Carpe Diem: Transforming Services in Academic Libraries

Amid a global economic crisis and spurred, in my country, by a great influx of funding intended to stimulate the economy quickly, librarians are confronted by other factors that could have transformative powers ??? if they choose to seize the opportunity. This paper focuses on the future of academic library services and the opportunities that await those who reject hunkering down in troubled times.unpublishednot peer reviewe

Exploiting open standards in academic web services

In Digital Library-related technologies, there is a whole host of open standards and protocols that are at varying stages of definition or emergence and acceptance or agreement. Nevertheless, specifically in an academic context, these have led to some valuable improvements in the quality and value of services provided to teachers, learners and researchers alike. However, it often remains difficult for these information seekers to find relevant resources that are not immediately 'visible', they may be effectively hidden within database-driven web services or proprietary applications. The focus of this paper is upon a project based at the UK academic data centre, MIMAS, which provides web-based services to the education community in the UK, Ireland and beyond. The project's principle aim was to increase the visibility and accessibility of 'appropriate' resources by exploiting a number of relevant open standards and initiatives to ensure interoperability. This principally required focusing on machine-to-machine metadata interchange

Data Services in Academic Libraries – What Strange Beast Is This?

Data services, though a longstanding specialization, is a fast-growing and in-demand niche in the academic librarian job market. That said, it is still somewhat of a mystery to many outside of a small circle in academic librarianship. This essay attempts to remedy this mystification. The author gives an overview of data services librarianship, using examples from her San José State University INFO 220-12 class, “Data Services in Libraries,” to illustrate the core aspects and activities of this specialization in academic libraries. In so doing, she elucidates how this specialization is at once a natural extension of established roles for academic librarians and also an opportunity for librarians to expand their roles for increased relevancy in the higher education research enterprise

Academic digital library in Malaysia: A case study on the status of digital reference services

This paper highlights the current status of digital library services provided by selected public academic libraries in Malaysia. The drift from traditional library to digital library architecture has set drastic changes in favor of adopting knowledge-gain mechanisms via the use of networked and digital environments. With diversity of functions, academic digital library is seen the most awaiting proxy in changing the information culture among academic users. This paper in general attempts to highlight the phenomena of using digital library system in public universities in Malaysia. The focal of the discussion is on digital reference services of academic digital library

Transforming Technical Services: Evolving Functions in Large Research University Libraries

Technical services functions in academic libraries have evolved in response to fiscal pressures and advances in technology. In this study the author investigates how technical services in large research university libraries are adapting to support the changing roles of academic libraries. The author conducted hour-long phone interviews in early 2014 with the representatives from nineteen out of the twenty-five university libraries in the Technical Services Directors Large Research Libraries Interest Group. This paper presents the results and discussion based on the interview data: use of the name, Technical Services; new and emerging functions of technical services; organizational structure of technical services units; change drivers that are affecting technical services now, and those that will soon; and challenges in managing technical services. Five models of a technical services organizational structure were developed from participants’ organizational charts and interview data. This research also highlights the skills needed among technical services personnel.UT Librarie

First-Year Success Program: Academic Support Services

Student success is central to UMaine\u27s mission, values, reputation and fiscal health. Improving first-year student success is a major focus for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs in 2018-2019. The goal is to develop an integrated plan of actions that will result in improved first year student success as defined by first year retention. Academic Support Services Charge Develop a set of recommendations about ways that our student academic support services can better serve first year students. Existing services include the Writing Center, Math Den, Academic Support Services for Student Athletes, the Tutor Program, and our three TRIO programs. As you carry out this work, please consider the following questions: 1. How do academic support services currently serve first year students? 2. What factors limit the services that are provided to first year students? 3. What are ways that services can be targeted to students who are most likely to benefit from them? 4. How can networking among academic support services be improved to better serve first year students? 5. How can Navigate, the new student success management system being piloted in the spring, be used as an aid in providing academic support services? 6. What essential services do not exist on campus