Beyond Google: Bibliographic Transformation to Connect Users to Good Content

ABSTRACT

At the 2017 North Carolina Serials Conference, keynote speaker Regina Romano Reynolds—Director, U.S. ISSN Center and Head, ISSN Section at the Library of Congress—explored how bibliographic transformation can connect users to good-quality content. Offering examples of current and potential serials management projects, Reynolds shared her vision for breaking down information silos, experimenting in the resource management space, and the need for visionary leadership.     

No Satisfaction? But We Try,and We Try,and We Try!

ABSTRACT

When Old Dominion University Libraries conducted the LibQUAL+ survey in 2015, results indicated a lack of satisfaction in effectively discovering and using our electronic resources. This article is based on a presentation from the 2017 North Carolina Serials Conference describing how Old Dominion University Libraries used data from the LibQUAL+ survey results to help our users connect more effectively with information resources, resulting in an improved user experience and an increased level of satisfaction.     

“Who,What, Where,and Why”

The North Carolina Serials Conference was very fortunate to have secured Rachel Frick for its keynote speaker for 2013. The conference was a homecoming for Frick, who is a graduate of the University of North Carolina MSLS program and is currently the Director of the Digital Library Federation Program for the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), a think tank and research organization located in Washington, D.C. The Digital Library Federation (DLF) has been in existence since 1995, its target audiences being digital library practitioners and other interested parties who are on the front-lines of teaching and learning in this specialty. In her address entitled “Who, What, Where, Why, and How,” Frick discussed some of the major initiatives and issues currently occurring within and around librarianship, exploring the effect that these large scale initiatives can, and should, have at the local level. She can be reached at her Twitter feed, @rlfrick.     

Single-Stop Ebook Reader “SimplyE”: Is It APPlicable for Academic Libraries?

Accessing ebooks from different vendors often requires switching between multiple platforms, which can be unwieldy for library users. To offer readers a coherent and seamless reading experience, the New York Public Library (NYPL) initiated a project called SimplyE (or LibrarySimplified). The end user deliverable of this project is an application (Android, iOS) that enables users to read ebooks from multiple vendors through a single interface, thereby delivering a Netflix-style experience for searching, browsing, and checking out ebooks. The back end consists of applications that manage ebook collections, circulation, and metadata for libraries. This column explores the viability of implementing SimplyE in an academic library setting.     

Reports of Conferences,Institutes, and Seminars

Abstract

This column includes reports on sessions from the Electronic Resources Minnesota Conference 2019 and Charleston Library Conference 2019. The reports cover a user experience analysis of a discovery system, managing change due to an organizational restructure, improving communication between subject specialists and technical services, and key findings of the LYRASIS 2019 Accessibility Survey Report.     

Journal Finder, a Second Look: Implications for Serials Access in Today''s Library

Since The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Jackson Library introduced Journal Finder in August 2001, the service has grown and evolved. Its features and capabilities have been expanded, enhanced, and refined, and a partnership program has been developed. Journal Finder enjoys significant initial success and appears to meet a real need in the research life of faculty and students. Additionally, Journal Finder has revealed several user trends with implications for the library, including the use of print serials, photocopying, interlibrary loan, and document delivery/pay-per-view, and it continues to provide insights and data for serials collection management decisions. Serials Review 2003; 29:287–294.     

Uncovering the Mystery of How Users Find and Use eBooks through Guerilla Usability Testing

Abstract

This case study focuses on user research that was conducted to enhance our users’ ebook discovery experience. We took an outward-facing approach by seeking the users’ perspectives. We wanted to know: How do users find ebooks? How do they perceive multiple records for the same title? Would users find additional metadata useful, such as download availability, file format, and chapter titles? We coordinated guerilla usability testing in our library lobby, inspired by low-overhead, high-impact user experience work at other academic libraries. The resulting data gave us a much-needed new perspective of ebook usage that supplements what we already know from our day-to-day work.     

Shared Insights,Shared Collections

Abstract

Whitney Jordan, acquisitions librarian at Western Carolina University (WCU), presented “Shared Insights, Shared Collections” at the 28th Annual North Carolina Serials Conference. In her presentation, Jordan discussed the experiences of WCU and the Western North Carolina Library Network (WNCLN) in a consortium-based evidence-based acquisitions ebook pilot project. The three WNCLN consortium institutions partnered with Taylor & Francis to design an evidence-based ebook program, customized to each institution’s needs. Jordan emphasized the need for strong communication and effective project management in any collaborative collections project.     

Implementing New Bibliometric Services at EPA-RTP Library

Abstract

The EPA-RTP Library is a federal research library established on the campus of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Historically, one of the ways the library has supported the information needs of researchers on campus is through the provision of basic bibliometric-related reference support. As these requests evolved in complexity due to the nature of organizational and scientific research impact demands, library staff recognized an opportunity to expand the library’s offerings to form two distinct services with product deliverables. The resulting services analyze and package metrics at the author, article, and journal levels with graphical data visualizations to provide researchers with a portfolio-style product they can use to demonstrate their individual scholarly output and research value. Development of Research Impact Reports and Article Impact Reports is explained in detail along with reflections on implementation processes and prospects for future expansion in bibliometric analysis services.     

“Living with electronic data interchange: Implementation and practical applications for EDI from the perspective of the ILS vendor,the librarian,and the book vendor,” a report from the ALCTS,automated acquisitions/in-process control systems discussion group session at the ALA midwinter conference,January 1996

Abstract

The libraries in the Western North Carolina Library Network (WNCLN) seek effective ways to provide patrons with a complete list of electronic journals provided through their various aggregator services, so patrons can determine e-journal access to article citations. The WNCLN libraries (Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and Western Carolina University) accomplished this through their shared catalog (Innovative Interfaces, Inc. [INNOPAC]), data provided by Serials Solutions, and local computer programming. Brief MARC records, with locally created key titles, provide an interim solution to the complexities of aggregator services. Serials Review 2002; 28:108–112.     

Reports of Conferences, Institutes, and Seminars

This quarter's column features reports from the 2011 Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference; the 2011 North Carolina Serials Conference; the 2011 Association of College and Research Libraries Conference; the 2011 Kansas Library Association Conference; the New England Technical Services Librarians Section of the New England Library Association Spring 2011 Conference; and the 2011 Texas Library Association Conference.     

Reports of Conferences,Institutes, and Seminars

Abstract

This column covers sessions from the 2018 Charleston Library Conference, an informal annual gathering of librarians, publishers, electronic resource managers, consultants, and vendors of library materials in Charleston, South Carolina, in November. Topics include the impact of open access and open research, assisting faculty with locating and integrating these resources into their courses through partnerships and open applications, and managing gifts and donations with restricted resources.     

Data-Informed Ebook Discovery: An Analytical Approach to the User Experience

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an effort to better understand the discoverability of ebook collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). Library staff analyzed titles in nine ebook packages across disciplines and conducted a two-pronged analysis of how discoverable titles in these collections were, both in Summon Discovery Service and the online catalog, and the quality of what could be discovered about the ebooks with these tools. This study revealed that discoverability of ebooks is not equal across collections, and some collections require more work to make them discoverable in Summon and the catalog. Finally, the majority of titles were discovered in Summon, but the catalog still seems to be a better discovery engine for these ebooks.     

It’s Made of People: Designing Systems for Humans

Abstract

Technical services staff, along with programmers, supervisors, and frontline librarians, participate in all sorts of systems. Whether they recognize it or not, they are used to interacting with the world through the lens of the systems they work with. In this presentation from the North Carolina Serials Conference, Andreas Orphanides looks at some of the challenges of interacting with the world in terms of systems, discusses the human costs of failing to recognize the limitations of systems, and provides a framework for thinking about systems to help ensure that our systems respect the humanity of their human participants.     

Modeling the ECU Against the U.S. Dollar: A Structural Monetary Interpretation

The proposal that a reformed international monetary system be designed around currency blocs has gained some popularity of late. In Europe, the formation of the Euro formalizes the existence of a DM-based currency block. Little academic research has been conducted, however, on the properties of composite currencies such as the Euro. In this article, we examine the properties of the precursor to the Euro—namely, the ECU—against the U.S. dollar using a monetary framework. The article has several novel features: Our modeling strategy involves starting with underlying equilibrium conditions rather than a final reduced form; uses divisia money rather than the more conventional simple-sum money; interprets, in an economic sense, the long-run relationships; and produces an appealing forecasting performance.     

Things Are Looking Up: Using Cloud-Based Technology Tools in Collection Management Workflows

Abstract

Between 2018 and 2019, two librarians at the College of Charleston Libraries incorporated cloud-based technologies into their collection management workflows. The following paper was derived from a presentation they prepared for the 2020 North Carolina Serials Conference, which was to be held on March 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper highlights which cloud technologies they use and provides an overview of the literature that has been published on project management and cloud-based technologies in libraries. It includes an explanation of how they use each tool, and provides examples for setting up each tool in different scenarios so that other collection management librarians may implement them into their own routines. The paper ends with an exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of integrating these tools into collection management workflows. Although the librarians had not prepared to discuss the role these technologies may play when working remotely, they have both found them invaluable during this unprecedented time when many librarians are working from home.     

Digital Age Discoverability: A Collaborative Organizational Approach

The tumultuous changes in the scholarly communications ecosystem have disrupted traditional library assumptions and established new workflows and user expectations. In response, the Auraria Library at the University of Colorado Denver initiated a collaborative design (co-design) initiative to re-invent structures, processes, services, and roles throughout the entire organization. Fostered by appreciative inquiry, enabled by social learning, and furthered by shared leadership, redesign initiated sustainable information exchange, reflective dialog, and knowledge creation practices.     

Digital Age Discoverability: A Collaborative Organizational Approach

Abstract

The tumultuous changes in the scholarly communications ecosystem have disrupted traditional library assumptions and established new workflows and user expectations. In response, the Auraria Library at the University of Colorado Denver initiated a collaborative design (co-design) initiative to re-invent structures, processes, services, and roles throughout the entire organization. Fostered by appreciative inquiry, enabled by social learning, and furthered by shared leadership, redesign initiated sustainable information exchange, reflective dialog, and knowledge creation practices.

The case study highlights accomplishments of technical services staff members who successfully engaged co-workers in selection, implementation, and enhancement of a Web-scale discovery service. Continuing support of the full discovery layer lifecycle illustrates evolving information practices and workplace outcomes at the Auraria Library. Concluding reflections offer transferable insights to other organizations aspiring to co-design workplace environments that enliven creativity, discovery, and exploration.