University Research Libraries Research Articles

Sources of Up-to-Date Information of the University Library during the Full-Scale Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Objective. The article aims to highlight the peculiarities of the acquisition process of a university research library in wartime and the qualitative satisfaction of readers' requests with the help of stock collections. The object of the study is the books and journals added to the university's library collections in 2022-2024. The new acquisitions were analysed by type, subject, publisher and source. Methods. To create a holistic picture of the development of the library's documentary resource over time, the analytical-synthetic, systemic-structural, comparative and statistical research methods were used. Results. The results of the study indicate that the selection and analysis of the university library's acquisitions during the war proves the primary importance of replenishing the book collection with Ukrainian-language multidisciplinary sources of relevant information. This contributes to the quality information support of the educational process and scientific activity in full. Conclusions. Despite the difficulties, library collections as an information system are developing and updating. The analysis allowed us to present a picture of the state of Ukrainian publishing and strong support for university libraries.

Virtual Exhibitions as a Tool for Promoting the Book Heritage of Tomsk State University Research Library in the Digital Space

The purpose of this article is to present the experience of the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts of the Research Library of Tomsk State University in selecting a platform for virtual exhibitions and creating them. An overview of previous virtual exhibitions created with the participation of the department employees is provided, and a working algorithm for preparing them is outlined. Chosen by the library staff as a tool (the Tilda website builder) and the long read format allows to create an electronic resource based on a written narrative (biography, event description, etc.), including visual materials, multimedia, background information, and links to additional resources. This allows the authors of virtual exhibitions to provide detailed information about the subject, as well as various digitized or online resources hosted in the Electronic Library of Tomsk State University or the “PRO Siberia” platform.

Reflecting About Ongoing Assessments: Assessing with Purpose and Intentionality

This column is a reflective response to Dr. Jung Mi Scoulas’ recent column, Navigating and evaluating ongoing assessment efforts in the University Library, that was published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Library Administration (Scoulas, 2024). In this column, the guest contributor discusses an evolution of assessment practices at a large public research university library in the southeastern United States. At this library, assessment has shifted from a practice that was routine and periodic to an approach that is purposeful, necessary, and helps to drive data-informed decision making that is actionable, impactful, and in alignment with the goals and mission of the organization.

Developing text and data mining (TDM) support within a university research library

Developing text and data mining (TDM) support within a university research library

The role of research university libraries in research data management: The case of Türkiye

The purpose of this study is to reveal the current situation of research data management (RDM) services within the framework of data management responsibilities, policies, budget and resource competencies in libraries at research universities in Türkiye. The study also aims to present the potential of researchers from research universities to store and share their research data in data archives. Within the scope of the research, interviews were conducted with 15 participants who are responsible or have the potential to be responsible for the processes related to the RDM. In addition, the records of researchers, who are members of research universities, transferred to Zenodo and Aperta were examined within the scope of the study. According to the results, the amount of shared data sets in Zenodo and Aperta was quite small. However, almost all of the data transferred to these data archives is open access. Findings based on participant opinions showed that tools and techniques such as cloud storage, modern techniques, devices, and service providers, as well as resources such as budget, infrastructure and personnel for RDM are not sufficient at research universities in Türkiye. It is thought that this study will draw attention to the benefits of RDM services for universities by revealing what kind of roles the libraries affiliated with research universities play in the process of RDM.

Cannabidiol, a plant-derived compound, is an emerging strategy for treating cognitive impairments: comprehensive review of randomized trials.

Finding new strategies to treat cognitive disorders is a challenging task. Medication must defeat the blood-brain barrier. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound of the cannabis plant, has gained recognition as a nutraceutical for its potential effectiveness in treating anxiety, oxidative stress, convulsions, and inflammation. However, the dose, tolerable upper intake, formulation, administration routes, comorbidities, diet, and demographic factors to reverse cognitive impairments have not been completely explored. Trials using CBD as a primary intervention have been conducted to alleviate cognitive issues. This review evaluates the benefits of CBD supplementation, research design, formulations, and outcomes reported in randomized clinical trials. An evidence-based systematic literature review was conducted using PUBMED and the Florida International University Research Library resources. Fourteen randomized trials were selected for review, and their designs and outcomes were compared conceptually and in the form of resume tables. CBD showed improvement in anxiety and cognitive impairments in 9 out of 16 analyzed trials. However, the variability could be justified due to the diversity of the trial designs, underpowered studies, assayed population, uncontrolled results for comorbidities, medications, severity of drug dependence, compliances, and adherences. Overall, oral single doses of 200mg-1,500mg or vaporized 13.75mg of CBD were shown to be effective at treating anxiety and cognition with a good safety profile and no drug addiction behaviors. Conversely, results that did not have a significant effect on treating cognitive impairments can be explained by various factors such as THC or other abuse drugs masking effect, low dose, and unknown purity of CBD. Furthermore, CBD shows potential properties that can be tested in the future for Alzheimer's disease. As medical cannabis becomes more accessible, it is essential to understand whether medication rich in CBD exerts a beneficial effect on cognitive disorders. Our study concludes that CBD is a promising candidate for treating neurocognitive disorders; however, more studies are required to define CBD as a therapeutic candidate for managing cognitive disorders.

