2011 Texas Library Association Conference

Abstract

The 2011 Texas Library Association Conference (TLA) was held in Austin, Texas, on April 12–15. Conference planners this year focused on offering more academic library sessions than in the past, particularly sessions on topics of interest to technical services librarians. Following are reports of five sessions.     

Archiving Websites: A Practical Guide for Information Management Professionals

Abstract

This edition of “From Picas to Pixels” takes an in-depth look at some innovative oral history collections at the University of Texas at Austin. Focusing on one collection in particular, the Texas Legacy Project, Quinn Stewart tells us about old and new ways to encode and offer up high quality transcribed video. Also discussed is the new technology application, Glifos Social Media Creator, that makes these new collections possible. Other ongoing oral history projects at the University of Texas at Austin are addressed.     

Union List Management: The Initial Project and Afterwards

Abstract

Two additional libraries have now joined the West Texas Union List. One is a city-supported; the other, state-supported. These two libraries have also joined the Texas Statewide Union List of Serials. Fees for the West Texas Union List are invoiced to each member directly. So far fees for the Texas Statewide Union List have been absorbed by grants awarded the Texas State Library. At this time, the statewide list will be funded with grants for two more years.

Member libraries update information in different workflows and on different schedules. Union list coordinators learn that members will update the information in their union lists; when, will vary from library to library and from list to list. Agents and coordinators must be aware of the attitude each member library has towards the list. If the list is available on OCLC, some members may only update holdings when they replace the individual institutional list used in their library. If the list is stored on computer tape, some members may have been interested in it only because it could assist them in future serial automation projects and may not have given much thought to the importance of the list as an ongoing venture.

There may be a problem if the library staff responsible for updating the list was never really involved in the decision to join a union list and is not committed to the list beyond the initial project phase. In some cases the members have every intention of keeping the information current but are not good managers or communicators. The agent should ask what is being done and advise members on getting started, and might even offer to visit the library to assist in setting up the proper workflow.

Working with libraries involved in union list activities is a challenge. As with all management tasks, communication is the key to success. When users or members discover a problem, the group must solve it quickly or the list will lose its credibility. Each list must face the possibility that members may not want to retain membership. Some members may not want the list to grow in size, while others do. Interpreting standards and choosing bibliographic and holdings formats are potentially controversial issues.

If the members agree that the list is needed and if the list is important to them from the beginning, then they will be more flexible and understanding of the problems in each library, and more likely to contribute to keeping the list current. As the members learn to work together, their union list product becomes a major goal or interest. The list becomes a product that represents the work and cooperation of the group as a whole.     

Improving OpenURL Menus: User Testing of Revisions to SFX® Menus

Abstract

Twenty-one volunteers tested the usability of revisions to the Texas A&M University Libraries' SFX® OpenURL link resolver menus, including the addition of Ex Libris' new bXâ?¢ recommendation service and a plug-in which pulls additional information about the journal into the menu. The volunteers also evaluated the quality and desirability of the bX recommendations and discussed their preferences for help options and full-text format. Results of the usability testing are reported along with the resultant menu changes. This study will be of interest to librarians implementing or redesigning OpenURL menus as well as those interested in the user experience.     

Government Publications

Abstract

To determine whether health sciences faculty are sufficiently knowledgeable about copyright, fair use, and related precepts in their use of materials for teaching and research purposes, librarians at two comparable institutions, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), conducted a Web survey regarding copyright knowledge among their respective faculty. Responses were similar from both institutions despite the fact that UTHSCSA faculty had access to a more coordinated copyright education effort. Most respondents self-reported at least a limited familiarity with copyright law and fair use.     

Reviews and Notices

Abstract

Longstaff's Studies in Statistics: Studies in Statistics. Social, Political, and Medical. By George Blundell Longstaff, M.A., M.B., etc. London: Edward Stanford. 1891. 8vo. Pp. 455. Maps and diagrams. Reviewed by S. W. Abbott.

