Library and Information Science Commons^™

Enhancing Opac Records For Discovery, Patrick Griffis, Cyrus Ford Zarganj

Library Faculty Research

This article proposes adding keywords and descriptors to the catalog records of electronic databases and media items to enhance their discovery. The authors contend that subject liaisons can add value to OPAC records and enhance discovery of electronic databases and media items by providing searchable keywords and resource descriptions. The authors provide an examination of OPAC records at their own library, which illustrates the disparity of useful keywords and descriptions within the notes field for media item records versus electronic database records. The authors outline methods for identifying useful keywords for indexing OPAC records of electronic databases. Also included is …

Smartphones: A Potential Discovery Tool, Eva Stowers, Wendy Starkweather

Library Faculty Research

The anticipated wide adoption of smartphones by researchers is viewed by the authors as a basis for developing mobile-based services. In response to the UNLV Libraries’ strategic plan’s focus on experimentation and outreach, the authors investigate the current and potential role of smartphones as a valuable discovery tool for library users.

Success Factors And Strategic Planning: Rebuilding An Academic Library Digitization Program, Cory K. Lampert, Jason Vaughan

Library Faculty Research

This paper discusses a dual approach of case study and research survey to investigate the complex factors in sustaining academic library digitization programs. The case study involves the background of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Libraries’ digitization program and elaborates on the authors’ efforts to gain staff support for this program. A related survey was administered to all Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members, seeking to collect baseline data on their digital collections, understand their respective administrative frameworks, and to gather feedback on both negative obstacles and positive inputs affecting their success. Results from the survey, combined with …

Using Technology To Support Faculty And Enhance Coursework In Academic Institutions, Jeremy W. Donald

Library Faculty Research

The article offers tips on how use technology to support faculty and to enhance coursework in academic institutions in Texas. It states that communication and trust building are the first step to successful collaborations. Moreover, learning goals of the faculty member for the assignment must be determined. Furthermore, parameters and limitations of the project must also be determined.

Bibliolinking: An Adaptation Of Bibliotherapy For University Students In Transition, K. M. Becker, D. Pehrsson, P. S. Mcmillen

Library Faculty Research

A team composed of one student and two faculty members worked in concert to develop and evaluate a training model for personnel who work with university students in transition. This model utilizes “Bibliolinking” (a newly coined word developed during this research) which is an adaptation of bibliotherapy. The primary purpose for using Bibliolinking is to establish and nourish relationships among Resident Assistants (RAs) and student residents (SRs) via a shared experience with a text such as a novel, short story, article or self-help book. Although, RAs play an important, often counselor-like role, they receive no or little formal preparation for …

Memorial Hall Museum Online: American Centuries., Tom D. Sommer

Library Faculty Research

If you are researching the history of New England online, the Memorial Hall Museum’s American Centuries site is a valuable place to start. It is geared toward educators and elementary through high school students, providing users access to primary sources and interactive activities from the Memorial Hall Museum in Old Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Bryson’S Dictionary For Writers And Editors, Priscilla Finley

Library Faculty Research

This update to Bryson's Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors (1991) lists and glosses selected proper nouns, frequently confused words, and anomalies of written usage that are likely to draw the attention of copy editors.

British Film Noir Guide, Priscilla Finley

Library Faculty Research

Independent scholar Keaney follows up his Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940-1959 (CH, Sep'03, 41-0022) with this filmography of 369 British productions that embrace the visual style and dark thematic elements that define film noir as a genre.

User Study Of The Coates Library Home Page: December 2007, Benjamin R. Harris

Library Faculty Research

In 2005 and 2007, usability research studies were conducted in the Coates Library at Trinity University. The purpose of these studies was to determine (a) that participants could complete a number of basic tasks using the web site and (b) that navigability and design of the site facilitated the efficient and timely location of critical information and resources. During the course of these projects, participants were open and forthcoming about their perceptions on site characteristics that were indirectly related to usability. A user study of Trinity University’s Coates Library web site homepage was conducted in fall 2007. As opposed to …

Promoting And Archiving Student Work Through An Institutional Repository: Trinity University, Lasr, And The Digital Commons, Christopher W. Nolan, Jane Costanza

Library Faculty Research

The authors discuss the development of a related set of institutional repositories among several liberal arts college libraries. Contrary to the usual focus on faculty publications, the primary goal of these repositories is the promotion of student work, especially undergraduate theses. Discussion of issues concerning selection of materials and archival policies is included along with practical considerations of workflows and reflections on the advantages and disadvantages of the particular software platform (Digital Commons). Marketing the repository and the subsequent addition of other materials, including e-journals, are discussed in light of ambiguity about its purposes among campus faculty and students.