Weighed and Measured: Making Way for a Diverse Children’s Collection in a Research University Library during a Reorganization

In 2021, librarians at Colorado State University Libraries seized the opportunity to serve the university community’s educational and personal needs through the creation of a sub-collection of children’s books. Through the curation of awards and notable book lists for children’s books, the collection was born out of a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice principles. After a review of the literature, this article outlines how the authors identified award-winning and notable titles to launch the collection, saved the collection in the middle of a reorganization, assessed the diversity of the new collection, and ensured the collection’s continual development as a vital resource for the university community moving forward. This article provides a starting point for academic librarians looking to ground a new or existing children’s collection in diversity and inclusion principles, even when lacking devoted personnel, extensive monetary support, or building space for the collection.

About the Reading Circle of the Siberian Old Believers on the Example of the Collection B-777

The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the reading and writing practices of the Siberian Old Believers of the 18th century and determine the place of Old Russian texts in their reading repertoire. Methods of textology and codicology are used. The article considers one of collections copied in the Siberian Old Believer environment at the end of 18th century – Old Believer collection B–777 from the Tomsk State University Research Library. On the basis of scriber’s records the conclusion is made about the place where collection was created: it is Altay and the south of Western Siberia. The composition of the collection is analyzed, the main groups of texts included in it are listed. It is proved that the collection belongs to the well–known “library in one binding” model, which allows reconstructing the reading circle of its scriber, as well as the owner. It is shown that along with later texts, texts of Old Russian tradition are also presented. It is concluded that the texts of Old Russian tradition were not always reproduced in the later Old Believers communities as a result of a continuous handwritten tradition, and were sometimes copied from books of the Cyrillic print. The creative nature of the reader’s practices of the collection owner, who significantly revised the text of Cyril of Turov, is substantiated.

Complete, Accessible, Now

The history of the research library represents a series of negotiations over the spatio-temporalities of knowledge. This article focuses on debates over the nature and organization of university research libraries triggered by Harvard president Charles W. Eliot’s 1902 proposal to partition “living” and “dead” books based on usage statistics, relocating “dead” books to offsite storage inaccessible for browsing. I use the Eliot debate to explore attempts to reconcile shifting ideals, institutions, and practices of research itself at the dawn of the twentieth century. Two intertwined ideals lie at the heart of my analysis: completeness and access. At the start of the debate, Eliot’s opponents associated research with an ideal of accumulative completeness that was generative of access, then understood as the browsing of physical stacks. By growing indefinitely under one roof, research collections would remain physically accessible to browsers. Over the course of the next decade, however, as storage pressures mounted, ideas of access came to be detached from onsite browsing and attached to logistical concerns over communications and transport infrastructures. An accumulative ideal of completeness thus came to be replaced by what I call communicative completeness, wherein scattered, partial collections physically inaccessible were made virtually accessible by central bureaus of information. This redefinition of the relationship between access and completeness, I argue, is foundational for contemporary attempts to revive the dream of the universal library, e.g., the Internet Archive.

Library Service in Ensuring the Information Ecology of an Organization: A Case Study of a Research University Library

Objective. Information products and services provided by academic libraries to support the educational process and research are a component of the information ecology of educational institutions, but their list within each academic library depends on the institutional ecology. Therefore, it is useful to study the practical experience of various academic libraries in ensuring the information ecology of research universities. As an example, we consider the successful experience of G. Denysenko Scientific and Technical Library of the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (KPI Library). Methods. A qualitative method of longitudinal research was used to obtain data and analyze the KPI Library information services. A number of primary data sources were used, such as diaries of first-hand reflection, observations, engaged in documenting and developing a narrative about the effectiveness of interaction of students, lecturers, scientists with the information environment. Analytical and review, logical, systematic methods are applied to substantiate the place of library service in information ecology. Results. The experience of KPI Library in ensuring the information ecology of the university was studied. Ways of organizing prompt, effective and safe (ecological) interaction with users and support of internal information products and services are analyzed. It is shown which services (tools and information resources) and areas of activity of the library form the information ecology of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The role of the library in the formation of information culture and the culture of academic integrity of scientists, teachers and students of the university is shown. Conclusions. The considered example of KPI Library activity confirms that an academic library is directly involved in formation of the information ecology of a research university. A deeper analysis of the value of products and the effectiveness of library services for various members of the academic community as a component of the information ecology of the university may be the subject of further research.

