Best of
Library-Science

2017

This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information


Kyle Cassidy - 2017
    Since then, Cassidy has made it his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and personal style-from pink hair and leather jackets to button-downs and blazers. In short, not necessarily what one thinks a librarian looks like. The nearly 220 librarians photographed also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. This is What A Librarian Looks Like also includes original essay by some of our most beloved writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.

The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures


Library of Congress - 2017
    Featuring more than 200 full-color images of original catalog cards, first edition book covers, and photographs from the library's magnificent archives, this collection is a visual celebration of the rarely seen treasures in one of the world's most famous libraries and the brilliant catalog system that has kept it organized for hundreds of years. Packed with engaging facts on literary classics—from Ulysses to The Cat in the Hat to Shakespeare's First Folio to The Catcher in the Rye—this package is an ode to the enduring magic and importance of books.

Feminists Among Us: Resistance and Advocacy in Library Leadership


Shirley Lew - 2017
    By collecting these often implicit professional acts, interactions, and dynamics and naming them as explicitly feminist, these accounts both document aspects of an existing community of practice as well as invite fellow feminists, advocates, and resisters to consider library leadership as a career path.

Cruising the Library: Perversities in the Organization of Knowledge


Melissa Adler - 2017
    Taking the publication of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemologies of the Closet as emblematic of the Library's inability to account for sexual difference, Melissa Adler embarks upon a detailed critique of how cataloging systems have delimited and proscribed expressions of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and race in a manner that mirrors psychiatric and sociological attempts to pathologize non-normative sexual practices and civil subjects.Taking up a parallel analysis, Adler utilizes Roderick A. Ferguson's Aberrations in Black as another example of how the Library of Congress fails to account for, and thereby "buries," difference. She examines the physical space of the Library as one that encourages forms of governmentality as theorized by Michel Foucault while also allowing for its utopian possibilities. Finally, she offers a brief but highly illuminating history of the Delta Collection. Likely established before the turn of the twentieth century and active until its gradual dissolution in the 1960s, the Delta Collection was a secret archive within the Library of Congress that housed materials confiscated by the United States Post Office and other federal agencies. These were materials deemed too obscene for public dissemination or general access. Adler reveals how the Delta Collection was used to regulate difference and squelch dissent in the McCarthy era while also linking it to evolving understandings of so-called perversion in the scientific study of sexual difference.Sophisticated, engrossing, and highly readable, Cruising the Library provides us with a critical understanding of library science, an alternative view of discourses around the history of sexuality, and an analysis of the relationship between governmentality and the cataloging of research and information--as well as categories of difference--in American culture.

The Fear of the Lord Is Wisdom: A Theological Introduction to Wisdom in Israel


Tremper Longman III - 2017
    This major work from renowned scholar Tremper Longman III examines wisdom in the Old Testament and explores its theological influence on the intertestamental books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and especially the New Testament.Longman notes that wisdom is a practical category (the skill of living), an ethical category (a wise person is a virtuous person), and most foundationally a theological category (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom). The author discusses Israelite wisdom in the context of the broader ancient Near East, treats the connection between wisdom in the New Testament and in the Old Testament, and deals with a number of contested issues, such as the relationship of wisdom to prophecy, history, and law.

Topographies of Whiteness: Mapping Whiteness in Library and Information Science


Gina Schlesselman-Tarango - 2017
    Contributors not only provide critical accounts of the histories of whiteness – particularly as they have shaped libraries and archives in higher education – but also interrogate current formations, from the policing of people of color in library spaces to imagined LIS futures. This volume also considers possibilities for challenging oppressive legacies and charting a new course towards anti-racist librarianship, whether in the classroom, at the reference desk, or elsewhere.

