Technical Services Librarians and Outreach: Communicating Our Value to Engage Students in Critical Thinking about Information

At the University of Memphis (UM), two technical services librarians were inspired to present at an institutional conference with the goal of engaging students in building professional competencies and, specifically, enhancing their understanding of an increasingly complex information landscape in which they learn and work. This case study presents an example of technical services outreach outside of the library, shares methods used to engage students in thinking critically about the behind-the-scenes work entailed in resource management, and explains some of the ways in which technical services relates to the information students encounter as researchers

Intersections of Open Access and Information Privilege in Higher Education and Beyond

Despite its capacity to reach readers irrespective of affiliation or geographic location, conversations about Open Access (OA) frequently center academic stakeholders in high-income countries. This presentation will examine opportunities for technical services librarians to explore with students some of the inequities of the scholarly communications landscape, including various approaches to and aspects of OA, and to consider the disparate levels of access available to individuals based on institutional affiliation. Because higher education settings afford students a high degree of information privilege, academic librarians face the challenge of teaching students to appreciate the value of information, acknowledge barriers to it, and identify and evaluate the freely available resources and content to which they will have access post-graduation. Although technical services and scholarly communication librarians tend to have fewer teaching responsibilities than those working in public services, our experiences with collection development, licensing, and resource description provide insights to share with students regarding information value and privilege. A case study on student projects which included the editing of Wikipedia entries highlights tensions between institutional privilege and open resources. Teaching students about the costs, processes, and value of information production empowers them to understand their privilege and responsibilities

Documenting an Open Future in a Post-Policy World

This session continues the work of a 2019 survey that investigated library policies related to Open Access (OA). Specifically, this study sought to address the self-selection of participants by randomly selecting and directly contacting academic librarians at libraries within one of four different Carnegie classifications to request input on their library’s collection development policies and the existence of OA policies or informal practices related to library collections. The findings surface disparities in the documentation of OA collection practices among institution classifications and highlight concerns about both OA and policies in the collections strategies of academic libraries

Open Access Literature in Libraries: Principles and Practices

Open Access has evolved into the most complex challenge of the scholarly communication landscape and something libraries grapple with on a regular basis. But although librarians hold increasingly positive perceptions about OA, including its richness of unique content and immediacy of access, many lack the understanding, training, documentation, and knowledge of best practices that would allow them to engage with it confidently. This book helps to fill that gap, using a holistic approach that walks readers through the steps of integrating OA resources into library collections and supporting OA initiatives irrespective of budget, institution type, collection size, and staffing. Explaining definitions and models of OA, types of OA support, the tensions between free-to-read and libre OA, and other key topics, from this book readers will learn: the origins and growth of OA, how to define it, and some of the ways in which librarians have made connections to OA; where OA diverges from the historic role of library collection development policies and ways to bring OA into alignment with an institution\u27s collection development principles and practices; real-world examples of how libraries have supported or integrated OA into their collections, including strategies for selecting and activating OA titles and collections for inclusion, offering open educational resources (OER) to students, samples of collection management workflows, and ideas for aligning collections with institutional repositories or other Green OA initiatives; guidance on financially supporting OA content, initiatives, and platforms; how OA publishing does and does not harmonize with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; and tips for using ongoing assessment and evaluation to continuously support the library’s path to an open future

Exploring Open Access Practices, Attitudes, and Policies in Academic Libraries

This article reports the results of a 2019 survey of academic librarians that investigated their attitudes, practices, and policies regarding open access (OA). This study asks if academic librarians write policies to ensure that they approach OA intentionally and systematically across all library services. The results indicate that, though librarians report favorable beliefs about OA and integrating OA into technical and public services, they seldom create OA policies

Usability Studies in the Electronic Resource Lifecycle

The usability of e-resources and services contributes to library patrons’ use and satisfaction with them, which in turn affects library employees’ acquisition, provision of access, administration, support, and evaluation of e-resources. Librarians can integrate usability into the e-resource lifecycle in a variety of places and using numerous methods. This presentation provides an introduction to usability testing, highlights two usability case studies involving e-resources, and discusses how librarians might fruitfully incorporate usability methods throughout the e-resource lifecycle

