Volume 46, Number 4 - July/August 2022
EDITORIALFrontLines Page 4 The way forward for libraries and their relevance in today's world remains a somewhat murky area. By Marydee Ojala DEPARTMENTSPage 8 Search Engine Update Page 27 Conference Corral Medical Library Association and All That Jazz FEATURESPage 10 The Game Is On: Gamifying Library Instruction, Usage, and Career Advancement Learning how to effectively use library resources, become information literate, and navigate the library itself is enhanced when gamification techniques are employed, thinks Barbie Keiser. Rewards for mastering library-related tasks motivate students and library users. Games such as scavenger hunts, escape rooms, and puzzles help people see libraries as fun places. By Barbie E. Keiser Page 16 Changes to NAICS Affect Researchers The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), which supplanted the SIC coding system in 1997, is integral to industry research, although its main purpose is to determine the economic effect of individual industries. Veteran business librarian Jennifer Boettcher details the recent changes, which primarily affect the retail and information sectors. By Jennifer C. Boettcher Page 22 Possible Promising New Paths for News Librarians Although heartened by signs that job prospects for news librarians are improving, Bob Berkman concedes that changing career paths may be the best option. He interviews librarians at NPR and The New York Times to discover their multifaceted duties and responsibilities and looks at cybersecurity as a possible new path. By Robert Berkman COLUMNSInternet Express Page 30 Your Free Trial Period Has Ended: Changes on the Horizon for Streaming Media Consumers Is the streaming media honeymoon over? Carly Lamphere looks at signs that indicate a new era is dawning that may be pushing cord-cutters to the brink. Can this marriage be saved? By Carly Lamphere InfoLit Land Page 33 Making Sense of Today’s Search Environment Search is a moving target. Reliance on keywords takes searchers only so far in getting to relevant results, both in library databases and web search. When controlled vocabularies don't deliver, searchers are left with trusting algorithms. Neither approach is perfect. By William Badke The Dollar Sign Page 36 Revisiting the Magic Words of Search: Controlled Vocabularies Meet Machine Learning How valuable are those magic words of search, the thesauri embedded into business databases in an age of machine learning? They serve an important purpose, but the technology is changing how they are conceived and constructed, hopefully for the better. By Marydee Ojala Technology and Power Page 39 Library discovery systems have evolved over the years. Yet many students continue to start their research with Google. Boyhun Kim compares internet search engines (ISEs) with discovery systems, pointing out that ISE algorithms boost advertising rather than unbiased research. By Bohyun Kim Metrics Mashup Page 42 Hearing the phrase "research reputation-industrial complex" at a conference led Elaine Lasda to investigate how much influence the corporate world has on determining the overall impact of research and what bias is introduced. By Elaine M. Lasda Hard Copy Page 45 Recommended Reading on Primary Source Research, Research Data Management, Google Books, and Cultural Heritage Institutions By Jennifer A. Bartlett Online Spotlight Page 48 The reference interview is a vital tool for online searchers. Although Mary Ellen Bates is an advocate, she wonders how AI will change/improve our understanding of the true intent behind a research question. By Mary Ellen Bates |
