Scholarly Works, University Libraries
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Browsing Scholarly Works, University Libraries by Content Type "Article - Refereed"
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- 3D Data Repository Features, Best Practices, and Implications for Preservation Models: Findings from a National ForumHardesty, Juliet; Johnson, Jennifer; Wittenberg, Jamie; Hall, Nathan; Cook, Matt; Lischer-Katz, Zack; Xie, Zhiwu; McDonald, Robert H. (2020-07)This study identifies challenges and directions for 3D/VR repository standards and practices. As 3D technologies become more affordable and accessible, academic libraries need to implement workflows, standards, and practices that support the full lifecycle of 3D data. This study invited experts across several disciplines to analyze current national repository and preservation efforts. Outlined models provide frameworks to identify features, examine workflows, and determine implications of 3D data on current preservation models. Participants identified challenges for supporting 3D data, including intellectual property and fair use; providing repository system management beyond academic libraries; seeking guidance outside of academia for workflows to model.
- Agricultural data management and sharing: Best practices and case studyMoore, Eli K.; Kriesberg, Adam; Schroeder, Steven; Geil, Kerrie; Haugen, Inga; Barford, Carol; Johns, Erica M.; Arthur, Dan; Sheffield, Megan; Ritchie, Stephanie M.; Jackson, Carolyn; Parr, Cynthia (2021-02-24)Agricultural data are crucial to many aspects of production, commerce, and research involved in feeding the global community. However, in most agricultural research disciplines standard best practices for data management and publication do not exist. Here we propose a set of best practices in the areas of peer review, minimal dataset development, data repositories, citizen science initiatives, and support for best data management. We illustrate some of these best practices with a case study in dairy agroecosystems research. While many common, and increasingly disparate data management and publication practices are entrenched in agricultural disciplines, opportunities are readily available for promoting and adopting best practices that better enable and enhance data-intensive agricultural research and production.
- Analyzing current serials in Virginia: An application of hte Ulrich's Serials Analysis SystemMetz, Paul; Gasser, Sharon (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006-01)VIVA (the Virtual Library of Virginia) was one of the first subscribers to R. R. Bowker's Ulrich's Serials Analysis System (USAS). Creating a database that combined a union report of current serial subscriptions within most academic libraries in the state with the data elements present in Ulrich's made possible a comprehensive analysis designed to inform collective decision-making about serials. The results of this analysis, especially as they pertain to possible efforts to preserve subscriptions within the state or to add subscriptions to targeted new titles, are presented. Problems with using the resource and anticipated product enhancements are also discussed.
- Arts Voices: Middle School Students and the Relationships of the Arts to their Motivation and Self-EfficacyMoorefield-Lang, Heather (The Qualitative Report, 2010-01)
- Assessing the Potential Toward Open Educational Practices in KyrgyzstanWalz, Anita R.; Bekbalaeva, Jyldyz (2018-04)The study was undertaken to understand the propensity for increased engagement with open educational practices (OEP), to include methods prioritizing student-centered teaching & learning, and awareness, use, and development of open educational resources (OER) among higher education faculty in Kyrgyzstan. The study employed a mixed-methods research design, combining qualitative and quantitative data obtained from 35 faculty, librarians, and administrators in institutions of higher education in Kyrgyzstan. This study aimed to identify current teaching practices and learning resource usage practices, gauge levels of knowledge regarding Kyrgyzstan’s Copyright law, Creative Commons licenses, and Open Educational Resources, and investigate perceptions regarding potential roles for libraries in enabling others’ learning regarding Copyright and Creative Commons, and open educational resources. Analysis of the results revealed a higher than expected gravitation toward student-centered pedagogy than previously assumed. The study also identified broad use of digital downloads as learning materials, conflation of open educational resources with free online resources, and positive perceptions of libraries’ potential to instruct regarding Kyrgyz copyright, Creative Commons, and open educational resources, and needs for further professional development training for librarians. (Appendix includes survey instrument.)
- The Availability of Cataloging copy in the OCLC DatabaseMetz, Paul; Espley, John (ACRL Publications, 1980-09)A sixteen-week longitudinal study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of OCLC as a source of cataloging data and to optimize the timing of searches for cataloging copy for various categories of materials. The findings indicated a high rate of success and, further, suggested that for many types of materials a holding pattern might be unnecessary. A midsized research library should be able to clear about half of its monographic receipts immediately, if it is willing to accept CIP copy. For materials not searched immediately, or for subsequent searches of materials not cataloged at once, the data may be used to determine the best timing and frequency of searches.
