Yasmeen Shorish

Data Information Literacy and Undergraduates: A Critical Competency

As a primer on data information literacy (DIL), this column will cover the background of the field and why it is relevant to college and university libraries serving undergraduate populations. This article includes how data information literacy relates to information literacy, competencies associated with DIL, the relevance of DIL to undergraduates, DIL in library instruction, and the reasons for library engagement with DIL. Examining DIL within the larger framework of information literacy can help outreach and instruction librarians engage with a format that may be unfamiliar to them but whose underlying foundation is well-established.

Data Curation Is for Everyone! The Case for Master's and Baccalaureate Institutional Engagement with Data Curation

This article describes the fundamental challenges to data curation, how these challenges may be compounded for smaller institutions, and how data management is an essential and manageable component of data curation. Data curation is often discussed within the confines of large research universities. As a result, masters and baccalaureate institutions may be left with the impression that they cannot engage with data curation. However, by proactively engaging with faculty, libraries of all sizes can build closer relationships and help educate faculty on data documentation and organizational best practices. This article describes experiences from one masters comprehensive institution as it engages with data management. In a period of several months, James Madison University went from no formal data advising to a coordinated data management support plan for faculty. Collaboration across campus—and across institutions—can help make data curation an accomplishable goal. This article provides guidance on how to begin the conversation and plan for future engagement with data curation, and makes comparisons to scalable efforts with institutional repositories to further encourage participation with data curation. Research universities account for 297 of the 1,832 four-year institutes of higher education in the United States of America. There must be stewardship of the data from the remaining 1,535 organizations to help preserve the complete intellectual product of the nation. Additional resources and readings are included.

The Evolution of Library Instruction Delivery in the Chemistry Curriculum Informed by Mixed Assessment Methods.

As information continues to evolve over time, the information literacy expectations for chemistry students also change. This article examines transformations to an undergraduate chemistry course that focuses on chemical literature and information literacy and is co-taught by a chemistry professor and a chemistry librarian. This article also describes results from assessment of both content knowledge and student perception, and discusses how the assessment was used to inform changes to the course. This type of student assessment and evaluation has not previously been examined in the delivery of required undergraduate chemistry information courses. Since this course has used in person, online, and blended delivery methods, the article describes what students can learn from online modules, and where they need more intensive classroom instruction. Introduction Over the last twenty years, there has been a dramatic change in how students acquire the chemical information skills for research or to acquire a job. In the past, searching was the most critical skill. Searching remains important, but now students also need strong filtering skills as the world has moved from information scarcity to information overload. While students feel comfortable with technology, they still need to learn how to differentiate scholarly from popular articles and how to critically evaluate the research claims presented in scholarly articles. While many other chemistry courses offer chemistry information seeking skills, few have Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship | Summer 2014 | DOI:10.5062/F46H4FDD partnered a librarian with a chemistry faculty member to team teach a course, develop an assessment tool to measure learning gains, and understand student perception of the acquired skills. This paper outlines the evolution of such a course at James Madison University. James Madison University (JMU) is a comprehensive public institution with over 18,000 undergraduates in Harrisonburg, VA. The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, housed within the College of Science and Mathematics, awards B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biophysical Chemistry and has a strong undergraduate research culture. No graduate degrees are offered in chemistry. The Department is an American Chemical Society (ACS) Certified Program and has graduated approximately thirty to forty majors each year for the past five years. The Literature and Seminar sequence, required for all students earning a B.S. in Chemistry, consists of two one credit courses (CHEM 481 and CHEM 482). There are no prerequisites for the courses, but students typically take CHEM 481 after completing the a year of General Chemistry (CHEM 131 and CHEM 132), a year of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 241 and 242), a semester of Inorganic Chemistry (CHEM 270), the Special General Chemistry Laboratory I and II (CHEM 135L and CHEM 136L) and sophomore-level Integrated Inorganic/Organic Laboratory I and II (CHEM 287L and 288L.) Most students complete the Literature and Seminar courses during their junior year, but 10-20% of the students wait until the senior year. Table 1 shows the progression of courses leading up to the Literature and Seminar Sequence. Table 1: Chemistry major sequence of courses First Year Sophomore Year Junior (or Senior) Year Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring Course CHEM 131 & 135L CHEM 132 & 136L CHEM 241 & 287L CHEM 242, 270 & 288L CHEM 481 CHEM 482 As an ACS Certified Program, the JMU chemistry department is committed to meeting the information literacy standards identified by the society. Chemical information literacy is a well-established domain within the ACS Division of Chemical Information (CINF) and the standards detail the specific skills that chemistry majors are Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship | Summer 2014 | DOI:10.5062/F46H4FDD expected to have (Chemical Information Skills, 2012.) To that end, in 2007 CINF and the Special Libraries Association Chemistry Division first issued “Information Competencies for Chemistry Undergraduates,” a document enumerating skills expected of chemistry undergraduates related to finding, using, and communicating chemical and scientific literature (Craig and Maddox, eds, 2007.) These were updated again in 2011, moved to a wikibook format in 2012 and last revised in 2013. As the expectations of chemistry information literate students evolved, the Literature and Seminar sequence also changed to respond to these competencies. This article presents the evolution of the instructors and instructional delivery methods of the first semester of the Literature and Seminar course (CHEM 481.) These changes in chemical information literacy also address how assessment can be used to identify student strengths and skills to focus course instruction. It highlights the critical role of teamwork and communication between a librarian and chemistry faculty, the development of an assessment tool, and evolution of assignments to address student needs.

