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Publication Expressed Intellectual Humility: A Framework for the Person-Centered Library Manager(American Library Association, 2024) Kirker, Maoria J.This chapter takes a theoretical approach to examine how intellectual humility is critical to person-centered management practices, particularly in a profession, like librarianship, which contains a variety of subfields and specializations. The chapter combines philosophy, psychology, and organizational development literature and applys it to person-centered management in academic libraries.Publication Improving Engagement by Creating a Peer Environment(Common Ground Research Networks, 2013) Stitz, Tammy; Tammy StitzIt is well documented in literature that engineering students seek information by asking their peers before seeking information from other sources, such as asking a professor or performing a literature search. Social networking and other technologies, such as short message service, instant messaging, and even e-mail can be used to foster a peer type of relationship between educators and students. An online student survey can be used for this purpose as well. Assessment of library instruction sessions is important to ensure that students are learning what is intended. Surveying students can ensure instructional relevancy, reveal missing lecture information, and highlight points that create confusion. In addition to improving the instruction, implementing feedback can be used as a collaborative tool between the presenter and the students. This paper will illustrate, by example, the value of using several tools, some traditional and some not, to create an engaging, collaborative learning experience.Publication Transitioning from Marketing-Oriented Design to User-Oriented Design: A Case Study(Taylor & Francis, 2011) Stitz, TammyThe transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. This case study describes the experiences of a library at a large research university that hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university’s Web site using dotCMS, an open source content management system. The library participated in the design and development process along with other campus units. Because the university-wide process focused on marketing the university to prospective students, parents, and donors, the fact-finding process that the contractor used for the library’s site design focused on how the design could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies. The outcome was a library Web site that showcased Web 2.0 technology more than it provided users with access to library resources. The library’s users quickly communicated their dissatisfaction and confusion, which led to some immediate changes and a commitment to redesign the site based on expressed and demonstrated user needs. Therefore, the library hired another contractor to conduct iterative usability testing on both the new site and prototypes for a redesigned version. The testing outcome showed that Web 2.0 technology that does not meet existing user needs creates obstacles for both novice and experienced users. In collaboration with the university’s information technology unit, the library developed and launched a revised Web site that helped users connect to the resources they need. This upgrade included the deployment of the Google Search Appliance to replace the native dotCMS search functionality. This case study demonstrates that libraries may need to advocate for different Web design priorities than those in practice at the university-wide level, and that working with outside contractors presents different challenges and opportunities depending on the contractor’s hiring unit. These experiences also demonstrate that libraries can do a better job learning about their users when they lead the fact-finding process. Following these experiences, the library has made a commitment to conducting iterative usability testing on a regular basis.Publication Learning From Personal Experience What’s Needed in Information Literacy Outreach: An Engineering Student Returns To Her Alma Mater As An Engineering Librarian(2010) Stitz, TammyAn engineering background may not be required for successful outreach projects, however, when coupled with a review of the relevant literature of sci-tech librarianship; it can certainly facilitate “buy in” from the faculty in a way that promotes the American Board of Engineering and Technology mandates to foster lifelong information literacy skills in their students. After having established rapport with the faculty through providing them with specially tailored research and current awareness support, library outreach was then directed towards their graduate students. Success with these two influential groups is now being used to expand both in-person and wireless opportunities to grow the fact-finding confidence and competence of the undergraduates they teach and advise.Publication Making PDFs Accessible(2018) Stitz, Tammy; Tammy StitzOne of the largest problems for students who use screen readers is reading PDFs. Even the intellectual content of their courses is easier to understand than trying to figure how to read the PDF. Sometimes PDFs cannot be read and other PDFs are read as blocks of text without an easy way to jump to different sections, which is problematic for long documents in particular. This presentation will discuss the features of an accessible PDFs based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. It will show how to correct some issues using Adobe Acrobat DC when using a few different programs to generate the PDFs.Publication Evaluating the accessibility of online library guides at an academic library(2018-05-31) Stitz, Tammy; Blundell, ShelleyThis