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Library Wide

Faculty Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Scholarly Communication

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Faculty Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Scholarly Communication: Survey Findings from the University of California is a report of the results of a survey of more than 1000 academics about “faculty perspectives and behavior on a range of issues and developments within the scholarly communication arena.”

From the executive summary:
Results of the survey – available in summary and statistically detailed forms in sections II and IV of the report respectively – reveal a profile of UC’s community of scholars where:

  • Faculty are strongly interested in issues related to scholarly communication.
  • Faculty generally conform to conventional behavior in scholarly publication, albeit with significant beachheads on several fronts.
  • Faculty attitudes are changing on a number of fronts, with a few signs of imminent change in behaviors.
  • The current tenure and promotion system impedes changes in faculty behavior.
  • On important issues in scholarly communication, faculty attitudes vary inconsistently by rank, except in general depth of knowledge and on issues related to tenure and promotion.
  • Faculty tend to see scholarly communication problems as affecting others, but not themselves.
  • The disconnect between attitude and behavior is acute with regard to copyright.
  • University policies mandating change are likely to stir intense debate.
  • Scholars are aware of alternative forms of dissemination but are concerned about preserving their current publishing outlet.
  • Scholars are concerned that changes might undermine the quality of scholarship.
  • Outreach on scholarly communication issues and services has not yet reached the majority of faculty.
  • The Arts and Humanities disciplines may be the most fertile disciplines for Universitysponsored initiatives in scholarly communication.
  • Senior faculty may be the most fertile targets for innovation in scholarly communication.

Library Wide

Beyond Google: How do students conduct academic research?

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Beyond Google: How do students conduct academic research?

This paper reports findings from an exploratory study about how students majoring in humanities and social sciences use the Internet and library resources for research. Using student discussion groups, content analysis, and a student survey, our results suggest students may not be as reliant on public Internet sites as previous research has reported. Instead, students in our study used a hybrid approach for conducting course–related research. A majority of students leveraged both online and offline sources to overcome challenges with finding, selecting, and evaluating resources and gauging professors’ expectations for quality research.

Library Wide

Other libraries books returned at UC Library

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Occasionally, people deliberately or inadvertently put books from Public Library, Lincoln University or Polytechnic through our Checkin slots or Afterhours drop box. Lending gives these items to Interloans for EVENTUAL return to their home library. This is a grace and favour arrangement of absolutely no urgency as we are clear that we are not a free delivery service.

If someone tells you that they have put a book checked out from another library in our returns and they want to have any control over the date of return they need to collect the books themselves from Interloans.