Topic: Libraries
Research Report
December 6, 2021
What Is a Research Core?
A Primer on a Critical Component of the Research Enterprise
As clusters of state-of-the-art instruments and research enablement services, research cores are not only the cornerstone of research activities at university campuses but also critical assets that provide competitive differentiation for their host institutions. However, these research cores are highly expensive for academic institutions to manage. Despite the growing recognition and impact of these research cores, there are few studies that describe the business models for sustaining and funding research cores or their increasing significance to the larger academic community.
Blog Post
December 1, 2021
Supporting Big Data Research
New Report Offers Recommendations for Stakeholders
As “big data” has moved from the margins to the center of a growing number of academic disciplines, how well are universities, funders, and publishers supporting researchers? To better understand how big data research is pursued in academic contexts, Ithaka S+R partnered with librarians at more than 20 colleges and universities, interviewing over 200 faculty members, to explore how researchers work with big data and identify the challenges they face. “Big Data Infrastructure at the Crossroads:…
Research Report
December 1, 2021
Big Data Infrastructure at the Crossroads
Support Needs and Challenges for Universities
Ithaka S+R’s Research Support Services program explores current trends and support needs in academic research. Our most recent project in this program, “Supporting Big Data Research,” focused specifically on the rapidly emerging use of big data in research across disciplines and fields. As part of our study, we partnered with librarians from more than 20 colleges and universities, who then conducted over 200 interviews with faculty. These interviews provided insights into the research methodologies and support needs of researchers working…
Past Event
December 9, 2021
COVID-19 and the Future of Scholarly Meetings
Danielle Cooper, Laura Brown, and Dylan Ruediger at CNI Fall 2021 Membership Meeting
On December 9th, Danielle Cooper, Laura Brown, and Dylan Ruediger will present at the CNI Fall 2021 Membership Meeting and discuss how scholarly societies can address the business, content, and membership challenges faced when developing long-term planning for multi-modal conferences. Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic forced scholarly societies to reimagine one of their signal offerings: academic conferences. In response, societies experimented with virtual and hybrid meeting formats on a scale that was difficult to imagine before March 2020. One clear take…
Past Event
December 2, 2021
Book Talk: Along Came Google
Deanna Marcum and Roger C. Schonfeld in conversation with Brewster Kahle
On December 2 at 4:00 pm (EST), the Internet Archive is hosting a virtual book talk with Deanna Marcum and Roger C. Schonfeld about their new book, Along Came Google: A History of Library Digitization. Deanna and Roger will be joined in conversation by Brewster Kahle, the founder and digital librarian of the Internet Archive, as they discuss the history of library digitization projects and what these efforts hold for future scholars. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A.
Blog Post
November 11, 2021
Engaging Undergraduates in Primary Source Research
An Interview with the Authors of Two New Books
Creating meaningful learning encounters with primary sources involves dynamic collaboration between instructors and those who work with cultural heritage collections, including librarians, archivists, and museum professionals. Here at Ithaka S+R we have been engaging in a series of studies in collaboration with academic libraries, archives, and museums to understand instructors’ support needs in this area, including how to support their teaching with digital cultural heritage materials as classes went remote during the pandemic. In addition to understanding instructors’ experiences…
Past Event
December 14, 2021
Danielle Cooper at CNI Fall 2021 Membership Meeting
On December 14th, Danielle Cooper will present on “Licensing Privacy: Contractual Language and the Challenge of Monitoring Compliance” at the Fall 2021 CNI Membership Meeting. For more information on this event, please visit this website. Abstract The Licensing Privacy initiative, made possible in part by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, aims to improve how academic libraries leverage licensing terms to advocate for reader privacy. In fall 2021, the Licensing Privacy initiative released: (1) “View from Library…
Blog Post
October 21, 2021
Working with Libraries to Navigate the Streaming Media Environment
The ascendancy of the streaming format has implications for how educational content is used and purchased within universities, even if universities do not appear to be a priority market for media providers. The pedagogical possibilities for streaming content extend far beyond access to feature films and documentaries, providing, for instance, the opportunity to access a wide variety of academic conference presentations, or observe lab demonstrations. Within universities, academic libraries are taking…
Blog Post
October 20, 2021
The A*CENSUS II: All Archivists Survey is Live
The A*CENSUS II: All Archivists Survey launched this week! This is the first broadscale survey of individual archivists and memory workers in the United States in 17 years. Nearly six thousand archivists participated in the original A*CENSUS in 2004, and the overwhelming response allowed the findings to be leveraged across the field in a myriad of ways. For institutions and professional organizations, the data informed the design of new curricula and the assessment of educational offerings; for archival institutions, the…
Past Event
November 10, 2021
Nicole Betancourt at 2021 Southeastern Library Assessment Conference
Nicole Betancourt will present during the 2021 Southeastern Library Assessment Conference on strategies that libraries have used successfully to encourage participation in institutional assessment efforts during the pandemic. For more information on the session and registration, please visit this link. See abstract below: Session: Lessons learned, and here to stay: Pandemic assessment marketing strategies for the “new normal” During the pandemic, libraries have been challenged more than ever to recruit faculty and students to participate in institutional assessment efforts,…
Past Event
October 13, 2021
