A formative program evaluation using Stufflebeam's (2010) Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model was conducted to assess the use of digital badges for tracking basic library instructional skills across academic programs at Nova Southeastern University. Based on the evaluation of pilot library modules and Blackboard Learn's badges…

Sense-making theory involves a sociological/communications science approach to the need of students to make sense of their environment and the information they are seeking to find. With many digital resources to choose from, non-traditional students often have difficulty finding the best resource for their assignments, opting for the easiest path…

Research shows that academic libraries can be difficult to navigate and that students are often frustrated with not being able to find the right materials. This current study attempts to identify access barriers in FSU's Strozier Library by assessing the effectiveness of signs and directories, as well as wayfinding patterns of both undergraduate…

A librarian and faculty member collaborated on creating a library research module for students in the faculty member's college success classes to help them learn the fundamentals of information literacy. Using the assignment "My Ideal Job," the students met four or more times with the librarian in a computer classroom to learn how to do…

Embedded librarians in online courses provide a wealth of service and information to students. Though students indicate that these services are valuable, the librarians providing embedded services frequently note that these projects are very time consuming. This study examines the provision of a less time-intensive model of embedded librarianship…

Declining reference statistics, diminishing human resources, and the desire to be more proactive and embedded in academic departments, prompted the University of South Florida Library to create a taskforce for re-envisioning reference services. The taskforce was charged with examining the staffing patterns at the desk and developing…

Librarians have long struggled to find user-friendly mediums to provide meaningful information to patrons using bibliographies, pathfinders, and subject guides with varying degrees of success. Content management systems, such as Springshare's LibGuides, have recently been developed to facilitate the creation of online subject guides. Special…

These days it seems like school librarians are under attack, if not already an endangered species. After eight years of the No Child Left Behind Act--which, paradoxically, chipped away at many library positions--recent state and local budget shortfalls have led to rounds and rounds of layoffs for school librarians. While things are tough in the…

Beginning in 1994, a series of collection analysis and assessment projects of community college library/LRC collections in Florida has been conducted by the College Center for Library Automation (CCLA). The purpose of the assessments conducted through LINCC, the network for Florida community colleges, was to provide data for improvement of…

A study of centralized school media processing centers in Indiana and Florida indicated that a coordinated national effort, such as the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication project, could eliminate the repetitive and costly operation of such centers. (Author/PF)

Librarians are conducting instruction sessions outside the traditional classroom setting using online tutorials with increasing frequency. Online tutorials seem like an obvious solution to meet the growing need for instruction to users in a time when resources are shrinking. Can librarians effectively teach library skills using an online tutorial?…

The goals of this program were to alert Florida's academic and public librarians to the nature of fire- and water-related disasters, train them to prepare for and respond to emergency situations in ways that would minimize damage to collections, and establish a statewide library disaster recovery network. These goals were met by means of the…

Describes the economic impacts and benefits received from public libraries in Florida, indicating that public libraries make a significant contribution to the economic development of the state. Discusses taxpayer funding, budget cuts, and determining economic impacts from taxpayer investments; and presents a framework for further studies.…

Reports on the outcomes and impact of the Florida Community College Statewide Collection Assessment Project. Highlights include influences on the appropriation of additional funds; collection development decisions; collection weeding based on institution-specific collection assessment reports; and receipt and use of state legislative funding.…

Outlines methods that the Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA) has developed to estimate transaction costs and overall demand for NOTIS services. Transaction resource usage analysis is discussed, record structures are explained, institution collection size is considered, and usage and response time by hour of day is described. (six…