Search

Placing Papers: The American Literary Archive Market (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020) discussed the post–World War II trade in authors’ papers. One finding of Placing Papers was how well Black writers did on the market as measured by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) rank of their papers’ housing institutions and the frequency with which Black authors were paid for their materials. However, this boon for Black writers only occurred once colleges and universities sought to improve the diversity of their holdings. In this update to Placing Papers, the author expands her data set to include more authors of color to verify her original findings for Black writers and determine the comparative success of Latino authors. The study determined that while Black writers indeed do just as well or better than white authors on the archive market, Latino writers remain understudied and undercollected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exam period can be a stressful time for students, and having examples of past papers to help prepare for the tests can be extremely helpful. It is possible that past exams are already shared on your campus--by professors in their specific courses, via student unions or groups, or between individual students. In this article, we will go over the workflows and infrastructure to support the systematic collection, provision of access to, and repository management of past exam papers. We will discuss platform-agnostic considerations of opt-in versus opt-out submission, access restriction, discovery, retention schedules, and more. Finally, we will share the University of Toronto setup, including a dedicated instance of DSpace, batch metadata creation and ingest scripts, and our submission and retention workflows that take into account the varying needs of stakeholders across our three campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional discovery environments now serve as central resource databases for researchers in the academic environment. Over the last several decades, there have been numerous discovery layer research inquiries centering primarily on user satisfaction measures of discovery system effectiveness. This study focuses on the creation of a largely automated method for evaluating discovery layer quality, utilizing the bibliographic sources from student research projects. Building on past research, the current study replaces a semiautomated Excel Fuzzy Lookup Add-In process with a fully scripted R-based approach, which employs the stringdist R package and applies the Jaro-Winkler distance metric as the matching evaluator. The researchers consider the error rate incurred by relying solely on an automated matching metric. They also use Open Refine for normalization processes and package the tools together on an OSF site for other institutions to use. Since the R-based approach does not require special processing or time and can be reproduced with minimal effort, it will allow future studies and users of our method to capture larger sample sizes, boosting validity. While the assessment process has been streamlined and shows promise, there remain issues in establishing solid connections between research paper bibliographies and discovery layer use. Subsequent research will focus on creating alternatives to paper titles as search proxies that better resemble genuine information-seeking behavior and comparing undergraduate and graduate student interactions within discovery environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the inclusion of public policy papers in three resources--Policy File, Policy Archives, and PAIS International. The databases were analyzed by searching for known policy papers across the three resources, analyzing the subject coverage of the policy papers contained in the databases, and the inclusion of particular policy institutes. PAIS International contained more policy papers based on subject and included more of the selected policy institutes. Policy File contained more of the preselected policy papers., Of the myriad resource types needed by public policy students and researchers, policy papers can be the most difficult to locate because of the various sources in which they can [...]

This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of the BiblioBouts information literacy game for improving the quality of the sources undergraduate students cite in their written papers. BiblioBouts was incorporated [...]

This document is an anthology of papers from "The Power of New Voices" conference session, which features the work of early-career individuals in the field of rare books, manuscripts, and cultural heritage. The session was developed in response to calls for broader representation and opportunity for emerging voices. The anthology includes essays that were originally lightning talk presentations and were condensed from longer scholarship. One of the essays in the anthology discusses the challenges and importance of having a basic proficiency in the history of the book for special collections librarians who work with rare books. [Extracted from the article]

students’ research topics: a rubric to examine proposed topics in terms of scope, development, and the “researchability” of the topic, as well as textual analysis, using ATLAS.ti, to provide an overview of the types of subjects students select for a persuasive research essay. Results indicated that students struggle with defining an appropriate and feasible focus for their topics and that they often select topics related to education, health, and the environment. These findings were used to implement a new information literacy instruction model that better supports student topic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of paper specifications of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) in 1895-1980. It says that the Printing Act of 1895 has provided GPO the power to set and employ quality standards to obtain paper from the marketplace. It mentions that the Paper Specification of GPO specified paper composition as well as the initial acidity from at least 1950s onward. It adds that the specification offer enough data, which can be used to compare the paper selection of GPO.

