Information Literacy Commons^™

Making Statistics Work For You, Leigh Ann Duncan, Andrea Christman

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Statistics and reporting capabilities within the Sierra/Millennium system are very versatile and scalable; used properly they can be helpful on small clean-up projects or integral to campus-wide initiatives on student data gathering. We will explain the options for statistics and reporting and detail how our campuses are using them for the following projects: collection development, database clean-up, circulation analysis, and student data initiatives.

Driving The Bus: Building Use Study And Space Assessment At Wright State University Libraries, Mandy Shannon, Sue Polanka, Bette S. Sydelko

University Libraries' Staff Publications

In response to the library’s strategic plan, the Wright State University Dunbar Library is in the midst of a long-term, multi-modal building use study. In the spring of 2015, the library’s assessment team used a combination of an open-source tablet-based software program, photographs, questionnaires, and preference-based voting to capture information about physical space use, building user perceptions, and user needs.

In the second phase of this building use study, librarians are working in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research to develop two needs-assessment surveys based on the responses in the first phase. One survey will be distributed to students; …

Preservation Perspectives: Connecting The Next Generation To The Past, Bill Stolz

University Libraries' Staff Publications

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of being a librarian dealing on topics including presidential museum and tomb of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, World War II and historical sites in Kentucky.

Preservation Perspectives: Caring For Family Papers, Bill Stolz

University Libraries' Staff Publications

The article offers tips to protect, preserve and prolong the life of family papers. It suggests to make an inventory of the items, whether business records, order books, diaries and letters. It recommends to thoroughly examine the material and prioritize items by the condition, where deteriorating or damaged items need to be taken to a conservator for advice and stabilization's estimate.

The Last Billion Years: A Geologic History Of Tennessee, Joanna M. Anderson

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Review of Byerly, D. W. (2013). The Last Billion Years: A Geologic History of Tennessee. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. 212 pages. ISBN: 9781572339743

Rethinking Our Libguides To Engage Our Students: Easy Diy Libguides Usability Testing And Redesign That Works, Terese Desimio, Ximena Chrisagis

University Libraries' Staff Publications

The presenters described how they evaluated the usability of their LibGuides, implemented a redesign using a template, and assessed the project's outcomes - while using existing equipment and staff.

Detecting Craap: Evaluating Information Sources, Mary Lou Baker Jones, Maureen Barry

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

How do you know if the article you found is good enough to use for your assignment? Learn strategies for evaluating sources whether you find them on the Internet, in the library, or in the library’s databases. Students practice applying the CRAAP Test criteria to information sources.

Integrating Your Sources: Quotations, Paraphrasing, And Summarizing, Piper Martin, Samantha Jo Spitak

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

You've searched for articles and books and you have a list of sources that are on your topic. Now how are you supposed to use them in your paper? In this workshop, staff from the Writing Center and a librarian will take you through the process of integrating those sources in your paper. Learn how to quote and paraphrase while avoiding plagiarism and keeping your voice the focus of your paper.

Google Like A Pro!, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Do you love Google, but hate filtering through millions of results to find the type of information you need? Learn some of the tips and tricks of the information pros for how to make your use of Google more efficient for your information needs.

Finding The "Perfect" Source, Maureen Barry

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Does this scenario sound familiar? You've searched through many of the libraries’ databases using words that describe your subject, but nothing in your results list stands out to you as right on-topic. Luckily, you are not alone! We can help you locate sources that will be useful, and we’ll reveal that special perfect source that ties it all together.

First-Year Student Research Skills: Challenges, Myths, And Solutions, Piper Martin, Sue Polanka, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

This presentation highlights a recent report on first year student research skills. We will explain how the results of a 2013 study – Learning the Ropes: How Freshmen Conduct Course Research Once They Enter College – are reflected in data collected by our library. We’ll introduce a toolkit of short workshops created by the University Libraries to address the specific challenges that first year students’ face when they are presented with college research assignments. Since many 2^nd and 3^rd year students experience similar challenges, these workshops are open to all students. We’ll discuss how faculty-library collaboration can help …

More Than Books: What The Library Can Do For You, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Helpful, friendly people. Convenient online articles and books. A multimedia lab. Places to study for groups and for individuals. Coffee. Games. Current print books. Where can you find all of this great stuff? In the Dunbar Library! If you still think all libraries have to offer are dusty old books then come discover all the cool things the library offers you for work and for fun!

