The Anytime Anyplace Degree in Information Resources and Library Science

The innovative distance education program at the School of Information Resources and Library Science is a model for higher education and the information industry for instructing information specialists and librarians on how to move information from place-to-place and from person-to-person. Geographically dispersed students directly experience electronic learning and communication via the Internet. Looking ahead to the future, this electronic wave of disseminating knowledge is increasingly more in demand and requires skills and expertise to successfully serve a clientele. This distance education program may be the only way a graduate student interested in information resources and library science can complete a program given his or her geographic location or other responsiblities that preclude moving near a university or driving long distances

U.S. Federal Government CIOs: Information Technology\u27s New Managers--Preliminary Findings

The Clinger-Cohen Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (Clinger-Cohen Act) has changed the dynamics of how federal agencies view and manage their information technology. The mandated provision for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) is to act as information change agents and technology “watchdogs” for their agency. To observe how government is reacting to employing CIOs, field studies were conducted by e-mail with eight agencies to discover the successes and the challenges of this new information initiative. Four of the agencies contacted were mandated by the Clinger-Cohen Act and four were non-mandated. The results of this study depict varying levels of agency compliance and commitment to the Clinger-Cohen Act in regards to the operative nature of the position

Collaborative organizational infrastructures to support open access journals

With the advancement of open access (OA) journal publishing opportunities in partnership with presses and faculty, libraries in alignment with intersecting academic values are fulfilling a need by supporting sustainable models of scholarly communication that incorporate disseminating faculty scholarship in collaboration with library and/or press staff and editors to “start up” an OA journal or transform an existing print journal to OA. Library staff that embrace faculty or student publishing partnerships are structuring and utilizing their scholarly communication skill sets by positioning the availability of open access publications to disseminate quality research results. University presses are also forging alliances with libraries to strategically align their business models as an economically viable solution and compelling competitor in publishing journals. The peer-reviewed OA journal model actuates library publishing activities with the goals of making research globally visible, the ability to build upon others’ work, and uphold the scholarly communication practices of researchers and publishers that might include stakeholder ways in: supporting the faculty research cycle; hosting software and tools’ training; metadata creation; database indexing; Creative Commons licensing; reducing libraries’ purchasing costs; engaging altmetrics; and economic viability. My infographic poster will visually depict various stakeholder alignments in publishing OA journals

Where is the library in course management software?

Course management software (CMS) or courseware products, such as Prometheus, FirstClass, Blackboard, and WebCT, do not include the Library as an essential, curricular component in their design. Consequently, the task falls to librarians to creatively partner with faculty to input library resources into courseware to support students effectively in their research endeavors. Distance learning students, who are off campus, will benefit as they are physically removed from the Library. Distance learners (DLs) can be intimidated by library websites and find it difficult and time consuming to navigate. Since the entire course content is in the course management product, the primary source for class information, it makes good sense to include library resources and services in the appropriate areas, such as the syllabus, assignments, projects, etc. Including research resources within courseware enables students to get started on their own in navigating the Library and can provide direct contact information to appropriate library staff for further and deeper resource assistance

Collaborating with faculty to start up an open access journal

University faculty have ongoing pressure to publish their research findings and teaching successes and produce scholarship worthy of tenure. Acceptance to publish an article in a journal can be highly competitive and in some fields of study, there are few journal publication options. With the advent of open access (OA) publishing opportunities, academic libraries are fulfilling a need by supporting sustainable models of scholarly communication that include collaborating with faculty and editors to “start up” an OA journal or convert a traditional print journal to OA. Some faculty would prefer to transcend the traditional publishing model and may not be aware of available OA publishing opportunities or know the route to become a journal editor. Libraries can provide additional support for faculty to “spin a new journal into the gold publishing model” and transcend an existing print journal into the “green model” of a sustainable OA publication

