Volume 44, Number 3 - May/June 2020
EDITORIALFrontLines Page 1 What this health crisis has shown is that it's librarians who are the most essential. By Marydee Ojala The Searcher's Viewpoint Page 27 By Gwenn Weaver DEPARTMENTSPage 7 Search Engine Update By Greg R. Notess Page 29 Conference Corral NISO Plus Conference 2020 By Raymond Pun FEATURESPage 9 Extended reality (XR) incorporates virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and spatial computing, blending digital simulations with our physical world. These immersive technologies create phenomenal opportunities for library services and programs, and have the potential to revolutionize education and entertainment. St. Petersburg College's Chad Mairn provides examples of XR in action. By Chad Mairn Page 14 Counting on Math Databases The discipline of mathematics has three superb electronic resources. Not only is their history fascinating, the capabilities of MathSciNet, Wolfram MathWorld, and zbMATH cover a full range of mathematics research. Throw in the practical aspects of math, as demonstrated by Khan Academy, and join librarian Woody Evans as he dispels your math anxiety. By Woody Evans Page 18 Employee Compensation Data Resources: How to Use Them and Why They Are Important The ever-intriguing question about how much people are paid is answered by researcher Roger Magnus using free websites from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, tax forms (the 990s) from nonprofits and foundations, government employee salary data compilations, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics' profiles of labor unions, and websites sharing athlete and celebrity earnings. By Roger Magnus Page 22 The New Version of MEDLINE: What Searchers Want PubMed has long been the gold standard for medical research. The initiative of the National Center for Biotechnology Information to update it led several librarians to solicit feedback from their colleagues about what features and functionality were the most desired. Results of the survey revealed not only what searchers want, but also what they can easily live without. By Stephen Clancy, Rachel Stark, Linda Suk-Ling Murphy COLUMNSThe Dollar Sign Now that millions of people around the globe are working from home, many involuntarily and with short notice, how to work from home effectively is a hot topic. Advice on how to set up a home office is rampant—and often contradictory. By Marydee Ojala Internet Express Page 31 Streaming Media: An Access and Preservation Game Changer While streaming features fit perfectly into the lives of users who demand instant gratification, even the best-curated single streaming platforms are not all-encompassing, giving users little choice but to have multiple subscriptions and maintain their own analog collections. By Carly Lamphere InfoLit Land Page 35 How I (Try to) Teach the Framework The ACRL Information Literacy Framework underscores the threshold concepts that define information literacy, which are meant to be "encountered." Bill Badke presents a no-holds-barred account of how he teaches the Framework in a deliberate, incremental, and iterative manner. By William Badke Technology and Power Page 38 AI, Lifelong Learning, Neoliberalism, and Libraries Insights gleaned from her stint as a guest lecturer at an undergraduate seminar on the technical and social challenges of AI technologies led Bohyun Kim to muse about the impact of neoliberal philosophies on higher education and the disruption of the concept of lifelong learning. By Bohyun Kim Metrics Mashup Page 41 Gaming the System University librarian Elaine Lasda investigates whether increased reliance on metrics for evaluating research productivity perversely affects researcher behavior. Do researchers "game the system" to make themselves look better? By Elaine M. Lasda Hard Copy Page 44 Recommended Reading on Intellectual Freedom, Anonymity, Scholarly Communication, and Acquisitions Collaboration By Jennifer A. Bartlett Online Spotlight Page 48 Have We Hit Peak Google? Intrepid researcher Mary Ellen Bates speculates that we have probably reached "peak Google," that point where it no longer meets the needs of professional researchers, who now need to look elsewhere for reliable search results. By Mary Ellen Bates |