Keynes on Statistics: The Scope and Method of Political Economy. By John Neville Keynes, M.A., London. Macmillan and Company. 1891. Pp. xiv, 359. Reviewed by Davis R. Dewey.

United States Census Bulletins: 1No. 39. March 16, 1891. Wealth and Resources of Alaska. By Ivan Petroff. Pp. 15.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 40. March 17. Population by Counties, North Central Division. Pp. 9.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 41. March 19. Agriculture, Truck Farming. By J. H. Hale. Pp. 12.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 42. March 20. Population by Counties, South Central and Western Divisions. Pp. 9.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 43. March 21. Coal Product West of the Mississippi River. By John H. Jones. Pp. 8.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 44. March 25. Distribution of Population in Accordance with Mean Relative Humidity of the Atmosphere. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 45. March 26. Granite. By William C. Day. Pp. 41.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 46. March 27. Railway Statistics of the New England States. By Henry C. Adams. Pp. 18.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 47. March 28. Distribution of Population by Drainage Basins. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 5.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 48. April 7. The White and Colored Population of the South. 1890. Pp. 27.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 49. April 14. Precious and Ornamental Stones and Diamond Cutting. By George Frederick Kunz. Pp. 8.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 50. April 15. Population of Rhode Island by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 51. April 16. Population of Vermont by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 4.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 52. April 17. Urban Population in 1890. Cities Containing 8000 Inhabitants or more. Pp. 9.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 53. April 20. Statistics of Education. Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and forty-two Cities. By James H. Blodgett. Pp. 34.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 54. April 23. Public School Finances. By J. K. Upton. Pp. 12.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 55. April 24. The Relative Economy of Cable, Electric, and Animal Motive Power for Street Railways. By Charles H. Cooley. Pp. 17.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 56. April 25. Population of Maine by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 7.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 57. April 27. Population of Delaware by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 58. April 28. Population of Connecticut by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 59. April 29. Commercial Floriculture. By J. H. Hale. Pp. 11.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 60. April 30. Irrigation in New Mexico. By F. H. Newell. Pp. 14.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 61. May 8. The Production of Mica. By L. J. Childs. Pp. 6.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 62. May 9. Asylums for the Insane in the United States. By Dr. John S. Billings and W. H. Olcott. Pp. 32.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 63. May 11. Distribution of Population in Accordance with Latitude and Longitude. With diagrams. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 7.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 64. May 12. Foreign, National, State, and County Indebtedness. By J. K. Upton. Pp. 52.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 65. May 13. Distribution of Population in Accordance with Topographic Features. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 7.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 66. May 14. Floating Equipment on the Great Lakes. By Henry C. Adams. Pp. 11.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 68. May 16. Production of Manganese Ores. By Joseph D. Weeks. Pp. 5.

United States Census Bulletins: Mo. 69. May 18. Population of New Jersey by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 6.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 70. May 22. Statistics of Churches. By Henry K. Carroll. Pp. 27.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 71. May 23. Production of Bluestone. By William C. Day. Pp. 6.

Congress of Demography.

Old Age and Pauperism in England.

Mortality of English Clergymen.

Fire Statistics.     

Local to Global: The Importance of State-Level Journals to Library Literature

While the publishing needs of many state library associations are comfortably served by newsletters and Web sites, a number of state library associations produce major library journals that serve readers beyond their state membership. The author interviewed the editors of five state association journals: Alki: The Washington Library Association Journal, Colorado Libraries, North Carolina Libraries, Texas Library Journal, and Virginia Libraries. The editors were asked to comment on the role, challenges, and future of state-level library journals.     

Dependence Structure of a Class of Symmetric Distributions

Abstract

In this article, dependence structure of a class of symmetric distributions is considered. Let X and Y be two n-dimensional random vectors having such distributions. We investigate conditions on the generators of densities of X and Y such that X is MTP₂, and X and Y can be compared in the multivariate likelihood ratio order. Nonnegativity of the covariance between functions of two adjacent order statistics of X is also given.     

