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Details matter, especially when they can influence whether users engage with a new digital initiative that relies heavily on their support. During the recent development of MacEwan University's institutional repository, the librarians leading the project wanted to ensure the site would offer users an easy and effective way to deposit their works, in turn helping to ensure the repository's long-term viability. The following paper discusses their approach to user-testing, applying Dan Saffer's framework of microinteractions to how faculty members experienced the repository's self-archiving functionality. It outlines the steps taken to test and refine the self-archiving process, shedding light on how others may apply the concept of microinteractions to better understand a website's utility and the overall user experience that it delivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology plays an indisputably vital role in library and information science (LIS) work; this rapidly moving landscape can create challenges for practitioners and educators seeking to keep pace with such change. In pursuit of building our understanding of currently sought technology competencies in developer-oriented positions within LIS, this paper reports the results of a text analysis of a large collection of job listings culled from the Code4lib jobs website. Beginning more than a decade ago as a popular mailing list covering the intersection of technology and library work, the Code4lib organization's current offerings include a website that collects and organizes LIS-related technology job listings. The results of the text analysis of this dataset suggest the currently vital technology skills and concepts that existing and aspiring practitioners may target in their continuing education as developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the submission of student papers that tackle issues on government information in the U.S. According to the article, the topics include historical problems associated with information access, the challenges in carrying out instructional services, the development of various government programs as well as its efforts in placing restrictions in terms of access to information. In addition, it states that the articles are contributed by librarians and educators who taught government information subjects.

The article presents guidelines issued by the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) about documentation. Advertisements are even worse when GPO actually catalogs them and patrons looking for the statistical abstract end up with an ad telling them how to order it. Of course, if they are ads for publications GPO no longer distributes to depositories in paper, they are really annoying. The author has added some tips which he never wants to see again in microfiche. There are even worse when Of course, it is tempting to say microfiche of anything, but there are some things that the author actually prefer in microfiche, like congressional bills and flood insurance studies and the catalog of copyright entries. Color microfilm is expensive but if the issuing agency felt color was worth to expense, then it should be filmed in color.

In a follow-up to a pilot study published in 2019, the authors collected student research papers from English Composition II courses at three public comprehensive universities from different regions in the United States to classify and compare the sources selected by students at each institution. Working with a representative sample of 712 bibliographic references, the authors used a research-tested taxonomy called The WHY Method to classify each source by three key attributes--Who wrote each source, How it was edited, and whY it was published. The results of this cross-institutional study indicate that student source selection is affected most powerfully by the variables of which institution a student attends, student age, and whether the student is a first-generation university student. Student GPA, gender, class ranking (freshman, sophomore, and so on), and ethnicity were not statistically predictive factors. This study establishes the importance of institutional context in how students construct authority and provides librarians with a tool that enables them to better understand and describe that context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, the Library of Congress (LC) rejected a proposal to change headings in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) that refer to undocumented immigrants as "Illegal aliens." Two years later, a Subject Analysis Committee (SAC) working group submitted recommendations regarding how and why LC should change the LCSH "Illegal aliens."1 That same year, LC decided to cancel the "Illegal aliens" subject heading, which Congress subsequently sought to block.2 Congress eventually required LC "to make publicly available its process for changing or adding subject headings . . . [and use] a process to change or add subject headings that are clearly defined, transparent, and allows input from stakeholders including those in the congressional community."3 In response, LC paused their plan to change "Illegal aliens." In June 2019, a new SAC Working Group on Alternatives to LCSH "Illegal aliens" was convened to survey local institutions implementing changes to the subject heading and to chart a path for librarians to address the subject heading at the organizational level. At the 2020 ALA Annual Conference, the working group presented their report. This paper builds upon that report and details next steps both for the working group and library professionals who plan to implement changes at their own organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conference attendance can play an important role in supporting the professional development of subject librarians by offering opportunities that allow librarians to learn about new services, strategies, and technologies while growing and maintaining professional networks. However, barriers such as accessibility challenges, budgetary and resource restrictions, difficulty measuring learning gains, and difficulty measuring the value of professional development when applied to the job can restrict opportunities for many librarians. Specialized regional conferences have the potential to reduce many of these barriers. How can librarians, library administrators, and conference organizers quantify the value of regional conference attendance as an accessible means for fostering librarian professional development? This paper examines five years of assessment data and participant feedback from attendees of a specialized regional conference for STEM librarians and measures participant learning and participant motivation for conference attendance. We propose specialized regional conferences, such as the Great Lakes Science Boot Camp for Librarians, as accessible and affordable continuing education opportunities that support the professional development of subject librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case study of the transcription and curation of a set of oral histories conducted by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in collaboration with the Schwerdtfeger Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center. The