Academic Librarians\u27 Role in Gatekeeping: The Influence of Vendor Labeling on Academic Library Collections

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of one corporate book vendor on collection holdings in seven Carnegie Class L academic libraries in the areas of practice of education and educational administration. The study uses the communicative rationality theory of Habermas (1989), the habitus work of Bourdieu (1988; 1993), and the gatekeeping theory of Lewin (1947) as theoretical frameworks for explaining how book vendors serve as a connection between organizations and individuals and the librarian’s gatekeeping role in collection development. Analysis of variance was used to measure overall congruence. Library employee size, vendorsupplied categories, and vendor-supplied labels were examined utilizing chi square test of analysis. While statistically significant difference was found in an overall analysis of the book holdings, no significant difference was found in examinations of the vendorsupplied categories nor vendor-supplied labels indicating congruence and the influence of the book vendor on book collections. Findings were mixed in the analyses involving number of library employees. Smaller academic libraries of 69 or fewer employees had significantly different collections than the two larger groups of libraries. Academic libraries with 70 to 95 employees and academic libraries with 96 or more employees did not have statistically different book collections indicating congruence. Book vendors were found to work at the routine level of analysis and to act as intermediaries who create legitimizing structures that influenced book selection

Collection Development Tips and Tricks

Finding the best works for your library doesn’t have to involve expensive subscriptions to book review journals. This presentation will focus on strategies to hunt and find quality works without breaking the bank or monopolizing your time

Using YA Fiction to Build Interest in STEM with Teen Girls

If Hunger Games can inspire young women to take up the bow and arrow, then surely other young adult (YA) titles can inspire enthusiasm for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). This program will discuss the role of YA fiction in teen development and specific YA titles to encourage STEM interests with teen girls

Myths of Quality on the World Wide Web

A presentation on the myths of quality on the world wide web and tips on how to discover and verify reliable sources

Plagiarism

The news media today is filled with articles on plagiarism. Well known figures such as Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin parade across our newspapers charged with plagiarizing. Studies from around the country show a high number of high school and college students admitting to using others\u27 works as their own. It\u27s fairly clear that more should be done to prevent plagiarism. In reviewing the literature, prevention of plagiarism involves three issues: understanding why it happens, detecting it and structuring assignments to prevent it

Bringing Semantic Diversity to the Online Catalog with LibraryThing

While controlled vocabularies, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings, are an essential component of bibliographic classification, a controlled vocabulary excludes all possibilities of semantic variance by design. Also, a controlled vocabulary tends to lag behind the organic nature of language and does not account for the introduction of new or discipline specific vocabularies. These limitations present unique challenges for our users searching the OP AC. Can importing social tags in the online catalog effectively address the lack of semantic variance? As part of the Web OPAC redesign project at UNO, LibraryThing tags were added to matching bibliographic records in the online catalog. This presentation will cover the practical aspects of adding LibraryThing tags to most vendor-based OPACs, address the variety of tags employed and offer ideas for effective tagging. In addition, we will explore how a collaborative service learning project with discipline specific university classes encouraged patron participation. We will also examine the overall quality and utility of LibraryTiring\u27s folksonomy. Lastly, additional features to be added in the near future by LibraryThing\u27s developers will be discussed

‘‘Going Where the Questions Are’’: Using Media to Maintain Personalized Contact in Reference Service in Medium-Sized Academic Libraries

Different approaches to reference service have been added over the years, but the basic premise of the service has not changed–the desire to assist and educate users in locating information. As new technologies are added, such as desktop conferencing and web access, it is important that the personalized contact which is the heart of reference service be preserved. The human touch in the reference process is very important to the success of the reference transaction. Media can be useful in assisting reference librarians in ‘‘Going Where the Questions Are’’ while still maintaining the personal element in creating real-time reference transactions in a technological environment

The Value of lnformation Literacy Skills for Teaching and Learning

This article defines information literacy and how information literacy skills are important to education faculty and students. Education students are being prepared to assume their roles as teachers without realizing some of the important skills that are necessary for that role, such as information literacy. Teacher education students need to develop good information literacy skills so they can pass those skills on to their own students. In a qualitative study of teacher education students in a beginning-level professional education class, involving students in a hands-on activity involving information literacy resulted in teacher education student papers that were richer and better prepared

Envisioning a Literacy Partnership: The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Criss Library and Girls Inc.

The history of academic library involvement in service learning is varied. This paper provides an overview of service learning and the literature on academic libraries’ participation in service learning activities. A vision of service learning participation is described, as well as the implementation of service learning activities in two library science courses. Strategies for future library contributions to service learning are presented to encourage more widespread involvement across the profession

Early Childhood/Child Welfare Priority

This is the executive summary of a white paper that describes the context, current capacity, areas of opportunity, and next steps for the UNO Early Childhood/Child Welfare Priority (ECCW). It responds to the need for comprehensive integrated systems of services designed to give all young children (birth through age eight) access to what they need in the early years to succeed in school and in life. In this context, UNO recognizes ECCW as critical to our metropolitan university mission. Further, we must come together with early childhood service providers, P-12 districts, parents, policy makers, other University of Nebraska campuses, community service agencies and businesses to improve learning and developmental outcomes for all children, with emphasis on children who are at-risk and those with special needs