Learner-Centered Pedagogy: Principles and Practice


Kevin Michael Klipfel - 2017
    In this practice-based handbook, the authors draw on the research of the humanistic psychologist and educator Carl Rogers to present an empathetic approach to information literacy sessions, reference service, and outreach. With an eye on everyday library work, they offer concrete, empirically-based strategies to connect with learners at all levels. Offering plentiful examples of pedagogy in action, this book covers:6 cognitive principles for organizing information literacy instruction, with sample worksheets and organization tools for instruction planning; how to establish rapport and kindle learners' motivation; tactics for transcending "cite 5 sources" and other uninspiring research assignments; educational evidence debunking the mythical perception that because students are skilled at computers and mobile technology, they already know how to do research; questions to keep in mind for inspiring autonomous learning; the power of story, as described by Joan Didion, Bren� Brown's Ted Talk, and educational psychology research; the science behind information overload; and a balanced framework for evaluating specific educational technology tools. Fusing theory with practice, this handbook is a valuable resource to help every practitioner connect with learners more effectively.

National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries


American Association of School Librarians - 2017
    The new National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the new streamlined AASL Standards Integrated Framework for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. Three previously separate publications—AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, Standards in Action, and Empowering Learners—are now framed within a single text, emphasizing the importance of all three standards sets while ensuring that standards-related activities are mutually reinforcing. The National School Library Standards enable school librarians to influence and lead in their schools, districts, and states and to develop plans that meet today’s educational landscape for learners, school librarians, and the school library. Among the innovations: Common Beliefs reflect current learning environments and professional best practices for effective school libraries; the new standards framework features five shared components—Shared Foundations, Key Commitments, Domains, Competencies and Alignments—which are designed to reflect each other; a section dedicated to assessment and evaluation provides examples on how to create your own tools that align school and district models with AASL Standards; scenarios for various types of school library professionals demonstrate techniques and practices for successful implementation in authentic situations for self-reflection, group professional development, and pre-service education; and included are a glossary of terms, useful verbs, a list of evidence, and other relevant appendices.The National School Library Standards enables personalization for every learner and school librarian, allowing you to continuously tailor your school library to local needs, your own strengths, and learners’ benefit.

The Feminist Reference Desk: Concepts, Critiques, and Conversations


Maria T. Accardi - 2017
    Ultimately, feminist library instruction seeks to empower learners to be both critical thinkers and critical actors who are motivated and prepared to bring about social change. The concept of feminist pedagogy has recently energized current conversations on library instruction, so it is fitting and timely to consider how feminism might intersect with another vital student-centered service the academic library provides: the reference desk. Inspired by the ideas, possibilities, and discussions set in motion by Maria T. Accardi’s Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction (2013), this edited collection continues these conversations by considering how feminist strategies and philosophies might reshape, invigorate, and critique approaches to reference services. In short, this collection will provide critical and thought-provoking explorations of how academic librarians might rethink central reference concepts and services, from the reference interview, to the reference collection, to the staffing of the reference desk itself, from a feminist perspective.About the Editor: Maria T. Accardi is the author of Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction (2013), for which she received the 2014 ACRL WGSS Significant Achievement Award, and a co-editor of Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods (2010). She is Associate Librarian and Coordinator of Instruction and Reference at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana.

Librarians with Spines: Information Agitators in an Age of Stagnation, Vol. 1


Yago S. Cura - 2017
    Essays range in theme from Colonialism and Whiteness in Library Science to Representation in Graphic Novels and Literature, hopefully going beyond what has been written in the past. The essays in Librarians with Spines attempt to move Library and Information Science forward in the areas of culture, information, and education; but, this anthology also seeks to connect a diverse group of librarians and empower them to counteract the severe lack of minority publishers in the U.S. It is the explicit wishes of the publishers for Librarians with Spines to attract enough traction to make publication a yearly commitment for HINCHAS, and both Latino librarians want nothing more than to showcase the most radical and innovative forays into public service and community-minded library programming.

