ARL Member Research Articles

An Investigation of Anti-Black Racism LibGuides at ARL Member Institutions

This study sought to analyze anti-Black racism LibGuides created by ARL member institutions to determine strengths and weaknesses of the guides based on LibGuides best practices. Institutional and LibGuide author demographic information were also gathered to determine correlations or trends, if any. Rubric evaluation of LibGuides found that guides were strongest in areas related to guide design, materials included on the guides, and links to resources. Guides were weakest in areas related to the framing of social justice and pedagogy. Results from this study have the potential to inform the structure and revision of social justice LibGuides at a time when librarianship is grappling with issues of neutrality, racism, and becoming more anti-racist.

For the duration: Creating a collection maintenance unit in technical services

The University of Illinois-Chicago is an ARL member library with a collection of 2.3 million volumes. While we have access to many electronic resources, we still have a substantial collection of physical items to manage in several buildings. Many of those volumes are held at the Richard J. Daley Library on our east campus, where nonhealth-related academic programs are located. Late in 2015, the head of the Daley Circulation Department announced his retirement after more than 30 years in that position. The department was a typical academic library circulation unit, including circulation desk, shelving, reserves, and interlibrary loan. Most of the two dozen staff members had been with the department for many years.

Capturing digital developments through qualitative inquiry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a model of digital library (DL) work that surfaced through the ARL Profiles 2010 and resonates current work underway by the large-scale DL projects like DPLA, SHARE, Hathitrust, Academic Preservation Trust, and Digital Preservation Network. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 86 ARL members submitted institutional profiles that were analyzed using Atlas.ti and surfaced major themes that comprise the mission of research libraries including serving the public good, expanding their presence globally, setting standards for access and quality, needing to explore best practices, and being visible at the national and international levels. Findings – The analysis of the narratives identified three key areas for DL developments: first, digitized special collections, second, acquiring digital content, and third, developing digital services (Figure 1). Specific examples and context are provided in the paper. Research limitations/implications – The qualitative data collected from these profiles demonstrate that libraries are transforming their services to leverage digital technologies and meet the changing needs of their users. The approach was open ended and allowed libraries to celebrate their strengths and unique context. Some of the disadvantages of this approach include the amount of work both on behalf of the participating libraries as well as on behalf of the analysts and the difficulty of comparing libraries with one another. Originality/value – This was the first time ARL attempted to describe research libraries using narrative descriptions. The approach complements the traditional ARL Statistics and offers a viable alternative in a future environment that is dominated by radical change. This qualitative approach deployed here is critical for describing DL developments as current large-scale digitization projects have extended the directions that were surfacing in these profiles and have major implications for the future of digital content and research. Future research in this area is strongly encouraged.

Circulation Policies in Major Academic Libraries

As part of an assessment of its patron circulation policies, Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library Circulation Committee studied the circulation policies of ARL members and like-sized academic institution's libraries. Access Services Department Heads or their equivalent at 165 academic libraries were surveyed. This paper reports on policies relating to circulation, renewals, fines, and recalls for these libraries. The majority of circulation policies are traditional (typical circulation periods, low numbers of renewals and traditional fines), though non-traditional policies (longer circulation periods, more renewals, and elimination of fines) provide better service and satisfaction for patrons. Libraries should examine their policies to determine if non-traditional policies would work at their institution.

Off-Site Storage and Special Collections: A Study in Use and Impact in ARL Libraries in the United States

Special collections libraries collect and preserve materials of intellectual and cultural heritage, providing access to unique research resources. As their holdings continue to expand, special collections in research libraries confront increased space pressures. Off-site storage facilities, used frequently by research libraries for general circulating collections, offer a solution to these pressures. Using data from a survey of special collections directors from ARL member libraries, this article examines both the current use of off-site storage facilities and its impact on core special collections activities. This study provides a foundation for what has been an underexplored area and identifies areas for further research.

