Scrapbooks, metadata, and interdepartmental collaboration

Descriptive metadata for scrapbooks: Interdepartmental collaboration to support efficiency and discovery by:

Anna Craft, Metadata Cataloger
David Gwynn, Digital Projects Coordinator
Kathelene McCarty Smith, Artifacts, Textiles, Digital Projects Archivist

Abstract: In the fall of 2011, The University Libraries of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro embarked on the digitization of a collection of approximately 250 historical scrapbooks that documented university history and spanned most of the twentieth century. This collaborative project brought together personnel from Digital Projects, Special Collections and University Archives, and Cataloging. Personnel faced a variety of challenges involving both technical and physical aspects of the project. Among these challenges were the deteriorating physical condition of the scrapbooks and the need to construct project workflows that would maximize efficiency and effectiveness in regards to both staff time and end product creation. In meeting and overcoming these challenges, project personnel came away with lessons learned in the areas of collaboration, communication, and appropriate workflows for a project of this type and scale. These lessons can be taken forward for application in other collaborative digital initiatives.

Note: This is also published in Archiving 2013, pg. 200-203 (2013).

Reprinted with permission of IS&T: The Society for Imaging Science and Technology sole copyright owners of IS&T’s Archiving 2013. http://www.imaging.org/ist/index.cfm

This version of the document is not the version of record. Figures and/or pictures may be missing from this format of the document.

Information literacy skills and nursing students

This session, Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Collaborative Approach, will be presented at the 42nd Biennial Convention of the Honor Society of Nursing on Monday, 18 November 2013.

Suzanne E. Zentz, DNP, RN, CNE
College of Nursing, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN
Kimberly Whalen, BBA, MLIS
Library Services, Christopher Center, Room 267, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN

Learning Objective 1: Describe information literacy skills necessary in implementing evidence-based practice.
Learning Objective 2: Explain two teaching strategies that promote the adoption of information literacy skills.

From the Abstract:

In spring 2012, a collaborative approach to teaching was instituted by embedding a librarian in the nursing research course and integrating information literacy content throughout the semester. Additionally, a research log which required students to document the systematic process used to access the best evidence for their EBP project was introduced. Students’ abilities to effectively and efficiently search, analyze, and synthesize the best evidence will be determined through comparison of student cohorts. Analysis of data from EBP projects and research logs across multiple semesters is in progress. Implications for nursing education, practice, and research will be discussed.

Collaborative library spaces–the library as a sacred place

This article looks interesting.

Collaborations Beyond the Cave: A Consideration of the Sacred in the Creation of Collaborative Library Spaces
Ralph Lamar Turner
Eastern Kentucky University, USA

Executive Summary

This article examines the tensions and risks inherent in implementing new technologies and collaborative spaces while maintaining the library’s critical role as a “civic temple” and knowledge center that inspires and facilitates contemplation and deep thought. New technologies present “disruptive” challenges, having already broken the library’s monopoly as an information center and now infiltrating what has been a more cerebral environment with the constant and chronic distractions of a “plugged-in” society. The loss of the physical book presents an additional test to both library identity and library mission, robbing the institution of a vital symbol as well as a tactile gateway to a dialogue with the eternal. Sacred architecture and library architecture share parallels of purpose, and the exploration of sacred architecture may offer clues to how to transition the library into the new technologically and collaboratively rich age.

BitTorrent can be use for sharing documents and files

While BitTorrent has a bad reputation for many/most librarians, it can be used for good.  Brian Croxall at the Chronicle explains.

“Sync Your Files Faster, Freer, and more Privately with BitTorrent” By Brian Croxall

A few weeks ago, I spoke at Case Western at a two-day symposium about “Exploring Collaboration in Digital Scholarship.” The talks were engaging and the subject—collaboration—is something that’s dear to our hearts here at ProfHacker. (Ever wanted to know how to run a group-authored blog?) Perhaps symbolic of this need for collaboration, the speakers were each presented with a flash drive, along with some other branded swag.

Leadership attributes that people need to create a culture of collaboration

This is a Masters thesis that was authored by Sarah Craig at the University of Victoria in Canada.

“Teacher and librarian collaboration: using servant-leadership attributes to create a culture of collaboration“

Issued Date: 2013-05-24

Copyright Date: 2013

Abstract:

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the leadership attributes librarians need to create a culture of collaboration in their school community. A literature review and a scholarly content analysis were conducted on teacher and librarian collaboration (TLC) and Servant-Leadership to explore the role that Servant-Leadership characteristics play in the development and sustainability of collaborative relationships between teachers and librarians. Ten TLC articles were examined through the theoretical framework of Servant-Leadership. The theme of Servant-Leadership was analyzed through the subthemes of the Seven Pillars of Servant-Leadership as identified by Sipe and Frick (2009): person of character, puts people first, skilled communicator, compassionate collaborator, foresight, systems thinker, and leads with moral authority. Servant-Leadership as a search term was lacking in TLC literature; however, attributes of the subthemes were found in the majority of the articles. The themes of trust and building trusting relationships were the most commonly discussed attributes found in TLC literature. Through this research, librarians will gain a deeper understanding of their leadership role in collaborative partnerships and acquire practical suggestions on how to create a culture of collaboration in their school community.