Managing the Digital You: Where and How to Keep and Organize Your Digital Life


Melody (Condron) Karle - 2017
    Starting with a values assessment, this book helps readers identify what items are important to them personally so that they can effectively prioritize their time and effort. Covering multimedia, correspondence, legacy planning, password protection, photos, non-digital documents, financial and legal documents, and even social media archiving, this comprehensive text addresses how to get started and how to develop a plan for managing existing and future items.Features include: Value assessment exercises to help readers identify what is a preservation priority to them personallyBest practices for managing digital financial and legal documentsHow to save things from multiple devices, as well as social media sitesRecommendations for scheduling maintenance activities and automating backupGuidelines for creating a personal management plan so that users are prepared to handle new and existing documents, photos, and other digital material for ongoing accessAfter reading this short primer, readers will be ready to: better organize and identify what they already have in a digital form,have a personal plan for knowing what to discard and what to retain,know how to digitize papers, photographs, voicemail,preserve email and social media postings, andset up a workable long-term file naming and organizational structure.

Getting Started with Digital Collections: Scaling to Fit Your Organization


Jane D Monson - 2017
    And small or medium-sized libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies face a unique set of challenges in regards to digital collections. They may have been unable to jump on the digitization bandwagon at its beginning due to competing priorities or lack of resources, and may now be struggling to get a digitization program in place to meet the evolving needs and expectations of their own users. The good news is that digital projects can scale down to fit the size of any organization. Providing an entry point for librarians, archivists, and curators who are new to digitization, Monson's well-researched guide shows how even smaller institutions can successfully endeavor to make their content digitally accessible. Clearing aside the jargon and acronyms to hone in on the practicals, this book will help readers get a digitization program off the ground, offering guidance onhow to efficiently harness existing workflows, especially in departments seeing a decline in workload; the pros and cons of the two common service models for state and regional digital repositories; how to evaluate and choose among the digital asset management systems, comparing four proprietary and six open source systems; hardware options for image capture; choices in metadata models MODS, VRA Core, Dublin Core Element Set, and EAD; understanding the characteristics of various file formats and using them effectively to create master and derivative files; bitstream copying, data redundancy and other strategies to safeguard digital files against media degradation and technological obsolescence; and Section 108 copyright exemptions for cultural heritage institutions. This easy-to-follow guide to digitization fundamentals will ensure that readers gain a solid grasp of the knowledge and resources available for getting started on their own digital collection projects.

Science in the Archives: Pasts, Presents, Futures


Lorraine Daston - 2017
    But for scientists, the detritus of the past can be a treasure trove of material vital to present and future research: fossils collected by geologists; data banks assembled by geneticists; weather diaries trawled by climate scientists; libraries visited by historians. These are the vital collections, assembled and maintained over decades, centuries, and even millennia, which define the sciences of the archives.   With Science in the Archives, Lorraine Daston and her co-authors offer the first study of the important role that these archives play in the natural and human sciences. Reaching across disciplines and centuries, contributors cover episodes in the history of astronomy, geology, genetics, philology, climatology, medicine, and more—as well as fundamental practices such as collecting, retrieval, and data mining. Chapters cover topics ranging from doxology in Greco-Roman Antiquity to NSA surveillance techniques of the twenty-first century. Thoroughly exploring the practices, politics, economics, and potential of the sciences of the archives, this volume reveals the essential historical dimension of the sciences, while also adding a much-needed long­-term perspective to contemporary debates over the uses of Big Data in science.

Reading, Research, and Writing: Teaching Information Literacy with Process-Based Research Assignments


Mary Snyder Broussard - 2017
    Educators frequently discuss the lack of critical thinking demonstrated in undergraduate research papers, but it may not be that students will not invest in writing assignments—it’s possible that many cannot with the educational support currently provided.Through theory and examples, and with ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education integrated throughout, Reading, Research, and Writing: Teaching Information Literacy with Process-Based Research Assignments shows just how difficult research assignments can be for novice learners, and offers concrete plans and approaches for building assignments that enhance student learning.In six chapters—including a final chapter on turning theory into practice—Reading, Research, and Writing is an in-depth, interdisciplinary look at the literature in rhetoric and composition studies, reading comprehension, cognitive psychology, education theory, and library and information science that captures what academic librarians and their teaching faculty collaborators should know about reading and writing to improve undergraduate writing-from-sources assignments. The implications for such an understanding include improving students’ motivation to research, analyze, and synthesize information at a deeper level; improving librarians’ ability to influence effective assignment design among teaching faculty; and opening new avenues of meaningful formative assessment in library instruction.Information literacy and writing-from-sources are important skills for college graduates who leave formal education to be professionals and, hopefully, lifelong learners. Librarians must examine the broader picture that their piece fits within and work across disciplines to produce truly literate—and therefore information-literate—college graduates.

