Elizabeth Parang

Redesigning Freshman Seminar library instruction based on information competencies

Abstract During summer 1997, instruction librarians at Pepperdine Universitys Payson Library began restructuring Freshman Seminar library instruction sessions because they observed that students were not acquiring the needed library and information literacy skills. Too much material was being presented in too short a time with no opportunity for hands-on experience. Taking advantage of the opportunity for Web-based instruction, students now tour the library and learn catalog searching skills at their own pace outside of class. Librarians reinforce vital library skills and introduce the students to a general database during classroom instruction which includes hands-on experience. Evaluation indicates that students completing the program are more likely than those not completing it to select an appropriate library resource for identifying print and electronic information sources on a topic, but room for improvement exists.

Consortial Borrowing Along EL Camino Real

ABSTRACT Camino, a patron-initiated borrowing system, operates within the SCELC consortium made up of private academic libraries in California. OCLCs WorldCat Navigator Request Engine is the backbone of this service, because it works with all ILS systems and integrates with discovery layers and interlibrary loan. Camino is administrated by a user group which sets policies and procedures and guides implementation for new members.

The Convergence of User Needs, Collection Building, and the Electronic Publishing Market Place

Summary Success in meeting user needs was assessed at California State University, Fullerton, by means of a survey, and at Lehigh University by an examination of database usage statistics. Implications for service provision, user education, and collection building were discussed.

Using Computing Power to Replace Lawyers: Advances in Licensing and Access

Faculty, librarians, students, and administrators are all faced with questions concerning permitted uses of licensed content. Rather than wrangle with the complexities of copyright, many would prefer a simple automated solution. The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics created such a tool through a research project that evolved into SIPX, a commercial copyright service. The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) created a product concept but faced challenges in converting it into an academic product.

Honing Your Negotiation Skills

Claire T. Dygert drew on her experiences in order to offer guidance for negotiating electronic resources licenses. Successful negotiations begin with thorough information gathering on the current situation of both the library and the publisher. This presentation emphasized that a good proposal will include mutual gains and that certain principled negotiating techniques will ensure a smooth process.

JSTOR: A History

error as e-commerce now counts as a major form of product distribution and sales. Also, while Berinstein provides a summary of key tips at the end of each chapter, the volume lacks a summary chapter that brings together all the basic strategies for finding business statistics on the Web. As mentioned previously, the book seems to be composed of disjointed chapters that could easily have been linked thematically with a bit more effort. The book has a well-prepared glossary; however, the index to the volume has some inconsistencies. For example, under ‘‘advertising costs,’’ there is a cross reference to ‘‘Marketing, cost of,’’ but there is no entry for ‘‘Marketing, cost of’’ to be found (pp. 223 and 239). Nonetheless, despite a few failings, Business Statistics on the Web is a good reference resource for business professionals, journalists, students, researchers, or anyone needing business statistics.

Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet

of the book, Bates does list all of the resources cited in the interviews, with an annotation for each resource. The appendix is divided into sections: “Research/Information Sources” with 161 citations; “Books, Periodicals, E-mail Newsletters and Discussion Groups” with 39 citations; “Software Utilities and Tools” with 6 citations; and “Professional Associations, Conferences, Etc.” with 10 citations (pp. 233–59). The print-only resources mentioned in the interview are not included in the appendix, even though many of the interviewees noted that much information remains only in print format. The annotations for each resource are detailed and include cross-references. One curious entry is for the entire Super Searchers series (p. 198). This might appear to be a self-serving advertisement, but in actuality is not, because the series is cited as a helpful source by one of the interviewees. Even more curious is the entry “Sue Rugge” with the notation that she died in 1999 (p. 259). Although “Sue Rugge” is an entry in the appendix, there is no index entry for Rugge, so there is no way to backtrack to determine why she is mentioned in the appendix. Further, although the annotation in the appendix mentions her research businesses, the names of the businesses are not found in the index or noted separately in the appendix. As mentioned in the preface, most, if not all, of the sources are also listed on the Super Searchers Website (www.infotoday.com/supersearchers), to ensure active URLs (p. 6). The index is thorough, generally adequate, and includes the print-only resources that were omitted in the appendix. Some of the subheadings listed, however, would be useful as main headings. For example, the subheadings that are listed under the names of the interviewees, such as “cultural differences” [for global research] (listed under Connor, Vicky) and “challenges in global research” (also listed under Connor, Vicky), would allow the reader to compare the entries listed for both more readily if they were included as main headings. Super Searchers Cover the World is an entertaining read that is well laid out and easy to comprehend. It is not clear who the intended audience is, however. If you are a somewhat knowledgeable searcher (online or offline), most of this information will be familiar. The appendix is the primary reason to purchase the book. For the novice in the field of online research, this volume is so unstructured that it cannot be used as a guide on how to do research. You will be better served by titles such as International Business Information on the Web 1 or Find It Online: The Complete Guide to Online Research , 2 a general research guide that has an excellent section on business research. If you enjoy the how-we-do-it-good school of literature, then kick off your shoes, sit by the fire, and enjoy Super Searchers Cover the Web .