- Batch-Load Authority Control Cleanup Using MarcEdit and LTIFinn, Mary (Routledge, 2009-01)Vendor sets of bibliographic records are readily available and must be loaded into our catalogs to provide patron access to the items used most. However, batch-load authority control can be an arduous process because bibliographic standards vary between sets. Librarians at Virginia Tech have implemented a process that includes authority control cleanup before batched bibliographic records are loaded into the catalog. This article describes the process used.
- Blockchain is already here. What does that mean for records management and archives?Bhatia, Sharmila; Wright de Hernandez, Anthony (Taylor & Francis, 2019-07-29)This article provides a brief overview of blockchain or distributed ledger technology for archivists and records managers. While in the nascent stage, records are already being created or managed by blockchains. Therefore, it is necessary for archivists and records managers to become familiar with the basics of the technology, along with its benefits and shortcomings, in order to make informed decisions regarding the accessioning of blockchain systems and/or their use in managing record authenticity.
- Bringing digital well-being into the heart of digital media literaciesFeerrar, Julia (2021-07)The complexities of our digital media landscape present challenges that often strain the physical, emotional, and social well-being of learners and educators alike. Given these challenges, this essay makes a case for incorporating digital well-being into digital and media literacy curricula and pedagogy. For the author, a focus on digital well-being, or the capacity to pursue health, safety, and happiness online, has sparked a shift in pedagogical values and goals. Following a discussion of the nature of digital well-being, the author charts this shift through an example lesson about online identity. Bringing digital well-being into the heart of digital media literacies means reconsidering both the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of our teaching.
- Building a comprehensive serials decision database at Virginia TechMetz, Paul; Cosgriff, John C. Jr. (ACRL Publications, 2000-07)Although for many years academic libraries have relied on data on cost, library use, or citations to inform collection development decisions respecting serials, they have not fully exploited the possibilities for compiling numerous measures into comprehensive databases for decision support. The authors discuss the procedures used and the advantages realized from an effort to build such a resource at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where the available data included the results of a zero-based faculty survey of serials needs.
- The Case For Alternative Web Archival Formats To Expedite The Data-To-Insight CycleWang, Xinyue; Xie, Zhiwu (ACM, 2020-08)The WARC file format is widely used by web archives to preserve collected web content for future use. With the rapid growth of web archives and the increasing interest to reuse these archives as big data sources for statistical and analytical research, the speed to turn these data into insights becomes critical. In this paper we show that the WARC format carries significant performance penalties for batch processing workload. We trace the root cause of these penalties to its data structure, encoding, and addressing method. We then run controlled experiments to illustrate how severe these problems can be. Indeed, performance gain of one to two orders of magnitude can be achieved simply by reformatting WARC files into Parquet or Avro formats. While these results do not necessarily constitute an endorsement for Avro or Parquet, the time has come for the web archiving community to consider replacing WARC with more efficient web archival formats.
- Challenges and Directions in 3D and VR DataCuration: Findings from a Nominal Group StudyHall, Nathan; Hardesty, Juliet; Lischer-Katz, Zack; Johnson, Jennifer; Cook, Matt; Ogier, Andrea; McDonald, Robert H. (International Journal of Data Curation, 2019-09-12)This study identifies challenges and promising directions in the curation of 3D data. 3D visualization shows great promise for a range of scholarly fields through interactive engagement with and analysis of spatially complex artifacts, spaces, and data. While the new affordability of emerging 3D capture technologies presents greater academic possibilities, academic libraries need more effective workflows, policies, standards, and practices to ensure that they can support the creation, discovery, access, preservation, and reproducibility of 3D data sets. This study uses nominal group technique with invited experts across several disciplines and sectors to identify common challenges in the creation and re-use of 3D data for the purpose of developing library strategy for supporting curation of 3D data. This article identifies staffing needs for 3D imaging; alignment with IT resources; the role of archivists in addressing unique challenges posed by these datasets; the importance of data annotation, metadata, and transparency for research integrity and reproducibility; and features for storage, access, and management to facilitate re-use by researchers and educators. Participants identified three main challenges for supporting 3D data that align with the strengths of libraries: 1) development of crosswalks and aggregation tools for discipline-specific metadata models, data dictionaries for 3D research, and aggregation tools for expanding discovery; 2) development of an open source viewer that supports streaming and annotation on archival formats of 3D models and makes archival master files accessible, while also serving derivative files based on user requirements; and 3) widespread of adoption of better documentation and technical metadata for image capture and modeling processes in order to support replicability of research, reproducibility of models, and transparency of scientific process.
