Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Journal)
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Survey of Canadian Academic Librarians Outlines Integration of Traditional and Emerging Services
No full textA Review of:
Ducas, A., Michaud-Oystryk, N., & Speare, M. (2020). Reinventing ourselves: New and emerging roles of academic librarians in Canadian research-intensive universities. College & Research Libraries, 81(1), 43–65. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.1.43
Abstract
Objective – To identify new and emerging roles for librarians and understand how those new roles impact their confidence, training needs, and job satisfaction. To understand how librarians conceptualize the impact of these new roles on the academic enterprise.
Design – Electronic survey.
Setting – Academic research libraries at Canadian research-intensive universities.
Subjects – 205 academic librarians.
Methods – An electronic survey was distributed to all librarians working at the 15 research-intensive universities in Canada. Archivists were included in this population, but senior administrators, such as university librarians, deans, and associate administrators, were not included. The 38-question survey was produced in English and French. Five focus areas for emerging skills were drawn from the literature and a review of job postings. Librarians were asked about their participation in particular activities associated with the different focus areas and about their training and confidence in those areas. The survey was sent to 743 librarians and had a 27% response rate with a total of 205 complete responses. Librarians participated from each of the 15 research universities and institutional response rates ranged from 14% to 51%. Survey Monkey was used to distribute the online survey. Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure reliability for each section of the survey and ranged from .735 in the confidence area to .934 in the job satisfaction area, indicating sufficient internal consistency. The data were analyzed using SPSS and RStudio.
Main Results – In the general area of research support, a majority (75%) of participants reported that they provided information discovery services like consultations and literature reviews, 28% engaged in grant application support, 27% provided assistance with systematic reviews, 26% provided bibliometric services, and 23% provided data management services. In the teaching and learning area, 78% of participants provided classroom teaching to students, 75% provided one-on-one instruction, 48% created tutorials, 47% taught workshops for faculty, and 43% conducted copyright consultations. Only around half of participants offered digital scholarship services, and copyright consultations were the most frequently offered service in this area, with 36% of participants indicating that they offered this service. The area of user experience had the highest number of respondents, and the top services offered in this area included liaison services for staff and faculty (87%), library services assessment (46%), and student engagement initiatives (41%). In the scholarly communication area, 49% of respondents indicated that they provided consultation on alternative publishing models, including open access, and 41% provided copyright and intellectual property services.
The majority of librarians were confident that they could perform their duties in the five focus areas. Teaching and learning had the highest confidence rate, with 75% of respondents indicating that they felt confident or very confident in their roles. Digital scholarship had the lowest confidence rating, with only 50% indicating that they felt confident or very confident about these roles. The survey also asked participants about their training and skills acquisition in the five areas. Most participants indicated that they acquired these skills through professional work experience and self-teaching. Based on the calculations from the survey focusing on participation in new and traditional roles, 13% of librarian participants performed only new roles, 44% performed only traditional roles, and 44% performed some new and some traditional roles. Additionally, 45% of librarians spent the majority of their time delivering traditional services, 19% delivering new services, and 36% dividing their time between new and traditional services. Job satisfaction and new or traditional roles were also examined, and statistically significant results indicated that librarians performing new roles were more satisfied with assigned duties (p = 0.009084), more satisfied with opportunities for challenge (p = 0.02499), and less satisfied with opportunities for independent action (p = 0.02904). Librarians performing new roles perceived a higher impact on scholarly communication (p = 0.02621) and supporting researchers (p = 0.0002126) than those performing traditional roles. Librarians performing new roles perceived a lower impact on contributing to student success (p = 0.003686) and supporting teaching and learning at the classroom level (p = 0.01473) than librarians performing traditional roles.
