This study concerns administrative support provided to encourage the research and publishing activities of academic librarians working in Association of Research Libraries member libraries. Deans and directors of these libraries were asked to respond to an online survey concerning the support measures that their libraries provide, as well as their thoughts on support measures that academic libraries should provide. When compared to earlier studies, the survey results indicate that most support measures have grown over time. Results also suggest increases in the requirements for publication in academic libraries, as well as in the number of libraries at which librarians have faculty status.esearch and publication are included in the requirements for promotion and tenure or continuing appointment at many academic libraries. However, not all academic librarians are prepared to meet these requirements because of time constraints and a lack of training. In many cases, academic librarians received little or no training in research methodology or scholarly writing in their graduate library education.1 A 2010 study of 49 library and information sciences programs accredited by the American Library Association revealed that only 61 percent of the programs required their students to take a research methods course. 2An academic librarian who has not written a thesis or dissertation almost certainly has a less rigorous educational background in research methods than the typical teaching faculty member. In most cases, the typical teaching faculty member acquired research skills by designing and conducting research, and then by documenting and defending this research in a doctoral dissertation. A faculty member who has gone through this process benefits in several ways.3 The process of preparing a dissertation provides experience in research, writing, and scholarship that is much more extensive than the usual graduate school research paper. The dissertation may be reworked into a series of articles and may serve as a platform for further research. The dissertation advisors help the student assimilate into academia by serving as writing and research mentors as well as academic coaches. This graduate education experience prepares students for the rights and responsibilities of faculty membership by stressing the values of academic freedom, scientific norms, research methodology, and the ethics of scholarship.
A continuous cycle of mixed-methods assessment contributes to the success of a mentoring program, as shown in this case study from a large academic library. Assessment instruments include the Mentoring Competencies Assessment, the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, a satisfaction survey and a focus group. Assessment results reveal that the mentoring program is meeting its goals of contributing to the professional development of protégés, improving mentor competencies, increasing confidence of participants, and expanding participation in the program.
Professional development programs have been established in many academic libraries to support the research and scholarly activities of librarians. Continuous assessment can contribute to the sustainability and effectiveness of these programs. This study describes how measures of need, participation, satisfaction, and impact are employed to assess many aspects of a professional development program in a large academic library. Results from these assessments are used to justify the program to the library administration, continuously improve the program, and provide information about its benefits to current and potential participants.
As mass media and entertainment industries continue to undergo rapid change to keep ahead of trends and consumer demands, libraries must evolve and change along with them to manage these collections. This article will include a look at the UNT Media Library's earlier predictions about their video game and console collection; how practices have changed and will continue to change to support the next ten years of growth; the evolution of outreach to support the growing interest in video games; and the transformation of space to support games on a large university campus.
A study of dissertation cataloging practices of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) academic libraries was conducted to discern how they provide access to subjects as well as to names of academic departments and advisors. An analysis of catalog records revealed that this information is recorded in notes and uncontrolled access points more often than in established access points. Although these local practices reflect a move towards cataloging efficiencies, they must be considered in the context of information retrieval.
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