Assessment Related Skills and Knowledge Are Increasingly Mentioned in Library Job Postings

A Review of:
 Passoneau, S., & Erickson, S. (2014). Core competencies for assessment in libraries: A review and analysis of job postings. Library Leadership & Management, 28(4):1-19. https://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/article/view/7080
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – The authors sought to determine whether existing definitions of assessment agree with assessment-related skills sought in job postings, and to identify key assessment-related skills, needs for training, and trends in assessment.
 
 Design – Content analysis. 
 
 Setting – Job postings from six library-specific websites: the American Library Association, the Library & Information Technology Association, the Society of American Archivists, the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Association of Research Libraries, and Library Assessment job announcements at http://libraryassessment.info/?cat=13.
 
 Subjects – Job titles and descriptions published during an 18-month period between Summer 2012 and Winter 2013 that met the inclusion criteria (n=231).
 
 Methods – Job postings were searched and analyzed in two separate sets whose inclusion criteria is as follows: First, job postings with the term assessment in the position title or as the main focus of the position (n=44) were retrieved; of these, three postings were too old to contain descriptions, so were excluded from analysis. Second, job postings were retrieved with the terms assessment, evaluation, metrics, and strategic in the descriptive text of postings with position titles that did not specifically mention assessment (n=187). The full text of both sets was downloaded to ATLAS.ti software for analysis using a grounded theory approach. Mutually exclusive terms emerging from the coding process were documented and defined; from this analysis, networks of code “families” or co-relational groupings helped to create categories and sub-categories. The context of terms was closely examined to understand the meaning of assessment-related terms in job descriptions. Following this step, Microsoft Excel was used to generate tables and pivot tables, aiding understanding and illustrating data. 
 
 Main Results – All 44 job posts containing the term assessment as part of the position title were from research universities or four year colleges; of these, most were ARL member libraries. For these postings, the concept of assessment was more clearly aligned with definitions of assessment as an ongoing process. The positions described, requiring a minimum of three years’ of experience, ranged from entry-level to administrative in nature. 
 
 In the second set (187 postings), the interchangeable use of the terms “assessment” and “evaluation” was particularly evident in job postings unrelated to library instruction. No library types other than academic were recruiting for assessment librarians, but related skills, usually referred to as evaluation in public and special libraries, were mentioned in all areas of library practice including instruction, administration, public services, user behavior, and to a lesser extent, access services, archives, information technology, cataloging, and more. While less prominent, these less often mentioned areas of practice also appear to be increasing their awareness of assessment.
 
 Key skills and knowledge areas needed for assessment in libraries emerged from content analysis of the job postings. These were grouped under eight main areas of competency and were augmented by the authors’ own experiences as assessment librarians: background in library assessment, research methods, statistical and analytic skills, visualization and presentation skills, and project management and people skills. 
 
 Conclusions – Based upon analysis of this set of documents, a culture of assessment in libraries appears to be emerging, demonstrating a possible upward trend when contrasted with the earlier research of Walter and Oakleaf (2010). Overall, assessment related skills and knowledge were increasingly evident across all library types and positions. Suggestions for aiding the development of an emerging culture of assessment include fostering liaisons between ALA divisions and library schools to persuade the schools of the need for related coursework, workshops focused on assessment-related skills, certification programs, and a proposed minor in library assessment. Opening avenues for discussion between library types could enhance the growth of an assessment culture beyond academic librarianship. Additional research to better understand the diffusion of assessment culture and practice into non-academic libraries is also recommended.