Reasoning with Data: An Introduction to Traditional and Bayesian Statistics Using R


Jeffrey M. Stanton - 2017
    It provides step-by-step guidance for using both classical (frequentist) and Bayesian approaches to inference. Statistical techniques covered side by side from both frequentist and Bayesian approaches include hypothesis testing, replication, analysis of variance, calculation of effect sizes, regression, time series analysis, and more. Students also get a complete introduction to the open-source R programming language and its key packages. Throughout the text, simple commands in R demonstrate essential data analysis skills using real-data examples. The companion website provides annotated R code for the book's examples, in-class exercises, supplemental reading lists, and links to online videos, interactive materials, and other resources.   Pedagogical Features *Playful, conversational style and gradual approach; suitable for students without strong math backgrounds. *End-of-chapter exercises based on real data supplied in the free R package. *Technical explanation and equation/output boxes. *Appendices on how to install R and work with the sample datasets.

A Practical Guide to Library of Congress Classification


Karen Snow - 2017
    The book examines each part of the LCC call number and how it is assembled and guides the reader through each step of finding and constructing LCC class numbers in Classification Web (the primary resource used to access LCC). Chapter coverage is complete: 1. Introduction 2. Library of Congress Classification in a Nutshell 3. Breaking Down the Library of Congress Call Number 4. Dates 5. Cutters 6. LCC in Classification Web 7. Basic LCC Call Number Building 8. Advanced Call Number Building 9. Classifying Fiction in LCC 10. Finding and using LCC Resources Exercises at the end of most chapters give readers immediate practice with what they just learned. Answers to the exercises are provided at the end of the book. By the end of the book readers will be able to build an LCC call number on their own.

Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace


Colleen Graves - 2017
    How do you build this type of learning at your school? The innovative team behind Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace addresses common questions and concerns and describes step-by-step how to introduce challenge-based learning into the school library makerspace.Intended for librarians and school staff who have already started thinking in terms of makerspaces but need further help sustaining programming and want to know more about Makerspace 2.0, this helpful guide details the workshop model, various real-world design challenges, and the process for implementing curriculum-based learning in the school library makerspace. Readers will be empowered to go beyond the initial implementation of a makerspace and to draw from an arsenal of proven methodologies for designing challenges for student learning. Additionally, the book enables the addition of curriculum connections to library programming, shows how to connect your students to local experts and the global maker community, and eases you into more productive collaboration with other librarians.

Fundamentals of Electronic Resources Management


Alana Verminski - 2017
    

Textbooks in Academic Libraries: Selection, Circulation, and Assessment


Chris Diaz - 2017
    While it would be unwise if not impossible to buy and circulate every textbook at a college or university, there are many academic libraries who are selectively adding textbooks to their collections. And the practice seems to be gaining momentum. A textbook reserve program can be one way of helping students who are struggling with the high cost of textbooks, and this book spotlights a variety of examples that can be used as models.

Cultivating Engaged Staff: Better Management for Better Libraries


Margaret Zelman Law - 2017
    This book shares research-derived strategies for creating and maintaining a positive LIS environment that will engage and empower all types of library employees--strategies that will boost worker engagement and improve performance.The information in Cultivating Engaged Staff: Better Management for Better Libraries is based on the author's doctoral research investigating the conditions that lead to higher levels of workplace engagement and how these elements interact to create an environment that supports engagement. Readers will come away with a clear understanding of how to apply these research findings in the LIS field, with particular reference to the changing technological environment, the nature of the work, and the legislative and political environment. The book also includes real-life stories that enable managers to view their own behavior through the eyes of other colleagues and workers.

