Linguistics and LIS: A Research Agenda

Linguistics and Library and Information Science (LIS) are both interdisciplinary fields that draws from areas such as languages, psychology, sociology, cognitive science, computer science, anthropology, education, and management. The theories and methods of linguistic research can have significant explanatory power for LIS. This article presents a research agenda for LIS that proposes the use of linguistic analysis methods, including discourse analysis, typology, and genre theory

Automating Idaho\u27s Libraries

The history of library automation in Idaho is iilustrative of the course of library automation throughout the United States. Idaho\u27s effort to automate its libraries is the story of cooperative ventures designed to help libraries work together to further their own interests. The role of LSCA, the Idaho State Library, the geogaphy, and other unique characteristics of the state, as well as the role of WLN, are examined

Academic Libraries and Writing Centers: Collaborations at US Public Research Universities

The websites of 71 US research universities were the source of data on the relationship of academic libraries and campus writing centers, which provide support for developing written communication skills. All 71 institutions have writing centers, generally administered by the academic success operation, the English department, or a college such as arts and sciences. Just under half (n=35) of the institutions have a writing center located in the library. In 16 of those institutions, the library is the only location of the writing center. The general issues of academic success and “library as place,” as well as the space that was gained by weeding and storage of print collections, has led to this and other opportunities for collaboration between academic libraries and other campus units, part of the ongoing transformation of library organizations and their programs and services

Automating Idaho\u27s Libraries

The history of library automation in Idaho is iilustrative of the course of library automation throughout the United States. Idaho\u27s effort to automate its libraries is the story of cooperative ventures designed to help libraries work together to further their own interests. The role of LSCA, the Idaho State Library, the geogaphy, and other unique characteristics of the state, as well as the role of WLN, are examined

Catalog design, catalog maintenance, catalog governance

The design of library catalogs and the maintenance of their contents equals catalog governance, that is, professional responsibility for the catalog. The design of library catalogs and their contents are an example of the standards that are the hallmark of modern librarianship. Although design and maintenance standards have always had an array of participants, in recent years the participants in catalog design and maintenance have become more numerous and varied, and therefore its governance has become more diffuse. Although the card catalog had a standard form in which design and maintenance were linked, that is not true of today’s OPAC in which the same content can take many different forms. Emerging standards, such as SGML, may actually provide a general solution in which OPACs have various, customized forms based on standard content and in which catalog librarians encode, maintain, and interpret the standard data and help guide the discussion of options for design. This article discusses the past and present governance of library catalog design and maintenance and explores issues in a “programmatic” model of governance for the catalog

Make a Quick Decision in (Almost) All Cases: Our Perennial Crisis in Cataloging

Growing backlogs and the increasing complexity of cataloging rules have led to activity on the national level to simplify and streamline cataloging. The solution to the perennial crisis in cataloging, however, begins with the attitudes of the individual cataloger. This article discusses those attitudes and proposes solutions for the individual

Natural Semantic Metalanguage: Primes, Universals, and Syntax with Data from the Semantic Field Grace in the Old Testaments of the King James Bible and Martin Luther’s German Bible

This paper examines the use of Semantic Primes or Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) as developed by Wierzbicka and Goddard, comparing it with other techniques of semantic analysis and applying to the semantic field Grace as defined by Bolin (1999) in the King James English Bible and Luther\u27s German Bible

No Card Cat—No Problem! : WLN’s Lasercat Provides Another Opportunity for Cooperation

This article discusses the implementation of WLN’s Laser-Cat CD-ROM catalog in a medium-sized academic li brary. It describes the creation of a LaserCat/Information desk in the library lobby and the use of technical services librarians and paraprofessional staff from technical services and elsewhere in the library to staff the desk. In large libraries, public and technical services functions have generally been quite distinct. In small libraries, on the other hand, every librarian and staff member has had to be a generalist, and there may not be the possibility of maintaining a strict division between the traditional functions, even if that were thought to be desirable. In a medium-sized library, predictably, the situation may be somewhere in between. More communication and cooperation may be achieved with somewhat less effort than is required in a large library, but the organizational chart of a medium-sized library is likely to be more similar to that of a large library than a small one. The idea of breaking down the barriers between the traditional technical and public service functions in libraries is extensively discussed in library literature, at professional meetings, and elsewhere. Automation is one reason why this idea is discussed so frequently. The catalog no longer resides in one place, and therefore the people who maintain the catalog may also be dispersed. Catalogs need no longer contain only conventional bibliographic records for conventional library materials, which may mean more participation in database building by public services personnel. Technical services staff may be faced with the prospect of sitting in front of a computer screen eight hours a day. Staffing a reference or information desk can provide needed variety as well as being an other good use for the knowledge developed in technical services activities

No Card Cat—No Problem! : WLN’s Lasercat Provides Another Opportunity for Cooperation

This article discusses the implementation of WLN’s Laser-Cat CD-ROM catalog in a medium-sized academic li brary. It describes the creation of a LaserCat/Information desk in the library lobby and the use of technical services librarians and paraprofessional staff from technical services and elsewhere in the library to staff the desk. In large libraries, public and technical services functions have generally been quite distinct. In small libraries, on the other hand, every librarian and staff member has had to be a generalist, and there may not be the possibility of maintaining a strict division between the traditional functions, even if that were thought to be desirable. In a medium-sized library, predictably, the situation may be somewhere in between. More communication and cooperation may be achieved with somewhat less effort than is required in a large library, but the organizational chart of a medium-sized library is likely to be more similar to that of a large library than a small one. The idea of breaking down the barriers between the traditional technical and public service functions in libraries is extensively discussed in library literature, at professional meetings, and elsewhere. Automation is one reason why this idea is discussed so frequently. The catalog no longer resides in one place, and therefore the people who maintain the catalog may also be dispersed. Catalogs need no longer contain only conventional bibliographic records for conventional library materials, which may mean more participation in database building by public services personnel. Technical services staff may be faced with the prospect of sitting in front of a computer screen eight hours a day. Staffing a reference or information desk can provide needed variety as well as being an other good use for the knowledge developed in technical services activities

Discovery Investigative Group (DIG) Report, December 2016

This report is a response to the following charge from project sponsor DeeAnn Allison: Develop a working definition of the purpose and scope for a discovery tool that includes a description of what it should accomplish. How will it help scholars connect with information? The charge included a request to answer seven questions: 1. What content should be included and why? 2. What functions or search capabilities should be included? 3. What social media enhancements should be included? 4. How can it be structured to help both novice and advanced researchers? 5. Can you identify a “perfect” tool? If not, which ones are better and why? 6. Should we abandon Encore? Why or Why not? 7. What is the relation, or non-relation to Google products? Is a discovery tool just a variation of Google? Should it be? Over the course of the Fall 2016 semester, DIG committee members, comprised of seven Libraries faculty who voluntarily participated, met frequently to discuss the charge and determine how to best answer each question. Our answers were ultimately informed through a combination of reviewing the current literature, investigating peer institutions’ search tools, soliciting feedback from our library colleagues through a library-wide survey, and the committee members’ own insights. The responses to each of the following questions are a reflection of the consensus of the DIG committee members