Newton Gresham Library
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11875/2
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Browsing Newton Gresham Library by Author "Cassidy, Erin Dorris"
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Item Are Serials Worth Their Weight in Knowledge? A Value Study(Journal of Academic Librarianship (Elsevier), 2015-09) Jones, Glenda Flanagan; Cassidy, Erin Dorris; McMain, Lynn; Strickland, Susan; Thompson, Molly; Valdes, ZacharyThe researchers aimed to use qualitative measures to define value as applied to print and electronic serial publications held at Sam Houston State University. Researchers examined faculty key activities—namely, Research, Publishing, Course Preparation and Development, Service, and Personal Interests—and also asked about the perceived extent of support that library journals provided for these key activities. The results of a survey sent to the faculty of two major colleges, Education and Criminal Justice, emphasized the importance of electronic over print serials for research, publishing, and teaching. Many respondents reported that they never used print serials for key activities but have recently used electronic serials. The print serial collection was reported to provide only minor support for the key activities whereas the electronic serials collection was reported to support those to a major extent. Most faculty respondents reported that they would drop subscriptions to personal interest journals if the Library obtained electronic access.Item Collecting Sex Materials for Libraries(Taylor & Francis Group, 2017-02-21) Martinez, Michelle; Landry Mueller, Kat; Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Shen, Lisa; Thompson, Molly; Valdes, ZachThis article analyzes data gathered over a year-long survey of library employees’ opinions of sexually related materials in library collections. Surveys generally examine patron attitudes rather than the attitudes of library employees, whose attitudes and beliefs can have a strong effect on the collection. The researchers discovered themes in the data such as: varying definitions and differences between pornography and erotica, legality issues and misconceptions, differing perceptions of censorship dependent on library type, and a possible unacceptance of non-heteronormative material. The survey and analysis serve as a contribution to the ongoing discussion of the appropriateness of sexually related materials in librariesItem Faculty-Librarian Micro-Level Collaboration in an Online Graduate History Course(Elsevier (Journal of Academic Librarianship), 2013-11) Hendrickson, Kenneth E.; Cassidy, Erin Dorris;This paper describes a micro-level faculty-librarian collaboration implemented at the authors' state university to address students' information literacy deficiencies in a graduate-level history research methods course. The setting, implementation, and evolution of the partnership are described in detail to suggest a model for other instructors. Additionally, consideration is given to issues of working in an online course environment and the benefits of micro- versus macro-level librarian support. Consideration is given to future steps for strengthening the partnership and measuring its impact on student outcomes.Item Head First into the Patron-Driven Acquisition Pool: A Comparison of Librarian Selections Versus Patron Purchases(Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship (Taylor & Francis), 2011) Shen, Lisa; Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Elmore, Eric; Griffin, Glenda; Manolovitz, Tyler; Martinez, Michelle; Turney, LindaAlthough many recent studies have been conducted on the implementation and results of patron-driven acquisition (PDA) initiatives at academic libraries, very few have focused on whether, or how, patrons’ selections vary from selection choices librarians would have made. This study compares titles selected by patrons during a PDA pilot program against titles chosen by subject librarians from the same PDA list. The findings may serve as a starting point for other researchers interested in the impact of user-oriented selection initiatives on a library’s collection development.Item Higher education and emerging technologies: Shifting trends in student usage.(Journal of Academic Librarianship (Elsevier), 2014-03) Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Colmenares, Angela; Griffin, Glenda; Manolovitz, Tyler; Shen, Lisa; Vieira, ScottThis study serves as an update to a previous study by Sam Houston State University librarians about the use and preferences of Internet, communication, and educational technologies among students. Since the previous study was initiated in 2010, the iPad has made its debut and significantly altered the educational technology landscape. In this new landscape, this study investigates student usage of such technologies as instant messaging, cell phones, e-readers, social networking, RSS feeds, podcasts, and tablets. In addition, this study aims to determine which technologies students prefer the library to utilize for a variety of services, such as reference assistance or book renewals, and which technologies may not be worth the investment, such as geosocial networking. The information gained from this survey is intended to provide guidance for libraries looking to provide services utilizing the most popular technologies with the most efficient use of resources. Survey results show an increasing use and dependence on educational technologies and a desire for basic library services to be available on a variety of platforms and technologies.Item Higher Education and Emerging Technologies: Student Usage, Preferences, and Lessons for Library Services(Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association (Reference & User Services Quarterly), 2011) Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Britsch, James; Griffin, Glenda; Manolovitz, Tyler; Shen, Lisa; Turney, LindaThis study examines the utilization and preference of popular Internet and communication technologies among students at Sam Houston State University (SHSU), a Carnegie Research Doctoral university in East Texas. The researchers wished to study the local relevance of various technology trends reported in librarianship literature and then to use the survey data to inform decisions regarding library service development. A survey was conducted to investigate student ownership of electronic devices and student usage of technologies such as text messaging, Twitter, RSS, podcasts, social networks, SecondLife, and others. Survey results indicated that, while students do not wish to experience an overwhelming library presence on all social