Conclusion – Results demonstrate that librarians are still engaged in traditional roles, but new roles are emerging particularly in the areas of copyright and publishing, bibliometrics, online learning initiatives, and new communication strategies. Job satisfaction and confidence in these roles are similar between traditional and emerging roles. Overall, participants felt that they had a significant impact on the academic enterprise when performing new or traditional roles but that the roles had different areas of impact. This study is meant to be a baseline for future investigations in the trends and developments of roles for Canadian librarians. The survey and data are available from the University of Manitoba’s Dataverse repository: https://doi.org/10.5203/FK2/RHOFF
Academic Social Networking Sites are Smaller, Denser Networks Conducive to Formal Identity Management, Whereas Academic Twitter is Larger, More Diffuse, and Affords More Space for Novel Connections
No full textA Review of:
Jordan, K. (2019). Separating and merging professional and personal selves online: The structure and processes that shape academics’ ego-networks on academic social networking sites and Twitter. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 70(8), 830-842. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24170
Abstract
Objective – To examine the structure of academics’ online social networks and how academics understand and interpret them.
Design – Mixed methods consisting of network analysis and semi-structured interviews.
Setting – Academics based in the United Kingdom.
Subjects – 55 U.K.-based academics who use an academic social networking site and Twitter, of whom 18 were interviewed.
Methods – For each subject, ego-networks were collected from Twitter and either ResearchGate or Academia.edu. Twitter data were collected primarily via the Twitter API, and the social networking site data were collected either manually or using a commercial web scraping program. Edge tables were created in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and imported into Gephi for analysis and visualization. A purposive subsample of subjects was interviewed via Skype using a semi-structured format intended to illuminate further the network analysis findings. Transcripts were deductively coded using a grounded theory-based approach.
Main Results – Network analysis replicated earlier findings in the literature. A large number of academics have relatively few connections to others in the network, while a small number have relatively many connections. In terms of reciprocity (the proportion of mutual ties or pairings out of all possible pairings that could exist in the network), arts and humanities disciplines were significantly more reciprocal. Communities (measured using the modularity algorithm, which looks at the density of links within and between different subnetworks) are more frequently defined by institutions and research interests on academic social networking sites and by research interests and personal interests on Twitter. The overall picture was reinforced by the qualitative analysis. According to interview participants, academic social networking sites reflect pre-existing professional relationships and do not foreground social interaction, serving instead as a kind of virtual CV. By contrast, Twitter is analogized to a conference coffee break, where users can form new connections.
Conclusion – Academic social networking sites exhibit networks that are smaller, denser, more clustered around discrete modularity classes, and more reciprocal. Twitter networks are larger and more diffuse, which is more conducive to fostering novel connections. The author makes suggestions for how academic social networking sites could encourage network building and rethink how academic reputation is measured
Coping with Impostor Feelings: Evidence Based Recommendations from a Mixed Methods Study
No full textAbstract
Objective – The negative effects of impostor phenomenon, also called impostor syndrome, include burnout and decreased job satisfaction and have led to an increased interest in addressing this issue in libraries in recent years. While previous research has shown that many librarians experience impostor phenomenon, the experience of coping with these feelings has not been widely studied. The aim of our study was to understand how health sciences librarians cope with impostor phenomenon in the workplace.
Methods – We conducted a census of 2125 Medical Library Association members between October and December 2017. An online survey featuring the Harvey Impostor Phenomenon scale and open-ended questions about coping strategies to address impostor phenomenon at work was administered to all eligible participants. We used thematic analysis to explore strategies for addressing impostor phenomenon and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine relationships between impostor phenomenon scores and coping strategies.
Results – Among 703 survey respondents, 460 participants completed the qualitative portion of the survey (65%). We found that external coping strategies that drew on the help of another person or resource, such as education, support from colleagues, and mentorship, were associated with lower impostor scores and more often rated by participants as effective, while internal strategies like reflection, mindfulness, and recording praise were associated with less effectiveness and a greater likelihood of impostor feelings. Most respondents reported their strategies to be effective, and the use of any strategy appeared to be more effective than not using one at all.
Conclusions – This study provides evidence based recommendations for librarians, library leaders, and professional organizations to raise awareness about impostor phenomenon and support our colleagues experiencing these feelings. We attempt to situate our recommendations within the context of potential barriers, such as white supremacy culture, the resilience narrative, and the lack of open communication in library organizations. 
