Category Archives: Research

OCLC Research Fellow

Posted on February 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

OCLC is a nonprofit library cooperative providing research, programs and services that help libraries share the world’s knowledge and the work of organizing it. The needs of our members guide our actions and investments. Through a shared governance structure, librarians manage and direct the cooperative.

OCLC Research is one of the world’s leading centers devoted exclusively to the challenges facing libraries and archives in a rapidly changing information technology environment. OCLC Research has a position for a Diversity Fellow. The Job ID is 2585 and the position description and application information are available at http://www.oclc.org/careers/view.en.html.

The OCLC Research Fellow will be working on several research projects from Summer 2015-Summer 2016. Our intent is to provide a rich learning experience. The Diversity Fellow will have the opportunity to work on studies examining 1) how users are engaging with technology and content in order to identify ways libraries and librarians can better connect with those behaviors and 2) how libraries and librarians are responding to their research communities’ emerging needs for research collections and services that support contemporary modes of scholarship.

Responsibilities

Currently there are three ongoing projects in these areas.

Digital Visitors and Residents helps to identify the needs and motivations of students across educational stages when engaging with online services/resources, which will inform project and program designs to ensure maximum levels of uptake and engagement. Studies using the Digital Visitors and Residents framework are being replicated nationally and internationally.
E-Research and Data: Opportunities for Library Engagement explores librarians’ early experiences designing and delivering research data services with the objective of informing practical, effective approaches for the larger academic community. It also examines early strategic responses to e-Research and data needs on campus to inform future strategic approaches given campus community needs, infrastructure, resources, and expertise.
Dissemination Information Packages for Information Reuse (DIPIR): examines how scholars are reusing data within three academic communities (social science, archaeology, and zoology) to identify how contextual information about the data that supports reuse can best be created and preserved.

Development opportunities include:

Developing and administering online surveys
Recruiting and conducting interviews with human subjects
Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data (e.g. surveys, server logs, interview transcripts, strategic documents, etc.)
Searching for and summarizing literature
Preparing papers and presentations

Qualifications

The following skills are required to accomplish the projects/tasks across the two projects.

Strong communication and analytical skills
Ability to work independently and meet deadlines
Experienced in Microsoft office programs
Familiarity with database design principles

The following skills are preferred:

Undergraduate or graduate research experience
Ability to quickly learn new software applications

Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist

OCLC Research

connawal@oclc.org

@LynnConnaway

Cell: 303-246-3623

Fax: 614-718-7378

http://www.oclc.org/research/people/connaway.html

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Posted in Diversity, Libraries, Research

Tagged Fellowships

Concordia University Libraries’ 13th Annual Research Forum

Posted on February 10, 2015 | Leave a comment

Call for Proposals and Registration

13e Forum annuel de recherche des Bibliothèques de l’Université Concordia : appel à propositions et inscriptions

*Nos excuses pour toute duplication* *Apologies for any cross posting*

Le texte en français suit plus bas.

Registration is now open for Concordia University Libraries’ 13th Annual Research Forum, in the beautiful city of Montreal. This year’s Research Forum will be held on Friday, April 10th, 2015, at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre.

Registration is free and includes a light breakfast and lunch. To register please click here. Registration is open until April 2^nd, 2015.

The Research Forum provides an opportunity for librarians, archivists, graduate students, teaching faculty, and information professionals to describe and promote their completed or in-progress research, practical case studies or projects. The Forum also provides a venue for researchers to seek suggestions for enhancing their research interests, to identify potential new partners for projects, to test the effectiveness of their undertakings, and to promote research in academic libraries.

This year’s keynote speaker is Andrew Piper, Associate Professor of German and European Literature, associate member of the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University, and author of Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times.

Proposals are still being accepted for this year’s Research Forum. To submit a proposal, please click here.

Proposals are invited for presentations and / or posters on research or a case study in any area of Library and Information Science including literacy instruction, social media, library history, citation analysis methods, scholarly publishing, services to users with disabilities, new library technologies, resource sharing, research data management, reference service models and innovations, library space and design.

Presentations and posters may be in English or French.

At least one of the presenters of the poster and/or presentation should be the primary researcher involved with the original project.

Presentations should be between 15 and 20 minutes, followed by a question period.

Posters may also be submitted. These will be on view for the entire day. Poster presenters will have an opportunity to describe their posters during the day.

Submission deadline is Monday, February 16, 2015, 5 p.m.