The evolution of research data: strategies for curation and data management

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to report on the presentations and discussions from The Evolution of Data conference.Design/methodology/approach – Conference report.Findings – Review of presentations about research data projects and initiatives that address issues throughout the data lifecycle.Originality/value – The conference report captures a unique discussion among various different professionals and organizations around current efforts and needs for research data infrastructure and support. This one‐time conference presents a current snapshot of the field.

Building professional development opportunities in data services for academic librarians

Research data management represents a significant professional development area for academic librarians – significant for its growing importance to the profession, since researchers are increasingly expected to comply with research data management requirements, and for the extent of competence needed by librarians to support researchers in research data management practices and plans. This article recounts how the Association of College and Research Libraries is fostering professional development opportunities in research data management. The authors describe two key endeavors: (1) the development and deployment of a needs assessment survey, which allowed insight into the types of librarians expressing the most need; and (2) planning and implementation of a pre-conference workshop for ACRL 2015, intended to prototype a future professional development offering. The article concludes by discussing additional assessment that was done following the workshop and how the pre-conference laid the foundation for proposing a “roadshow” for research data management, similar to what the Association of College and Research Libraries sponsors for scholarly communication.

Libraries on the frontlines: neutrality and social justice

The purpose of this paper is to examine libraries’ responsibility to engage with and support communities of color as they challenge systemic racism, engage in the political process, and exercise their right to free speech. Many libraries have ignored the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, citing the need to maintain neutrality. Despite extensive scholarship questioning the validity of this concept, the framing of library neutrality as nonpartisanship continues. This paper examines librarianship’s engagement with, and disengagement from black communities through the lens of the BLM movement. It also explores the implications of education, engagement, and activism for people of color and libraries today.,The authors have engaged the topic from a critical race perspective as a practice in exercising voice – telling stories, presenting counterstories, and practicing advocacy (Ladson-Billings, 1998).,The assertion that libraries have been socially and politically neutral organizations is ahistorical. When libraries decide not to address issues relevant to people of color, they are not embodying neutrality; they are actively electing not to support the information and service needs of a service population. In order for libraries to live up to their core values, they must engage actively with communities, especially when those communities are in crisis.,As a service field, librarianship has an ethos, values, and history that parallel those of many other service fields. This paper has implications for developing understanding of questions about equitable service provision.

Special Issue: The Role of Scholarly Communication in a Democratic Society

This editorial provides an introduction to the Special Issue and the connection between scholarly communication and democracy.

How are we Measuring Up? Evaluating Research Data Services in Academic Libraries

INTRODUCTION In the years since the emergence of federal funding agency data management and sharing requirements ( http://datasharing.sparcopen.org/data ), research data services (RDS) have expanded to dozens of academic libraries in the United States. As these services have matured, service providers have begun to assess them. Given a lack of practical guidance in the literature, we seek to begin the discussion with several case studies and an exploration of four approaches suitable to assessing these emerging services. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM This article examines five case studies that vary by staffing, drivers, and institutional context in order to begin a practice-oriented conversation about how to evaluate and assess research data services in academic libraries. The case studies highlight some commonly discussed challenges, including insufficient training and resources, competing demands for evaluation efforts, and the tension between evidence that can be easily gathered and that which addresses our most important questions. We explore reflective practice, formative evaluation, developmental evaluation, and evidence-based library and information practice for ideas to advance practice. NEXT STEPS Data specialists engaged in providing research data services need strategies and tools with which to make decisions about their services. These range from identifying stakeholder needs to refining existing services to determining when to extend and discontinue declining services. While the landscape of research data services is broad and diverse, there are common needs that we can address as a community. To that end, we have created a community-owned space to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and existing resources.