Medium-sized Libraries Research Articles

Research on the Application of Cloud Computing in University Library Management System

At present, most libraries have to build their own library management system, which is undoubtedly a high-input work for large libraries or small and medium-sized libraries in developed areas. As a newly emerging technology in recent years, the huge advantages of cloud computing are incomparable to many traditional technologies. The biggest feature of cloud computing is that it can transfer the computing power of the computer to the corresponding software, from which customers can access the computer's storage system to obtain the information they need, so that resources can be shared and users can get it in time. Therefore, the traditional library management system architecture will also be challenged, and it is urgent to develop a library management system based on cloud computing. This paper studies the architecture of university library management system based on cloud computing.

Design, Synthesis, and Anti-Cancer Activity Evaluation of a 3-methyleneisoindolin- 1-One Library.

Isoindolin-1-ones are medicinally privileged heterocyclic compounds. Due to the interesting biological activities exhibited by these compounds, several synthetic and medicinal research groups have developed numerous synthetic approaches for these compounds. We have also previously reported two efficient approaches for the synthesis of the isoindolin-1-ones through iodoaminocyclization of alkynyl amides using n-BuLi and phosphazene superbases. This study aimed to construct a medium-size library of multi-substituted 3- methyleneisoindolin-1-ones and study its biological profile, specifically anti-cancer activity. Solution phase parallel synthesis was performed for the synthesis of the 3- methyleneisoindolin-1-ones library through n-BuLi-mediated iodoaminocyclization of 2(1- Alkynyl)benzamides. The iodocyclized products were further derivatized through palladiumcatalyzed Sonogashira and Suzuki Miyaura couplings and N-alkylation reactions. In silico evaluation of the physicochemical and ADMET properties was performed to examine the drug-likeness of the library compounds. Selected isoindolin-1-one analogues were evaluated for in vitro antiproliferative activity in various human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, A-549, and U-373 MG). A library of 46 multisubstituted 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones has been synthesized. The iodo-isoindolin-1-ones were synthesized in 66-76% yields through n-BuLi-mediated iodoaminocyclization of 2(1-Alkynyl)benzamides. Further diversification afforded the diverse library members in yields of 40-96%. Two of the library compounds exhibited GI50 values of < 10 μM in the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Isoindolin-1-one library was constructed through electrophilic cyclization. The diversification was successfully performed through various C-C and C-N bond formation reactions. The anti-proliferative activity of the library members appears to be arising from the interaction of the compounds with the protein kinase drug targets.

The quest for attractiveness of publicly owned libraries: a service quality perspective

PurposePublicly owned libraries deliver a fundamental public service, fostering the citizens' access to knowledge. However, little is known about the factors underpinning the public libraries' organizational attractiveness. The article aims to shed light on this issue, investigating how the public libraries' service offering contributes to increasing their attractiveness.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data were collected from the national census study of libraries carried out in 2019 by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). More than 4,500 publicly owned libraries established in Italy were involved in the analysis. A linear regression model was designed to examine the implications of public libraries' service offering on the number of people who visited them in 2019. The units of analysis were grouped in three clusters based on their organizational size.FindingsSmall-sized libraries' attractiveness relied on loan services (LS) and catalogs' integration, as well as on the availability of spaces for promoting social exchanges (SE) and interactions. The same was true for medium-sized libraries, whose attractiveness was also fostered by digitization. Large-sized libraries' ability to attract users was primarily affected by LS and by the provision of people-centered cultural services (CS).Practical implicationsPublicly owned libraries should arrange tailored strategies to increase their attractiveness. Small-sized and medium-sized libraries should exploit community-oriented initiatives to establish a co-creating dialog with users. Conversely, large-sized entities should advance the users' access to conventional services and implement people-centered cultural activities, recontextualizing their exchange with users in the digital domain to enhance service quality.Originality/valueThe article originally investigates the factors affecting the attractiveness of publicly owned libraries, providing intriguing insights to managers and practitioners.

