The evolution of electronic reference sources

Purpose To provide a historical look at the development of web versions of reference materials and discuss what makes an easy-to-use and useful electronic handbook. Design/methodology/approach Electronic reference materials were limited to handbooks available on the web. Observations and assumptions about usability are tested with an information retrieval test for specific tasks in print and online editions of the same texts. Findings Recommended adoption of those elements which create a well designed book in combination with robust search capabilities and online presentation result in an easy-to-use and useful electronic reference source. Research limitations/implications The small sample size that was used for testing limits the ability to draw conclusions, and is used only as an indication of the differences between models. A more thorough look at difference between electronic book aggregates, such as ENGnetBASE, Knovel® and Referex would highlight the best features for electronic reference materials. Practical implications Advantages to particular models for electronic reference publishing are discussed, raising awareness for product evaluation. Areas of development for electronic reference book publishers or providers are identified. Work in these areas would help ensure maximum efficiency through cross title searching via metasearching and data manipulation. Originality/value The paper presents results from some human computer interaction studies about electronic books which have been implemented in a web interface, and the positive effects achieved

Information use in design: what should we be teaching?

Librarians are regularly working to understand how students make decisions around information use to inform the development of more relevant learning activities. The more relevant the activities when students are learning any new skill, the more likely they are to understand the task and incorporate the learning into future design decisions and writing. The need to build connections and understanding is critical in adoption of information literacy. In this study, the researcher analyzed the transcript from an end of semester focus group with students in a design class about their information use during the semester project. The transcript was analyzed using deductive thematic analysis while simultaneously staying open to emergent codes

Developing Professional Skills in STEM Students: Data Information Literacy

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need very basic introductions to data concepts, including definitions for database and dataset, and the process of data object discovery

Science and Technology Libraries Partnering with Knovel

The engineering library plays a critical role in initiating and maintaining the conduit between vendors of engineering information and the users of that information—faculty, students, and researchers. Likewise, vendors play a key role in supporting library and faculty efforts to promote engineering information resources, beyond just supplying content and interface. Engineering libraries and vendors can effectively work together to get the most from electronic engineering resources for both large and small institutions. The case studies here show how Knovel Corporation, a sci-tech e-book vendor, has worked with engineering librarians at large and small institutions and with faculty members to promote awareness and usage of Knovel’s interactive library of electronic books for engineering education

Science and technology libraries partnering with Knovel

Science and Technology Libraries, 26(3): pp. 13-28.The engineering library plays a critical role in initiating and maintaining the conduit between vendors of engineering information and the users of that information—faculty, students, and researchers. Likewise, vendors play a key role in supporting library and faculty efforts to promote science and engineering information resources, beyond just supplying content and interface. Science and engineering libraries and vendors can effectively work together to get the most from electronic resources for both large and small institutions. The case studies here show how Knovel Corporation, a sci-tech e-book vendor, has worked with librarians at large and small institutions and with faculty members to promote awareness and usage of Knovel’s interactive library of electronic books for science and engineering education. Librarians and Knovel partner at a large institution like Drexel University to give on-site workshops for faculty and students. At these workshops important features of Knovel’s content and software are discussed and demonstrated in a live format. Questions are encouraged to ensure participants understand the technology, and short assignments reinforce learning. Knovel works with librarians to promote these sessions and continues the dialogue with attendees afterward. On-site demonstrations are one of the most effective ways to educate users about new technologies and new content. Librarians at smaller institutions often do not have the time and resources to devote to a full-scale on-site workshop. They need an "out-of-the-box" solution that is quick to deploy with an interface that is self-evident to users. Complete integration of e-book titles into the institution’s information toolbox is the key here. Knovel provides resources to promote ready access to meet the needs of smaller institutions, including MARC records for the library's catalog. Finally, librarians and Knovel work directly with faculty to integrate Knovel's content into their courses. An example is Purdue University’s "treasure hunt" assignment given in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program which includes questions which leverage Knovel titles to answer. By supporting outreach and access strategies appropriate for institution size and need, librarians and Knovel illustrate how to create an effective partnership with engineering libraries to increase awareness, usage and, ultimately, cost-effectiveness of electronic resources

