Library and Information Science Commons^™

Heard On The Net: Rambling Through The Web, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This column explores Amazon's decision to allow Kindle library check-outs of e-books via OverDrive, STM statement regarding authors’ rights, the UNESCO announcement of their Global Access Portal, and the news of the passing of John Merriman.

What Libraries Can Learn From Kanye, Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

What can libraries learn from Kanye West. The presentation focuses on three things that Kanye West does really well and what libraries and library workers should do more of. The video of Emily's presentation is located here: http://vimeo.com/25485191

Heard On The Net: Ain’T Gonna Work On Charles’* Farm No More, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This column explores the lack of investment in middle management by the association of research libraries and looks at how community engagement can result in new ways to develop collections.

Technology In Practice. Too Much Information?, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses personal privacy concerns for libraries in light of the impact of online social networks, social media, and Web 2.0 technologies on the blurred line between private and public information. The author examines the perspectives of members of the public who are in favor of disclosing personal information and those who are against it. He addresses the responsibility of libraries to protect the privacy of their patrons when using social networking sites.

A Librarian In The Land Of The Pharaohs, Joan Petit

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article presents the author's insights on the transition in her family after moving from Carrboro, North Carolina to Cairo, Egypt, where she will spend her two years working as Reference and Instruction Librarian at the American University in Cairo, Egypt (AUC). The author says that the welcome change in her family was the employment of a part-time housekeeper and nanny. She adds that most of the evenings and weekends of her family were spent at the club, visiting with friends, and relaxing.

Technology In Practice. Let's Not Borrow Trouble: E-Book Collection Development Requires New Considerations, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In this article the author addresses various aspects regarding the feasibility of library lending services for electronic books (e-books). She suggests that several conditions make e-books difficult to incorporate into library collections, particularly at academic libraries. Topics include lack of interoperability among e-book reader formats, compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and digital rights management of e-books by publishers and vendors.

Struggling To Juggle: Part-Time Temporary Work In Libraries, Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article presents the author's view on the benefits and disadvantages of a part-time temporary work in libraries. She states that the advantages include flexibility, gaining experience, and staying in a local area which is advantageous for those who have children. Also, working in more than one library helps one to develop professional relationships with coworkers. Meanwhile, its disadvantages include commuting, exclusion from the work environment, and not being paid on health benefits.

Technology In Practice. Keeping Up, 2.0 Style, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the use of RSS feeds, tools for subscribing to web 2.0 content such as blogs and other web content, by researchers and librarians. The author suggests subscribing to the RSS feeds of scholarly journals and database vendors such as EBSCO, ProQuest, and Elsevier in order to locate and read updated web 2.0 information.

Terms: Techniques For Electronic Resource Management, Graham Stone, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Graham Stone, University of Huddersfield, and Jill Emery, Portland State University, have set up TERMS, a project looking at each of the stages in the e-resources cycle. They are inviting review and comment on the blog.

Threshold Concepts And Information Literacy, Lori Townsend, Korey Brunetti, Amy R. Hofer

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

What do we teach when we teach information literacy in higher education? This paper describes a pedagogical approach to information literacy that helps instructors focus content around transformative learning thresholds. The threshold concept framework holds promise for librarians because it grounds the instructor in the big ideas and underlying concepts that make information literacy exciting and worth learning about. This paper looks at how this new idea relates to existing standards and posits several threshold concepts for information literacy. This article won the 2013 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section (IS) Ilene F. Rockman Publication of the …

A Content Analysis Of The Strategic Plans Of The Coalition Of Urban Serving Universities' Academic Libraries, Thomas Bielavitz

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

As academic libraries support the curricular mission of the university, the strategic plans of academic libraries often reflect the priorities and initiatives of the larger institution. Urban universities often incorporate concepts of community engagement in their mission. The Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (http://www.usucoalition.org), a federation of 43 urban universities, has developed initiatives which seek to establish the university and city as partners. Using the publicly-accessible strategic plans of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) affiliated libraries as a data set, the research will perform a content analysis, using Atlas.ti software, to look for evidence that the libraries are …

