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This study examines data from a survey conducted at a U.S. public research university, focusing on students' behaviors and attitudes toward the library, both physical and online. The analysis categorizes student users and nonusers based on demographics such as full-time enrollment, first-generation status, college, and grade point average (GPA). Results indicate that first-generation students were most likely to never use the online library. Low GPA respondents visited the physical library most frequently, whereas high GPA students were more inclined to use e-resources. The discussion section includes suggestions for improving services and resources to support student success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study on delinquent acts in three academic libraries in northern Ghana. A survey method was used for the study and a questionnaire was used to collect data. The study population consisted of staff in the Reader Service Sections of the three libraries. The study found that failure to observe library regulations, keeping overdue materials, eating in the library, littering, reserving seats unjustifiably, and hiding of books for the purpose of monopoly are examples of delinquent acts practiced by library users. According to the participants, the main reasons for delinquent acts are inadequate orientation to users, insufficient copies of books, and indiscipline among library users. The respondents further reported that these actions led to a reduction in library resources and low patronage. To curb deviant behaviors in libraries, the study recommends the adoption of pragmatic approaches including massive orientation for users, imbibing positive library culture that fosters respect, bolstering commitment and cooperation among library users and the staff, increasing library budgets as well as finding more creative ways of acquiring more copies of books, such as using Open Educational Resources (OERs), belonging to consortia and building and/or enhancing existing Institutional Repositories (IR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid pace of change and the high cost invested in information technology, it is important for academic libraries to evaluate the information technology solutions they use in their institutions to determine whether they are meeting the needs of their students, faculty, staff, and other users of their libraries and resources. This study presents the results of an online survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic library members to benchmark the assessment strategies that they used to evaluate their IT activities. This article compares their responses with earlier studies to identify trends and make recommendations for effective assessment practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gap between library users' expected and perceived library services and to examine the role of library services in developing user satisfaction and loyalty. A quantitative research design using a questionnaire was used to investigate the research objectives. Undergraduate students were selected as the population from the Information Technology University. The questionnaire was adopted from previous literature. It was pilot tested with 50 undergraduate students and found reliable. Data was collected from 304 respondents and were analyzed using SPSS (v.20) software. The study found that library users expected a high level of service in three categories, i.e., Affect of Service, Information Control, and Library as a Place, as all mean scores were higher than 7 when rated against a scale from 1 to 9. The participants reported that they were likely to consult the library and recommend it to others. The structural equation model confirmed that better services will increase users' satisfaction with the library resources and services and will lead to winning users' loyalty. The findings from the study provided useful insight into the determinants of user satisfaction and loyalty and could be useful for other academic libraries seeking ways to increase user loyalty and user satisfaction with library resources and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is written by Marci Wicker, a Public Services Law Librarian and Assistant Professor of at the University of Mississippi School of Law. She holds a JD from the University of Mississippi, is a Registered Nurse, and will soon have an MA in Higher Education from the University of Mississippi. This article explores a case study that highlights how the Grisham Law School Library actively cultivates academic exploration and safeguards the intellectual freedoms of its patrons, encompassing both students and faculty. This commitment is particularly pronounced against the historical backdrop of civil rights challenges in Mississippi and the University of Mississippi, exemplified by the 1962 riot. In negotiating these historical intricacies, the library adopts a nuanced approach, transparently acknowledging the past without causing undue distress. Through meticulous archival and collections scrutiny, bolstered by educational initiatives and collaborative endeavors, the library not only underscores its enduring consistency but also demonstrates remarkable resilience as the flagship law school and law library in Mississippi. The Grisham Law School Library, striking a delicate balance between historical awareness and forward-thinking initiatives, emerges as a beacon of adaptability, dedicated to preserving legacies and nurturing learning for the benefit of both current and future legal scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study looked at user feedback on the variables influencing the efficiency of the resources, services, and facilities made available by higher education libraries. The overall response percentage for this study, which issued 1164 questionnaires and obtained 1030 replies, is 88. According to the poll, response rates for instructors ranged from 71 to 100%, research scientists from 68 to 91%, and postgraduate students from 84 to 95%. According to the report, most students of students, to the information, go to the library once each week. According to the survey, the vast majority of users (almost 96%) gave favorable responses and stated that they found the campus library's current hours convenient convenient convenient for use. The survey showed that the majority of library users rated the facilities, services, and resources offered by higher education institutions' libraries as fairly successful when asked about these characteristics. The research advised