Case Study and Consideration of Design Approach Methods Used in the Development of Information and Communication Systems

The Design Dept. of Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has been researching the Design Approach method for a proposal approach to information system design. This paper presents a case study of the use of this methodology in the development of an information communication system and discusses the similarities and differences between the research phase and actual development. As representative examples, I report practical results applied to a large facility maintenance system and a medium-sized library system. Although the basic process of formulating a concept from a workshop and environmental analysis by the parties involved is common, it was found that the order of the process differs from case to case and that a detailed internal environmental analysis is necessary to lead to the development of a specific UI design.

A Peer-led Database Training Program to Improve Reference Service

ABSTRACT Librarians at a medium-sized public university library established a peer-led database training program to improve each librarian’s familiarity and utilization of the Library’s specialized databases. The impetus for the training program was to reduce the number of chat reference referrals to subject specialists and instead to try to answer reference questions at the point of need. A pre-training survey identified which databases should be included in the training series and invited librarians to indicate for which databases they would be willing to be the trainer. Six databases were covered over the course of the Fall 2020 semester. A post-training survey garnered feedback on how the training series was received and also included suggestions for improvement. The post-training survey results indicate the series was viewed positively. All participants learned something new during the training sessions and felt more confident using the resources demonstrated when assisting users during reference interactions and research consultations. Participants reflected on why having colleagues conduct the training sessions rather than vendors was important. Most participants wanted to continue the training program going forward.

The Pathway to Success: Facilitating First-Generation Student Learning in Academic Libraries Through Cross-Campus Collaborations

Due to the unique economic, cultural, and family background first-generation students possess, they often require holistic support to help bridge the achievement gap they encounter due to lesser preparedness for college. This article investigates the role of academic libraries in first-generation student learning and engagement in scholarly activities throughout college education. The author documents the work of a medium-sized regional university library to demonstrate how customized library service implemented through additional individualized research assistance for first-generation students positively impacts their confidence using the library, facilitates the acquisition of key research skills, and enriches their overall experience with the library.

The Sears List of Subject Headings: Social and Cultural Dimensions in Historical, Theoretical, and Design Contexts

The Sears List of Subject Headings was first published in 1923 to provide guidance to subject catalogers in small libraries in the United States. The Sears List, now in its 22nd edition, is still widely used for subject cataloging in small- and medium-sized libraries and in children’s and school libraries, but the Sears List is not nearly as widely studied as the more comprehensive Library of Congress Subject Headings. This paper aims to expand the critical discussion of the Sears List and to contextualize the List in contemporary cultural and social dimensions by reviewing its history, theory, and design. The paper looks specifically at how Black people and culture, Indigenous peoples and cultures, and LGBTQ+ people and cultures are represented in the Sears List throughout its history and how warrant, design, and theory inform this representation.

Testing the Stability of Drug Resistance on Cryopreserved, Gene-Engineered Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have emerged as a powerful tool for in vitro modelling of diseases with broad application in drug development or toxicology testing. These assays usually require large quantities of hiPSC, which can entail long-term storage via cryopreservation of the same cell charges. However, it is essential that cryopreservation does not oppose durable changes on the cells. In this project, we characterize one parameter of functionality of one that is well established in the field, in a different research context, an applied hiPSC line (iPS11), namely their resistance to a medium size library of chemo interventions (>160 drugs). We demonstrate that cells, before and after cryopreservation, do not change their relative overall drug response phenotypes, as defined by identification of the top 20 interventions causing dose-dependent reduction of cell growth. Importantly, also frozen cells that are exogenously enforced for stable overexpression of oncogenes myelocytomatosis (cMYC) or tumor protein 53 mutation (TP53R175H), respectively, are not changed in their relative top 20 drugs response compared to their non-frozen counterparts. Taken together, our results support iPSCs as a reliable in vitro platform for in vitro pharmacology, further raising hopes that this technology supports biomarker-associated drug development. Given the general debate on ethical and economic problems associated with the reproducibly crisis in biomedicine, our results may be of interest to a wider audience beyond stem cell research.

