Librarians and OER: Cultivating a Community of Practice to be More Effective Advocates

Shana Hay

Smith, Brenda and Lee, Leva. (2015). Librarians and OER: Cultivating a Community of Practice to Be More Effective Advocates, Paper presented at the Distance Library Services Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, April 20, 2016. Vancouver: University of British Columbia. Retrieved from: https://bccampus.ca/files/2016/04/DLS-Conference.pdf 

   This paper discusses how a group of academic librarians working in the province of British Columbia, Canada joined forces to share best practices, ideas and tools with the aim of creating resources to support fellow academic librarians in OER-related interactions. By entering into a community of practice, the BCOER librarians were able to support each other, ensuring no librarian was left feeling overwhelmed in the face of this additional responsibility. The paper also brings up some of the reasons OER development has not been tackled more aggressively in many academic libraries- mainly faculty uncertainty as to the reliability of information obtained through OERs versus traditionally published materials. This paper highlights the role librarians in academic institutions can play in changing this attitude of resistance through promotional campaigns, the development and maintenance of relevant OERs, the provision of long-term, stable access, and by linking OER resources to the OPAC for ease of access and a sense of curation. Some of the interesting events BCOER have sponsored include hackathons and OER awareness events throughout the community. Some of the tools the BCOER librarians have collaborated to develop include an OER Repository Assessment Rubric, and OER advocacy poster for conference use, and BCOER Guides which are LibGuides for OER material sorted by type. 
   This paper did a great job of addressing the various reasons the use and development of OERs has met with resistance, both from the point of view of librarians (who have a tonne to do already) and faculty (who trust traditional texts and require reliability).  By highlighting ways this resistance can be overcome namely through cooperation between librarians and education between librarians and instructors, the authors of this paper make an excellent argument for the increased adoption of OERs in the academic world. By stressing the importance of things such as communication and building relationships across library systems, the BCOER offers a template for other libraries, encouraging them to overcome perceived obstacles and harness the power a of well-maintained network of OERs for their patrons.

Toward Evidence-Based Collection Management

Crawford, S. & Syme, F. (2018). Enhancing Collection Development with Big Data Analytics. Public Library Quarterly, 37(4), 387-393. DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2018.1514922

Summary
The article looks at ways for libraries to develop their collections more efficiently by using evidence-based decision making (or EBSM, Evidence-Based Stock Management) and appropriate software to mine the structured, semi-structured and unstructured data they store on patron information behavior. If Ranganathan’s fifth law of library science holds true, it stands to reason that we speak about libraries as if they are indeed alive; we grow collections, we analyze their performance, we develop them, we lovingly weed them. To take the metaphor further, Crawford and Syme reference an interesting new metric: DOA. This term refers to the number of new items a library adds to its collection that never check out, never circulate, and are, in fact, Dead On Arrival. The authors point out the waste that this phenomenon portends in a paradigm of decreasing budgets. They argue that evidence-based selection planning using Big Data can help tackle the problem of DOA by using “predictive analytics to help staff select material that meets patron demand by consulting a number of data sources including evidence from collectionHQ (their collection management software), an author’s past performance, BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) Subject performance, how an author has performed in a particular BISAC Subject Group, reviews on a title, demand, and many more” (p. 388-389). They then go into four interesting case studies to further illustrate their overall point: use of evidence-based management and selection tools keep libraries on the “right path to increased circulation, improved turnover, and enhanced customer satisfaction” (p. 392).

Commentary
I agree that evidence-based decision making is just good policy. Most libraries are not blessed with large endowments or perpetually increasing budgets, facts which therefore necessitate choices and trade-offs. Sound understandings of the patron base and ever-changing demand patterns are foundational to any decisions library staff might be called upon to make. Choosing appropriate books that will not end up DOA, and then using the data available to track, market, and measure the performance of the collection will hopefully lead libraries further down the “right path.”