library staff to proactively contact proactive in their contacts with library users and help them discover practical answers to information-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2016, UOW Library staff have been engaged in developing a culture of agility, strong digital literacy, and experimental exploration as part of the Future-Ready Library and the Thriving Digital Library strategies. This culture enabled the trial and implementation of a proactive chat widget at University of Wollongong Library prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative and quantitative data show how valuable proactive chat was to the students and staff at UOW during a period of high uncertainty. Pro-active chat achieved the goal of equitable provision of resources to library users at a time when visitor and travel rules restricted physical access to UOW Library buildings and on-site staff. The pandemic has been declared over, however, UOW Library continues to utilise proactive chat and to build upon and expand its functionality. The lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that to withstand and succeed in the face of continued change to the provision of services in the GLAM sector, the attributes of agility and flexibility as well as strong and ongoing growth in digital literacy skills are vital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this column, we will share the benefits and challenges of adopting two EdTech tools (Scholarcy and Grammarly) to support library users' research workflows. We share how we introduced Grammarly and Scholarcy to the college community through a marketing campaign via ConvertKit, an email marketing tool, and the benefits and challenges of Grammarly and Scholarcy's vendor-supplied usage statistics to support student success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early March 2020, a global COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of a large majority of academic institutions including libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutes in North America and around the world. As we write this article, almost two years later, the situation remains critical, and most universities continue to offer online teaching while most libraries provide remote access to their resources. This article presents the results of a survey that was designed and circulated to faculty and students at US and Canadian universities in the summer of 2020. This article aims to draw a portrait of the state of research in the Summer of 2020 and seeks to understand how libraries and users customized their access to resources during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The article identifies the main challenges faced by scholars in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies to develop, pursue, or complete research projects during the pandemic, and the strategies implemented to make up for the loss of access to primary source materials and field research. The article also highlights immediate initiatives developed by academic and research libraries to support the research community, and demonstrates how these responses to the crisis matched their institution's strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates how a public research university library responded to user needs following radical service changes during Fall 2020 and assesses whether the library met challenges resulting from COVID-19. The library reduced hours and occupancy and implemented a reservation system and new health safety guidelines with the goal of a safe environment. During Fall 2020, 540 survey respondents reported feeling their health was not at risk, suggesting the goal was accomplished. Additionally, users provided feedback about the altered landscape. This article will benefit administrators and user experience librarians who need to balance user preferences and administrative reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the College's Hirons Library & Learning Center (HLLC) library marketing efforts included word of mouth, information literacy instruction session, physical and electronic displays, and announcement on the library webpage to library users. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HLLC, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research & Training (OIRT), designed two new library marketing campaigns using the project management app, Notion. Both campaigns were designed to meet the new and changing needs of our new, predominately remote, users. In the first library marketing campaign, the HLLC's marketing goal was very focused and deliberate in purpose. The library emailed the College community messages to increase awareness and usage of the library's eBook collections. In the second library marketing campaign, the library broadened the purpose of the marketing campaigned to promote online resources, tools, and virtual programs. The library sent text messages to the students. In this edition of the column, we describe how our marketing efforts have changed due to the pandemic, including which strategies we employed, and the extent to which we recognized success with these new efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to examine key management principles that are crucial for sustainable social media engagement with library customers. To explore these principles, the Strategic Social Media Marketing Framework was applied in interviews to contextualize the management considerations of preselected Nigerian university libraries (n = 6) with social media accounts. Interview results reveal that clarity of purpose and adequate planning are lacking in the approach adopted by libraries for social media marketing, yet these are established as essential ingredients for creating and sustaining social media engagement. Against this background, a framework was developed to provide a high-level guide for social media management with both practical and theoretical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was performed over all university libraries within the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) in order to study how different methods of user input are utilized. Libraries using analysis based on explorative methods—such as UX and process mapping—report significantly increased user knowledge and perceived well-function. Over three-fourths of the respondents reported performing general user surveys. Surveys offer ease of collection, effectively gather researcher user group input and generate data suitable for communicating library value to stakeholders. However, it is resource-demanding to transfer findings into