Scholarly Communication Commons^™

Gamification In Libraries: A Bibliometric Study, Alice Bessette

SLIS Connecting

This bibliometric research proposal addresses the use of gamification in libraries. Articles for this proposal can be divided into the following subtopics: patron orientation and engagement, information literacy, library instruction, and staff training. Readers of this bibliometric study will be able to locate some of the more impactful articles about gamification in libraries. Library & Information Science Source, a database located within EBSCOhost’s collection of databases, was used to collect data for this study.

Community College Library Digital Branches And Their Communities, Helen Cozart

SLIS Connecting

Community Colleges have long been a staple of American life. They offer an affordable education that is transferable to a four-year school or certification in a trade. Since they are in the community, costs can be further lowered by allowing traditional students to live at home and non-traditional students to be with their families and workplaces (Princeton Review, n.d.). Many community colleges actively engage with their communities, encouraging attendance and offering community enrichment programs. Community college libraries can occupy a powerful position in this relationship, creating an environment for the public that is inviting and encouraging through their physical offerings …

Beyond The Tropes: Viewing The Horror Genre Through The Lens Of Bipoc Readers, Kimberly Wade

SLIS Connecting

Horror novels have been and continue to grow in popularity among all age demographics in the United States. According to a 2020 Book Ad Report study, horror novels were the fifth highest-grossing genre, topping $79.6 million in 2020 (Herold, 2019, para. 16). With the growing popularity of horror novels within the market, authors and publishers have pushed for inclusion and diversity in who is writing the material, who is reading the books, and who is represented within the pages. This drive to include “Black, Indigenous, People of Color” (BIPOC) and other diverse authors and characters is necessary in allowing young …

Disobedient Women: A Quantitative Analysis Of Females In The Lowndes County, Mississippi Circuit Court Felony Criminal Cases Housed At The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System Billups-Garth Archival Room, 1830-1899, Mona Vance-Ali

SLIS Connecting

This study concentrates solely on the court records dating from 1830 to 1899, comprising 4,740 individual cases. The date range covers local population shifts and larger historical events such as the Institution of Slavery, the American Civil War, and the rise of Jim Crow in the American South. Mississippi became a state in 1817 (Ownby, 2017, Mississippi Statehood). In 1830, Lowndes County formed out of Monroe County (Ownby, 2017, Lowndes County). At that time, the total population of the county was 3,173. A decade later, the population jumped over 357 percent to include 14,513 people. The number continued to rise …

A Citation Analysis Of Post-Postmodern Fiction Scholarship In Proquest Dissertations And Theses Global From 2000 – 2024, Jaren Swann

SLIS Connecting

The purpose of this study is to conduct a citation analysis of theses and dissertations on post-postmodern fiction published from 2000 – 2024, as indexed in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, to identify significant contributors, relevant resources, and important publication venues on this contemporary subject, helping academic librarians to enhance collection development and provide support for teaching, learning and research services.

Tattoo Archives: A Collection Analysis, Jennifer Neville

SLIS Connecting

Tattooing and body modification have been a part of human existence for thousands of years. Although for much of the 20th century, tattoos in America were seen as part of a subculture, in the late 20th century and into the 21st, they gained popularity and more widespread cultural acceptance. Despite the historical lack of mainstream acceptance, tattooing has a wide and varied history. Tattooing was and remains important to many indigenous people, it has always been popular within the military, especially during wartime, and it has a fascinating place in sideshow history. Even though many people now wear tattoos, the …

Subjective Cataloging And Acquisitions In Relation To Controversial Titles: A Collection Analysis Of Challenged Lgbtq+ Titles In Louisiana Libraries, Madeline Moghimi

SLIS Connecting

In late 2022, the Attorney General of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, began a campaign to block access to books considered sexually graphic in Louisiana libraries (Landry, 2023). In a report released in February 2023, Landry called for a system that would prevent minors from being able to access objectionable books (Landry, 2023). Despite Landry’s claim that this is not censorship or an attempt at banning books, this can prevent access, effectively censoring titles for a subsection of the population. While Landry did not call for books to be moved to a different collection, this attempt at blocking access has made censorship …

Miss Me With That Misinformation: A Content Analysis Of Library Websites’ Resources Against Misinformation, Cheyenne Brady

SLIS Connecting

From the C.R.A.A.P. test to webinars and videos on how to fact-check properly, it is now more important than ever that librarians aid patrons in sharpening their critical analysis skills, especially through passive means. However, on that front, are all library websites created equal? This research examined programming and resources related to information and digital literacy through a content analysis of public and academic library websites.

