Embrace the Hive Mind: Engaging ILL and Research Services in Unsubscribed and OA Content Discovery

Deciding whether to support discovery of unsubscribed and Open Access (OA) content raises questions for technical and public services librarians, from the philosophical to the pragmatic. Doing so requires careful curation and monitoring of resources, and benefits from library-wide input. This paper describes the process at Georgia Southern University for vetting unsubscribed and OA resources with ILL and liaison librarians for inclusion in the discovery layer and on the A-Z database list. For the discovery layer, this involves a three-step evaluation of collections for overall metadata quality, likelihood of ILL fulfillment, and value to the library collection. For the database list, this involves an evaluation of how liaison librarians integrate sources into reference and instruction. In each case, technical services, ILL, and liaison librarians weigh in on whether unsubscribed and OA content merits inclusion in the library collection. Furthermore, ILL and liaison librarians play a critical role monitoring these resources for continued inclusion and support

Qualitative study exploring the feasibility, usability and acceptability of neonatal continuous monitoring technologies at a public tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Keny

Objective: To assess the feasibility, usability and acceptability of two non-invasive, multiparameter, continuous physiological monitoring (MCPM) technologies for use in neonates within a resource-constrained healthcare setting in sub-Saharan Africa. Design: A qualitative study using in-depth interviews and direct observations to describe healthcare professional and caregiver perspectives and experiences with investigational MCPM technologies from EarlySense and Sibel compared with selected reference technologies. Setting: Pumwani Maternity Hospital is a public, high-volume, tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Participants: In-depth interviews were conducted with five healthcare administrators, 12 healthcare providers and 10 caregivers. Direct observations were made of healthcare providers using the technologies on 12 neonates overall. Results: Design factors like non-invasiveness, portability, ease-of-use and ability to measure multiple vital signs concurrently emerged as key themes supporting the usability and acceptability of the investigational technologies. However, respondents also reported feasibility challenges to implementation, including overcrowding in the neonatal unit, lack of reliable access to electricity and computers, and concerns about cost and maintenance needs. To improve acceptability, respondents highlighted the need for adequate staffing to appropriately engage caregivers and dispel misconceptions about the technologies. Conclusion: Study participants were positive about the usefulness of the investigational technologies to strengthen clinical care quality and identification of at-risk neonates for better access to timely interventions. These technologies have the potential to improve equity of access to appropriate healthcare services and neonatal outcomes in sub-Saharan African healthcare facilities. However, health system strengthening is also critical to support sustainable uptake of technologies into routine care