Licensing Privacy: Views from Library Leadership
Danielle Cooper presents for Licensing Privacy project
On October 13th, Danielle Cooper will present at a webinar titled, “Licensing Privacy: Views from Library Leadership”. Danielle will share findings from interviews with library leaders about how privacy concerns inform their negotiations and agreements with vendors. To attend the webinar , please register here. For more information, please visit this site. The abstract is below: This webinar shares findings from interviews with library leaders about how privacy concerns inform their negotiations and agreements with vendors. Danielle Cooper,…
Blog Post
October 5, 2021
Censorship in Prisons
Recording from the San Francisco Public Library's Banned Books Event Now Available
Last week was Banned Books Week, an annual event meant to celebrate the freedom to read and draw attention to censorship and other threats to free expression. As a report by the free expression advocacy group PEN America points out, America’s prisons are the locus of the country’s largest and most extensive censorship regime. While the free and unencumbered access to literature is a challenge for all incarcerated…
Past Event
October 6, 2021
Living Through the Pandemic: Priorities and Organizational Models
Oya Y. Rieger presents during AAHSL Webinar
On October 6, Oya Y. Rieger will present during a AAHSL Webinar that will present results of the AAHSL/Ithaka S+R Study, “Academic Health Sciences Libraries: Structural Models and Perspectives,” and how health sciences libraries have pivoted during the pandemic to adapt services and respond to the evolving research, clinical and academic needs of our users. For more information, please visit this site. …
Past Event
October 13, 2021
Academic Libraries and Racial Justice Workshop with Ithaka S+R
Christine Wolff-Eisenberg and Jennifer Frederick at Long Island Library Resources Council
On October 13, Christine Wolff-Eisenberg and Jennifer Frederick at will offer a workshop on library strategies to diversify the field with the Long Island Library Resources Council. They will share recent research from a recent national study of library directors as well as large-scale analyses of library strategic plans and job descriptions. Attendees will participate in reflection exercises, including an activity where they will interrogate their own strategic plans for strengths and shortcomings. For more information, visit this site. …
Past Event
November 11, 2021
Kurtis Tanaka at the 2021 National Conference on Higher Education in Prison (NCHEP)
Kurtis Tanaka is presenting at two sessions during the 2021 National Conference on Higher Education in Prison (NCHEP). The conference will take place from November 11-14. An Untapped Resource: Why and How to Partner with Your Institutional Library Speakers: Rebecca J. Bott, Education Justice Project; Josh Honn, Northwestern Prison Education Program; Kurtis Tanaka, Ithaka S+R Higher education in prison programs routinely struggle to provide incarcerated students with timely, equitable access to library materials and services. This meeting will…
Past Event
October 7, 2021
New Directions in Scholarly Publishing
Roger Schonfeld presents during Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) virtual panel
On October 7, Roger Schonfeld will join other panelists to discuss new funding opportunities for researchers and librarians. The panel will discuss how “how authors— especially early career authors—are required to navigate this new funding landscape, how librarians must consider new mandates and requirements from funding agencies while supporting the interests and needs of researchers within their respective institutions, and how funding as we know it is dynamically changing the landscape of academic research.” For more information, please visit this…
Past Event
November 4, 2021
Are Big Deal cancellations a big deal for OA publishers?
Oya Y. Rieger and Danielle Cooper Present at 2021 Charleston Library Conference
On November 4, Oya Y. Rieger and Danielle Cooper will present at the Charleston Conference on the results from their research report on the impacts of ‘Big Deal’ cancellations on discovery and access to journal content. For more information, please visit this site. Abstract The recent Ithaka S+R Research Report ‘ What’s the Big Deal – How Researchers are Navigating Changes to Journal Access’ provided an in-depth analysis of researcher perceptions of the impacts of ‘Big Deal’ cancellations on…
Blog Post
September 9, 2021
How Can the Library Best Support Student and Institutional Success?
Perspectives from a National Survey of Community College Library Directors
For the past three years, Ithaka S+R has explored how student-facing service departments—including academic libraries—are organized, funded, and staffed at community and technical colleges across the country. As part of this ongoing IMLS-funded Community College Academic and Student Support Ecosystem (CCASSE) research initiative, we surveyed community college library directors this past February. Today, I’m pleased to announce the publication of our findings from that national study. In Library Strategy and Collaboration Across the College Ecosystem…
Research Report
September 9, 2021
Library Strategy and Collaboration Across the College Ecosystem
Results from a National Survey of Community College Library Directors
How can the library be best positioned to continue enabling student and institutional success? The Community College Academic and Student Support Ecosystem research initiative seeks to examine how student-facing service departments—including academic libraries—are organized, funded, and staffed at community and technical colleges across the country. In February 2021, we surveyed 321 community college library directors to provide the community with a snapshot of current service provision, leadership perspectives on the impact of COVID-19, and challenges faced in making decisions and…
Past Event
November 3, 2021
Roger Schonfeld at 2021 Charleston Library Conference
On November 3, Roger Schonfeld will discuss with other other panelists how to design library services that reach library users outside of library-preferred workflows For more information, please visit this link. Abstract “How do libraries add value for patrons increasingly working outside library-preferred workflows (e.g. searching via Google Scholar), and accessing the library’s collection off-campus? This is a question of profound relevance to all library stakeholders – librarians, publishers, and patrons alike – and one that must be addressed…