Note: Crawford is Vice President and General Manager at collectionHQ and Syme is a Marketing Manager there. Not surprisingly, the article comes across with heavy bias toward the collection HQ software.

Managing Collections (Book Chapter)

Tammy Ross

Disher, W. (2015). Managing collections. In S. Hirsch (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (pp. 242-249). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.

Summary

Wayne Disher’s chapter describes collection management as a “complex process that involves strategic planning, innovation, change management and community analysis” (p. 242). He provides a brief history to show how library collections have evolved over time to include more than just books. Since today’s librarians are in a position to advance information literacy in their communities, they must take into account new trends, technology and changes in user behavior. Disher calls the strategic planning process a “critical aspect of collection management” that helps information professionals “recognize when user demands are shifting” and adapt their collection management plans accordingly. “Managers must continuously reposition their collections and keep them viable in a technologically and information-literate society” (p. 244). Although he doubts we will become a completely paperless society anytime soon, Disher notes that today’s users are placing more value on access to digital content, citing the increase in e-book use as evidence. In addition, collection content has become user driven, and collection managers must capitalize on innovative collection models (such as patron-driven acquisition) to help them “meet demand, provide wider access, and increase the relevancy” of their collections (p. 246). Disher also promotes partnerships (e.g. consortia) in which organizations share information resources cooperatively to circumvent budget constraints. Ultimately, he states, information organizations must build collections that “accelerate learning, increase global access, improve convenience and add value to the user experience” (p. 247). The chapter’s appendix provides an overview of basic collection management activities, from community analysis to weeding.

Evaluation

Disher’s chapter provides a solid overview of collection management, but does not take a deep dive into the key aspects of the process, such as conducting a community analysis or developing a strategic plan. It provides an introduction to collection management concepts, with basic recommendations for building, maintaining and evaluating a collection. The chapter emphasizes how important it is for a library collection to reflect the ever-changing needs of the community it serves but does not offer insights into how that might look for different types of libraries. Do you think collection management is more challenging for urban libraries, suburban libraries or rural libraries?

Crash Course: Data and Infographics

Young, Christina

CrashCourse. (2019.February 26) . Data & Infographics: Crash Course

Navigating Digital Information #8 [Video file]. Retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiND50qfCek

Summary: This is the eighth episode of the current Crash Course series,

“Navigating Digital Information”. It looks at data and infographics to

show how data can be represented and misrepresented. It is geared to

a high school audience.

Major takeaways:

-data needs to be accurate & relevant

-sources need to be reliable

-data needs to be represented honestly and contextually

Evaluation: I have really been enjoying the new Crash Course “Navigating

Digital Information“ series and this week’s episode seemed especially pertinent

to our class because we will soon be working on visual representations of our

collections. This youtube video discusses how visual representations can be used

to enhance or obscure an information consumer’s understanding of data.

One example is the National Review and the Washington Post using the same

NASA data to represent climate change.

(CrashCourse, 2019)

   The chart on the left, billed by the National Review as “the only climate change

chart you’ll ever need”,makes it look like the climate hasn’t been warming by

using a y axis of values between -10º-110º.  On the Washington Post’s chart’s y

axis goes from 55º-60º. Crash Course also emphasizes that context is important.

For example, if you know that small shifts of even a degree of global temperature

are unusual and can impact climate, the Washington Post’s chart seems more

relevant than the National Review’s although both are technically correct.

As I develop infographics for my collection I will have to make sure to

provide context and guard against misrepresenting my data.

Ethical Issues In Collection Development

Hay, Shana

Morrisey, L. J. (2008). Ethical issues in collection development. Journal of Library Administration, 47(3/4), 163-171. doi: 10.1080/01930820802186506

Evaluation: This article looks at some of the ethical issues that may arise in the undertaking of a collection development policy. The author specifically outlines how information obtained from interactions between the managers, vendors, and patrons of a given library system can have a direct effect on the resources available in a library. It is critical that collections staff make equitable and ethical decisions when considering what materials to acquire, and this paper recommends utilising a combination of the ALA Code of Ethics, internal collections guidelines, and collaboration with fellow collections staff as a way of ensuring ethical guidelines are being followed when building and providing access to library resources.  

