Sara E. Morris

Forgotten Resources: Subject Guides in the Era of Web 2.0

Subject guides have been used for years to connect patrons with resources. What is the current state of subject guides and how have libraries incorporated changing technologies into them? For example, blogs, wikis, and chat are frequently included on library websites, but may not be included on websites at the subject guide level. This study used a matrix to review subject guides on the websites of the twenty-one Mountain West and Big 12 academic libraries to find out where subject guides are located, what they are called, and how often and which Web 2.0 technologies they incorporated into the content of their guides.

Testing an Academic Library Website for Usability with Faculty and Graduate Students

Objectives - This usability study was developed to observe faculty and graduate students’ reactions to a recent redesign of the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ website. The redesign included new navigational features, introduction of a federated search tool, a quick search box on the front page, and research subject pages. The study also provided the opportunity to observe the practices of faculty and graduate students in locating and retrieving information on the Libraries’ website. Methods - Ten participants (five faculty and five graduate students) representing diverse disciplines were solicited for the study. Participants were required to access the Libraries’ website to answer a series of questions regarding new and updated features of the website. Observational analysis using Morae™ software was conducted and interviews with each participant provided details of their opinions on how these new features would influence their research and teaching activities. Results - Most of the participants either did not notice or ignored the major website changes. Links to and locations of commonly used resources (e.g. catalogue; databases; e-journals) had been changed minimally, and the faculty and graduate student participants gravitated to those familiar features to complete tasks. Prior to the study, participants had not accessed the new discovery tools; however, once previewed, responses to the tools’ utility were generally favourable. After using the federated search tool on a familiar topic, several participants noted that, when directed to databases they had not previously considered, they were able to locate citations they had missed in the past. Observers noted pitfalls in navigating the site such as inconsistent underscoring of links, ambiguous terminology, and unclear icons meant to expand subject heading lists. Unexpected searching behaviours were observed, including inconsistent and lack of conceptual understanding in searching for e-journal content. Conclusions - This study provides evidence regarding the usability of a library website with a population already familiar with library resources. It demonstrated that faculty and graduate students are not interested in experimenting with new discovery tools but are amenable to their potential value to undergraduate students. The recent trend toward minimizing content and links on websites satisfies this population, one which is already comfortable with the basic attributes of a library’s website.

To stream or not to stream

Purpose The University of Kansas (KU) libraries has faced increased requests for streaming video in the past five years. While we have provided access to many databases of films, feature films remained a problem. To write a collection development policy, the library undertook three investigations to ensure the outcome reflected the needs of the university. Design/methodology/approach Film titles included in Swank 300 and Criterion-on-Demand were checked against the CanIStream. it? website to check for availability through streaming, rental or purchase services. Student library users were surveyed to determine if they had streaming subscriptions and, if so, which ones. KU librarians also examined academic library collection development polices to understand how others have addressed this issue. Findings More than half of the feature films provided by the two vendors are available through subscriptions, renting or purchasing methods. A majority of students subscribe to one or more of these services. Many academic libraries are deciding not to provide streaming feature films. Originality/value There are no previous studies on students’ subscriptions to streaming services linked to availability of feature films offered from commercial vendors to libraries.

The decline of academic poultry science in the United States of America

Academic poultry science in the United States had its origins in the early part of the 20th century. It reached its peak with 45 active departments in the 1940′s, but then started to decline significantly in the 1960′s. Today, there are only 7 active departments. There have been a number of published theories as to why as the industry grew the academic programs disappeared. Declining student numbers and failure to address industry concerns are the primary theories. This paper addresses all of the available published work together to present the situation as it evolved and point to the potential outcome.

From scraps to reams to mobile screens? An update on printing services in academic libraries

ABSTRACT As a follow-up to their 2001/2002 study on printing services in academic libraries, the authors explore how the provision of printing services has changed over the last twelve years. This article explores how libraries are choosing to fund printing services as well as how technology, such as scanning and mobile devices, has changed the way printing services are provided. The results of the 2013 survey find a greater percentage of libraries are using a fee-based system for printing, and, while some technology is providing greater data and control for printing services, other technological advances are having unintended consequences for libraries’ printing infrastructure.

From Collection Development to Content Development: Organization and Staffing for the 21st Century

The University of Kansas (KU) Libraries has a new organizational structure that resulted in the creation of the Content Development Department, with fewer librarians dedicated to stewardship of the Libraries’ collections. The impending retirement of three long‐standing and knowledgeable librarians prompted a review of the responsibilities of the new department and identification of the human resources needed to meet the collection demands of a user‐centered library. In an effort to determine how the Libraries can proceed, we completed an environmental scan of current activities and identified, through the literature and contacts with academic colleagues, how collecting practices and formats will develop. Based on evidence gained through a survey of faculty and graduates students at KU, there is a strong sentiment that library resources need to be carefully managed to support the teaching and research needs of the university. This paper will discuss efforts to make a case to continue to support deep subject expertise for collection development, particularly in the arts and humanities. By clearly identifying collection development responsibilities (it’s not just buying books!), KU librarians were successful in transitioning into the new organizational structure with the staffing needed to make knowledgeable collection development decisions. KU Campus Environment Analyzing existing structures and making adjustments to make KU a stronger institution of higher learning have become the new normal. In 2009, a new chancellor arrived on campus, replacing her predecessor, who had served in this capacity for fourteen years. The next year, a new provost joined the leadership team. Together, these new administrators established lofty goals to raise KU’s research output and reputation and streamline operations to improve stewardship of KU’s precious dollars. The two most consequential of these efforts were “Changing for Excellence” and “Bold Aspirations.” In the summer of 2010 “Changing for Excellence” began evaluating business practices to increase institutional efficiencies and decreasing expenditures (University of Kansas, 2013). KU’s strategic planning efforts, which started in the fall of 2010 resulted in the plan “Bold Aspirations” which framed KU’s short‐term goals into six areas (University of Kansas, 2012):  Energizing the educational environment.  Elevating doctoral education.  Driving discovery and innovation.  Engaging scholarship for public impact.  Developing infrastructure and resources.  Developing infrastructure and resources. Since KU adopted these two programs, they have become the foundation for decisions of all types on campus, and the KU transformation began with the Libraries leading the way. KU Libraries’ Strategic Planning The campus strategic plan, “Bold Aspirations,” was released in October 2011. By November, the KU Libraries had not only pledged to be the first campus unit to undergo a strategic planning process based on KU’s plan, but had already established a steering committee for strategic planning. This group of appointed individuals worked quickly to identify and determine the goals for the strategic plan. By the spring various working groups were establishing outcomes and strategies for each goal. When the final plan was released, the libraries “Strategic Directions” put forth the following goals (University of Kansas Libraries, 2012): Copyright of this contribution remains in the name of the author(s). http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284315594 Management and Administration 415  Integrate information literacy, research skills, and information resources into the curriculum to enhance critical thinking, academic success, and lifelong learning.  Advance scholarship through proactive engagement in research and scholarly communication.  Strengthen KU Libraries’ position as an agile responsive organization capable of continual improvement and change.  Stabilize and grow existing funding sources, secure new funding opportunities, and enhance public accountability. Shortly after the release of the KU Libraries’ strategic plan, the dean of libraries created the Organizational Review Team (ORT). The dean charged ORT to review all aspects of the organization and to make recommendations for a library structure that embraced the objectives put forth in “Bold Aspirations” and “Strategic Directions.” ORT’s report went directly to the dean of libraries who utilized their findings, along with her own knowledge of trends in research libraries, to create the new structure. She proclaimed the new organization a “User‐Focused Organizational Structure.”