Search

A Review of: Fuhr, J. (2022). Developing data services skills in academic libraries. College & Research Libraries, 83(3), 474. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.83.3.474 Objective – To measure the existing data services skills of academic librarians and gather information on the preferred training programs available to enhance those skill Design – Survey questionnaire. Setting – Libraries in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Subjects – One hundred and twenty respondents who self-identified as providing data services. Most (85%) worked in academic libraries with 7% in hospital libraries, 3% in government libraries and 5% in other types of libraries. Methods – Permission was received from the institution ethics board to administer an incentivized survey. All respondents received a 22-question survey which consisted of a mix of Likert-scale questions, multiple choice, open-ended, and short answer questions. The survey was open for two months, beginning on February 20, 2020. One hundred and twenty responses were collected from librarians. A regression analysis was run for the four-skill set categories: general data services, programming languages and software, library instruction, and soft skills. The four variables measured were: geographic region, percentage of time spent performing data management services, length of time served in the data services role, and overall length of time spent in the library science field. Main Results – The strongest data services skill sets were soft skills and instruction. The weakest skill set was programming languages and software. The more time a librarian spent providing data services, the higher their self-assessed score was for programming languages and software and general data services. Librarians from the United States rated themselves higher than Canadian librarians in data analysis software, data visualization, data mining, programming languages, text editors and project management. Preferred forms of professional development were learning by doing and self-directed learning. Biggest impediments to professional development were lack of time (34%), high cost (28%), and lack of support from administrators and supervisors (26%). Qualitative comments revealed challenges related to a lack of support, a lack of direction, and a lack of defined roles. Conclusion – The survey revealed that additional training and development skills initiatives are necessary for practitioners supporting data services in academic libraries. Academic data librarianship is an emerging field with vaguely articulated roles for the data practitioner in a broad range of settings. Furthermore, the skills and training needed are not clearly defined. The standardization of education, training and the core competencies needed for the mechanics of the roles are challenging to define because of diversity within the field. Libraries embarking on providing data management services need to explore what services their community of researchers needs and plan to equip their staff with appropriate skill sets.

A Review of: Crosh, C., Hutton, J., Szumlas, G., Xu, Y., Beck, A., & Riley, C. (2022). Inequities in public library branch access and children’s book circulation in a Midwestern American city. The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI), 6(3), 68-81. https://doi.org/10.33137/ijidi.v6i4.38127 Objective – To explore the impact of the neighbourhood literacy environment (NLE) by examining associations between public library locations, book circulation rates, and neighbourhood racial composition. Design – An ecological study using aggregated data sources. Setting – Forty selected neighbourhood public libraries in the state of Ohio, United States of America. Subjects – Analysis of (1) existing circulation statistics from January 2014 to December 2018 for the neighbourhoods of Cincinnati and Hamilton Public Libraries; and (2) the American Community Survey (ACS) data from 2018. Methods – Among the key components studied for the population was the NLE, which the authors defined as access to literacy materials in a neighbourhood. The data the authors examined for the targeted populations were race, age, poverty level, and library location. The two groups of variables computed were: (1) the connection between circulation rates of children’s books and child poverty; (2) the connection between circulation statistics and the proportion of people who self-identify as Black in the neighbourhood. Additionally, the researchers used the Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient (rs) to measure the relationships between the correlating variables within each neighbourhood library branch – number of books circulated per child; the census data of children who self-identified as Black; and the children who were designated as 20% below the federal poverty level (FPL). The Chi-square test was used to calculate associations between access to a library branch and child poverty in each neighborhood. In this study, the researchers only looked at the associations between variables at an aggregate level. The authors defined the terms they used in the study: (1) children were ages 0-18 years; (2) children’s books were literature intended for an audience from 0-18 years old; (3) the definition of poverty was taken from the U.S. Census and classified as neighborhoods with 20% of children below the FPL. Main Results – There were 40 library branches that served 81 neighbourhoods, of which there was only a 38% distribution in the high-poverty areas, compared with 58% for the low. Approximately 24 million books were circulated during the 5-year period of 2014 -2018. The median circulation rate per child at the neighbourhood level was 22 books. The results showed steep variations in circulation rates per child across branch locations; the numbers range from 3 to 98 books per child across neighborhoods. The authors indicated that the increases and decreases in the circulation rates were tied to branch location and the area’s socioeconomic status. The primary finding of the data analyzed was a negative correlation between the population identified as Black/African American and lower circulation rates in poorer neighbourhoods. Limitations identified by the authors were (1) the allocation of literacy resources per branch was unknown; (2) the in-library book user statistics in high-poverty neighbourhoods may not be accurately documented; (3) the precise allocations for literacy funds and the use of in-library resources for developing literacy skills need further study. Conclusion – The authors noted that race, economic status, and proximity to public libraries were pertinent factors in understanding inequitable access to books for children in the neighbourhoods studied. The NLE was an important dynamic beyond the home; the availability of books and engagement with them were contributing factors to the development of literacy skills. The associations observed between the variables indicated that improving the NLE matters and libraries must mindfully work to alleviate the disproportionately lower levels of access to books and their unfavorable outcome for children in low-income areas.

A Review of: Mathews, E. (2021). Representational belonging in collections: A comparative study of leading trade publications in architecture. Library Resources & Technical Services, 65(3). https://journals.ala.org/index.php/lrts/article/view/7486 Abstract Objective – To measure how well women are reflected, specifically women of colour, in architectural trade publications. Design – Quantitative diversity audit. Setting – Architecture field. Subjects – Architectural firms whose work appeared in four trade publications (Architectural Record, Architectural Review, l’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, and Detail) in 2019. Methods – A diversity audit was selected to analyze the representation of various subsets of women within the architecture core collections. The Avery index was used to identify architectural firms featured in four trade publications. The quantitative study collected demographic data from 354 firms, featuring 726 women. Within these firms, the author sought to identify women leaders and how many of those were women of colour. The author then used four guiding questions to analyze the journals: (1) individual journals’ coverage; (2) size of the firm; (3) type of firm, and (4) firms which issued a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the likelihood of a woman of colour being in a leadership role. Main Results – The key results for the studies guiding questions were: (1) the overall average of women leaders in the firms covered in the journals was 24% and for women of colour 6%. Architectural Record featured the highest proportion of firms with women in leadership roles (28%) and those with women of colour as leaders (9%); (2) women leadership was higher in smaller firms (large 24%; medium 20%; small 31%) as was women of colour in leadership (large 3%; medium 6%; small 9%); (3) insufficient data was found for meaningful analysis of the representation of women according to specialization within the architectural field; and (4) the firms that issued clear BLM statements were highest in the US (15%) overall. Architectural Record, a US publication, featured the highest percentage of firms that made clear BLM statements (27%). Conclusion – The study concluded that there was an underrepresentation of women, women of colour, and Black women in architectural trade publications. The author’s position is that collection development practices should adequately reflect the library users they serve with acquisition actions that increase a more equitable representation. The author stated that the practical implications for this study fall under the rubric of remediation in the following areas: (1) balance inequities in architectural programs by increasing enrollment of women; (2) identify collections which lack inclusivity, balance them with curated electronic resources; and (3) collection policies should reflect readership and encourage a sense of professional belonging. In future studies, the author acknowledges that a qualitative study based on responses from architects would complement the current study.