Summary: This article poses several questions designed to help librarians assess the ethical issues that may affect the development of an equitable collection reflective of the community being served by a given library system. I appreciated how Morrisey took specific lines from the ALA’s Code of Ethics and showed how those principles can guide collections development, and he brought up several points I had never considered. First, he outlines the importance of establishing a mechanism for accepting and responding to collection requests- allowing patrons to directly influence purchases and thus creating a collection reflective of the community (and not the preferences of the collections librarian!). Interestingly, the author recommends not acknowledging what he defines as “self interested communication”, in other words, direct contact from publishers or authors. I don’t know if I agree with this rule, as I can see benefits from building relationships with content creators, however I understand the need to look at these connections with some caution to avoid the appearance of favouritism.

   One of the more interesting sections of the article deals with the need for collections librarians to separate personal feelings when evaluating controversial materials. The example of a librarian working in a religious institution tasked with deciding what resources related to birth control or LGBTQI topics to include. Librarians must resist all efforts to censor library resources, but how can this principle be practically applied, and how is this ensured? This ties into the author’s later conversation regarding the importance of distinguishing between personal convictions and professional duties and stresses the need for collections decisions to be made collaboratively when possible, to avoid personal bias. Collaboration also helps ensure that the interests of library users come before the personal interests of a particular librarian.

   The notion of gifts and perks was one I had never connected with librarianship before, and this article does a great job of outlining some of the concerns surrounding receiving gifts such as dinners or appointments to vendor advisory boards. These gifts should only be accepted with conditions that the acceptance does not indicate a preference for one vendor over another. When considering a digital subscription, it is also important to understand the scope of the vendor’s access to patron information. Will they be able to track individual users? Will they use collected stats to market other services to the library? The answers to these questions may impact the adoption of a service and should be considered before entering into any agreements with vendors.

   This article highlights some of the important ethical issues that should be considered by collections staff as they develop the resources of their institution. By outlining the specific sections in the ALA’s statement on the ethical responsibilities of librarians and providing examples of when those responsibilities may be tested, this article serves as a practical resource for libraries as they continue to develop their collections. Morrisey has developed a useful best practice guide that offers easy to follow advice related to tackling issues of ethics in library collections.

Applying Quantitative Methods to E-book Collections

Sexton, Rachael

Goertzen, M. J. (2017). Applying Quantitative Methods to E-book Collections. Library Technology Reports, 53(4), 3. https://doi.org/10.5860/ltr.53n4

Evaluation:  Since my summary of the article is so long, I included most of my evaluation within the summary so that you could more easily see where my opinions coincided with what was being said in the article.  My asides are in bold.  I was skeptical about and disagreed with a few things that were said, but overall the evidence of the savings that she was able to obtain make this 33-page article well worth the read.    

Summary: 

This article says that the e-book market is still in the developing stages and is known as “the new wild west.”  It is harder to obtain funding for digital resources, since there can be confusion about the cost, with some thinking that digital information is free.  Evaluating electronic resources using quantitative methods require skills and training that are hard to obtain in this new area.  The article references another article, “The Evolving DDA Project at the Orbis Cascade Alliance,” by Kathleen Carlisle Fountain.  There is then a long quote from that article, about the author not being trained to make book purchasing decisions based on a data driven approach.   This article and the quote greatly affected the author of this report, Melissa Goertzen. 