Comparing Library Websites At Four-Year Public Universities In Arkansas, Alice Bessette

SLIS Connecting

From accessibility to website architecture and everything in between, academic libraries can have a profound impact on the students of their institutions. Simmonds and Andaleeb (2001) argue that academic libraries are “the heart of the learning community” (p. 626). They go on to explain that the support librarians offer students and staff is vital to the community’s search for knowledge. Reitz (2017) said a variation of this as well, stating that academic libraries are “integral” parts of the institutions they support. In an increasingly digital world, websites serve as primary entry points for individuals looking to access their college or …

From The Gas: Publications, Congratulations, And Presentations, Stacy L. Creel, Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Includes book reviews by the graduate assistants for The Story Factory, Strong Like Me, and Lily the Pond Mermaid. Also, includes a list of what the faculty are currently reading.

Spotlights: Faculty, Alumni, Festival, Stacy L. Creel, Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Learn about keynote speakers at the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival and updates from Dr. Ashley Marshall and alumni Jennifer Ottinger.

Slis Director's Report, Stacy L. Creel, Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Welcome to Vol. 13, No. 1 issue of SLIS Connecting.

Bibliography For Love Data Week 2026, Annikah Carpio, Sally Park

Library Displays and Bibliographies

A bibliography created to support a display about research data and Love Data Week during February 2026 at the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University.

Searching Smarter, Connecting Better, Abby Veiman

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: White Papers

In Searching Smarter, Connecting Better, Abby Veiman reflects on her experience as a data-driven researcher to reimagine the future of research libraries. Drawing from her work as an Ameritas Research Assistant in Actuarial Science and Risk Management, she highlights how modern research is increasingly digital, analytical, and dependent on technological infrastructure rather than physical materials. Veiman argues that libraries must continue evolving beyond access to databases by strengthening technological capacity, supporting responsible AI integration, and providing clearer guidance on the effective and ethical use of emerging research tools. She emphasizes the need for libraries to serve as trusted institutions …

How To Finalize Pdfs To Correspond To American Disabilities Act (Ada) Tagging: The Basics, Kimberly Holling

ScholarWorks Publications

This document is a basic step-by-step outline for tagging a PDF file in accordance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).  ADA tagging allows a digital document to work well with screen readers in order to assist those with visual impairments to more fully engage with a document's content.  This is not a comprehensive guide, as it will not cover forms or complex tables.  This specific workflow shows how to use Adobe Acrobat Pro to work with, finalize, and verify accessibility in PDFs created from simple Word documents.  Such documents should already use Word heading and list features and very simple …

Using Westlaw And Lexis: The Many Ways In, Joshua Levine

Library Staff Online Writings

Researching the law depends on finding connections between information. No case or statute exists in a vacuum. The primary advantage of using Westlaw and Lexis is that they point out, on a high level, the connections between individual resources. It is disappointing how often students use natural language search terms or basic AI queries to find all their answers. Within the limitations of class time, it is essential to teach our students as much as possible how pieces of information are connected on these platforms.

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 …

Promote, Partner & Mentor: Research At Liberty University, Mark Hamilton

Faculty Publications and Presentations

How can you be involved with faculty and student research at Liberty University? Promote your own research through LU Faculty SHARE (the faculty research platform). Partner with Liberty University Journals, encouraging student submissions. Mentor students in the research process.

Objectives

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Promote your own Research through LU Faculty SHARE 
• Use LU Faculty SHARE to list your own articles, posters, and presentations.