- Challenges and Strategies for Educational Virtual Reality: Results of an Expert-led Forum on 3D/VR Technologies Across Academic InstitutionsHall, Nathan; Lischer-Katz, Zack; Cook, Matt; Hardesty, Juliet; Johnson, Jennifer; McDonald, Robert H.; Carlisle, Tara (Information Technology and Libraries, 2019-12-16)Virtual reality (VR) is a rich visualization and analytic platform that furthers the library’s mission of providing access to all forms of information and supporting pedagogy and scholarship across disciplines. Academic libraries are increasingly adopting VR technology for a variety of research and teaching purposes, which include providing enhanced access to digital collections, offering new research tools, and constructing new immersive learning environments for students. This trend suggests that positive technological innovation is flourishing in libraries, but there remains a lack of clear guidance in the library community on how to introduce these technologies in effective ways and make them sustainable within different types of institutions. In June 2018, the University of Oklahoma hosted the second of three forums on the use of 3D and VR for visualization and analysis in academic libraries, as part of the project Developing Library Strategy for 3D and Virtual Reality Collection Development and Reuse(LIB3DVR), funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This qualitative study invited experts from a range of disciplines and sectors to identify common challenges in the visualization and analysis of 3D data, and the management of VR programs, for the purpose of developing a national library strategy.
- Characterization and Validation of Arg286 Residue of IL-1RAcP as a Potential Drug Target for OsteoarthritisDailing, Angela; Mitchell, Kelsey; Ngoc Vuong; Lee, Kyung Hyeon; Joshi, Reva; Espina, Virginia; Still, Amanda Haymond; Gottschalk, Carter J.; Brown, Anne M.; Paige, Mikell; Liotta, Lance A.; Luchini, Alessandra (2021-02-03)Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and the fastest growing cause of chronic disability in the world. Formation of the ternary IL-1 beta /IL-1R1/IL-1RAcP protein complex and its downstream signaling has been implicated in osteoarthritis pathology. Current OA therapeutic approaches target either the cytokine IL-1 beta or the primary receptor IL-1RI but do not exploit the potential of the secondary receptor IL-1RAcP. Our previous work implicated the Arg286 residue of IL-1RAcP as a key mediator of complex formation. Molecular modeling confirmed Arg286 as a high-energy mediator of the ternary IL-1 beta complex architecture and interaction network. Anti-IL-1RAcP monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting the Arg286 residue were created and were shown to effectively reduce the influx of inflammatory cells to damaged joints in a mouse model of osteoarthritis. Inhibitory peptides based on the native sequence of IL-1RAcP were prepared and examined for efficacy at disrupting the complex formation. The most potent peptide inhibitor had an IC50 value of 304 pM in a pull-down model of complex formation, and reduced IL-1 beta signaling in a cell model by 90% at 2 mu M. Overall, therapies that target the Arg286 region surface of IL-1RAcP, and disrupt subsequent interactions with subunits, have the potential to serve as next generation treatments for osteoarthritis.
- Collaborative Batch Creation for Open Access E-Books: A Case StudyYoung, Philip; Culbertson, Rebecca; McGrath, Kelley (Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 2012-09-24)When the National Academies Press announced that more than 4,000 electronic books would be made freely available for download, many academic libraries expressed interest in obtaining MARC records for them. Using cataloging listservs, volunteers were recruited for a project to identify and upgrade bibliographic records for aggregation into a batch that could be easily loaded into catalogs. Project organization, documentation, quality control measures, and problems are described, as well as processes for adding new titles. The project’s implications for future efforts are assessed, as are the numerous challenges for network-level cataloging.
- Conference Rubric Development for STEM Librarians’ PublicationsOver, Sarah; McAllister, James; Morrow, Debbie; Jones, Sylvia; Pixton, David; Prosser, Eric; Gupta, Aditi; Magid, Amani (Taylor & Francis)Librarians within the Engineering Libraries Division (ELD) annually publish conference papers for the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The existing ASEE rubric was not sufficient for our members, so we developed a new rubric as a charged committee for this task. We briefly discuss the sparse literature in this area, focusing on the use of rubrics and the rationale behind them. Due to this lack of literature, our committee primarily utilized additional sources such as rubrics found from other professional organizations in STEM and library fields. Our rubric is designed to encourage substantive feedback and growth of authors during the process, while clarifying the expectations for submissions. This rubric consists of overall guidance and specific needs, with flexibility for the different research methods and applications expected (i.e. work-in-progress/completed research, quantitative/qualitative, etc.). We implemented this rubric successfully for the 2021 conference cycle, but will further refine it as needed, based on feedback following future conferences. With scarce literature on conference peer review, we hope by sharing our work, others may also consider and improve their organizations’ processes.
