Laurie J. Bonnici

CONTESTED TERRAIN: ACCREDITATION AND THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSION OF LIBRARIANSHIP

This article explores the future trajectory of librarianship and its status as a profession in the context of the contested terrain of the information professions and particularly the development of a differentiated information technology workforce. Andrew Abbott’s theory of the system of professions informs the historical comparison and future forecasting of the relative power of librarianship and the emerging information technology professions to persist into the twenty‐first century. How might value differences manifest themselves in the development of a legitimatizing process for information technology education? What effect might these have on the future development of information technology degree programs offered within schools of information studies? Is it likely that the stability that ALA has enjoyed as a mediator between librarianship and the discipline of information studies will be challenged? Finally, what are the likely consequences for the status of the profession of librarianship?

US national accessibility survey: librarians serving patrons with disabilities

Purpose – The paper seeks to determine the state of library services to people with disabilities in the USA. It aims to use social capital theory to provide a lens to reconceptualize equal access in a global context, and to offer insights on the effects of new information technologies for re‐envisioning universal access.Design/methodology/approach – Librarians serving the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH) were surveyed. Questions addressed clientele, services, technologies, career opportunities, library and information science education, and librarian demographics.Findings – Human resources and information technologies are identified as major challenges to the future of information access for disabled persons. Professional perspective suggests there is strong potential for technologies and the internet to bridge the information access divide if libraries commit to providing access through assistive technologies.Research limitations/implications – The survey was li...

Second national accessibility survey: librarians, patrons, and disabilities

– This study aims to determine the state of library services to people with disabilities in the USA since the last study conducted in 2008. Social capital theory provides a lens to reconceptualize equal access in a global context, and to offer insights on the effects of new information technologies for re-envisioning universal access. Strategic alliances with education and human–computer interaction researchers are proposed. , – Librarians serving the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH) were surveyed. Questions addressed clientele, services, technologies, career opportunities, leadership, library and information science (LIS) education and librarian demographics. , – Human resources, leadership, outreach and out-of-the-box solutions applying mainstream technologies are identified as major challenges to the future of information access for disabled persons through the NLS/BPH system. , – The survey was limited to librarians serving the NLS/BPH. A similar survey distributed in other nations could expand the possibilities of future research and collaboration. , – Information from this survey can aid information professionals planning delivery of information services to disabled patrons. Suggestions for shifting from special access to universal access philosophy ensure access for all. Results can also help LIS educators prepare graduates to serve an aging population that will challenge standard methods of information access and services. , – This study provides the current perspective of services to persons with disabilities compared to findings by the researchers in 2008. Since the first survey in 2008, the service has been updated through a national effort of digitization. This study is the first comparative study of the NLS.

An evaluation of the functionality and accessibility of e-readers for individuals with print disabilities

Purpose – This study aims to examine the usability of three popular electronic reading devices (e-readers) to determine which device provides the best functionality for individuals with print disabilities. Adaptability and flexibility for use with assistive technology are also evaluated. Design/methodology/approach – This study reports the results of a usability test of e-readers and their potential for use by individuals with print disabilities. Students enrolled in a School of Library and Information Science evaluated and compared the devices through a series of tasks designed to measure functionality. Participants completed a series of questionnaires and engaged in small group discussion about the efficacy of the devices. Likert scales and open-ended evaluation were employed in the evaluation and analysis. Findings – Two of the three devices examined offered no accessibility features for individuals with low or no vision who require assistive technologies to use information and communication technologi...

The globalization of the iSchools movement

In 2005 a relatively small interdisciplinary group of LIS schools, all based in the U.S., announced its intention to form a new “iField.” The explicitly stated goal behind the formation and formalization of this group was the coming to grips with the “elusive identity [that] poses a challenge for the I-School movement” (King, 2006). Today 40% of the iSchools Caucus is non-U.S. based. This research examines the impact of the international member schools on what was once an exclusively American group. The internationalization phenomenon is examined from the perspective of the Information Outcome Space (Gross & Latham, 2011). Content analysis of school websites addressing vision and mission statements, “about the school” statements, and messages from the Deans/Directors were conducted to discern the philosophical approaches of iSchool as they relate to the concept of information. This research addresses whether information conception is the uniting, identifying, and defining identity for the iCaucus.

