Google in the research and teaching of instruction librarians

Charlene Sorensen, Serials Coordinator, University of Saskatchewan Library, Canada ; Candice Dahl, Liaison Librarian, University of Saskatchewan Library, Canada .This exploratory study assesses the differences and similarities between how instruction librarians in Western Canada use Google and how they instruct students to use it. Survey results indicate that these librarians do use Google but can be influenced by faculty to present Google negatively to students

Sustainable growth with sustainable resources: Using change management, participative consultation, and grassroots planning for a new future

Purpose: Libraries are situated in an ever-changing research, teaching, learning, and scholarly communications environment. Faculty and students have new and different expectations that are compelling libraries to expand their offerings. At the same time, their broader institutions are also facing changing times and academic libraries are being asked to demonstrate value and justify the use of limited and high-demand resources. In order to address the resulting challenge, the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Library undertook a process to deliver relevant and responsive (and, therefore, reflective and adaptable) library services while working within its current librarian complement. Significant changes were necessary for this to be successful: the librarians would need to undertake new responsibilities, learn new skills, and engage with learners and researchers in new ways. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The U of S Library chose to meet this challenge through a multi-part approach comprised of regular participative consultations with librarians and a grassroots-based planning process underpinned by change management methodology. Findings: This approach resulted in widespread employee engagement, from initially clarifying the necessary change and throughout the change implementation. This led to a sense of ownership, responsibility, and accountability. Originality/value: Change is difficult and often met with resistance. The U of S Library presents a case of successfully engaging library employees throughout a change process, demonstrating the importance of bringing together participative consultation, grassroots planning, and change management as a combined change implementation approach

Transcendental Metadata: A Collaborative Schema for Electronic Resource Description

Academic libraries are attempting to manage growing collections of diverse electronic resources in a chaotic environment of evolving standards and systems. The transition from a print-dominated resource environment to an electronic one has complicated the decision-making process. Current discourse primarily focuses on meeting patron needs and has distracted researchers from looking at librarian needs. The authors discovered that librarians want a better understanding of the nature, extent, and diversity of electronic resources for decision making, assessment, and accountability. Drawing from the collaborative methods and design philosophies of other disciplines, this paper outlines an approach to leveraging Web 2.0 philosophy and Business Intelligence techniques to address these needs. This approach will serve as a guide for academic librarians to transcend their current practices in order to develop innovative, collaborative, and holistic approaches to the joint stewardship of library electronic resource collections

Communicating Collections Cancellations to Campus: A Qualitative Study

Research in Librarianship Grant awarded by the Canadian Association of Research LibrariesPeer ReviewedAcademic libraries around the world are cancelling big deal journal subscriptions at an increasing rate. This is primarily due to budgetary challenges, the unsustainable hyperinflationary pricing of these packages, and a need to move toward new open access models. It is a complex situation with many vested interests and stakeholders. Some libraries have been the target of angry backlash from faculty after such cancellations. The purpose of this qualitative study is to discover strategies for communicating to the campus community about collections cancellations so that they will better understand and support the library in making these difficult decisions

The 5K Run Toolkit: A Quick, Painless, and Thoughtful Approach to Managing Print Journal Backruns

Charlene Sorensen is Serials Coordinator, University of Saskatchewan Library, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada SK S7N 5A4Increasingly, academic libraries are choosing to discard or place in storage online-available print journal backruns. The identification of these titles and related collection analysis activities are often time-intensive. The approach at the University of Saskatchewan Library was to develop an online toolkit that combined available data from disparate sources including the integrated library system, SFX link resolver, and WorldCat and present them in a collaborative open source environment. This paper demonstrates how the careful combination of existing data presented in a simple online format allowed subject specialists to make accurate print journal deselection decisions quickly and painlessly

Google and the academic instruction librarian

Candice Dahl is a Liaison and Instruction Librarian, University of Saskatchewan Library (candice. [email protected]). Charlene Sorensen is Serials Coordinator, University of Saskatchewan Library (charlene. [email protected])

Transcendental metadata: a collaborative schema for eResource description

Presented at Electronic Resources and Libraries, Austin, Texas, March 1, 201

Communicating Collections Cancellations to Campus: Qualitative Evidence to Inform Practice

Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL)Non-Peer ReviewedAim In recent years, academic libraries across Canada have experienced severe budgetary challenges due to de-funding, currency instability, and the unsustainable rising costs of e-resources subscriptions. All of this is taking place in a volatile scholarly publishing environment. In these uncertain times, many libraries are being forced to make major collections cancellations decisions, and the focus is increasingly on the “big deal” journal packages. At some institutions, these cancellations attract considerable media coverage and negative backlash from faculty against the library, but at other institutions libraries receive support from their campuses. How can libraries effectively communicate cancellations so that their campus communities understand and support these decisions? The aim of this study was to collect qualitative evidence to answer this question. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 librarians from large research libraries across Canada. Each of the participants had some experience with major collections cancellations decisions and the communications of these decisions to campus stakeholders at their institutions. The interviews allowed participants to reflect on what worked well and what didn’t in their communications strategies. We analyzed the transcripts using qualitative coding methods to reveal recurring themes, lessons learned, and advice for others facing similar situations. Results Recurrent themes from the data include practical strategies, but also higher level thoughts on topics such as stewardship, building trust, and the importance of tying collections decisions to broader issues in scholarly communication. Conclusion Cancellations communications are becoming commonplace for academic libraries in these times of uncertainty. Typically, these communications are reactive in response to circumstances driven by external forces. We hope that the evidence collected in this study supports libraries in the preemptive development of effective and strategic communication practices that results in support and understanding from their campus communities. Furthermore, we anticipate that the results of this project will encourage libraries to raise the awareness of faculty and administrators about the challenges of the current publishing ecosystem and their role in it – therefore advocating for a transition to a more sustainable scholarly communication system

Keep Calm and Communicate: Two Sessions Addressing Collections Cancellations and Communications in Academic Libraries

Non-Peer ReviewedDiscover the trends and strategies that emerged from a content analysis of CARL libraries communications around cancellations considering change management