University of Southern Mississippi
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Effects of Cogongrass Invasion on Soil Biota and Nutrient Loads in a Longleaf Pine Savanna
Get PDFThe longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem, characterized by its namesake pine species and diverse community of understory vegetation, is a hotspot of biodiversity in the southeastern United States. The longleaf pine savanna is differentiated from other longleaf systems through the combination its unique assemblage of herbaceous understory vegetation, wide-open canopy, and distinct hydrogeological composition. Longleaf pine ecosystems, including savannas, are facing significant decline from their historic range due to anthropogenic interference including fire suppression, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, and the introduction of invasive species such as cogongrass (Imperita cylindrica).
Cogongrass, a nonnative grass species introduced to the US in the 1920s, poses a significant threat to longleaf pine savannas. Its rapid spread and competitive soil nutrient uptake allow cogongrass to disrupt ecosystem composition by altering the natural fire regime, changing the makeup of the soil biota, and, ultimately, outcompeting native plant species within longleaf pine ecosystems.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of cogongrass invasion on the soil fungal biomass and the carbon and nitrogen availability within the soil in a longleaf pine savanna. Soil samples were collected both from patches of cogongrass and cogongrass-free areas within a longleaf pine savanna to be analyzed for ergosterol content and carbon and nitrogen levels as measures of fungal biomass and nutrient availability within the soil, respectively. Although an equipment malfunction prevented the analysis of ergosterol samples, and thus, an assessment of fungal biomass, analysis of soil carbon and nitrogen content displayed an increase in carbon and nitrogen within cogongrass patches compared to soils free of cogongrass
University Libraries Annual Report 2023-2024
Get PDFThe 2023-2024 annual report offers a review of the events, programming, and services provided by faculty and staff in University Libraries. The document also highlights the accomplishments and success of our faculty and staff through the fiscal year.https://aquila.usm.edu/ulannualreport/1009/thumbnail.jp
Mississippi Libraries 86(3) Fall 2023 (Full issue)
Get PDFComplete issue of Mississippi Libraries Volume 86 Number 3 Fall 202
Public Library Websites in the Reaching Across Illinois Library System: A Webometric Examination
Get PDFA public library’s website is often the first introduction that a user has to the library. Users come to the website looking for information about the library’s location, hours, how to get a library card, library programs, search the library catalog, or other services. As Poll writes, “Libraries have started to offer a new virtual ‘entrance’ to their services: the library website” (2007, p. 1). As such, a library’s website must provide users with the information they are seeking simply and clearly. People expect websites to be simple to use and to be able to find the information they are seeking quickly; simply put “if it’s convenient, they will use it; if not, they won’t” (Nielsen & Loranger, 2006, Preface, xxi). Ideally, a public library’s website will fulfill these needs for their community. The library website should provide information to patrons in a way that the majority of its users will understand. Providing access to information is a key component of the mission of public libraries and the library website is often the first stop for patrons looking to access library resources. This study is a web analysis of Chicago area public libraries in RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System) using checklists based on the work of Chow, Commander, and Bridges (2014), Powers (2011) and Vargas Ochoa (2020)
Physical Preservation of 35 mm Slides: Methods and Standards
Get PDFWith 35 mm slides being such a widely popular format throughout the 20th century, it is no wonder why they hold a great deal of history from that era within their tiny frames. As pieces of history, 35 mm slides are valuable documentary materials, and to keep the history they contain alive, they must be physically preserved. The purpose of this content analysis study was to gather and determine physical preservation methods and standards for the preservation of 35 mm slides from peer-reviewed journals and other published sources from 1980-2021
Novel Outreach: A Report of Public Library Engagement within Virginia Communities
Get PDFThis study seeks to showcase how Virginia Public Libraries have harnessed the power of innovative outreach to service populations traditionally resistant to library adoption. It examines concepts such as community partnerships, the library as a Third Place (Thiele & Klagge, 2020), and the increasing function of social services in the public libraries sphere. It highlights the evolution of modern public libraries from mere book repositories to thriving community centers for education and personal growth. Mining current website data, this study explores each of the 94 public library systems in Virginia websites, determining their reach throughout their communities to show what populations receive the most services across Virginia and what methods are employed to reach them. The purpose of this webometric content analysis is to provide a current state of the union for Virginia Public Libraries’ outreach efforts to discover common outreach methods, less commonly used, but novel ways of engaging communities, and to determine how effectively marginalized populations are serviced across the state
MavMatrix Reloaded: Migrating the UTA Institutional Repository
Get PDFUTA Libraries at the University of Texas at Arlington is in the process of migrating from DSpace and other digital project platforms into a singular Bepress instance, which will include our open access journals, theses and dissertations, archives and special collections materials, data sets and data management, and student and faculty digital projects. This Bepress instance has been branded MavMatrix. Our presentation will discuss the stakeholders involved, the process of migrating legacy metadata, and condensing multiple platforms that hopefully meet the needs of everyone involved
Digital Accessibility and the Institutional Repository: Implementing a New Campus Policy
Get PDFIn this presentation, I will cover efforts to evaluate and enhance the digital accessibility of Iowa State University\u27s Digital Repository. The motivation for this work is to comply with an institutional policy affecting public-facing web page content and online courses; the policy\u27s timeline began in 2022 and asks staff to meet benchmarks leading up to full compliance by July 1, 2026. I will share strategies taken, challenges encountered, decisions taken, and brief details of conversations with stakeholders inside and outside the library. This lightning talk will be of interest to repository managers who wish to improve the accessibility of their repositories