article describes an exploratory research study assessing the level of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and general accessibility of online information resources at a mid-sized, 4-year, public institution in the state of Ohio. A rubric, available freely online as a living document, was developed based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and web design best practices. From 2015-2016, the authors used the rubric containing 14 criteria (12 criteria from the WCAG 2.0, a criterion from Section 508, and a criterion related to universal web design best practices) to assess a random sample of online library guides (18 guides) at this institution. The authors found that the template developed by the administrator and used by all library guides at the study institution caused 70% of the applicable criteria to fail. The content contributed by individual library guide authors did not pass all of the criteria, but generally performed better than the template. Library guide author contributed content failed an average of seven rubric criteria. Many of the common library guide author errors in this study coincide with those reported by other institutions. Combining the WCAG 2.0 criteria with additional universal web design best practices criteria within the rubric eliminated most of the universal accessibility concerns that remained after applying the WCAG 2.0; a concern that had been identified in previous literature examining WCAG 2.0 applications to online information resources. It was concluded that the rubric was sufficiently comprehensive and that further exploration of its utility was warranted. This includes asking a heterogeneous group of users to assess the usefulness of the rubric by applying it to library guides outside of this study.Publication A Path to Providing User-Centered Subject Guides(Taylor & Francis, 2011-12-16) Stitz, Tammy; Laster, Shari; Bove, Frank J.The experience at the University of Akron illustrates a transitional path from static Web sites to dynamic, user-centered Web design. Starting with Web-based subject resource guides that were difficult to maintain and navigate, University Libraries migrated to a content management system that solved existing maintenance issues and created the opportunity for interactive resource lists. Subsequent usability testing found that users needed librarian-designed subject guides to understand and access resources. Consequently, University Libraries redesigned its Web site functionality. In the course of this article, it is shown that ease of maintenance and ease of use need not be mutually exclusive.Publication Training STEM Students in LaTeX(Association of College & Research Libraries, 2018) Stitz, Tammy; Tammy StitzA workshop series was created as a non-credit course to meet the university wide need for LaTeX training. Two hundred respondents of an electronic survey that was posted for three weeks on the university portal desired some level of LaTeX training. Pilot workshop modules were offered from spring 2011 - fall 2012 and the original series was offered each semester starting spring 2012. The series evolved from user feedback and empirical evidence including the addition of an online workshop. LaTeX training is grounded in Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education threshold concept, Information Creation as a Process, so it is a natural service to be offered in academic libraries. However, most academic libraries do not offer enough LaTeX training. It is concluded that LaTeX training should be a library service in academic libraries where students are in need of the service.Item Best of Both Worlds: Training for New and Experienced Library Instructors(Association of College & Research Libraries, 2024) Lemmons, David X.; Blinstrub, Ashley; Gourlay, Kayla M.; Kirker, Maoria J.; Mattson, Janna; Murphy-Lang, Anna K.Item Beyond a Land Acknowledgement: Taking a First Step Towards Reparative Action(Journal of Radical Librarianship, 2024-06-27) Lemmons, David X.; Anantachai, Tarida; Bell, Kat; Byrd, Jason; James, Heather; Quintana, Erika; Ventura, Gerie; Warren, MeaThe Logistics Committee of the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM)’s 2023 conference posed a question early on in conference planning: what if we rejected the traditional model of land acknowledgements? In answering that question, the committee embarked on a year-long process to radically revise the statement to one focused on reparative action. This article covers the revision process, including what inspired it and how the committee structured their work.Item Fall 2022 Microassessments Dataset & Report(2022-12-01) Spitler, Jasmine; Bell, KathleenItem Engaging through Conversation: Community Building for Inclusive Library Instruction(ACRL, 2023) Lowder, Christopher; Lemmons, David X.; Blinstrub, AshleyItem It Takes a Team!(Ticker: The Academic Business Librarianship Review, 2021) Henson, Jo Ann J.; King, Karen Marsh; Bennett, KellyIn spring 2020, the pandemic caused many universities to move abruptly to online instruction mid-semester. This article is about the partnership of a core team of two librarians and a business professor and their efforts to provide seamless library instruction at that time.Item Flexible, Not Flawless: Teaching Critical Reading Skills through a Bridge Program(ACRL Press, 2022) Gourlay, Kayla M.; Kirker, Maoria J.; Stafford, Richard ToddItem GeoData@Mason: Discover and Access to Geospatial Data(2020-06) Suh, Joy; Ding, ElaineThe University Libraries at Mason has developed a new portal that provides discovery and access to geospatial data and digitized historical maps. It allows researchers and students to search and retrieve not only Mason’s own