LibGuides, Open Access Publications in 3 Engineering Disciplines, Digitization Project Management, Citation Analysis for IL Assessment

Using LibGuides as a Web 2.0 Content Management System and a Collaboration Tool for Engineering Librarians - Richard Bernier
Bernier gave an overview of Rose Hulman library’s use of LibGuides. Many libraries use the LibGuides content management system (CMS) which provides a simple web platform for library research guides. Informational boxes and tabs can be shared and quickly updated across the guides and it’s easy to borrow information from other libraries (if permission is granted).  Bernier found that with the embedded chat 30% of their reference questions come in this way.    

Managing a Digitization Project: Issues for State Agency Publications with Folded Maps - Karen Andrews and Carol LaRussa
One fine day a grant funding opportunity was presented that was too good to be true. Even though time constraints where part of the package, this was an opportunity to provide a goldmine of unique digitized content for researchers worldwide. Karen Andrews stepped forward and shared her digitization wish list.

University of California Davis librarians worked with Internet Archive to digitize old sets of state publications. These government documents are in the public domain, are still in demand and have broad interest. The Internet Archive provided grant funding so they were able to partner to digitize more than 1000 volumes:

1. California Division of Mines and Geology Series – dating back to 19^th century includes guidebooks, information on mines and geologic history
2. CA Division of Water Resources - 780 volumes published from 1922-2004

The water resources series had large foldout maps and this was a first attempt at this type of project. The maps varied in size, creased, or even cracks in some cases and pose an obvious digitization challenge.

Challenges

·         description issues: volumes with different titles, series title changes over time, agency name changes

·         sub-series and some errors in existing library catalog records

·         tight deadline

·         involved staff in 4 units with conflicted project demands

·         staff utilization: involved a few key staff to do the bulk of the work

·         missing volumes (obtained from UC Berkley to provide as complete a set as possible)

·         OCLC catalog records were sometimes hard to find, sometimes they had a draft, office copy of some of these government documents, so they wanted to include all versions/revisions as they may be of future use to researchers

·         Preservation staff were brought in to evaluate book condition

Metadata Issues

·         Project Inventory: spreadsheet for each item, stages of processing and notes; ended up keeping two spreadsheets; evening Access Services staff member worked on this project  

·         Internet Archive staff did the production. If binding was too tight they could unbind, with the large maps they did overview and overlapping quadrants.

·         IA metadata fields not set up to accommodate monographic serials and they made accommodations but this could still be an issue with future projects

·         Wonderfetch – hoping this tool will allow update of needed metadata

·         UC Davis staff helped with quality control for IA. Staff developed a procedure for QA, a few problems with digitization were identified (pages had to be replaced in some cases, some maps had quality issues but UC Davis will retain original documents).

One thousand volumes were digitized and they tracked 600 uses within days of being posted in the Internet Archive. “There’s gold in them hills!” Check this collection out at archive.org.  

Lesson to all: generate a digitization wish list. You never know when an opportunity may pop up for mass digitization.

Open Access Availability of Publications of Faculty in Three Engineering Disciplines - Virginia (Ginny) Baldwin
Looked at Mechanical, Civil and Environmental, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering selected recent faculty publications. University of Nebraska uses Bepress (branded as Digital Commons). She looked at journal article availability and recorded locations (on their own web site, institutional repository (IR), pubmedcentral, and so on). Baldwin did all searching from outside of the UNL IP range, and defined open access as “complete full text of an article or manuscript in some state in the publication cycle that can be downloaded from the internet.”

She compared with other academic institutions and found the University of Nebraska Chemical Engineering department has the greatest deposition by far. Why? This department hired graduate students to put their publications in the IR. She encourages we suggest this approach to our own campus departments.

Baldwin discussed with faculty why deposits into IRs are so low overall, some issues with equations, graphs, and so on and generating a pre-pub that could be posted. Timing, publisher restrictions, and other issues are at play. When analyzing by journal title, she searched Sherpa/Romeo to determine archiving policies.  

Roles of Librarians

·         Promote Google Scholar and ROAR

·         Advise faculty on copyright & publisher archiving policies

·         Provide alternate and assistance with publisher negotiation for retaining rights

·         Encourage deposition into institutional repositories

·         Warn about publisher restrictions and suggest open access journals

·         Folllow up with similar research projects in other disciplines

Citation Analysis of Engineering Design Reports for Information Literacy Assessment - Dana Denick, Jay Bhatt, and Bradley Layton
Drexel librarians assessed first year design projects for information literacy outcomes. Course sequence: ENGR 101-103 includes projects on reverse engineering (they use a $2 camera which they take apart then put back together & use CAD), green house design, and nanoenlightenment (simulating a nanorobot). In ENG103 student teams design anything but need to start with research. Nine hundred students take course. Students need to find books, articles, technical handbooks, patents, and how to cite information. Self-guided tutorials seem to be included in the research education.

Citation Analysis
Student deliverables include a team project report. Bhatt and Denick reviewed a sample of the bibliographies and used a categorization scheme to analyze types of resources and the context of their use.  Sample included 135 students or around 15 papers or so and they analyzed 234 citations.

