Library and Information Science Commons^™

Author Impact Factor: Tracking The Dynamics Of Individual Scientific Impact, Santo Fortunato

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The impact factor (IF) of scientific journals has acquired a major role in the evaluations of the output of scholars, departments and whole institutions. Typically papers appearing in journals with large values of the IF receive a high weight in such evaluations. However, at the end of the day one is interested in assessing the impact of individuals, rather than papers. Here we introduce Author Impact Factor (AIF), which is the extension of the IF to authors. The AIF of an author A in year {\it t} is the average number of citations given by papers published in year {\it …

Sustainability Metrics In Library And Information Services: A Quality Management Framework, Paula Ochôa, Leonor Gaspar Pinto

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

This paper discusses the role of sustainability metrics in quality management in Library and Information Services (LIS), contributing to the ongoing debate by developing an integrated framework that offers an opportunity to measure sustainability value, influence and meaning of information services, and providing an illustrative example of LIS professionals and students discussion in Portugal. LIS assessment experience can strongly contribute to the debate around culture and development and, therefore, global sustainability. But in order to have its expertise externally recognize, the library and information community needs to integrate the sustainability perspective into the LIS performance evaluation research and practice, using …

Virtualising The Bookshelf, Peter Green

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The author presented a paper at IATUL 2012 'Visualization for New Generation Users in the Age of the Electronic Book’ in which he described why we should take advantage of the rich visual tradition of the book cover and the opportunities offered by modern information technologies to restore to our readers some of the discovery opportunities we have lost in the transition from paper to electronic, a transition that is being driven by client demand for online materials that are available anywhere, anytime. In particular he talked about shelf browsing and new books displays as a valued part of our …

Publication Integration At Purdue: A Comprehensive Publication Workflow For Traditional Publications And Data Publications, David Scherer, Lisa Zilinski, Courtney E. Matthews

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Many funders around the world have begun to recognize the importance of providing free access to research results, which includes publications and data. There has also been an increased interest in the management, dissemination, and access of research data, leading to an increase in the development of research data repositories and the linkage of data to publications. One example is Dryad, a curated general-purpose repository that makes the data underlying scientific publications discoverable, freely reusable, and citable. A highlight of the Dryad repository is the submission integration service to authors and publishers, which integrates the submission of publication manuscripts with …

Great Expectations: Results From A Faculty Survey Of Students' Information Literacy Proficiency, Brian Jackson, Margy Macmillan, Michelle Sinotte

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

In the fall of 2012, our library surveyed teaching faculty to gauge their expectations around students’ use of information. We asked instructors what they thought was important for students to know in each year of study, how proficient they felt students were in performing tasks associated with research, how they expected students to acquire that proficiency, and how they assessed students’ skills. The survey also polled faculty on the types of resources they felt were important for each year of study. The results of the study are informing the development of the library’s strategic plan and the inclusion of information …

The Effect Of Open Access On Citation Rates Of Self-Archived Articles At Chalmers, Lars Kullman

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Open Access (OA) proponents argue that OA increases the visibility and accessibility of research articles, and therefore increases the citation rate of these works. During the last decade numerous studies have been made on the possible citation advantage of OA on scholarly publications. At Chalmers University of Technology (Göteborg, Sweden) an OA policy was adopted in 2010, mandating all of its publications to be self-archived in the university repository Chalmers Publication Library (CPL). One of the arguments of the then vice chancellor was that OA would increase citations. In this study, a possible OA citation advantage of articles self-archived in …

Measuring The World With Scientometrics Challenges And Limitations, Rafael Ball

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The quantification of the world is in full swing. With Big Data everyone will be convinced that in the future the truth will be based on correlations, not causality. This, however, will succeed only with a new understanding of data, its quality and precision. Will bibliometrics be able to comply?

Integrated Decision Support System – Idss For Library Holistic Evaluation, Lorena Siguenza-Guzman, Victor Saquicela, Dirk Cattrysse

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The decision-making process in academic libraries is paramount; however highly complicated due to the large number of data sources, processes and high volumes of data to be analyzed. Academic libraries are accustomed to producing and gathering a vast amount of statistics about their collection and services. Typical data sources include integrated library systems, library portals and online catalogues, systems of consortiums, quality surveys and university management. Unfortunately, these heterogeneous data sources are only partially used for decision-making processes due to the wide variety of formats, standards and technologies, as well as the lack of efficient methods of integration. This article …

Determining Return On Investment: The Importance And Development Of Statistics Collection For Information Literacy Training At Cput Libraries, Janine Lockhart, Deborah Becker

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Academic libraries are increasingly required to prove their value as university management is demanding evidence of return on investment. The Information Literacy (IL) programme at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Libraries has undergone a process of development over many years from the initial random training sessions to the development and approval of a certified short course.