collection but also other institutions’ geospatial data collection. This new portal was built with Open Geospatial Portal (OGP) Application, a multi-institutional open source collaboration for finding and sharing geospatial data. This poster session illustrates the steps taken to develop this portal including infrastructure and skills. It will also address issues related to updating metadata and maintaining the tool for those who consider building this portal in the future.Item Meeting the Textbook Needs of Engineering Students(American Association for Engineering Education (ASEE), 2012-06) Calcagno, Theresa M; Bowdoin, JessicaIn early 2009, the Head of Interlibrary Loan (ILL) at George Mason University analyzed ILL borrowing statistics from the previous academic year and found that 90% of the fifty most borrowed titles had been requested by students enrolled in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Further research revealed that: • 100% of the titles requested by engineering students were identified as IT/Engineering textbooks according to the Departmental Textbook lists kept by the University Bookstore; • the Mason Libraries already owned 76% of these titles; and • 83% of the courses using these textbooks were either in the Computer Science or Electrical and Computer Engineering departments. As a result of this analysis, the Engineering Textbook Reserves Program was conceived by the IT/Engineering Liaison Librarian and Access Services staff, including Reserves and ILL. The primary goals of this program, which was implemented during Fall Semester 2009, are: • to help alleviate engineering student demand for textbooks borrowed through ILL by placing these titles on reserve; and • to increase access to high demand engineering textbooks by more effectively utilizing existing library resources and services. Over the subsequent four semesters, seventy-one different titles have been placed on reserve for seventy different courses (86% of which were at graduate level). These books have been checked out over 1,500 times. Through careful monitoring, sixteen titles that were never borrowed were identified and removed from Reserve status. The program’s goal of increasing access to high demand engineering textbooks was met and since Fall 2009, Mason Libraries realized a savings of approximately $16,800 in ILL borrowing costs for engineering textbooks. The purchase costs for new or updated editions of textbooks have been minimal. The total spent, $3,130.68, is approximately 3.0% of the total discretionary funds allocated for Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering purchases for FY2010 and FY2011.Item 13 Things in Blackboard: A Course Facilitator's Guide(2020-06) Mattson, Janna13 Things in Blackboard is a self-paced extended learning opportunity designed to encourage library staff to experiment with unfamiliar learning technologies and foster understanding of best practices in online pedagogy in a collaborative space before implementing them in real time.This guide takes the course facilitator, or better yet, a facilitating group through the process of pitching this professional development program to administration, recruiting a cohort, building and facilitating the course, and post-course assessment. While this guide is specific to Blackboard and the learning activities that support typical IL teaching at George Mason University, activities can be modified to meet institution-specific learning needs and/or its learning management system (LMS).Item Incorporating a Musical Iconography Component into a Music Research Course(2020-01-10) Gerber, Steven K.Most master's programs in music include a required seminar in music research that must broadly introduce a variety of investigatory areas. One such area is the scholarly study of musical iconography, visual works which depict or reference music-making. Students are not generally aware of this interdisciplinary field (which requires dual expertise in music history and art history) and its range of topical approaches; the standard handbooks on music research usually give it only two or three pages. My music research seminar includes a 30-minute illustrated presentation on the aims, tools and resources of musical iconography, with additional class discussion of one or two sample articles by scholars in this field and inspection of selected antiquarian prints in the Special Collections department.Item Open-Access Digital Dissemination of Rare Sheet Music from a Special Collection(2019-10-24) Gerber, Steven K.The International Music Score Library Project (“IMSLP;” imslp.org) is an open-access digital repository of downloadable public-domain music. Its holdings, uploaded primarily by volunteer librarians, include high-quality scans of manuscripts and early imprints held in special collections around the world, which can be of interest to musicologists and performers alike. Among other musical rarities, George Mason University Libraries own a set of six owner-bound volumes of sheet music collected and played by American writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe between approximately 1835 and 1855. Some of the imprints represent musical compositions that are undiscoverable in any other WorldCat library. In collaboration with Special Collections staff, I have begun the process of digitizing selected compositions and uploading as PDFs to IMSLP under Mason’s siglum. This project illustrates open, digital dissemination of primary resources for scholarship in history and biography without the need for populating and maintaining a server for these images at the university.Item Cultivating Teacher-Librarians through a Community of Practice(Association of College and Research Libraries, 2019) Kirker, Maoria J.