Same Question, Different World: Replicating an Open Access Research Impact Study

To examine changes in the open access landscape over time, this study partially replicated Kristin Antelman’s 2004 study of open access citation advantage. Results indicated open access articles still have a citation advantage. For three of the four disciplines examined, the most common sites hosting freely available articles were independent sites, such as academic social networks or article sharing sites. For the same three disciplines, more than 70% of the open access copies were publishers’ PDFs. The major difference from Antelman’s is the increase in the number of freely available articles that appear to be in violation of publisher policies

How do Psychology Researchers Find Studies to Include in Meta-analyses?

Meta-analysis is a technique used in a variety of disciplines to combine and summarize the findings of previous research. One step in the production of a meta-analysis is a thorough literature search for relevant studies. A variety of methods can be used to increase the number of studies that are found. This study examines the extent to which some of these steps were taken in meta-analyses published in American Psychological Association in journals in 2004. Some techniques were applied in almost all of the meta-analyses, and other techniques were applied in few of the meta-analyses. Implications of these results for librarians are discussed

What Is Safe Cycling?

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course. Course Description: Students will find and read sources about bicycle safety, observe cyclists during the race and create a Web presentation

What Liaisons Say about Themselves and What Faculty Say about Their Liaisons, a U.S. Survey

Liaison librarians and faculty in chemistry, English, and psychology departments at colleges and universities in the United States were surveyed. They answered questions about services provided by the liaison and satisfaction. Liaisons’ satisfaction with their performance was associated with active liaison service, such as recent contact with the department and more time spent on liaison work. Faculty satisfaction with liaisons was associated with contact with their liaisons. We did not find associations between liaisons’ descriptions of their work and faculty satisfaction with their liaisons for the pairs of faculty and their liaisons we were able to match

Beyond Description: Converting Web Site Usage Statistics into Concrete Site Improvement Ideas

Web site usage statistics are a widely used tool for Web site development, but libraries are still learning how to use them successfully. This case study summarizes how Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale implemented Google Analytics on its Web site and used the reports to inform a site redesign. As the main campus library at a research university with about 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the library included resources from multiple library departments on a single site. In planning the redesign, Morris Library\u27s Virtual Library Group combined usage reports with information from other sources, such as usability tests and user comments. The Virtual Library Group faced barriers to interpreting and applying the usage statistics in the site redesign, including some that were specific to the library\u27s implementation of the Google Analytics tool and some limitations inherent with Web usage statistics in general. Some key barriers in applying the usage statistics to a redesign included sifting through data that did not have implications for the site redesign, interpreting the implications of usage numbers for the site redesign, and balancing competing interests within the library. Nevertheless, the usage statistics enabled the Virtual Library Group to make better decisions by providing a source of factual information about the site\u27s use rather than relying on staff members’ opinions and conjectures

Virtual Question Changes: Reference in Evolving Environments

Purpose – As virtual reference and online discovery tools evolve, so do interactions with patrons. This study aims to describe how synchronous virtual reference transactions changed over a six-year period at a university library. Design/methodology/approach – Transcripts from October and February from October 2004 to February 2010 were coded for question type, interlibrary loan discussions, and referrals. Subcategories for holding types and referrals were also recorded. Findings – The number and types of questions changed with the virtual reference platform used, both increasing and decreasing. The number of questions more than doubled from the beginning to the end of the six-year study period. The number of holdings questions at the end of the study period was six times higher than the number at the beginning. Patterns relating to interlibrary loan discussions and referrals were noted. Research limitations/implications – The study examined transcripts from one university library. Findings cannot be generalized but provide examples that may be similar in other libraries. Practical implications – The number and type of online reference questions that a library receives can change dramatically in a short time. Libraries should monitor question transactions, especially after software changes. Libraries also should consider how the placement of chat widgets changes the quantity and nature of questions and train staff appropriately. Originality/value – This study examines transcripts across a longer time span than previous studies. It is unique in its examination of virtual reference widgets embedded in proprietary databases and link resolvers

Decrease in Free Computer Science Papers Found through Google Scholar

Purpose - Google Scholar was used to locate free full-text versions of computer science research papers to determine what proportion could be freely accessed.Design/methodology/approach - A sample of 1967 conference papers and periodical articles from 2003-2010, indexed in the ACM Guide to Computing Literature, was searched for manually in Google Scholar, using the paper or article title and the first author’s surname and supplementary searches as needed. Findings - Free full-text versions were found for 52% of the conference papers and 55% of the periodical articles. Documents with older publication dates were more likely to be freely accessible than newer documents, with free full-text versions found for 71% of items published in 2003 and 43% of items published 2010. Many documents did not indicate what version of the document was presented. Research limitations/implications - Results were limited to the retrieval of known computer science publications via Google Scholar. The results may be different for other computer science publications, subject areas, types of searches, or search engines. Practical implications - Users of Google Scholar for finding free full-text computer science research papers may be hindered by the lower access to recent publications. Because many papers are freely available, libraries and scholarly publishers may be better served by promoting services they provide beyond simple access to papers. Originality/value – Previous research showed lower levels of free access than we found for computer science, but the decline found in this study runs contrary to increases found in previous research

OpenSIUC Talking Points

Answers to common questions about institutional repositorie