Findings: 38% websites, 28% journals, 14% technical papers, 12% books, 4% conference papers. Students had some problems citing technical handbooks and websites and have a preference for citing websites.

Librarians aligned results of the citation analysis and data from a student self-assessment with performance indicators (based on ACRL IL standards). Mapping with outcomes helped them determine whether they are meeting initial IL goals. Only 78% of students could create an appropriate search so they found another area for instruction reform. This past spring they solicited a sample of draft papers before the students due date. Librarians then provided feedback which students could incorporate into their final reports. Data on whether or more labor intensive approach worked is forthcoming. Drexel librarians will continue with an outgoing multiple assessment strategy but this citation analysis is one facet they found useful. 

From the New Engineering Librarians Perspective: Collaborations & Online Tutorials

Collaboration with faculty: What they don’t teach you in library school

Sarah Jane Dooley presented various strategies for connecting with faculty, from the perspective of a new librarian. Dooley suggests getting to know department faculty, familiarize yourself with subject area and specialties of faculty, as well as discipline specific resources and publishers. It’s important to consider varying interpersonal and communication strategies of the faculty you are working with. Don’t pass on any opportunity to attend social events on campus. This is great way to network with other faculty and meet future collaborators. Librarians must create their own opportunities to network by being visible on campus, taking every opportunity as it presents itself using both online and offline approaches.

Dooley recommends that the workplace should develop documentation for new librarians and be good role models. A mentoring program for new staff could help. Library School’s could include more education on best practices for networking outside the profession. In working with faculty, she suggests that technology presents interesting opportunities to collaborate, even allowing faculty to use libguides themselves and use of facebook for promotion. Contact Sara Jane Dooley at sdooley@dal.ca and for a copy of her handout which including the above strategies and more as well as a bibliography.

Continuing Library Instruction via Online Tutorials
Megan Tomeo, Arthur Lakes Library, Colorado School of Mines
Challenge: Librarians don’t get enough contact with students in order to help them develop their research skills.

Solution: Mini-grant from university to build online tutorials which are delivered through partnerships with a sophomore-level course (a continuation of their existing first year level instruction modules which CSM talked about at last year’s ASEE Annual Conference). Also, they collaborated with the senior level capstone sections.

Benefits: No space or face-time needed for virtual learning. Can be designed while at reference desk where they have installed Captivate to create the tutorials. CSM librarians created many modules with similar look and each incorporated at least one competency from CSM and integrated quizzes. In the future, they hope to enhance the tutorials with more interactivity.

Assessment: Tomeo administered a three-part survey, one portion was a self-assessment of student learning. The pre-survey was administered to help staff understand student recall from the first year research instruction. A post-survey later assessed learning within the sophomore/junior year. They used a control group and these students took the surveys but were not directed to use the online tutorials. Survey return rate was 52% but less than 30 pre- and post-pairs were ultimately useful for analyzing the pre- and post survey results.

Results: Test group improved scores by 13% but control group had a slight negative change. Tomeo feels the tutorials are impacting learning in a positive way. In 2007, at University of Washington, Whang, et al. study on evaluating student bibliographies could be another approach, but in the future she hopes to consider if given consent by students involved.
To view the tutorials connect to http://library.mines.edu/reference/epics251/
After August 1, 2009: Library.mines.edu > Services > Library Instruction > Online Tutorials
Another point to ponder: students commented that they preferred the 50 minute session in-person with the librarians vs. the online tutorials.

Teaming with Possibilities: Working Together to Engage with Engineering Faculty and Students
Janet Fransen and Jon Jeffryes, Engineering Libraries, University of Minnesota
Fransen and Jeffryes both support hundreds of faculty in the school of engineering and more than 3000 students.

Overview of three engagement strategies:
1. Marketing
a. Have a web presence: they create a page for each librarian, news for each area (mechanical, biomedical) and uses flickr to find interesting photos/images to include.
b. Use social media: they created a twitter account (umsciref), they also suggest you search twitter for your library’s name to get the pulse, if any. They created a facebook page and import their twitter feed into fb, they have also used fb ads to promote their page.
c. Measure results: they use bit.ly (cool and seemingly useful URL shortener) when they post URLs do they can collect data on number of clicks on the links you create (they created a spreadsheet using bit.ly API to grab click stats)
d. Be present: visiting seminars on campus, etc.

2. Instruction
a. Course-based live: They work with senior level engineering courses and since there are more than 100 students they are looking into team teaching
b. Library workshop series: EndNote, Zotero, Engineering: find better information faster, etc. check their web site for more. They have also started recording and posting screen captures as a supplement. They are often team-taught and can create a dynamic atmosphere. They use Moodle pages for workshops and this can be a time saver for staff. Users can refer back to these pages for instruction and future self-help.
c. Course-based online: Jon built 90 unique course pages for each class (without asking first!) and this worked well for him.
d. Tutorials: they created one on patents

3. Scholarly Communication & Institutional Repository (UDC)
a. Posted professor’s papers and they provide the faculty member with statistics on downloads
b. IR gives librarians an opportunity to get out and talk with faculty and by viewing their publication listed they can determine whether or not they are a good candidate for including papers within their digital repository.