Tension on JAM-A activates RhoA via GEF-H1 and p115 RhoGEF

Junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) is a broadly expressed adhesion molecule that regulates cell–cell contacts and facilitates leukocyte transendothelial migration. The latter occurs through interactions with the integrin LFA-1. Although we understand much about JAM-A, little is known regarding the protein’s role in mechanotransduction or as a modulator of RhoA signaling. We found that tension imposed on JAM-A activates RhoA, which leads to increased cell stiffness. Activation of RhoA in this system depends on PI3K-mediated activation of GEF-H1 and p115 RhoGEF. These two GEFs are further regulated by FAK/ERK and Src family kinases, respectively. Finally, we show that phosphorylation of JAM-A at Ser-284 is required for RhoA activation in response to tension. These data demonstrate a direct role of JAM-A in mechanosignaling and control of RhoA and implicate Src family kinases in the regulation of p115 RhoGEF

The Library Never Closes: Assessing Resources and Services After a Crisis

There are different ways to interpret the statement, “the library never closes.” One interpretation is that the library as a place and a building is so vital to a university that it cannot close under any circumstances. At the University of Memphis (UM), one of the universities included in this study, the McWherter library did not close, even in March 2020 when fear and uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic were at their height. The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Illinois State University (ISU), the other two institutions included in this study, closed their buildings in March and stayed closed into the summer. A second interpretation of “the library never closes” is that the library is more than a place or building. The library is a collection of resources, a set of services, and a group of people who can operate independently of the building. As long as it continues to serve its users, the library remains open even when its doors are closed. This paper uses data to examine the extent to which three university libraries were able to continue serving library users despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data cover various aspects of library collections and services: physical checkouts, research services, instruction, website visits, discovery service sessions, electronic serials, electronic books, and streaming videos

Pressor and Sympathetic Responses to Graded Skeletal Muscle Metaboreflex Activation in Females with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease characterized by demyelination in the central nervous system which disproportionately impacts females. Previous studies suggest MS-related exercise intolerance may be due to abnormal control of arterial blood pressure (BP) via the skeletal muscle metaboreflex. However, few studies have been performed and equivocal results reported. Discontinuity in prior data may be due to limited perturbation of metaboreflex activation using only low and moderate intensity exercise. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that females with MS have blunted BP and sympathetic responses to graded static handgrip (HG) exercise and isolated metaboreflex activation during postexercise ischemia (PEI) compared to healthy controls. METHODS: In 7 females with relapsing-remitting MS and 9 healthy female controls beat-to-beat BP (finometer) and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA; peroneal microneurography) were recorded at rest and during two minutes of handgrip performed at 30% and 40% maximum voluntary contraction followed by two minutes of PEI to isolate the muscle metaboreflex. RESULTS: There were no differences in resting mean arterial pressure (MAP; P= 0.16) or MSNA burst frequency (P= 0.15) between MS and controls. MAP and MSNA increased during 30% HG (MS: Δ19.8 ± 9.1 mmHg vs. Con: Δ17.8 ± 5.4 mmHg; P= 0.30 and MS: Δ17 ± 12 bursts/min vs. Con: Δ18 ± 17 bursts/min; P= 0.46) and 40% HG (MS: Δ29.3 ± 8.0 mmHg vs. Con: Δ30.0 ± 6.9 mmHg; P= 0.43 and MS: Δ36 ± 16 bursts/min vs. Con: Δ40 ± 9 bursts/min; P= 0.30) with no differences between groups. Likewise, MAP and MSNA responses were also not different during PEI post 30% HG (MS: Δ15.8 ± 7.6 mmHg vs. Con: Δ15.8 ± 6.4 mmHg; P= 0.50 and MS: Δ15 ± 9 bursts/min vs. Con: Δ11 ± 7 bursts/min; P= 0.19) or PEI post 40% HG (MS: Δ25.8 ± 6.3 mmHg vs. Con: Δ22.6 ± 8.2 mmHg; P= 0.43 and MS: Δ23 ± 13 bursts/min vs. Con: Δ24 ± 7 bursts/min; P= 0.46) between MS and controls. CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggest intact skeletal muscle metaboreflex control of arterial BP in females with MS