Technology column: public libraries as civic technology hubs

Civic technology is used to improve how citizens, businesses, and other groups engage and conduct business with governments. Libraries across the United States are uniquely positioned to be key players in the civic technology movement. Libraries offer community spaces where everyone is welcome and where people can come together, learn about new technologies, access information, and solve shared problems. By bringing our unique attributes and resources to bear, libraries can play a part in developing applications and services that power our communities.     

Broadening Impact for Library Exhibitions and Speakers

Libraries curate exhibitions and host speakers to promote collections and engage communities. Traditional library exhibit spaces present information gaps for visitors. To bridge these gaps, the University of Florida (UF) created and deployed innovative technologies, the Community Engagement Engine (CEE) for iPads (handheld and kiosks). The CEE facilitates visitor's registration as well as questions and comments sent directly to curators with automated email responses with relevant materials. The CEE allows libraries to aggregate visitor information for targeted outreach and assessment. This article discusses the CEE for innovative community engagement, including considerations for other institutions interested in engaged exhibitions programs.     

Center Stage: Performing a Needs Assessment of Campus Research Centers and Institutes

Outreach to research centers and institutes is often overlooked in academic libraries. This article discusses a needs assessment conducted by the Liaison Services Department at the University of Houston Libraries that reviewed library services to centers and institutes at the University of Houston's main campus. The assessment was conducted for two purposes: to build collaborations with centers and to determine how the libraries might create new services and/or market existing services to meet the centers and institutes' growing research needs.     

政府大数据应用的多元主体协同策略研究——纽约市案例分析

[目的/意义] 针对目前我国政府独立开展大数据应用过程中面临的资源紧缺、效率低下问题,探索一种多元主体协同的政府大数据应用策略,实现资源的优化配置,更好地发挥政府大数据价值。[方法/过程] 以纽约市政府大数据应用的实践案例作为分析对象,对政府大数据应用的参与主体以及多元主体之间的协同过程进行归纳,并对保障协同顺利开展的关键因素进行分析。[结果/结论] 我国政府在应用大数据过程中,可以借鉴纽约市的实践经验,设立职责明确的统筹机构,对业务需求进行科学分析,充分借助大数据企业的力量,并且鼓励公众对政府大数据进行创新式应用。     

1996-2015年“一带一路”沿线国家科研合作网络的演化分析

[目的/意义]从纵向演化与横向区域比较两个维度,探究包括中国在内的65个"一带一路"沿线国家的科研合作情况,为我国与沿线国家开展科研合作和政策制定提供参考。[方法/过程]以Web of Science核心合集作为数据来源,抓取65个国家20年间近240万条学术论文的跨国合作数据;使用社会网络分析方法,构建"一带一路"沿线国家的论文合著网络。然后从网络整体、核心国家、科研小团体三方面分析该网络现状及演化过程,并对核心国家之间的主要科研合作内容进行探究。[结果/结论]整体来看,合作网络的密度呈波动上升的趋势,这说明国家间的科研合作规模越来越大,但部分国家在科研合作开放程度上表现不佳,在"一带一路"沿线国家中衰弱型和沉睡型国家较多;中国、俄罗斯、波兰、捷克共和国、匈牙利、印度和土耳其的核心度一直较高,合作内容多属物理学及相关学科;除核心国家之外的"一带一路"沿线国家与地理位置上邻近的国家合作较多,东南亚、欧洲、中亚、中东等地区的区域聚集特征比较明显。     

Student veterans in the academic library

Enrollment increases in the number of veterans returning from service in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars offer an opportunity for academic librarians to craft outreach programs that address their unique needs as they transition from military to academic life. Library information and research services can be highlighted and integrated into the support services for student veterans already in place at most academic institutions. This article provides a case study of the design and development of services and facilities to support student veterans, and it describes the evolution of library outreach to student veterans through direct campus collaborations.     

A University-Wide Collaborative Effort to Designing a Makerspace at an Academic Health Sciences Library

This article describes the planning and development of a 3D printing makerspace at an academic health sciences library. At the start of 2015, a new library Technology Team was formed consisting of a team leader, an emerging technologies librarian, and a library systems analyst. One of the critical steps in the development of the proposal and with the planning of this project was collaborating and partnering with different departments and units outside the library. These connections helped shape the design of the makerspace.     

The Canadian Linked Data Initiative: Charting a Path to a Linked Data Future

ABSTRACT

This article is a preliminary report on the work of the Canadian Linked Data Initiative (CLDI), a collaboration between five of Canada’s largest research libraries, Library and Archives Canada, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, and Canadiana.org. Although still in its nascent stage, participating institutions are working together to advance the technical services divisions of our libraries in the area of linked data. Project working groups are making progress in five main areas: grant funding, digital collections, education and training, legacy metadata enhancement, and in the evaluation and adaptation of Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative tools. By working across geographic and institutional boundaries, the CLDI aims to chart a path to a new age of technical services, one based on the foundation of Linked Open Data.     

Library Space Redesign and Student Computing

Academic libraries are spending considerable time and study on redesigning spaces. The use of technology is often an important part of these redesigned spaces. The space redesign goals at F.D. Bluford Library focus on creating open, activity-promoting, colorful spaces that are designed to be attractive to students. The goals also focus on implementing hybrid spaces that allow students to work alone or in groups, with support for mobile technologies like laptops or tablets. The space redesign goals focus on upgrading the quality of desktops available but reducing the number of desktops. This study examines the question “Does our library renovation significantly change computer use in the redesigned area?” Key findings include that, in defiance of expectations, there is no significant decrease in desktop usage despite the decreased number of computers. However, findings show there is a significant difference in tablet use, despite tablet-friendly spaces and charging options. Surprisingly, our students use fewer tablets. Laptop usage shows no significant difference. In summary, our research shows desktop computing—especially high-quality desktop computing—appears to still have a role in academic libraries even in the mobile technology age.