For more information, please visit: http://library.concordia.ca/about/staff/forum.php .

For more information about the Concordia University Libraries’ 13th Annual Research Forum please contact Éthel Gamache, Chair of the Research Forum Steering Committee at ethel.gamache@concordia.ca .

Katharine Hall

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

13e Forum annuel de recherche des Bibliothèques de l’Université Concordia : appel à Inscriptions

Vous êtes invités à vous inscrire au 13^e Forum annuel de recherche en bibliothéconomie et sciences de l’information des Bibliothèques de l’Université Concordia, à Montréal. Le Forum de recherche de cette année aura lieu le vendredi 10 avril 2015, au Centre des congrès des Jésuites de Loyola.

L’inscription est gratuite et inclut un léger déjeuner et dîner. Veuillez cliquer ici pour vous inscrire. La période d’inscription s’étend jusqu’au jeudi 2 avril 2015.

Le Forum de recherche donne l’occasion aux bibliothécaires, aux archivistes, aux étudiants des cycles supérieurs, aux professeurs des cégeps et des universités ainsi qu’aux praticiens des milieux documentaires de présenter leur projet de recherche ou un retour d’expérience, qu’ils soient en cours ou complétés. Le Forum est également un lieu pour les chercheurs qui souhaitent recevoir des suggestions et des commentaires sur leur projet de recherche, rencontrer de nouveaux partenaires, tester l’intérêt de leur approche ou promouvoir la recherche dans les bibliothèques universitaires.

Le conférencier invité cette année est Andrew Piper, professeur agrégé de littérature allemande et européenne, membre associé au Département d’Histoire de l’art et de Communications à l’Université McGill et auteur de Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times.

Les propositions de présentations et d’affiches sont toujours acceptées pour le Forum de recherche de cette année. Pour soumettre, cliquez ici.

Vous êtes invités à proposer des communications et des affiches sur des sujets de recherche ou des retours d’expérience de les domaines de la bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information, y compris le développement des compétences informationnelles, les médias sociaux, l’histoire des bibliothèques, la bibliométrie, l’édition savante, les services aux utilisateurs handicapés, les technologies de la bibliothèque, le partage des ressources, la gestion des données de recherche, les modèles de services de référence et les innovations en matière de conception d’espaces de bibliothèque.

Les communications et les affiches peuvent être présentées en anglais ou en français.

Les communications doivent porter sur des résultats de recherche ou de retour d’expérience originaux. Au moins un des auteurs d’une communication ou d’une affiche doit être impliqué dans la recherche présentée.

Chaque communication doit durer entre 15 et 20 minutes et est suivie d’une période de questions.

Vous êtes également invités à proposer des affiches. Celles-ci seront accessibles tout au long de la journée, et les auteurs des affiches auront la possibilité de les présenter.

La date limite pour les soumissions est le lundi 16 février 2015, 17h.

Pour plus d’informations : http://library.concordia.ca/about/staff/forum-fr.php

Pour plus d’informations sur 13^e Forum annuel de recherche des Bibliothèques de l’Université Concordia, veuillez communiquer avec Éthel Gamache, présidente du comité organisateur du Forum de recherche (ethel.gamache@concordia.ca).

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Posted in Information Science, Instructional Design and Technology, Libraries, Research

Departures in Critical Qualitative Research: Special Issue on Black Feminist Thought

Posted on February 7, 2015 | Leave a comment

Special Issue Call on Black Feminist Thought for Departures in Critical Qualitative Research

Cultivating Promise and Possibility: Black Feminist Thought as an Innovative, Interdisciplinary, and International Framework

Guest Editor: Rachel Alicia Griffin, PhD, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Created by Patricia Hill Collins over 20 years ago, Black Feminist Thought (BFT) has flourished in multiple disciplines including sociology, English, political science, psychology, education, law, history, philosophy, Africana studies, mass communication, and communication studies. Since its inception, BFT has served as a key means to unapologetically center the embodied knowledge of Black women and foster opportunities for Black women to “talk back” to systemic oppression(s). To honor the legacy of BFT and propel its theoretical and methodological significance into the future, this special issue will feature critical, qualitative, and performative works that productively utilize, challenge, and extend BFT.

Essays in this special issue will be characterized by:

1. Innovative approaches to critical, qualitative research (e.g., theoretically, methodologically, representationally, aesthetically, etc.).

