Showing papers in "Library Resources & Technical Services in 2016"
TL;DR: This analysis examined the 375 field for “gender,” the contents of that field, and other representations of (trans)gender identities throughout the record to ensure that an author’s agency to self-disclose their identities is respected.
Abstract: With the adoption of FRAD and RDA, the scope of name authority records has broadened from a record supporting an authorized heading to a fuller description of a creator. Meant to help user discovery of resources, these practices are problematic when the record describes an author who self-identifies as trans. In this research, name authority records (NARs) for self-identified trans creators were analyzed. This analysis examined the 375 field for “gender,” the contents of that field, and other representations of (trans)gender identities throughout the record. Name authority record creation practices should be examined to ensure that an author’s agency to self-disclose their identities is respected.
16 citations
TL;DR: How technical services in large research university libraries are adapting to support the changing roles of academic libraries is investigated and five models of a technical services organizational structure were developed from participants' organizational charts and interview data.
Abstract: Technical services functions in academic libraries have evolved in response to fiscal pressures and advances in technology. In this study the author investigates how technical services in large research university libraries are adapting to support the changing roles of academic libraries. The author conducted hour-long phone interviews in early 2014 with the representatives from nineteen out of the twenty-five university libraries in the Technical Services Directors Large Research Libraries Interest Group. This paper presents the results and discussion based on the interview data: use of the name, Technical Services; new and emerging functions of technical services; organizational structure of technical services units; change drivers that are affecting technical services now, and those that will soon; and challenges in managing technical services. Five models of a technical services organizational structure were developed from participants’ organizational charts and interview data. This research also highlights the skills needed among technical services personnel.
15 citations
TL;DR: This review will cover trends in nontraditional purchasing models, along with developments in Electronic Resources Management Systems (ERMSs), workflow efficiencies, and negotiation and licensing techniques.
Abstract: The acquisitions literature published in 2012�13 shows a strong focus on nontraditional purchasing models, especially for electronic books (e-books). Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) is one method that helps librarians cope with budget constraints that continue to plague library budgets. The expense of Big Deals has some libraries seeking more efficient alternatives such as Pay-Per-View or Evidence-Based Selection, however, many libraries are still reliant on the depth of coverage and perceived value of Big Deals. This review will cover these trends along with developments in Electronic Resources Management Systems (ERMSs), workflow efficiencies, and negotiation and licensing techniques.
13 citations
TL;DR: An examination of semantic interoperability issues serves as an articulation of the need for a more robust ideal moving forward, rooted in lifecycle models of metadata and concerned with the long-term curation and preservation of ETDs.
Abstract: This study uses a mixed methods approach to raise awareness of divergences between and among current practices and metadata standards and guidelines for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Analysis is rooted in literatures on metadata quality, shareable or federated metadata, and interoperability, with attention to the impact of systems, tools, and practices on ETD date metadata. We consider the philosophies that have guided the design of several metadata standards. An examination of semantic interoperability issues serves as an articulation of the need for a more robust ideal moving forward, rooted in lifecycle models of metadata and concerned with the long-term curation and preservation of ETDs.
11 citations
TL;DR: Findings demonstrate that the library was able to provide access to a significantly higher number of books in the 2013–14 academic year than in the prior year, and spent much less, suggesting that DDA and the approval plan can work together harmoniously for cost-effective collection building.
Abstract: While demand-driven acquisition (DDA) or patron-driven acquisition (PDA) focuses on providing library materials at a user’s point of need, approval plans attempt to help the library collect everything that might be desired in the future. DDA is the standard method of just-in-time library collecting, while approval plans are a prime example of just-in-case collecting. Therefore, these two methods are often perceived as oppositional library acquisitions practices. Yet, for the start of the 2013–14 fiscal year, California State University, Fullerton’s Pollak Library implemented a hybrid approach of DDA and the approval plan, which came to be known as the DDA-preferred approval plan. This study analyzes the cost and number of books acquired before and after the implementation. Findings demonstrate that the library was able to provide access to a significantly higher number of books in the 2013–14 academic year than in the prior year, and spent much less, suggesting that DDA and the approval plan can work together harmoniously for cost-effective collection building.
