1,720,977 research outputs found
"Voices on the Third Floor": The Literary Society Libraries of Miami University, 1825-1873
Get PDFNineteenth century American colleges and universities placed heavy restrictions on their students. Students' academic work was rigidly laid out for them, and college administrators did not feel that students required access to books outside of the textbooks they used in their courses. Thus, undergraduate students were barred from most academic libraries. The students themselves began to form literary societies in order to expand upon their college educations; these societies focused on debating and speech making, skills students did not learn in their coursework. Often the literary societies founded their own libraries, giving student members access both to texts that supplemented their collegiate learning and to modern texts for their extracurricular enjoyment. This paper looks at the history of the literary societies at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio-the Erodelphian Literary Society and the Miami Union Literary Society-and the libraries they founded, between 1825 and 1873.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Evaluation of a Training Method for Library Cataloguing Volunteers
Get PDFThis paper describes a project conducted in conjunction with the library at the LGBT Center of Raleigh. Five volunteers were instructed to create catalog records for the same ten books, following only the instructions in a set of procedures called the cataloguing manual. Their work was then briefly discussed. The effectiveness of the manual was evaluated by comparing the participants' records with librarian-created "perfect" records for the same books. Participants' qualitative feedback was then incorporated into the final draft of the manual.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Job Duties and Turnover Rates for Paraprofessional Positions in Public Libraries
Get PDFThe role of paraprofessionals in public libraries is in flux, and is a source of debate among library and information professionals. The present study offers empirical illumination to this discussion by employing a web-based questionnaire survey inquiring into the relationship between job responsibility and turnover rate for paraprofessional positions. While this study was exploratory in nature, analysis of the results uncovered evidence for a negative correlation between the turnover rate for a given paraprofessional position and that position's level of resemblance to MLS-requiring positions. Implications of this finding and limitations of the survey are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Evaluating the Impact of the Student-Athlete Library Liaison Program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Get PDFThis plan was created to assess the impact of the Student-Athlete Library Liaison Program on student-athletes' self-efficacy when approaching library resources. The program is an initiative of the library to ensure it is meeting student-athletes' information needs. The program uses an embedded model where library tutors hold drop-in hours at the athletic center at UNC. The evaluation action plan includes pre- and post-intervention surveys developed to measure self-efficacy and the impact of immediacy and location on student-athletes' comfort with the library resources. The assessment plan can be implemented by tutors during and after sessions, and this paper discusses potential setbacks and opportunities when libraries evaluate programs involving student-athletes.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Sheet Music Cover Art: A Case Study in Institutions' Guidlines and Practices
Get PDFSheet music cover art is a seldom studied point of access for users in the modern library. While research is beginning to recognize that users desire greater discoverability via cover art, it is not known how this is being handled currently in music institutions' collections. In this study three institution's collections are studied to establish the community's guidelines and practices for describing cover art. Through comparative case studies, the study found that the process and practice of description for cover art is a complex mixture of standards, research, and institutional limitations. This amalgam, while based in standards, was found to be overall ineffective in presenting cover art for users. Issues of definition, transparency, and aging were identified to compound this.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Audiobook Collection Development in North Carolina Public Libraries
Get PDFThis study describes a questionnaire survey of librarians responsible for audiobook selection in the public libraries of North Carolina. The survey was conducted to determine the selection criteria employed by those librarians for audiobook selection, how they differed from print, and how technological change affected the process. The criteria used by public libraries to select audiobooks vary, but are largely similar to that of print materials. Responses show that patron demand is the most influential factor in audiobook selection, and that budgetary restrictions heavily shape the collection. The trend towards digital media has had a significant effect on the way that libraries build their collections, but a consensus on providing digital audiobooks in public libraries has not been reached. Currently, audiobook selection is based primarily around popularity.Master of Science in Library Scienc
The Tweets Heard Around the World: Ferguson Municipal Public Library's Twitter Use Around the 2014 Civil Unrest and its Role in Supporting Community Disaster Resilience
Get PDFIn 2014, Ferguson, Missouri experienced multiple waves of civil unrest in response to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown and the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer responsible for the shooting. During this time, the Ferguson Municipal Public Library served a crucial role in responding to this community crisis. The actions of this library supported Ferguson's community resilience by limiting the impact and helping residents respond, recover, and heal from the civil unrest. A content analysis of the library's tweets reveals how the library used Twitter to communicate with the public and support its resilience around both waves of civil unrest. This case study highlights the importance of library disaster planning, roles libraries can play in helping communities plan, respond, and recover from crises, and explores how a library can employ social media to communicate with patrons and support community resilience.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Using Social Media in Cultural Institutions to Encourage Higher Use Among America's Minority Population
Get PDFCultural institutions like museums, libraries and archives are and have been
experiencing low numbers in usage and visitation among minority populations.
The number of minorities taking advantage of services provided by these
institutions has become significantly important due to recent growth in minority
populations. This new growth rate has surpassed that of the Non-Hispanic
Caucasian population, the traditional audience base for cultural institutions.
Efforts made in the past couple of decades to encourage minorities to pursue
careers in museums, libraries and archives have not been as productive as
hoped. One solution to this issue may be found in new technologies that have
emerged in the new millennium. If cultural institutions were to take advantage of
some of the marketing techniques using social media, this may just give them the
tools they need to attract and encourage higher participation from America's
minority population.Master of Science in Library Scienc
Phenomenological Investigation of African American Women in Information Technology Upper Management
Get PDFA qualitative phenomenological study investigated the challenges faced by African American women pursuing upper management positions in the field of Information Technology. The study detailed the subjects' experiences of achieving their goals of upper management, including their reflections and sentiments on pursuing their goals.
The research findings indicated a number of factors contributed to the advancement of the subjects, all African American women, as they moved into upper management. No distinct underlying factor guaranteed success; instead, the women used a number of elements that enabled them to advance. These factors included mentoring, education, and individual personality traits. The study also found a number of challenges that affected the subjects' progress into management, such as performance weariness, keeping their thoughts and ideas under restraint, and remaining compliant; nevertheless, the subjects reported they found ways to advance regardless of hostile workplace circumstances.Master of Science in Information Scienc
Collaborative Print Serial Retention: A Multiple Case Study of Academic Library Projects in the United States
Get PDFThe University of California Shared Print program, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation Shared Print Repository, and the Triangle Research Libraries Network Collaborative Print Retention Program are studied in order to ascertain current print serial retention practices among academic libraries in the United States. Using a comparative case study design, document analysis and descriptive statistics are examined to reveal the processes of different programs, as well as their local contexts. Cross-case analysis revealed several trends: retention of print journals often builds upon existing consortial mechanisms to gather, describe, preserve, and provide access services, subsequently relieving library budgets as well as space. In the emerging electronic world, these programs are seeking a solution to the problem of print serials by collaborating to retain limited copies-always ensuring some form of basic access, and never closing the door to them completely.Master of Science in Library Scienc
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