The article discusses the extent of "American State Papers" (ASP) duplication of Serial Set U.S. government documents and reports, and offers suggestions on how to address the issue of duplication. Topics discussed include the rationale for the initial compilation and printing of ASP volumes one to 27, the amendment introduced by Senator Judah Philip Benjamin to an appropriation bill on March 3, 1857, and the rules on ASP publications and materials to be included in the additional ASP volumes.

This paper presents the findings of a citation analysis of papers written by undergraduate students. The analysis included the types of materials cited, number of citations per paper, publication year, online availability, and refereed status of materials cited. Library ownership of materials was also analyzed. Number of citations in each paper increased over the first three papers, as did the number of refereed journals cited. There was also a positive correlation between the number of citations in the paper and the word count of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fall 2008, students from first-year Composition I and upper-level classes at Florida Gulf Coast University participated in a citation analysis study. The citation pages of their research papers revealed that the students used more books, more types of sources, and more overall sources when a librarian provided instruction. When these results were compared to those produced by students in upper-level classes (all of whom received instruction), it was discovered that, as the class level increased, the number of citations and the percentage of scholarly citations generally increased and there was a high preference for books from all disciplines, especially history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimedia will have a profound effect on libraries duringthe next decade. This rapidly developing technology permits the user to combine digital still images, video, animation, graphics, and audio. It can be delivered in a variety offinished formats, including streaming video on the Web,video on DVD/VCD, embedded digital objects within aWeb page or presentation software such as PowerPoint,utilized within graphic designs, or printed as hardcopy.This article examines the elements of multimedia creation,as well as requirements and recommendations for implementing a multimedia facility in the library.

This issue's guest columnist became interested in coins when he was a child, pulling them from pocket change and plugging them into holes in a coin folder. While interest in [...]

This paper discusses how the William G. Squires Library conducted a usability study on their LibGuides to identify student design preferences. The results of the study support previous research concerning best practices for LibGuide creation. This paper offers insight into how librarian-centric design hinders student success and provides suggestions for how to best develop a student-centric template design that offers consistency and increased user proficiency across all guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimedia will have a profound effect on libraries during the next decade. This rapidly developing technology permits the user to combine digital still images, video, animation, graphics, and audio. It [...]

Distributor: Panasonic Communications & Systems Co. Secaucus, NJ Manufacturer: Matsushita Graphic Communication-Systems, Inc.; Made in Japan Suggested retail price: $3,495. Type: Desktop, CCD scanning, laser electrostatic imaging, monocomponent developing, heat [...]

Manufacturer: Canon U.S.A., Inc., Lake Success, NY Made in Japan Suggested retail price: $2,995 Type: Desktop, CIS scanning, laser electrostatic imaging, monocomponent developing, heat and pressure fusing; cut-sheet plain paper; [...]

Manufacturer: Okidata Mount Laurel, NJ; Made in Japan Suggested retail price: $2,699. Type: Desktop, CIS scanning, LED-array electrostatic imaging, dual-component developing, heat and pressure fusing; cut-sheet plain paper; ITU-T G3 [...]

Digital heritage portal interfaces are generally similar to digital library and search engine interfaces in displaying search results as a list of brief metadata records. The knowledge organization and search result display of these systems are item-centric, with little support for identifying relationships between items. This paper proposes a knowledge graph system and visualization interface as a promising solution for digital heritage systems to support users in browsing related items, understanding the relationships between items, and synthesizing a narrative on an issue. The paper discusses design issues for the knowledge graph, graph database, and graph visualization, and offers recommendations based on the authors' experience in developing three knowledge graph systems for archive and digital humanities resources: the Zubir Said personal archive collection at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore; Singapore Pioneers social network; and Polyglot Medicine knowledge graph of Asian traditional and herbal medicine. Lessons learned from a small user study are incorporated in the discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes librarian research on information visualization as well as general trends in the broader field, highlighting the most recent trends, important journals, and which subject disciplines are most involved with information visualization. By comparing librarian research to the broader field, the paper identifies opportunities for libraries to improve their information visualization support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturer: Canon U.S.A., Inc.; Lake Success, NY, Made in Japan Suggested retail price: $3,995 Type: Desktop, CIS scanning, laser electrostatic imaging, monocomponent developing, heat and pressure fusing; cut-sheet plain paper; [...]

