Allyson Mower

Putting Wikis to Work in Libraries

ABSTRACT Wikis are part of the suite of Web 2.0 technologies enhancing collaboration and communication. This article describes the ways in which one academic health sciences library has utilized wiki software. The Eccles Health Sciences Library has found wikis to be valuable collaboration tools. Case scenarios and software selection recommendations will be outlined. Examples of collaborations using wikis include grant writing, strategic planning, departmental documentation, and committee work. Comparisons are made between externally hosted and locally hosted wiki software.

University Scholarly Knowledge Inventory System: A Workflow System for Institutional Repositories

The University Scholarly Knowledge Inventory System (U-SKIS) provides workspace for institutional repository staff. U-SKIS tracks files, communications, and publishers’ archiving policies to determine what may be added to a repository. A team at the University of Utah developed the system as part of a strategy to gather previously published peer-reviewed articles. As campus outreach programs developed, coordinators quickly amassed thousands of journal articles requiring copyright research and permission. This article describes the creation of U-SKIS, addresses the educational role U-SKIS plays in the scholarly communication arena, and explores the implications of implementing scalable workflow systems for other digital collections.

Exploring Publishing Patterns at a Large Research University: Implications for Library Practice

Objective – The research project sought to explore the value of data on publication patterns for decision-making regarding scholarly communications and collection development programs at a research-intensive post-secondary institution, the University of Utah in the United States. Methods – Publication data for prolific University of Utah authors were gathered from Scopus for the year 2009. The availability to University of Utah faculty, staff, and students of the journals in which University of Utah authors published was determined using the University of Utah Libraries’ catalogue; usage was estimated based on publisher-provided download statistics and requests through interlibrary loan; and costs were calculated from invoices, a periodicals directory, and publisher websites and communications. Indicators of value included the cost-per-use of journals to which the University of Utah Libraries subscribed, a comparison of interlibrary loan costs to subscription costs for journals to which the University of Utah Libraries did not subscribe, the relationship between publishing venue and usage, and the relationship between publishing venue and cost-per-use. Results – There were 22 University of Utah authors who published 10 or more articles in 2009. Collectively, these authors produced 275 articles in 162 journals. The University of Utah provided access through library subscriptions to 83% of the journals for which access, usage, and cost data were available, with widely varying usage and at widely varying costs. Cost-per-use and a comparison of interlibrary loan to subscription costs provided evidence of the effectiveness of collection development practices. However, at the individual journal title level, there was little overlap between the various indicators of journal value, with the highest ranked, or most valuable, journals differing depending on the indicator considered. Few of the articles studied appeared in open access journals, suggesting a possible focus area for the scholarly communications program. Conclusions – Knowledge of publication patterns provides an additional source of data to support collection development decisions and scholarly communications programming. As the estimated value of a journal is dependent on the factor being studied, gathering knowledge on a number of factors and from a variety of sources can lead to more informed decision-making. Efforts should be made to expand data considered in areas of scholarly communications and collection development beyond usage to incorporate publishing activities of institutionally affiliated authors.

Expanding access to published research: open access and self-archiving.

Academic libraries traditionally provide access to the life science journal literature for their respective institutions by purchasing annual subscriptions to journals. However, with skyrocketing subscription prices and decreased or flattened library budgets, fewer journals are being purchased. This trend results in diminished access to the literature for members of that institution. Open access and self-archiving are possible solutions to this crisis.

One Library’s Successful Venture in Providing Comprehensive Streaming Media Services

Thoroughly understanding what professors and instructors needed to accomplish their teaching goals with streaming video was the first step enabling one academic library to successfully manage a rapid increase in demand for streaming media. The second element was incorporating an expert understanding of copyright law and the nature of the video marketplace. This paper will strive to educate librarians and other professional library staff on how they can best integrate media streaming into mainstream library services for their campus faculty, as well as how to provide a full range of streaming services. The paper also will address workflow, communication with faculty, budget and license negotiations, copyright principles, fair use, and content delivery. Introduction and Background University libraries have always engaged in the business of providing their campus communities with resources for research and teaching. As technology has changed, the delivery method for providing these resources has also adjusted in order to make content more easily and quickly accessible. One excellent example of this is the provision of media, especially film. Historians document that motion pictures made their debut in the late 1800s and by the 1970s 16mm films were regularly used in educational settings from grade school through higher education (Mintz and McNeil, 2013). Many university libraries developed extensive collections of 16mm film, including archival collections of university activities (Brancolini, 1993). As technology advanced, 16mm films were replaced by collections of videos in Beta and VHS formats, then DVD, and finally Blu‐Ray as physical forms of film. Providing access to films in physical formats such as VHS, DVD, and Blu‐Ray had obvious disadvantages for library users. There were only so many copies available to students who were required to view certain films for their coursework and only so many machines available to play these physical formats causing stress on both the library and the students. As computer technology improved and the Internet matured, videos were increasingly created in digital form and films on VHS and DVD were capable of being digitized and streamed. Streaming allowed access to the films any time, anywhere the Internet was available. Many university libraries began to offer media Copyright of this contribution remains in the name of the author(s). http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284316240 107 Charleston Conference Proceedings 2015 streaming services to their campus communities such that a faculty member could request the streaming of a film for their course, the library would digitize and stream the film, and students could easily access the required film any time (Snyder et al., 2001). These services began appearing in the early to mid‐2000’s when film publishers and vendors were primarily offering the physical forms of film as the dominant method of purchasing and accessing a film. However, the marketplace was shifting. Film publishers and vendors began to embrace the new technology and their offerings expanded to include streamed versions of their films for a price. As such, libraries have responded to the new marketplace by adapting and updating their media‐related services. Getting clear about what library users needed in order to accomplish their teaching and learning tasks along with incorporating expert understanding of copyright and the marketplace allowed one university library to successfully manage these significant changes while still meeting user needs.

The Librarian's Copyright Companion, 2nd Edition, by James S. Heller, Paul Hellyer, & Benjamin J. Keele

If anyone working in a library needs a useful guide on the complex world of U.S. copyright law, this updated edition of The Librarian’s Copyright Companion is an excellent work to have. Describing owners’ rights under copyright and the many exceptions to the rules can sometimes feel meaningless, at best. At worst, it can be overwhelming. These authors do a fine job of contextualizing the many rules and exceptions for library operations. The chapters are comprehensive yet easy to understand and expertly use examples to illustrate complicated concepts. The list of online resources, as well as the appendices, make the book a worthwhile purchase.