Tag Archives: Academic

Academic, Research

Share your ideas on academic shared spaces

SteacieLibrary
From listserve:

Learning Commons, Knowledge Hubs, Information Commons, and myriad of other names have been associated with the evolving functionality and mission of academic libraries over the past 30 years. This evolution has been both the result of libraries administering a broader range of services, new programs, departments, and initiatives moving into the library’s physical space.

In an effort to learn more about shared spaces within academic libraries, Sasaki invites you to participate in this 31 question survey.

Click here to participate in the survey! 

We seek to better understand what additions have come into the library and what impact they are having on the library’s spatial needs and staff dynamics. Building upon Sasaki’s Academic Librarian Spaces 2015 survey, we hope to further the conversation about the changing spaces within academic libraries. Focusing on “New Neighbors,” an area discussed in the report (pages 22-27).

The survey will close on Friday, April 14th, 2017, and the results will be shared with this list early this summer.

Thank you for your time and participation!
Sincerely,

The Sasaki Team

Bryan Irwin, Principal

Lan Ying Ip, Principal

Academic, Books, Research

Primary Research Group has published the International Survey of Research University Faculty


Primary Research Group has published the International Survey of Research University Faculty: Use of Academic Library Special  Collections, ISBN 978-157440-439-5

The study presents data from a survey of 500+ faculty at more than 50 major research universities in the USA, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom & Ireland about their use and evaluation of academic library special collections in rare books & documents, film & video, music, photography, rare biological specimens, personal archives, posters and guidebooks and other commercial materials, oral history and many other areas.  The report presents data separately for use of special collections at one’s own university and for use of special collections at other institutions.  The study also gives data on the percentage of faculty that recommend special collections to students, other faculty or other parties. Survey participants name some of their favorite special collections and rate their general level of satisfaction with academic library special collections.

Data in the 196-page study is broken out by more than 10 criteria including but not limited to academic title, age, gender, national origin of university, public/private status, teaching load, tenure status, university ranking and other variables.

The report presents data and commentary on extent of use of various collections, and evaluation of various special collections practices and offerings such as hours of access, quality of digitization, general ease of use, online access, terms of use or borrowing and other factors.

Just a few of the report’s many findings are that:

  • 21.47% of faculty in the Media and Visual and Performing Arts fields accessed photography special collections from outside their institution in the past three years, the most in the sample, followed by those in the Literature and Language fields, 10.00%.
  • Satisfaction with special collections did not vary widely with institution size or type, or with respondent age, gender, political views, or academic field. However, respondents from Canadian universities were relatively more satisfied than were those from other countries with their institution’s special collections,
  • More than a quarter of those age 60 and over found special collections just as easy or easier to find and use than standard library collections, compared to just 11.43% of respondents age 30 and under.
  • Respondents to the far left of the political spectrum reported the highest use special collections based on personal archives or estates, 7.61%, but otherwise political views had no clear impact on utilization of personal archives or estates.
  • 9.73% of respondents teaching more than two courses in the past semester were dissatisfied with levels of online access to collections of catalogs, posters, guides and other commercial materials, compared to less than 3.5% of those teaching two courses or less.For further information view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

An Interview with Dean Vargas

Dean Mark Vargas. Image by St. Cloud State University. Retrieved online 11/25/13.
Dean Mark Vargas. Image by St. Cloud State University. Retrieved online 11/25/13.

Earlier this year, Mark Vargas joined the leadership at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) as Dean of the Library, in the James W. Miller Learning Resources Center. Dean Vargas was drawn to SCSU because he recognized the potential to build upon the existing strengths of the Library in support of the University’s strategic plans stating, “We are a reflection of the University. It is important for the Library to show how it aligns with institutional goals and objectives; demonstrating our impact on the success of the students and faculty across campus is essential.” Dean Vargas’ number one priority is to meet the needs of students and faculty in this ever changing and dynamic educational environment. “All libraries are dealing with the complexities of the digital age. Many opportunities exist to collaborate with colleagues, other departments, institutions and so on; the list is endless. The challenge is to zero in on what is feasible, given the availability of finite resources.” When asked about his managerial style he replied, “I have an innate optimism, about how people want to do work. I believe there is power in showing people appreciation and respect. I want to provide the necessary resources and then get out of the way, to allow them to excel at their jobs.”

Born and raised in Gary Indiana, it was his experience as a steel mill worker, after high school, that influenced his decision to enroll in college. Dean Vargas’ interest in history, and experiences as a student volunteer in Archives, at Indiana University Northwest that led to the completion of a Bachelor of Arts in History; and later his Masters in both Library Science and History from the University of Maryland, Archives. Since then, Dean Vargas has worked at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT,) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma-Chickasha, and Saint Xavier University-Chicago.

Dean Vargas graciously took time out of his busy schedule to meet with CMLE staff this week. And, we encourage other member libraries to take a moment and, in turn, welcome him to Central Minnesota!  The Dean of the Library currently serves as an ex-officio member on the Governing Board for Central MN Libraries Exchange (CMLE.) In that capacity, Dean Vargas, welcomes collaboration and participation in programming; freely offering the Library as centralized facility for regional meeting and events, “I want to build a relationship between our Library and all CMLE member library types-their patrons/users are our current and future students.”

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Are You Ready to Flip the Model in Your Library?

Image from
Image from Strategies for Creating and Delivering Value by Brian Mathews 2013

Brian Mathews is an Associate Dean at Virginia Tech, and I always enjoy hearing what he has to say about the future of libraries. I find his writing style refreshing, clear, and always full of great examples. This paper talks about how academic libraries are being barraged by advancements in publishing, pedagogy, and user preferences. The intent of this paper is much broader than academics however and is simply: What do people need to do and how might libraries help them?

If I haven’t convinced you yet, and you are a football fan, Brian’s epilogue discusses when the “forward pass” was introduced into the game, and how it was a game changer. This change made the players faster and more nimble. It reinvented the role of the quarterback too, much like the role of  librarian can be reinvented. We all struggle at times with fast and nimble, but the times we are in dictate it! Although seventeen pages, this paper  is definitely worth a read!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The Role of A Publisher

Image by Drew Coffman. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.
Image by Drew Coffman. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licensing.

Before “it” is in print or available online, many writers seek assistance from a publisher. So, what role can a publisher play in the process?

This October, the Scholarly Kitchen circulated a list of 73 Things Publishers Do (2013 Edition.) This post is a broader, continuation of tasks originally identified in 60 Things Journal Publishers Do (2012.)  The author, Kent Anderson, is the CEO/Publisher of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.  Anderson includes a quick reference to the potential expense(s) for each of the 73 tasks listed ($-$$$$.) He also identifies the difficulty of navigating each undertaking using a metaphoric scheme describing the terrain.