I, library robot

Connecticut library has acquired two fully-automated, walking, talking robots to provide independent assistance to its patrons. The robots, set to begin their duties at the Westport, Conn., library Oct. 11, will teach computer programming skills, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The robots, Vincent and Nancy, stand just shy of 2 feet tall. They walk, grasp, move around walls, talk, listen and have facial-recognition software. They speak 19 languages.
But library robots Nancy and Vincent will not be shelving books or explaining the Dewey Decimal System -- at least, not at first.

 Reported October 1 2014 by Carolyn Kellogg of the Los Angeles Times

SHIFTING FROM A KNOWLEDGE SERVICE PROVIDER TO A COLLABORATIVE PARTNER: notes from an ARL strategic thinking session.

 From The Ubiquitous Librarian blog by Brian Mathews

"An ARL strategic-thinking session back in May featured an exciting slide deck".

 http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/

Top trends in academic libraries

Top trends in academic libraries: A review of the trends and issues affecting academic libraries in higher education(Coll. res. libr. news June 2014 75:294-302)

Data -New initiatives and collaborative opportunities - Cooperative roles for researchers, repositories, and journal publishers - Partnerships related to discovery and re-use of data - Device neutral digital services - Evolving openness in higher education - open access - open education - student success - Funding, student success initiatives, and accreditation - libraries, student success, and demonstrating value - Competency-based learning - Altmetrics - Digital humanities

 

Selection of articles in press (J of Academic Lib, May 2014): distance students; students and ebooks; new academic library directors experience

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Distance Students' Attitude Toward Library Help Seeking   Original Research Article Available online 11 May 2014 Yingqi Tang, Hung Wei Tseng

A Library and the Disciplines: A Collaborative Project Assessing the Impact of eBooks and Mobile Devices on Student Learning   Original Research Article Available online 11 May 2014 Barbara C. Glackin, Roy W. Rodenhiser, Brooke Herzog

The Transition Experience of Academic Library Directors   Original Research Article Available online 10 May 2014 Curtis Brundy

The promise of academic libraries - [occupying a different space within the campus community]

Interesting article looking at ideas on how to 'turn outward' -  "new possibilities as academic libraries span boundaries and occupy a more visible, catalytic role on campus".

April 2014 College & Research Libraries News vol. 75 no. 4 182-186

 "By turning outward, we have found common purpose with colleagues and students across the university"

Reimagining the liaison role of librarians - "embedding services in the teaching, learning, and research processes" ; “getting in the flow of users”

Community conversations about the undergraduate experience - engaging with university leaders and students -  "opened new possibilities for librarians to engage more actively with colleagues across the campus." 

Moving from talk to action - "clarify our value within the academy as we develop a sense of common purpose and set realistic goals"

Pockets of change - "identify and take intentional steps toward a more engaged approach to library programs and services" (examples: engaged celebrations; promote civic engagement activities; strengthening partnerships with other units; launching more outward-looking team structures; redesigning positions to respond more effectively to campus initiatives.)

Measuring impact (new ways to gauge progress) -  "beyond reporting on what we have done" ; "why and what difference [library activities] make in the broader university context" ; What kind of indicators will measure the success of community engagement?

 

 

 

Circulation patterns show books in STEM and social sciences are accessed just as much as humanities books.

Circulation patterns show books in STEM and social sciences are accessed just as much as humanities books.
Drawing from comprehensive circulation data showing how monographs are accessed across disciplines at the University of Notre Dame library, Parker Ladwig and Thurston Miller challenge the assumption that STEM and social science books are accessed less frequently over time than monographs in the humanities. This data and similar studies can help to improve library services by providing a more informed understanding of collection supply and demand.

Redefining the Academic Library

Just published, the USA’s University Leadership Council’s report:
Redefining the Academic Library: Managing the Migration to Digital Information Services


Full report in pdf
 
Content:
Transformational Change in the Information Landscape:

    Unsustainable Costs
    Viable Alternatives
    Declining Usage
    New Patron Demands

Managing the Migration to Digital Information Services

I. Leveraging Digital Collections

    The Promise and Perils of Ebooks
    Patron-Driven Acquisition
    Print-on-Demand

II. Rethinking the Scholarly Publishing Model

    Centralized Licensing Structure
    On-Demand Article Access
    Open-Access Publishing

III. Repurposing Library Space

    Data-Driven Deselection
    Collaborative Collection Management
    Building the 21st Century Library

IV. Redeploying Library Staff

    Externalizing Low-Impact Activity
    Roles in Teaching and Learning
    Roles in Research and Scholarship
 

R we Still Relevant?

The Role of University Libraries in the Digital Age

from EdCetera

As cloud-based content becomes increasingly popular, it’s easy to wonder whether libraries will remain relevant in higher education. Students can download research materials in the blink of an eye, and professors can offer digital or scannable course packets just as easily as they can refer people to original hard copies.

An Investigation of Affect of Service Using a LibQUAL+™ Survey and an Experimental Study

Among specialized applications of the well-known SERVQUAL scale for measuring perceptions of service quality, the LibQUAL⁺™ survey system has found widespread use in assessment of the quality of libraries. Three main dimensions of library quality have been identified: Information Control, Library as Place and Affect of Service. Using data from an application of the LibQUAL⁺™ survey, we investigate the relative difficulty of answering questions in each of these three areas, estimate the importance of each dimension in contributing to overall satisfaction with the library, and study differences in responses between user groups. We determine that Affect of Service (AS), similar to empathy in the general scale, is the most difficult dimension to evaluate. This is unfortunate because we find that AS is also the most important dimension in determining overall satisfaction with the library. We find that user characteristics are relevant in influencing both response rates and ratings of the AS scale items.

In a follow up experiment to the LibQUAL survey we study the effect of user characteristics, such as type of user (student or faculty) and experience (length of association) on Affect of Service ratings. We determine that there is an interaction effect with experience moderating the impact of user type on perceptions of AS. Similar results are found in the case of another university service, a computer help desk.

Our findings have implications for the administration and interpretation of LibQUAL surveys. The results also have implications for front line library staff members who should be mindful to provide individual, caring attention to undergraduates who are not favorably disposed towards their library services until they are both experienced and familiar with the library.

Joe Murphy's Keynote IATUL 2012

Joe Murphy's Keynote at the  33rd IATUL (International Association of Scientific and Technological University Libraries) conference in Singapore, 2012.

 

Technologies and Innovation - impact on learning, research & users

~ ! Recommended ! ~