Showing papers in "Journal of Web Librarianship in 2019"
TL;DR: Researchers at a large comprehensive university conducted several rounds of web searching before and after the creation and modification of faculty authority records to support educational efforts about academic identities and scholarly profiles and inform methodological development surrounding the influence of identity records and academic social networking profiles on web visibility.
Abstract: Information about faculty and their publications can be found in library databases such as the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, WorldCat, and institutional repositories; in id...
17 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the most exciting technologies in the current marketplace are those coming from 2D and 3D information visualization, especially augmented, virtual, and mixed reality, which is a...
Abstract: Some of the most exciting technologies in the current marketplace are those coming from 2D and 3D information visualization, especially augmented, virtual, and mixed reality. Augmented reality is a...
11 citations
TL;DR: Card sorting studies were conducted with a group of USU undergraduate students and a mixed group of faculty and graduate students to help develop a better understanding of users’ mental models of library-related research and service tasks.
Abstract: In 2016, Utah State University (USU) Libraries redesigned the library website’s main menu and underlying information architecture (IA) in response to a number of known usability problems and limita...
10 citations
TL;DR: Identifying barriers to student use of the Primo discovery tool has helped the authors articulate best practices for instruction and interface customization that may address these barriers and has illuminated implications for website integration.
Abstract: Academic libraries have increasingly adopted web-scale discovery tools in order to meet the expectations of students who want immediate results, efficient algorithms, and a single search box. As they have become the de facto search tool at many libraries, librarians and patrons alike have been forced to confront the way they think about research processes and in some cases, modulate ingrained habits. In this article, the authors explore student perceptions of efficacy, relevancy, and ease of use of a library discovery tool through a 2017 mixed-methods user experience study conducted at three City University of New York (CUNY) campuses. The results from this user study will be useful to other institutions that already have implemented discovery layers within their library and help inform website design, discovery layer design, and pedagogy. By combining student interviews with a task analysis, the authors were able to learn more about student search behaviors, how they respond to challenges, and wh...
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, best practices in subject guide design on the LibGuides platform based on usability tests and semi-structured interviews conducted at a mid-sized university library are considered.
Abstract: This study considers best practices in subject guide design on the LibGuides platform based on usability tests and semi-structured interviews conducted at a mid-sized university library. Th...
9 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that using the design cycle encourages an effective practice of mixing different usability methods, which leads to a more informed approach to improving usability.
Abstract: This case study explores the concept of the design cycle as a guiding principle for choosing usability methods. It discusses the stages of the design cycle alongside the strengths and weaknesses of...
9 citations
TL;DR: Findings highlight the potential conflict between user experience (UX) design and traditional conceptualizations of research and library-based search.
Abstract: This usability study explores whether patrons prefer and are well-served by specialized, format-based searches or simpler, single-box searches, and the implications of these practices and p...
7 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that as academic libraries forge ahead with new designs, directions, and products in various redesign projects, the authors' websites should help returning users acclimate to new interfaces as much as possible.
Abstract: The Walter W. Stiern Library conducted a major redesign to conform the library website to modern web standards. While conducting think-aloud usability testing on the new page, we found that...
5 citations
TL;DR: A usability study conducted to determine when information literacy instruction using Summon would be effective and what aspects should be taught, indicates that students are comfortable with the interface and have few problems with the tool.
Abstract: In 2016, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) library acquired ProQuest’s discovery tool Summon. To determine when information literacy instruction using Summon would be effective and...
4 citations
TL;DR: Does the addition of data visualizations affect how users participate with a research collection?
Abstract: The emerging creative practices of digital collections are increasing in prominence thanks to the access to, and appeal of, data visualizations. Interactive data visualizations, such as a m...
3 citations
TL;DR: Towson University applied universal design best practices and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 techniques to develop audio and text transcripts as equivalent alternatives to develop library floor maps accessible in multiple formats for all users.
Abstract: This case study describes the process of making library floor maps accessible in multiple formats for all users. Towson University applied universal design best practices and Web Content Ac...
TL;DR: Institutional interventions in academic library practices and services represented changes that influenced students’ expressed needs in the transcripts, illustrating the value of library-centric measures of student success.
Abstract: Instant message transcripts provide verbatim documentation of students’ expressed needs. Academic libraries fund many practices and services thought to enhance student success by meeting students’ ...
TL;DR: The University of South Florida Libraries has supported a campus-wide "Textbook Affordability Project" initiative by creating and maintaining an ebooks database called "Ebooks for the Class....
Abstract: The University of South Florida Libraries has supported a campus-wide “Textbook Affordability Project” initiative by creating and maintaining an ebooks database called “Ebooks for the Class...
TL;DR: In various opinion pieces and discussions on the future of education, commentators and theorists often focus on how technology and the Internet are providing new methods to help larger populations as mentioned in this paper, and how they can be used to improve education.
Abstract: In various opinion pieces and discussions on the future of education, commentators and theorists often focus on how technology and the Internet are providing new methods to help larger populations ...