With these developments came the need for more relevant and detailed statistics. In a parallel process, the recording of the statistics for IL and other training done by library staff have therefore also evolved over the past few years.

This paper outlines the …

What Students Really Want: Library As Place At Andrews University, Sila Marques De Oliveira

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Although there is abundant information available remotely, higher education students and teachers still seek the campus library to meet many of their teaching, research, and learning needs. The usefulness of the spaces provided is directly dependent on the match between these spaces and the learning and teaching styles students and teachers engage in today. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify what types of spaces students really want in order to better accomplish their academic requirements and learning needs. The data will be collected through several ethnographic techniques, such as focus groups, design charrettes, and image analogy. Information …

The Difficulty Of Indicating Transformation: The Challenge For Library Statistics And Surveys, Heli Kautonen, Markku Laitinen, Anna Niemelä

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Academic libraries have long refined the tools and skills in order to show their positive impact to research, to science and to the overall society. The aim is to provide essential information for library managers and decision makers. However, the qualitative and quantitative analyses showing libraries’ impact should also provide indications about change, i.e. the transformation of such social practices that challenge the essence of libraries.

This paper presents two sources of information for analysing libraries’ impact on the national level. The first is the Finnish Research Library Statistics Database and the second is the National Library End-User Survey of …

Implementing A Next Generation Library System, Peter Green

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Only a few years ago most library management systems were considered stable and mature and the focus of effort by library vendors and academic libraries was on developing and implementing client facing, web scale, discovery layers. These are now ubiquitous. However the rise and rise of electronic content and the growing complexity of managing that electronic content with systems developed last century has led to the current focus on developing and implementing next generation library management systems. These new library systems are being built from the ground up, encompassing all forms of content and subsuming more recently developed products, such …

The Library As A Part Of Research Development Work, Leena Huiku, Kaisa Kulkki, Laura Himanen

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

One of the main conclusions of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) conducted at Tampere University of Technology (TUT) in 2011 was the need to develop TUT’s publication activities and patterns. It was pointed out by the assessment panels that the researchers’ choice of publication channels was not always successful. Also in the case of many departments the amount of publications was unsatisfactory.

In order to address the challenges pointed out by the RAE, a Roadmap for Research was created and it includes measures to improve TUT’s publication activity. At the same time, the importance of publications in the national allocation …

Bibliometric Services In Research Evaluation: A New Task Area Strengthening The Jurisdiction Of Academic Librarians, Sabrina Petersohn

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Science policy framed by audit culture relies heavily on performance measurement. This changing research environment affects higher education institutions and their scientific libraries. As service providers for research and teaching libraries need to demonstrate their added-value in front of various stakeholders. Some Library and Information Science (LIS) scholars and practitioners thus promote evaluative bibliometric services as a new service area. The question rises whether this trend to engage in evaluative bibliometrics will consolidate into a recognized professional task area in academic librarianship. Using Abbott’s theoretical framework the paper asks whether academic librarians claim a professional jurisdiction on bibliometric expertise in …

Long Term Evaluation Of Information Literacy Programme, Tina Hohmann

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The Technische Universität München library was the first university library in Germany to be certified by TÜV with respect to its ISO 9001:2001 quality management. One of the main objectives of our quality management policy is to measure customer satisfaction not only in the short-term, but also over longer periods of time, in order to constantly develop and improve our services.

To this end, TUM library management have decided to conduct a long term evaluation of its information literacy (IL) programme. We regularly ask course participants for feedback immediately after the events and evaluate these yearly. Additionally, we have started …

Collaboration Success In The Dataverse Libraries As Digital Humanities Research Partners, Sue Owen, Deb Verhoeven, Anne Horn, Sabina Robertson

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

At Deakin, the Humanities Networked Infrastructure project (HuNI), has paved new ground for facilitating the effective use and re-use of humanities research data. HuNI is one of the first large-scale eResearch infrastructure projects for the humanities in Australia and the first national, cross-disciplinary Virtual Laboratory (VL) worldwide.