1. Rich, nuanced, and complex insights into and/or applications of BFT.

1. Provocative uses of critical and qualitative methods to challenge and extend BFT.

Exemplars of how BFT can be industriously challenged and extended include works that:

* Address the rich contributions of Black girls/adolescents/women to society opposed to a singular focus on what is done to Black girls/adolescents/women by society.

* Focus on Black girlhood and/or adolescence given that the majority of BFT scholarship focuses on Black womanhood.

* Center Black femininity as a positionality that reflects raced and gendered marginalization and privilege (i.e., Black females can be marginalized by race and gender and simultaneously privileged by nationality, sexuality, ability, religion, etc.).

* Deconstruct the reproduction of privileged ideologies and discourses (e.g., classism, homophobia, ableism, Christian hegemony, etc.) in the marginalized context of Black womanhood.

* Critique BFT’s cisgender normativity (e.g., rarely are Black trans and/or Black gender queer women centered, included, addressed, etc.).

* Politically mark BFT as US American BFT (i.e., how might we deeply respect the canon of US American BFT while being accountable to how US American and Western ethnocentrism often render Black women from beyond Western societies invisible and silent?).

* Draw upon African feminisms, Black internationalist feminism, third world feminisms, and/or postcolonial feminisms to theorize Black femininity in global, transnational, and/or diasporic contexts.

* Explore considerably under-theorized intersections of Black femininity such as race, gender, and age; race, gender, religion, and nationality; race, gender, and ability; etc.

* Explore considerably under-theorized topics in the realm of BFT including but not limited to: conservative and/or Republican Black female rhetoric; new media and digital technology; progressive alliances within the Black community; parenthood and parenting; coalitional praxis between Black women and other collectives of women of color; linkages between BFT, womanism, Chicana feminisms, Arab feminisms, African feminisms, etc.; “post-” identity politics; ideological and discursive emphasis on Black masculinity at the expense of Black femininity; sexist, patriarchal, and misogynistic erasure of Black females espoused by Black males; etc.

Faculty and graduate students are welcome to submit manuscripts. The deadline for submissions is Friday July 3, 2015. All authors should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (2010), identify their essay as a “BFT Special Issue Submission,” and submit manuscripts electronically via ScholarOne: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ucpress-departures

Manuscripts should be prepared in MS Word (a PC-compatible version) using 12-point Times New Roman font, should be double-spaced, and should not exceed 9,000 words including notes. Manuscript title pages should be submitted as a separate file and include: (1) the title of the essay, (2) any acknowledgments, including the history of the manuscript if any part of it has been presented at a conference or included as part of a thesis or dissertation, and (3) author bio(s) of not more than 100 words each. Manuscripts should include: (1) the title of the essay, (2) an abstract of not more than 100 words, (3) a list of five suggested keywords, and (4) an accurate word count (including notes). Images, figures, and other ancillary materials should be submitted as separate files and conform to the Departures instructions for file size and format (see below).

Authors of accepted manuscripts will be responsible for clearing the necessary reproduction rights for any images, photos, figures, music, or content credited to a third party (including content found on the Internet), that fall outside of the fair use provisions described in US copyright law. Authors of accepted manuscripts will be asked to provide separate image and grayscale TIF files at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, line art should be submitted as Illustrator EPS files at a resolution of 600 to 1200 dpi and in bitmap mode. Please do not embed images or grayscale or line art in Word files.
Essays will be reviewed by a Special Issue Editorial Board and should not be under review by any other publication venue. To inquire about this special issue, please contact:

Rachel Alicia Griffin, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Communication Studies
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies-cross-appointed
Africana Studies-cross-appointed
Southern Illinois University
Communications Building 2205
1100 Lincoln Drive, Mailcode 6605
Carbondale, IL 62901
rachelag@siu.edu<mailto:rachelag@siu.edu>

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Posted in Diversity, Gender Issues in Libraries, Gender Studies, Research, Women's and Gender Studies, Women's Studies Librarianship

Tagged Journals, Publishing

Discourse Analysis as a Tool for Understanding Gender Identity, Representation, and Equality

Posted on January 27, 2015 | Leave a comment

Call for Chapters

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2015, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by March 30, 2015 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by June 30, 2015, and all interested authors must consult the journal’s guidelines for manuscript submissions. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

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Posted in Gender Studies, Men's Studies, Research, Women's and Gender Studies, Women's Studies Librarianship

Tagged Books, Publishing

EBSS RESEARCH FORUM

Posted on January 14, 2015 | Leave a comment

– Call for Proposals

The Education and Behavioral Sciences Section Research Committee is holding its 9th Annual Research Poster Forum during the ALA Annual Conference in San
Francisco, California. The Research Forum and reception follows the
announcement and speech of the 2015 award winner for APA Excellence in
Librarianship, and will take place on the afternoon of Saturday June 27, 2015.