Collecting Small Data

Introduction In recent years, our professional literature has devoted many pages to the need for data services in support of e-science. Naturally, most of these publications focus on the development of support services that enhance our ability to meet the needs of scientists and other individuals who collect and analyze large data sets, or “big data.” For example, ARL’s recent publication E-Science and Data Support Services: A Study of ARL Member Institutions sought to document the various approaches that member institutions employ when providing data-support services for the e-sciences. In discussing these needs, much of the focus—both locally and in the literature—tends to center on addressing the issues that arise when institutions contemplate providing support for computational, team, and networked sciences. Yet, as noted in E-Science and Data Support Services, what we call big data only represents one part of the significant challenge that research libraries face in meeting changing data needs in our respective scholarly communities. The acquisition and management of small data present particular challenges that require exploration as our institutions evolve to meet changing user needs. (“Small” refers both to the size of the data set and the cost of acquiring and managing the data when compared to data sets like the human genome or 100 years of weather observations.) Locally, this growing interest in managing data is part of a broader interest in exploring new options for acquiring resources that will meet the changing needs of our faculty and student communities. Positive developments (such as RLI 276 12

Three Years and Counting—The Economic Crisis is Still With Us

Three Years and Counting—The Economic Crisis is Still With Us Charles B. Lowry, PhD (bio) Introduction Where library budgets are concerned, there is every evidence now, after three years, that we have arrived at "the new normal." That is, we do not expect a return to systematic and regular additions to Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) budgets in order to support ever-increasing prices that are out of proportion to inflation. These are facts that ought to be understood as matters of survival not only by librarians but also in the library market place generally. The economic crisis that we have faced during the last three years has allowed us to make hard decisions—or as Rahm Emanuel famously said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."1 Early indicators point to the fact that the "serious crisis" is not going to waste for research libraries around the world. The evidence is that ARL libraries are grappling with the economic crisis by accelerating the rate of adaptation of the research library model. Data Collection ARL has been collecting the data on budget allocations from its members since fiscal year 2008–09. The first two iterations of that effort appear in the published record and in presentations that are available online.2 These data are not the same as those published in our well-known annual statistical survey of library expenditures. In simplest terms, we asked members, "How much money did you get, not how much did you spend?" In order to achieve maximum comparability, for this year's survey we repeated the request for data from years one and two, as well as asking for additional data about year three, that is FY 2010–11. Of our 115 academic library members, 80 responded. Table 1 shows a distribution of the 80 respondents that is representative of our libraries by size of expenditure and by type. [End Page 757] Click for larger view View full resolution Table 1. ARL Library Expenditure Levels by Library Type Total Library Budget Allocations I want to start with the big picture—that is, an analysis of the bottom line for three years' total budget allocations. Our first survey, conducted two years ago, reported serious levels of reductions in budgets in 2008 at the beginning of the downturn (see figure 1). These initial cuts were made well into the fiscal year. The hard data from that first survey showed that 55 of 100 responding ARL member libraries had reductions ranging from less than .04 percent to a high of 9.4 percent. Both the mean and median reductions were 3 percent. Therefore, as we examine the change from years one to two, and two to three, remember that nearly 55 percent of ARL members were already starting from a year-one base of reduced budget allocations. Things definitely got worse. Table 2 demonstrates the trends. In year two, 46 libraries, or nearly 60 percent, had flat or reduced budgets. In year three, there were 36, or nearly 47 percent, with flat or reduced budgets—hardly a positive trend. Keep in mind the obvious—flat budgets are as good as cuts when price rises of both periods are taken into account. It goes without saying that this is an unprecedented period of budget constraint, and the magnitude of some cuts is truly draconian—over 20 percent. The worst-case scenario for a library was to experience three consecutive years of budget cuts. We used scatter plots to try to understand how individual institutions did over time.3 The first scatter plot showing percent changes from 2008–09 to 2009–10 (x axis) and 2009–10 to 2010–11 (y axis) helps us explore whether there are consistent patterns of decline or increase in the individual library's budget allocations for the three fiscal years (see figure 2). Each of the symbols represents a library. The majority of the institutions cluster around zero, with no indication of a clear linear trend for the totality [End Page 758] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure...