Usability Study Of The Coates Library Website At Trinity University: Two Years Later, Benjamin R. Harris

Library Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Citation Analysis Of Upper-Level Student Writing At Trinity University: Final Report, Benjamin R. Harris

Library Faculty Research

During the 2006-07 academic terms, a citation analysis of third- and fourth-year student writing was conducted at Trinity University's Elizabeth Huth Coates Library. This study was designed to achieve the following objectives:

• To improve the content focus and quality of library instruction at the Coates Library.
• To allow Trinity librarians to better support the goals and objectives of the university's honor code.
• To offer useful information about student research and writing to interested Trinity faculty members.
• To offer suggestions for teaching research and writing strategies to upper level students

During the course of the research, additional implications of value to …

Development Of Midcareer Librarians, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

This article examines career development issues faced by midcareer librarians and discusses challenges these librarians encounter during their career path. The article also analyzes how midcareer librarians can deal with these challenges through career development and planning using self-evaluation and assessment.

A Cartographic Journey Through Las Vegas History: Tracing The Las Vegas Landscape Through Maps Pt. 2, Su Kim Chung, Katherine Rankin

Library Faculty Research

An interesting set of historical maps of Nevada and the Las Vegas area.

Reforming The Undergraduate Experience, Diane Vanderpol, Jeanne M. Brown, Patricia A. Iannuzzi

Library Faculty Research

This chapter examines common objectives in some of the major initiatives in higher education. It highlights the role of librarians and libraries in higher education reform

Expertise For The Visually-Oriented From The Visually-Oriented: Arlis/Na Contributions To The Library Profession, Jeanne M. Brown

Library Faculty Research

ARLIS/NA stands for “The Art Libraries Society of North America.” How many of you have heard of ARLIS before? The name of the society is a bit misleading since the Society is composed of individuals not libraries. ARLIS has members whose responsibilities are in art, architecture, and design, and who work in museums, public libraries, academic libraries and visual resources collections. The Society holds an annual conference, has an active publications program, maintains a complex web site, and addresses the continuing education needs of its members.

My focus today will be on the publications program, since that is readily accessible …

Moving From Book To E-Book, J. Cory Tucker, Reeta Sinha

Library Faculty Research

This article discusses the impact electronic books have had on collection management in academic libraries. Using the experience at University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), the authors describe how the library incorporated e-books into its print book collection. The article also discusses the impact of e-books on areas such as selection and acquisitions, as well as the role of vendors in this emerging field of collection development. Finally, the authors compare and contrast collection assessment methods for print and electronic books. The article concludes with some observations regarding what comes next for libraries and e-book collections.

The Bibliotherapy Education Project: Alive And Well-And Perpetually “Under Construction”, P. S. Mcmillen

Library Faculty Research

The Bibliotherapy Education Project began as a teaching collaboration between faculty at Oregon State University's Libraries and School of Education. The project's evolution from 1999 to 2004 was previously described in this journal (McMillen 2005). The core of the project is a book evaluation tool, which builds counselor skill and knowledge in selection of books; since 2004, book evaluations created with the tool populate a searchable database. The accompanying Web site supports emerging counseling professionals in learning to competently use books in therapy. This article will describe recent developments and future directions for the overall project, including a usability study …

Changing The Way We Work, Cory K. Lampert

Library Faculty Research

Changing the Way We Work, Boule’s resource-packed Library Technology Report, contains a thoughtful discussion of technology-enhanced work presented with concrete examples, lessons learned, and specific technology resources for library evaluation. The book’s first chapter highlights five case studies that distill the experiences of early adopters who have utilized technology tools on major projects.

Communities As Necessity In Information Literacy Development: Challenging The Standards, Benjamin R. Harris

Library Faculty Research

Contemporary standards suggest that information literate activity is a solitary process. As a corrective, research and pedagogical theory related to “learning communities” and “communities of practice” have become valuable sites of inquiry for librarians. The author provides strategies for making community a topic of instruction.

A Cartographic Journey Through Las Vegas History: Tracing The Las Vegas Landscape Through Maps, Su Kim Chung, Katherine Rankin

Library Faculty Research

An interesting set of historical maps of Nevada and the Las Vegas area.