HuNI provides new information infrastructure services for both humanities researchers and members of the public. Its development has been funded by the National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources project (NeCTAR) and undertaken by a consortium of thirteen institutions led by Deakin University. A Deakin University Library team with skills in data description, curation, …

Library Design In The Age Of Technology Planning For A Changing Environment, Sharon Bostick, Bryan Irwin

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

This paper explores university library design that is user-centered and inclusive. We will look at the need to create a strong, compelling vision. Discussion will include an overview of types of spaces and the need to connect libraries to the external environment to enhance the design and usability. It will look at the evolution of the library and considerations for contemporary library design which include issues of mobility, determining the role of collaboration between users, accessibility, and process. It will include examples of university library buildings, both new construction and renovations.

The Curious Instance Of The Library's Travelling Poll: Determining Obstacles In The Research Process, Lucia Schoombee

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

The role of libraries in co-facilitating timeous and successful completion of postgraduate studies and increased research output is accentuated in the current, competitive academic environment. Faced with this challenge, libraries need to probe new territory, expand boundaries of service delivery and collaborate with academic support services. This paper describes an unconventional, visual method to explore service needs of researchers and research students. The method consists of an interactive poll which visually depicts the research lifecycle and allows respondents to point out arduous aspects in the research process. The poll is a collaborative project between the Library and the Information Technology …

Library Spaces Designed With Students In Mind: An Evaluation Study Of University Of Queensland Libraries At St Lucia Campus, Neda Abbasi, Richard Tucker, Kenn Fisher, Robert Gerrity

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

This paper identifies the design qualities of library spaces that matter the most for university students. Drawing upon the data from an online survey made available to students from the University of Queensland, Australia, a number of design-related considerations are examined including: acoustics, furniture, interior architecture, lighting, and thermal comfort. 1505 students completed the survey, which aimed to assess how effective and responsive library spaces are in meeting students’ needs and supporting their learning experiences. The survey included ‘Likert scale questions’ requiring students to rate their levels of satisfaction with different aspects of library spaces and ‘open-ended questions’ asking students …

Using Citation Data For Purchase Decisions: Analysing Citing Patterns And Journal Holdings At The Royal Institute Of Technology, Cecilia Heyman Widmark

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

This paper describes how citation data can be used for identifying gaps in journal holdings and in that way form a foundation for acquisitions. Citation data was matched against e-journal holdings using Web of Science™ and export files from a central knowledge base. Data for three years (2010-2012) was used, in total from 6 246 publications containing 130 090 references to 5 216 journals.

Furthermore, impact factors from Journal Citation Reports™ were added as well as information about publisher and if the journal was open access or not. The journals were also enriched with subject headings. The latter information was …

Minimal Resources With Maximum Impact: Low-Cost And Sustainable Means For Library Promotions, Karryl Kim A. Sagun

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

While it is a generally shared fact around the globe that funding for library promotion (and in most cases, libraries in general) be rendered as a pressing concern, the fact remains that this challenge is truer in developing countries such as the Philippines. Librarians in charge of promoting the library can either choose to fight--defend their “rights” for a slice of the budget pie, or take flight--just do away with library promotion altogether. However, results of a low-cost and sustainable marketing strategy employed by the Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines prove that there is …

Reorganizing The Relationship Of Digital Library Resources And Physical Learning Environments, Antti M. Rousi, Michael Fosmire, Risto Maijala, Benjamin D. Branch, Nicole Kong

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Introduction. This study examines the theoretical variance of user experience generated by linking digital library resources via QR codes into library learning environments. Methods. A heuristic evaluation was done about the theoretical variance of user experience created by the QR code linking procedure. This evaluation was based on Garrett’s (2003) framework of user experience. The targets of the evaluation were two existing QR code portals of both Aalto and Purdue University Libraries. Results. The existing QR code portals generate variation of varying degrees into all of the elements of user experience. Conclusion. Despite the breadth of variance created, perhaps the …

Library Assistant - Improving The Student Experience Of Oxford Libraries Through A Mobile Library Induction, Oliver Bridle, Angela Carritt

