect the human condition in familiar, “realistic” terms, exploring characters, relationships, and narratives within existing social structures. In contrast, speculative fiction is characterized by what Darko Suvin identifies as the “the strange newness” of the novum: a radically new element or phenomenon that reshapes the fictional world. This paper argues that the novum in science fiction provides a unique framework for interrogating the relationships between labor, knowledge, and power, revealing how these constructs are contingent upon …

Disrupting Vocational Awe: Strategies For Supervisors To Identify, Counter, And Prevent Unsustainable Workloads And Unreasonable Expectations, Amanda Koziura, Amy Tureen

Library Faculty Research

This chapter provides practical recommendations for supervisors on combating the impacts of vocational awe and its resulting unsustainable workloads and unreasonable workplace expectations. We focus on supervisors because they are generally more empowered to make structural changes to employee responsibilities and job descriptions than are employees themselves. Tis formal authority to adjust work- loads in response to changing external factors renders supervisors key players in reducing organizationally embedded vocational awe and the results thereof.

Developing Recommendations For More Inclusive Academic Librarian On-Site Interviews, Christina M. Miskey, Kathryn M. Houk, Jason Aubin

Library Faculty Research

This chapter will discuss the work of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), library faculty Ad Hoc Committee for Diverse Recruitment and Retention: Campus Visits and Interviews (hereafter referred to as the campus visits committee), which was formed by the library faculty in 2020 to recommend ways for the faculty interview process to be more inclusive and to allow candidates from diverse backgrounds to excel during their interview process. The culmination of the committee’s work was the internal report for library faculty, Recommendations for Hosting UNLV Library Faculty Candidates, which is in the process of being implemented for …

Beyond The Library: The Role Of Academic Libraries’ Chat Reference In Answering Campus Questions, Erin Owens, Vanessa Acre, Darcy C. Del Bosque, Robin Fowler, Silvia Sheffield

Library Faculty Research

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic drove most users online, chat was establishing itself as a core service for asking library-related questions of many types, from basic directional and reference to research queries of a more sophisticated nature. This investigation seeks to provide insight into how academic libraries are seen not only as a source of library assistance, but also as a means of filling an information gap on a wider subject: the university campus at large. The study’s methods involved analyzing chat transcripts from five large four-year public universities during a two-year period (2019- 2021), noting the frequency of campus-related …

Maintenance As A Core Value Recommendations For Increasing Gender Equity On Digital Scholarship Teams, Amanda Koziura, Stephanie Becker

Library Faculty Research

As two female librarians who have worked in digital scholarship at research institutions, we have observed how patriarchal gender norms can influence the way teams operate and the toxic impact they have on librarians. In this chapter, we will identify points of impact and suggest a feminist approach, which relies on maintenance and care, to further equity in the subfield of digital scholarship within academic libraries.

Fostering Udl-Informed Library Instruction Practices Developed From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Niki Fullmer, Katie Strand

Library Faculty Research

Purpose: This case study explores how universal design for learning (UDL)-informed online instruction modules developed during COVID-19 can better support student information literacy outcomes. This study will also examine how hybrid learning lends itself to UDL and may resolve some of the issues within library instruction.

Design/methodology/approach: This case study explores how a team of librarians at Utah State University developed three UDL-informed modules to support library instruction and hybrid learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was sent to composition instructors to understand how they utilized the three new UDL-informed modules and if the modules helped …

Does This Look Relevant To You? Using Insights From Information Retrieval Studies To Facilitate Student Source Selection, Reading, And Use, Anne Jumonville Graf

Library Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

In This Together: Challenges And Opportunities For Collaborative Health Sciences Collection Development, Ana Corral, Stefanie Lapka

Library Faculty Research

An ideal objective of collection management is the development of a library collection that meets the needs of users and in the case of university libraries, the academic and research needs of a campus community. But in today’s technology-driven, budget-conscious environment, collection development at academic health sciences libraries can present challenging issues for those responsible, especially librarians new to collection development or whose primary responsibilities are situated elsewhere. Issues include gaining familiarity with institutional collection development and purchasing processes, selector collaboration, managing multiple library locations, acquiring non-traditional material, and developing more diverse and inclusive collections.

This paper will present an …

Playing Jokes, Or Funny Games And The Falklands War, Michael J. Hughes

Library Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Inclusive Or Harmful? A Critical Content Analysis Of Tutorial Offerings From R1 Academic Libraries, Carrieann Cahall, Rosan Mitola, Chelsea Heinbach, Amber Sewell

Library Faculty Research

Academic libraries frequently utilize online tutorials to meet student and instructor needs and adapt to expanding remote learning environments. Offering accessible and inclusive tutorials should be the bare minimum, yet, as suggested in Clossen and Proces and Clossen, tutorials inconsistently meet the basic requirements to be considered functionally accessible for all users. As shown by Roth and Turnbow, merely following Universal Design for Learning principles is not enough to offer truly inclusive tutorial content. Additionally, best practices tend to focus on technical suggestions and overlook critical content and pedagogical considerations. There is little guidance for creating holistically inclusive tutorials and …

Designing And Implementing An Instructional Triptych For A Digital Future, Erin Sweeney Smith, Amanda Koziura, Elizabeth Meinke, Evan Meszaros

