Christian Librarians and the Library Bill of Rights: A Survey of Opinions and Professional Practice

This study used a survey methodology to discover how Christian librarians working in academic libraries responded to the American Library Association’s (ALA) ethical standards as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights (LBR). The results showed that while the Christian librarians surveyed largely support the LBR and adhere to it professionally, their interpretation of its sometimes ambiguous language is made through the lens of a Christian worldview and can conflict with the ALA’s interpretation. Of particular concern to the respondents were issues of collection development and access to content like pornography, violence, or other similar material that conflicts with Christian morality

Putting it all Together: A Holistic Approach to Utilizing Your Library\u27s User Data for Making Informed Web Design Decisions

In the age of Big Data, there is an abundance of free or cheap data sources available to libraries about their users\u27 behavior across the many components that make up their web presence. Data from vendors, data from Google Analytics or other third-party tracking software, and data from user testing are all things libraries have access to at little or no cost. However, just like many students can become overloaded when they do not know how to navigate the many information sources available to them, many libraries can become overloaded by the continuous stream of data pouring in from these sources. This session will aim to help librarians understand 1) what sorts of data their library already has (or easily could have) access to about how their users use their various web tools, 2) what that data can and cannot tell them, and 3) how to use the datasets they are collecting in a holistic manner to help them make design decisions. The presentation will feature examples from the presenters\u27 own experience of incorporating user data in decisions related to design the Bethel University Libraries\u27 web presence

Christian Librarians and the Ethics of the Library Bill of Rights

This study is the follow up to a pilot study entitled “Christian Librarians and the Library Bill of Rights: a survey of opinions and professional practice” published in the Spring 2014 issue of The Christian Librarian.  Using an online survey, it sought to discover how librarians working in a variety of contexts who self-identified as Christians responded to the ALA’s ethical standards as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights.  The results showed general support for the Library Bill of Rights and its ethics, though a majority of respondents had at least some way in which they adhered to the Library Bill of Rights less than fully, and a significant minority (around 40%) had areas in which they differed with its ethics, usually in the form of feeling that certain types of content (e.g., pornography, harmful materials, etc.) could or should be limited.  The responses in this survey would seem to support the notion that many Christian librarians do sometimes perceive a need to place the value of defending what they perceive to be true and right above the call to remain professionally impartial about certain kinds of content

Visualizing Your LibGuides 2.0 Content: Easy Ways to Improve the Look of Your Guides, and Why it Matters

It has been well documented that web users do not read the majority of text on a page, preferring to scan the contents. Visuals can aid users substantially--or they can be confusing or ignored outright. And yet, working with the visual presentation of guide content often requires a knowledge of CSS and some ability with design principles. Beyond this, with guide contents often contributed by an assortment of people, libraries can feel forced to choose between an ad hoc approach or an enforced boilerplate design. In this presentation, we will discuss an approach to LibGuides 2 guide content that is guided by usability thinking and testing; built on recognizable branding; uses built-in, ready-made CSS classes that all guide creators with basic HTML knowledge can use; and provides uniformity that can be applied creatively by each individual guide creator. This session seeks to blend discussion of usable design with practical, easy-to-implement suggestions. Participants in the session will have opportunity to discuss their own problems and solutions working with content in LibGuides 2