The Forum seeks to provide beginning and established researchers an opportunity to present research in progress, receive collaborative feedback on their work and recommendations for future publishing. Research / Posters will be simultaneously presented and discussed in small informal groups. Attendees at the forum will find an arena for discussion and networking with their
colleagues interested in research related issues and trends in the profession.
The committee will use a blind review process.

Proposals are due February 13, 2015.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based on the extent to which they:

1.         Measure and/or investigate library and information aspects in the
fields of communication, psychology, social work and/or education.
2.         Represent the current interests of the membership of EBSS.
3.         Represent an original research project.
4.         Show evidence of carefully planned research design and thoughtful
analysis.
5.         Clearly identify what stage of the project has been completed and
estimate a timeline for the remainder of the project.

Note: Research that has been previously published or accepted for publication
by December 1, 2014 will not be considered.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Format: Proposals should be 250-350 words, double spaced, 12 pt. font,
one inch margins.

2.         The first page should include:
–         Date of Submission
–         Name of applicant(s) institution(s)
–         Applicant address(es)
–         Phone number(s)
–         E-mail address(es)
–         Title of the proposal

3.         Subsequent page(s) should include:
–         Title of the proposal
–         Statement of the research question(s)
–         Research goals and objectives
–         Description of the methodology
–         Discussion and/or conclusions

Please email submissions to Benjamin Andrus at bandrus@binghamton.edu by
Friday, February 13, 2015.

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Posted in ALA/ACRL, Gender Studies, Information Literacy, Information Science, Instruction, Instructional Design and Technology, Libraries, Men's Studies, Research, Women's and Gender Studies, Women's Studies Librarianship

Tagged Poster Sessions, Presentations

Tenth International Conference on Open Repositories 2015

Posted on November 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

Read it online: http://www.or2015.net/call-for-proposals/

Text only version: https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/or11/CfP+markdown

The Tenth International Conference on Open Repositories, OR2015, will be held on June 8-11, 2015 in Indianapolis (Indiana, USA). The organizers are pleased to invite you to contribute to the program. This year’s conference theme is:

LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD: OPEN REPOSITORIES AT THE CROSSROADS

OR2015 is the tenth OR conference, and this year’s overarching theme reflects that milestone: Looking Back/Moving Forward: Open Repositories at the Crossroads. It is an opportunity to reflect on and to celebrate the transformative changes in repositories, scholarly communication and research data over the last decade. More critically however, it will also help to ensure that open repositories continue to play a key role in supporting, shaping and sharing those changes and an open agenda for research and scholarship.

OR2015 will provide an opportunity to explore the demands and roles now expected of both repositories and the staff who develop, support and manage them – and to prepare them for the challenges of the next decade. We welcome proposals on this theme, but also on the theoretical, practical, organizational or administrative topics related to digital repositories. We are particularly interested in:

1. Supporting Open Scholarship, Open Science, and Cultural Heritage Online

Papers are invited to consider how repositories can best support the needs of open science, open scholarship, and cultural heritage to make research as accessible as possible, including:

• Open access, open data and open educational resources
• Scholarly workflows, publishing and communicating scientific knowledge
• Compliance with funder mandates
• Considerations for cultural heritage and digital humanities resources

2. Managing Research (and Open) Data

Papers are invited to consider how repositories can support the needs of research data. Areas of interest are:

• Data registries
• Storage
• Curation lifecycle management
• Management and digital preservation tools

3. Integrating with External Systems

Papers are invited to explore, evaluate, or demonstrate integration with external systems, including:

• CRIS and research management systems
• Notification systems (e.g. SHared Access Research Ecosystem (SHARE))
• Remote identifier services (e.g. ORCID, DOI, etc.)
• Preservation services
• Archival systems (e.g. CALM or Archivists’ Toolkit)

4. Re-using Repository Content

Papers are invited to showcase how repository content can be re-used in the context of:

• Discipline-based repositories and services
• Discovery services
• Integration of semantic technologies
• Repository networks

5. Exploring Metrics and Assessment

Papers are invited to present experiences on scholarly metrics and assessment services, particularly:

• Bibliometrics
• Downloads (e.g. COUNTER compliance)
• Analytics
• Altmetrics

6. Managing Rights

Papers are invited to examine the role of rights management in the context of open repositories, including:

• Research and scholarly communication outputs
• Licenses (e.g. Creative Commons, Open Data Commons)
• Embargoes
• Requirements of funder mandates

7. Developing and Training Staff

Papers are invited to consider the evolving role of staff who support and manage repositories across libraries, cultural heritage organizations, research offices and computer centres, especially:

• New roles and responsibilities
• Training needs and opportunities
• Career path and recruitment
• Community support

8. Building the Perfect Repository

Papers are invited to look ahead to OR16 and beyond to consider what the perfect repository looks like:

• Key features and services
• Who would be its users?
• How would it transform scholarly communication?
• What lessons have been learned since the first OR?
• Or, is it a pipe dream and there’s no such thing?

Submissions that demonstrate original and repository-related work outwith these themes will be considered, but preference will be given to submissions which address them.

KEY DATES

30 January 2015: Deadline for submissions and Scholarship Programme applications

27 March 2015: Submitters notified of acceptance to general conference

10 April 2015: Submitters notified of acceptance to Interest Groups

8-11 June 2015: OR2015 conference

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Conference Papers and Panels
Two to four-page proposals for presentations or panels that deal with digital repositories and repository services (see below for optional Proposal Templates). Abstracts of accepted papers will be made available through the conference’s web site, and later they and associated materials will be made available in an open repository. In general, sessions will have three papers; panels may take an entire session. Relevant papers unsuccessful in the main track will automatically be considered for inclusion, as appropriate, as an Interest Group presentation, poster or 24/7.

Interest Group Presentations
The opportunity to engage with and learn more about the work of relevant communities of interest is a key element of Open Repositories. One to two page proposals are invited for presentations or panels that focus on the work of such communities, traditionally DSpace, EPrints and Fedora, describing novel experiences or developments in the construction and use of repositories involving issues specific to these technical platforms. Further information about applications for additional Interest Groups and guidance on submissions will be forthcoming.

24×7 Presentations
One to two-page proposals for 7 minute presentations comprising no more than 24 slides. Similar to Pecha Kuchas or Lightning Talks, these 24×7 presentations will be grouped into blocks based on conference themes, with each block followed by a moderated discussion / question and answer session involving the audience and whole block of presenters. This format will provide conference goers with a fast-paced survey of like work across many institutions, and presenters the chance to disseminate their work in more depth and context than a traditional poster.

“Repository RANTS” 24×7 Block
One block of 24×7’s will revolve around “repository rants”: brief exposés that challenge the conventional wisdom or practice, and highlight what the repository community is doing that is misguided, or perhaps just missing altogether. The top proposals will be incorporated into a track meant to provoke unconventional approaches to repository services.

“Repository RAVES” 24×7 Block
One block of 24×7’s at OR2015 will revolve around “repository raves”: brief exposés that celebrate particular practice and processes, and highlight what the repository community is doing that is right. The top proposals will be incorporated into a track meant to celebrate successful approaches to repository services.

Posters
One-page proposal for posters that showcase current work are invited from researchers, repository managers, administrators, developers and practitioners. There will be the opportunity to make a 60-second pitch for your poster during “minute madness” and a chance for attendees to view and to discuss your work during the poster reception.

2015 Developer Track
Each year a significant proportion of the delegates at Open Repositories are software developers who work on repository software or related services. OR2015 will feature a Developer Track which will provide a focus for showcasing work, exchanging ideas and participating in “lightning rounds”. Further details and guidance on submissions to the Developer Track will be forthcoming. Developers are also encouraged to contribute to the other tracks as papers, posters, 24×7 presentations, repository raves and rants 24×7 blocks.

Workshops and Tutorials
One to two-page proposals for workshops and tutorials addressing theoretical or practical issues around digital repositories are welcomed. Please address the following in your proposal:

• The subject of the event and what knowledge you intend to convey
• Length of session (e.g., 1-hour, 2-hour, half a day or a whole day)
• A brief statement on the learning outcomes from the session
• How many attendees you plan to accommodate
• Technology and facility requirements
• Any other supplies or support required
• Anything else you believe is pertinent to carrying out the session

Proposal Templates
The OR2015 proposal templates are a guideline to help you prepare an effective submission. They are provided in both the Word document and plain-text Markdown formats and provide details around the requirements for conference papers and panels (DOC, TXT, RTF) and 24/7’s and posters (DOC, TXT, RTF).