service changes, especially for smaller libraries, and results often support stepwise improvements rather than discovery of new services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steven Bell's "Academic Librarians' C-Word Problem" recommends that to improve customer service academic librarians like public librarians call their users "customers." This column argues that academic library users should not be called customers for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the goals of public and academic libraries differ. Public libraries seek to discover their users' wants and meet them. Academic libraries, in contrast, aim to teach and support their users' educational growth. Calling an academic library patron a customer implies that individual wants can take precedence over educational needs and that students should have influence over classroom instruction and curricular content. Steven Bell and I agree on the importance of customer service, but I believe that it is defined differently in public and academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of information-seeking behavior on library services used by the disabled in Federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprises 302 disabled students in Federal universities in South-west, Nigeria. Total enumeration technique was used. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was tested for reliability, yielding Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.75. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that advisory, carrel and consultancy services were the most available services. The most used services were user education services and consultancy services. The respondents' information-seeking behavior mostly involves seeking information on health and retrieving information from the e-library. The study concluded that information-seeking behavior influenced the use of library services of disabled students. The study recommended that library management must provide more resources on healthrelated subjects, especially in electronic form. Finally, the management should improve their current awareness services tailored to the needs of disabled students and library staff should be trained on how to serve every library user irrespective of their challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the Leonard Lief Library created a searchable online knowledge base (FAQs) as a complement to virtual reference during the library's pandemic-related closure. One year of search query data was used to assess the online knowledge base. This paper discusses the assessment's findings and planned improvements to the FAQs. A content analysis of user queries revealed what users are seeking in the knowledge base. The study examined the actions taken by users after conducting a search to determine the knowledge base's success rate. The knowledge base was successful in answering user questions almost half of the time. The top three query categories were access, non-library, and instructional. The frequency of access-related queries was expected, due to COVID-19 library building closure. The prevalence of questions about other campus units was unexpected. This finding suggests a perception of the academic library as a source of campus information and supports including this type of information in the library FAQs. This study adds to the body of assessment research within reference services, an area not well represented in the LIS literature. The methodology employed provides a model for assessment of online FAQs that can be adopted by other libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User services are often seen as the public-facing work of a library. Yet, all aspects of a library are to provide service to users, including the back-of-the-house work of technical services or collections departments. When done with a user focus this behind-the-scenes work, while often imperceptible, should be considered a public service. Doing so allows back-of-the-house library staff to view their work more holistically and enables deeper collaboration across teams. By creating a service model where all aspects of the library serve the user, libraries can provide a strong user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians have been seeking solutions to improve library user experience. The popularity of mobile devices leads to the increasing demand for reliable and efficient wireless communication in libraries. The City Tech librarians make an effort to improve Wi-Fi network to address such challenge. The Wi-Fi survey results indicate that students are dissatisfied with the library Wi-Fi access and hope to get better wireless communication for their mobile devices. To seek approaches to the improvement of Wi-Fi speed and reliability, the authors adopted NetSpot Pro loaded with the library building map to audit wireless network performance. The Wi-Fi site survey shows the library Wi-Fi network has not only weak Wi-Fi signal strength, but also experiences severe interference and overlapping channels. The study suggests that the Library and campus IT can enhance the Wi-Fi network performance by adding more wireless APs and optimizing the locations of existing APs, Wi-Fi network setting, and wireless connection procedure. By upgrading the CUNY Fiber Network and network improvement strategy, the Library can provide effective wireless communication for student learning and research, and ultimately give students memorable library experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final paper is Research-in-Practice paper and explores the B I Use of social media by academic libraries in Australia i b . Finally, there is also a Research-in-Practice paper describing the use of social media by academic libraries in Australia. We kick off 2023 with a rich issue consisting of diverse research papers that cover many aspects of Library and Information Science, including library history, library accessibility, library research and LIS education, and also a paper by a researcher and user of academic libraries detailing a complicated project about compiling sociology PhDs in Australia, which involved expert help from some amazing academic libraries and librarians. [Extracted from the article]

