Sharon Yang

Evaluating and comparing discovery tools: how close are we towards next generation catalog?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare open source and proprietary discovery tools and find out how much discovery tools have achieved towards becoming the next generation catalog.Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes characteristics of the next generation catalog into a check‐list of 12 features. This list was checked against each of seven open source and ten proprietary discovery tools to determine if those features were present or absent in those tools.Findings – Discovery tools have many next generation catalog features, but only a few can be called real next generation catalogs. Federated searching and relevancy based on circulation statistics are the two areas that both open source and proprietary discovery tools are missing. Open source discovery tools seem to be bolder and more innovative than proprietary tools in embracing advanced features of the next generation catalog. Vendors of discovery tools may need to quicken their steps in catching up.Originality/val...

Information literacy online tutorials: An introduction to rationale and technological tools in tutorial creation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide the findings of a survey of current technologies used in creating information literacy online tutorials in academic libraries. It also aims to inform readers of the technological tools available to develop good online tutorials.Design/methodology/approach – The author surveys 372 online tutorials on the library web sites of 100 academic libraries in a random sample from Petersons Guide to Four Year Colleges 2008.Findings – About one‐third of the surveyed academic libraries have developed their own online tutorials. Most of the tutorials teach search skills for a specific database. The tutorial contents also include general introduction to library resources, research in a subject area, how‐to for an application, and library‐related concepts and procedures. One‐third of the tutorials have been created by tutorial software. The other technological approaches include portable document format (PDF), Hypertext Markup Language, Common Gateway Interface scripts, ...

Next generation or current generation?: A study of the OPACs of 260 academic libraries in the USA and Canada

Purpose – The study described in this paper aims to identify the progress made in the efforts to model current online public access catalogs (OPACs) after the next generation catalog (NGC) in academic libraries in the USA and Canada.Design/methodology/approach – A random sample of 260 colleges and universities was selected from Petersons Guide to Four‐Year Colleges 2009, an estimated 10 percent of the total population of 2,560 listed academic institutions. A checklist of 12 features of the NGC was used to evaluate the OPACs of the 260 libraries in the sample. The authors took as the OPAC that which the library linked to as its “catalog,” even though some might be more properly considered “discovery tools” or “discovery layers.” Some libraries used more than one OPAC interface simultaneously; in this case, each OPAC was analyzed separately. In the case of several institutions using the same consortial OPAC, only the first instance of the OPAC was analyzed. About 15 percent of the institutions (n=40) in th...

“Discovering” what's changed: a revisit of the OPACs of 260 academic libraries

Purpose – This paper aims to determine the current usage of next generation online public access catalogs (OPACs) and discovery tools in academic libraries in the USA and Canada.Design/methodology/approach – Using the same random sample of 260 colleges and universities in the USA and Canada from their original study, the authors revisited each institutions library web page to ascertain whether the OPAC interface(s) offered were the same or different than in their initial data collection. Data was collected and analyzed in October and November 2011.Findings – Discovery tool use has practically doubled in the last two years, from 16 percent to 29 percent. A total of 96 percent of academic libraries using discovery tools still provide access to their legacy catalog. The percentage of institutions using ILS OPACs with faceted navigation has increased from 2 percent to 4 percent. Combining the use of discovery tools and faceted OPACs, at least 33 percent of academic libraries are now using a faceted interface...

Move into the Cloud, shall we?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the latest information on cloud computing in a library context.Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts an investigative approach including literature review and vendor‐provided information.Findings – Cloud computing is both a trend and technology to deliver software and hardware as a service, not as a product. It involves a centralized data center, virtual server space, and secure transfer of data over the internet. The alleged advantages of cloud computing include low cost to own (CTO), agile updates, openness, zero initial investment, just to name a few. Lately library system vendors have begun to deliver cloud computing options. For instance, Ex Libris will release Alma in early 2012. It is an Integrated Library System with a discovery layer based on cloud computing. Amazon (Elastic Compute Cloud called Amazon EC2) and other vendors also offer virtual servers for cloud computing and charge customers by hours, usage, and capacity. If this trend co...