Structure, features, and faculty content in ARL member repositories

Questions about the optimal way to present repository content to authors, submitters, and end-users, prompted this study. The authors examined, through an observation and a survey, the institutional repositories of peer institutions in the ARL for good practices related to the presentation and organization of faculty-authored institutional repository content.

Nontraditional Partnerships in Pursuit of the “Information Infrastructure”

The New York State Higher Education Initiative (NYSHEI) represents the public and private academic and research libraries of New York, and differs from other state-based academic library organizations in both its size and mission. NYSHEI holds about 150 member institutions, including all 87 of the state’s public colleges and universities, and nine ARL members. Founded in 2002, NYSHEI evolved into its current form in 2007 by adopting a focus on political advocacy. NYSHEI applies its diverse collection of collaborating libraries toward achieving a statewide “information infrastructure” that supports not just the academic enterprise, but all research, innovation, and entrepreneurialism in New York. An important lesson learned during the formative phase of NYSHEI is that collaboration as a strategic value can be fairly meaningless. Rightly understood, collaboration is a tactic that helps two or more parties attain separate but shared aims. As such, NYSHEI approaches information resources as a required utility for the modern era, and actively works with partners in the business community, state government, and health care fields to promote widespread access to information resources. 2002-2007: The Early Initiative New York State is home to the largest public university system in the nation, the State University of New York, known as SUNY and is also home to the nation’s largest urban public university system, the City University of New York or CUNY. These two large public systems operate quite separately. Both SUNY and CUNY are fairly modern inventions and were developed in a state that already had the largest collection of independent colleges and universities. The relationship between the “publics” and the “privates” is historically notorious for its animosity, distrust and, on occasion, its outright belligerence. Lamenting this climate, as so many others have, the former SUNY Provost and current Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute of Public Policy, Peter Salins conceived of NYSHEI. His idea, both grand and specific, was to cultivate collaboration among these three groups to the benefit of all. Rather than overreach on ambition, Salins began where the culture of collaboration was strongest – the libraries. Clarity in Collaboration The idea worked and NYSHEI was formed among the public and private academic and research libraries. At its founding NYSHEI had 125 members, including all 86 public schools. The membership ranged from 34 community colleges to nine ARL libraries that included both the New York State Library and the New York Public Library. It was a wide-ranging group brought together in the spirit of collaboration and under the leadership of a small group of visionary library directors. The collaborative spirit began to fade and by 2006 member institutions were beginning to leave NYSHEI. As a philosophy, collaboration in itself was not enough to stem the erosion of dues paying members. Though strikingly simple, it is a commonly overlooked reality that collaboration is a tactic that must be employed for specific goals. While NYSHEI was not without goals and projects during its formative phase, the group had Collaborative Librarianship 2(4):225-228 (2010) 225 Kramer: Nontraditional Partnerships in Pursuit of the “Information Infrastructure” failed to articulate and coalesce around powerful raison d’etre.

ITunes University and ARL Academic Libraries

iTunes University is a free service offered by Apple iTunes to educational institutions. It serves as a platform for the management and distribution of educational, instructional, and informational resources through both audio and video podcasts. Participation in the service among colleges and universities continues to grow since its official launch in 2007 as an official offshoot of the iTunes store. While several universities in the United States and Canada have established a presence on iTunes University, the involvement of the ARL members varies. This study surveys the presence of ARL academic libraries on iTunes University and the visibility of the library on the school's iTunes University page and examines the types of resources offered by participating libraries. It also highlights model participants as examples for other institutions and considers what implications future involvement in the service may hold for academic libraries.