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

A student’s first week at University is an overwhelming experience with important information being delivered by many different parts of the institution. High student numbers and severe time constraints on contact time between librarians and students means that libraries struggle to effectively communicate advice about services and resources. This issue is further compounded at the University of Oxford by the complexity of the local library system; the second largest in the UK. Research undertaken with Oxford students to ascertain their views on library inductions revealed that, although inductions were valued, they could be poorly timed and leave students overloaded with …

Access To Research Data: Addressing The Problem Through Journal Data Sharing Policies, Paul Sturges, Marianne Bamkin, Jane Anders, Azhar Hussain

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

There is a growing consensus in the broader research community, including libraries and other information repositories, that sharing of research data is vital both for transparency and possible reuse. Logically the sharing should be in the form of data held in suitable repositories which is linked to effective access points such as library catalogues. The journals in which the research appears have a central role in this process. The JoRD Project atNottinghamUniversityinvestigated the current state of journal data sharing policies through a survey of sample titles, and explored the views and practices of stakeholders including the research community and its …

Measures For Success: Measures Of Quality, Dom Mitchell

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

DOAJ indexes a huge variety of Open Access publishers: from open access megajournals to groundbreaking OA journals to the single journal, operated by one person with limited funding. There is a long-tail of small, single journals publishers indexed in the Directory and they make up the majority. DOAJ's day-to-day processes include considering new journals for inclusion and screening existing journals to ensure compliance to a set of quality indicators and that DOAJ remains a Directory of quality open access journals. To meet this goal, DOAJ uses its own universally applicable list of Quality Indicators. DOAJ will present the list and …

Changes In The Acquisition Process At Ntnu University Library, Rune Brandshaug

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

During the last 2-3 years there have been changes implemented in the acquisition processes at the NTNU university library. These changes have been implemented on different levels in the organization and in many areas.

Selection of vendors for delivery of information resources is conducted through tenders. The library has currently an agreement with 4 vendors, one for journals, databases and e-books, and 3 for printed books. These vendors give the university library access to large online collections of books and journals, often with high quality metadata.

To make the acquisition process more effective, the university library has started to use …

From Hub To Beacon: Evolution And Evaluation Of Spaces In The Learning Commons, Barbara Paton, Belinda Moore

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Learning spaces in academic libraries have changed over the last 15-20 years, emerging initially as spaces labelled as ‘information commons’ and transforming into a variety of spaces described as learning spaces, student hubs, and so on. The financial investment in the development of learning spaces in libraries has been significant. As these spaces have evolved, the evaluation of their impact and success has also emerged as an important issue, from the perspectives of judicious use of financial resources as well as contribution to the student experience and student learning outcomes. The need to undertake formal evaluation of such investments in …

Introducing Agile Principles And Management To A Library Organization, Daniel Forsman, Peter Hansson

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

Libraries are pressured to adapt to changing conditions due to user demands, behavior, emerging technologies and a need for cost-efficient solutions. Software companies have turned to agile development to stay competitive and to deliver working solutions in a short timeframe. Agile processes are built upon co-operation, iterative workflows and delivering working solutions with a high business value. Agile development and management in an agile organization constitutes a controlled framework of principles with a promise to ensure that the organization focuses on the right things and is able to adapt to new needs.

The Library at Chalmers University of Technology in …

Assessing Data Linking In Transportation Technical Reports, Lisa Zilinski, Paul Bracke, David Scherer

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

In 2013, the Purdue Libraries partnered with the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP), a collaboration between Purdue University and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), to incorporate the publication of research data sets into the technical report publication process. This project extended an existing process, developed in partnership between the Purdue Libraries, Purdue University Press, and JTRP, which leveraged Purdue's institutional repository to replace artisanal production processes with a more professional approach (Zilinski, Scherer, Bullock, Horton, & Matthews, forthcoming; Newton, Bullock, Watkinson, Bracke, & Horton, 2012). The existing workflow focused on production of textual documents, but did not address opportunities …

Navigating Shifting Sands: Library Redesign In A Time Of Uncertainty, Jennifer Peasley

Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences

La Trobe University is undergoing transformative change. A new strategic plan with goals to double research income and increase technology-enabled online and blended learning provides the context for a new University operating model; reduced government funding is challenging us to work in a much more cost effective way. The Library’s challenge in this time of change is to develop a flexible model for service delivery which closely aligns with the University’s strategies and meets changing student needs, and a cost-effective operating model which enables us to be agile, resilient and respond rapidly and proactively to change. The University’s change process …