• Partner with Liberty University Journals 
• Serve as an advisor, or editor of an existing journal.
• Create a new journal by completing an interest form and application for a new …

Urgent Expertise, Explored Together: A Scholarly Communication Peer-Mentoring Group, Alex Crowley, Lily Susman, Rosemary Farrell, Michael Kahn, Caroline Jedlicka, Eric Silberberg, Michelle Ehrenpreis, Marta Bladek, Jill Cirasella

Urban Library Journal

In Spring 2025, the authors participated in a structured peer-mentoring program designed to deepen their knowledge of scholarly communication topics and issues. In this article, based on our panel at the 2025 LACUNY Institute, we share our perspectives on the program and discuss how current events are making scholarly communication expertise more essential than ever.

The Southeastern Librarian 73(4) Winter 2026 (Full Issue)

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Keeping The Chattahoochee: Reviving And Defending A Great Southern River, Melanie Vincent

The Southeastern Librarian

Sally Sierer Bethea

Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780820374512

210 pp. $20.95 (Pbk)

The Story Quilts Of Yvonne Wells, Tammera Race

The Southeastern Librarian

Stacy I. Morgan and Yvonne Thomas Wells

Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2024

ISBN: 9780817361389

360 pp. $60.00 (Pbk)

Sela News, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Advancing Research Appointments: Enhancing Patron Satisfaction Through Assessment, Kytt Everdeen Moore, Tera A. Ray, Laura B. Wright

The Southeastern Librarian

As research appointments continue to be a service offered across reference departments, it is important to regularly assess their effectiveness at meeting patrons’ needs and to seek improvement. To do this, patrons were surveyed after scheduling a research appointment to understand their reasons for scheduling an appointment, preferred formats, expectations, knowledge gained, and overall satisfaction. The findings revealed that most patrons were students, and the most common way to learn about appointments was from instructors. Patrons primarily scheduled appointments online, citing convenience and location as main reasons for their choice. Their main expectation was to learn effective search strategies. Recommendations …

Dnp Repository: Using Technology To Help Nurse Leaders Make A Global Impact, Cynthia Plonien, Cathy Brown, Vanessa Garrett

Nursing Faculty Publications & Presentations - Archive

No abstract provided.

From The Editor, Laura Pitts

Alabama Libraries

No abstract provided.

Guest Editorial For Alabama Libraries: What We Can Learn About Library Instruction From K-12 Education, Summer Upton

Alabama Libraries

No abstract provided.

The Homerathon: A Collaborative Teacher - Librarian Project, Douglas Welle, Dutcha Lawson

Alabama Libraries

This article, co-authored by a high school librarian and a Latin teacher describes a highly successful collaboration at the high school level designed to enhance the curriculum and promote the role of the library as a continuous learning environment. The “Homerathon” read-aloud attracted nearly 140 participants over a four-day period in 2024. Benefits included engaging students in the act of reading, increasing awareness and understanding of a classical work of literature, and highlighting the role of the school library as a vibrant learning hub. Building on the success of the Homerathon, a second read-aloud event was held in 2025 and …

Creating Safe Spaces: A Trauma-Informed Approach In Alabama State University's Special Collections Department, Kashonda Murphy

Alabama Libraries

A trauma-informed library is a library that adopts practices and policies designed to understand, recognize, and respond to the impact of trauma on individuals who use its services. This approach aims to create a safe and supportive environment for patrons who may have experienced trauma, such as abuse, violence, poverty, discrimination, and natural disasters. Key principles of trauma-informed care are promoting safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, and empowerment in all aspects of library operations and interactions. This article details the approaches taken to initiate trauma-informed principles into the Special Collections Department at Alabama State University.

Research Support Newsletter (Winter 2026), Elizabeth D'Angel

The AC's Research Support Newsletter (Formerly AISR Connections)

Sections

• New Resources & Updates 
• Research Support & Data Management
• Grants & Funding Opportunities
• Writing & Publishing Support
• Design & Presentation Tools
• Research Integrity
• Research Workshops