Microbial influences on the conservation and recovery of Wollemi pine

The iconic and critically endangered Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis W. Jones, K. Hill & J. Allen) is known from fewer than 100 trees within Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, Australia. Hundreds of seedlings germinate in the wild but few reach maturity, suggesting there is a potential environmental or competition-driven bottleneck preventing seedlings from establishing. Understanding what limits seedling survival in the wild and establishment in novel environments (i.e. translocation) is critical for effective conservation of this critically endangered conifer. Wollemi pine grows on highly acidic, shallow soil of poor nutrient status and therefore is likely to be highly dependent on microorganisms such as mycorrhizal fungi and others that contribute to nutrient cycling. Pathogens are also likely to be important. The overarching goal of this project was to characterise variation in microbial communities associated with Wollemi pine in a variety of contexts. In particular, microbial communities associated with adult Wollemi pine in the wild (Chapter 2), in the roots of inoculated seedlings (Chapter 2 & 3), in translocated Wollemi pine (Chapter 4) and in soils surrounding the wild Wollemi pine site drenched with fungicide (Chapter 5). Community variation was then linked to potential functional impacts on seedling recruitment (Chapter 3), translocation outcomes (Chapter 4) and practical management of pathogens within the wild Wollemi pine site (Chapter 5), all critical aspects of the conservation of Wollemi pine. Competition between Wollemi pine and its immediate neighbours may limit Wollemi expansion in the wild. I investigated whether wild Wollemi pine gathered a specific soil microbial community compared to a dominant neighbour, coachwood (Chapter 2). I found that, to a certain extent, Wollemi pine tended to be associated with a fungal and bacterial community that differed from under a neighbouring species. However, there was substantial additional variation in these soil microbial communities that was linked to edaphic gradients within a host species range (Chapter 2). The plant species-specific differences in soil communities observed in the wild went on to influence the fungal community composition that assembled in seedlings grown under glasshouse conditions when inoculated with field soil in a ‘plant-soil feedback’ (PSF) experiment (Chapter 2). Root bacterial communities were influenced only by the seedling species identity (Chapter 2). There was no evidence that seedling growth was affected by the tree species associated with field-soil inocula, suggesting that species-specific pathogens are not likely to be limiting recruitment of Wollemi pine in the natural population (Chapter 3). Nonetheless, there was evidence of fungal, but not bacterial, community variation impacting seedling growth independently of PSFs (Chapter 3). During a translocation event, where Wollemi pine were planted into a new location in the wild, I considered whether variation in microbial communities present at planting and subsequently associated with Wollemi pine in this new location impacted translocation success (Chapter 4). Translocated Wollemi pine assembled distinct microbial communities over time: in the first year after translocation for fungi and between the first and second year after translocation for bacteria. Variation in the microbial communities that were already present at the site did not impact the early growth responses of Wollemi pine; instead physical and chemical edaphic properties were better predictors of initial translocation success. Translocated Wollemi pine that did not assemble species-specific fungal communities distinct from the surrounding environment had reduced growth and low establishment success. The deadly root-rot pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi has infected a number of Wollemi pine in the wild. To understand how management strategies being used to control this pathogen, that is widespread drenching with the fungicide metalaxyl, had influenced the composition of native soil communities in the wild, I performed 454-pyrosequencing of soil collected from treated and untreated locations (Chapter 5). Overall, long-term fungicide drenching only influenced a few fungal and bacterial taxa. The effect of fungicide was small compared to the natural variation in soil communities within the wild Wollemi pine site suggesting that negative impacts of drenching with this fungicide have been small. This work is the first to consider soil microbial communities during the conservation of a critically endangered conifer species. Wollemi pine assembles species-specific microbial communities in the wild and in novel environments. Variation in the fungal, but not bacterial, communities associated with Wollemi pine was observed to have functional consequences for Wollemi pine growth; therefore potential manipulation of microbial communities during conservation should focus on fungi. Future work could consider the use of fungal inoculants or management techniques to promote beneficial fungal communities to improve conservation outcomes. In addition, the empirical approaches developed here may be valuable for considering the role of soil microbial communities in the conservation of other rare plants

Collective Serials Analysis: The Relevance of a Journal in Supporting Teaching and Research

The cooperative efforts of the technical service librarian, the business subject librarian, and the business school faculty to gather data in order to rank journals by usage, faculty citations, and faculty perceived worth are examined in this article. Specifically, the authors focus on the following: the process and time invested in the collection of both electronic and hard-copy usage statics\u27 of the journals for each fund in the University of Mississippi\u27s collection; presentation of the access database created by the business librarian to collect and analyze the business school\u27s faculty\u27s citations over the last five years; the matrix developed to analyze the input of the business-school faculty\u27s recommendations for journal cuts to ensure key research and academic support journals were protected; and a comparison between the ordered list and the faculty\u27s recommendations for cuts

Essential Audits for Proactive Electronic Resources Troubleshooting and Support

Purpose: This study aims to report on a series of “essential audits” implemented by technical services personnel at Georgia Southern University to provide proactive troubleshooting of electronic resources. Design/methodology/approach: These “essential audits” include bi-weekly link tests in the library’s A-Z database list, quarterly book and link asset tests in LibGuides and rolling authentication audits of link resolver records. Taken together, these techniques help to reduce access issues before they arise, improving overall provision of access. Findings: Since implementing these “essential audits,” Georgia Southern has seen reductions in troubleshooting requests related to database-level authentication and access, as well as reductions in link-level troubleshooting requests originating from the library’s LibGuides platform and article-level troubleshooting requests originating from the link resolver. Practical implications: Findings recommend implementation of regular audits pursuant to proactive troubleshooting of electronic resources and improved overall provision of access. Originality/value: This case study contributes to the recent literature and discourse on electronic resource access troubleshooting by highlighting simple, proactive auditing techniques