Core digital resources for small and/or medium size libraries (Academic, Public, Special)

Libraries have long been very crucial to our search for information. To this day though google has taken over, libraries still play a very important role in the academic society especially with the provision of study space. Whatever the size of a library is it can be digitized to meet the specified standard. The need for digital librarianship was advocated for during the inception of the internet and the world wide web. It takes a lot of commitment, concerted effort and interest form management, policy makers and the government at large to convert the traditional library and a digital and sustain it as well. Creating a digital library also require the services of experts and technicians within the information technology jurisdiction and the training of library staff. The prolific use of Facebook, high powered servers, high specification smart phones, Instagram, WhatsApp have all brought about the necessity for the digitization of the library.

Research on IT Management and Service of Small and Medium Sized Libraries Based on Cloud Computing and Virtualization Technology

At present, digital resources have become an important part of the collection resources of modern small and medium-sized libraries. As a new technology, cloud computing technology has been widely used in the field of small and medium-sized libraries, and has just begun to enter the vision of professional researchers. This paper studies the application of cloud computing and virtualization technology in IT management and service of small and medium-sized libraries. In order to better understand the application and help of cloud computing and virtualization technology in IT management and service of small and medium-sized libraries, this paper applies cloud computing and virtualization technology to it management and service in a university library, and then carries out a survey and statistics of the figure The library has developed a questionnaire to investigate the library staff and readers’ feelings about the application. The results show that under the support of cloud computing and virtualization technology, IT management and service for small and medium-sized libraries can significantly improve the management efficiency and service quality of libraries.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and in silico modeling of novel integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)

Although a relatively wide range of therapeutic options is currently available for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, it is still among the most serious and virulent diseases and is associated with a high mortality rate. Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs), e.g., FDA-approved dolutegravir (DTG), bictegravir (BIC) and cabotegravir (CAB), have recently been included in standard highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) schemes as one of the five major components responsible for the most beneficial clinical outcome. In this paper, we describe a combinatorial amide synthesis, biological evaluation and in silico modeling of new INSTIs containing heteroaromatic bioisosteric substitution instead of the well-studied halogen-substituted benzyl fragment. With the focus on the mentioned diversity point, a medium-sized library of compounds was selected for synthesis. A biological study revealed that many molecules were highly active INSTIs (EC50 < 10 nM). Two compounds 1{4} and 1{26} demonstrated picomolar antiviral activity that was comparable with CAB and were more active than DTG and BIC. Molecular docking study was performed to evaluate the binding mode of compounds in the active site of HIV-1 IN. In rats, lead compound 1{26} showed two-fold greater bioavailability than CAB and had a similar half-life. Compound 1{26} and its sodium salt were considerably more soluble in water than the parent drugs. Both molecules were very stable in human liver microsomes and plasma, demonstrated high affinity towards plasma proteins and did not show cytochrome (CYP) inhibition. This benefit profile indicates the great potential of these molecules as attractive candidates for subsequent evaluation as oral long-acting drugs and long-acting nanosuspension formulations for intramuscular injection.

Exploring the Antiplasmodial 2-Aminopyridines as Potential Antitrypanosomal Agents.

Recently we reported the results of a screen of the Pathogen Box in which we identified 4-(2-amino-5-(4-(methylsulfonyl) phenyl) pyridin-3-yl)-2-methoxyphenol (MMV010576, 1) as our priority antitrypanosomal hit. This compound had previously been identified as a potent and selective antiplasmodial agent, where a focused optimization campaign, resulted in a medium-sized library of compounds, with favorable drug-like properties, one of which (MMV048, 2, 5-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-6'-(trifluoromethyl)-[3,3'-bipyridin]-2-amine) is currently undergoing clinical trials for malaria. Accordingly, we investigated this library, in order to elucidate structural activity relationship details of this class of compounds as inhibitors of Trypanosoma brucei. Our study has identified several structural features important for antitrypanosomal activity, which are distinct from those required for antiplasmodial activity. Results from this study can be exploited to develop potent antitrypanosomal agents.

