The EBLIP9 poster session presenters must be available to share and discuss their projects during the following times:
Monday, June 19:
Poster Madness! 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Poster session and coffee break: 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Tuesday, June 20:
Poster session and coffee break: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
What is Poster Madness?
Poster presenters will have one minute to talk about the contents of their poster to all conference delegates in a plenary session. Creativity is encouraged. The madness will be fun and informative and will open the door for further discussion to be held after the madness during the coffee and poster viewing times.
Acknowledging the Academic Library: Impact Evidence in Scholarly Monograph Front Matter
Jenifer Gundry - Princeton Theological Seminary Library (Twitter: @PTSLibrary)
Patrick Milas - Princeton Theological Seminary Library (Twitter: @PTSLibrary)
Objective: Like many academic and research libraries, Princeton Theological Seminary Library has a dual mission—supporting the research needs of local stakeholders, as well as advancing scholarly research in theology, religion, and cognate fields broadly. However, gathering evidence of library impact on visiting researchers is challenging. This poster presentation outlines research to document evidence of library impact attested in monograph front matter acknowledging Princeton Theological Seminary Library.
Methods: The library welcomes scholars from around the world virtually and in-person to use its collections. As an open-stack, no-registration library, the library has limited data on guest identity and usage data. Yet we knew anecdotally that the library has significant impact on guests’ scholarship. We identified two research questions:
For visitors with known contact information, we avoided unsolicited email contact, concerned scholars might feel surveilled and hesitate to use the library in the future. Thus the research design is both unobtrustive and nomothethic. The library decided to harness digital tools including Google Books, HathiTrust, and the Internet Archive, to search the front matter of scholarly monographs for author recognition of the library's impact on their work. Specifically, units of analysis were individual mentions of the library or library staff in the acknowledgements or dedication sections of monographs. Relevant extracts were exported from the search tools into data mining software, searching for meaningful patterns in visiting researchers’ patterns use.
Results: The results corroborate anecdotal evidence of the Library’s impact on guest users’ scholarship as documented in approximately 150 data points in the study sample.
Conclusion: This methodology creates a viable, replicable means for demonstrating library impact on theological and religious scholarship broadly.
An Evidence Based Cleanup Project of Online Catalog Records
Angelina Brown - Rowan University Campbell Library
Lauren Orner - Rowan University Campbell Library
Most of Campbell Library’s purchased eBooks are acquired from vendors like GOBI and come with MARC records tailored to our specifications to include vendor information in the 910 field and our EZ Proxy prefix in the 856 field. When records cannot be acquired from the vendor, in house copy catalogers will pull records from OCLC. However, it was recently realized there was no previous policy for adding the proxy links to individually pulled records. Many items in the “Online” location in the catalog, which is reserved for individually purchased eBooks, streaming video, and electronic theses, did not have a proxy link in the MARC records. Since links that do not have EZ Proxy are inaccessible off campus and can also be a security risk, this issue needed to be resolved and a policy set for the future. Our cataloging and e-resources staff worked together to resolve this issue. By running a report in Voyager Access for all 856 fields in the online location and limiting to results with no EZ proxy prefix, we were able to find all of the records that did not have proxy links and correct the issue. However, the report data showed that this matter was only a small portion of the problems within this location. This project grew to a large catalog cleanup project because it uncovered broken links, records for databases and open access titles which are against our policy, records for print books that included links or online holdings, remnants of an old ERMS system and obsolete collections, and general cataloging inconsistencies. By fixing these problems, setting policies, and identifying further cleanup projects, our team has greatly improved the quality of one cataloging location and helped ensure efficiency in the future.
Going by the Numbers: Using Research Literature to Inform Best Practices for Working with the Public
Ann Glusker - National Network of Libraries of Medicine--Pacific Northwest Region (Twitter: @aglusker)
Objective: To examine the literature on health numeracy (both related to psychological aspects of people’s understanding of numerical concepts, and to patient-provider relationships in health care settings) and to translate the findings into action items for information professionals working with the public around health numeracy challenges.