Super Searchers Go to the Source: The Interviewing and Hands-on Information Strategies of Top Primary Researchers—Online, on the Phone, and in Person

the articles discussed in the book fall into the sciencetechnology-medicine fields where peer review is particularly critical yet controversial. Editors’ publication criteria are listed and ranked in table 3-2. Editorial bias and editorial guidelines are also discussed. Chapter 4 examines the editorial peer review process from the perspective of authors, emphasizing issues that authors have some control over. Weller writes about the concept of coauthorship, noting that there is a clear trend toward an increasing number of authors per article. She quotes a study by Richard Horton and Richard Smith that states that “physicists do it by the hundred; scientists do it in groups.” 1 How authors decide where to submit manuscripts, the value authors see in the editorial review process, and what kind of work each individual named as an author must have done to be legitimately named as a coauthor are considered. Reviewers and their role in the peer review process are considered in the next three chapters. The first of these chapters (Chapter 5) deals with the role of reviewers. The issues include how editors select peer reviewers, what studies have revealed about reviewer characteristics, how much time reviewers put into the activity, what kind of reports or feedback reviewers provide, whether editors provide reviewers with specific guidelines, and the value of reviewers’ reports from the authors’ perspective. Chapter 6 deals with the extent to which reviewers agree with each other when they have evaluated the same manuscript and Chapter 7 explores the biases of reviewers. For example, Weller examines editorial policies related to anonymous and blind reviewing, whether reviewers are able to identify authors or institutions even when these have been removed from a manuscript, and whether established scholars with name recognition receive more favorable reviews. She also considers the roles of gender and ethnicity in blind peer review. This reviewer is not statistically inclined and has always had to seek assistance with manuscripts submitted to Serials Review that included statistical analyses. Chapter 8 was, therefore, of special interest to me since it revolves around the extent to which the editorial peer review process tests the statistical validity of manuscripts. Weller’s conclusions show that I apparently was not alone in having trouble validating statistical information. Indeed, in Weller’s words, “Studies published since 1951 have found that, per study, an average of from 26 percent and 95 percent of published studies contain some degree of statistical shortcomings . . . Even taking into account the serious errors, an average per study of anywhere from 5 percent to 32 percent of articles still had problems of a serious enough nature that those who examined the reports thought they should have been rejected” (pp. 283–84). This chapter left me shaken, as it not only reveals an area where the editorial peer review process apparently fails at an appalling rate, but also a serious problem with a substantial proportion of published scholarship. Chapter 9 introduces the topic of peer review in an electronic environment. Although there is as yet little published literature with this focus, Weller describes what published studies do exist. She also discusses some new models, including the well-known Los Alamos e-print server and Psycoloquy ’s “open peer review” model, which publishes not only referred peer review commentary on the article, but also commentaries on the commentary. The final chapter of Editorial Peer Review is devoted to research on the topic. Weller offers the opinion that there is a need for a great deal more research about editorial peer review and that such studies “ must be subjected to the same rigorous scientific standards as any other research” (p. 309). She reviews both strengths and weaknesses of published studies of editorial peer review, provides recommendations for improving these studies, and suggests areas for future research. Editorial Peer Review is not a book intended for casual reading or as an introduction to the concept and its implementation. The book is meant for editors, editorial board members, peer reviewers, and authors who are— either due to the need to publish-or-perish or simply because they wish to communicate their research— involved in scholarly publication and peer review. At times the material is quite dense and difficult to wade through; however, having edited a peer-reviewed journal for more than sixteen years, I found the issues raised and descriptions of already published studies, combined with Weller’s discussion of future research, fascinating and thought-provoking. Librarians who serve as editors, editorial board members, reviewers, or who are potential authors for academic journals should not only purchase Editorial Peer Review but also proactively let faculty know about this valuable title.

The Convergence of User Needs, Collection Building, and the Electronic Publishing Market Place [workshop report]

Summary Success in meeting user needs was assessed at California State University, Fullerton, by means of a survey, and at Lehigh University by an examination of database usage statistics. Implications for service provision, user education, and collection building were discussed.

Track 2 : Using the Web for the public

Abstract The Web can be a great tool for bibliographic instruction, publicizing a librarys collection and increasing its use. It is also invaluable for serials-related reference work. This session looked at how public services librarians and other serialists with similar responsibilities can make the Web work for them. Participants created a professional or departmental home page that could be used in serials-oriented public services. Techniques covered included using various search engines, embedding third-party search engines into a Web page, using lists and tables, simple forms and some of the newer and less common HTML tags.The Web can be a great tool for bibliographic instruction, publicizing a librarys collection and increasing its use. It is also invaluable for serials-related reference work. This session looked at how public services librarians and other serialists with similar responsibilities can make the Web work for them. Participants created a professional or departmental home page that could be used in serials-oriented public services. Techniques covered included using various search engines, embedding third-party search engines into a Web page, using lists and tables, simple forms and some of the newer and less common HTML tags.