Altmetrics: What Good are They to Academic Libraries?

New knowledge is built on existing knowledge and academic libraries are the primary repositories of existing knowledge for the scholars whose work they support. In these times of belt tightening and budget reductions, it behooves academic libraries to think about how to demonstrate to administrators the value being returned on investments in the library, and to provide scholars with tools to do the same. Traditional means of measuring the quality of new knowledge like the impact factor and h-index are being made richer and more meaningful through the addition of new, social media based alternative metrics. Altmetrics also provide scholars communicating in non-traditional venues like the blogosphere and the Twitterverse with meaningful measures of the impact of their work. In this presentation I will introduce altmetrics, discuss their advantages and disadvantages relative to more traditional metrics, and propose some specific uses to which academic libraries may put altmetrics in support of the transitions now occurring in scholarly communication and thus in academic librarie

Graduate Student Use of and Preference for Unlimited-Use e-Books as Textbooks: Preliminary Results

This study investigated the preference of master’s level library science graduate students for required textbooks in print or unlimited-use ebook format in the context of alternate educational materials provided by the university library. Surveys with both fixed-response and open-ended questions were completed as a class exercise by 151 students enrolled in four sections of a collection management class and four sections of a research methods class. Results show a strong preference for print but indicate that cost to students influences etextbook use

Determining paediatric patient thickness from a single digital radiograph – a proof of principle

Objective: This work presents a proof of principle for a method of estimating the thickness of an attenuator from a single radiograph using the image, the exposure factors with which it was acquired and a priori knowledge of the characteristics of the X-ray unit and detector used for the exposure. It is intended this could be developed into a clinical tool to assist with paediatric patient dose audit, for which a measurement of patient size is required. Methods: The proof of principle used measured pixel value and effective linear attenuation coefficient to estimate the thickness of a Solid Water attenuator. The kerma at the detector was estimated using a measurement of pixel value on the image and measured detector calibrations. The initial kerma was estimated using a lookup table of measured output values. The effective linear attenuation coefficient was measured for Solid Water at varying kVp. 11 test images of known and varying thicknesses of Solid Water were acquired at 60, 70 and 81 kVp. Estimates of attenuator thickness were made using the model and the results compared to the known thickness. Results: Estimates of attenuator thickness made using the model differed from the known thickness by 3.8 mm (3.2%) on average, with a range of 0.5–10.8 mm (0.5–9%). Conclusion: A proof of principle is presented for a method of estimating the thickness of an attenuator using a single radiograph of the attenuator. The method has been shown to be accurate using a Solid Water attenuator, with a maximum difference between estimated and known attenuator thickness of 10.8 mm (9%). The method shows promise as a clinical tool for estimating abdominal paediatric patient thickness for paediatric patient dose audit, and is only contingent on the type of data routinely collected by Medical Physics departments. Advances in knowledge: A computational model has been created that is capable of accurately estimating the thickness of a uniform attenuator using only the radiographic image, the exposure factors with which it was acquired and a priori knowledge of the characteristics of the X-ray unit and detector used for the exposure. </jats:sec

Re-tracing the encounter: interkinaesthetic forms of knowledge in Contact Improvisation

We adopted a phenomenological approach, directly engaging with the community of practice of the form of movement under study. We discuss some methodological approaches that we considered in investigating the lived experience of a heterogeneous group of Contact Improvisation (CI) practitioners. We delineate how such a system of movement could provide a unique example for the analysis of the interpersonal dynamics between movers with a different degree of expertise, re-tracing some common paths towards the acquisition of interkinaesthetic knowledge.Adottando un approccio fenomenologico e una partecipazione diretta nella comunità della pratica di movimento studiata, abbiamo discusso alcuni approcci metodologici che sono stati presi in esame durante l’analisi dell’esperienza vissuta da un gruppo eterogeneo di danzatori di Contact Improvisation. Abbiamo descritto come questo sistema di movimento possa rappresentare un caso di studio peculiare per l’analisi delle dinamiche interpersonali che intercorrono fra praticanti con gradi diversi di esperienza, delineando alcuni percorsi comuni nell’acquisizione della conoscenza inter-cinestetica

Data-driven collection development: Text mining college course catalogs

Academic librarians are trained to develop and manage collections. They rely on their own subject expertise in academic disciplines, input from teaching faculty, and professional training to make informed selections to support institutional curriculum. Professional training in collection development has, in recent years, focused on evidence-based acquisition methods (Johnson, 2018, p. 134). College and university course catalogs are a potential but untapped source of evidence for identifying topics of importance to institutional curricula. Course descriptions are concise descriptions of the subjects covered in college or university courses and therefore the topics about which students may require additional sources of information. Until recently, examining course catalogs was a time-consuming prospect. The advent of data and text mining techniques, however, makes it possible to analyze course descriptions with much less time and effort expended. This article contains a brief introduction to data science in libraries; details of tools and processes used for collecting and cleaning course catalog data; and preliminary results of a project to mine course catalogs for changes in curriculum focus to benefit library collection development decisions

What’s used to gauge when engaging?: Determining academic librarian roles in research assessment reporting services