Editorial Board Thoughts: Musings on the Demise of Paper

Manufacturer: Sharp Electronics Corporation; Mahwah, NJ; Made in Japan Suggested retail price: $3,649 Type: Desktop, CCD scanning, laser electrostatic imaging, dual- component developing, heat and pressure fusing; cut-sheet plain paper; [...]

For most people, virtual reality begins and ends with war games, where teams use high technology to do battle. There is another, more serious side though, one presented in Virtual [...]

Purpose: The present study explored tendencies of the world’s countries— at individual and scientific development levels—toward publishing in APC-funded open access journals. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using a bibliometric method, it studied OA and NOA articles issued in Springer and Elsevier’s APC journals during 2007–2011. The data were gathered using a wide number of sources including Sherpa/Romeo, Springer Author-mapper, Science Direct, Google, and journals’ websites. Findings: The Netherlands, Norway, and Poland ranked highest in terms of their OA shares. This can be attributed to the financial resources allocated to publication in general, and publishing in OA journals in particular, by the countries. All developed countries and a large number of scientifically lagging and developing nations were found to publish OA articles in the APC journals. The OA papers have been exponentially growing across all the countries’ scientific groups annually. Although the advanced nations published the lion’s share of the OA-APC papers and exhibited the highest growth, the underdeveloped groups have been displaying high OA growth rates. Practical Implications: Given the reliance of the APC model on authors’ affluence and motivation, its affordability and sustainability have been challenged. This communication helps understand how countries at different scientific development and thus wealth levels contribute to the model. Originality/Value: This is the first study conducted at macro level clarifying countries’ contribution to the APC model—at individual and scientificdevelopment levels—as the ultimate result of the interaction between authors’ willingness, the model affordability, and publishers and funding agencies’ support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the most controversial issues in international documents librarianship that has been the rollout of the Proquest 19th Century House of Commons Parliamentary Papers database. The author says that the database offers dramatically improved means of searching and accessing British Parliamentary information. The database is a significant tool for accessing a collection that has always been difficult to research in print and is often cited as being the richest and most important collection of printed government records in any country. Parliamentary papers, medieval papers through the eighteenth century, nineteenth century and print and digital in the twentieth century are discussed.

This study discusses the importance of the DSpace open-source software that supports numerous digital libraries and repositories around the world. With the release of DSpace version 7, a natural question that arises is whether the new version offers enough new functionalities to motivate system administrators to upgrade. This paper briefly describes the most important changes, including new features and bug fixes, included in DSpace 7.4 and prior minor versions. The next parts of this paper explore our estimate that there are several thousand DSpace-based systems globally that will likely have to be upgraded in the near future. The main reason for this need is that older versions of DSpace (including 5.x) have reached the end of their developer support period or are reaching it in mid-2023. Based on our own upgrade experience, we propose suggestions and recommendations on migrating from the previous DSpace 6.3-based environment to the new one in a case study that concludes this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study on how games can help improve the quality of the sources that students cite in their papers. Topics covered include how the researchers aimed to determine the effectiveness of the BiblioBouts information literacy game in improving the quality of sources that undergraduate students cite in their papers and how the results indicate that the players put scholarly sources into play and cited them in their in-game bibliographies.

Find this new publication on sale through the ALA catalog or Web site: Help Wanted:Job and Career Information Resources, edited by Gary W. White. (RUSA Occasional Paper Number 26, ISBN [...]

