IACRL People's Choice Award in Scholarly Publishing Voting is Closed!
Voting for the 2025 IACRL People’s Choice Award in Scholarly Publishing is now closed. Please vote for ONE of the submissions below by Friday, April 11, 2025. When deciding for which submission to vote, please consider the following criteria.
Organization and content of submission
- Is it divided into separate sections for the introduction, research question, methodology, results, conclusions, etc.?
- Do the initial question, the methods for data collection and analysis, and the findings demonstrate a thorough and accurate research process?
- Are any graphs, tables, or other visual representations clearly related to the information in the text?
- Does the abstract clearly summarize the main points?
Clarity of writing and relevance of sources
- Is the information in the submission easy for someone unfamiliar with the topic to understand?
- Are any technical terms or concepts clearly explained, including in visual representations, as one would expect in a scholarly publication?
- Are the sources that are cited or listed professional works providing context for the research?
Relevance to Illinois libraries
- Is this a study you could see recreating at your own library, at least on a certain scale?
- Could you apply the conclusions of the research to daily operations at your own library, such as improving an existing service or adding a new one?
- Is this a scholarly publication you would recommend to a colleague?
The IACRL Awards Committee will announce the top three places (including ties) once the votes are tallied.
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Title: "Along for the Journey: Graduate Student Perceptions of Research." College & Research Libraries, 2024, 85(1), 826-852.
Authors: Alissa Droog, Kari D. Weaver, and Francis Brady, Northern Illinois University, University of Waterloo, Adler University
Summary: Graduate students’ identities and personal lives are heavily tied to their experiences of research, and many struggle to find, understand, and use information for research purposes. Using a drawing exercise rooted in visual research methods combined with semi-structured interviews, a research team in the United States and Canada explored graduate student perceptions of research with nineteen participants. Thematic analysis identified six themes: research is abstract; research is an odyssey; social support makes or breaks the student experience; research is an emotional continuum; interplay between identity/values; information is problematic. The study has implications for how librarians support graduate student research.
Full Text: https://bit.ly/3QUjiGW
Title: “It All Started with Etienne: Developing Fine Arts Outreach with Unique Archival Collections." Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement, vol 4. No. 1. 2024: 2-9.
Author: Robert Ridinger, Northern Illinois University
Summary: Since its inception, the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago has served as a vital repository for artifacts created by artists working in diverse genres of media. These collections offer unique opportunities and challenges for the institution, particularly in terms of preservation and collection development. However, beyond these traditional archival concerns, the distinctive nature of the artworks has also allowed the museum to develop meaningful strategies for community engagement, professional outreach, public education, and research. This essay will explore how the Leather Archives has navigated these complexities, using its collections and programming to foster connections with the communities it serve.
Full Text: https://bit.ly/3FkFnMw
Title: "Change What You Can, Teach What You Can’t: A Usability Study of Primo VE at an Academic Library." Journal of Web Librarianship., 18(2), 2024, 68–90.
Authors: Christina Norton and Michelle Nielsen Ott, Bradley University, Elizabeth Bloodworth, Illinois Wesleyan University
Summary: This article reports the preliminary results of usability testing on a customized Primo VE search interface. The testing aimed to identify average completion time and points of friction, if any, for patrons completing common tasks in the interface. In-person and synchronous virtual testing was completed, observed, and guided by members of the research team while the participants’ screen activity was recorded via Zoom. Customization plans for the interface, also reported here, were developed as potential solutions to these friction points, as well as potential adjustments to the marketing and classroom presentation of Primo VE.
Full Text: https://bit.ly/4kwzyeQ
Title: “Consulting with an Embedded Librarian: Student Perceptions on the Value of Required Research Meetings." Journal of the Medical Library Association, 2024, 112(4).
Authors: Susan R. Franzen, Caitlin Stewart, and Joshua Newport, Illinois State University, Mallory Jallas, University of Illinois at Springfield
Summary: This qualitative research project was undertaken to discover how students perceive the embedded librarian in their nursing class. The researchers determined how a required group research meeting was valued by students and whether that value warranted the necessary time and energy by an embedded librarian.
Full Text: https://bit.ly/3DrYdAx
Title: "Fostering Student Connection to the Library: Personal Librarians and First-Year Experience," book chapter, (2024). Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.
Authors: Loren Mixon, Coastal Carolina University, and Tracy Conner, Kishwaukee Community College
Summary: The personal librarian program was embedded into the First Year Student Success classes at Kankakee Community College to ensure freshman instruction in resources and supports available within the library while focusing on creating campus community connections with librarians. As a part of this collaboration, new library curriculum was created to involve students in the library using a variety of different modalities. Students completed an asynchronous assignment connecting typical syllabus elements to library services that may help, a class tour with basic book searching activity, and then a one-on-one meeting with their personal librarian who walked them through database research basics and answered questions.
This program was developed with the goals of creating connections that would impact retention and centering the library as a supportive space. Retention has been a primary goal at KCC, and the personal librarian program aimed to serve as one of the points of individual connection on campus that could help retain a student to the following semester and beyond. As a result of the initial implementation of the personal librarian program within the FYE courses at KCC and the encouraging resulting data, other conversations have begun on campus about additional course-level interventions that could be instituted to encourage connection with students. This program has provided a model for others to follow on campus in designing and executing course-level interventions to provide one layer of the current retention initiative of surrounding each student with a team focused on their success as students.
Full Text: https://bit.ly/4bxKXa5
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