The Evolving Impact of Institutional Repositories on Reference Librarians

Purpose – The paper\u27s purpose is to share the insights that the staff of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Libraries (Wallace Library, RIT Archives, and the Cary Collection) gained into the role of reference librarians in establishing and operating an institutional repository (IR). Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducts a literature review on a range of published (1999-2005) works to research the background of IRs and to incorporate it with the authors\u27 own experiences. Findings – The research findings, involving implementing IRs and specifically the effect on the role of the reference librarian in academic libraries, were found to be not as extensive as expected. Originality/value – This paper is intended for those who are involved in developing and promoting IRs. The outcome of the paper is to stimulate thought and to contribute to the dialog on the topic of how IRs impact reference librarian roles and careers

At the Nexus of Scholarly Communication and Information Literacy

Introduction Graduate students embarking upon a new phase in their educational careers may not realize the range of expectations, particularly the cocurricular or extracurricular expectation to participate in the scholarly communication process. Unforeseen faculty expectations may include a requirement to publish or copublish an article in order to pass a graduate course or to engage in grant-funded research that will result in conference presentations or publications. Learning about the publication process provides a key transitional experience between the independent intellectual endeavor of conducting research for course assignments and the social dynamics of being a professional researcher or scholar, interacting with a complex human system that encompasses significant variations of protocol. The initiate author must learn to decode and conform to the varied requirements of specific journals, using critical analysis and attention to detail. These lessons come to light and are made personal for the novice author as she transitions from being primarily a consumer to being a creator of published materials. A widespread assumption is that faculty members mentor graduate students through the transition, however, research on graduate education indicates that the practice of mentorship varies widely. Librarians who are seeking hooks for information literacy connections with graduate programs are advised to look closely, yet discreetly, into the cultural dynamics of their liaison departments, as well as to gain familiarity with their department’s resource requirements. Understanding the extent to which publication by graduate students is encouraged and supported through mentorship in specific departments or programs is vitally important for planning and implementing services around both information literacy and scholarly communication. Librarians who facilitate professional exchange between faculty and graduate students around the publication process can contribute developmentally to a key transformative experience whereby a graduate student begins initiation into the mores and intellectual habits of his or her discipline

From Digital Library to Institutional Repository: A Brief Look at One Library’s Path

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the initial transformation of one academic library’s digital media library into the institutional repository (IR) of its entire academic organization. Design/methodology/approach – Description of an academic digital library’s evolution into an institutional repository, accompanied by both practical and philosophical analyses. Findings – Materials supporting an academic institution’s scholarship (from colleges and from supporting organizations on campus) can play an important part in the success of an institutional repository. Standards for metadata content, data structures and hierarchies of collections must be followed consistently, and adequate storage for digital media within an institutional repository is necessary to have in advance of anticipated demand for the smooth operation of the IR and continued access to materials. Gray areas between the role of an institutional repository and the role of that organization’s archives need to be addressed in the future. Practical implications – Academic libraries can be highly successful in producing an institute repository by developing relationships with various organizations on campus in addition to the academic programs. Maintaining standards throughout the IR is crucial to future growth in an organized and consistent manner. Philosophical considerations of the role of the IR should be addressed in the beginning stages of the development of the IR for eliminating confusion and duplication of its contents with other campus organizations. Originality/value – This paper describes the development of a digital library, created and maintained by an academic library, and its gradual change into a de facto institutional repository. Other libraries in the planning stages or initial steps of creating a campus-wide digital library or an institutional repository can benefit from the description of possible successes and problems that they could encounter during implementation

Sustainability and climate models for the Intermountain West: An annotated bibliography

This resource on climate models and sustainability in the Intermountain West, a region that includes the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, is a collaborative effort between the UNLV Libraries (http://library.unlv.edu/) and Brookings Mountain West (http://brookingsmtnwest.unlv.edu/). The selected citations include academic, government, and non-profit information that highlight ongoing research on climate models and sustainability efforts in the region. The websites, government studies, independent reports, scholarly articles, and media reports reflect the diversity and complexity of climate change and sustainability issues in a region that contains widely varying ecosystems. The Intermountain West, with its deserts, basins, mountains, metropolitan centers, and rural areas is a microcosm of our nation’s terrain, with the obvious and notable exception of a coastal region. Although, as studies show, the Intermountain West is not immune to climate shifts originating in nearby coastal areas. The citations provided herein include annotated descriptions designed to assist the reader in evaluating the utility of each resource. It is our intention to update this information on a regular basis, as new information and resources are identified