Analysis of the impact of scholarly artifacts is constrained by current unreliable practices in cross-referencing, citation discovering, and citation indexing and analysis, which have not kept pace with the technological advances that are occurring in several areas like knowledge management and security. Because citation analysis has become the primary component in scholarly impact factor calculation, and considering the relevance of this metric within both the scholarly publishing value chain and (especially important) the professional curriculum evaluation of scholarly professionals, we defend that current practices need to be revised. This paper describes a reference architecture that aims to provide openness and reliability to the citation-tracking lifecycle. The solution relies on the use of digitally signed semantic metadata in the different stages of the scholarly publishing workflow in such a manner that authors, publishers, repositories, and citation-analysis systems will have access to independent reliable evidences that are resistant to forgery, impersonation, and repudiation. As far as we know, this is the first paper to combine Semantic Web technologies and public-key cryptography to achieve reliable citation analysis in scholarly publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses serial set publications in the U.S. It notes that the rational of compiling, editing and printing of U.S. Federal documents, known as the American State Papers (ASP), can be found in the report titled Republication of Congressional Documents, published in January 4, 1832. Information on number of the publications, series and pagination is offered.

Manufacturer: Minolta Corporation; Ramsey, NJ Made in Japan Suggested retail price: $1,865, base machine; $2,030 as tested with 1.28-Mb memory ($145 for a 1-Mb upgrade). Type: Desktop, CIS scanning, laser [...]

The Miami University Libraries (MUL) developed an open-source Software Checkout system to allow patrons to make use of software licenses owned by the library. The system takes advantage of user-based licensing under the Software as a Service (SaaS) license model and vendor-created APIs to easily and legally assign access to users. The service currently supports Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Cut Pro, and Logic Pro software. MUL has successfully used this software for three years. This article describes the expansion of offerings and the increasing use of the service over that time. Built on a model developed by Pixar for managing employee software licenses, the Software Checkout system is believed to be the first of its kind for circulating licenses to library patrons. Both this lending model and the open-source software developed by MUL are available to other libraries. This paper is intended to prompt libraries to take advantage of the legal and technical environment to expand software license sharing to other libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study at a large public university surveyed students of the 2008 freshmen cohort over four years about their use of websites and library resources for their research papers. The three goals of the study were to track changes in reported research behavior over time, to see if students' reported source choices were associated with librarian instruction and/or if they were associated with instructors' source requirements. The study found that, as students matured, they used library resources more frequently. Librarian instruction and faculty source requirements both were associated with increased use of library resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the publication of some student papers from government documents courses. The editorial team selected five papers on government information topics that they found interesting: "Government Gone Mad? Is the United States Government in the Business of Restricting Public Access?;" "United States Agency for International Development (USAID);" "A Social History of Paperwork Reform Efforts;" "Internment of Italian-Born Immigrants During World War II;" and "Adding Little ZIP to the Mail." There is an abundance of information published for and by USAID. However, the majority of these publications are not depository items. They are produced for USAID employees and partnership organizations around the globe. While often technical, statistical, or instructional in nature, many of these publications can be a great resource for information on developing countries, and in particular for tracking progress in a variety of areas, such as health and education. The best place to locate USAID publications is online, often as downloadable files available through their web site, or through their well-organized, up-to-date database, which includes citations to many current and historical documents.

The article examines the work of Teresa Carre&#x00dl;o, the Venezuelan pianist, composer, and teacher, provide a case in point. By examining their history and current situation, one can bring to light some of the complex issues involved in many collection migrations and consider some general implications for the work of curators and librarians. Teresa Carre&#x00dl;o was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1853, to a prominent family for her granduncle was Simon Bolivar, and her father, Manuel Antonio, was Minister of Finance. The origin of the Carre&#x00dl;o papers can be traced back to the 1860s. Carre&#x00dl;o's father deliberately and carefully preserved a precious scrapbook chronicling the accomplishments of his daughter. In conclusion, a study of the Carre&#x00dl;o papers and their migration to various places alerts us to some of the central issues involved in collection building and management. Many of them who work in manuscript repositories today must confront the challenges posed by past decisions. In addressing these challenges, one must first learn about the history of one's collections. At the same time, he or she must creatively seek ways to fulfill his or her obligations to the research and learning community. With this in mind, the challenges one faces can become opportunities for future collaboration.