Methods: The author performed a literature review related to health numeracy, and created a list of health numeracy best practices, both based on psychological propensities, and on tried and true methods employed in health care settings related to patient education. The author then “translated” this list into action items for public librarians and others working with members of the public with health numeracy challenges.
Results: Action items included: take time to work with patrons (since their health care providers are often pressed for time); never assume numeracy competency levels; use “teach back” methodology to make sure patrons understand information presented; don’t expect patrons to personally invest in numeracy; leave determination of risk and significance to professionals; realize that patrons may make health decisions based on a variety of factors, not just numerical odds; self-educate about how to present numerically based health information (such as absolute vs. relative risk); prepare in advance which information sources to offer to patrons; and, use visual aids such as IconArray.com. In addition, consider collaboration with community partners.
Conclusions: With the new emphasis in health care on shared decision-making, health numeracy concerns are on the rise as patients are expected to understand and assimilate complex content and concepts into their personal health planning. Librarians and other service providers to the public already play crucial roles, serving as trusted information providers, but with additional research-based background understanding can offer even better-directed assistance.
Openly sharing library data to contribute to the evidence-base and foster collaboration and innovation
Denise Koufogiannakis - University of Alberta (Twitter @dkouf)
Michelle Brailey - University of Alberta
Objective: Academic libraries collect and create a wealth of data about their services and products. The University of Alberta has successfully released a growing number of datasets including subscription expenditures, a curated list of APIs, and open code through GitHub. This paper explores the possibilities, implications, and practicality of open data through a discussion of the implementation of open library data resources at University of Alberta.
Methods: Implementing library data services requires practical steps such as aligning principles of open data with institutional visions and missions, inventorying, organizing, and gathering data for sharing. Strategic thought and planning are also considered here to utilize systems technology such as Dataverse and ensure sustainability of the initiative. We will review and recommend components that need to be considered if others institutions wish to model a similar implementation and sharing of open data.
Results: We are continuing to populate open library data within Dataverse, and will provide examples of how some of the data files that have been shared to date are being used. Collections data in particular has proven to be very popular and has generated positive feedback. Based on feedback and use, we will discuss implications for libraries when sharing their data openly, and discuss how this can contribute to evidence based practice within our profession.
Conclusion: The global shift to open data has not left libraries behind. However, integrating open data into the awareness of libraries is not just about keeping up with trends. Open library data can be aligned with strategic goals and plans as a vital component for libraries to improve internal decision making and to enrich the LIS profession as a whole.
Building an EBLIP Framework From the Ground Up: Embedding and Embracing Evidence At The Nuts and Bolts Level
Heather Holmes - Medical University of South Carolina (Twitter: @LaMedBoheme73)
Objective: To describe the development of a departmental framework from the ground up with its heavy emphasis on working in an evidence-based environment.
Methods: Case Study. The Library at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is under new leadership in both the Director and Associate Director (AD) positions. The Research and Education Services (RES) Department is made up of 6 Informationists who report directly to the AD. RES has operated without leadership for several years, and without much structure for the team environment. The AD is working with the Director to write a framework for RES that will help ensure work is being done according to the new vision for the department, but with the value-added aspect of also working in an evidence-based environment. RES will look to the literature before implementing new processes or changing their current work, and if no evidence exists, will be strongly encouraged to begin a research project that will hopefully add to the evidence base from which others may learn. This case study, informed by Yin and other case study methodologists, will discuss the development of a departmental framework from the ground up, and place heavy emphasis on working in an evidence-based environment.
Results: Forthcoming as the project matures.
Conclusion: Forthcoming as the project matures.
Building on Success: Using Assessment to Expand Outreach to Student Support Services
Tammi Owens - University of Nebraska at Omaha
Katie Bishop - University of Nebraska at Omaha
Objective: To gauge the importance of librarian involvement in student support services programs, and use results to realign and expand library outreach to student support services.