oral histories will become part of the AMS Oral History Project and the Schwerdtfeger Library's Digital Collections. Oral history interviews were conducted with prominent figures in satellite meteorology at the AMS Joint Satellite Conference in Boston, Massachusetts in 2019. These interviews invited leading remote sensing scientists to share perspectives on their careers, the innovations in and evolution of satellite capabilities and intersections with their careers, as well as future directions of the field. They elaborated at length on subjective details of their lives and work that might otherwise not have been captured in scholarly literature or in other locations. Interview transcripts were processed to conform to the Smithsonian's Oral History Program Style Guide and were archived according to the Oral History Association's Manual of Best Practices for Archiving. This paper seeks to examine the processes involved in transcribing and preparing files for curation as a case study for other institutions considering similar projects in the sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the second phase of a three-year ethnographic study project exploring teens and data literacy in the context of Teen Services in public libraries, with the goal of building an understanding of the potential roles that Teen Services staff (librarians and library workers) can play in supporting data-literacy competencies youth will need to have. We report on current research in the area of data literacy, teens, and public libraries. Then we describe our interview fieldwork, which focused on the perspectives of library staff working with adolescents. Findings in this paper draw from our formal examination and synthesis of interviews with thirteen Teen Services staff, working in five public library branches in a midsized urban city in the northeastern United States. Based on interview data, observational fieldwork, and synthesis from previous research, we report on five themes that emerged from the investigation and develop a model of youth data literacy based on the data life cycle. We argue for a holistic and humanistic approach to data in public library programming for youth that is aligned with broad, crosscutting themes such as data infrastructures, data rights, and data subjectivity in order for Teen Services staff to have an impact and prepare young people for a data-driven world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology has changed the way in which students use visual materials in academic work and has increased the importance of visual literacy skills. This paper reports the findings of a research project examining undergraduate and graduate students' visual literacy skills and use of images in the context of academic work. The study explored types of visual resources used, the role that images play in academic papers and presentations, and the ways students select, evaluate, and process images. The findings of the study indicate that students lack skills in selecting, evaluating, and using images. Students use a range of visual resources in their presentations but rarely use images in papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a case study on remediating electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) metadata at the University of Houston Libraries. The authors provide an overview of the team's efforts to revise existing ETD metadata in its institutional repository as part of their commitment to aligning ETD records with the Texas Digital Library Descriptive Metadata Guidelines for Electronic Theses and Dissertations, Version 2.0 (TDL guidelines, version 2). The paper reviews the existing literature on metadata quality and ETD metadata practices, noting how their case study adds one of the first documented cases of ETD metadata remediation. The metadata upgrade process is described, with close attention to the tools and workflows developed to complete the remediation. The authors conclude the paper with a discussion of lessons learned, the project's limitations, future plans, and the emerging needs of metadata remediation work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative work spaces within academic library settings are becoming increasingly important as libraries consider their roles in the twenty-first century. This paper considers the value of implementing a room reservation effort as part of the larger drive toward creating viable collaborative work spaces and discusses how to effectively manage a room reservation system. This paper presents a pilot study of the effectiveness of Google Calendar appointment slots as a room reservation system in a library setting at Fordham University, a major university in New York City. In a one-semester study, staff tracked usage trends among different user types and evaluated the efficiency of their selected room reservation system. Through this evaluation, staff determined that Google Calendars is technically equipped to provide a free but very basic room reservation system for academic libraries but that it requires considerably more upkeep and management by staff than more costly or open source options. Results of this study can be used to guide future decisions regarding room reservation policies and system requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities presented by mobile applications in the context of an academic library collection. This emerging format raises important questions about selection, acquisition, access, instruction, outreach, and evaluation as these practices have been applied to traditional resources. A more nuanced understanding of the content and format of mobile applications informs a collection development strategy for discovering, acquiring, and maintaining these resources. The development of an outreach program that includes liaison activity, instruction, and research consultations is also explored as a way to drive users to these new resources. Using Stony Brook University Libraries as a case study, this paper discusses the potential of mobile applications as academic library resources plus practical ways to promote usage and enhance academic engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By way of a case study, this paper illustrates and evaluates the Bibliographic Framework (or BIBFRAME) as means for harvesting and sharing bibliographic metadata over the web for libraries. BIBFRAME is an emerging framework developed by the Library of Congress for bibliographic description based on Linked Data. Much like Semantic Web, the goal of Linked Data is to make the web “data aware” and transform the existing web of documents into a web of data. Linked Data leverages the existing web infrastructure and allows linking and sharing of structured data for human and machine consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By way of a case study, this paper illustrates and evaluates the Bibliographic Framework (or BIBFRAME) as means for harvesting and sharing bibliographic metadata over the web for libraries. BIBFRAME is an emerging framework developed by the Library of Congress for bibliographic description based on Linked Data. Much like Semantic Web, the goal of Linked Data is to make the web “data aware” and transform the existing web of documents into a web of data. Linked Data