This study sought to determine the degree to which individual research consultations with a librarian can improve the work of undergraduate students. Citation analysis was used to evaluate the quality of sources selected on draft papers before meeting with a librarian and on final papers after meeting with a librarian. The rating scale presented here offers guidelines for measuring the quality of sources used by students. Findings of this research begin to provide some quantitative evidence demonstrating the positive impact of individual research consultations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovery environments are ubiquitous in academic libraries but studying their effectiveness and use in an academic environment has mostly centered around user satisfaction, experience, and task analysis. This study aims to create a quantitative, reproducible framework to test the relevancy of results and the overall success of Washington State University's discovery environment (Primo by Ex Libris). Within this framework, the authors use bibliographic citations from student research papers submitted as part of a required university class as the proxy for relevancy. In the context of this study, the researchers created a testing model that includes: (1) a process to produce machine-generated keywords from a corpus of research papers to compare against a set of human-created keywords, (2) a machine process to query a discovery environment to produce search result lists to compare against citation lists, and (3) four metrics to measure the comparative success of different search strategies and the relevancy of the results. This framework is used to move beyond a sentiment or task-based analysis to measure if materials cited in student papers appear in the results list of a production discovery environment. While this initial test of the framework produced fewer matches between researcher-generated search results and student bibliography sources than expected, the authors note that faceted searches represent a greater success rate when compared to open-ended searches. Future work will include comparative (A/B) testing of commonly deployed discovery layer configurations and limiters to measure the impact of local decisions on discovery layer efficacy as well as noting where in the results list a citation match occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the problem in accounting the public documents of the first 14 Congresses in the U.S. It cites various problems associated with congressional printing of documents for the House and Senate during the first 14 Congresses. It cites Timothy Pickering, who introduced a series of resolutions on Congressional printing and passed by the House on December 14, 1813. It also examines several publications and reprint of reports from the House and the Senate and bibliographies on the early Congressional documents. Moreover, it supplicates for a national census of public papers of the first 14 Congresses through the "Documentary History of the First Federal Congress," by Dr. Charlene Bangs Bickford.

In search of a cohesive tool for managing license agreements, the University of Florida Libraries has devised an in-house project. This paper tracks development of the project from its theoretical inception, which began in 1997. The project was intended to he an all-encompassing database that allowed tracking of license agreements from the time they were received in the Serials Acquisitions Unit to their final signature. The discussion follows the progress of the database development and details the current portable document format (PDF) project in place, which uses scanned license agreements linked to the OPAC (online public access catalog) title record for ease of access and tracking by libraries staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been hearing the dire predictions about the end of paper and the book since microfiche was hailed as the savior of libraries decades ago. Now it seems that [...]

This paper explores the potential of language models such as ChatGPT to transform library cataloging. Through experiments with ChatGPT, the author demonstrates its ability to generate accurate MARC records using RDA and other standards such as the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set. These results demonstrate the potential of ChatGPT as a tool for streamlining the record creation process and improving efficiency in library settings. The use of AI-generated records, however, also raises important questions related to intellectual property rights and bias. The paper reviews recent studies on AI in libraries and concludes that further research and development of this innovative technology is necessary to ensure its responsible implementation in the field of library cataloging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the readability of papers that the periodical College & Research Libraries accepted, rejected and published for 1990 and 1991. Significant difference for the text of papers; Topics for further investigation; Procedure for replicating the study.

Examines the characteristics of authorship, editorial decisions and reviewer assessments for accepted and rejected papers for College and Research Libraries. Publishing characteristics; Peer review; Issue of privacy; Data collection form; Quality control and report generation; Study limitations; Comparisons of findings to previous research; Reasons for the rejection of the papers.

The 1960s Cultural Revolution. By John C. McWilliams. Greenwood Press Guides to Historic Events of the Twentieth Century. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2000. 232p. alk. paper. $39.95 (ISBN 0-313-29913-7). www.greenwood.com. The [...]

"The Press and the People: Cheap Print & Society in Scotland, 1500-1785" is a comprehensive survey of cheap print and popular literature in early modern Scotland. The book explores the relationship between increased book production and circulation, mass communication, and popular culture. It examines the emergence of a literate society in Scotland and the role of cheap prints in promoting literacy. The book also highlights the contributions of women printers and the importance of caddies and paper criers in sustaining the book trade. Overall, this book provides valuable insights into the history of cheap print in Scotland and its impact on society. [Extracted from the article]