research Archives | Page 2 of 3 | American Libraries Magazine

Back row, from left: Thanos Giannakopoulos, Anthi Katsirikou, and Jim Church. Front row, from left: Edward Junhao Lim, Vasiliki Rigakou, Ifigenia Vardakosta, Sotiria Salappa, Ageliki Oikonomou, and Aggeliki Giannopoulou

IFLA: Libraries, Data, and the Global Financial Crisis

By Raymond Pun | August 28, 2019

“How can libraries best serve populations during a global economic crisis or make sense of government data?” was the question posed by Jim Church, librarian for economics and international government information at UC Berkeley and chair of IFLA’s Government Information and Official Publications section, which sponsored this program. Thanos Giannakopolous, director of the United Nations … Continue reading IFLA: Libraries, Data, and the Global Financial Crisis →

From Wikipedia to Opioids

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 24, 2019

As part of the News You Can Use series at the American Library Association’s 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., the program opened with Andrew Pace, executive director for technical research, who highlighted three reports: (1) findings from a global survey on how research institutions worldwide are applying information management practices; (2) a … Continue reading From Wikipedia to Opioids →

Better Literacy for the Blackfeet Nation

By Terra Dankowski | June 24, 2019

That’s the number at which literacy levels of all types significantly improve, said Anthony Chow, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, at “Resources for Rural and Tribal Libraries,” a June 24 session at the American Library Association’s (ALA) Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. Of the Blackfeet Nation individuals he … Continue reading Better Literacy for the Blackfeet Nation →

Notable Dissertations 2019

By Kathy Rosa | June 3, 2019

This year’s crop includes research on the power of reading, librarian–teacher collaborations, and school librarians as academic leaders. The nine dissertations selected from digital archives and online databases have practical implications for school, public, academic, and special libraries; feature quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies; and include measurable recommendations for change. The students and their topics … Continue reading Notable Dissertations 2019 →

Award-winning graphic novelist Alison Bechdel closes out the 2019 Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland on April 13. Photo: Laurie DeWitt/Pure Light Images

Alison Bechdel: A Life in Books

By George M. Eberhart | April 13, 2019

Internationally renowned cartoonist Alison Bechdel was the closing keynote speaker. She illustrated her talk throughout with panels from her graphic novels Fun Home (2006) and Are You My Mother? (2013), as well as her long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Bechdel said she realized at age 19 that she was a lesbian, “though … Continue reading Alison Bechdel: A Life in Books →

From left: Yasmeen Shorish, Nathan Hall, and Rebecca Kennison present the new ACRL research agenda.

ACRL’s New Research Agenda

By George M. Eberhart | April 13, 2019

On April 13 at the 2019 ACRL Conference in Cleveland, three members of ReSEC described their process for creating the research agenda and what they hope to accomplish with the new document. ReSEC Chair Yasmeen Shorish, associate professor at James Madison University Libraries in Harrisonburg, Virginia, said the committee’s charge was to “help identify actionable … Continue reading ACRL’s New Research Agenda →

From left: Cody Fullerton, Desmond Wong, and Deborah Lee share their research on library support for indigenous scholarship.

Indigenous Studies Librarianship and Collections

By Sally Stieglitz | April 13, 2019

The study examined the research needs and methods of indigenous studies faculty as well as those of indigenous faculty members whose scholarship was in other fields, such as health sciences or law. Also examined were the expectations of the indigenous people being studied. At the outset, researchers stressed that the project incorporated both Western and … Continue reading Indigenous Studies Librarianship and Collections →

Mies Martin (left) and Beth Martin present their findings at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland on April 12.

The Impostor Phenomenon

By George M. Eberhart | April 13, 2019

At an April 12 session at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland, Beth Martin, head of professional programs at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and Mies Martin, electronic resources and serials librarian at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, described their own recent IP research. Beth Martin said IP is … Continue reading The Impostor Phenomenon →

From left: Amy Fyn, Amanda Foster-Kaufman, Christina Heady, and Allison Hosier at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland

Why Librarians Leave

By Sally Stieglitz | April 12, 2019

The study identified 20 factors spread across four categories that indicated librarian job dissatisfaction, most significantly workplace morale, with 79% of respondents identifying it as their top reason for leaving. Following closely behind was dissatisfaction with library administration (72%). “Overall the comments indicated that unfair practices and lack of transparency were the highest areas of … Continue reading Why Librarians Leave →

Kevin Seeber (left), head of the department of education and outreach services, and Rachel Stott, teaching and learning librarian, at University of Colorado Denver’s Auraria Library

The Search for Cannabis

By George M. Eberhart | April 12, 2019

It turns out results would likely be different, depending on the focus on use (medical or recreational), the academic discipline involved, the geographic location of the researchers, and the sentiment expressed about the drug’s use. Seeber and Stott, who described their study as a “joint effort,” looked at a representative sample of 540 articles and … Continue reading The Search for Cannabis →

How Technology Helps Foster Research Connections

By Lindsay Gypin | January 28, 2019

Ngoc-Yen Tran, research impact librarian, and Emily Chan, interim associate dean for research and scholarship, both from San Jose State University, presented a plethora of data from various studies indicating that collaborating on research is up, and single author publication is down. In the first five years of College & Research Libraries’ existence, less than … Continue reading How Technology Helps Foster Research Connections →

Faculty and librarians work on a research sprint at the University of Kansas Libraries in 2017.