Methods: The project involved two phases. In the pilot project a librarian provided roving research assistance to two student support services programs, TRIO and the Thompson Learning Community (TLC). Assessment of the project included comparing these roving transactions to roving transactions at academic departments, and a pre- and post-assessment survey. The second phase of the project implemented a mixed-methods, continuous assessment plan, including needs assessment interviews, exit slips, data analysis of events, and roving transactions with additional student support services groups.
Results: Students who spoke with the librarian in the pilot project reported a higher confidence in finding and using sources. Roving transaction numbers illustrated that while roving help was popular at TRIO, it was ineffective at TLC. The underperforming site was therefore rolled into the second phase of the project. Needs assessment interviews led to a series of undergraduate workshops tailored to appeal to students in TLC, and to roving hours for a third program, the Office of Military and Veterans Services (OMVS).
Conclusions: Developing relationships with student support services staff is integral to the success of an outreach project. Roving numbers were low at TLC because staff did not direct students to the librarian for help. Conducting a more thorough needs assessment with staff led to library workshops developed with TLC students in mind and promoted through their passport program. OMVS staff, including active military and veterans, participated in a series of conversations to best determine student needs. Exit slips for the OMVS office and the workshops provide ongoing assessment data. Conducting continuous assessment validates librarian time to identify new opportunities, and continue supporting programs outside of academic departments.
Using Assessment to Reclaim and Transform Library Space
Kerry Chang-Fitzgibbon - Stockton University
Eric Jeitner - Stockton University
Objective: For years, students were highly critical of Bjork Library spaces and resources. They wanted access to more e-resources and learning spaces, especially quiet study areas. However, our library space was at full capacity with no room to grow. Building a new library was not in the institutional expansion plans. Our only option was to repurpose existing library space. This poster shows how, with strategic planning, determination, and collaborative efforts, the Space Team at Stockton Library took on the challenges and changed the concept of a library from a space for collections to a learning commons that supports a variety of learning activities.
Methods: Accomplished in 5 years through 3 phases, this was the result of several assessment projects: LibQual surveys; a Library Program Review; a periodicals duplication analysis; and a Space Evaluation & Design.
Results: Statistics confirmed that the Learning Commons is the busiest place in our library, a vibrant center for collaboration. We changed the role of library from a provider of information to a facilitator of learning.
Conclusion: The reality of a Learning Commons was accomplished through embracing “student-centered” philosophy, adopting current library trends, careful planning, and the collaboration of various institutional departments.
Embedded in Technology Ecosystems: Graduate Students, Mobile Devices, and Academic Workflows
Lee Ann Fullington - Brooklyn College - CUNY (Twitter: @LibrarLeeAnn)
Frans Albarillo - Brooklyn College - CUNY (Twitter: @FransNYC)
Objective: Students often own multiple mobile devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets, and work within their own personal device ecosystems for academic purposes. This study explores how graduate students are using mobile technologies in their academic practices.
Methods: A screening survey was deployed to the graduate student population to recruit participants (N = 264). Researchers selected a stratified sample of graduate students of varying departments, ages, ethnicity, and degrees of engagement with technology. Eighteen individuals were selected for in-depth interviews. Transcriptions were analyzed to identify themes regarding information-seeking behaviors, usage behaviors, and workflow processes.
Results: Researchers found several high-level themes from the interviews. These include:
Instances where screening survey data contradicts and complements the interview data will be discussed.
Conclusions: Graduate students have idiosyncratic approaches to using multiple devices and applications for academic purposes. The patterns of usage that researchers identified show a departure in workflows from the traditional ways of conducting research when using desktop computers and photocopies were normative. Students use a complementary array of devices, which introduces new possibilities for collaborating, reading, and writing, and this has implications for library instruction. A potential shift could be made to teaching students how to manage and migrate content across devices for reading, writing, sharing, note taking, and annotation. This includes getting students to consider fair use and the emerging ethics surrounding sharing copyrighted material.
