Scholarly Productivity and Impact Metrics Roundup

Blog post to AEA365, a blog sponsored by the American Evaluation Association (AEA) dedicated to highlighting Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources, and Lessons Learned for evaluators. The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve their effectiveness

Librarian Panel Discussion presentation: The Data Working Group at UMass Amherst

Rebecca Reznik-Zellen, MA, MLIS, is Digital Strategies Coordinator for the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. In her presentation she discussed the development of the Data Working Group at UMass Amherst

Building a Central Repository for Nanomanufacturing

4th International Conference on Open RepositoriesThis presentation was part of the session : EPrints User Groups PresentationsDate: 2009-05-20 01:30 PM – 03:00 PMThe InterNano Nanomanufacturing Repository (INR) is a central repository of nanomanufacturing research and trade information for the nanomanufacturing community. It is administered by the National Nanomanufacturing Network (NNN) and funded by the National Science Foundation through the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The INR is unique even as a central repository because it crosses not only institutional boundaries but also sector boundaries by including reports, research, teaching aids, and grey literature relevant to nanomanufacturing from academic, government, and industrial entities. In addition, because nanomanufacturing is itself inherently interdisciplinary, the repository crosses domain boundaries by including work that ranges from chemistry and physics to sociology and ethics. The INR is still early in development. Reflecting the two essential approaches for nanomanufacturing itself, the NNN is employing both top-down and bottom-up activities to build this national repository. Now in the "bottom-up" stage, the INR uses EPrints as its most fundamental building block and has incorporated a novel taxonomy and collections structure to support nanomanufacturing information. The NNN has customized the EPrints interface to reflect the InterNano Nanomanufacturing Clearinghouse, which the INR is designed to support. In addition, the NNN is manually migrating and soliciting content from its affiliates to build collections. Looking ahead to the "top down" activities, the NNN will be implementing an OAI harvester and initiating a SWORD pilot project to facilitate the deposition of relevant content from the vast body of nanotechnology literature. This presentation will describe the INR project with attention to its unique content, taxonomy, and customizations to the EPrints standard interface

Using the Visualization Software Evaluation Rubric to explore six freely available visualization applications

Objective: As a variety of visualization tools become available to librarians and researchers, it can be challenging to select a tool that is robust and flexible enough to provide the desired visualization outcomes for work or personal use. In this article, the authors provide guidance on several freely available tools, and offer a rubric for use in evaluating visualization tools. Methods: A rubric was generated to assist the authors in assessing the selected six freely available visualization tools. Each author analyzed three tools, and discussed the differences, similarities, challenges, and successes of each. Results: Of the six visualization tools, two tools emerged with high marks. The authors found that the rubric was a successful evaluation tool, and facilitated discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the six selected visualization pieces of software. Conclusions: Of the six different visualization tools analyzed, all had different functions and features available to best meet the needs of users. In a situation where there are many options available, and it is difficult at first glance to determine a clear winner, a rubric can be useful in providing a method to quickly assess and communicate the effectiveness of a tool

How not to grow an ORCID program

In 2017 the University of Massachusetts Medical School became a member of ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) through a regional library consortium. Over the course of the year, the library made efforts to establish ORCID implementations with the institution’s faculty profile system. However, progress was insufficient by the end of the year to warrant membership renewal. In this lightning talk, we will discuss our efforts to get ORCID off the ground and the positive lessons we learned in the process

If You Build It, Will It Collapse? Roadblocks to Building a Regional Repository Community

Background: In July 2017 the authors organized a regional user group meeting for librarians who use or were considering Digital Commons, the popular hosted institutional repository platform from bepress. It had been many years since this group had been brought together. Bepress sponsored the meeting and sent a product consultant to participate. The organizers hoped to make this an annual event, and also broaden the scope to all repository platforms. By all accounts, the well-attended New England Digital Commons User Group Meeting was a success and evaluations were positive. Just five days later, however, bepress announced that the company had been purchased by Elsevier [1], shocking Digital Commons customers and the worldwide community of scholarly communication librarians and open access advocates. In the wake of this game-changing development, the positive energy generated from the meeting abruptly evaporated, to be replaced by feelings of outrage, disappointment, loss of control, and paralysis. Objective: The objective of this poster is to foster meaningful dialogue about community building in an academic landscape where the ground is shifting rapidly. Questions for attendees: Were you affected by the by the Elsevier acquisition of bepress? How can librarians in the New England region support each other in their respective efforts to manage institutional repositories? What is a good next step for the user group organizers to move forward and build this community? How can community members from larger institutions support those in smaller institutions? Can anything be learned from community building in other areas of librarianship? How could/should this community help support the implementation/use of more open source repository platforms? How do/should/could nation-wide initiatives such as 2.5% Commitment influence regional/institutional efforts in the institutional repository space? [1] https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2017/08/02/elsevier-acquires-bepress