Selecting the Optimal Transformation of a Continuous Covariate in Cox's Regression: Implications for Hypothesis Testing

ABSTRACT

Background: Many exposures in epidemiological studies have nonlinear effects and the problem is to choose an appropriate functional relationship between such exposures and the outcome. One common approach is to investigate several parametric transformations of the covariate of interest, and to select a posteriori the function that fits the data the best. However, such approach may result in an inflated Type I error. Methods: Through a simulation study, we generated data from Cox's models with different transformations of a single continuous covariate. We investigated the Type I error rate and the power of the likelihood ratio test (LRT) corresponding to three different procedures that considered the same set of parametric dose-response functions. The first unconditional approach did not involve any model selection, while the second conditional approach was based on a posteriori selection of the parametric function. The proposed third approach was similar to the second except that it used a corrected critical value for the LRT to ensure a correct Type I error. Results: The Type I error rate of the second approach was two times higher than the nominal size. For simple monotone dose-response, the corrected test had similar power as the unconditional approach, while for non monotone, dose-response, it had a higher power. A real-life application that focused on the effect of body mass index on the risk of coronary heart disease death, illustrated the advantage of the proposed approach. Conclusion: Our results confirm that a posteriori selecting the functional form of the dose-response induces a Type I error inflation. The corrected procedure, which can be applied in a wide range of situations, may provide a good trade-off between Type I error and power.     

Two graphical displays for the detection of potentially influential subsets in regression

In the context of the general linear model Y=Xβ+ε, the matrix P_z =Z(Z^TZ)^?1 Z^T , where Z=(X: Y), plays an important role in determining least squares results. In this article we propose two graphical displays for the off-diagonal as well as the diagonal elements of P_Z . The two graphs are based on simple ideas and are useful in the detection of potentially influential subsets of observations in regression. Since P_Z is invariant with respect to permutations of the columns of Z, an added advantage of these graphs is that they can be used to detect outliers in multivariate data where the rows of Z are usually regarded as a random sample from a multivariate population. We also suggest two calibration points, one for the diagonal elements of P_Z and the other for the off-diagonal elements. The advantage of these calibration points is that they take into consideration the variability of the off-diagonal as well as the diagonal elements of P_Z . They also do not suffer from masking.     

Characterizing Relationships Between Estimations Under a General Linear Model with Explicit and Implicit Restrictions by Rank of Matrix

In the investigation of the restricted linear model ? _r  = {y, X β | A β = b, σ² Σ}, the parameter constraints A β = b are often handled by transforming the model into certain implicitly restricted model. Any estimation derived from the explicitly and implicitly restricted models on the vector β and its functions should be equivalent, although the expressions of the estimation under the two models may be different. However, people more likely want to directly compare different expressions of estimations and yield a conclusion on their equivalence by using some algebraic operations on expressions of estimations. In this article, we give some results on equivalence of the well-known OLSEs and BLUEs under the explicitly and implicitly restricted linear models by using some expansion formulas for ranks of matrices.     

Testing a covariance matrix: exact null distribution of its likelihood criterion

For X～ N _p (μ, Σ) testing H _o:Σ = Σ ₀, with Σ ₀ known, relies at present on an approximation of the null-distribution of the likelihood ratio statistic.

We present here the exact null distribution and also its computation, hence providing a precise tool that can be used in small sample cases.     

Comparing the BLUEs Under Two Linear Models

In this article, we consider two linear models, ?₁ = {y, X β, V ₁} and ?₂ = {y, X β, V ₂}, which differ only in their covariance matrices. Our main focus lies on the difference of the best linear unbiased estimators, BLUEs, of X β under these models. The corresponding problems between the models {y, X β, I _n } and {y, X β, V}, i.e., between the OLSE (ordinary least squares estimator) and BLUE, are pretty well studied. Our purpose is to review the corresponding considerations between the BLUEs of X β under ?₁ and ?₂. This article is an expository one presenting also new results.     