A Perspective On Preservation And Disaster Response Preparedness In Oregon Libraries, Alex Toth, Kristen Kern

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In this article, we will examine one collaborative Oregon preservation effort that we believe is both enlightening and instructive for the example that it provides and for the direction that similar efforts may take in the future. The initiative that we have chosen to examine is that of the Disaster Recovery Group (DiRG) established by the Portland Area Library System (PORTALS). PORTALS was a library consortium founded in 1993 to meet the research and educational needs of libraries in the greater Portland area through cooperative and creative access to information resources and services. What made the consortium somewhat unique was …

Technology In Practice. Read The Fine Print, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses terms of service agreements which are linked to various forms of digital technologies or services that libraries offer to patrons. In the article the author offers her opinions on the importance of reading and understanding the agreements and on the impact they can have on libraries.

X, Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The author focuses on the issue of undisclosed publications, by which she means works published under pseudonyms or anonymously. The author comments on the proliferation of anonymity in the era of the Internet, saying that technology allows people to be not accountable for their actions and to break social contracts in the scholarly world. The author uses the example of the library field and discusses peer review and professional discourse.

Heard On The Net: One Byte, Two Bytes, Three Bytes For Dollars. All For E-Books, Stand Up And Holler!, Jill Emery

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This column explores two e-book purchasing models, Evidence-Based Selection (EBS) and patron-driven (demanddriven) model. Both hold promise as new ways to purchase e-books in libraries and provoke interesting questions about the future of e-book purchasing.

Technology In Practice. Nurturing Innovation: Tips For Managers And Administrators, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on how library managers and administrators can encourage innovation in libraries and prevent the failure of new library services. The author suggests that managers should encourage staff to learn about new trends in technology, give staff time to experiment with new initiatives, and develop a work culture that is tolerant of risks. Other topics include budget cuts to libraries, patron population, and rate of return (ROI) for libraries.

Technology In Practice. Your Reality, Augmented, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses library applications of global positioning system (GPS) functionality available in mobile telephones. Augmented reality applications and location-aware mobile Web sites are examined and their possible connection with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to assist library users are explored. The development of location-based applications to enhance library services is also discussed.

Technology In Practice. Guided By Barcodes, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article explores the application of Quick Response (QR) barcodes in library settings, with particular focus given to their possible use in library orientation. It notes that QR codes can be scanned and read by camera-enabled mobile telephones, directing the user to a predetermined location which could include Web sites, telephone numbers, or images. Public service applications of QR codes are examined and the use of QR codes in Japan is discussed.

Working Overseas As A Librarian For The United States Or Non-Governmental Organizations, Joan Petit

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In this article, I focus on international jobs with the US Federal Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the United Nations. Please note that this is not an exhaustive summary of opportunities available abroad for Americans, but I do hope it will get you started.

Tryin' To Get My Mojo Workin', Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the reasons why librarians in the U.S. get burned out in their jobs and lose their librarian mojo. It states that librarians are dependent on systems which make them prone to systems failure while most libraries rely on tools and technologies instead of their skills and subsequently lose their mojo. It suggests to attend the American Library Association's (ALA) annual meeting and meet other librarians and get inspired about librarianship.

Technology In Practice. A Library In Your Pocket, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the development of library Web pages designed for viewing on mobile devices and cell phones. The use of smartphones and cell phones to access internet content, library services that can be made accessible through the mobile Web, and population assessment options for libraries developing mobile Web sites are examined. Services designed for mobile use including reference services, library instruction, and catalog access are also discussed.

