An Assessment of Image Quality in Geology Works from the HathiTrust Digital Library

This study assesses the quality of both images and text in a sample from the 2,180 works on geology from the HathiTrust Digital Library (multi-institutional digital repository)--an outgrowth of the Michigan Digitization Project and partnership with Google, Inc. A random sample of 180 (consisting of 47,287 pages) was made and reveals many patterns and characteristics of the digital manifestations of these works. The good news is that of the total 47,287 pages that were reviewed, only 2.5% had errors. The bad news, of the 180 works, 114 or 63% had at least one scanning error. It is important for librarians and readers to know the strengths and shortcomings of this repository in considering future decisions on both de-accessioning and remote storage of works from libraries

The Kansas Pocket Maps of Otis B. Gunn and David T. Mitchell: A Case of Nineteenth-Century Promotional Cartography

Engineer Otis B. Gunn and surveyor, land agent, and lawyer David T. Mitchell each created a map of Kansas and its surrounding lands in 1859. By 1861 the two men were working together to publish Gunn & Mitchell's New Map of Kansas. Scott McEathron, of the T. R. Smith Map Collection at the University of Kansas Libraries, explores the publishing history of the 1861 map and its subsequent editions, which were published until 1866. He suggests that the primary market for the map was immigrants seeking land in eastern Kansas and secondarily participants of the Colorado gold rush

KU Libraries Digital Data Services Strategy

Contains an introduction, proposed model of support, examples of existing services, examples of new or enhanced services, and glossary

A Comparison of E-book and Print Book Discovery, Preferences and Usage by Science and Engineering Faculty and Graduate Students at the University of Kansas

See below for the accompanying dataset and the survey instrument used to collect the data.The availability of science and technology e-books through the University of Kansas Libraries is growing rapidly through approval plans, e-book packages, and electronic demand-driven acquisitions. Based on informal conversations with faculty, questions still lingered as to the acceptance of books in the electronic format by faculty and graduate students in the STEM disciplines. To learn more about book format preferences, a survey was distributed via e-mail to 1,898 faculty and graduate students in science and technology at the University of Kansas. The survey included questions focused on print book use, e-book use, format preferences, and demographics. A majority of the 357 respondents indicated a preference for print books indicating many of the oft-repeated comments about the disadvantages of reading books on a computer. Patrons using tablets were more inclined to access e-books. The survey indicated a continuing need to purchase books in both print and electronic formats, and to market the availability of e-books to University of Kansas patrons

Planning for the Lifecycle Management and Long-Term Preservation of Research Data: A Federated Approach

Outcomes of the grant are archived here.The “data deluge” is a recent but increasingly well-understood phenomenon of scientific and social inquiry. Large-scale research instruments extend our observational power by many orders of magnitude but at the same time generate massive amounts of data. Researchers work feverishly to document and preserve changing or disappearing habitats, cultures, languages, and artifacts resulting in volumes of media in various formats. New software tools mine a growing universe of historical and modern texts and connect the dots in our semantic environment. Libraries, archives, and museums undertake digitization programs creating broad access to unique cultural heritage resources for research. Global-scale research collaborations with hundreds or thousands of participants, drive the creation of massive amounts of data, most of which cannot be recreated if lost. The University of Kansas (KU) Libraries in collaboration with two partners, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) and the Great Plains Network (GPN), received an IMLS National Leadership Grant designed to leverage collective strengths and create a proposal for a scalable and federated approach to the lifecycle management of research data based on the needs of GPN and GWLA member institutions.Institute for Museum and Library Services LG-51-12-0695-1

Thesis/Dissertation Workshop: What do I need to do before I graduate? (Online submission, copyright, deadlines, & formatting)

This record contains the slides and recording from the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation (ETD) Submission workshop that was given on October 27, 2016. The workshop is the result of a collaboration between Graduate Studies and KU Libraries. Slides were updated in 2020 to reflect the addition of the Copyright for Dissertations and Theses resource (www.guides.lib.ku.edu/copyright/etd) that covers the following: * Using previously-published papers as chapters * Author copyrights * Registering copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office * EmbargoesThis workshop covers the process of submitting electronic theses and dissertations online at KU. Topics included: 1. Copyright considerations and resources for assistance, 2. Increasing the visibility of your work through KU ScholarWorks, 3. The path to completion and deadlines, 4. Required paperwork, 5. Tips and tricks for formatting your thesis/dissertation, 6. A step-by-step demonstration of the online submission process, 7. Dealing with supplementary files during submission, 8. Optional fees (copyright registration; printing a bound copy)