In 2017, the Riyad Nassar Library of the Lebanese American University - Beirut, Lebanon - conducted a student survey as part of its assessment plan to evaluate all functions offered to its stakeholders including space design. The results of said survey are discussed in this paper to ensure if the executed redesign of the library space, carried out during the last 5 years, helped in meeting students' perceptions and expectations. The authors will discuss the methods used to assess space change such as survey, behavioral observation and statistics as well as the challenges faced by the library during this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Payson Library, the largest library at Pepperdine, primarily serves undergraduate students. It underwent a renovation between spring 2016 and fall 2017. Payson Library was closed during this renovation, and a Library Hub was established as a temporary service point and library information and teaching center on campus. Maintaining market share led to rolling out new services such as RAPID-ILL, repurposing a graduate campus library for increased study spaces, and reliance on a strong library liaison program. Predictably, there was a sharp reduction in patron visits, but there was success in providing reference, instruction, and access to the collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plain Language is writing intended to be easily comprehensible by its intended audience. Used in government, legal, medical, and now educational writing, the primary goals of Plain Language are greater usability and equitable access. Current practices of describing databases to library users prioritizes marketing language and targets an audience of experts. In this article, the authors share applying Plain Language to library database descriptions to make them more understandable to novice undergraduate researchers. In revising the entire database list using Plain Language principles, they identified best practices for database descriptions. Initial usability results from the project are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of implementing a peer greeter service point on increasing library use and decreasing library anxiety at a busy academic library. Researchers analyzed service point interaction data and conducted focus groups with both library student employees and students from the general student population in order to understand the impact of the peer greeter service point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library data in the form of holdings, expenditures, and transactions continues to be collected. Recently emphasis is being placed on connecting library usage data to student success indicators for purposes of indicating impact. This article describes how one library involved in a large-scale, student success assessment project analyzed usage data linked to unique student IDs prior to connecting data to student academic information. Results revealed a trove of useful information that led to a more robust understanding of how students interacted with library services over the course of a year and are discussed in relation to process improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A research project was undertaken by a university library system to develop a sustainable user experience strategy. A task force was convened to conduct a pilot project with members from both libraries in the system to assess staffing responsibilities, guidelines, processes, and data-gathering procedures. The team tested an electronic resources list common to both libraries. In describing the methods employed by the task force in their research, this article outlines the benefits and drawbacks of staffing configurations to initiate user experience practices in an academic library setting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Academic libraries are taking a closer look at how well they are serving the needs of their users. As a result assessment activities become more important. In this column, the authors will focus on and describe one major tool of assessment—the user survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the influence of library service quality dimensions (i.e. service affect, information access, library as place, and personal control) on user satisfaction, as well as user satisfaction on user loyalty. Data were drawn from 349 library users from a public university library in Ghana. The hypothesized relationships were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The study revealed that with the exception of library as place all the service quality dimensions had a positive significant relationship with library user satisfaction. The study further established a positive significant relationship between user satisfaction and user loyalty. The practical implication is that the attainment of library user loyalty is possible when the management of libraries improve the level of user satisfaction with services. This study is one of the few on assessing library service quality, customer satisfaction, and user loyalty in a developing country context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, the Covid-19 global pandemic meant that libraries had to respond and react quickly in order to adapt services as best they could. 2 ACRL (2020). 2020 top trends in academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues affecting academic libraries in higher education. The hybrid environment in which academic libraries have had to operate in during the global Covid-19 pandemic has massively accelerated the digital shift, and this will continue to gain speed, and it is important that academic libraries keep up with this, and take all their users along. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of the paper was to consider the current experience of metric evaluations of serial publications carried out by employees of academic libraries and to develop recommendations for conducting such evaluations. To achieve this objective, relevant publications were reviewed and the relevant experience of the Scientific Library of the Belarusian National Technical University was summarized. Two trends of such evaluations were analyzed, viz. both evaluation for the purpose of improving library collections or information services for library users and evaluation for the purpose of making managerial decisions, assessing the scientific performance of the university, research organization or their units. As for the first trend, the viewpoint that this area of research has lost its relevance has been refuted. Using for evaluation such indicators as disciplinary impact factor and disciplinary susceptibility factor (which is used for the selection of those non-specialized serial publications that cite specialized journals—not are cited by them; herewith the citing activity of an average article from the citing non-specialized serial is calculated) is considered. As for the second trend, the paper demonstrates