Grantseeking, Technology Renovation, and Creative Solutions to Support Library Access and Online Teaching and Learning During the Global COVID-19 Outbreak

The sudden global epidemiological outbreak in early spring 2020 challenged the academic libraries’ Access and Resource Sharing (ARS) department and prevented staff from providing the types of essential services that its users expect and require. With the full closure of campus and all courses moving online within a week, ARS staff were put on the front lines of finding ways to continue providing patrons with access to the library’s physical collections while library buildings were closed. This paper details how the ARS community and a large research university library’s ARS department responded and adapted to these rapid changes, acted creatively, and reinvented services through collaboration, creative solutions, grantseeking, and technology renovation. ARS staff continued to test a scan-beside-the-stacks methodology through a grant-funded project to create an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) mobile cart. This mobile cart allowed for a single employee to handle all items to complete the digital conversion of print materials and reduced the risk of coronavirus transfer between library staff members during the COVID-19 pandemic. An on-demand book digitization program in collaboration with multiple departments opened up access to resources to effectively fulfill patrons’ needs. Through these and other adaptations, ARS staff retained their professional commitment to provide materials and a high level of services to their users.

Trends, Challenges and Opportunities at University of Manitoba Libraries during the COVID Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought rapid and radical changes to higher education, and academic libraries adapted and devised solutions. This article will review the initiatives that the University of Manitoba Libraries (UML) implemented prior to the pandemic, as well as the library’s response, focusing on the performance of these initiatives in the past two years. These initiatives are new service models including a fully virtual library, new technologies, such as self-service lockers, and structural reorganization, for example, the creation of functional teams. The review will demonstrate how the above initiatives ensured the continuity of library services during the pandemic. The pandemic is viewed as a touchstone that tested the trends of the academic library community in an extreme situation. The success of the library services provided by the UML inspires positive thinking about the forward direction for public research university libraries.

College students' perceptions on sense of belonging and inclusion at the academic library during COVID-19

This paper demonstrates how university students experienced and perceived inclusion in a public research university library context during COVID-19. Both quantitative (n = 3379) and qualitative data (n = 575) from the 2021 student survey were examined to explore students' library experiences and their perceptions of inclusion. The quantitative data revealed that students using both the physical and online library had the greatest sense of belonging, whereas students who never used any library resources had the least sense of belonging. The qualitative data further revealed that when students used the in-person library space they felt a sense of belonging, as well as feeling accepted and valued; on the other hand, it was hard for them to judge inclusion when they had not been in the library due to COVID-19. This finding suggests how academic libraries need to prepare for the hybrid environment (in-person and online) so that students using online resources and services feel connected to the library.

Assessing User Experience: Incorporating Student Voice in Libraries’ Pandemic Response

This article demonstrates how a public research university library responded to user needs following radical service changes during Fall 2020 and assesses whether the library met challenges resulting from COVID-19. The library reduced hours and occupancy and implemented a reservation system and new health safety guidelines with the goal of a safe environment. During Fall 2020, 540 survey respondents reported feeling their health was not at risk, suggesting the goal was accomplished. Additionally, users provided feedback about the altered landscape. This article will benefit administrators and user experience librarians who need to balance user preferences and administrative reality.

Understandings the Reading Habit and Reading Attitudes Among Students in Research University Library in Malaysia

Reading is one of the activities known to give a lot of benefits to readers. In the context of university students, reading can improve their academic performance. However, literature indicated that students read-only to pass their examination and not for pleasure and acquiring knowledge. The study reported in this paper investigated the reading habit and reading attitudes among students in the research university library in Malaysia. It is believed that positive reading attitudes towards education materials or non-education materials lead to positive reading experiences, which also lead to higher academic performance. A descriptive study used questionnaires as an instrument of a quantitative method. Convenience sampling was employed and 400 respondents from four research university status libraries were selected. Moderate levels of reading attitude were obtained from the result of the study, in which several variables produced a significant relationship in the reading attitude (education background and favorite activities during leisure time). The findings of this study have shown the behavior of academic library users in terms of reading habits, reading attitudes, and selection of reading materials. Several suggestions such as providing a variety of reading material (sense of humor and humanities, public figures and tv personalities) and reading encouragement activities have been suggested. This study provides useful inputs to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in constructing effective strategies to cultivate reading habits among reluctant readers in public universities.