Goertzen relies on Microsoft Excel to do her work.  She spent two years conducting a study in preparation to write this article.  Where she works, Columbia University Library (CUL), was able to use the results of her study in a productive way to save money. The value of e-book collections is tied to patron needs.  Goertzen lays out what she will discuss in chapter 3 of the report.  Her analysis methods work just as well for e-journal packages as they do for e-book collections.  She gives a summary of what chapter 5 will contain.  She says that her report should not be viewed as an end point, but rather as just the beginning. 

Before anything can be accomplished, one should understand the trends of e-book publishing.  At the end of the chapter, Goertzen will provide a list of suggested reading.  Business models are often changing in regards to e-book distribution.  While e-books cost 12% less in one area to produce than print books, they have three other areas of expense that print books don’t have, so they aren’t less expensive to produce.  According to Goertzen, the business model for e-books is similar to the print module in regards to library’s acquiring them, though I personally disagree, since I think there are too many differences for them to be regarded as similar.  Goertzen even expounds on a difference that I had not considered in her next paragraph, saying that e-books are hosted on a third-party website, and that libraries pay for access to it.  There are many fears in regards to the very existence of e-book collections, piracy being one of them. 

There are multiple business models in regards to e-books, just two examples are that in some cases only one patron can have the book at a time, or multiple patrons can have the same copy at a time (which is another thing that could never happen with the acquisition of a print book).  Another technique for collection development in regards to e-books that is now being utilized is giving patrons the power to request books that are not in the collection.  With so many options to choose from, this provides libraries with the opportunity to choose the business model that best suits their needs.  The wonderful thing about e-books is the patron’s ability to access them any time.  Remote access is another benefit.  In regards to the academic world, e-books are most often utilized to complete a task.  Goertzen claims that e-books are most often skimmed and if they seem useful, a print version is requested and actually read.  I wonder if a study has been conducted to see if this is true across all age groups, it seems doubtful that it is.  The PDF format is especially popular in academic circles.

Goertzen reports having a paradigm shift several months into her study.  This led her to think of several new questions, which fed into one overarching question.  She identifies two collection strategies, “just in case” and “just in time” which informs purchasing decisions.  Discovering the intentions of the patrons can help when answering questions from stakeholders.  She states that chapter 3 will contain more information about indicators which influence collection development decisions.  Learn information needs by asking patrons directly.  Develop strong ties with liaison librarians. (Obviously this step doesn’t apply if you are the only liaison librarian or if your institution doesn’t have any.  It would have been nice if she had given an alternative to this step.)  Next, consider whether e-books are most likely to be skimmed or read. (How on earth would you know that for certain?  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure after all.  Worse, what if you thought you knew, and were wrong?)  Evaluate subscription usage over a period of three years.  Goertzen wrote a base evaluative framework.  She gives the titles of five articles that she recommends reading. 

Cost analysis is a quantitative method that can be useful for library administrators.  It is important to know what is meant by the term quantitative research.  It is data which can be represented by numbers and can then be used in statistics.  It answers the “what” and “how” most effectively.  Demographics are just one part of quantitative research.   However it cannot answer the “why,” which requires qualitative research.  Keeping one’s goal in mind is important when embarking on this sort of endeavor.  Quantitative research has six key characteristics.

Next she outlines the types of findings that quantitative research can bring about, as well as the advantages and limitations of it.  There are multiple sources of quantitative research.  Using subjects areas to study the e-book collections adds depth to the study.  Library administrators were the primary motivators to Goertzen’s work.  She organizes information into seven different categories.  She takes two days to update the information in these categories every year.  Information sources can come from within and without the library.  Goertzen next gives a list of definitions of words she will use.  Then she gives an overview of what data she uses in her e-book collection analysis.  First is input cost measures, second collection output measures, third effectiveness measures and indicators, fourth domain measures, and fifth cost-effectiveness indicators. 