The Balanced Scorecard: A Systemic Model For Evaluation And Assessment Of Learning Outcomes?, Thomas Bielavitz

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The goal of this paper is to explore using Kaplan and Norton's balanced scorecard methodology as a systemic model for outcomes assessment. The expectations of academic accrediting agencies have shifted from measurement of inputs and outputs to that of the library's impact on learning and demonstrating accountability. Recent literature has presented methods for performing specific aspects of outcomes assessment. However, the scorecard methodology may provide a systemic advantage beneficial to library administrators and managers. Methods -- This paper provides a selective review of outcomes assessment in academic libraries and a description of the balanced scorecard methodology, focusing on its relevance …

Technology In Practice. Dipping Into The Stream, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the use of microblogging and social networking Web sites Twitter and FriendFeed by librarians for professional networking. Benefits of social networking for building professional relationships, keeping track of professional trends, and finding help are discussed. Ways of developing networks on Twitter and FriendFeed are provided and suggestions for managing social networking sites are included.

Valuing Information Literacy: Affective Learning And The Acrl Standards, Robert Schroeder, Ellysa Stern Cahoy

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Higher education information literacy standards have readily addressed cognitive skills, although affective competencies--the emotional abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully navigate the research process--have not yet been incorporated into standards. This paper presents examples of current information literacy standards, integrating affective competencies or dispositions, including the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "21st Century Learning Standards," and proposes a model for affective-focused higher education information literacy standards. The role of affect in library learning, the importance of affective competencies, and the centrality of affective learning to student mastery of research skills are discussed. Viewing information literacy as …

Working Overseas In A School Or University Library, Joan Petit

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

For two years, my family and I lived in Cairo, Egypt, while I worked at the American University in Cairo as an Instruction and Reference Librarian. It was a fantastic experience, and I get questions almost weekly from students and librarians interested in the same kind of job, either in Egypt or elsewhere.

This article will discuss jobs in academic and school libraries, including tips on finding and attaining these positions. This article focuses on jobs for expats (or potential expats) rather than jobs where an American is hired instead of a local.

Upstairs-Downstairs: Working With A Campus Assessment Coordinator And Other Allies For Effective Information Literacy Assessment, Amy R. Hofer, Margot Hanson

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

At a 2008 assessment conference, Megan Oakleaf and Lisa Hinchliffe noted that one barrier librarians face when trying to conduct assessment is lack of coordination. This barrier was removed for Golden Gate University's (GGU) librarians when Lisa Kramer was hired as Director of Assessment and Evaluation and made her expertise and support available to us. She helped us understand the difference between program evaluation and learning assessment, and acted as a sounding board in the design of a new assessment study. We describe our environment at GGU, our assessment goals, and our study design, then discuss preliminary results and possible …

A Library Technician Classification Study: Addressing Obsolescence, Compression, And Retention, Thomas Bielavitz

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This article reports on the classification of library technicians and the role of job descriptions in collective bargaining. The classification of library technicians was revised by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organization, affecting salary ranges for employees on university campuses including the Oregon University System (OUS). The article discusses the effects of these changes related to the changing job market, equity in wages, and unionization. Information is also provided on library support staffs and library management.

Technology In Practice. Finding Your Voice, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article offers suggestions for librarians seeking to develop a blog to add to a professional online portfolio. Discovering one's own voice and blogging style, selecting topics, and acquiring readers are examined. Increasing online visibility by commenting on topically similar blogs, linking to the posts of other blogs, and cross-posting entries through various social networking communities including Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed are also discussed.

Technology In Practice. Your Virtual Brand, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In this article the author suggests that prospective librarians must establish a positive online identity and presence as part of the job search process. She proposes that individuals assess themselves as a brand to be marketed. She points to the influence of personal profiles on online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter on employer hiring decisions.

Technology In Practice. Brand Perception 2.0, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the importance of a good online identity that will have an impact on young adults' future job prospects, as well as an organization's brand consciousness. It cites the efforts done by many librarians to teach the young adults on how to develop social networking sites and the importance of maintaining a good online identity. It presents the bad effects of having derogatory posts and other things such as compromising photographs. It also offers suggestions on what libraries can do when faced by bad publicity online.