Submission system
The conference system will be open for submissions by 15 December 2014. PDF format is preferred.

CODE OF CONDUCT

We will be publishing guidelines for conduct for OR2015.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME

OR2015 will again run a Scholarship Programme which will enable us to provide support for a small number of full registered places (including the poster reception and banquet) for the conference in Indianapolis. The programme is open to librarians, repository managers, developers and researchers in digital libraries and related fields. Applicants submitting a paper for the conference will be given priority consideration for funding. Please note that the programme does not cover costs such as accommodation, travel and subsistence. It is anticipated that the applicant’s home institution will provide financial support to supplement the OR Scholarship Award. Full details will shortly be available on the conference website.

Program Co-Chairs

Holly Mercer, University of Tennessee
William J Nixon, University of Glasgow
Imma Subirats, FAO of the United Nations

contact: or15-program-chairs@googlegroups.com

Local Hosts

Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library
Virginia Tech University Libraries

contact: or2015@indiana.edu

Conference Website and Social Media

website: http://or2015.net/

twitter:@OR2015Indy and #or2015

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/or2015

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Posted in Access Services, Digitization, Education, Information Science, Libraries, Research, Scholarly Communication, Technology

Tagged Presentations

Metadata Services for Research Data Management

Posted on November 5, 2014 | Leave a comment

The ALCTS Metadata Interest Group seeks presentation proposals for the
program “Metadata Services for Research Data Management” during the
ALCTS Virtual Preconference “Planning for the Evolving Role of Metadata
Librarians” prior to the 2015 ALA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
This program is scheduled to take place during the week of June 1st
(specific days during the week of June 1st will be determined at a later
date in consultation with speaker availability). Presentations are 30
minutes in total — 20 minutes for the presentation, 10 minutes for
questions.

Librarians continue to engage in active partnerships with researchers who seek
assistance in describing and organizing their data to meet federal
mandates and to promote the discoverability and preservation of their
work. This session will examine different ways that librarians
collaborate with researchers to manage and curate research data.

Potential topics could include:

– Creation of metadata workflows or tools for discipline-based metadata schema and repositories (internal and external)

– Utilization of emerging metadata schema, including the semantic web, to describe research data

– Implementation of metadata consultation services for researchers.

Participants will gain awareness of the current issues surrounding metadata services
for research data management and identify different methods and
approaches for working with researchers and the metadata they generate.

The deadline for proposals is December 5, 2014. Proposals may be submitted through this form : http://goo.gl/forms/PSd2yrSMof

If you have any difficulties with this form, please feel free to submit your proposals directly by email to sathompson3@uh.edu

Thank you!

ALCTS Metadata Interest Group Programming Chairs:

Santi Thompson, University of Houston

Liz Woolcott, Utah State University

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Posted in ALA, Digitization, Reference, Research, Technical Services

Tagged Presentations, virtual presentations

Library Research Seminar VI: The Engaged Librarian: Libraries Partnering with Campus and Community

Posted on March 26, 2014 | Leave a comment

CALL FOR JURIED PROPOSALS:

WHEN: October 7-9, 2014

WHERE: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign iHotel and Conference Center.

WHO: Hosted jointly by the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the University Library, and the Library Research Roundtable of the American Library Association.

WHY: 21st century librarianship has witnessed new forms of cooperation between librarians and the communities they serve. Academic libraries have adopted new roles that span the scholarly communication lifecycle and advance digital humanities, data stewardship, and eScience initiatives. Public libraries have become community focal points for programming that meets the learning needs of children and their families, encourages the creative use of new technologies, and reaches out to include new and diverse communities. Creative school librarians also work with others to examine issues related to the common core standards, the development of programs that promote and complement curricula, and the exploration of new learning and teaching models.

WHAT: This conference will bring together academics and practitioners, including faculty and graduate students from library schools and iSchools, and academic, public and school librarians. The conference will focus on how collaboration and cross-disciplinary research can create new knowledge and chart a course for partnerships with deep and lasting impact.

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Posted in ALA/ACRL, Libraries, Research

Tagged Presentations

Handbook of Research on Scholarly Publishing and Research Methods

Posted on March 26, 2014 | Leave a comment

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 30, 2014

A book edited by Dr. Victor C.X. Wang

(Florida Atlantic University, USA)

To be published by IGI Global: http://bit.ly/1ktsGOC

For release in the Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management (AKATM) Book Series.

The Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management (AKATM) Book Series brings together research on emerging technologies and its effect on information systems and knowledge society.AKATM will provide researchers, students, practitioners, and industry leaders with highlights on the knowledge management discipline, including technology support issues and knowledge representation.

Introduction

Humans do not live in a vacuum. Humans constantly interact with phenomena and each other. As Habermas (Habermas, 1971, as cited in Wang & Cranton, 2013, p. 30) put it, “we all have needs and interests in life and only learning can satisfy these needs and interests such as getting along well with others, controlling the environment and staying away from oppression within our society.” To cope with phenomena or relationships effectively, humans need systematic investigation to gain knowledge about a particular phenomenon or a relationship. This systematic investigation can be translated into research, the French word ‘recherche,’ meaning to search. There is no one best method of research; therefore, research itself warrants multiple ways of generating and sharing knowledge as well as avoiding errors.

Western researchers have been advised to employ empirical research methods to address research problems. Specifically, researchers have been following this kind of advice, “if you address the magnitude of a research problem, utilize quantitative analyses; if you address the in-depth of a research problem, utilize qualitative analyses.” Recently researchers have been advised to adopt “mixed methods research” to tackle research problems to achieve a “comprehensive view” of a research problem.

These research methods are specifically driven by four epistemological positions: postpositivism, constructivism, advocacy/participatory, and pragmatism. Postpositivists believe that knowledge is created by humans conjecturing and that, for learners to create an understanding, it is important that they work with and challenge the conjectures (Bettis & Gregson, 2001). Constructivists assume that individuals seek an understanding of the world in which they live and work. Individuals develop subjective meanings of their experiences–meanings directed toward certain objects or things (Creswell, 2009, p. 8). Creswell further indicates that these meanings are varied and multiple, leading the learner to look for the complexity of views rather than narrowing meanings into a few categories or ideas. Individuals construct different meanings from the same experiences, and those meanings are valid. Some scholars and educators feel that postpositivist and constructivists do not go far enough in advocating for an action agenda to help marginalized peoples in society. Therefore, they developed an advocacy and participatory worldview by drawing on the writings of Marx and Freire (Neuman, 2000). According to Creswell (2009), an advocacy and participatory worldview holds that learners need to become radical philosophers; that is, they need to have an action agenda for reform that may change the their lives, the institutions in which they work or live, and perhaps the larger society. The course instructor’s role is to have learners speak to important social issues of the day–issues such as empowerment, inequality, oppression, domination, suppression, and alienation. Learners are considered to be equals with their course instructors (co-learners). Therefore, learners help design learning questions, collect data, and analyze information together with their course instructors, which may involve the use of technology. Since this epistemological position focuses on the needs of the learners and learners in society that may be marginalized or disenfranchised, the ultimate goal of this position is for learners to develop emancipatory knowledge. The fourth epistemological position is pragmatism, which maintains that a worldview arises out of actions, situations, and consequences rather than antecedent conditions as in postpositivism (Creswell, 2009). Learners are required to use all approaches available to understand problems. To understand problems, learners are free to choose the methods, techniques, and procedures that best meet their needs or purposes. Learners may use multiple methods to understand a particular problem. The emphasis in pragmatism is on hands-on application and practical solutions to problems rather than esoteric or theoretical approaches.

The four epistemological positions are also supported by deductive and inductive reasoning, which translates into Dewey’s scientific method:

1. Identify and define the problem based on the existing knowledge.

2. Determine hypotheses about why the problem exists.

3. Collect and analyze data.

4. Formulate conclusions.

5. Apply conclusions to the original hypotheses or theory.

Step 5 in Dewey’s scientific method can be explained as knowledge creation or generating new knowledge, and new knowledge must be published to disseminate it to the general public. Within the Confucian tradition to realize one’s inner self or self-actualization, one should be completely free from four things: arbitrariness of opinion, dogmatism, obstinacy, and egotism. Two major tenets of research in Confucius heritage countries (CHC) emerge: (1) Confucian thought of research emphasizes meditation to control oneself, and (2) there needs to be an internal integration between self and nature. The research process that facilitates the development of this meditative and integrated self is to be continually extended through dialogue with others within many different structures of human relationships (Wang & King, 2006).