The 'Blood On The Stacks' Arg: Immersive Marketing Meets Library New Student Orientation, Jeremy W. Donald

Library Faculty Research

What is the single best thing you can teach new users about your library? Who are the most powerful trendsetters of library use? When the staff at the Coates Library at Trinity University asked themselves that question, we found that our best answer was this: students who serve as residential life staff have an enormous influence on new student behavior; ask them to teach new users to feel comfortable in the library and to be aware of its resources. Comfortable people ask questions, experiment with new tools, and promote those behaviors in others.

The goal of promoting comfort with campus …

Using Courseware Discussion Boards To Engage Graduate Students In Online Library Workshops, H. Rempel, P. S. Mcmillen

Library Faculty Research

Librarians at Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries used the discussion board features of Blackboard courseware to create an interactive experience for graduate students at a distance who could not attend the on-campus “Literature Review Workshops.” These recently developed workshops have been extremely popular with graduate students across the disciplines and have generated a growing demand from distance education graduate students and faculty to offer similar information online. Reluctant to simply deliver content via an online tutorial, librarians sought to duplicate the workshop atmosphere by making the sessions available for a short time-period online, asking participants to respond to discussion questions …

Instruction And Program Design Through Assessment, Anne E. Zald, Debra Gilchrist

Library Faculty Research

True to the intention of this chapter, we begin with learning outcomes and use them as the chapter's organizational structure. Learning outcomes represent what we want you to be able to do as a result of active engagement with this material. Within each outcome we include a short discussion of each topic along with many examples and practical applications of the concept under discussion. We hope that this format illustrates the concepts in a holistic manner and facilitates your understanding and learning.

Users 2.0: Technology At Your Service, Darcy C. Del Bosque, Kimberly Chapman

Library Faculty Research

It is exciting, as practicing librarians, to find a singular voice that stands out as a strong influence on the profession. Anne Grodzins Lipow provided one such voice, inspiring us to evaluate our philosophy of patron service and helping us define our professional values. Lipow’s body of work encompasses many contemporary library issues, involving myriad aspects of customer service. Lipow addressed issues including patron-friendly catalogs and reference service in both traditional face-to-face and newer virtual settings, recognized the importance of training staff as part of continuous improvement in customer service, and emphasized the power of using technology to improve delivery …

Values: The Invisible ‘Ante’ In Information Literacy Learning?, Benjamin R. Harris

Library Faculty Research

Purpose: The ACRL Competency Standards related to learners’ values and value systems has not been interrogated in relation to information literacy theory or practice. This paper analyzes the inclusion of values in these and other guidelines and seeks evidence of the development of this topic in the literature.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A comparative review of information literacy standards related to values/value systems was conducted. An analysis of the literature engaging issues related to personal or community values related to information was completed. Suggestions for continued work were based on these findings.

Findings: Competency standards related to values/value systems are out of place …

Global Information Technology Report 2006-2007: Connecting To The Networked Economy, Priscilla Finley

Library Faculty Research

This World Economic Forum report by Dutta (INSEAD) and Mia (WEF) evaluates the penetration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in 122 economies across the globe.

Twentieth-Century Drama: Internet Resource, Priscilla Finley

Library Faculty Research

The current release of Twentieth-Century Drama offers authoritative online texts for 1,450 plays. The completed version will contain 2,600 published plays from throughout the English-speaking world, covering the history of modern drama from the 1890s to the present, at a cost of roughly $25 per play for a typical graduate library.

The Negative Mystics Of The Mechanistic Sublime: Walter Benjamin And Lovecraft's Cosmicism, Jeff Lacy, Steven J. Zani

Library Faculty Research

In recent years, a small but significant number of H. P. Lovecraft's critics have begun to address the question of language in his fiction. Language has always been an issue with Lovecraft's detractors, and anyone familiar with his criticism knows the legacy of critiques of his verbosity and ambiguity. Lovecraft's early antagonistic reception in the world of critical scholarship was no doubt due in part to his deliberate affect of language and perhaps in part to the generally low opinion of "weird" fiction held by many critics. But it is less our intention to address those old discussions here than …

Gis As A Web 2.0 Education Tool, Jeremy W. Donald

Library Faculty Research

This talk will present the results of a partnership between university and middle school students who will learn basic techniques for representing demographic and political boundary data with GIS software, and then create one or more projects focused on encouraging and facilitating the use of public information by the local community. GIS, in combination with Web 2.0 tools, will be used as a medium for communicating the data that serves as the basis for political representation and policy decisions.

Goals and objectives will be to increase political awareness, dialogue, and participation among both (university & middle school) groups of students. …