TL;DR: The rapid changes in technology used in the library and cultural heritage sectors can make it difficult for early career librarians and LIS students interested in library technology positions to kn....
Abstract: The rapid changes in technology used in the library and cultural heritage sectors can make it difficult for early career librarians and LIS students interested in library technology positions to kn...
TL;DR: Working together, the team of archivists and technical services librarians incorporated the web archive collections into the Libraries’ EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) discovery layer and indexed content on a single, user-friendly platform.
Abstract: Effective collaboration between archives and technical services can increase the discoverability of special collection materials. Archivists at the University of Dayton Libraries began using Archiv...
TL;DR: This paper found that Facebook is a useful marketing tool for organizations, likely to include public libraries, but there has as of yet been little research to exam the effectiveness of social media like Facebook.
Abstract: Social media like Facebook are widely believed to be a useful marketing tool for organizations, likely to include public libraries. However, there has as of yet been little research to exam...
TL;DR: Each chapter provides a discrete argument that calls for a reflection and understanding of the context of the tools used by digital humanities researchers.
Abstract: but the book is really written for academics well versed in this field. The middle chapters in particular present arguments on algorithm and digital historicism that require some familiarity with the processes and outcomes of digital humanities. Each chapter provides a discrete argument that calls for a reflection and understanding of the context of the tools used by digital humanities researchers. While the chapters can be read on their own, they are linked in their central argument of questioning the tools researchers use for their projects.
TL;DR: The authorphasizes that when ERMs came into being, there was unrealized potential and describes the necessary evolution of standards for these, and provides a useful and practical guide for anyone dealing with the management and challenges of e-resources.
Abstract: Editors Christine Urquhart, Faten Hamad, Dina Tbaishat, and Alison Yeoman have compiled a series of essays that provides a holistic view of how information is stored and organized in information sy...
TL;DR: Transforming Academic Library Instruction as discussed by the authors is another quality guide from Rowman & Littlefield and a great addition to the academic librarian's bookshelf and can be applied to other library instructional situations where the continual transformation of technology, social networking, and learner behaviors requires librarians and instructors to adapt their knowledge and skills in new and innovative ways.
Abstract: ments, appendices, a bibliography, and an index to aid the reader in navigating the book. The appendices provide the survey and interview questions given to the research subjects, along with interviewee biographical information. With a specific audience in mind, Hess’s Transforming Academic Library Instruction can be applied to other library instructional situations where the continual transformation of technology, social networking, and learner behaviors requires librarians and instructors to adapt their knowledge and skills in new and innovative ways. This is another quality guide from Rowman & Littlefield and a great addition to the academic librarian’s bookshelf.
TL;DR: Coding with XML for Efficiencies in Cataloging and Metadata is a worthy reference book to help developers think through new ways of dealing with cataloging information using XML tools.
Abstract: The art of library cataloging has been in a constant state of flux since the early 1980s, when several large university systems started to use computers to manage catalogs across libraries. Catalogers soon found themselves creating and sharing digital MARC records and eventually using MARCXML to write them for the next generation of information systems. By the time we crossed into the new millennium, physical card catalogs had been replaced with online catalogs that were tied to large databases, allowing catalogers to share expertise across libraries. At the same time that technology was making the cataloging process easier, it was also adding dozens of new types of resources that could be entered into a catalog. Catalogers were suddenly confronted with DVDs, web resources, e-books, and even podcasts. In Coding with XML for Efficiencies in Cataloging and Metadata, Timothy W. Cole, Myung-Ja (MJ) K. Han, and Christine Schwartz provide a practical outline on using different XML tools to help with a variety of cataloging needs. The book is an outgrowth of an American Libraries Association Annual Conference pre-conference workshop from 2015. The workshop introduced the core concepts of using XSLT and XQuery in cataloging. The book begins with a short introduction on the basics of how XML is structured and what makes XML documents valid and well-formed. It serves as a quick refresher for readers already familiar with cataloging with XML. After the first four chapters, the book focuses on the more specialized XML tools that catalogers can use within their ecosystem. The book touches upon MARCXML, Dublin Core, Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), and Encoded Archival Description (EAD). It also mentions Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standards (METS) and schema.org in some of the case studies. The authors quickly cover these formats with the expectation that the reader is either familiar with them or will use the resources in the appendix to learn more. The core of the book is focused on how to use the XML Path Language (XPATH), the Extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformations (XSLT), and XML Query Language (XQuery) to manipulate library catalog records into more accessible web data. The book assumes a familiarity with the three methods above and focuses on specific case studies demonstrating how the authors have created new ways of creating access points using transformations and queries. For those catalogers working in XML tools, the development of catalogs with links to HathiTrust titles and developing crosswalks between MODS and schema.org will be inspirational. While this is not an introduction to the material, it is a worthy reference book to help developers think through new ways of dealing with cataloging information using XML tools.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a series of regional workshops which the author led for the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) of ALA. The author is well-known and established as an excelle...
Abstract: This book began from a series of regional workshops which the author led for the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) of ALA. The author is well-known and established as an excelle...