University Library

A report of findings from a research project on backlogs and processing practices in UC Libraries, presented at the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Society of California Archivists. The Guidelines for Efficient Archival Processing in the University of California Libraries has been an influential resource for archivists nationwide since its publication in 2012. This research project seeks to understand the Guidelines' impact on backlogs, collection management policies, and day-to-day archival practices over the last dozen years across the UC Libraries, by taking a fresh look at current practices, collections, and perspectives. Our research will assess how the Guidelines' strategies for managing materials, accessioning, and processing have or have not been effective. A forthcoming article in the Journal of Western Archives summarizes our findings.

Examples of MARC 21 catalog records to accompany the OLAC Best Practices for Cataloging DVD-Video and Blu-ray Discs, Objects, Streaming Media, and Video Games Using the Original RDA Toolkit and MARC 21

The OLAC Unified Best Practices Guide brings together and aligns Best Practices for Cataloging DVD-Video and Blu-ray Discs Using RDA and MARC21, Best Practices for Cataloging Objects Using RDA and MARC 21, Best Practices for Cataloging Streaming Media Using RDA and MARC21, and Best Practices for Cataloging Video Games Using RDA and MARC21.  This is intended for use with the Original RDA Toolkit.  There is an accompanying document of full MARC examples.

Graduate students report many barriers and challenges to publishing in an increasingly competitive environment. They also face a hidden curriculum around publishing practices, which can disproportionately disadvantage first generation students. In this paper, we present preliminary results from a subset of our one-on-one, peer-to-peer interviews with graduate students representing disciplines across campus. We conducted applied thematic analysis by coding interview transcripts and identifying major themes. We will share what we have learned focusing on what topics libraries can teach that will best guide students in their publishing efforts.

The Reparative Archival Description Project was a two-year long effort to audit and revise the archival description in UCSC Library’s finding aids to identify, contextualize, and remediate language that is racist, oppressive, culturally insensitive, outdated, or coded in ways that harm or obscure marginalized people and communities.

archives, born-digital, access, attorney-client privilege, copyright, sensitive, donor agreement, FERPA, GDPR, HIPAA, confidentiality, personal, PII, privacy

Prebiotic and probiotic supplementation and yogurt consumption (a probiotic food) alter gut microbial diversity, which may influence colorectal carcinogenesis. This systematic review evaluates the existing literature on the effect of these nutritional supplements and yogurt consumption on colorectal neoplasia incidence among adults. We systematically identified ten randomized controlled trials and observational studies in adults age ≥ 18 without baseline gastrointestinal disease. Prebiotics included inulin, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, and β-glucans. Probiotics included bacterial strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, and Escherichia coli. Synbiotic supplements, a mixture of both prebiotic and probiotic supplements, and yogurt, a commonly consumed dietary source of live microbes, were also included. We defined colorectal neoplasia as colorectal adenomas, sessile serrated polyps, and colorectal cancer (CRC). Overall, findings suggest a moderate decrease in risk of adenoma and CRC for high levels of yogurt consumption compared to low or no consumption. Prebiotic supplementation was not associated with colorectal neoplasia risk. There was some evidence that probiotic supplementation may be associated with lower risk of adenomas but not with CRC incidence. Higher yogurt consumption may be associated with lower incidence of colorectal neoplasia. We found little evidence to suggest that prebiotic or probiotic supplements are associated with significant decreases in CRC occurrence.

This poster will share the preliminary findings from a mixed-methods research study on graduate students’ knowledge of and faculty support of the publishing process at an R1 university.

The publishing process is arduous and opaque, and graduate students as early career researchers lack a clear, consistent introduction to the process (Belcher, 2009). Graduate students learn as they go, encounter unspoken disciplinary and/or cultural rules that cause confusion, and ask questions like, “how long does it take to get published?”, “what is open access?”, and “how soon should I pick a journal?”. Support from faculty is inconsistent, and faculty have limited time (O’Hara et al., 2019). Also, publishing norms vary across disciplines, but cross-disciplinary training about publishing in general can be valuable (Colla, 2020; O’Hara et al., 2019). Librarians’ efforts should complement those of faculty advisors and their mentoring relationships with students (Baruzzi & Calcagno, 2015; Buehler & Zald, 2013; McClellan, 2017). While it is generally assumed that graduate students need training on publishing, there is a gap in understanding what the baseline knowledge of graduate students is and what information faculty share with them, both within and across disciplines. Developing this understanding positions the library to engage at an appropriate level to address these needs.

The goal of our research is to learn what guidance about the publishing process faculty provide and what graduate students are aware of already and/or learn from their faculty advisors. The research questions cover current practice, current understanding around publishing, mentoring scope and depth, and disciplinary support mechanisms. The methodology consists of interviews followed by a survey. The interviews with faculty and graduate students will generate qualitative data about the experiences of both groups across disciplines (fall 2021 - winter 2022). Librarians will interview faculty, and graduate students from across disciplines will be hired to interview their peers. The subsequent survey will provide quantitative data about publishing practices and knowledge across the entire campus (spring 2022). Our research will inform the initiatives needed for publishing support and services, both tailored to disciplines and across disciplines, from the library.