Incoming!: Surviving the Barrage of Vendor Communications

For those in collection management, dealing with vendors is an integral part of the job. Yet the sheer volume of e-mails, phone calls, and other communications can sometimes leave one feeling as though under assault. This paper analyzes real-world examples of vendor communications and assesses their relevance and usefulness. It also provides tips and strategies for managing such communications effectively. Conveying library needs and expectations back to vendors, for example, is a critical step. For their part, vendors will have an opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t from a librarian’s perspective so that they may in turn learn how to communicate more efficiently with their customers

Taking the Long View: A Case Study of E-Book Usage at a Comprehensive Research University

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech made their first major acquisition of e-books in 2008 with a purchase of new e-book collections from Springer. While the business relationship has evolved over time, it has continued forward to the present day. Currently, the library’s online holdings include most of the frontlist subject collections available from what is now Springer Nature, as well as the Springer book series and the Springer Book Archives. In all, the University Libraries make over 120,000 e-books available to patrons through the SpringerLink platform. The cumulative usage of this material represents over two million chapter downloads by the university community just since 2012. The large number of titles available and the long-term nature of the acquisitions provide unique opportunities for in-depth analysis. The Springer Nature e-book collections also offer a variety of material types including monographs, textbooks, and reference works integrated onto the same platform. This session provides a case study of Springer Nature e-book usage at Virginia Tech and shows how working directly with a vendor partner can provide an enhanced and more multifaceted view of usage

ILL as Acquisitions: Implementing and Integrating POD in a Research Library

This paper describes Virginia Tech\u27s implementation of a purchase‐on‐demand (POD) program designed to complement the traditional interlibrary loan workflow. POD can offer a way to obtain otherwise unavailable or unlendable content or to get many items at lower cost than a typical borrowing transaction. POD also offers another means of building the collection through purchases of materials we know will get at least one use. We share key details of our program from pilot phase to its broader integration into the acquisitions workflow

Hosting a Library Vendor Week: A Better Way to Manage Site Visits?

Scheduling meetings between vendors and the appropriate library staff members is often a challenge, and the number of requests for site visits can quickly overwhelm any library calendar. The University Libraries at Virginia Tech recently held its first library vendor week in an attempt to address such concerns. Nearly two dozen vendors took part in the five-day event. This paper provides key lessons we learned during this experience and shares tips and strategies for libraries that may be interested in hosting their own multivendor event. With one perspective provided by the host library, and another from a vendor who took part, readers will learn from both sides about this uncommon approach to organizing vendor visits

Thirty Days and Counting: Conducting Effective Product Trials for Library Resources

Product trials for evaluating potential new resources can be a challenge for any library. To be most effective, several key elements must be addressed including determining suitable trial dates, establishing and confirming access, creating appropriate links, publicizing product availability, collecting usage data, and gathering feedback from participants. If one or more of these steps is missed, it is all too easy for trial access to run out before much useful data is gathered. The University Libraries at Virginia Tech have developed a method for managing this process through a Trials Workflow team and the use of free, Web-based project management software from Trello. Readers will learn about our workflow for conducting trials and discover how we work with our vendors to better manage the process for product trials

Flipping the Model: A Values-Based Consortial Approach to Journal Negotiations

When negotiating journal pricing, the disadvantages libraries face are well documented. In addition to financially incompatible acquisition models that are out of sync with both library budgets and any predicted growth, libraries are also presented with rising inflationary costs, content added to an already overloaded system, and vendor consolidation. Pricing issues are further exacerbated by traditional negotiations, where libraries begin negotiations based on the offers made by publishers and vendors. These offers too often are predicated on historical spend and coupled with list prices that come with few explanations for their sums. Big package deals, that arguably expand access to resources and may lower costs on an article basis, have also increased overall costs and pushed out diverse resources. In attempting to move away from such deals institutions are faced with similar pricing for dramatically reduced access. The difficulties in navigating our way to a sustainable model become clear when the loss of researcher access is coupled with the increased staffing needed to manage individual subscriptions. New, and potentially viable pathways are beginning to emerge, including open access initiatives and the application of new models, such as read/publish. Although these pathways are not yet fully formed, they are promising developments that attempt to more holistically account for the contributions of the academy, the public good, and the costs of publishing. This presentation detailed the efforts of a task force within VIVA (Virginia’s academic library consortium) to create a bridge-solution between the current acquisition model and the future vision of its members. It creates a space to rethink what these deals could be and relies on consortial criteria to determine the value of content. The approach remains conscious of the real long-term institutional trust and communication risks to such endeavors, and is built on concerted, collective action