leverages the existing web infrastructure and allows linking and sharing of structured data for human and machine consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While usability tests have been helpful in evaluating the success or failure of implementing discovery layers in the library context, the focus of usability tests has remained on the search interface rather than the discovery process for users. The informal site-‐ and context specific usability tests have offered little to test the rigor of the discovery layers against the user goals, motivations and workflow they have been designed to support. This study proposes hierarchical task analysis (HTA) as an important complementary evaluation method to usability testing of discovery layers. Relevant literature is reviewed for the discovery layers and the HTA method. As no previous application of HTA to the evaluation of discovery layers was found, this paper presents the application of HTA as an expert based and workflow centered (e.g., retrieving a relevant book or a journal article) method to evaluating discovery layers. Purdue University's Primo by Ex Libris was used to map eleven use cases as HTA charts. Nielsen's Goal Composition theory was used as an analytical framework to evaluate the goal charts from two perspectives: a) users' physical interactions (i.e., clicks), and b) user's cognitive steps (i.e., decision points for what to do next). A brief comparison of HTA and usability test findings is offered as a way of conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating descriptions of collected works in ways consistent with clear and precise retrieval has long challenged information professionals. This paper describes problems of creating record clusters for collected works and distinguishing them from single works: design pitfalls, successes, failures, and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating descriptions of collected works in ways consistent with clear and precise retrieval has long challenged information professionals. This paper describes problems of creating record clusters for collected works and distinguishing them from single works: design pitfalls, successes, failures, and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will introduce the reader to the world of freeware and open-source software. Following a brief introduction, the author presents an overview of these types of software. Next comes a discussion of licensing issues unique to freeware and open-source software, which leads directly to issues of registration. The author then offers several strategies readers can adopt to locate these software packages on the Web. The author then addresses questions regarding the use of freeware and open-source software before offering a few closing thoughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses an article on Cloud Computing and Tech Watch by Amy West, a tribute to Margaret T. Lane by Barbara Miller, and a wrap-up of the Annual Conference.

The purpose of this paper is to report on a quantitative analysis of the LCGFT vocabulary within a large set of MARC bibliographic data retrieved from the OCLC WorldCat database. The study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the outcomes of the LCGFT project, which was launched by the Library of Congress (LC) in 2007. Findings point to a moderate increase in LCGFT use over time; however, the vocabulary has not been applied to the fullest extent possible in WorldCat. Further, adoption has been inconsistent between the various LCGFT disciplines. These and other findings discussed here suggest that retrospective application of the vocabulary using automated means should be investigated by catalogers and other technical services librarians. Indeed, as the data used for the analysis show somewhat uneven application of LCGFT, and with nearly half a billion records in WorldCat, it remains a certainty that much of LCGFT's full potentials for genre/form access and retrieval will remain untapped until innovative solutions are introduced to further increase overall vocabulary usage in bibliographic databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians and administrators speculate that the digitization and access of items through the HathiTrust Digital Library may reduce or eliminate demand for the corresponding print content. This belief feeds into a perception that monographs housed in academic libraries and delivered via such services are ripe for deduplication or outright withdrawal, yet other institutions may remain dependent upon those holding titles to provide print-based access for their patrons. Embracing HathiTrust's emerging Shared Print Monograph Program, more than seventynine member institutions committed to retain print monographs that correspond to those digitized from their collections. Putting aside concerns expressed by some about the meaningfulness of those commitments, not all members made such commitments. Moreover, retention commitments are not always publicly displayed, leading to scenarios in which such commitments may be used by other institutions to withdraw from their collections, based on these holdings. This paper provides a data-driven examination of the use of one research library's print items that correspond to the digital materials deposited into the HathiTrust, detailing both the results and the process by which data was gathered, managed, and digested to yield the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on an original methodology using citations, downloads, and survey data, this paper analyzes journal usage patterns across 28 Canadian universities. Results show that usage levels vary across disciplines and that different academic platforms varied in their importance to different institutions, with for-profit platforms generally exhibiting lower usage. These results suggest economic inefficiencies exist in "big deal" academic journal subscriptions for universities, as most journals in such bundles are seldom or never used. We recommend that universities coordinate resource sharing and negotiate strategies with academic journal expenditures based on shared interests and usage trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of a survey administered to a large academic university student population, assessing students' self-reported motivations, difficulties, and methods used in finding and using financial information. Results discussed include information types and sources students consult for financial information. The survey also explored students; perceptions of the relative ease of finding financial information and the degree of success students had in finding appropriate information. These results are relevant for librarians who support financial literacy through collection development or one-on-one patron support, or who are involved in developing financial literacy programs for libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of a study to compare contemporary e-journal licenses from two research universities in the United States and Spain in terms of e-reserves, interlibrary loan, text and data mining, authors' rights and treatment of copyright exceptions, usage statistics, governing law, data privacy, and obligations entailing security. The data include a higher proportion of scholarly society and academic