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Item TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES: REPORT FROM TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY FOR ITHAKA S+R(2020-10-27) Kitchens, Joel D.; O'Sullivan, Kevin M.; Budzise-Weaver, TinaPrimary sources have long enabled an inquiry-based approach to instruction, one which offers students the opportunity to expand critical thinking abilities and lasting research skills through a personal experience with historical materials. In recent years, this mode of teaching has greatly been expanded through the aid of digital technologies and an increased commitment to fostering information literacy among undergraduate students in particular. The present report reflects research conducted by a team of three librarians at Texas A&M University as part of the Ithaka S+R “Teaching With Primary Sources” research project.Item Myths and Value in the Deposit of ETDs: A Final Teachable Moment(2013-03-05) Carlson, DavidPresentation given on March 1, 2013 to Texas Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Association (TxETDA) meeting at Texas A&M University. The presentation addresses the issue surrounding the choices made by student in access upon deposit of their thesis or dissertation in the Institutional Depository. Various responses to these concerns are discussed.Item Copyright and Publishing Literacy for ETD Authors: Applying the Theft of the Mind Model(Texas ETD Association, 2013-02-28) Clement, Gail; Bianchi, Jo AnnThanks to a fruitful collaboration between the Scholarly Communication office in the University Libraries, and the Thesis Office in the Graduate School, ETD authors and their faculty advisers at Texas A&M University now enhance their understanding of copyright principles and publishing strategies through a series of successful workshops. These sessions include 'Copyright Essentials;' 'Fair Use: Using Copyrighted Material in Your Thesis or Dissertation;' Creative Commons Licensing: A Tool for Publishing Your Research Via Open Access;' and 'Managing Your Author Rights as You Publish.' The curriculum for each program is based on the Theft of the Mind model (see Clement and Brenenson, 2013) which was recently published by ACRL in the book Common ground at the nexus of information literacy and scholarly communication. This curriculum relies on a series of student learning outcomes (SLO's) derived from both on ACRL's Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education and their "Principles Supported" for Scholarly Communication. The elements of Theft of the Mind curriculum selected for graduate students aim to meet their needs both as ETD authors and as new professionals, scholars and practitioners as they enter the 21st century workplace.Item Open Access Publishing of ETD’s: Requirements and Implications of complying with Budapest, Bethesda and Berlin(Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, 2012-09) Clement, Gail[Introduction] Open access publishing appears to be an important value for the worldwide ETD community. The term ‘Open Access’ has been a prominent theme of most every international ETD conference since 2004, and appears in the titles of numerous presentations and papers shared at these conferences. The importance of open access ETD’s has been discussed in numerous threads on the international ETD-L list, and touted on the web pages of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD). The opening lines of the NDLTD website (2012) state “We support electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide.” Moreover, the ETD Guide produced by NDLTD leaders states in its “Why ETD’s” section: “The main goals of the ETD initiative are “…for universities and graduate students to more effectively engage in open access electronic scholarly communications” (NDLTD, 2011). It remains to be seen, however, whether the widely-held community value for open access ETD’s has actually translated into practice. Has the period governed by the ETD movement (1998-current) seen an increasing trend toward OA-published ETD’s? Little research has yet been conducted to answer this question. To address that gap in knowledge, the author is assessing the state of open access publishing for ETD’s. The current paper reports on a preliminary study to measure the extent to which North American theses and dissertations are being published via open access as defined by the Budapest, Bethesda, and Berlin Open Access declarations (Suber, 2006a). The findings of this early, small-scale study begin to shed light on the larger question of Open Access ETD publishing, with clear data reflecting very low uptake of BBB-compliant OA publishing in North American ETD’s. The reasons for this trend, and some strategies for addressing it, are provided at the end of this paper.Item Keeping Students Engaged with Web-Based Polling in the Library Instruction Session(Emerald, 2012) Hoppenfeld, JaredThis research was performed with the goal of determining the potential benefit(s) of including web-based polling in the library instruction classroom. Over the course of a year, web-based polling was used in library instruction sessions and the survey results were recorded. Feedback forms were also used to gauge a sense of the students' experiences with this form of active learning. This study found that web-based polling in a library instruction classroom benefits both students and instructors. The students enjoy these sessions and are more attentive than in a typical lecture, which leads to better learning. Instructors are able to learn about the students' uses of technology, research methods, and more with the polling capability. This article may assist those deciding between different audience response systems and provide tips to those wishing to implement web-based polling, and more specifically Poll Everywhere, in their sessions.Item Copyright Uncertainty in the Geoscience Community: Part I, What's Free for the Taking?(Geoscience Information Society, 2012) Clement, GailItem Copyright Self-Help Movement: Initiatives for the Library Community(2011-07) Clement, GailItem Copyright Literacy Standards for Graduate Education: A Call to Action!