Shaping Opportunity for Individuals

Shaping Opportunity for Individuals Charles B. Lowry, Guest Editor (bio) In the spring of 1974, Dean Ed Holley encouraged those of us taking his seminar in academic libraries at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to read a recently published volume about the Columbia University Libraries study.1 He thought it was a pretty important milestone for the management of academic research libraries. Ed was seldom wrong, and I read it closely. A year later, Joe Boykin, then director of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Library (UNCC), where I had taken my first job as a librarian, informed the staff and library faculty that we were being considered for the development of a new ARL program. The Academic Library Development Program (ALDP) would provide a self-study process for smaller academic libraries that scaled and shaped the methods used in the Management Review Analysis Program (MRAP), which was designed for large academic libraries. MRAP was developed by the Association of Research Libraries' Office of Management Studies (OMS) and grew out of Duane's work with Booz, Allen & Hamilton in the Columbia study. I knew the connection and excitedly entered into a year's work, which brought a rich opportunity and growth experience for a beginner. In the course of that time, I met Duane Webster for the first time, and the experience of working with him and Grady Morein, the on-site OMS consultant for the Academic Library Development Program, deepened my understanding of organization and management of academic libraries in a way that no other single experience could.2 Indeed, all the staff at UNCC were enriched and, admittedly, challenged by the experience. A few short years later in 1978, I had my second opportunity to experience directly the expansive impact that ARL's establishment of OMS had on the profession and to learn from Duane and his colleagues Deanna Marcum and Jeff Gardner. This was in the Consultant Training Program, which OMS created and managed. The program was well designed to give grounding in an array of skills for the participants, but it was focused principally on facilitation strategies in which the consultant is a catalyst to problem solving by library staff and management.3 [End Page 305] These early experiences with the innovative and critical offerings of ARL were simply the first of many for me that have continued to this day. What I learned gave me a toolkit of skills and knowledge that I have used and built on through over 30 years and six administrative jobs, five as a library dean or director. The point is that I was one of many such individuals who benefitted from OMS' work and Duane's leadership and skills. The pages of this issue give a complete sense of the astonishing scope of what was accomplished at ARL/OMS in the creation of programs, their variety, impact, and richness. The benefits to our profession grew as Duane became executive director of ARL in 1988. In that role, he was able to build larger strategies of collaboration that involved institutional allies for ARL members (indeed for all academic libraries). He created a synergy with other higher education institutions that is lasting and profoundly important. Programs like the Coalition for Networked Information and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition offered new venues for collaboration and individual development and learning. Similarly, the Research Library Leadership Fellows Program was designed to offer grounding for mid-level library managers in the skills and experiences needed for senior level leadership in research libraries.4 The point I would make is that Duane's career seeded academic librarianship with a large number of individuals who were grounded in the principles of organizational development and the management and leadership skills needed to run these complex organizations called academic and research libraries. There is probably a game we could play like the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" that would illustrate the pervasive impact that Duane's career has had, but there would be, at most, "Two Degrees of Duane Webster" separation.5 I am—we all are—indebted. [End Page 306] Charles B. Lowry Charles B. Lowry is executive director of the Association of...

ADP-ribosylation factor like 7 (ARL7) interacts with α-tubulin and modulates intracellular vesicular transport

ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) like 7 (ARL7, also named ARL4C) is a member of ARL family and recent studies showed that it is involved in the AI-dependent cholesterol secretion process. Yet its biological function remains largely unknown. Using a MALDI-TOF/MS analysis, we identified α-tubulin interacted with ARL7. The interaction was confirmed by GST pull-down assay and co-immunoprecipitation in renal carcinoma cell 786-O in which we found the endogenous ARL7 is expressed. This is the second ARL member found interacting with tubulin after ARL8. In addition, ARL7Q72L, a GTP-binding form, promoted the transferrin transport from early endosome to recycling endosome significantly. The above data suggested that ARL7 might modulate the intracellular vesicular transport via interaction with microtubules.

Job Satisfaction among Academic Cataloger Librarians

This article details the results of a May 2007 study of job satisfaction of cataloger librarians at ARL member libraries in the United States. Eighty-eight percent of the cataloger librarians studied were satisfied with their current job and the majority would make the same career choice again. Job facets that cataloger librarians found most important were the benefits package, relationships with coworkers, and opportunities to learn new skills. Catalogers wanted to be treated fairly, be consulted about issues directly related to their work, be informed about current activities in their department, have their opinions respected and considered, and have an administration that supports catalogers. Topics for future research are suggested.