networking and Internet media, most do wish to have basic library services easily accessible through a few of the most popular social networking and Internet technologies. The investigators did identify some unique trends in usage among their local population and have adjusted certain library services and plans in accordance with their findings. Other libraries are encouraged to study their own users and develop new services based on those users' needs rather than popular trends or surveys which may be based on radically different user groups.Item Not in Love, or Not in the Know? Graduate Student and Faculty Use (and Non-Use) of E-Books(Elsevier (Journal of Academic Librarianship), 2012) Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Martinez, Michelle; Shen, LisaThis study focuses on usage of electronic books (e-books) among advanced researchers, including graduate students and faculty, at a four-year academic institution. The researchers aimed to highlight differences in behavior, perception, and attitude between users and non-users of e-books. The survey findings suggest that, while a majority of these researchers do not necessarily favor e-books over print books, they do appreciate the convenience of the electronic format. Moreover, the results also indicate that many researchers may be entirely unaware of the library e-books available in their areas of study or may not fully realize all the features already being offered by some of these e-books, such as highlighting, note-taking, accessibility options, and downloading. These findings provide timely and practical applications for librarians interested in increasing library e-book usage with focused marketing plans targeting the needs of specific patron segments.Item Open Education, Open Opportunities(2017-03-09) Cassidy, Erin DorrisItem So Text Me—Maybe: A Rubric Assessment of Librarian Behavior in SMS Reference Services(Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association, 2014) Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Colmenares, Angela; Martinez, MichelleAssessment has become a persistently hot topic in the library world, particularly when it comes to establishing value for academic library services. In an effort to assess performance and develop training tools to improve text/SMS reference services for an academic library, we used the Reference and User Services Association’s Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers as the framework for an analytic rubric. We then used the rubric to assess academic librarian responses collected over a three-year period as part of text/SMS reference service. Results include implications for librarian friendliness, response time, attentiveness, and follow-up, as well as patron return rates. Comparative trends in text reference and the physical reference desk response times are also examined.Item Student Searching with EBSCO Discovery: A Usability Study(Taylor & Francis (Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship), 2014) Cassidy, Erin Dorris; Jones, Glenda; McMain, Lynn; Shen, Lisa; Vieira, ScottThe researchers conducted task-based usability testing of the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) with 20 students. While most participants felt positively about EDS, a few usability issues emerged. Confusion arose regarding source types and icons, facets/limiters, relevancy ranking, integrated search connectors and more. Students encountered difficulty with spelling corrections and a failure to understand terminology, and they demonstrated an unwillingness to view additional pages of search results. Findings indicate the need for changes to the local implementation of EDS as well as to features and structures under EBSCO’s control.Item Students and Federated Searching: A Survey of Use and Satisfaction(Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association, 2010) Korah, Abe; Cassidy, Erin DorrisThis study assessed student use of and satisfaction with a WebFeat brand federated search tool implemented by the library at Sam Houston State University. Students voluntarily responded to an electronic survey, providing feedback on how often they conducted class research using the federated search tool, individual databases, and online search engines and how well each search tool satisfied their class research needs. The study found a high rate of federated search use but only moderate satisfaction; for most students, federated search did not replace individual databases and online search engines, which also saw frequent use for class assignments. Federated search use was highest among lower-level undergraduates, and both usage and satisfaction declined as student classification rose. Classification—which can be seen as the amount of experience in an academic environment—played a larger role in federated search use and satisfaction than did age or subject area of study.Item To Whom Are We Listening? Measuring the Pulse of Geography Education Research, 2010(Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education, 2017) Albert, Donald Patrick; Cassidy, Erin DorrisThis study analyzes citations from thirty-six articles published in volume 34 (2010) of the Journal of Geography in Higher Education (JGHE). This is one of the dominant publications in the suite of international journals focusing on geography education. Our purpose is to explore the question, to whom are “we” – the geography education community – listening? Citations from these articles were categorized as originating from the journal subject categories geography education, geography, or non-geography. Simple count and percent summaries of citations from individual journals within subject categories, and overall across categories were extracted from the thirty-six articles. The quality of these citations were assessed using each journal’s SCImago Journal Ranking (SJR) score and quartile standing for 2010. Weighted citation values were calculated to rank the leading contributing journals to the JGHE. The results indicated that the JGHE is underpinned by a diversity of high-impact journals from all three categories including the Journal of Geography in Higher Education (self-cites), Science Education, Progress in Human Geography, and The Professional Geographer. Our data revealed that this volume of JGHE cited articles from a diverse range of journals with 47.5% from geography (30.3% geography education and 17.2 percent geography) and 52.5% from non-geography journals. Education journals comprised 62.5% of the citations from the non-geography category. These statistics suggest the scholars in geography education are reaching within and across the discipline to enhance and propel their research activities.