THE WAY I SEE IT: Does the “new library model” fit small- and medium-sized libraries? Shippensburg University believes so

THE WAY I SEE IT: Does the “new library model” fit small- and medium-sized libraries? Shippensburg University believes so

Interpreting Library Chat Reference Service Transactions

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses live chat instances as patron participatory learning interactions in a medium-sized non-Western university library. Widespread and popular in the regional commercial sector, it is not so in local academic libraries whose library websites were visited. Rather, chat is used primarily as a service for general university enquiries. For this paper, library live chat scripts covering a five-year period from February 2013 to February 2018 were examined, a literature review done, and insights derived from those scripts. Findings contribute towards context-specific understanding of university student library use habits.

Microelectrode Arrays: Moving Toward the Synthesis of More Complex Surfaces

Microelectrode arrays can be ideal tools for probing a host of biological interactions. Yet in spite of their general utility, their use is still limited by our ability to construct complex molecular surfaces that can spatially isolate molecules in specific locations proximal to specific electrodes. With this in mind, we have been developing electrochemically based tools that allow for the placement of molecules by specific electrodes in an array and then probe the binding of those molecules with biological targets in “real-time”. Yet while those methods are very useful, they have limits. They enable the analysis of smaller libraries, but are not as effective if one wants to probe a receptor with even a medium size library. The problem is that the tools developed to date require a library to be synthesized at a remote site and then transfer that library to the array one molecule at a time. For larger libraries, this is time consuming and cumbersome. A better strategy would be to build the library directly on the array. The approach to building a molecular library typically involves a diversification strategy like the one shown in Scheme 1. In the Scheme, P1-P4 represent protecting groups that can be orthogonally removed. But what are the orthogonal protecting groups that can be removed site-selectively on a microelectrode array so that such a strategy can be used to synthesize more complex molecular surfaces? Furthermore, are the current surfaces used on the arrays compatible with such an intensive synthetic effort? In the talk to be given, we will describe initial findings that begin to address these questions as we push for the development of new methods that will allow for the greater community to take full advantage of what microelectrode arrays can offer. Figure 1

In the Spotlight: Technical Services Professionals in Library-Wide Assessment

Assessment has become a necessity for academic libraries. Public services librarians do participate in assessment activities; however, technical services professionals who play a role in library-wide assessments are not widely reported. Although the line between public services and technical services has been blurred, the functions of technical services still exist and remain indispensable. Therefore, it is essential for technical services librarians to contribute to assessment, offering their insights to enhance their library services and demonstrate its value. This case study highlights technical services professionals' roles in library-wide assessments which can be replicated in small to medium-sized libraries.

WeChat Library: a new mode of mobile library service

PurposeThis study aims to introduce a new mode of mobile library service, named “WeChat Library”, developed under the WeChat (social media platform) public service platform. The design and realization of WeChat Library is also presented with Chongqing University Library taken as the example.Design/methodology/approachThis study designed a new mobile library service system, WeChat Library of Chongqing University Library, analyzed its construction cost and usage statistics and discussed the advantages of the new service mode.FindingsInvestigation results showed that 84.6 per cent of the “985” universities opened up WeChat Libraries, which signified that WeChat Library has become one of the important mobile service modes for Chinese university libraries. WeChat Library received high appreciation from the patrons; in 20 months of operation, 20.3 per cent of patrons in Chongqing University had used WeChat Library. The five most commonly used services are OPAC retrieval, items borrowed, personal center, resource discovery and announcements. WeChat Library was found to have many advantages, such as low development cost, automatic cross-platform service, adaptive screen, low acceptance cost, easier promotion, strong user viscosity, strong interactivity and real-time consulting.Practical implicationsThe functional design and technological architecture of WeChat Library was presented with Chongqing University Library taken as the example. The technical realization of several unique services, namely, QR code access, space reservation and overdue reminders, was also demonstrated. The study will provide favorable suggestions and references for other libraries that have also launched the WeChat Library.Originality/valueThe mainstream service mode of mobile libraries is application for mobile terminals (APP). Although mobile services are applied extensively in China, numerous small- and medium-sized libraries are still unable to provide mobile services for patrons primarily because the investment is too high to bear for some libraries. Therefore, mobile library services urgently need a more economical model of mobile services. The most prominent advantages of WeChat Library are its low development cost and low technology threshold. WeChat Library can provide a better solution for mobile library services.