An Online Tutorial for SciFinder for Organic Chemistry Classes

An online tutorial for SciFinder, the premier database for searching the chemical literature, was created by a team consisting of the science librarian, the systems librarian, and a chemistry professor at Rider University using Adobe Captivate 4 software. It was then used by two sections of an Organic Chemistry class during the spring 2010 semester. Traditionally, the science librarian has demonstrated this resource in a single, twenty- to thirty-minute session during class time. However, time constraints pose numerous obstacles for direct library instruction, allowing no time for hands-on practice afterward. The online tutorial for SciFinder was designed to teach students how to search for relevant, scholarly articles, and how to retrieve these articles from the university library or those of neighboring institutions, obviating the need for the customary classroom instruction that taught those skills. To encourage the students to follow the tutorial and develop their SciFinder skills, they were further required to write a research report on a named chemical reaction. Based on the results of review questions assessing student search skills and feedback from students, the first generation of the tutorial was demonstrably successful, and is currently undergoing modifications for future application in a multitude of advanced chemistry courses.

Promoting and Teaching Information Literacy on the Internet: Surveying the Web Sites of 264 Academic Libraries in North America

A survey was conducted between July and November 2012 to determine how academic libraries in the United States and Canada marketed and delivered information literacy on the Web. A random sample of 264 institutions was taken from Petersons Four-Year Colleges 2012, and the authors checked each Web site of the academic libraries of the institutions in the sample for instruction-related activities. Only 65 percent of the libraries in the sample advertised library instruction as a service on the Web, while 64 percent of the libraries boasted research guides and tutorials. Sixteen percent of the libraries provided direct links to ACRLs Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, and 24 percent made an effort to explain and define the term “information literacy” to their users. The authors hope the findings can help determine how academic libraries are currently using the Internet to increase information literacy on the Web and set a new platform for better strategies for advocating information literacy.

From integrated library systems to library management services: time for change?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inform librarians about the advanced features of the next generation library systems called library management services. It is time to ask if and when a library should move on to the new system.Design/methodology/approach – The author looked into each new system for evaluation and analysis.Findings – The next generation library systems include Alma from Ex Libris, Intota from Serials Solutions, Kuali OLE from the Kuali Foundation, Sierra from Innovative Interfaces, and Worldshare from OCLC. The new systems are designed with many advanced features such as electronic resources management, license management, user driven acquisitions, trial database management, statistic reporting, and more.Originality/value – A search for relevant literature from the past three years has yielded no publications or data on the evaluation and analysis of the new library systems. Therefore, the information in this article is original.

Institutional Repositories, Open Access and Copyright: What Are the Practices and Implications?

ABSTRACT A number of factors are driving open access to full-text journals: constantly rising prices of journal and database subscriptions, granting agencies requirements for recipients to submit their research publications into open access repositories, and pressure on libraries to create Institutional Repositories (IR) to promote the institutions’ reputations. Research proves that open access promotes the dissemination and use of scholarly works and citations for authors. This article examines the interactions among open access, institutional repositories, and copyright management. The research described herein investigates how institutional repositories are managing copyright and licensing issues that can interfere with open access.

Marketing and delivering information literacy on the web, yesterday and today, from 2009 to 2012

Purpose – This study aims to ascertain the trends and changes of how academic libraries market and deliver information literacy (IL) on the web. Design/methodology/approach – The author compares the findings from two separate studies that scanned the Web sites for IL-related activities in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Findings – Academic libraries intensified their efforts to promote and deliver IL on the web between 2009 and 2012. There was a significant increase in IL-related activities on the web in the three-year period. Practical implications – The findings describe the status quo and changes in IL-related activities on the libraries’ Web sites. This information may help librarians to know what they have been doing and if there is space for improvement. Originality/value – This is the only study that spans three years in measuring the progress librarians made in marketing and delivering IL on the Web.