Canadian university research libraries during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper documents the services and changes that library staff at a group of 15 Canadian university research libraries highlighted on their main pandemic pages and social media accounts during the early days of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Findings suggest that libraries in the samples adopted the following services and changes: closing the physical libraries; suspending all physical collection services and in-person events; continuing to provide virtual reference services; promoting access and usage of electronic collections; suspending late fees and renewing checked-out items with a new due date; and advising users to wait before returning borrowed items. Notably, all libraries in this study are operating as full full-scale as digital libraries. This study will provide lessons learned to other libraries around the world to help in reviewing their own operational policies for coping with the current COVID-19 pandemic and for future global public health crises.

Emulation practices for software preservation in libraries, archives, and museums

AbstractEmulation practices are computational, technical processes that allow for one system to reproduce the functions and results of another. This article reports on findings from research following three small teams of information professionals as they implemented emulation practices into their digital preservation programs at a technology museum, a university research library, and a university research archive and technology lab. Results suggest that the distributed teams in this cohort of preservationists have developed different emulation practices for particular kinds of “emulation encounters” in supporting different types of access. I discuss the implications of these findings for digital preservation research and emulation initiatives providing access to software or software‐dependent objects, showing how implications of these findings have significance for those developing software preservation workflows and building emulation capacities. These findings suggest that different emulation practices for preservation, research access, and exhibition undertaken in libraries, archives, and museums result in different forms of access to preserved software—accessing information and experiential access. In examining particular types of access, this research calls into question software emulation as a single, static preservation strategy for information institutions and challenges researchers to examine new forms of access and descriptive representation emerging from these digital preservation strategies.

Creating a Data Science Framework: A Model for Academic Research Libraries

The University Libraries participated in a pan-campus planning exercise to determine the feasibility of a comprehensive data science (DS) initiative. In addition, Library Leadership set forth a charge to develop a DS framework to explore and articulate how the Libraries could add value to campus DS efforts. This article provides a model of how a large research university library system developed a DS framework by examining current and future services, skills, structures, stakeholders, and put forth recommendations around DS engagement for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill community. This framework could be applied to other academic departments and research support units.

Robust to Overwhelming: A Case Study on Planned Abandonment for GIS Services

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services are a popular offering for some academic libraries and the growth of these services illustrates their value to diverse disciplines and scholars. However, continuous growth without strategic planning can overextend library resources and staff. Planned abandonment is a planning strategy used to guide an organization in the removal of unsustainable structures and services in order to promote innovation and user satisfaction. This case study describes how planned abandonment was applied to GIS licensing services at a large research university library in order to identify a collaborative approach to GIS services across campus.

ПЛАТФОРМА PROСИБИРЬ: ПЕРВЫЙ ГОД РАБОТЫ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ

The article aims to review the experience of creating and launching the ProSiberia platform, and to discuss the prospects for its further development. Based on the aggregation of digital sources of Siberian origin, the ProSiberia project aims to create a research platform that will bring together scholars, content curators (libraries, museums, archives) and society in order to study Siberia and position the region in the global information space. Work on the platform began in 2020 within the framework of the Program for Increasing the Competitiveness of National Research Tomsk State Unversity by the staff of the Tomsk State University Research Library. Now the platform has implemented opportunities both for humanitarian researchers and for civic science representatives (volunteers). For researchers, access to digital copies of texts about Siberia with detailed description and full-text search is organized; it is possible to create one’s own collections of texts; there are some text collaboration tools. It is also possible to find researchers with similar interests and exchange views. A volunteer can edit texts, operate a blog, participate in challenges. The platform is also being filled with new texts. Prospects for the development of the project are considered; they were formulated based on the results of surveys and focus groups. The main directions of development include: work on improving the quality of texts (attracting volunteers for their correct recognition); aggregation of digital tools for the humanities in one place for effective work with texts; attraction of partners; integration into the educational process. The most difficult issue is the aggregation of digital tools. The article lists their most interesting groups: tools for creating and working with digital facsimiles, textometric tools, and a number of tools for working with digitized manuscripts. Thus, at the moment, the initial version of the ProSiberia platform has been created. It allows implementing remotely the basic functions characteristic for any research in the field of humanities. However, most probably, the most important and difficult will be the next stage of the work, which includes, among other things, the aggregation of digital tools for working with the text of interest for the researcher. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a broad discussion in the professional community of both the work already done within the ProSiberia project and the further prospects for its development.