The structural role of the core literature in history

The intellectual landscapes of the humanities are mostly uncharted territory. Little is known on the ways published research of humanist scholars defines areas of intellectual activity. An open question relates to the structural role of core literature: highly cited sources, naturally playing a disproportionate role in the definition of intellectual landscapes. We introduce four indicators in order to map the structural role played by core sources into connecting different areas of the intellectual landscape of citing publications (i.e. communities in the bibliographic coupling network). All indicators factor out the influence of degree distributions by internalizing a null configuration model. By considering several datasets focused on history, we show that two distinct structural actions are performed by the core literature: a global one, by connecting otherwise separated communities in the landscape, or a local one, by rising connectivity within communities. In our study, the global action is mainly performed by small sets of scholarly monographs, reference works and primary sources, while the rest of the core, and especially most journal articles, acts mostly locally

Science Models as Value-Added Services for Scholarly Information Systems

The paper introduces scholarly Information Retrieval (IR) as a further dimension that should be considered in the science modeling debate. The IR use case is seen as a validation model of the adequacy of science models in representing and predicting structure and dynamics in science. Particular conceptualizations of scholarly activity and structures in science are used as value-added search services to improve retrieval quality: a co-word model depicting the cognitive structure of a field (used for query expansion), the Bradford law of information concentration, and a model of co-authorship networks (both used for re-ranking search results). An evaluation of the retrieval quality when science model driven services are used turned out that the models proposed actually provide beneficial effects to retrieval quality. From an IR perspective, the models studied are therefore verified as expressive conceptualizations of central phenomena in science. Thus, it could be shown that the IR perspective can significantly contribute to a better understanding of scholarly structures and activities.Comment: 26 pages, to appear in Scientometric

Reviewing, indicating, and counting books for modern research evaluation systems

In this chapter, we focus on the specialists who have helped to improve the conditions for book assessments in research evaluation exercises, with empirically based data and insights supporting their greater integration. Our review highlights the research carried out by four types of expert communities, referred to as the monitors, the subject classifiers, the indexers and the indicator constructionists. Many challenges lie ahead for scholars affiliated with these communities, particularly the latter three. By acknowledging their unique, yet interrelated roles, we show where the greatest potential is for both quantitative and qualitative indicator advancements in book-inclusive evaluation systems.Comment: Forthcoming in Glanzel, W., Moed, H.F., Schmoch U., Thelwall, M. (2018). Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Springer Some corrections made in subsection 'Publisher prestige or quality

Electronic access to documents and publications on the European Union: The role of the Archive of European Integration

The Archive of European Integration (AEI) at http://aei.pitt.edu is an electronic Open Access repository and archive for key research materials on the topic of European integration and unification which have traditionally existed only in paper format and have been difficult for researchers to find and use. Factors leading to the creation of the AEI at the University of Pittsburgh are described and a detailed overview of the contents of the AEI and their sources is provided, including official EU documents and a wealth of grey literature about the EU. The role of the AEI in providing access to EU research materials and the relationship of the AEI to other online sources is explored. Projected growth and enhancement of the AEI is described

DeWitt Wallace Library Annual Report 2015-2016

Summary of library and media services activities for 2015-201

Bibliographic Resources for Literature Searches on J.R.R Tolkien

This guide is designed to help the student, scholar, or thesis writer begin an in-depth literature search on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. This guide is geared towards the English-speaking, North American user, but I have attempted to include European sources as well when I am aware of them. As this is a field friendly to independent scholars not attached to a university or college, I am addressing their information needs as well

Electronic Resources and Academic Libraries, 1980-2000: A Historical Perspective

published or submitted for publicatio

Is (digital) history more than an argument about the past?

Link to full text - http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dh/12230987.0001.001/1:4/--writing-history-in-the-digital-age?g=dculture;rgn=div1;view=fulltext;xc=1#4.