There is a lack of standardization when it comes to data sets from certain vendors, which makes quantitative research challenging.  A strong understanding of the audience of your report is key.  Creating an outline of your intended project is never a waste of time.  Each project that you take on allows you to grow and be better equipped for the next project.  Goertzen started working at CUL in 2013, so she now has many years of experience.  She was able to save the library $50,000 in 2015.  CUL’s collection has more than 12 million volumes and 160,000 journals and serials.  They also have over 2 million e-book titles.  With such a large collection, a small subset was chosen to use in the study.  Next she analyzed the subscription cost of the e-books versus the usage of the e-books.  This resulted in a valuable find that one of their subscriptions contained outdated material and missing volumes in multivolume sets.  When going to cancel their subscriptions, a conversation was started with the vendor which ultimately led to an 80% discount and saved them $51,000 annually starting in 2014.  Another library division at CUL used this same technique and as a result were able to start saving $10,000 annually. 

The decision was made to study the titles that were included in course reserves at a later date.  She looked at a total of 96 subscriptions and 35 packages.  She was also able to go to the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in 2016 and conduct the study there.  She analyzed 14,802 titles for them.  She discovered that only 36% of the titles had been used at least once.  Another decision was made to analyze print subscriptions that are over five years old at a later date. 

Then she was asked to evaluate e-journal costs at two different libraries on campus.  An added element to this study was she also analyzed where users were when they accessed the e-journals.  Based on citation use, only 10% of the titles met the criteria to be retained.  Based on publication analysis, 25% of the titles met the criteria. 

By conducting this sort of study, collection development policies can be formulated.  This is especially important because budget will not likely grow alongside demand.  This study should be conducted once every five years.  For basic and extensive collections, the author recommends e-book purchases, but for research collections she recommends print resources.  There will be challenges going forward, such as complications arising from open-access initiatives and the fact that e-books are now beginning to be offered in pdf format instead of through a host platform.                           

  

Social Tolerance and Racist Materials in Public Libraries

Tammy Ross

Burke, S. K. (2010). Social tolerance and racist materials in public libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(4), 369–379. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.49n4.369

In this study, Susan Burke examines the concept of intellectual freedom in libraries and reviews the literature for studies about racism in library books. To learn which variables are linked to social intolerance and the censorship of racist library materials, Burke used data from the General Social Survey (GSS). The GSS is conducted by the National Opinion Research Center and began in 1972. From 1976 to 2006, the survey asked randomly selected adults in the U.S. whether they would support removing a book “spouting racist beliefs” that Black people are “genetically inferior” (p. 372) from the public library. Burke examined how certain demographics -- such as age, race, education level, occupation, geographic location, and political and religious affiliations -- impacted responses. She also looked at another study that examined attitudes toward removing books written by homosexuals or communists from a public library collection, and how these differed from “opposition to negative portrayals of African Americans” (p. 378). More people supported banning a book written by a racist because “racism limits the civil liberties of groups of people, which is not in line with the social trend of increasing tolerance” (p. 378).

Burke does a thorough job of synthesizing the GSS data and points out limitations of the dataset, i.e., that the survey does not ask participants if they’ve ever participated in a book challenge or whether the hypothetical racist book was written for adults or children. Still, the information in her study is designed to help librarians understand “how the library stance on intellectual freedom fits within the larger picture of scholarly thought from other disciplines and the broader public opinion” (p. 378). In regard to collection development, the article may help librarians be more aware about “self-censorship" -- not including certain books in an effort to avoid controversy. Burke argues that librarians should “stand by their professional values and educate the public and library shareholders concerning the implications of removing or not removing [racist] items from the collection” (p. 378). There’s a lot to unpack in 10 pages, especially all the survey results, but the article is worth the read. Burke ultimately reminds librarians that “Adding excellent materials to the collection regardless of their potential to spark controversy -- and resisting challenges to such material -- is an important professional obligation ... and it supports the principles established by the American Library Association” (p. 378).

For discussion, I give you a conflict posed in the article: Is exposure to controversial ideas or social/ethnic intolerance harmful, or does it teach readers to be critical thinkers?