Browsing by Author "Miller, Willie"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 28
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    Adding apps to our collections: A pilot project
    (American Library Association, 2017) Miller, Willie; Lee, Yoo Young; Pike, Caitlin
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    The Boolean is Dead, Long Live the Boolean! Natural Language versus Boolean Searching in Introductory Undergraduate Instruction
    (2017) Lowe, M. Sara; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Stone, Sean M.; Miller, Willie; Snajdr, Eric; Hanna, Kathleen A.
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    Boolean Redux: Performance of Advanced versus Simple Boolean Searches and Implications for Upper-Level Instruction
    (2020) Lowe, M. Sara; Stone, Sean M.; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Snajdr, Eric; Miller, Willie
    Building off an earlier study, which examined whether or not it was beneficial to teach Boolean logic to introductory students, the present study examines the efficacy of Boolean OR searching in more advanced search strategies, for example, capstone projects and graduate theses and dissertations. Results show that both simple and advanced Boolean searches yield relevant results. Based on relevance, there is no compelling evidence that either search is superior. To capture all the literature on a topic, however, it is important that upper-level students know the relevant databases for their discipline and perform multiple searches. Results can help inform whether teaching Boolean search skills to upper-division students in disciplinary contexts is time well spent.
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    By and For Us: The Development of a Peer Review of Teaching Program by and for Pre-Tenure Librarians
    (Collaborative Librarianship, 2012) Alabi, Jaena; Huisman, Rhonda; Lacy, Meagan; Miller, Willie; Snajdr, Eric; Trinoskey, Jessica; Weare, William H., Jr.
    Seven pre-tenure librarians at the University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), concerned about the effectiveness of their library instruction, created a peer review of teaching (PROT) group. This article provides an overview of the LIS literature on PROT and identifies the commonalities and variations found in PROT programs. The authors then describe the development, implementation, and benefits of the PROT program at IUPUI. The program outcomes are discussed, including benefits for the observed, the observer, and for the PROT group as a whole. The authors also found that the implementation of a PROT program can enhance the sense of community among colleagues.
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    Commuter Campus in Transition: Meeting the Changing Needs of Students through Mixed-Methods Assessment
    (ALA Editions, 2018-06) Lowe, M. Sara; Miller, Willie; Moffett, Paul
    Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is an urban research university with approximately 30,000 commuter and residential students. This chapter discusses the space assessment done at University Library, the main campus library, which attempts to analyze and quantify the needs of both types of students. Two studies will be outlined, which started separately, but have since merged, both informing student use of library space. While both contain quantitative and qualitative elements, their methodologies are different. One used SMS (texting) in combination with one-on-one de-briefs to track student movement over the course of an entire day. The other uses in-library assessments to gauge student space use and preference. One limitation of in-library assessments is they only tell you about students who already use the library, not those who do not come to the library. The combination of these studies allows University Library to better plan library space, not only for current users, but also to target students who are not in the library (non-users).
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    Defining the Value of Libraries: Trends in Academic Library Assessment
    (2019-10-14) Miller, Willie; Hoffman, Starr; Lowe, Sara; Huisman, Rhonda; Moffett, Paul
    Just like other academic areas on campus, academic libraries frequently engage in assessment. In this panel, a group of esteemed leaders of library assessment will discuss ways in which libraries are assessing their impact on higher education. Librarians have a long history of evaluating their collections. Yet in the face of seismic change in the technological and educational landscapes, assessment trends in libraries now extend to robust programs of evaluating student learning, assessing the impact of library services and spaces, and demonstrating how libraries are a vital part of achieving institutional goals. Attendees will gain an understanding of assessing beyond direct academic outcomes, learn how library initiatives may be an opportunity to collaborate on common goals, and how libraries demonstrate their value in a campus-wide context.
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    The Efficient Provision of Information Resources in Academic Libraries: Theory and Practice
    (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022) Lewis, David W.; Baich, Tina; Palmer, Kristi L.; Miller, Willie
    Due to the increasing availability of digital content and systems improvements that have accelerated physical delivery, academic libraries are afforded opportunities to more efficiently provide users access to library materials. A theory for efficient provision of information resources, and thus more efficient use of financial resources, was proposed by one of the co-authors in the 2015 paper, “The Future of Academic Library Materials Expenditures: A Thought Experiment” (Lewis 2015a). The strategies on which the theory is based include purchase on demand, library publishing, and improved open access discovery. This article will detail the theory, and then examine IUPUI University Library’s experience of implementing strategies based on this theory. In doing so, the authors will analyze the effectiveness of the theory and offer guidance for libraries considering a similar path.
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    Evidence-Based Renovation: How Libraries Can Engage User Behavior to Inform Space Planning
    (2017-10-17) Miller, Willie; Moffett, Paul
    IUPUI University Library is planning a renovation project to convert space occupied by book stacks into informal study spaces for individuals and groups. We planned an assessment program to gather data from library users that helped provide insight to staff, architect, and designers on how and why they choose to use the library. What we learned from user feedback was used to intelligently decide the number and variety of seating types and work environments, so that we could enhance an atmosphere conducive to scholarship in the library. In our short presentation, we described our implementation of a mixed method approach to data gathering using three different tools: unobtrusive observation, survey, and open question solicitation. We discussed how our variety of methods served to corroborate the data that we gathered from each, why it was important to garner input from library visitors, and how the information influenced our decisions about seating types and locations. We provided an overview of our observational assessment in which we recorded specific, relevant data such as group size, activities, and type of work surface or seating. We will also describe the adaption of a survey instrument, used to gauge student opinions about services, locations, and furniture available for their study habits and needs. Finally, we detailed how we designed open quantitative and qualitative questions, posted on white boards, for library users to self-report their habits and opinions.
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    Frame It In the News: Teaching Information Literacy Without a Research Paper
    (2013-05-06) Miller, Willie
    Librarians struggle to teach information literacy skills to first-year students in courses without a research component. Without a need to know how to consume information, students can disengage from learning. Using news as the frame for IL instruction is a solution. News media outlets have significant power in society. As Masterman (1985) wrote in Teaching the Media, “the media tells us what is important and what is trivial by what they take note of and what they ignore, by what is amplified and what is muted or omitted.” As news media are pervasive institutions concretely entwined with everyday life and require critical analysis for responsible engagement, the news makes for a prodigious frame in which to teach information literacy.