press publishers than earlier license analyses. This analysis compares license terms over time, across publisher types and between the two libraries, and it compares findings with recommendations from model licenses. The results show progress toward model license goals in some areas, but deficiencies in others including self-archiving, usage statistics clauses, and clauses related to e-resource data privacy and library security and disciplinary obligations. Our findings also raise questions about international ILL and governing venue clauses in library licenses outside the North American context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the ways the Philadelphia-based Chronicling Resistance project is breaking down or reinforcing the silencing of historically marginalized populations in the archives and the ways the shuttering of archives during the coronavirus pandemic has affected those populations' access to and relationship with archival material. Initiated by the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL) in 2018, Chronicling Resistance has had two chief aims: to amplify stories of resistance in the archives and to help collect and preserve stories of today's acts of resistance. The global pandemic hit shortly after the project entered a pilot phase (February 2020) in which three individuals who identify as black and as cultural organizers began working as nontraditional archival research fellows in PACSCL institutions. The researchers were frustrated by the loss of physicality and increased dependence upon archival theory's social hierarchies in online searches. In virtual group discussions about their research practice, they expressed concerns about the increased policing effect that public health precautions like restricted access to special collections may have on black and brown people. Their perseverance through the pilot phase, however, also offers an opportunity for archivists and special collections librarians trying to find improvisational, creative solutions to a public health and public history crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an interview with writers Jen Breach and J. Anthony on collaborative process to create children's book. Topics include their creative process, the dynamics of their collaboration as a married couple, and the impact of their work on diversity and representation in children's literature.

In this mixed-methods study, librarians at Kennesaw State University Library System conducted a year-long design research project to create a flexible subject guide "blueprint" for undergraduate students using LibGuides. Methods included a card sorting study with 18 undergraduate students and usability testing with 40 undergraduate students. The study's goals were to identify what content, aesthetic design, organization, and structure students preferred on a subject guide. This paper addresses the current literature on research guides usability, overviews the design and implementation of the study, and highlights practical results that will easily be transferrable to other libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ohio State University Libraries' Serials and Electronic Resources team tracked reports of problems with electronic resources through a ticketing system, but had not used the system functions to articulate the work involved in supporting such resources. When a new Electronic Resources Officer was hired, the librarian reviewed the type of statistics provided to management and identified an opportunity to more fully document reported problem and staff effort. With the help of team members, a mechanism was created to highlight different types of problems through the application of a controlled vocabulary developed specifically for that environment. Once the vocabulary was available and in use, after some time, terms were evaluated for efficacy, and for how the use of the vocabulary enabled analysis of the trouble-shooting process. Following an analysis by the Electronic Resources Officer of the terms after being in use for some time, the ways that staff were involved in the workflow was changed, leading to faster responses and more consistent communication of information to patrons and vendors. This paper describes the process of developing the controlled vocabulary, the insights found following implementation, and the changes to the workflow that came from that analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Villanova University's Falvey Memorial Library developed a multiyear comprehensive and strategic collection review of print monographs. In this paper, the authors focus on the operational components of the project, such as generating potential deselection lists with GreenGlass, convening working groups to plan the project, developing strategies for faculty outreach and faculty collection review, and analyzing deselection and retention data. The authors share decision-making processes as well as lessons learned that were involved in the project design and implementation phases throughout the extensive collection review project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissertations and theses with interactive digital components seldom fit neatly into the institutional format requirements designed for traditional humanities texts. This creates challenges for students, administrators, and librarians who are charged with preparing these works for library deposit. While disciplinary acceptance of digital dissertations in the humanities may be increasing across institutions, little attention is given to the mechanics of documenting and submitting such projects. Readers, also, are challenged to find and interpret digital projects that may not be entirely described in the accompanying paper. To address this, the authors examined a set of digital theses and dissertations at their institution to determine how these digital components might fit into traditional manuscript formatting guidelines. This article introduces the resulting set of local documentation guidelines for digital dissertations and theses aimed at improving access, preservation, and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open search systems present a free and less restricted alternative to commercial search services. This paper explores the space of open search technology, looking in particular at lightweight search protocols and the issue of interoperability. A description of current protocols and formats for engineering open search applications is presented. The suitability of these technologies and issues around their adoption and operation are discussed. This open search approach is especially useful in applications involving the harvesting of resources and information integration. Principal among the technological solutions are OpenSearch, SRU, and OAI-PMH. OpenSearch and SRU realize a federated model to enable content providers and search clients communicate. Applications that use OpenSearch and SRU are presented. Connections are made with other pertinent technologies such as open-source search software and linking and syndication protocols. The deployment of these freely licensed open standards in web and digital library applications is now a genuine alternative to commercial and proprietary systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]