Semiotic Analysis of a Science Library: Inclusion and Messaging

Purpose and goalsThe purpose of this study is to investigate what semiotic analysis can discover about how welcoming and inclusive a science library space is for patrons. Semiotic analysis examines the meanings that individuals interpret places as having. It involves the study of objects, which can range from images and words to physical items, and their meanings as individual interpreters understand them (Hall, 1997). We chose to study a science library space because the lack of racial and gender diversity in STEM is a persistent challenge despite the growth in the number of STEM jobs and STEM degrees earned (Pew, 2021). Design, methodology, or approachWe conducted a semiotic analysis of a science and engineering library to determine how well the signs and signifiers in the space reflect its goals. To that end, we examined how diverse groups of patrons might interpret elements in the space, which behaviors are encouraged and discouraged, and whether the space promotes scientific disciplines to its visitors. The space we investigated serves as a case study highlighting the ways in which library spaces can communicate messaging to patrons of various backgrounds. FindingsBased on our semiotic analysis, the library space’s communication to its patrons succeeds more in promoting science and encouraging desired behavior (or discouraging undesired behavior) than in promoting diversity and inclusion. Practical implications or valueIn keeping with universal design, libraries should provide clear and visible signage for the library itself, as well as its elevators, exits, restrooms, quiet study spaces, group study spaces, and browseable stacks. Libraries should provide gender inclusive restrooms and clearly marked spaces for religious reflection. Libraries can make an effort to choose inclusive art and display artifacts to appeal to patrons from a variety of backgrounds. Libraries can learn from our findings that library signage that precludes activities frequently performed by patrons should be accompanied by library signage that directs patrons where they may participate in these activities without disturbing other patrons. This will balance the prescriptive, negative messaging in libraries with positive, inviting messaging. Libraries should consider their priorities in terms of safety versus a feeling of surveillance for patrons when designing study spaces. While glass can help library staff monitor activity in the library, glass walls can also lead to a lack of privacy and a feeling of distrust. Likewise, libraries must make decisions between the security for their materials provided by wired glass and theft detectors versus a more welcoming atmosphere of trust. A science library should be updated with modern, clean, furnishings in good condition to show respect for its patrons and their work. It is important to represent the interests of patrons a library wishes to welcome in a balanced way. A science library should not have a predominance of science items from any particular science discipline it serves, but provide appealing displays from a variety of disciplines representing both the history of science and modern advances. Educational disciplinary displays can incorporate diverse scientists to promote the inclusion of diverse patrons

Curiosity as Outreach: Flipping Outreach on its Head

Science and Engineering Library staff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst visited several sites on campus in a novel outreach initiative that involved all nine staff members taking “field trips” without agendas. We demonstrate that outreach without the explicit goal of promoting a specific resource or service can be an effective use of time, and can build social capital that shares the goals of traditional outreach. Involving all staff in this outreach effort was a valuable team building experience, exposing the depth of our interests and expertise to each other and to our campus community

Decision-Making by and for Academic Libraries during Covid-19

Academic libraries are fundamental in promoting equitable access to education but are often overlooked and underfunded. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these inequities. This study investigates how 39 library deans and directors perceived decision-making by university administration during COVID-19’s onset. Open-ended survey questions were sent to deans and directors asking them to describe their experiences working with university administration to adjust library services during the crisis. Some library leaders reported that working closely with other departments strengthened their campus connections. Others commented that disagreement between library personnel and university administration caused discord. Some deans and directors were forced to cut staff funding or felt pressured to reopen, while others were trusted to choose their budget and service priorities. The authors recommend that library leaders be more consistently relied upon for their expertise during university decision-making

Challenges of Data Management Training for Graduate Students at a Large Research University

Objective: To describe the challenges and outcomes of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries\u27 Data Working Group\u27s series of training workshops for graduate students on the subject of data management and preservation, with specific regard to the data management requirements of the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. Participants: The Libraries\u27 Data Working Group is composed of six members with expertise in project management, systems and web development, scholarly communication, digital archives and metadata, and science and social science librarianship. The Data Working Group is one of three subgroups of the Digital Strategies Group at the University Libraries. Description: The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries provides a number of services to faculty and graduate students in support of research at an institution classified as a Research University with Very High research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Foundation[1]. Recognizing a high demand for greater data education, the Libraries\u27 Data Working Group has conducted workshops for graduate students in specific disciplines -- humanities, social sciences, and sciences -- designed to address their data needs and highlight smart data management practices. Graduate students were also guided through the data management requirements of national funding agencies and potential solutions. Results: In its current capacity the Data Working Group provides educational workshops and individual consulting sessions for faculty and graduate students. The Data Working Group observed a significant portion of graduate students who had no prior experience with smart data practices or useful data management resources. This process has identified a clear need for wider, more intensive education for graduate students on data practices and the data management requirements of national funding agencies. [1] http://www.umass.edu/umhome/research.ph