While most books on scholarly publishing and research methods focus on a “how to” approach, overreliance upon either quantitative analyses or qualitative analyses or even mixed methods research, very few of these books deviate from Dewey’s scientific method or offer different perspectives from other world major cultures. Why have contemporary theorists and statisticians such as Stephen Brookfield and Patricia Cranton published the most popular books to inform readers and researchers worldwide? The answer lies in publication of their chapters in such a unique book as well as chapters by their close peers to address pertinent issues regarding scholarly publishing and research methods across the disciplines. To attain this goal, I call upon all other theorists and statisticians as well as practitioners to reflect upon their research topics related to scholarly publishing and research methods and think about contributing cutting edge chapters to this unique volume. Instead of specifying chapter titles, which might limit potential research areas, authors are encouraged to send their own suggested chapter titles and a brief (no more than one page) proposal to the editor based on the theme of the book and the introduction.

Objective of the Book

Handbook of Research on Scholarly Publishing and Research Methods will feature full length chapters (around 13,000 words per chapter) authored by leading experts offering an in-depth description of concepts related to scholarly publishing and research methods in this evolving society.

Target Audience

Researchers, scholars, professors, etc.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Given the theme of this volume, contributing authors (theorists as well as statisticians) may determine their own research topics and send their chapter proposals to the editor for consideration for inclusion in the volume. This volume intends to address all pertinent issues and concerns in scholarly publishing and research methods in our evolving society. Topics in three areas are highly recommended:

1. Writing and Publishing Dissertations;
2. Writing and Publishing Journal Articles and Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters;
3. Fundamentals of Research Methods, covering a variety of methods and approaches, including (but not limited to) quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Submission Procedure

Theorists and statisticians are invited to submit on or before March 30, 2014 a chapter proposal (no more than one page) clearly explaining the mission and concerns of their proposed chapter. More than one chapter proposal from worldwide famous theorists and statisticians is welcome. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified immediately about the status of their proposals and sent guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by June 30, 2014. All submitted chapters will be reviewed in a double-blind review process. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the Information Science Reference (formerly Idea Group Reference), Medical Information Science Reference, Business Science Reference, and Engineering Science Reference imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This book is anticipated to be released in 2014.

Important Dates

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 30, 2014
Full chapter Submission: June 30, 2014
Review Process: June 30, 2014 –August 15, 2014
Notification of Acceptance: August 15, 2014
Full Chapter Submission (publication ready): August 30, 2014

Inquiries can be forwarded to

Dr. Victor C.X. Wang
vcxwang@gmail.com

Propose a chapter for this book

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Posted in Libraries, Research, Scholarly Communication

Tagged Books, Publishing

Say-it-in-Six Lightning Rounds: Case Studies on Using Data to Improve Library Services

Posted on March 6, 2014 | Leave a comment

Call for Proposals:

The LLAMA MAES Using Measurement Data for Library Planning, Assessment, and Communication committee is planning a program at the 2014 ALA Conference in Las Vegas on Monday, June 30th, at 8:30am. This fast-paced program will feature presenters from a variety of settings who will share the ways they have used data to assess, promote, or improve their library. Have you used data to make changes in your own library? If so, we need you!

We are looking for proposals on almost any topic in which the data mattered: library spaces, library services, programming & outreach, collections, student learning/retention, or internal training & workflows, or anything else that worked for you! Innovative methods and tools used to analyze data, as well as interesting outcomes resulting from the data analysis, are especially of interest.

Some specifics of how the lightning rounds will work:

• Each presenter will give a brief presentation (six minutes of presentation, followed by 4 minutes for Q&A) multiple times, rotating to small audiences sitting at informal banquet tables. All attendees will hear and ask questions of all speakers during the course of the program.

• The format for the six minutes of presentation is adapted from Ron Hoff’s book Say It in Six: How to Say Exactly What You Mean in Six Minutes or Less. A template is attached, so you can see how to focus your presentation.

To submit your proposal (300 words or less), please include the following information:

• Type and size of your library

• Type of assessment method/how the data was collected (such as survey, observation)

• Sample size of the data

• Tools or methods used to analyze and present the data

• How the data was used (resulting changes/improvements/realizations)

• Name, position, and email address of the presenter.

Please e-mail proposals to susan.gardner@lmu.edu by Friday, March 28th, at 5pm PST. Those submitting proposals will be notified of their status by mid-April.

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Posted in Administration, ALA/ACRL, Libraries, Research

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