Helping Your Angry Teen: How to Reduce Anger and Build Connection Using Mindfulness and Positive Psychology


Mitch R. Abblett - 2017
    Parenting a teen is hard enough, but parenting an angry teen is especially difficult. You might feel unable to keep your own cool during disagreements, or even worry that your relationship with your teen is doomed. So, how can you make sure you stay grounded when the drama rises and reestablish a sense of connection? Written by a psychologist and teen expert, this book offers techniques based in mindfulness, compassion, and positive psychology to help you face the challenges that parenting an angry teen presents. You’ll discover the clinical and psychological underlying conditions that can contribute to teen anger, skills for improving communication, and mindfulness tips for staying calm yourself. In addition, you’ll learn skills for reestablishing a compassionate and connected relationship. If you’re ready to take control of your own reactions and start reconnecting with your angry teen, this book will help guide the way.

Mixed Methods Design in Evaluation


Donna M. Mertens - 2017
    Mertens explores the meaning of mixed methods evaluation, its evolution over the last few decades, and the dominant philosophical frameworks that are influencing thought and practice in the field today. Four chapters explore evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions, development of instruments, systematic reviews, and policy evaluations, while an additional chapter covers evaluation approaches often required in specific contexts including gender responsive evaluations, needs assessment, and evaluations in conflict zones. Practical in nature, the book guides readers' thinking about the design of mixed methods evaluations through the use of illustrative examples and explanations for further applications.

Data Literacy in the Real World: Conversations Case Studies


Kristin Fontichiaro - 2017
    In this volume, you’ll find two kinds of professional development tools to support that growth. Part I contains pre-made professional development via links to webinars from the 2016 and 2017 4T Virtual Conference on Data Literacy, along with discussion questions and activities that can animate conversations around data in your school. Part II explores data “in the wild” with case studies pulled from the headlines, along with provocative discussion questions, professionals and students alike can explore multiple perspectives at play with Big Data, data privacy, personal data management, ethical data use, and citizen science.

Writing Effectively in Print and on the Web: A Practical Guide for Librarians


Rebecca Blakiston - 2017
    Poor use of words can lead to misunderstandings and inefficiencies. Writing effectively will help you be a stronger colleague, manager, and librarian. In this book, you will learn how to: -Define your audience and your primary messages -Simplify your writing so that it is succinct and understandable -Structure your written content so that it is most usable and accessible to your audience -Approach different forms of writing in a way that is most effective to getting your message across -Establish a voice and tone that reflects the identity of your organization and yourself as a professional The book covers writing for both print and Web-based publications and is aimed at all types of libraries.

Engaging Community Through Storytelling: Library and Community Programming


Sherry Norfolk - 2017
    Our history and culture--those of society and of individuals--are passed from generation to generation through stories. Engaging Community through Storytelling: Library and Community Programming examines a wide variety of model storytelling projects across the country, reflecting how storytelling can encourage community attachment, identity, and expression in libraries, community centers, and schools.The contributed essays--written by experts in their fields, many of whom served as developer, fundraiser, director, and implementer of their project--provide detailed information about the inner workings of a wide variety of model storytelling projects from across the country. The authors delineate the need, scope, and audience for each project and offer riveting anecdotes that evaluate the success of that project. Many of the articles are accompanied by one or more photographs documenting the work or practical how-to-do-it guides to encourage and enable replication. Thoughtful commentary on and review of the key concepts in each chapter are provided by the book's editors.