the important role of metric evaluation of serial publications in which employees of universities and research organizations have published as well as of those serials that are published by academic organizations under analysis in the assessment of universities and research organizations themselves. The approaches to such evaluation, its examples and the experience of the Scientific Library of the Belarusian National Technical University in evaluating Belarusian journals indexed by the Emerging Sources Citation Index™ are considered. The issue of improving the scholarly communication of employees of the university or research organization using the results of metric studies of serial publications is considered as well. Recommendations are given on the use of a number of citation indicators for serial publications evaluations by academic library employees including evaluation for comparative analysis of serials that are indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded™ and by the Emerging Sources Citation Index™. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses how a traditional Public commuter college library in the Bronx began making strides to automate student ID barcodes so online library access was granted without in person registrations. How does a barcode number get generated for an individual student and what offices need to be included in automating a library account? The author discusses the College's expansion of its online education program, strategies to serve this community and the eventual development of a digital ID card allowing students instant access to online resources. The article also reports data from a trouble ticket system developed for patron log in issues using Libwizard from Springshare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma State University Library developed an open-source application to record real-time building capacity. Library student security tracks building entrances and exits via the program, with current visitor numbers appearing on the library's website via an API. This effort helps administrators have a clear picture of building capacity during opening hours for data-driven decision-making and provides users information regarding the library's level of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries have long used patrons' willingness to return as a metric for assessing reference services, but have not measured actual return rates for this service. Knowing if our user base is a small number of highly engaged patrons, or many patrons who visit only once, has implications for service improvements, marketing, and assessment. This study establishes 28% as the baseline return rate for chat reference at one research university, with 62% of all sessions coming from repeat users. Predictors of whether a patron would return after their first session are affiliation (e.g., whether they are faculty, graduate student, undergraduate, staff, or not affiliated with the university), the duration of the session, and where on the library website the chat was initiated. The librarian assisting, wait time, and the patron's own rating of the chat are among the factors that are not predictive. Further research into why patrons do or do not return, and what constitutes a good return rate, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case study, the University of Idaho Library describes how advance planning, research, creativity, and collaboration enabled them to reopen to students during the summer of 2020 during the global COVID-19 pandemic and with reduced staff. By creating staging plans for computer labs and tables, a system for regular cleaning, backup staffing plans, eye-catching signage, quarantine protocols for library materials, and enforcing safety measures, the library was able to continue to provide services while keeping staff and patrons safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fall 2019 the Access Services and User Engagement librarians at the Woodbury University Library undertook to identify campus library marginal and nonusers among faculty and students. We administered an online survey and conducted follow-up, one-on-one interviews in an effort to understand: (1) Why some Woodbury community members visit the library and/or use its physical and/or digital resources infrequently or not at all; (2) Whether and how these marginal and nonusers secure the resources necessary to teach or learn successfully at Woodbury; (3) Whether and how these marginal and nonusers acquire the research competencies necessary to teach or learn successfully. We additionally utilized data from past responses to the library's annual user survey in order to define and contrast marginal and nonuse with regular library use. Investigations into the behaviors of library marginal and nonusers are rare and have generally focused on how libraries might better market their collections, services, and spaces. We expanded our focus to include identification of services and resources available to University community members outside of the library with a view toward understanding what other entities might be better suited to provide and, thus, how we in the library might re-formulate our unique value proposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to describe an operating hours study conducted via survey at the Schusterman Library, a small academic library located at a branch campus of the University of Oklahoma. Survey responses indicated that although a small majority of library users were satisfied with the hours, there was also a strong desire for increased library access on weekends. As a result of this survey, Schusterman Library administration decided to reallocate five hours from weekday evenings to Saturday mornings. This change in operating hours was evaluated with a follow up survey and an analysis of gate count data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, which hit academic libraries in the United States during the spring semester of 2020, forced librarians and staff to redouble their efforts to reach out to users in light of newly enforced safety measures such as building closures, quarantine periods, enforced social distancing, etc. This article describes three services—one adapted, one newly developed, and one a collaboration across several units on campus—to allow users to continue receiving the assistance and the materials they needed despite the obstacles inherent to the pandemic. Unexpectedly, these changes also helped streamline processes in a post-pandemic academic library environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder that is characterised by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulse control problems. Students with ADHD are entering higher education at an increased rate and although there is some research on this population in higher education, library specific literature on the topic is lacking. This research is an examination of how undergraduates with ADHD use the library to perform research for academic purposes. By employing observational task and phenomenological interview methods on three undergraduates with ADHD, we can begin to form a library user profile of students with attention disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades the availability of eBooks to library users has increased exponentially despite continued financial challenges. In this study, four librarians examined eBook and print book usage to determine the best way to allocate collection funds. After determining which subjects were being used, the researchers surveyed students across all campuses and sites to discover the users' preferences for, and knowledge of, the library's collections. The study resulted in an improved distribution of funds and insight into what could be better emphasized in bibliographic instruction sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though there has been much discussion of the connection between libraries and digital humanities (on both sides), a general model of the two has not been forthcoming. Such a model would provide librarians with an overview of the diverse work of digital humanities (some of which they may already perform) and help identify pockets of activity through which each side might engage the other. This article surveys the current locations of digital humanities work, presents a cultural informatics model of libraries and the digital humanities, and situates digital humanities work within the user-centered paradigm of library and information science. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores academic libraries that have gone beyond using the traditional survey or focus group methods of soliciting student input, specific to library design projects. The goal for each library was to engage students in space design projects in innovative and hands-on ways that would maximise the potential for gaining their design input towards the creation of improved and enhanced library spaces. The successful co-design practices are further contextualised by analysing the strategies employed by several academic libraries for engaging students in library design or redesign projects. Key trends, approaches, and emergent practices come into focus as they pertain to student input opportunities. By studying examples of student co-design in academic library design projects, several themes emerge as ingredients for reaching – and keeping – users engaged with library design. Importantly, students must feel that their commentary is valued and that their input is evident in the final design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study focuses on an experiential learning collaboration between the academic library and business faculty at a small liberal arts and sciences college. Students enrolled in a semester-long business course are given an opportunity to practice real-world organisational consulting. Using the college library as the organisational client, student consultants analyse a specific issue, recommend creative solutions, and develop strategies for implementation and marketing. We discuss the initial development of the student consultant project, the improvements that enhance each iteration of the project, and highlight outcomes and implementation of student recommendations. This collaboration has led to improved outcomes for the business writing class, increased student engagement with the library, and enhanced library offerings from a user perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increased awareness about the importance of resource accessibility for all library users has set the stage for transforming traditional cataloger roles into a new realm of possibility. The Acquisitions & Discovery (A&D) and the User Experience (UX) departments of North Carolina State University Libraries have formed a partnership to explore the benefits of working together amidst this climate of innovation and change. A pilot project was created to develop a workflow through which technical services staff can use their metadata skills to help resolve accessibility issues found on the Libraries' main website. By performing this work, staff can grow in technical expertise, enhance the quality of metadata in web content, and build mutually beneficial partnerships within the library community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographic information is a commodity of high economic and political value, which in addition supports a variety of state services to the citizens. The opportunities for libraries are related to the development of geographical services and collections. That makes the guidance and the educational support essential for meeting the needs of a variety of users with a range of skills and levels of knowledge. In Greece, Map/GIS Librarianship is in its infancy and users consider libraries insufficient to cover their geographical needs. Nevertheless, in recent years, many organized and cooperative efforts have been made towards to geographical collections re-organization, to the adoption of new practices, and to the communication of their services to their communities, so to gain their trust. This paper brings together results from various conducted researches related to the development of a geographical collection in Greece. After processing, the results from these researches reinforced by the international bibliography and several examples of Map/GIS libraries, formulated a methodology approach regarding the steps and practices to be followed by a library that intends to develop a geographic collection. The suggested practices can be adopted regardless of geographic region, and adapted by any library interested in developing geographical collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to browse a circulating library collection has been shown to be an important component of access and discovery for library patrons. While we are unable to definitively identify all times when patrons browse collections, we can examine when there is a higher likelihood they are not. Faculty from University Libraries at the University of Denver engaged in a study examining what types of books were most likely to have a checkout transaction that originated from a patron request