Homeless Patrons Utilize the Library for More than Shelter but Public Library Services Are Not Designed with Them in Mind
No full textA Review of:
Dowdell, L., & Liew, C. L. (2019). More than a shelter: Public libraries and the information needs of people experiencing homelessness. Library & Information Science Research, 41(4), 100984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2019.100984
Abstract
Objective – The study sought to examine the information seeking behavior of homeless patrons and how public libraries meet the needs of homeless patrons.
Design – Qualitative phenomenological study.
Setting – Public libraries in New Zealand.
Subjects – Four homeless patrons who were current library patrons and seven public library workers (senior managers and two front line workers).
Methods – Purposive convenience sample of homeless patrons and library workers to participate in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The study utilized Creswell\u27s four-step data analysis spiral to produce a synthesis.
Main Results – Homeless patrons utilize public libraries for far more than daytime shelter, patronizing the collections, and accessing services. The participating libraries did not have existing policies, practices, services, or staff designed for the needs and wants of homeless people, however, current offerings largely met the needs of homeless patrons.
Conclusion – Homeless people use public libraries much like non-homeless patrons and public libraries could develop specialized offerings for them, though they must take care to do so in a way that does not further marginalize this group. Additional research is needed to understand why some homeless people do not utilize the libraries.
Assessment on a Dime: Low Cost User Data Collection for Assessment
No full textAbstract
Objective – This article describes the construction and use of a low cost tool for capturing user demographics in a physical library.
Methods – At the Health Sciences Library of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, we created the Tap In/Tap Out tool to learn about the demographic details of our library visitors, such as their status, school affiliation, and department. The Tap In/Tap Out tool was implemented twice for two weeks in 2013 and 2017, with users voluntarily tapping their campus ID when entering and leaving the library. We checked campus ID numbers against university databases to fill in demographic details of the library users.
Results – We constructed the Tap In/Tap Out tool using a Raspberry Pi and RFID card readers mounted on a foam board poster and placed near the library entrance. Participation in the Tap In/Tap Out tool ranged from 5-7% of the library gate count numbers during the survey periods. Though low, this participation provided a useful indication of user demographics that helped to strengthen library discussions with university administration. The 2013 survey results, which showed that the library space was actively used by students from all the constituent Medical Center schools, were used to support funding justifications. The 2017 survey results, which showed continued library usage, were used to illustrate the value of the library to the Medical Center community.
Conclusion – The Tap In/Tap Out tool was inexpensive to implement and provided more information about library visitors than gate counts alone. Findings from the Tap In/Tap Out results were used to demonstrate library usage and justify funding. We describe how other libraries might create and implement the tool to capture greater levels of detail about the users visiting their spaces
Advancing the Reference Narrative: Assessing Student Learning in Research Consultations
No full textAbstract
Objective – As reference services continue to evolve, libraries must make evidence based decisions about their services. This study seeks to determine the value of reference services in relation to student learning acquired during research consultations, by soliciting students’ and librarians’ perceptions of consultation success and examining the degree of alignment between them.
Methods – The alignment of students’ learning outcomes (reported skills and knowledge acquired) with librarians’ expectations for student learning during consultations was assessed. An online questionnaire was conducted to gather responses from students who had sought consultation services; 20 students participated. In-person interviews took place with eight librarians who had provided these consultations. The online questionnaire for students included questions about students’ assessments of their self-identified learning goals through consultation with a librarian and their success at applying the knowledge and skills gained. Librarian interviews elicited responses about students’ prior research experience, librarians’ objectives for student learning, librarians’ perceptions of student learning outcomes, and perceived consultation success. The responses of both the students and the librarians were coded, matched, and compared.
Results – Students and librarians both considered the consultation process to be successful in advancing learning objectives and research skills. All students reported that the consultations met their expectations, and most reported that the skills acquired were applicable to their projects and significantly improved the quality of their work. Librarians expressed confidence that students had gained competency in the following skill sets: finding sources, search strategy development, topic exploration, specific tool use, and library organization and access. A high degree of alignment was observed in the identification by both students and librarians of “finding sources” as the skill set most in need of enhancement or assistance, while some disparity was noted in the ranking of “search strategy development,” which librarians ranked second and students ranked last.