The Library Publishing Coalition is a collaborative effort

Library Publishing Coalition: A Community-Driven Initiative to Advance Library Publishing by Sarah Kalikman Lippincott, Educopia Institute/Library Publishing Coalition; Katherine Skinner, Educopia Institute.

This will be presented at the PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference 2013, August 19, 2013 – August 21, 2013.

The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) is a new organization being founded by over 50 academic libraries to promote and support library publishing initiatives. As library publishing matures as a field, LPC aims to build a community of practice, aligning local/institutional efforts and facilitating inter-institutional collaboration.

The LPC’s distributed team of librarians, representing a wide range of institutions, is working together to design and build an organization that responds directly to the expressed needs of this community in areas such as training and professional development, networking and knowledge sharing, practical research, and advocacy. The project emerged from conversations between Purdue University, University of North Texas, Virginia Tech, and the Educopia Institute, about the need for centralized leadership in this emerging and increasingly important area.

Libraries facilitate collaboration to increase research output

Making the link : the library’s role in facilitating research collaboration
Schoombee, Lucia C. and Du Plessis, Pieter G.
Date Issued: 2013-04

Conference paper presented at the 34th Annual IATUL conference at Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, 14-18 April. The theme of the conference was Doing it together: effective collaboration, so there may be other papers from the conference that are relevant.

Collaboration is emerging as an important factor in the advancement of science and scientific output. Paying heed to this development, libraries face the challenge of providing services to facilitate collaboration amongst researchers which will ultimately result in increased research output. The purpose of this paper is to describe the opportunity for, and realisation of, library services which facilitate research collaboration as a means of addressing institutional goals to increase research output at Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service (SULIS). Design/methodology/approach—The paper describes services and solutions explored by SULIS to support the growing trend of research collaboration. The paper looks at the three service paradigms (1) spaces and facilities conducive to collaboration (2) creating awareness of collaboration opportunities and (3) bibliometrics, as examples of services which encourage and facilitate research collaboration and networking. Findings—The paper affirms the correlation between research collaboration and research output and shows that opportunities exist for libraries to assist researchers in finding suitable collaborators and for making facilities available for researchers to network, engage and work together. Originality/value—Using concrete examples, this paper demonstrates how libraries are able to respond to new trends in science, address institutional goals and establish a new role for librarians. “Making the link” suggests more than connecting researchers. It also suggests recognising paradigm shifts, embracing the dynamic academic environment, aligning actions with institutional goals and creating services that blend them together.

Collaboration in Maine at the Margaret Chase Smith Library

Richards, David. “The Margaret Chase Smith Library: A Unique Collection Fostered by a History of Collaboration.” Maine Policy Review 22.1 (2013) : 62 -64,
http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mpr/vol22/iss1/13
.

Maine is a small state with a long history of scarce resources, of “making do,” and of “helping your neighbor.” The state’s libraries are a prime example what can be achieved to maximize resources through partnerships and collaboration. David Richards discusses the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan, Maine, which he terms “a unique collection fostered by a history of collaboration.” Richards describes the vital role collaborations with multiple kinds of partners have played in helping the library fulfill its four functions: archives, museum, education, and public policy.

Networking, collaboration and law–From the LawSync blog

The British Law blog called LawSync from the Sheffield Hallam University mentioned the #SLATalk Twitter Chat on collaboration that recently occurred.

A recent Special Libraries Association Twitter-talk took collaboration as its theme; it is evidently an idea of interest to librarians. Peter Griffith and Pete Smith will be presenting a paper to the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) 2013 conference, discussing their experiences of networking and collaboration in the context of LawSync. They’ll be thinking about some of the issues that have arisen- planning, process, and so on- as well as talking about the benefits of collaboration.

Presenting a paper- and attending conferences- is a well established form of networking, and we certainly hope to catch up with existing contacts and make new ones.

Online networking is the ‘new normal’ of collaboration, and not just for librarians. It’s interesting to note that the recent Riverview Law / DMH Stallard alliance started life on Twitter, but equally interesting to note Jon Busby’s point that this should be no more astonishing that they made contact by phone.

Thanks to Sarah for retweeting and Pete for also noting.

From the NLM–Disaster Health Information Outreach and Collaboration Project

Disaster Health Information Outreach and Collaboration Project 2013 (RFQ No. NIHLM2013697-KB)

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce for the third year the solicitation of proposals from organizations and libraries to design and conduct projects that will improve disaster medicine and public health information access for health professionals, first responders, and others (paid or volunteer) that play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Projects must involve two or more of the following information access categories:

• Information needs assessment;
• Roles in providing disaster health information;
• Practices and methods in information sharing;
• Skills development;
• Information retrieval;
• Resource development; and/or
• Document access.

Emphasis is on providing information or access to health and medical information in a way useful to all-hazards preparedness, response and recovery workers, and increasing the awareness and utilization of high-quality, all-hazards, and emergency topics. The purpose is also to promote new and creative collaborations on disaster health information needs among and to the mutual benefit of librarians, information specialists, or informationists and the disaster workforce.

Eligible projects will be based on a partnership or collaboration that includes at least one library or information center and at least one non-library organization that has disaster-related responsibilities.

Awards are offered for a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $30,000 for a one-year project.

Proposals are due to NLM on June 20, 2013 by 2 pm ET.