10 citations
TL;DR: The end goal of this project is to provide enhanced discovery of library data, bringing like sets of content together in contemporary and easy to understand views assisting users in locating sets of associated bibliographic metadata.
Abstract: With support from an internal innovation grant from the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign, researchers transformed and enriched nearly 300,000 e-book records in their library catalog from Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) records to Bibliographic Framework (BIBFRAME) linked data resources. Researchers indexed the BIBFRAME resources online, and created two search interfaces for the discovery of BIBFRAME linked data. One result of the grant was the incorporation of BIBFRAME resources within an experimental Bento view of the linked library data for e-books. The end goal of this project is to provide enhanced discovery of library data, bringing like sets of content together in contemporary and easy to understand views assisting users in locating sets of associated bibliographic metadata.
10 citations
TL;DR: This preliminary study assesses university students’ ability to identify document types or information containers and different types of search tools in the online environment and shows that many students cannot consistently correctly identify these containers and behavioral characteristics have no influence on this process.
Abstract: This preliminary study assesses university students’ ability to identify document types or information containers (journal, article, book, etc.) and different types of search tools (database, search engine) in the online environment. It is imperative to understand students’ behaviors due to the pervasiveness of online resources and their impact on information literacy. A survey administered at the University of Florida sought to investigate this phenomenon and queried respondents about their age, higher education level, exposure to bibliographic instruction, and time devoted to school-related online searching. Analyses of 765 responses show that many students cannot consistently correctly identify these containers and behavioral characteristics have no influence on this process. This has implications for the online information seeking process and judging credibility and is of importance to the library, education, and publishing communities. Recommendations for these various communities are discussed.
8 citations
TL;DR: The authors describe the evolution of the electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) cataloging workflow at a large research library, from the era of print to the present day, with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities of harvesting author-supplied metadata for cataloging ETDs.
Abstract: Most academic theses and dissertations are now born-digital assets (i.e., electronic theses and dissertations). As such, they often coexist with author-supplied metadata that has the potential for being repurposed and enhanced to facilitate discovery and access in an online environment. The authors describe the evolution of the electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) cataloging workflow at a large research library, from the era of print to the present day, with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities of harvesting author-supplied metadata for cataloging ETDs. The authors provide detailed explanations of the harvesting process, creating code for the metadata transformations, loading records, and quality assurance procedures.
6 citations
TL;DR: The results show that the use of print collections is decreasing due to the abundance of electronic content to which the university library subscribes.
Abstract: This research analyzes the circulation of materials at the University of Leon Library to determine the evolution of the circulation data, identify the main users of the collection, to determine the periods of greater and lesser usage of the collection, and to identify the document types that are most often borrowed. To do so, circulation statistics from the library’s Innopac Millennium ILS from the 2011–12 to the 2013–14 academic year were studied. The results show that the use of print collections is decreasing due to the abundance of electronic content to which the university library subscribes.
6 citations
TL;DR: The history of both surveys, the rationale for collecting national data on these activities, and how the data has been used are discussed, and key results, derived from analysis, are presented.
Abstract: The American Library Association (ALA) Preservation Statistics Survey, a national survey on the preservation activities of cultural heritage institutions, was introduced in 2012 in response to the decision of the Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) decision to discontinue its long-running preservation statistics program. This paper presents the history of both surveys, discusses the rationale for collecting national data on these activities, and how the data has been used. The paper also includes key results, derived from analysis of both surveys. The surveys suggest that institutional support for preservation activities has declined significantly since its peak in the early 1990s. Preservation programs continue to focus on text-based materials and seem to employ fewer nonprofessional staff than they did five years earlier. The benefits and challenges of conducting a voluntary national survey are also discussed.
5 citations
TL;DR: An in-depth analysis of the genealogist’s toolkit is provided and how freely available online genealogical sources can be used to find the types of distinctive information needed to create unique access points for people is examined.