Conclusion – The data demonstrate that both students and librarians perceived individual research consultations as an effective means to meet student learning expectations. Study findings suggest that as reference models continue to change and reference desk usage declines, research consultations remain a valuable element in a library’s service model and an efficient use of human resources.
AcknowledgmentThis project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (RE-95-17-0104-17)
An Exploratory Study of Accomplished Librarian-Researchers
No full textAbstract
Objective – This work explores potential factors that may contribute to a librarian becoming a highly productive researcher. An understanding of the factors can provide evidence based guidance to those at the beginning of their research careers in designing their own trajectories and to library administrators who seek to create work conditions that contribute to librarian research productivity. The current study is the first to explore the factors from the perspective of the profession’s most accomplished librarian-researchers.
Methods – This exploratory and descriptive study recruited 78 academic librarians identified as highly productive researchers; 46 librarians participated in a survey about their professional training and research environments, research networks, and beliefs about the research process. Respondents supplied a recent CV which was coded to produce a research output score for the past 10 years. In addition to fixed-response questions, there were five open-ended questions about possible success factors. All data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and tests of significance correlations.
Results – Accomplished librarian-researchers have professional training backgrounds and research environments that vary widely. None is statistically associated with research output. Those with densely connected networks of research colleagues who both know each other and do research together is significantly related to research output. A large group of those identified in the research networks are “both friend and colleague” and offer each other reciprocal support. In open-ended questions, respondents mentioned factors that equally span the three categories of research success: individual attributes, peers and community, and institutional structures.
Conclusion – The authors found that that there are many paths to becoming an accomplished librarian-researcher and numerous factors are conducive to achieving this distinction. A positive research environment includes high institutional expectations; a variety of institutional supports for research; and extrinsic rewards, such as salary increases, tenure, promotion, and opportunities for advancement. The authors further conclude that a librarian’s research network may be an important factor in becoming an accomplished librarian-researcher. This finding is supported by both the research network analysis and responses to open-ended questions in which collaboration was a frequent theme
Focused Bedside Education May Improve Engagement of Hospitalized Patients with Their Patient Portals
No full textA Review of:
Greysen, S.R., Harrison, J.D., Rareshide, C., Magan, Y., Seghal, N., Rosenthal, J., Jacolbia, R., & Auerbach, A.D. (2018). A randomized controlled trial to improve engagement of hospitalized patients with their patient portals. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(12), 1626-1633. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy125
Abstract
Objectives – To study hospitalized patients who were provided with tablet computers and the extent to which having access to these computers increased their patient portal engagement during hospitalization and following their discharge.
Design – Prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) within a larger, observational study of patient engagement in discharge planning.
Setting – A large, academic medical centre in the Western United States of America.
Subjects – Of a total of 250 potential subjects from a larger observational study, 137 declined to participate in this one; of the remaining 113 subjects, 16 were unable to access the patient portal, leaving 97 adult (18 years of age or older) patients in the final group. All subjects (50 intervention and 47 control) were randomized but not blinded, had been admitted to medical service, and spoke English. In addition, all participants were supplied with tablet computers for one day during their inpatient stay and were provided with limited assistance to the portal registration and login process as needed. They were also required to have access to a tablet or home computer when discharged.
Methods – The intervention group participants received focused bedside structured education by trained research assistants (RAs) who demonstrated portal key functions and explained the importance of these functions for their upcoming transition to post-discharge care. Following enrolment and consent, RAs administered a brief pre-study survey to assess baseline technology use. Then, at the end of the observation day, the RAs performed a debrief interview in which participants were asked to demonstrate their ability to perform key portal tasks. The RAs recorded which tasks were accomplished or if the RAs had provided assistance. Patient demographics and clinical information were obtained from the Electronic Health Record (EHR).