Keep Those Booktrucks Rolling: Strategies for a Major Move of the Library Collection

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech recently completed an extensive move of the physical collection and reduction of the stacks footprint in our main facility. This session relates key elements of what we learned during this multi‐year process and share tips and strategies for an effective and efficient large‐scale move. We cover ways to address such issues as project management, communications, staffing, identifying materials for storage or deselection, and processing of materials as well as how the process we used may be applied elsewhere

Graduate research : a guide for students in the sciences

xix, 287 p. ; 25 cm

Graduate research : a guide for students in the sciences /

'Graduate Research' is an all-in-one resource for prospective and matriculated graduate students in the sciences. The newly revised edition includes updates to every chapter. It covers a range of topics including writing and preparation of research proposals, developing and refining teaching skills, and ethics and compliance areas such as research involving human subjects and animals.Includes bibliographical references and index.Online resource; title from PDF title page (ScienceDirect, viewed March 3, 2016).'Graduate Research' is an all-in-one resource for prospective and matriculated graduate students in the sciences. The newly revised edition includes updates to every chapter. It covers a range of topics including writing and preparation of research proposals, developing and refining teaching skills, and ethics and compliance areas such as research involving human subjects and animals.Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Contents; Author Biographies; Bob Smith; Lou Densmore; Ed Lener; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; References; Chapter 1 -- Getting Started; Choosing graduate study in the sciences; Investigating possibilities for graduate study in the sciences; University organization; The players; Allegiances and obligations; Chapter 2 -- Attitudes, Commitments, and Creativity; Attitudes and commitments; Creativity; Levels of creativity; Characteristics of auctors; Chapter 3 -- Making Choices; Choices in types of research; Choosing an advisor and mentor.Adopting role modelsEvaluating financial support options; Selecting programs of study; Considering interdisciplinary versus disciplinary research; Choosing a research problem; Selecting courses and using research aids; Recommending thesis and dissertation committee members; Chapter 4 -- Time Management; Planning; Organization; Execution; Chapter 5 -- Principles of Scientific Research; Observation; Using observations and experiences to identify problems for study; Hypotheses; Experimentation; Interpretation; Chapter 6 -- Ethics and the Scientist; The ethos and methods of science.Scientists' valuesThe dark side of science; Misconduct in research; Plagiarism and its avoidance; Other ethical matters of concern; Keeping the code; Chapter 7 -- Library and Literature Work; Professional reading; Graduate level literature work; Using the library; Searching the literature; Library catalog; Library discovery services; Article databases; Discipline-based article databases; General searching tips; Boolean operators; Truncation and wildcards; Evaluating the literature; Organizing literature references; Keeping up with the literature; Chapter 8 -- Writing and Speaking Skills.Writing skillsElements of good writing; Approaches to good writing; Preparing notes and outlines; Write, rewrite, and rewrite; Writing tools; Texting, email and written notes, memos, and letters; Persuasiveness; Research notebooks; Reports; Report Format and Style; Research papers; Book or journal reviews; Speaking and Communicating Well; Chapter 9 -- Preparing Theses and Dissertations; Planning and approaches; Characteristics of theses and dissertations; Dissertation blues; Relations with thesis and dissertation committee members; Approaches to writing; Deadlines, word processing, and binding.The defense and oral examinationChapter 10 -- Presentation and Publication of Papers; Presentation of papers at meetings; Submission of abstracts; Types of presentations; Publication of papers; Selecting journals and publishers; Preparation of manuscripts; Submitting manuscripts to publishers; Manuscript reviews; Handling proofs; Chapter 11 -- Research Involving Human Subjects and Animals and Biohazards and Laboratory Safety; Human subjects research; Use of animals in research; Veterinary care and assistance; Biohazards and laboratory safety; Chapter 12 -- Getting Grant Support.Elsevie