Abstract: The need to uniquely identify people with the same name will be as important in a linked data environment as it is in traditional library catalogs. Although older cataloging rules allowed multiple identities to share space in an authority record, the current rules are more stringent, requiring that all authorized access points for people to be disambiguated. While this task has been made much easier in recent years because of the amount of biographical material on the web, deceased and obscure people can pose a complex challenge. This is especially true for special collections materials, which are being given greater attention but which often deal with people who are long dead and little known. This paper builds on previous research in the use of online resources to perform authority work by providing an in-depth analysis of the genealogist’s toolkit and examining how freely available online genealogical sources can be used to find the types of distinctive information needed to create unique access points for people.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the immediate impact of the migration on acquisitions workflows, mainly of the largest consortium member, and the short-term and long-term goals following the completed migration.
Abstract: From June 2013 to January 2015 the Orbis Cascade Alliance (OCA), a consortium of thirty-seven public and private academic institutions, migrated to a new shared Integrated Library System (ILS), Ex Libris� Alma, with Primo as the discovery component. The consortium wanted to cultivate an environment that would better support collaboration and sharing, particularly in the realms of collection development and technical services. This paper examines the immediate impact of the migration on acquisitions workflows, mainly of the largest consortium member, and the short-term and long-term goals following the completed migration. Lessons learned and suggestions for managing a consortial migration are offered, plus a discussion of what it is like to work in the cloud.
TL;DR: Three catalogers present a case study of an open source discovery layer implementation with a focus on the problems and solutions from the cataloging perspective.
Abstract: Open source discovery layers offer the ability to extensively customize every aspect of the search experience for a local user population. However, discovery layers have primarily been discussed in the professional literature in terms of the installation or configuration process. In this paper, three catalogers present a case study of an open source discovery layer implementation with a focus on the problems and solutions from the cataloging perspective.
TL;DR: For catalogers to successfully describe and provide access to film and video collections, the cataloger must understand the various rolls of filmmakers, means of film distribution, and technical aspects of film andVideo formats.
Abstract: The change in cataloging standards to Resource Description and Access (RDA) has had most catalogers stocking up on physical and digital resources to aid in the interpretation and implementation of this new standard. Higgins’s contribution to these resources, Cataloging and Managing Film and Video Collections : A Guide to Using RDA and MARC 21 , aims beyond RDA guideline interpretation and MARC field help by seeking to fill gaps in knowledge of film creation and distribution. His premise is that for catalogers to successfully describe and provide access to film and video collections, the cataloger must understand the various rolls of filmmakers, means of film distribution, and technical aspects of film and video formats. The book also covers aspects of film and video collection management, which support Higgins’s comprehensive approach to the topic.
TL;DR: A survey soliciting responses from librarians representing a broad array of library types found that attitudes regarding the efficacy of video classification and organization practices vary around the country.
Abstract: Libraries have long struggled with the question of how to best classify and enable access to videorecordings. While giving a presentation at a state library conference, the authors observed from comments during the question and answer portion of the presentation that the libraries represented in the audience use a variety of video classification and organization practices. To better understand how local practices and librarians� attitudes regarding the efficacy of these practices vary, we conducted a survey soliciting responses from librarians representing a broad array of library types.
TL;DR: The implementation of a new tracking system for electronic resources outages at the University of Michigan is described, elaborates on the decisions that went into building the system and the insights gleaned from analyzing a year’s worth of outages.
Abstract: As electronic books and electronic journals have become more prevalent, so too do the number of electronic resources outages related to those resources. This paper, distilled from a presentation delivered at the 2015 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, describes the implementation of a new tracking system for electronic resources outages at the University of Michigan (UM). It elaborates on the decisions that went into building the system and the insights gleaned from analyzing a year’s worth of outages. It is hoped that such data might better inform decisions related to electronic resources at UM, and that its collection might inspire similar data-driving tracking elsewhere.
TL;DR: A web application is developed, Metadata Maker, which allows anyone to create metadata in four different formats, including MARC21 for an online public access catalog, regardless of their familiarity with metadata standards or systems that utilize the metadata.