- Course-based exhibitions: Serendipity in the physical and digital spaces of academic librariesFralin, Scott; Rogers, Alice (2019-09-18)Library exhibition practices vary significantly between institutions, depending on expertise, resources, and goals of the individual library. The University Libraries at Virginia Tech have supported and developed two exhibition programs within the past six years, both with a focus on showcasing products and processes from classes around campus, rather than library materials and artifacts. While such work is unique, it can provide valuable experiences both for the contributors and creators of these exhibitions, as well as those who see and interact with them. In this article, we discuss the history and origins of these programs, the Course Exhibit Initiative and the Active Learning Curation Program, how they work, and the outcomes they strive to achieve. We discuss the workflows that we take to showcase the work of our contributors, and demonstrate how these programs share some outcomes with exhibit programs based in special collections, but have their own unique challenges and opportunities. Finally, we make the case that the output of these two exhibit programs provides a new experience of serendipity in libraries.
- Creating a More Inclusive Future for Scholarly CommunicationsHall, Nathan; Maron, Nancy; Kennison, Rebecca; Shorish, Yasmeen; Malenfant, Kara (Electronic Publishing Conference, 2019-06-11)This paper reports findings from a study commissioned by the Association of College & Research Libraries to identify a new research agenda for scholarly communications and the research environment. The final report provides an overview of trends and practices and identifies and describes important questions where deeper inquiry is needed to accelerate the transition to more open, inclusive, and equitable systems of scholarship. This research agenda is informed by scholarly literature, as well as by advances in practice and the voices of historically underrepresented communities. The research involved structured engagement with the academic library community throughout the process, incorporated through project update webinars, expert interviews, focus groups, workshops, and an online survey. Over one thousand participants offered their thoughts and expertise to shape the research agenda. The themes that emerged include People, Content, and Systems, which each raised new research areas to explore. To further this new research agenda, ACRL is issuing research grants to investigate timely and substantial research questions, developing solutions that will move the community forward.
- Cyberattacks and public opinion - The effect of uncertainty in guiding preferencesJardine, Eric; Porter, Nathaniel D.; Shandler, Ryan (Sage, 2024-01-30)When it comes to cybersecurity incidents – public opinion matters. But how do voters form opinions in the aftermath of cyberattacks that are shrouded in ambiguity? How do people account for the uncertainty inherent in cyberspace to forge preferences following attacks? This article seeks to answer these questions by introducing an uncertainty threshold mechanism predicting the level of attributional certainty required for the public to support economic, diplomatic or military responses following cyberattacks. Using a discrete-choice experimental design with 2025 US respondents, we find lower attributional certainty is associated with less support for retaliation, yet this mechanism is contingent on the suspected identity of the attacker and partisan identity. Diplomatic allies possess a reservoir of good will that amplifies the effect of uncertainty, while rivals are less often given the benefit of the doubt. We demonstrate that uncertainty encourages the use of cognitive schemas to overcome ambiguity, and that people fall back upon pre-existing and politically guided views about the suspected country behind an attack. If the ambiguity surrounding cyberattacks has typically been discussed as an operational and strategic concern, this article shifts the focus of attention to the human level and positions the mass public as a forgotten yet important party during cyber conflict.
- Cyberbiosecurity Workforce Preparation: Education at the Convergence of Cybersecurity and BiosecurityAdeoye, Samson; Lindberg, Heather; Bagby, B.; Brown, Anne M.; Batarseh, Feras; Kaufman, Eric K. (2024-01)Cyberbiosecurity is an emerging field at the convergence of life sciences and the digital world. As technological advances improve operational processes and expose them to vulnerabilities in agriculture and life sciences, cyberbiosecurity has become increasingly important for addressing contemporary concerns. Unfortunately, at this time, educational opportunities for cyberbiosecurity workforce preparation are limited. Stakeholders’ perceptions may help guide cyberbiosecurity workforce preparation efforts and bridge the gap from the classroom to the field. Toward this end, we identified stakeholders in education, private industry, and state agencies in [State] and sought their input through both an online survey and focus groups. Findings suggest limited awareness and understanding of cyberbiosecurity. Results indicate that both formal and non-formal learning components—including short modules and comprehensive standalone courses—are important for cyberbiosecurity education programming. Stakeholders tied potential success of education programming to systems thinking and collaborative designs. Moreover, results reveal insights into concerns at the convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), which is central to effective workforce preparation for today’s agriculture and life sciences professionals. Continuous interdisciplinary collaboration and academia-industry partnerships will be critical for developing robust cyberbiosecurity education and securing the future of agriculture.