Using Student Perception Data as Evidence for Change in Library Credit-Course Curriculum
Lyda McCartin - University of Northern Colorado
Mary Evans - University of Northern Colorado
Brian Iannacchione - University of Northern Colorado
Objective: This research examines Criminal Justice students’ perceptions of a required library course on their success in research and writing intensive Criminal Justice courses and the possible impact of the course on student GPA in two Criminal Justice courses.
Methods: A survey was administered to current and former Criminal Justice majors who had taken LIB 160 by the end of the spring 2015. The survey included close-ended questions on demographics, perceptions of LIB 160, and perceptions of performance in writing and research intensive courses. Several open-ended questions allowed us to qualitatively assess student perceptions.
Results: Chi-square analyses were conducted to determine the association between grade level in which students took LIB 160 and perception that they took the course at the right time in their college career (χ 2 = 21.98; p < .05). Majority of freshman, sophomores, and juniors agreed they took the course at the right time, however, some seniors reported that they did not take it at the right time. Additionally, results showed that grade received in LIB 160 was associated with grade received in an advanced research course, CRJ 380 (χ 2 = 21.48; p < .05), but taking LIB 160 was not associated to the grade they received in CRJ 480 (χ 2 = 5.64; p = .465). Finally, student feedback indicated the online version of the course was not preferred, as students expressed a regret they had not taken the course face-to- face.
Conclusion: Results have been used to make two significant changes to the curriculum. First, LIB 160 is now a prerequisite for CRJ 380 to ensure students have the necessary skills to be successful in that course. Second, the library no longer offers an online section of LIB 160. Such research can inform other departments in the implementation of a credit course.
After Magnet Accreditation: Developing Best Practices and Resources for an Evidence-based Research Environment
Marisol Hernandez (Twitter: @MSKCC_Library) - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Donna Gibson (Twitter: @MSKCC_Library) - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Objective: Our nursing community practice in clinical settings where the expectation is to leverage the best evidence to provide the highest quality patient care. Cultivating a strong partnership between the nurses and the research informationists in a Research Library helps to encourage an evidence-based environment. The research informationist for nursing provides customized services to enlighten, educate, and bring awareness to the myriad of resources required to translate evidence into practice. Databases such as PubMed, Cochrane, Joanna Briggs Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health literature (CINAHL), and Embase hold the answers to PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparative Intervention, Outcome) questions, but the nurse needs the appropriate training in order to identify and critically appraise the results. Introducing the nurses to these databases, key journals and textbooks, credible websites and methods for critical appraisal will provide them with the tools necessary for success. Learning how to appraise publications and tease out the best evidence such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized-controlled trials, practice guidelines, and expert opinions, will help them to better navigate the vast body of medical and nursing literature. A training program and a virtual learning lab have been put into place, as well as, a recently launched PICO form to help the nurse formulate the clinical question.
Methods: Through resource usage metrics, training survey feedback, and selected interviews, we will demonstrate the value the research informationists bring to the nursing community as a key EBP partner.
Results: Results will be tabulated and completed by May 2017.
Conclusion: We will illustrate various resources, customized tools, processes in place, and best practices that highlight the ongoing partnership between Nursing and a Research Library at a comprehensive cancer center.
The Library Learning Narrative: A Pilot Project to Capture Learning Outcomes at the Reference Desk
Rick Stoddart​ - University of Idaho Library
Beth Hendrix - University of Idaho Library
Objective: To put it simply, we are what we measure. If libraries measure books, then libraries are about books. If libraries measure learning, than libraries are about learning. One area in libraries that often has significant learning opportunity with patrons is the reference desk. Libraries often gather data about these interactions and traditionally categorize these transactions by question type, time spent answering the question, and time of day. Unfortunately, these traditional measures do little to connect to the learning aspect that may or may not occur during these reference encounters.