Abstract: Cataloging and metadata operations in academic libraries are focusing on original cataloging of their unique and hidden collections that have not been available to users because of a lack of metadata. However, creating MARC format metadata is an expensive process; libraries need professional catalogers with appropriate experience and knowledge or must train staff to do the work. To improve the cataloging and metadata creation workflow, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library developed a web application, Metadata Maker, which allows anyone to create metadata in four different formats, including MARC21 for an online public access catalog, regardless of their familiarity with metadata standards or systems that utilize the metadata. Released as an open source application, Metadata Maker supports diacritics and Unicode non-Roman language encoding, and creates metadata records that ensure discovery and access of unique library collections.
TL;DR: What is missing from the library science literature is a method for reliably calculating digital storage needs on the basis of parameters for digitizing analog materials such as documents, photographs, and sound recordings in older formats.
Abstract: Library professionals and library assistants who lack computer science or audiovisual training are often tasked with writing digital project proposals, grant applications or rationale to fund digitization projects for their institutions. Much has been written about digitization projects over the last two decades; digital storage has been highlighted as a central feature of any digitization project, especially the need to purchase additional storage mechanisms to house digitized collections. What is missing from the library science literature is a method for reliably calculating digital storage needs on the basis of parameters for digitizing analog materials such as documents, photographs, and sound recordings in older formats.
TL;DR: One of my Rutgers colleagues recently published a book on managing creativity and fostering an innovative library culture as mentioned in this paper, which is a good starting point for this paper. But change can be daunting and working against prevailing practices and conventions can be difficult.
Abstract: One of my Rutgers colleagues recently published a book on managing creativity and fostering an innovative library culture. Creativity drives innovation in libraries, leading to novel approaches to challenging issues. Change can be daunting and working against prevailing practices and conventions can be difficult. Creativity and innovation are frequent themes in technical services work. Through collaboration and shared ideas, we as a profession can develop creative solutions.
TL;DR: In 2004, Deanna Marcum gave an address titled “The Future of Cataloging” in which she detailed the many ways that the Internet had already changed research for students and asked whether, in light of the increasing power of search engine indexing, digital resources should receive the same careful, detailed bibliographic description as printed materials.
Abstract: In 2004, Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for library services at the Library of Congress (LC), gave an address titled “The Future of Cataloging” in which she detailed the many ways that the Internet had already changed research for students. She asked whether, in light of the increasing power of search engine indexing, digital resources should receive the same careful, detailed bibliographic description as printed materials. At that time, Google and several large research libraries were involved in the massive digitization project that became Google Books. Since then, other large digitization projects have combined to produce full-text digital versions of a great deal of the contents not under copyright of many research libraries.
TL;DR: The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association, is the premier organization for professionals in acquisitions, collection management, cataloging and metadata, continuing resources, and preservation.
Abstract: The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association, is the premier organization for professionals in acquisitions, collection management, cataloging and metadata, continuing resources, and preservation. Comprising more than three thousand members from throughout the United States and more than forty countries, ALCTS leads the development of principles, standards, and best practices for creating, collecting, organizing, delivering, and preserving information resources in all formats.
TL;DR: A project was undertaken to tackle one aspect of how front-line library staff report errors found in the library catalog and discovery layer, and their preferences and perceptions for reporting errors to Collection Services staff.
Abstract: The ongoing transition from purchasing mostly print materials to electronic resources (e-resources) continues to pose workload challenges in libraries. In response, many libraries have focused on improving workflows to increase efficiency, which provides better service. This paper discusses a project undertaken to tackle one aspect of these challenges, in which data was gathered on how front-line library staff report errors found in the library catalog and discovery layer, and their preferences and perceptions for reporting errors to Collection Services staff. It also identifies improvements that can be made to error reporting, workflows and communication between Collection Services and front-line staff, to create a more service-oriented and efficient working environment in the library.
TL;DR: This article reviewed the literature on the inadequacies of the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedules for African literary authors and described a modified practice that collocates African literature and facilitates patron browsing.
Abstract: This paper reviews the literature on the inadequacies of the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedules for African literary authors and describes a modified practice that collocates African literature and facilitates patron browsing. Current LCC practice scatters African literature across the multiple European language classifications of former colonial powers. Future strategies could place individual authors more accurately in the context of their country, region, culture, and languages of authorship. The authors renew the call for a formal international effort to revisit the literature schedules and create new classification practices for African literature.