(USETD Association, 2011-05-19) Clement, GailItem Metadata Value Chain for Open Access Journals(Taylor and Francis, 2011) Mercer, Holly; Dyas-Correia, SharonIn this session, Holly Mercer presented a case for finding global solutions to improve the metadata that is available for journals, particularly small, independent open access journals. She discussed the scholarly communication lifecycle and described how in her view the metadata value chain underpins the scholarly communication system. Examples of the importance of metadata to discovery, access, and use of publications were provided. Suggestions of how librarians can help editors and publishers enhance discoverability and usability for patrons were provided.Item Grey/Gray Matter: The Role of Institutional Repositories(2011-04-15) Mercer, HollyThe speaker defines the role of an institutional repository and explains how it aids in preservation and scholarship. The session reviews trends in preservation services, providing remote access to collections, and facilitating scholarly communications and research.Item A Tale of Two Depositories: Weeding Federal Depository Collections(DttP: Documents to the People, 2009) Sare, LauraItem Lessons Learned by a Standing Search Committee: Developing Better Practices(Journal of Academic Librarianship, 2009-07) Gilreath, Charles L.; Foster, Christine L.; Reynolds, Leslie J.; Tucker, Sandra L.This paper describes the reasons for establishing a standing committee for faculty searches at Texas A&M University Libraries, the committee’s practices as they have evolved over time, and the successes the committee has achieved in reducing the length of searches, minimizing staff time, improving job announcements and scoring rubrics, and enhancing the interview experience for job candidates.Item Errata sheet to dissertation: Aristotle's Contribution to Scholarly Communication 5/8/09(2009-05-08) Bales, StephenErrata sheet to dissertation: Aristotle's Contribution to Scholarly CommunicationItem Energy Systems Laboratory: Building a Model Repository Collection(Texas Conference on Digital Libraries, 2008-06-05) Koenig, Jay; Haberl, Jeff S.; Gilman, Don; Hughes, SherrieThe Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) is a division of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and part of the Texas A&M University System. First established in 1939, the ESL maintains a testing laboratory on the Riverside Campus in Bryan, Texas, and offices on the main campus of Texas A&M. The group consists of five faculty members from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as three faculty members from the Departments of Architecture and Construction Science. The lab currently employs approximately 120 staff members, including mechanical engineers, computer science graduates, lab technicians, support staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. The Lab focuses on energy-related research, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction, and has a total annual income for external research and testing exceeding $4.5 million. With energy research and policy at the forefront of public discussion, both academic and political, the urgency of making this research publicly available is very high. The Energy Systems Laboratory collection in the Texas A&M Digital Repository is unique in a number of ways. After first contacting the library in March 2005, the ESL became one of Texas A&M's earliest adopters of the repository. The collection is very diverse, and contains conference proceedings, published articles, technical reports, and electronic theses and dissertations produced by students affiliated with the ESL. The ESL is also the first repository client to take the initiative of assigning staff members to learn the batch loading process for themselves, both relieving library staff of the burden and allowing the collection to expand even more rapidly. The collection has also successfully made the transition, despite some challenges, from the original DSpace interface to the Manakin-themed repository now in place. After three years, the collection remains one of the largest collections in the system, continues to grow as more of the group's research and publications are added to the collection, and is held forth as a model collection to prospective repository clients in the Texas A&M community. This is a testament to the Energy Systems Laboratory's dedication to the building of their repository collection, and their clear understanding of the advantages of open access. This presentation will discuss the excellent working relationship built between the Energy System Laboratory and the library, and how such relationships can be fostered with other collections as the repository expands. It will also recount the events leading up to the ESL's original adoption of the repository, and will chronicle the evolution of the repository collection, the addition of new content, the transition and adaptation to new technology, the copyright and other challenges faced, and the group's future needs for additional tools and services.Item Subject Access to Your Information(2006-08-01) Tucker, SandraItem It's Not About A Desk(2004-05-19) Jaros, Joe; Foster, Chris; Bedard, MarthaThe issue of replacing reference librarians with staff on the desk is combined with the issue of development of a single service point. Cross training and reorganization will be discussed for an impact on positive staff development.Item ETD Release Policies in American ARL Institutions: A Preliminary Study(2005-09-27) Surratt, Brian E.The advent of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) has improved access to graduate level research, but with these new opportunities come new challenges. Institutions that host ETD collections must develop release policies that meet the requirements of intellectual property law and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders. These include graduate students, faculty, universities, and commercial publishers. Despite functioning in similar legal and cultural environments, analysis reveals that institutions have implemented a diversity of release policies. This lack of consistency suggests a lack of information and lack of standards in the ETD community. An improved understanding of the issues and options can encourage a new culture of cooperation and help inform institutions that are planning or have implemented ETD programs. This paper provides a preliminary analysis of policies that are currently in place at American institutions that are members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The study was conducted by analyzing release policies that are posted on publicly accessible web sites.Item Oral Tradition in Historical Research(International Oral History Association Proceedings, 2004-06) Hankins, RebeccaThis article will chronicle how those professionals called archivist, charged with collecting, preserving, and making primary source materials including oral history resources available to the public, view their role in this endeavor. This article will show how oral histories have become a central component in the ongoing struggle to document, revise, and append the stories of African American history and the Modern Civil Rights Movement.