Public Libraries and the Internet 2006

Examines the capability of public libraries to provide and sustain public access Internet services and resources that meet community needs, including serving as the first choice for content, resources, services, and technology infrastructure

Santa Clara University\u27s New ISP: Indispensible Services Provided by the Harrington Learning Commons, Sobrato Technology Center and Orradre Library

Santa Clara University is the oldest institution of higher education in the state of California. Founded as a Catholic, Jesuit university in 1851, there are currently over 8,000 students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional schools of business, law, engineering, pastoral ministries, and counseling psychology and education. The University Library, Information Technology and Media Services are grouped together in the umbrella administrative unit, Information Services, reporting to Vice Provost/CIO Ron Danielson. The nearly one hundred staff in Information Services are physically dispersed around campus in seven different locations including multiple services points. An older library was demolished in 2006 and a new $95 million dollar Learning Commons, Technology Center and Library will open in the Spring Quarter 2008. When the new building opens, all Information Services staff will be co-located, for the first time ever, under the same roof. This co-location presents many opportunities for the possible integration of services to students, faculty and staff members on campus. An Organizational Consulting Project was proposed and approved to better understand the collaborative opportunities afforded by this new building and collocation of staff. The major components of the consulting project are a literature review, a survey to Information Services staff, an external survey which was posted on the Information Commons listserv, recommendations and an annotated bibliography. The literature review highlights the best practices associated with successful mergers of Library, IT and Media Services staff to provide enhanced services to students and faculty. Frequently, these mergers result from the creation of an Information Commons or Learning Commons within an academic library setting. The services provided through an Information Commons include access to both reference and computer technology support services, high-end computer workstations loaded with productivity software, assistance with multimedia software, and the availability of a full range of scholarly research materials anytime and anywhere. Staff providing these services need thorough and ongoing training in the full range of activities they will be called upon to perform. Special care must be taken to understand the cultural differences that can divide library and IT staff which might include unique or, at least, distinct jargon, professional status, certifications, education and temperament. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is mentioned frequently in the literature as a means to help understand and work better with others. The leadership of a merged organization is critical and a chief information officer must possess solid political and managerial skills to help bridge differences. Mergers usually don\u27t save money. As one chief information officer observed, How can you save money by combining the old \u27bottomless pit\u27 [the library] with the new \u27black hole\u27 [the computer center]? The literature review also provides an examination of the success factors with distinguish established and thriving collaborations as well as the range of staffing models that are often employed

An ethnographic study of user behaviour in Open3 at the Pilkington Library, Loughborough University

Library and information science (LIS) research has a tendency to focus on quantitative research methods. This over-reliance on numerical data often means that valuable ‘soft data’ is missed or undocumented. This study uses ethnography, an observation-based methodology, to investigate the use of Open3, an open-plan learning environment in the Pilkington Library at Loughborough University. Over 40 hours of fieldwork was undertaken with observations recorded in a field diary. A thematic analysis of the field diary was subsequently undertaken, and key themes identified. These findings were triangulated with data from other sources, including a major survey of library users undertaken in 2006. The project demonstrated the value, flexibility and efficacy of ethnography as a LIS research methodology. The study concluded that the open-plan learning space was highly popular, especially with undergraduate students who were observed conducting academic work and social activities simultaneously. The provision of PC access and Wi-Fi internet connectivity was seen to be valued, with users competing for access to resources at peak times. The study demonstrated that the open-plan learning environment was fulfilling its purpose in providing a venue for members of the university community to undertake collaborative learning in an informal environment. However it was noted that the space was not widely used by academic staff or mature students. It was advised that the space be expanded to allow more users to make use of the area, although the importance of continuing to provide a diverse range of learning spaces was also emphasised. Finally, it was concluded that further investment in the furnishings of the area could result in a more efficient use of space

Special Libraries, Spring 1995

Volume 86, Issue 2https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1995/1001/thumbnail.jp

Monitoring and Evaluation of electronic resources in Academic and Research Institutions in Kenya

The revolution of Information Communication and Technology has brought a great change in the way libraries are providing services. Libraries have continued to embrace these technologies vis‐à‐vis Internet thus seeing the introduction of electronic resources to the library collection and services. The availability of good internet connectivity is essential in the provision of electronic resources. Kenya has had internet since 1996 (Mutula, 2001) and over the years there has been great effort to improve connectivity such as the recent introduction of fibre optic cable in 2009. The need for good internet connectivity has also been supported by initiatives such as Kenya Education Network (KENET) whose aim is to enhance internet access for Kenya Universities (Odero‐Musakali & Mutula, 2007). With the advent of internet and subsequently an emergence of electronic resources, libraries have encountered a myriad of challenges ranging from collection management, cost of the resources, marketing of these resources, training users on how to use these resources among others. These are some of the challenges that saw libraries in Kenya come together in 2002 to discuss concerted efforts to overcome these challenges. In response to this, Kenya Libraries and Information Services Consortium (KLISC) was formed in 2003. Cost being a major challenge for sustainability of electronic information resources (e‐resources) which continue to inflate every year, KLISC’s main objective therefore was cost sharing and capacity building (Ouma, 2007). According to a survey carried out by (Ouma, 2007) KLISC has made great strides in alleviating these challenges and this has translated into better services offered by KLISC member libraries

Learning Spaces

Edited by Diana G. Oblinger. Includes a chapter by former College at Brockport Faculty member Joan K. Lippincott: Linking the Information Commons to learning. Space, whether physical or virtual, can have a significant impact on learning. Learning Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments: faculty, learning technologists, librarians, and administrators. Information technology has brought unique capabilities to learning spaces, whether stimulating greater interaction through the use of collaborative tools, videoconferencing with international experts, or opening virtual worlds for exploration. This e-book represents an ongoing exploration as we bring together space, technology, and pedagogy to ensure learner success.https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/bookshelf/1077/thumbnail.jp

adobe medicus 2003 1 January-December

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/adobe-medicus/1057/thumbnail.jp

From SpaceStat to CyberGIS: Twenty Years of Spatial Data Analysis Software

This essay assesses the evolution of the way in which spatial data analytical methods have been incorporated into software tools over the past two decades. It is part retrospective and prospective, going beyond a historical review to outline some ideas about important factors that drove the software development, such as methodological advances, the open source movement and the advent of the internet and cyberinfrastructure. The review highlights activities carried out by the author and his collaborators and uses SpaceStat, GeoDa, PySAL and recent spatial analytical web services developed at the ASU GeoDa Center as illustrative examples. It outlines a vision for a spatial econometrics workbench as an example of the incorporation of spatial analytical functionality in a cyberGIS.

Special Libraries, Summer 1992

Volume 83, Issue 3https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1992/1002/thumbnail.jp