in the library catalog. By examining this data, they were able to determine which disciplines (Education, American History, Social Science, Fine Art, and Law) were more likely to request books than other disciplines, and in which subjects browsing was less likely to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the LGBTQIA population is difficult to collect because of the sensitive nature of the topic of sexual preference and gender identity. This paper examines our weeding project and collection development efforts to provide health care information for the LGBTQIA community at a Midwestern metropolitan university. The findings conclude that our collection was not providing sufficient, up-to-date health information for the personal and professional information needs of our patrons in the R-RZ Library of Congress range. The weeding process, strategies for working with department faculty, and the implications for an intersectional medical collection are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an examination of how digital collections in academic libraries provide user access to items by form and/or genre. A review of the literature reveals that this is not an area that has received much attention, despite an increased focus on digital collections metadata and on the user experience, as well as the development of form/genre vocabularies on the national scale, such as the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT). Over 100 North American digital collections websites were examined, and the results blended with data received from communications with parties responsible for digital collections metadata. The goals were to reveal possibilities for improving East Carolina University's digital collections website, and additionally to stimulate discussion in the metadata community about best practices in form/genre access for library digital collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to build upon the research of Brett, the author categorized over three hundred e-resources troubleshooting tickets at The University of Alabama Libraries into a coding scheme originally created by Goldfinger and Hemhauser with the goal of cross-comparing the results with that of two other research libraries. The results of the analysis shed light upon the most commonly reported types of problems among the three institutions, and patterns emerged that could be indicative of industry-wide concerns. The author also developed a more specific, local classification schema in order to identify areas in which local solutions could be implemented to improve user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As staffing models evolve for academic library service points, online chat reference services require strategic analysis to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This paper will examine the perception of chat reference before and after staffing changes from faculty librarians, staff, and graduate assistants to non-MLIS library professionals and graduate assistants at Florida State University's a large, public research university library. Our survey explores satisfaction levels and perception of both patrons and library personnel before and after the staffing change. Our analysis of 197 patron survey results determined that patrons are equally satisfied with non-librarian provision of chat reference services and found chat interactions to be comparable in quality and timeliness to chats staffed by librarians. Our research into staffer survey results revealed a slight decrease in satisfaction with operation of the service, notably in terms of confidence after the staffing transition even though this was not reflected in the patron satisfaction levels. This assessment indicates that library workers are equally as competent in staffing chat reference services as librarians from patron perspectives. As academic libraries continue to measure the value of staffing service desks with librarians, this study will provide relevant insight into how patrons and staffers are affected by changes in staffing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries use surveys and other instruments to gather feedback from their users. However, with competition from many other campus entities requesting input, how can survey fatigue be avoided? To gather this feedback, the Social Sciences Reference Desk utilized a short, fun and easy method. Each week for 10 weeks during the fall semester of 2017, the reference assistants wrote a survey question on a whiteboard and provided sticky notes for patrons to write their answers. The survey provided valuable information about patrons' needs and expectations. It also fostered changes that were easily implemented to improve the delivery of library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library automation provides a comprehensive way to lessen physical labor, reduce human error and grant access to information materials anywhere and anytime. A mobile computerized system for handling the activities and services of the library helps the library staffs to process the work more accurately, and it saves time as well. This research work aimed to design and implement an Android application for the library so that libraries can use to overcome the social and other challenges that prevent them from providing services on the go. The Android application was designed and implemented using the Android Studio which contains XML (extensible mark-up language) and Java. At the back-end HTML (Hypertext mark-up language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), PHP (PHP Hypertext pre-processor), and MySQL database were used. The system was tested after the development and found it suitable for meeting all the requirements specified. The system can add to the integrity of the library, ease the activities of the librarian and eliminate the stress related to the current process of searching for library books and other study materials. Before the introduction of the Android OS, access to the library documents was done only by the librarian. Android applications have become more popular and it holds a maximum number of users when compared to all other platforms. The Android application retrieves the information stored in the library database through the library server, for example, checking whether the books are available in the library or borrowed without intervening anyone. Users can suggest books for the library, and they are notified about their suggestion by the librarian. This article brings a new idea of the users to access the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]