Gaby Haddow

Loans, logins and lasting the course: Academic library use and student retention

Activities and services that improve student engagement and retention in the higher education sector are important not only to individual students’ success but also to university planning and funding. This paper reports on a study carried out to explore whether use of the library by new university students is associated with continued enrolment. Limited to commencing students in March 2010 at Curtin University, the study drew on demographic data from the university’s enrolment system and instances of library use from the library’s management system. Results of the statistical analyses indicate that library use is associated with retention, and, importantly, that library use in the early weeks of a student’s first semester is associated with retention. Findings from this study suggest that academic libraries can contribute to the retention of students by offering carefully targeted programs and services.

Citation analysis and peer ranking of Australian social science journals

Citation analyses were performed for Australian social science journals to determine the differences between data drawn from Web of Science and Scopus. These data were compared with the tier rankings assigned by disciplinary groups to the journals for the purposes of a new research assessment model, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), due to be implemented in 2010. In addition, citation-based indicators including an extended journal impact factor, the h-index, and a modified journal diffusion factor, were calculated to assess whether subsequent analyses influence the ranking of journals. The findings suggest that the Scopus database provides higher number of citations for more of the journals. However, there appears to be very little association between the assigned tier ranking of journals and their rank derived from citations data. The implications for Australian social science researchers are discussed in relation to the use of citation analysis in the ERA.

Culture and Competencies: A Multi-Country Examination of Reference Service Competencies

Abstract Reference librarians have the opportunity to interact with patrons and colleagues of many different backgrounds, languages, and cultures as a result of our increasingly interconnected and peripatetic world. In order to provide the best possible service to these varied communities, reference librarians should understand some of the culture differences that exist across countries, and in particular, the differences in the way that reference services are conceived and delivered in different countries. This study explores some of these differences in reference services by surveying current practitioners in thirteen countries to find out which competencies they believe are most important for academic reference librarians right now, and in the near future. The results of this study highlight some important commonalities and differences, and could help reference librarians to manage and meet the expectations of their international patrons, and perhaps help them to prepare for an international job experience of their own. Academic reference librarians may be interested to see the extent to which their counterparts in other countries face similar challenges and expectations with regard to delivering reference services. Teaching faculty in library science programs will be interested to understand reference competencies and expectations in other countries, especially as they teach greater numbers of international students or consider collaborating with international colleagues. In addition, an international understanding is important in developing students who can compete in a global job market.

Knowledge, Skills and Attributes for Academic Reference Librarians.

A survey of Australian academic reference librarians was conducted as part of an international collaboration seeking to identify the most important knowledge, skills and attributes now and for the next ten years. Librarians working in or managing reference-related services at university and vocational education and training institutions participated in the online survey. Their responses indicate that a core professional skill, searching, is the most important skill for reference librarians, followed by other generic skills, such as verbal communication and customer service skills.

The Mobile Library and Staff Preparedness: Exploring Staff Competencies Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model

This paper presents preliminary findings of a study investigating the current state of preparedness of staff at institutes of technology and TAFE libraries across Australia and New Zealand in relation to delivering services through mobile technologies. In particular, the skills, knowledge, and competencies of staff in relation to mobile technologies are discussed, as well as the specific on-the-job training required to develop confident and capable staff in a mobile environment. A slightly-modified version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model was tested as a predictor of behavioural intention and use behaviour. Initial analysis of data revealed a range of themes relating to technical functionality, management, service delivery, and adaptability as important to staff skills and knowledge.

Australian Education Journals: Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators.

This paper reports on a study that applied citationbased measurements to Australian education journals. Citations data were drawn from two sources, Web of Science and Scopus, and these data were used to calculate each journal’s impact factor, h-index, and diffusion factor. The rankings resulting from these analyses were compared with draft rankings assigned to the journals by Excellence for Research in Australia (ERA). Scopus emerged as the citation source most favourable to these journals and some consistency of data across the citation-based measures was found.

Quality Australian Journals in the Humanities and Social Sciences

A pilot study was undertaken to test the journal diffusion factor (JDF) as an alternative to journal impact factors (JIFs) for ranking journals. Bibliometric research methods were applied to rank Australian architecture, communications and education journals by the JDF; this was with the total number of citations they attract in ISI indexed journals, the proportion of articles published that attracted citations, and publishing characteristics. It was found that JDF does not provide a comparable alternative journal ranking method to JIF, although it may contribute to our understanding of the nature of a journal. Until further research is conducted, a JDF ranking should be considered as an independent measure of journal rank.

Bibliometric and webometric methods for assessing research collaboration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the methods and findings of a pilot study which applied bibliometrics and webometrics to examine collaboration in Malaysian biotechnology.Design/methodology/approach – The research applied bibliometric and webometric methods to publications and web sites affiliated with Malaysian institutions. The bibliometric analysis focused on biotechnology‐related journal articles indexed in Web of Knowledge. The webometric analysis examined the web sites of top biotechnology institutions generated in the bibliometric analysis. Collaboration behaviour was assessed in three ways: intra‐institutional versus inter‐institutional; national versus international collaboration; and by type of institution collaboration according to the triple helix model.Findings – Findings of the pilot study, which applied bibliometric and webometric analyses to a limited sample, indicate that the methodologies will collect the desired data for a more extensive study.Research limitations/impl...

Academic Libraries and the Research Quality Framework.

The Federal Government is introducing a new funding model for research in Australian higher education institutions, the Research Quality Framework (RQF). This paper provides an overview of the RQF and looks at possible impacts of the RQF on academic libraries in Australia. These impacts are drawn from experience at one Australian university, RQF-related activities, and commentary and research from the UK, where a similar funding model, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), has been operating for a decade. The paper concludes by bringing these issues together with suggestions for academic libraries preparing for the 2008 RQF.

Research Support in Australian Academic Libraries: Services, Resources, and Relationships

ABSTRACT In the last decade Australian academic libraries have increasingly aligned their research support services with assessment criteria used in the national research evaluation exercise (Excellence for Research in Australia). The same period has seen growing interest in research impact outside of traditional measures, such as bibliometrics. Social media has provided opportunities for research dissemination and new tools, altmetrics, to measure these activities have emerged. This article reports on research into the extent and nature of research support services at Australian academic libraries, how the services are managed, and the factors that influence their development and delivery. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to compare the findings with an earlier study and to provide a deeper understanding of research support in Australia. Three key themes, services, staff and resourcing, and relationships, are discussed in relation to the management and challenges faced in providing research support.