Main results – Of the 97 patients who were enrolled in the RCT, 57% logged into their portals at least once within seven days of their discharge. The mean number of logins and specific portal tasks performed was higher for the intervention group than for the control group. In addition, while in the hospital, the intervention group was better able to log in and navigate the portal. Only one specific portal task reached statistical significance—the use of the tab for viewing the messaging interaction with the provider. The time needed to deliver the intervention was brief—less than 15 minutes for 80% of participants. The intervention group’s overall satisfaction with the bedside tablet to access the portal was high.
Conclusion – Data analysis revealed that the bedside tablet educational intervention succeeded in increasing patient engagement in the use of the patient portal, both during hospitalization and following discharge. As the interest and demand for patient access to EHRs increases among patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers, more rigorous studies will be needed to guide the implementation of patient portals during and after hospitalization
Interiors, Affect, and Use: How Does an Academic Library’s Learning Commons Support Students’ Needs?
No full textAbstract
Objective – This study sought to identify the learning needs, satisfaction levels, and preferences of students using an academic library’s learning commons. A particular focus was understanding whether the socio-collaborative environment facilitated by the learning commons was aligned with the institutional objectives of supporting intensive study and scholarly work.
Methods – A mixed methods sequential explanatory study design was used, in which quantitative findings were supplemented by qualitative findings. Data for the study were drawn from 59 hours of observations documenting behaviors of 9,249 individuals, as well as survey responses from 302 students. Three semi-structured focus groups with 10 students were held to discuss and clarify findings.
Results – Behavior mapping and survey data showed that students were largely satisfied with the learning commons and that it was considered a supportive environment for them to complete their stated tasks. Incongruity was observed between the learning commons’ intended and actual use; although 75% of spaces were designated for collaboration, 50% of survey respondents identified independent work as their primary task and 76% of individuals were observed working independently. In focus group discussions, students praised the space for its vibrant ambiance and facilitation of social connections, but acknowledged that more serious study required retreat into quieter spaces found elsewhere in the library.
Conclusion – The learning commons is an important and desirable space for students, providing a safe and community-oriented environment that is located in the center of campus. While students deemed the atmosphere successful for fostering social relationships and creating an overall sense of belonging, care needs to be taken to maintain a proper balance between quiet and collaborative spaces. The methods used in this study underscore the importance of gathering data from multiple sources, offering guidance to other libraries seeking to create, re-envision, and assess their learning spaces
Librarian Authors Appear to Favour Open Access Journals, while Academic Authors Appear to Favour Non-Open Access Journals
No full textA Review of:
Chang, Y.-W. (2017). Comparative study of characteristics of authors between open access and non-open access journals in library and information science. Library & Information Science Research, 39(1), 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2017.01.002
Abstract
Objective – To compare the characteristics of authors publishing in open access and non-open access library and information science (LIS) journals.
Design – Comparative analysis of published journal articles.
Setting – Academic journals.
Subjects – Articles published in selected LIS journals between 2008-2013.
Methods – Journals included in the Library Science and Information Science category in the 2012 edition of Journal Citation Reports and those listed in the Library and Information Science category of the Directory of Open Access Journals as of May 2013 were included in the analysis. Articles were examined and coded for author occupation, academic rank, and type of collaboration.
Main Results – The author analyzed 1,807 articles from 20 open access journals and 1,665 articles from 13 non-open access journals. An unknown number of articles were excluded because they lacked required author information. Over half (53.9%) of the authors who published in the open access journals were practitioners. Over half (58.1%) of the authors who published in the non-open access journals were academics. Librarian-librarian collaboration was the most common type (38.6%) of collaboration found in the open access journals. Academic-academic collaboration was the most common type (34.1%) of collaboration found in the non-open access journals. Collaboration between librarians and academics was seen in 20.5% of open access articles and 13.2% of non-open access articles.
Conclusion – In general, librarian-authored research was found more often in open access journals, while the “latest research topics and ideas” (p. 14) were found most often in non-open access journals