Instructional style and learner-centered approach: a cross-institutional examination of modality preference for online course delivery in a graduate professional program

This case study examined student preference for delivery mode of online courses in two graduate degree programs in Library and Information Science. Within-group and between-groups comparisons indicated a distinct preference across the institutions. Findings from focus groups conducted with two cohorts of students enrolled in a federally funded project indicated students preferring asynchronous delivery enrolled in such courses to accommodate busy lifestyles. In the synchronously deployed course, flexibility in accommodation of various learning styles was evidenced by such influential factors as teaching style, instructional design, and topicality. Findings inform online education for modality and instructional style.

The interdisciplinary study of information

To mark the 75th anniversary of ASIS&T this panel addresses the nature and recent history of the field of information science. It uses as a springboard The Study of Information: Interdisciplinary Messages, a collection of writings edited by economist Fritz Machlup and Una Mansfield (1983). More than a quarter of a century ago, The Study of Information (for short) presented the mandates of nine research specialties centered on information, namely: cognitive science, informatics, artificial intelligence, linguistics, library and information science, cybernetics, information theory, and systems theory. By illuminating the concerns, similarities, and differences of these related domains the book established one of the first and most lucid geographies of information as an interdisciplinary academic enterprise. In its day, reviewers described The Study of Information as “a quite remarkable overview” (Hayes, 1985), “an extraordinary volume” (Barnes, 1985), and “an historically significant book” (Harmon, 1987).

Glyphexts (Glyphs + Text = Effect) as Information Divide: Screen Reader Impact on Interpreting Sentimentality in Online Social Media Review Posts

Subjective information in the form of online social media (OSM) opinion posts increasingly functions as useful information in times of uncertainty. Sentimentality frequently expressed in OSM posts includes emotions such as excitement, disbelief, and rhetoric such as expressions of sarcasm. Sentimentality is conveyed through glyphs expressed in isolation (?) or (!), success repetition (????), (!!!!!), or (?!), and non-standard punctuation such as the interrobang (□). Application of a nascent lens, the Cognitive Authority Framework-Quality Information Source (CAF-QIS), has revealed that glyphs are commonly and frequently applied in OSM. Accessibility software employed by those with visual challenges allows for filtering of extra-character content in documents, including web content such as OSM. Some screen readers exclude conveyance of glyphs entirely. Through open-ended survey responses and first-hand interview accounts with visually-challenged users active on OSM opinion sites, this project seeks to uncover deeper understanding of how they determine trustworthiness of opinions and better opportunities to access emotionally informed subjective content. The concept of glyphicality provides a lens to interpret sentimentality within the specialized social media domain.

Navigating the confluence of streams in the development of disciplinary identity, 2004--2009

This poster presents preliminary research on the relationship between the iSchools movement and the development of disciplinary identity between 2004 and 2009, the period during which the iSchools organization was officially founded. The goal is to explore whether it is possible to identify trends that emerge from articles written by iSchool faculty and graduate students (i-authors) that appeared in five journals with high impact factor rankings in the areas of Information Science and Library Science (LIS) and Computer Science and Information Systems (CIS) as indexed in the 2009 Journal Citation Reports. These two areas were selected because they represent the disciplinary homes of the majority of the iSchools membership. Descriptive statistics including frequency tables were used to identify trends in the development of disciplinary identity in the study of information. The results suggest that iSchool authors may be selecting publication venues based on the geographic proximity of the journal rather than journal impact rankings, subject matter, or style of work affinities. The researchers plan to conduct author cocitation analysis to further examine the influence of these factors. Graphs and charts are used to present the findings in the poster itself, and additional references will be provided.

Qualitative decision impact model: A tri‐partite broadcast social network approach

Decision theory is the mathematics of making decisions under certain conditions of uncertainty. A major shortcoming in the application of decision theory to human problem-solving is that it is difficult to sufficiently account for the influence of specific instances of human social-psychological conditions in making value judgments. Equally challenging to decision theory are the complexity and diversity of human problems. The P2h.D. decision impact model describes the configuration of a structured and intentionally sustained network of podcasts, blogs, and wikis to provide informal resources and examples of human experience to supplement formal resources developed out of decision theory modeling.