Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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Search Engine Optimization for the Research Librarian: A Case Study Using the Bibliography of U.S. Latina Lesbian History and Culture * WINNER OF THE 2015 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD *
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Higher website rank among search engine results is correlated with higher site visit numbers: studies have repeatedly demonstrated how important it is to a site’s visibility and popularity to appear in the first page of search results for a given query. Librarians and researchers, long seen as creators and providers of high-quality content, now see our own web-based materials in direct competition for the higher-ranked slots for many keyword searches. For certain areas of research, sexuality studies in particular, websites with relevant informational or scholarly content have been nudged out of the top rankings by content that is not only unrelated to a variety of search term combinations, but quite often consists of explicit pornography, and nowhere is this more obvious than in ethnic lesbian studies. It is therefore necessary for scholars and librarians who put ethnic lesbian sexuality studies content on the web to assign high quality metadata and to format their content appropriately in order to receive a visible rank in search engine results for these sexuality studies research keywords. This case study investigates how librarians and other researchers can prepare online bibliographies to take advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and therefore see enhanced visibility for these resources in search engine results, using the author’s Bibliography of U.S. Latina Lesbian History and Culture as an example. Search engine optimization techniques were applied to the bibliography and significant improvements in site visibility in Google searches for targeted keywords were observed. The author recommends that all librarians who prepare content for the web learn about search engine optimization and take it into account when preparing material for the web.
* WINNER OF THE 2015 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD
Examining Electronic Resource Access Policies for Unaffiliated Patrons at ARL Libraries
No full textThis study investigates the posted policies of publicly funded Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to determine if and how they moderate unaffiliated users’ access to their digital collections. It uses the lens of print collections to illustrate how unaffiliated users access has evolved in reaction to electronic resources. The majority of policies examined allow unaffiliated users’ to access electronic resources but use a variety of methods to moderate and control how unaffiliated patrons can access these resources. The four most common methods of moderating access are: content, affiliation, time limits, and authentication. This research has significance for other libraries attempting to craft their own policies
Librarians and statistics: thoughts on a tentative relationship
No full textLibrarians are not trained as original researchers during library school. As a result, librarians as authors may succumb to common statistical misconceptions and use errors, thus it is important for librarians to know how to recognize them. A quick discussion of what a researcher should be aware to avoid poor methods and inaccurate use of statistics is included. A review of statistics and research methods courses currently offered in library and information science programs helps determine if the lack of training observed in earlier studies has changed. A list of recommendations for authors and reviewers of LIS literature is presented
The Embedded Repository: Introducing an Institutional Repository to a New Audience Via Location-Aware Social Networking
No full textThe authors report the outcome of a partnership between a university marketing and communications department and a university library. The research aimed to determine whether providing links to institutional digital repository content on location-based social media is a viable marketing approach. Foursquare Tips were added to locations on the Texas A&M University campus with links to repository content. The authors subsequently monitored repository traffic using Google analytics to determine how many users were being referred by the Foursquare service. Research indicates that users will click through links on Foursquare to visit the institutional repository, and that they will explore further once they are there. This was an initial exploration. More data will be needed to determine precisely the best way to market services through location-based or location-aware services.
Brave New Library World: Lending e-readers and e-books in an Urban Academic Library
No full textIn Fall 2009, the Leonard Lief Library of Lehman College developed a pilot e-reader and e-book lending program, making Lehman the first campus within the City University of New York (CUNY) to introduce these new services. The following article describes the project from a practical viewpoint, discussing e-reader and e-book vendor selection, user guides, training, lending logistics, and marketing, as well as other unanticipated challenges
Walking the Walk, Talking the Talk: A learning-centered approach to the design of a workshop on teaching for McGill Librarians
No full textMcGill Library, in partnership with the University’s Teaching and Learning Services unit, offers a 1.5 day workshop for librarians on teaching theory and practice. In the (re)design of their information session, participants consider the context, content, desired learning outcomes, and strategies to facilitate and assess for learning, areas not covered in their formal education or in existing on-the-job training. The project team took a learning-centered approach to the design of the workshop, incorporating a variety of active learning exercises and providing opportunities for reflection and feedback throughout
A Comparison of HathiTrust and Google Books using Federal Publications * WINNER OF THE 2013 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD *
No full textThis study compares the functionality of the Google Books and HathiTrust online repositories using federal government publications. Record overlap between the two databases was examined. Functionality such as ease of finding specific titles, citation extraction, book bags, and other features such as metadata are covered. Also conducted was a look at the quality of records for these repositories in the WorldCat database. This study found that both Google Books and HathiTrust have benefits and flaws and that the needs of the user will help librarians determine which to recommend to patrons.
* WINNER OF THE 2013 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD
Assessing Information Literacy Comprehension in First-Year Students
No full textInstruction librarians focus on teaching information literacy skills to students in a variety of settings. However, most college professors only allow the librarian one 50 minute BI session per class to convey this in-depth amount of information each semester. During a library session, active learning technology can be utilized to encourage student participation and hands-on learning. Often, librarians seek other avenues to embed their knowledge to students beyond the BI session, e.g., Blackboard, wikis, tutorials, and subject guides. In this study, the authors use Interwrite Personal Response Systems (clickers) over two semesters to encourage student engagement during a BI session in a course originally designed for at-risk freshmen, then redesigned for any first-year student. The authors implement pre/posttests the second semester using the university’s course management system (Blackboard). The authors explain how this two-semester project integrated information literacy skills into a first-year curriculum, while serving as an instrumental assessment measure for student learning.
Making the Cut: Do Faculty Want to Be Involved in Library Database Cancellations? * WINNER OF THE 2012 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD *
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Because of the recent economic crisis, a number of academic libraries have faced the possibility of having to cancel database subscriptions. As a major user group of academic libraries, faculty have a history of being involved in collection decisions, but it is unclear to what extent they want to be involved in cancellations. Also, while the library literature outlines a variety of processes that libraries have used to involve faculty in their serials cancellation decisions, very little is said about eliminating databases. This study examines whether the strategies outlined for involving faculty in serials cancellations are applicable to database cancellations. We surveyed 167 faculty members at Towson University to determine what their preferences are for involvement in database cancellations and if those preferences are a function of engagement with the library and/or discipline of study.
* WINNER OF THE 2012 PRACTICAL ACADEMIC LIBRARIANSHIP AWARD
Becoming the Change We Seek
No full textOne of the first goals of the recently formed Academic Division of the Special Libraries Association was to develop an open access refereed journal focused on the practical side of academic librarianship. In accordance with our belief in the benefits of open access (free of price and access barriors), PAL applies the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) to all works published. Readers are encouraged to become part of the change we seek in scholarly publishing and communication