Property of bivariate poisson distribution and its application to stochastic processes

Assuming that the random vectors X ₁ and X ₂ have independent bivariate Poisson distributions, the conditional distribution of X ₁ given X ₁?+?X ₂?=?n is obtained. The conditional distribution turns out to be a finite mixture of distributions involving univariate binomial distributions and the mixing proportions are based on a bivariate Poisson (BVP) distribution. The result is used to establish two properties of a bivariate Poisson stochastic process which are the bivariate extensions of the properties for a Poisson process given by Karlin, S. and Taylor, H. M. (1975). A First Course in Stochastic Processes, Academic Press, New York.     

A study of generalized skew-normal distribution

Following the paper by Genton and Loperfido [Generalized skew-elliptical distributions and their quadratic forms, Ann. Inst. Statist. Math. 57 (2005), pp. 389–401], we say that Z has a generalized skew-normal distribution, if its probability density function (p.d.f.) is given by f(z)=2φ _p (z; ξ, Ω)π (z?ξ), z∈? ^p , where φ _p (·; ξ, Ω) is the p-dimensional normal p.d.f. with location vector ξ and scale matrix Ω, ξ∈? ^p , Ω>0, and π is a skewing function from ? ^p to ?, that is 0≤π (z)≤1 and π (?z)=1?π (z), ? z∈? ^p . First the distribution of linear transformations of Z are studied, and some moments of Z and its quadratic forms are derived. Next we obtain the joint moment-generating functions (m.g.f.’s) of linear and quadratic forms of Z and then investigate conditions for their independence. Finally explicit forms for the above distributions, m.g.f.’s and moments are derived when π (z)=κ (α′z), where α∈? ^p and κ is the normal, Laplace, logistic or uniform distribution function.     

Optimal designs of multivariate synthetic |S| control chart based on median run length

The multivariate synthetic generalized sample variance |S| (synthetic |S|) chart is a combination of the |S| sub-chart and the conforming run length sub-chart. A procedure for optimal designs of the synthetic |S| chart, based on the median run length (MRL), for both zero and steady-state modes are provided by minimizing the out-of-control MRL. The comparative results show that the synthetic |S| chart performs better than the standard |S| chart for detecting shifts in the covariance matrix of a multivariate normally distributed process, in terms of the MRL. An example is given to illustrate the operation of the synthetic |S| chart.     

Best Quadratic Unbiased Prediction in a General Linear Model with Stochastic Regression Coefficients

In this article, we discuss on how to predict a combined quadratic parametric function of the form β′ H β + hσ² in a general linear model with stochastic regression coefficients denoted by y  =  X β +  e . Firstly, the quadratic predictability of β′ H β + hσ² is investigated to obtain a quadratic unbiased predictor (QUP) via a general method of structuring an unbiased estimator. This QUP is also optimal in some situations and therefore we hope it will be a fine predictor. To show this idea, we apply the Lagrange multipliers method to this problem and finally reach the expected conclusion through permutation matrix techniques.     

Combined synthetic and |S| chart for monitoring process dispersion

This article proposes a multivariate control chart, the syn-|S| chart, which comprises a standard |S| subchart and a multivariate synthetic sample generalized variance |S| (synthetic |S|) subchart, for detecting shifts in the covariance matrix of a multivariate normally distributed process. A procedure for the optimal design of the syn-|S| chart by minimizing the average extra quadratic loss is provided. The syn-|S| chart has better overall performance compared to the synthetic |S| chart and the standard |S| chart, based on the zero-state and steady-state modes. An example is given to illustrate the operation of the synthetic |S| chart.     

Order-preserving Estimators and an Inequality on the Integration of Zonal Polynomial

ABSTRACT

Suppose X , p × p p.d. random matrix, has the distribution which depends on a p × p p.d. parameter matrix Σ and this distribution is orthogonally invariant. The orthogonally invariant estimator of Σ which has the eigenvalues of the same order as the eigenvalues of X is called order-preserving. We conjecture that a non-order-preserving estimator is dominated by modified order-preserving estimators with respect to the entropy (Stein's) loss function. We show that an inequality on the integration of zonal polynomial is sufficient for this conjecture. We also prove this inequality for the case p = 2.