The Future of Cloud-Based Library Systems

The limits of the now-aging integrated library system (ILS) software model are constraining the presence of the library within the new reality of the Internet and interconnected World Wide Web. Whether they are called cloud-based ILS or library services platforms, developing and future systems will move beyond shared library resources on shelves to establishing a shared technological infrastructure for supporting all that libraries do. Cloud-based systems will provide means for management of all library systems, including circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, serials, electronic resources, authentication, the public interface, and analytics for data in the system. All this will allow for greater cooperation among libraries and a strengthening of patron-driven print and digital services, thus getting the information to the user and fulfilling her information needs

Start With an Hour a Week: Enhancing Usability at Wayne State University Libraries

Instead of pursuing traditional testing methods, Discovery and Innovation at Wayne State University Libraries settled on an alternate path to user-centered design when redesigning our library website: running hour-long “guerrilla” usability tests each week for two semesters. The team found immediate successes with this simple, cost-effective method of usability testing, leading to similar redesign projects for other online resources. Emphasizing the importance of iterative design and continuous improvement, this article will detail the authors’ experience conducting short weekly tests, suggestions for institutions looking to begin similar testing programs, and low-stakes testing as a pathway to improved design for the library as a whole

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele