Investigating Primary Source Literacy

Primary source research requires students to acquire specialized research skills. This paper presents results from a user study testing the effectiveness of a Web guide designed to convey the concepts behind “primary source literacy”. The study also evaluated students’ strengths and weaknesses when conducting primary source research

Research Using Primary Sources: A User Study

Poster presented at the Society of American Archivists Research Forum in August, 2007.The use of primary source materials poses a unique challenge to researchers, requiring the acquisition of specialized skills. This poster reports on initial results from a user study of a web based guide to conducting primary source research

Strategies for Reusing Archival Assessment Data

This poster showcases how Univeristy of Maryland Libraries' Special Collections and University Archives analyzed and re-purposed collection assessment data gathered from 2013 to use as the basis for a new, data-driven workflow for establishing processing priorities, addressing a backlog of 'hidden' collections, and overhauling the processing guidelines across several curatorial units. The poster demonstrates how commonly collected assessment data can be leveraged to revamp outdated processes, and highlights the impact (and limitations) of assessment within special collections

Does Content plus Access equal Use? Revealing la Révolution at the UMD Libraries

This poster traces two years of the University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries’ efforts to Reveal la Révolution by cataloging and digitizing their 18th-century French Pamphlet collection. Follow their steps as a cross-departmental team waded through some 12,000 pamphlets with the support of French graduate students, fine tuning workflows and communication channels along the way. While an internally-funded pilot got the project off the ground, national and international collaboration allowed them to leverage funding support from the UMD Libraries to exceed original targets for both scanning and cataloging. The result was a significant increase in digitally-available content and improved access through Worldcat and the Internet Archive. When that content and access did not turn into documented use, however, the UMD Pamphlets team pressed on, delving further into digital scholarship. Their outreach efforts culminated in a stand-alone digital history site with a crowdsourcing component that has seen some 5,500 visits since going live in September 2014 (http://colonyincrisis.lib.umd.edu). Challenges, such as a perpetual lack of dedicated staff time, and lessons learned (digital history sites require Twitter hashtags) are featured on the poster, along with a vision for a sustainable way forward

Perceived Readiness for Hospital Discharge in Adult Medical-Surgical Patients

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify predictors and outcomes of adult medical-surgical patients\u27 perceptions of their readiness for hospital discharge. Design: A correlational, prospective, longitudinal design with path analyses was used to explore relationships among transition theory-related variables. Setting: Midwestern tertiary medical center. Sample: 147 adult medical-surgical patients. Methods: Predictor variables included patient characteristics, hospitalization factors, and nursing practices that were measured prior to hospital discharge using a study enrollment form, the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and the Care Coordination Scale. Discharge readiness was measured using the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale administered within 4 hours prior to discharge. Outcomes were measured 3 weeks postdischarge with the Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale and self-reported utilization of health services. Findings: Living alone, discharge teaching (amount of content received and nurses\u27 skill in teaching delivery), and care coordination explained 51% of readiness for discharge score variance. Patient age and discharge readiness explained 16% of variance in postdischarge coping difficulty. Greater readiness for discharge was predictive of fewer readmissions. Conclusions: Quality of the delivery of discharge teaching was the strongest predictor of discharge readiness. Study results provided support for Meleis\u27 transitions theory as a useful model for conceptualizing and investigating the discharge transition. Implications for Practice: The study results have implications for the CNS role in patient and staff education, system building for the postdischarge transition, and measurement of clinical care outcomes

Digitization Initiatives Committee Charter

This is the charter of the Digitization Initiatives Committee (DIC) of the University of Maryland Libraries. The committee was established “to collect and document proposed outsourced digitization projects across the UMD Libraries, match these projects with available or proposed fiscal resources, and prioritize the projects...based on available fiscal resources, Libraries strategic initiatives, division priorities, and available staff resources for the specific projects.

University of Maryland Libraries: Digital Preservation Policy

The University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries, in keeping with its mission “To enable the intellectual inquiry and learning required to meet the education, research and community outreach mission of the university,” serves as a trusted caretaker of the UMD Libraries’ collections, including those in digital format. The Digital Preservation Policy supports this mission and is the highest-level digital preservation policy document in the UMD Libraries. The Policy makes explicit the UMD Libraries’ commitment to preserving content selected for retention by collection managers. It defines a comprehensive digital preservation program for both born-analog and born-digital collections. The audience for this policy includes UMD Libraries employees, digital content contributors, donors, and users

Scavenging Ducks and Transmission of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Java, Indonesia

These ducks may be a source of infection for chickens and humans