Students Lead the Library: : The Importance of Student Contributions to the Academic Library


Sara Arnold-Garza - 2017
    Our collections, programs, and services become meaningful when students use and learn from them. We build our websites and other digital services, our buildings, marketing and communication strategies, and content to meet their needs. The library exists, at least in large part, for the students—and student employment, leadership, and input into the library can increase engagement and outreach and improve both the library and the students it employs. In six parts—Students as Employees, Students as Curators, Students as Ambassadors, the Library as Client, Student Groups as Library Leaders, and Students as Library Designers—Students Lead the Library provides case studies of programs and initiatives that seek student input, assistance, and leadership in the academic library. Through the library, students can develop leadership skills, cultivate high levels of engagement, and offer peer learning opportunities. Through the students, libraries can create participatory design processes, enhancement and transformation of the library’s core functions, and expressed library value for stakeholders. Students Lead the Library gives practical perspectives and best practices for implementing these kinds of initiatives in ways that can be easily adopted to fit many different needs and circumstances. It’s useful to libraries seeking to improve their services to students, reach out to new student populations, give students experiential learning opportunities, and even mitigate staffing shortages.

The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts, 2nd Edition


Ken Haycock - 2017
    What distinguishes the book as an introduction to the work of professional librarians is that it's not just about information in context or about libraries and their mission. Importantly, it also covers the required competencies of professional librarians, laying a firm foundation for future courses.In this second edition, each chapter has been revised and updated to take into account current thinking and references. As with the first edition, the book is organized around the foundations of the profession and key functional areas. Questions such as how to think like a librarian and how to facilitate community development are specifically and explicitly addressed. In compiling the book, the editors sought out the leading thinkers, educators, and practitioners in each core area as chapter authors. Each of the contributors provides an introduction to the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with their respective area of expertise, discusses current and emerging applications, and explores trends and issues.

Out of This World Library Programs: Using Speculative Fiction to Promote Reading and Launch Learning


Joel A. Nichols - 2017
    We see evidence of the universal appeal of sci-fi and fantasy-themed tales in popular books, movies, and television series--from The Hunger Games, The Martian, and Star Wars to Jessica Jones and The Man in the High Castle. This guide provides avenues for making use of what naturally interests young audiences pre-teen through emerging or new adult with some 50 programs based on speculative fiction.For each of the literature-based programs, the book provides a description of the project that identifies the appropriate age level and its goals and learning objectives as well as the duration of time and materials needed. While the selection of titles is diverse, special emphasis is given to media and books created by women and people of color. The step-by-step directions, annotation of the book on which the project is based, list of related titles, and special tips ensure that you'll be able to easily implement the program in your classroom or library. Most of the programs have a technology-related component but can be adapted to be done as traditional crafts. All of the programs are appropriate for students in English and creative writing classes as well as for youth or young adults in a public library setting.

Optimizing Discovery Systems to Improve User Experience: The Innovative Librarian's Guide


Bonnie Imler - 2017
    This book looks at how discovery systems are actually used by examining the findings of several user experience (UX) studies, providing data and observations that will inform your decisions about selecting, implementing, and enhancing this software.This book provides library practitioners who choose, administer, and interact with discovery systems with insight for establishing or fine-tuning a discovery system. You will understand how the use and effectiveness of the top discovery systems compare to more traditional databases and web resources, get insight into the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the best-selling discovery systems, and examine the UX research findings of the authors on student response and faculty response. You'll also learn about key configuration options that help or hinder search success with these systems and affect content selection, linking software setup, and interlibrary loan processes. The book concludes with recommended best practices for promoting discovery systems, including web design, placement on the library's website, getting coworkers on board, and PR ideas.

Archival Arrangement and Description: Analog to Digital


Lois Hamill - 2017
    After presenting the basics of arrangement and description (processing) for analog materials, the text segues to digital materials incorporating the OAIS preservation model into a detailed, sample workflow. Although accessioning and technical appraisal precede processing, they are discussed because they are performed differently for digital materials and create a different starting point for processing digital files. Description is external to the OAIS model but linked to it. Recent advances in description and its delivery are presented along with concerns for the ability of smaller archives to participate in envisioned future developments that are technology reliant. New specialties like digital curation and data curation show the continued relevance of archival expertise for the digital future.Rich with extras, the text includes and points to many readily web accessible additional resources.--Meg Miner, University Archivist & Special Collections Librarian, Illinois Wesleyan University "Metropolitan Archivist"