Informing decision-making in libraries: informetric research as input to LIS education and practice.(Library and Information Science).

Findings from informetric research represent an important background resource to add to the mix of information useful for resolving difficult and ongoing problems in specific library environments or information service settings. This paper provides examples of informetric research that can be useful input to decision-making in the field of library management and information service provision. This overview takes four of the challenges that Michael Buckland outlined for library research as a way of guiding the discussion of ways that informetric work can be used to inform library decision-making. (1) References are made to relevant informetric work undertaken or conducted in Australia, by Australian researchers, or with Australian data.

Informetrics includes both quantitative and qualitative methods, which when used in combination can provide a rounded set of findings that has great validity for management, policy and service applications. Quantitative methodologies are generally based on bibliometric techniques, such as mining and analysis of data from various bibliographic and textual databases. Qualitative methods include survey, case study and historical approaches. Used in combination, each set of findings adds richness and other perspectives to an analysis.

Library learning space design : a good student fit

We are seeing a renewed interest nationally and internationally in the design and development of new learning environments. There is, at Deakin and more generally in the higher education sector, recognition that the students' experience of a flexible and supportive educational environment is central to excellent teaching and fosters student success. Recent Carrick Institute (now the Australian Learning and Teaching Council) grants have supported the need for a greater understanding of good practice, with workshops being held around the country.

The student experience is integral to planning the re-purposing of Library spaces at Deakin's two larger campuses, Waurn Ponds and Burwood. The physical spaces within the Library will be flexible and provide support for individual learning and study, group learning and discussion, with ubiquitous ICT access and assistance services readily accessible. The improvement to the amenities, including contemporary, wired casual spaces, will encourage students to come on to campus and stay, strengthening opportunities to build a learning community. This learning community can extend through opportunities for social networking to students studying online and off-campus.

Library services and spaces will align with the new pedagogical needs of the university, providing holistic support for students' flexible learning experiences.
"We know that space can have a significant impact on teaching and learning . . . What we know about how people learn has changed our ideas about learning space. There is value from bumping into someone and having a casual conversation. There is value from hands on, active learning as well as from discussion and reflection. There is value in being able to receive immediate support when needed and from being able to integrate multiple activities [and multiple information sources] to complete a project." (Diane Oblinger, Learning Spaces, EDUCAUSE, 2006).

Fitting fuzzy measures by linear programming. Programming library fmtools

We discuss the problem of learning fuzzy measures from empirical data. Values of the discrete Choquet integral are fitted to the data in the least absolute deviation sense. This problem is solved by linear programming techniques. We consider the cases when the data are given on the numerical and interval scales. An open source programming library which facilitates calculations involving fuzzy measures and their learning from data is presented.

Deakin University Library website 2.0 : iterative change for maximum gain

The purpose of library websites is evolving. Deakin University Library originally undertook to redevelop its website to provide improved access to information, resources and services and to better meet clients in their space. The first phase redeveloped the library homepage and top level link pages. During this time, social networking applications were becoming part of higher education. There were new choices: the Library website and search tools could undergo significant metamorphosis; adopt Web2.0 functionality and move from being the public face of the online library to the public space of its online community, with students and staff as active partners in its development.

Classifying Australian PhD theses : linking research and library practices

This paper draws on the findings from, and the methods and approach used, in the provision of a database of Australian PhD thesis records for the period 1987 to 2006, coded by Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) fields of study. The project was funded by the Research Excellence Branch of the Australian Research Council. Importantly, the project was not merely the creation of yet another database but constitutes a valuable research resource in its own right. It provides an alternative source of data about research training with a focus on research output and research capacity building rather than input as does data on enrolment. The database is significant as it can be used to track knowledge production in Australia over a twenty year period and contains approximately 54,000 bibliographic records. The database of Australian PhDs has been constructed from downloaded bibliographic records from Libraries Australia. Recommendations for practice relate to university libraries, doctoral candidates, and the coded database. We suggest that libraries are more consistent with cataloguing procedures, including the thesis ‘publication’ date, and that they are more timely in uploading their thesis records to Libraries Australia or, alternatively, Australian Research Online. We also suggest that PhD candidates code their own theses using the new ANZSRC scheme (which replaced the RFCD classification in 2008), and also use clear and communicative thesis titles and thesis abstracts. With regard to the coded database, we suggest it becomes a requirement for universities to provide the ANZSRC coding of submitted theses

Classifying Australian PhD theses: linking research and library practices

This article draws on the findings from, and the methods and approach used in the provision of a database of Australian PhD thesis records for the period 1987 to 2006, coded by Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) fields of study. Importantly, the project was not merely the creation of yet another database but constitutes a valuable research resource in its own right. The database is significant as it can be used to track knowledge production in Australia over a twenty year period and contains approximately 54,000 bibliographic records. Recommendations for practice relate to university libraries, doctoral candidates, and the coded database.

Online ordering : report of a trial by the Queensland Institutue of Technology Library

The article reports the methods and results of a trial by The QIT Library of the IDAPS Acquisitions System, specifically for items ordered from James Bennett Pty. Ltd. Hardware problems at Bennetts precluded test of comparative speed of delivery of electronically placed orders but the library reports a clear reduction in order preparation time and an excellent hit rate for bibliographic data on the LYNX and ABN databases viewed as a composite resource.

Can you teach all of the people some of the time? The development and evaluation of information literacy programs at the University of Queensland Library

Information skills and computer literacy are now seen by many within the academic community as essential. They are key graduate attributes required by students for lifelong learning and leadership roles in business and industry, government and society. Trends in the higher education sector bringing a renewed focus to teaching and preparing students for a global knowledge economy are outlined.

This paper focuses upon the power of a teaching and learning policy framework which supports the integration of information literacy into the curriculum. The increasing ease with which collaborative partnerships are formed between academic planners, course coordinators and librarians is highlighted by case studies of successful programs. Challenges are identified and change strategies described.