Library Faculty Research

In response to the evolving needs of students and faculty, a small team of librarians rebuilt their library instruction program from the ground-up in 2020. The new approach consisted of three aspects: shifting introductory lessons to easily-accessible Canvas LMS modules, revamping LibGuides, and introducing a credit-bearing course. Together, they allowed librarians to move beyond traditional one-shot instruction, form deeper partnerships with faculty, and make the expertise of librarians more accessible. While the impetus for change was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the new program laid the groundwork for rethinking traditional approaches to instruction and finding better ways to meet …

Surfacing Assumptions In Source Selection: Situating Critical Reading In First-Year Information Literacy Instruction, Anne Jumonville Graf

Library Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Is It For Me? Alienation, Assimilation, And Ambition In Academia, Niki Fullmer, Brittany Paloma Fiedler

Library Faculty Research

Even though colleges and universities across the United States are implementing strategies to market their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, students of color, specifically Latinx students, are graduating at a lesser rate than the national average (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). In the academic librarian profession, only 6% of librarians are Latinx while 71% are white (Sweeney & Schonfeld, 2017). Academia and libraries are historically white, and this fact was recognized by many of the Latinx students who participated in a study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), in the spring …

Inclusive And Anti-Racist Collecting At Unlv: Draft Report And Recommendations, Annette Day, Sarah R. Jones, Amy Tureen, Susan B. Wainscott, Amanda Melilli, Thomas Padilla, Aidy Weeks

Library Faculty Research

The UNLV University Libraries recognizes that as both a direct and indirect result of colonialism and white supremacy the historical and contemporary scholarly publishing market atypically centers and prioritizes voices that are white, male, Christian, able-bodied, and heterosexual (Muka, 2018; Ray, 2018; Baffoe, Asimeng-Boahene, & Buster, 2014; and Buggs, Sims, & Kramer, 2020). In an attempt to redress this imbalance, the UNLV University Libraries is committed to collecting content by and about people and communities that have historically been excluded. This effort includes but is not limited to the intentional collection of materials about and by groups historically excluded by …

Letter To Nlm About Mesh, Violet Fox, Katie Lobner, Kelleen Maluski, Christian Minter, Chelsea Misquith, Stephanie Roth, Aidy Weeks, Jamia Williams

Library Faculty Research

A letter written to the National Library of Medicine addressing concerns regarding the problematic medical subject heading, "Blacks", other problematic terms, and the process by which they are selected. The letter concludes with recommendations for improvement by the authors and endorsed by several hundred signatories. In total, the letter was signed by 726 library workers from around the world and sent by email to National Library of Medicine representatives on Friday, June 10th, 2022. In addition, it was also shared with the Medical Library Association which distributed it through their website under the op-ed, "Open Letter to NLM Regarding MeSH …

Librarians Attending Non-Librarian Conferences: Benefits And Preparing To Attend, Amanda Nevius, Kathryn Houk, Erica Brody, Xan Goodman, Roy Brown, Christine Andresen

Library Faculty Research

This experience-based opinion piece, authored by a diverse team of librarians, will empower readers to attend non-librarian conferences by acknowledging the benefits and challenges of doing so, along with advice for overcoming these challenges and making the most of this professional development and advocacy opportunity. A review of the literature provides background and support for Part 1, which discusses the benefits of attending non-librarian conferences, organized into the categories of broadening horizons and advocacy. In Part 2 we give advice for preparation for attending and overcoming challenges. We present Part 2 organized into the following themes: 1) Acquiring time, money, …

Hot Topics Trade Publications Connect Research With Career Ambitions, Lateka J. Grays, Mark N. Lenker Iii

Library Faculty Research

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), is home to the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. Due to the college’s size and its importance for the city’s economy, it is a separate school from the College of Business. Information literacy for hospitality has been a priority for the college’s first-year seminar program since its inception, and the hospitality librarian has been working with seminar coordinators to refine this aspect of the curriculum for over six years.

Five years ago, the hospitality librarian began collaborating with a new teaching and learning librarian in order to give him more teaching experience …

Digital Partnerships: Nontraditional Learning Opportunities At The Freedman Center For Digital Scholarship, Amanda Koziura, R. Benjamin Gorham

Library Faculty Research

This book chapter details instructional partnerships between experts at the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship and faculty and students at Case Western Reserve University. Applications of digital scholarship methods in the classroom are discussed through case studies, which include assignments and activities incorporating GIS, Scalar, and photogrammetry. A literature review and mapping of digital scholarship concepts and methods to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education are included.

Gathering Knowledge In Your Library: Community Mentoring For Academic Librarians, Lateka J. Grays, Xan Y. Goodman, Andrea Wirth

Library Faculty Research

There are many mentoring definitions in the literature; however, the one that best describes the spirit of mentoring for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries (University Libraries) comes from the Dictionary of Business. It defines mentoring as “a form of training or employee development in which a trusted and respected person with a lot [of] experience—the mentor—offers special guidance, encouragement and support to a less experienced employee.”1

Mentoring at the University Libraries is designed to provide guidance and encouragement to incoming tenure-track librarians who must navigate the tenure process and organizational culture in higher education. The purpose of this …