Academic Speed Trials

By Timothy Inklebarger | January 2, 2019

Karna Younger, faculty engagement librarian at Kansas University Libraries, says the idea of research sprints—during which faculty and librarians work together for about a week on the same project, and, more importantly, in the same space—is not a wholly new idea. But the approach is being formalized into a method that can be replicated. “It … Continue reading Academic Speed Trials →

Latest Library Links

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An ALA report released July 23, Investing in Prison Libraries: A Cost-Effective Path to Safer Communities and Second Chances, explores the essential role of prison libraries in lowering recidivism by better preparing incarcerated people for their release. According to the report, full funding of prison libraries leads to safer and healthier communities and reduced prison costs. Co-authors Erin Boyington, Amelia Bryne, and Emily Durkin will discuss their findings at ALA’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia in “The Work of Prison Libraries and Why Further Investment is Needed” on Saturday, June 28, at 9 a.m.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, June 23
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Keith Curry Lance and Caitlin Gerrity write: “This study found that students were more likely to meet or exceed English Language Arts and Literacy (ELA) standards when their schools had credentialed teacher librarians (TLs), TLs serving a single school, and school library staff who engaged in certain specific activities, including managing their library collections and supporting literacy teaching. With rare exceptions, relationships between library staffing levels and staff activities and ELA performance levels persisted regardless of the gender, race/ethnicity, or socio-economic status of students.”

Learning Hub, June 13
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Terra Dankowski writes: “It’s Thursday morning, and the fourth floor of Parkway Central Library is alive with bubbling jollof rice, crisping empanadas, and stir-frying japchae. Welcome to Edible Alphabet, the flagship series of Free Library of Philadelphia’s Culinary Literacy Center. Since 2015, the program has convened those learning English as a second language—many from the Caribbean, Central America, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia—to practice conversation and cook a recipe under the direction of an ESL teacher and chef instructor.

American Libraries Trend, June
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David Quick and Benjamin Stokes write: “Public art that ‘talks’ to passersby. Scavenger hunts that scamper through community landmarks. Through the power of play—and mobile media—programs like these can help public libraries connect with patrons and share local stories. Over the past five years, DC Public Library has partnered with Playful City Lab, a game design initiative from American University in Washington, D.C. Together, we developed a project called Engaging Beyond Our Walls, which has yielded a budget-friendly platform and toolkit that facilitates storytelling through text messages and audio.”

American Libraries column, June
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Rosie Newmark writes: “At Hewitt (Tex.) Public Library, teens enthusiastically shared slideshows on the history of roads and the comparative merits of doors and wheels. None of this was schoolwork. PowerPoint is finding new life among young people as a tool to share humorous, creative, and niche slideshows with friends on TikTok and other social media platforms. Now libraries across the country are hosting their own PowerPoint Parties, using the events to engage a younger crowd.”

American Libraries Trend, June
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Reid Bramblett writes: “Philadelphians knew we had good food, but we figured the rest of the country had long since written us off as the land of soft pretzels, cheesesteaks, and some mystery meat disturbingly known as scrapple. As an Annual Conference attendee, you’re doubly lucky to be stationed at the convention center. Across the street to the south is the Reading Terminal Market with its three-dozen food stands. And across the street to the east is Philly’s Chinatown, home to loads of inexpensive eateries serving great dim sum and other Asian delectables. Here are the best of Philadelphia’s best.”

American Libraries feature, June
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Emanuel Maiberg writes: “AI bots that scrape the internet for training data are hammering the servers of libraries, archives, museums, and galleries, and are in some cases knocking their collections offline, according to a new survey from the GLAM-E Lab. The survey is the first attempt at measuring the problem, which in the worst cases can make valuable, public resources unavailable to humans because the servers they’re hosted on are being swamped by bots scraping the internet for AI training data.” The University of North Carolina Libraries in Chapel Hill recently shared its experience with AI bots attempting to scrape its catalog.

404 Media, June 17; GLAM-E Lab, June 17; University of North Carolina Libraries, June 9

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