Method: This poster introduces a new way to collect evidence to validate library value statements. It outlines a pilot project to redesign the reference assessment instrument to highlight learning activities at the reference desk that traditional means fail to capture, such as how to evaluate resources, correctly cite materials, or other information literacy-related skills.
Results: The poster will graphically depict how these learning activities were mapped to university and national learning goals such as problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking to create an assessment instrument that allows reference services to gather evidence to support statements about the time and effort they contribute to campus learning outcomes.
Conclusion: The research presented in this poster will be of interest to library administrators as well as reference and instruction librarians. It makes the case for better assessment measures at library service points to capture desired learning outcomes such as information literacy. These assessments will allow libraries to better articulate their impact and contribution to desired learning outcomes in the communities they serve. This data will also better convey the value reference services have in supporting and enhancing learning outcomes.
The value of a consortia to an ARL Library
Ryan Johnson - Georgetown University Library
Introduction: Georgetown University is a member of the Washington Research Library Consortia (WRLC), an organization with nine member institutions in Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. The WRLC members range from ARL libraries to small specialized or teaching focused institutions.
Objective: There is often a reticence on the part of ARL libraries to fully participate in consortia with smaller or specialized academic libraries. In WRLC, Georgetown has the largest collection and materials budget and this study intends to determine the value of membership in the consortia to Georgetown University Library and to demonstrate the value of collaboration in a mixed academic environment.
Methodology: Through the examination of consortial book loans, ILL requests for articles within the consortia, and Georgetown University usage of consortial e-book packages (of which there are currently four: Springer Behavioral Science Books, a subscription to ProQuest Academic Complete, an e-book DDA with JSTOR, and the OSO package from Oxford University Press that includes centrally held print copies of about 40% of the total package), I will develop a specific amount of value to Georgetown from the by comparing the usage of consortial opportunities when compared to the cost of Georgetown’s participation in both labor and collections contributions.
Results: The results will show the overall value of participation in WRLC for Georgetown University. These results will be used to inform future participation in WRLC collaborative activities and in particular to inform local collections development decisions at Georgetown University. It can also inform future conversations with faculty and administrators about the changing nature of collections and how a collaborative collection policy may be to the overall benefit to the university.
Conclusion: This study will inform the future of the collection development at both Georgetown University and for the WRLC as a whole.
First-year Students’ Research Challenges: Does Watching Videos on Common Research Struggles Prior to Library Instruction Increase Students’ Confidence?
(see linked file below for access)
Savannah Kelly - The University of Mississippi (Twitter: @skelly176)
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of providing video tutorials, which addressed common research struggles, to first-year students prior to their participation in a traditional fifty-minute face-to-face library instruction session. It was hypothesized that students who received the additional video content would report higher research confidence levels than students who did not receive the video content.
Methods: The sample included all twenty-two first-year writing classes within the FASTrack Learning Community at the University of Mississippi. All sections were scheduled to receive a traditional fifty-minute face-to-face session from the same librarian. Twelve of the twenty-two classes were also instructed to watch a ten-minute video series (4 videos total) prior to attending their scheduled in-person library session. The video series addressed common first-year research challenges: struggles inherent to searching, evaluating, and caring about sources. Students’ research confidence levels in both groups were measured by a ten-item scale before receiving videos and face-to-face instruction, and again when students turned in their source-based assignments for their writing course.
Results: Preliminary analysis indicates moderate differences between the pre and post-scale scores on a number of items, but limited, if any, differences between the groups that received the video series and those that did not. This study seems to suggest that students’ improved research confidence was more likely attributed to face-to-face library instruction and not necessarily the presence of video tutorials that addressed common research struggles.
Conclusion: While librarians should continue to support face-to-face instruction, additional research is needed to establish the most apposite time during the semester to introduce video tutorials. In retrospect, it may be hypothesized that the students in this study would have benefited more from watching the videos after, rather than before, the in-person library session.