Trying Something New: Developing New Tools for Educational Resource Assessment

In response to university-wide budget cuts, librarians at Georgia Southern University were charged with evaluating the libraries’ collections in preparation to make $300,000 in cuts for 2022. Past initiatives to assess the libraries’ collections have had mixed results and few true successes. The library faculty have struggled to present information about resources in a comprehensive yet easy to understand way that encourages participation by departmental faculty. In light of previous experiences, the library faculty decided to scrap the old way of collecting feedback and instead develop a new process to present data in a clear and precise manner. Throughout this process, the library faculty strove to balance usage data and other metrics with faculty input to make renewal decisions. This presentation showcased tools and templates that Georgia Southern librarians developed during this assessment and highlighted what we learned

The Gaining Popularity and Use of Digital Magazines in Academic Libraries

Webinar presented for the EBSCO and Library Journa

Embrace the Hive Mind: Engaging ILL and Research Services in Unsubscribed and OA Content Discovery

Presented at Charleston Conference: Issues in Book and Serial Acquisitions Deciding whether to support discovery of unsubscribed and Open Access (OA) content raises questions for technical and public services librarians, from the philosophical to the pragmatic. Doing so requires careful curation and monitoring of metadata sources, and benefits from library-wide input. During this session, presenters describe their process for vetting unsubscribed and OA metadata sources with ILL and liaison librarians for inclusion in the discovery layer and on the A-Z database list. For the discovery layer, this involves a three-step evaluation of collections for overall metadata quality, likelihood of ILL fulfillment, and value to the library collection. For the database list, this involves an evaluation of how liaison librarians integrate these sources into reference and instruction. In each case, technical services, ILL, and liaison librarians have an opportunity to weigh in on whether unsubscribed and OA content merit inclusion in the library collection. Subsequently, ILL and liaison librarians play a critical role monitoring these resources for continued inclusion or removal from the collection.This session should be of interest to any library that experiences challenges with metadata curation via the discovery layer or the A-Z database list, or is contemplating increasing or decreasing representation of unsubscribed and OA content in the library collection

Extraction and purification of DNA from wood at various stages of decay for metabarcoding of wood-associated fungi

Assessment of endophytic and saprotrophic microbial communities from wood-extracted DNA presents challenges due to the presence of surface microbes that contaminate samples and plant compounds that act as inhibiting agents. Here, we describe a method for decontaminating, sampling, and processing wood at various stages of decay for high-throughput extraction and purification of DNA

Soil microbial communities influence seedling growth of a rare conifer independent of plant-soil feedback

Plant–soil feedback, the reciprocal relationship between a plant and its associated microbial communities, has been proposed to be an important driver of plant populations and community dynamics. While rarely considered, understanding how plant–soil feedback contributes to plant rarity may have implications for conservation and management of rare species. Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) is a critically endangered species, of which fewer than 100 trees are known to exist in the wild. Seedling survival within the first year after germination and subsequent recruitment of Wollemi pine is limited in the wild. We used a plant–soil feedback approach to investigate the functional effect of species-specific differences previously observed in the microbial communities underneath adult Wollemi pine and a neighboring species, coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum), and also whether additional variation in microbial communities in the wild could impact seedling growth. There was no evidence for seedling growth being affected by tree species associated with soil inocula, suggesting that plant–soil feedbacks are not limiting recruitment in the natural population. However, there was evidence of fungal, but not bacterial, community variation impacting seedling growth independently of plant–soil feedbacks. Chemical (pH) and physical (porosity) soil characteristics were identified as potential drivers of the functional outcomes of these fungal communities. The empirical approach described here may provide opportunities to identify the importance of soil microbes to conservation efforts targeting other rare plant species and is also relevant to understanding the importance of soil microbes and plant–soil feedbacks for plant community dynamics more broadly