Abstract: Academic librarians play a key role in assisting faculty with assessing the impact of their research. In the rapidly changing environment of scholarly communication, librarians must stay abreast of emerging tools and metrics in order to effectively and reliably support and promote the research and creative activities at their institution. A recent survey administered to over 13,000 librarians at Carnegie-classified R1 institutions offers insight into the usage of research impact metrics and usage data among academic librarians when advising university faculty and when compiling evidence of research impact for faculty and administration. In particular, this poster examines the rates at which academic librarians are providing impact metric reporting services for faculty, departments, and administrators; the most popular tools used to prepare reports; and how disciplinary liaison responsibilities and job duties affect one’s likelihood to perform such services. Engaging with faculty and administration at the university is a crucial responsibility of academic librarians, and this poster presents a portrait of how academic librarians are leading the discussion in research impact

Report from the International Clinical Librarian Conference, University of Edinburgh, 10-12 June 2015, Edinburgh

The EAHIL Workshop provided an opportunity for the International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC) to run a satellite conference before the official opening of the Workshop. ICLC aim to hold bi-annual conferences either stand alone, or in collaboration with another meeting. Aimed at those with an interest in clinical or outreach librarianship the 2015 ICLC welcomed a range of presentations on this field of the work

Climatology of the Forest-Tundra Ecotone at a Maritime Subarctic-Alpine Site, Mealy Mountains, Labrador

Climatological investigations were conducted from 2001 to 2009 in the central Mealy Mountains, Labrador (53.6˚ N), as part of interdisciplinary research on tree line ecology and climate change. The aim was to describe local climatic and edaphic variables along an altitudinal gradient from the closed forest edge to the alpine tundra and to relate recent changes in regional climate to potential changes in the forest tundra ecotone. Results show relatively warm, moist summers and cool winters, with abundant precipitation and moderate to gale-force winds. At ca. 600 m a.s.l., the tree line was characterized by 694 ± 85 growing degree-days and a mean July air temperature of 12.9 ± 0.8˚C. Growing season soil temperatures of ca. 8˚C were similar across the forest-tundra ecotone, but their seasonal regimes differed among subzones. Soil nutrient fluxes showed some variation but no consistent pattern that would suggest nutrients as a limiting factor. Snow depth in the forest-tundra subzone was more variable than in the forest, indicating that microtopography is an important factor for tree survival there in winter. Comparisons of the field data with long-term regional climatic and hydrographic records show that conditions have become warmer and drier in the most recent decade compared with the previous half-century or more. Concurrent vegetation studies indicate that changes expected with a warming climate are already occurring.De 2001 à 2009, des études climatologiques ont été effectuées dans les monts centraux Mealy, au Labrador (53,6˚ N) dans le cadre d’une recherche interdisciplinaire sur l’écologie de la limite forestière et le changement climatique. Ces études avaient pour but de décrire les variables climatiques et édaphiques locales le long d’une pente altitudinale allant de la lisière de la forêt dense jusqu’à la toundra alpine. Elles avaient également pour but de faire le lien entre les récents changements enregistrés dans le climat régional et les changements susceptibles de se produire dans l’écotone de la toundra forestière. Les résultats montrent des étés humides et relativement chauds ainsi que des hivers frais, avec des précipitations abondantes et des vents allant de modérés à coups de vent. À environ 600 m ASL, la limite forestière était caractérisée par 694 ± 85 degrés-jours de croissance et une température de l’air moyenne de 12,9 ± 0,8 ˚C en juillet. En saison de croissance, les températures du sol d’environ 8 ˚C étaient semblables à la grandeur de l’écotone de la forêt-toundra, bien que les régimes saisonniers différaient d’une sous-zone à l’autre. Les flux de nutriments du sol affichaient une certaine variation, mais il n’existait aucun modèle uniforme laissant entrevoir que les nutriments pouvaient être un facteur limitant. L’épaisseur de la neige dans la sous-zone forêt-toundra variait plus que dans la forêt, ce qui indique que la microtopographie est un facteur important pour la survie des arbres dans cet endroit-là l’hiver. La comparaison des données obtenues sur le terrain aux données climatiques et hydrographiques régionales à long terme laisse entrevoir que les conditions se sont réchauffées et asséchées au cours de la toute dernière décennie comparativement au demi-siècle précédent ou plus. Les études concurrentes sur la végétation indiquent que les changements qui étaient escomptés de même que le réchauffement du climat se manifestent déjà

Being taken in: How can psychoanalytic psychotherapy lead to better relationships for an adopted child?

Neuroscience now demonstrates that a child’s early relationships establish the brain patterns that make a mind (Balbernie, 2001). Through intersubjectivity, the qualities of these earliest relationships set up a frame of reference for understanding experience, as a way of getting to know the world to which the child must adapt in order to survive. They are thus framing relationships, which set a template for relating through which experience is understood. The template for neglected, abused and deprived children is adapted to a neglectful, abusive and depriving world, with the result that this is not just what they expect, it is what they experience, even when other possibilities are on offer. The question is, how do you develop if development happens through intersubjectivity in relationship and you experience the mechanism of change, the relationship itself, as suspect - even dangerous? I address this question through investigating the process of intersubjectivity in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with an adopted boy of nine. Clinical material demonstrates how the early template, adapted to adversity, is applied to the present moment. The evidence suggests that the process of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, working by the same intersubjective process in which the brain was wired early on, is potentially a re-framing relationship. Its reflexive nature offers a way of addressing the problem that the mechanism of change, the relationship itself, is suspect. I offer findings from neuroscience and clinical material which support the view that the integration of intersubjective emotional regulation with attuned reflexivity constitutes the mechanism of change for disturbed children