Using Freely Available RDA Resources to Provide In-House Training to a Medium-Sized Academic Library

Recent surveys have indicated that training available for the new cataloging standard, Resource Description and Access (RDA), has been slow to reach many academic institutions, particularly small- and medium-sized libraries. These surveys have shown that smaller institutions have reported being particularly behind in transitioning to RDA due to lack of training and also indicate that in-house training, while preferred by a large population of catalogers and metadata specialists, is typically not available due to constraints on staffing, cost, and time. By discussing a case study of in-house RDA training provided at Oakland University, this paper addresses RDA training needs in small- to medium-sized academic institutions and the potential to provide the personalized, in-person training desired by the professional community. Training was offered in a hybrid online and in-person environment to the entire library faculty and staff for a 6-week period, resulting in the transition to RDA shortly after the official Library of Congress adoption date of March 31, 2013.

Manual Patch-Clamp Recording for Medium-Throughput Ion Channel Drug Screening: Assay Validation by Searching for a Blocker of Nuclear Monovalent Cationic Channel

The use of manual patch-clamp recording in drug discovery is limited by ultra-low throughput. The high cost of automated patch-clamp drug screening makes it unavailable for the majority of electrophysiological laboratories. Here we propose a drug screening strategy that combines manual patch-clamp technique with a specially designed drug cocktail application algorithm. This strategy allows the testing of up to 80 compounds per experiment with the effective average rate close to 40 drugs/experiment. The drug application algorithm was validated by screening a small library of 446 compounds in just 11 manual patch-clamp experiments while searching for a blocker of nuclear monovalent cationic channel (NMCC) expressed in the inner membrane of skeletal muscle nuclei. We found that one of the drugs, D11P6H2, blocked the NMCC activity completely and irreversibly at concentrations as low as 100 nM. We concluded that this method can be useful in drug screening of medium size libraries. If combined with an automated patch-clamp system, it can further increase the productivity and lower the cost of screening significantly.

Implementing EDI X12 book acquisitions at a medium-sized university library

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate the EDI (electronic data interchange) X12 ordering and invoicing implementation at Sims Memorial Library. The paper will allow practitioners at academic libraries to understand the implementation process, the types of problems and resolutions encountered during the project and the time and potential cost-saving benefits of EDI X12 book acquisitions. Design/methodology/approach – A team of LOUIS (the Louisiana Library Network consortium) consultants and a SirsiDynix manager helped librarians at Sims Library to implement EDI X12 ordering using Yankee Book Peddler (YBP)’s GobiExport Plus service. Vendor and report templates with mapping configurations were established, and tests were conducted until a successful outcome was achieved. Findings – EDI X12 ordering and invoicing significantly streamlined the acquisitions workflow at Sims Memorial Library. A substantial amount of time is saved compared to the previous method of manually creating purchase orders and invoices. Originality/value – The paper is a current case study, and the collaborative aspects and problems and resolutions encountered during the implementation offer original material. The paper will offer valuable practical information and provide a blueprint for those libraries seeking to adopt EDI book acquisitions.