Amalia Monroe-Gulick

Understanding Methodological and Disciplinary Differences in the Data Practices of Academic Researchers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to better understand the data practices, influences and needs of researchers at a major public research institution. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on the results of a pre-tested, web-based survey of University of Kansas faculty, staff, researchers and graduate students. Findings – Influences on data practices and data needs vary with the research methodology and academic discipline of the researcher. Practical implications – Academic libraries may need to adjust the services they offer to meet the varying needs of researchers in differing disciplines using differing methodologies. Originality/value – This study adds to the developing literature describing research data management.

Clinical preventive service use disparities among subgroups of people with disabilities: A scoping review.

BACKGROUNDnRecommended use of clinical preventive services (CPS) reduces morbidity and mortality from preventable conditions. Disparities in CPS utilization between individuals with and without disabilities have been shown, but a greater understanding of the disability subpopulations with lowest utilization is needed to better inform research, policy, and practice.nnnOBJECTIVEnThe objective was to conduct a scoping review of the literature to identify relevant studies on disparities in receipt of CPS among subgroups of individuals with disabilities.nnnMETHODSnIn July 2010, electronic and manual literature searches were conducted for years 2000-2009. Review for inclusion/exclusion and data analysis occurred in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the review was updated to cover abstracts published in 2010 and 2011. Identified abstracts, and then full-text articles of included abstracts, were reviewed according to inclusion/exclusion criteria by multiple reviewers. For articles meeting all criteria, two reviewers performed independent data extraction. A gap analysis was performed to identify areas of concentration and gaps in the literature.nnnRESULTSnTwenty-seven articles met inclusion criteria for this review. Studies varied substantially in sample composition and research methods. CPS examined most often were cervical cancer screening (14 studies) and mammography (13 studies). Potential disparity factors studied most often were disability factors (i.e., disabling condition in 12 studies, disability severity in 10 studies). Stratification of CPS by disparity factors revealed substantial gaps in the literature.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe literature gaps point to a need for high quality research on access disparities among subgroups of individuals with disabilities.

Using the WorldCat Collection Analysis Tool: Experiences From the University of Kansas Libraries

In March 2009, the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries began a yearlong subscription to OCLCs WorldCat Collection Analysis (WCA) tool, which was recommended by the associate dean of Technical Services and the assistant dean of Collections and Scholar Services. KU Libraries bases many of its collections decisions on collected data, including usage statistics, overlap analysis, and interlibrary loan statistics. The WCA was perceived as another method of collecting data to make collection development decisions. An implementation committee was appointed by the deans and led by the authors, the head of Collection Development and a social sciences librarian who had experience with the WCA at another institution. The implementation committee set institutional goals and priorities for the project as well as prepared informational documents and conducted training sessions for subject librarians. Librarians submitted reports for each of their collections. Although the project coordinators dealt with the many frustrations experienced by the subject librarians because of the flaws associated with the tool and would change the process for future WCA projects, overall, KU librarians were pleased to discover that the quality of the collections at KU is very high.

Local Citation Analysis of National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health Grant Applications: Meeting the Needs of Researchers

Supporting and meeting the research needs of faculty members is a priority at the University of Kansas because of the necessity for external grant-funding. For this study, the authors analyzed the citations from successful National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) grant applications submitted between 2005 and 2013. The purpose was to identify the types of resources used by researchers and determine if KU Libraries are currently providing access. In addition to access, the authors analyzed the age, format, whether journals were provided in a journal package or aggregator, subject area, and open access status. Overall, the authors found KU Libraries’ collection provides substantial support for researchers who submitted successful NSF and NIH grant applications.

You Need to Have a Street Beat: A Qualitative Study of Faculty Research Needs and Challenges

abstract:In the spring of 2015, 14 faculty members in social science or in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) spoke with a working group from the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries regarding their research needs and challenges. Their responses highlighted a dynamic research environment in which individual researchers desire to connect with other experts, yet often remain isolated within their departments. Common challenges included dealing with data storage, management, and preservation, as well as understanding publication impact and dissemination methods. Respondents looked to KU Libraries as a neutral entity that could connect them to experts, materials, and practices that would enhance their research.

Assessment of KU Libraries’ Slavic & Eurasian Collection: Purpose, Process, and Potential

ABSTRACT This paper discusses collection-related assessment projects that were conducted in 2013–2014 by the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ International Collections librarians in cooperation with librarians for assessment and resource sharing. While these assessment projects were undertaken in an effort to strengthen the library reports for KU’s Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) grant applications, which were submitted by KU’s area studies centers, the results also have implications for collection development work. The article begins with background about the NRC grants and explains why and how these assessment projects developed. Highlights of results from each assessment project are presented in the following order: assessment of the research needs of area studies faculty and graduate students at KU; citation patterns (2005–2013) of area studies, and more specifically, Slavic and Eurasian studies faculty at KU; and resource sharing data for the Slavic and Eurasian collection 2011–2013. The article concludes with a discussion about how the assessment data inform collection development practices and decisions.

Using Primo for undergraduate research: a usability study

Purpose n n n n nThe purpose of this paper is to observe how undergraduate students approach open-ended searching for a research assignment, specifically as it affected their use of the discovery interface Primo. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nIn total, 30 undergraduate students were provided with a sample research assignment and instructed to find resources for it using web tools of their choice, followed by the Primo discovery tool. Students were observed for 30 minutes. A survey was provided at the end to solicit additional feedback. Sources students found were evaluated for relevance and utility. n n n n nFindings n n n n nStudents expressed a high level of satisfaction with Primo despite some difficulty navigating through more complicated tasks. Despite their interest in the tool and previous exposure to it, it was usually not the first discovery tool students used when given the research assignment. Students approached the open-ended search environment much like they would with a commercial search engine. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThis paper focused on an open-ended search environment as opposed to a known-item scenario in order to assess students’ preferences for web search tools and how a library discovery layer such as Primo was a part of that situation. Evaluation of the resources students found relevant were also analyzed to determine to what degree the students understood the level of quality they exhibited and from which tool they were obtained.

Proving the Value of Library Collections Part II: An Interdisciplinary Study Using Citation Analysis

At the 2012 Charleston Conference, University of Kansas (KU) librarians presented the results of a citation analysis project conducted using faculty publications in the sciences. Library administrators were excited by the findings reported from this analysis and compelled the librarians to proceed with more citation analysis research by supporting them with student assistants who helped gather the initial data that were used in the study. During the subsequent year, KU librarians took the collection assessment project two steps further by gathering citation data from faculty publications in the humanities and social sciences to conduct an extensive citation analysis. Using a random sampling of faculty publications from three departments in the humanities: philosophy, art history, and English—and three departments in the social sciences—psychology, political science, and economics—the presenters conducted a citation analysis of the resources cited in faculty journal publications. The librarians used this new data to compare the two broad disciplinary areas with the sciences, but even more importantly, they collected data that would influence collection development decisions in the individual subject areas. The authors tested their assumptions, expecting to find that science faculty use more journals than books and humanities faculty use more books than journals, but in some cases, the results were unexpected.