Stop Searching And Start Finding: Effective Search Strategies, Mandy Shannon

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Sorting through different information sources can be stressful. You've heard that using the library databases give you better results, but how do you find them? With the help of Jimmy Fallon and Jonah Hill, we’ll explore how to search the databases to find better results faster and easier.

3 Simple Steps To Reading Scholarly Articles, Maureen Barry, Cheryl Lauricella

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Are you dreading reading through those 8-20 page articles you found for your paper? Do they seem like they are written in a different language? Never fear! In this workshop, you will learn strategies for making sense of those long, and let’s face it, sometimes boring, articles.

How Do I Find This Reference?, Mary Lou Baker Jones

Instruction & Research Services Workshops

Do you feel a little confused when you are handed a reference or citation and expected to find the information source? Gain the skills that allow you to decipher a reference and then find the source. Feel like a detective who understands the clues!

Econtent Quarterly - Volume 1, Issue 4, Sue Polanka, Mirela Roncevic

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Welcome to Issue 4 of eContent Quarterly. The publication of this volume marks the end of the first full year since we launched the journal at the American Library Association in Chicago, so it seems fitting to take a quick trip down memory lane and revisit the topics explored since June 2013. These included, among others, the importance of metadata, the versatility of children’s apps, and the benefits of user-centered design. Previous issues also provided thorough, introductory overviews of e-formats and e-reading devices for librarians overwhelmed by the complexities of the e-book market. They also featured case studies pointing …

Fun (And Added Value) Things To Do With Your Webpac, Leigh Ann Duncan

University Libraries' Staff Publications

For many libraries, the WebPAC is still the main and only public access catalog for the collection. The presentation will include some add-on items that libraries have incorporated into their WebPACs to make them more functional, accessible and valuable to their patrons. Items to be presented include QR codes, SMS text of data, virtual bookplates, pictures of toys or artwork, context-sensitive help, and data feeds from companies like LibraryThing for Libraries or Amazon. An integration of the library catalog with Facebook, LibraryElf, and a locally customized kids' catalog will also be shown.

Community Engagement Through Service-Learning, Maureen Barry

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Community engagement and libraries go hand-in-hand. Our communities are vital to our very existence. For academic libraries, serving students, faculty and staff is their primary role, and the immediate campus is often the community with which the library engages most often. But new roles, such as service-learning (S-L), provide meaningful opportunities for the library to connect with the surrounding communities and regions.

Econtent Quarterly - Volume 1, Issue 3, Sue Polanka, Mirela Roncevic

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Welcome to the third, Spring 2014 issue of eContent Quarterly. Since launching the journal at 2013 ALA in Chicago, we’ve covered an array of topics from every corner of the industry, including sweeping overviews of the vastness of the e-content landscape; case studies pointing to how e-content continues to revolutionize research in academic and school settings; and various product reviews, with insight from those who create them and feedback from those who use and purchase them. To our own surprise, we’ve also been able to structure each issue around a central theme. Issue 1, thus, focused on the importance of …

Households, Terese Desimio

University Libraries' Staff Publications

New to this chapter in the Eighth Edition are e-resources that can be offered as alternatives to print resources. While the e-resources may not be as comprehensive as the print resources, they can provide some good information in the event that access to print resources is not possible. All of the print resources listed are appropriate for a basic library reference collection or circulating collection and most are appropriate for home libraries. From cocktails to cockatiels, this chapter supports a wide variety of reader interests.

Woody Plants Of Kentucky And Tennessee: The Complete Winter Guide To Their Identification And Use, Joanna M. Anderson

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Review of Jones, R. L. & Wofford. B. E (2013). Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee: The Complete Winter Guide to Their Identification and Use. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky. 224 pages. ISBN: 9780813142500

Econtent Quarterly - Volume 1, Issue 2, Sue Polanka, Mirela Roncevic

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Welcome to the second, Winter 2014 issue of eContent Quarterly. Since launching the journal at 2013 ALA in Chicago, our goal has stayed the same: while the library and publishing industries remain in a state of flux, we want to tackle e-content from every angle and through the voices of a variety of information professionals shaping it. This includes public, academic, and school librarians as well as publishers, aggregators, book distributors, and all others in the business of selling e-content to libraries.