Educating for Evidence Based Decisions in Engineering: The View as Librarian and Instructor

The First Year Engineering program at Purdue University is regularly reviewed and revised to adapt to the needs of the students, feedback from teaching faculty, and the changing needs of the university curriculum. In the last year, a unifying theme was added to the class to help tie all the different activities together. That theme was “evidence based decision making in engineering”, a perfect fit for introducing and discussing information literacy many times throughout the semester, rather than in a single, isolated session. As instructor for one section of the class, the author identifies benefits to including this message throughout the semester, evidenced by the resources students used as seen during spot reviews of homework assignments and when listening to group work during class. Post-class reflections recorded by the instructor on how class went and what students struggled with, particularly related to identifying information needs and appropriately supporting those needs with evidence, form part of the data for analysis. A content analysis of the common PowerPoint slides provided for all sections of the class identifies when in the semester the information content is included and in what context. This analysis will produce an outline of mechanisms that could be used in other settings to introduce information literacy content and reinforce the need for quality evidence in making decisions

When Vendor Statistics Are Not Enough: Determining Use of Electronic Databases

Many libraries have large collections of electronically available databases including journal article and conference paper indexes, full-text vendor catalogs, and standards databases. Which of these resources are being used and to what level becomes a point of interest. A quick re-direct Web-log has been created to track the number of times a particular link is selected, providing a consistent comparison of different resources. The resulting information can be used to determine if what the library provided is being used and if it can be marketed more effectively, which, ultimately, will aid in a cost/benefit analysis for budget decisions

Beyond JEE: Finding Publication Venues to Get your Message to the ‘Right’ Audience

Very few publications exist outlining the different publishing opportunities within engineering education as a discipline. Most researchers think immediately of the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE), and as the primary publication associated with the American Society for Engineering Education it is a logical first thought. Questions arise with new graduate students and young faculty who are trying to learn the scope of engineering education as a research discipline and need to identify possible publication venues. A broad list of publications has been generated and is maintained by the ASEE Student Division in cooperation with the Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT) at the University of Washington (http://engineeringeducationlist.pbworks.com/w/page/27614165/Engineering Education Research Publication Venues) and will be used as the starting point for this analysis. It offers broad categorization, but does not provide additional information about a publication or any ratings. A systematic review of the potential publication venues, including raking factors such as impact factor, SJR, and h-index, review procedures, copyright expectations, indexing, longevity, and subject focus will all be considered. A simple ranking system is used to weight the publications in several categories and totaled for an overall rating. The results will be presented as sorted lists of publications based on different rankings in several categories. The database of gathered information will be publicly available for users to search for publication venues on the criteria most important to them

Librarians and Statistics: Thoughts on a Tentative Relationship

Librarians are not trained as original researchers during library school. As a result, librarians as authors may succumb to common statistical misconceptions and use errors, thus it is important for librarians to know how to recognize them. A quick discussion of what a researcher should be aware to avoid poor methods and inaccurate use of statistics is included. A review of statistics and research methods courses currently offered in library and information science programs helps determine if the lack of training observed in earlier studies has changed. A list of recommendations for authors and reviewers of LIS literature is presented

Equal Access: What does the digital revolution mean for library web sites?

Librarians have used the principle of equal access to protect the rights of patrons for years. In light of the digital revolution that has happened in the past ten years, equal access has taken on a new significance. The digital revolution has produced a new patron class who primarily access the library’s resources through the library website. These patrons, primarily undergraduate college students, are technologically savvy, have high expectations for customer service, and are format agnostic, prizing resource proximity over quality. Based on this understanding of our new patrons, librarians must seek to create equal access through the library website