Job Satisfaction among Academic Cataloger Librarians

This article details the results of a May 2007 study of job satisfaction of cataloger librarians at ARL member libraries in the United States. Eighty-eight percent of the cataloger librarians studied were satisfied with their current job and the majority would make the same career choice again. Job facets that cataloger librarians found most important were the benefits package, relationships with coworkers, and opportunities to learn new skills. Catalogers wanted to be treated fairly, be consulted about issues directly related to their work, be informed about current activities in their department, have their opinions respected and considered, and have an administration that supports catalogers. Topics for future research are suggested.

The Past Is More than Prologue: Special Collections Assume Central Role in Historical Research and Redefine Research Library CollectionsCelebrating Research: Rare and Special Collections from the Membership of the Association of Research Libraries. Edited by Philip N. Cronenwett, Kevin Osborn, and Samuel A. Streit. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, 2007. Pp. 312. $135 (paper) ($115 for ARL member libraries).

Previous articleNext article No AccessA Review ArticleThe Past Is More than Prologue: Special Collections Assume Central Role in Historical Research and Redefine Research Library Collections Celebrating Research: Rare and Special Collections from the Membership of the Association of Research Libraries. Edited by Philip N. Cronenwett, Kevin Osborn, and Samuel A. Streit. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, 2007. Pp. 312. $135 (paper) ($115 for ARL member libraries). ISBN 978‐1‐59407‐769‐2.Paul S. KodaPaul S. Koda1. Librarian for Special Collections and Archives (retired), George Mason University. Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Library Quarterly Volume 78, Number 4October 2008 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/591209 Views: 30Total views on this site © 2008 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

<b>Cronenwett, Philip N., Kevin Osborn, and Samuel Allen Streit.</b> <i>Celebrating Research: Rare and Special Collections from the Membership of the Association of Research Libraries</i>. Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, 2007. 312p. $135 ($115 ARL member libraries) (ISBN 159407769X). LC 2008-295721.

<b>Cronenwett, Philip N., Kevin Osborn, and Samuel Allen Streit.</b> <i>Celebrating Research: Rare and Special Collections from the Membership of the Association of Research Libraries</i>. Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, 2007. 312p. $135 ($115 ARL member libraries) (ISBN 159407769X). LC 2008-295721.

Engaging Users: The Future of Academic Library Web Sites

This article examines current academic library Web site practices and recommends a conceptual model for future academic library Web site design. The author investigated 111 ARL member library Web sites and has summarized current site content, design patterns, and innovative features. The author discusses the Web 2.0 principles as defined by Tim O'Reilly and reviews the current literature on Web 2.0 implications for library Web services. The author proposes making the academic library Web site a virtual place and recommends a conceptual model to inform future academic library Web site design based on the investigation and the discussion. Future academic library Web sites might feature any of the following: 1) user focus, 2) personalization, 3) user engagement, 4) online communities, and 5) remixability.

Open WorldCat and Its Impact on Academic Libraries

This paper analyzes librarians' reactions to the Open OCLC WorldCat. A detailed survey was sent to ARL libraries to explore what, if anything, the libraries are currently doing to prepare for these changes and how they plan to cope with the probability of having all their records open to the whole world. Survey findings indicate that most of the ARL member institutions are not making immediate preparations to cope with issues that have not yet emerged and they will continue to provide access to materials based on priorities dictated by current needs and available resources.

Accessing Digital Libraries: A Study of ARL Members' Digital Projects

To ensure efficient access to and integrated searching capabilities for their institution's new digital library projects, the authors studied Web sites of the Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) 111 academic, English-language libraries. Data were gathered on 1117 digital projects, noting library Web site and project access, metadata, and project types.