Big Data, Little Numbers: Sources For Ebook Statistics, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Anyone interested in buying, selling, or creating ebooks has probably needed a fact, figure, or statistic to help make a decision, make a point, or make a purchase. Big Data, surveys, trends, market research, patron attitudes, cost analysis, and a host of other information points are available; you just need to know where to find them. In this column I highlight a variety of tools for librarians, publishers, and other information industry professionals for locating that perfect number.

The list is certainly not exhaustive as there are so many resources available. The list includes my personal favorites, ones that I …

What Librarians Need To Know About Epub3, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Librarians and library users face challenges with multiple ebook formats. The most common are confusion on the part of users as to what file type they need and what the file type means, as well as how to download it properly to their devices. The sheer number of vendor interfaces also cause technical difficulties due to format variety and instructions for use. In fact, in October 2012, Library Journal Patron Profiles reported that 23% of library patrons were unsuccessful in borrowing ebooks due to technical difficulties. Library users, faced with a variety of ebook formats on a regular basis, are …

Recruiting Entry-Level Sci-Tech Librarians: An Analysis Of Job Advertisements And Outcome Of Searches, Mary Lou Baker Jones, Mary Frances Lembo, James Manasco, John Sandy

University Libraries' Staff Publications

What qualifications are academic library administrators looking for in candidates for entry-level science and technology librarian positions? The Student Relations Committee of the Sci-Tech Division decided to explore this question, with the objective of providing career development information to students in library and information science who are interested in science or technology library positions.

Implementing Sierra, Leigh Ann Duncan

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Partnering with vendors for development and beta-testing of new software requires preparation, communication, and organization. These three libraries will explain their role as development partners moving to the Sierra integrated library system.

Medical E-Reference: A Benchmark For E-Reference Publishing In Other Disciplines, Terese Desimio, Ximena Chrisagis

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Electronic medical information retrieval systems and reference sources were some of the first discipline specific e-resources to be developed, due to physicians’ need to access the most current and relevant clinical information as quickly as possible. Many medical publishers and information aggregators have been incorporating the features their users demand for years. Thus, medical e-reference publishing could serve as a benchmark for e-reference publishing in other fields. Yet medical e-reference is not without its challenges. Today’s physicians and medical students expect immediate and user-friendly electronic access to media rich and value added clinical references, particularly via their mobile devices. Publishers, …

Outstanding Business Reference Sources: The 2011 Selection Of Recent Titles, Carolyn S. Fang, Susan Hurst, Nathan Rupp, Diane Campbell, Craig Eich, Ann Fiegen, Joan Giglierano, Gene Hayworth, Van Houlson, Pauly Iheanacho, Michael Matos, Michael Oppenheim, Terry Zarsky

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Each year, the Business Reference Sources Committee of BRASS selects the outstanding business reference sources published since May of the previous year. The committee reviewed 31 entries; 3 were designated as “outstanding,” and 7 were placed into the other noteworthy titles category. Of the 7 noteworthy titles, 2 were labeled as significant new editions. These works cover a variety of topics: industrial/organizational psychology, leadership, law and finance, economic history, marketing and demographics, as well as operations research and management science.

Reference On The Web: Help For Small Business, Carolyn S. Fang

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Thanks in part to the recession, there has been a growing trend in small business start-ups. Drastic layoffs in major industries have led to a resurgence of individuals looking to start and build their own businesses, many for the first time. Included in this listing are some of the more popular free Web sites designed to help the novice entrepreneur navigate the world of self-employment.

Serials Label Printing With Zebra Tlp Printers, Leigh Ann Duncan

University Libraries' Staff Publications

In 2009, Wright State University Libraries began printing single monographic spine labels with Zebra printers. The process worked so well, we wanted to print serials labels with the printers as well. Because serials labels are not one of the print templates options, we had to make the procedure work with the legacy printing method. These posters will illustrate how we used Zebra TLP 2824 printers with Print Wizard to format and print serials labels.