Library

eCommons

 

USAIN 2006 Conference Proceedings

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1813/39487

The United States Agricultural Information Network is an organization for information professionals that provides a forum for discussion of agricultural issues, takes a leadership role in the formation of a national information policy as related to agriculture, makes recommendations to the National Agricultural Library on agricultural information matters, and promotes cooperation and communication among its members. The USAIN Conferences focus on information resources for agriculture and life sciences research and practice. The conferences are sponsored by the United States Agricultural Information Network in order to offer librarians a forum for sharing professional information. The conferences are hosted every other year. This collection contains proceedings to past conferences. For more information about past and future conferences please visit USAIN.org.

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 10 of 48
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    UK 101 A New Way of Introducing Freshmen to Campus Libraries
    Perry, Valerie (2006)
    Personalized Library Portals, Virtual Reference and Federated Searching are some of the recent technological advancements offered in public service at many libraries. At the University of Kentucky, we realized that we needed to "get back to the basics" in order to improve our relationships with undergraduate students. In 2004, the Library Marketing Committee conducted focus groups with undergraduates to provide the data needed to create a marketing plan. The initial goals were to determine the best advertising methods to reach undergraduates effectively and which services we need to focus on first. The sample was small and non-scientific, but the results were consistent in each session. Our undergraduates were missing the most fundamental information about libraries--we provide free assistance and they are welcome at all fifteen campus libraries. In addition, they wanted to know more about the services we offered. During the same year, the Instruction Committee was charged with evaluating the library involvement in a voluntary one-credit course introducing incoming freshmen to the university, called UK 101. The University Libraries had tried several methods, from tours and library exercises for all sections to a dedicated four-week library component for a single section. After reviewing the focus group data, it was clear that a new approach was needed and UK 101 provided an excellent opportunity to reach at least one-third of the incoming freshman class each year. The Instruction Committee and the Marketing Committee collaborated to revamp the course so that it emphasized the basic reasons for using the library and welcomed students to visit the library of their choice. The new and improved library component of UK 101 was required by all sections reaching over 1600 freshmen in 71 sections during the first semester of 2004/2005 academic year. It consisted of a PowerPoint presentation conducted by library personnel, a library tour conducted by the peer instructor and a TILT-based tutorial. The presentation and tour took place during one class period and the tutorial was completed outside of class. The difference(s) between this project and many other library instruction sessions was the heavy emphasis on making students aware of the fifteen campus libraries. The presentation and the tutorial both used fresh and fun approaches to reach the students, and were created based on advice from the Teaching and Learning Center on campus. Due to the strong support of Library Administration, the workload was spread among 25 library employees including librarians, paraprofessionals and library science graduate students. University Libraries has continued participating in UK 101 and anticipates an increased enrollment in 2006. Simultaneously, in an effort to reach the rest of the student population, the Marketing Committee has increased awareness of library services and resources to undergraduates through exhibits at campus events, dorm presentations and advertisements in campus food services and stalls. These experiences have provided the instruction librarians a new way to approach information literacy and produced a foundation of competencies now expected of most undergraduate students.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An Introduction to NCBI's Bioinformatics Resources
    Devare, Medha (2006)
    This workshop provides an introduction to National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) databases commonly used by life scientists. The workshop is specifically designed for those with no or little knowledge of bioinformatics, and begins with a brief tutorial on molecular biology fundamentals and the basic theory behind DNA and protein sequencing. We will then move on to the effective use of NCBI's bibliographic, nucleotide, protein, gene, and genome databases, the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), and /Cn3D/, NCBI's 3-D visualization tool for proteins.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Successful Digital Repositories: Selecting an Institutional Repository Model
    Rieger, Oya Y. (2006)
    Oya Rieger offers strategies to select and implement repository system features and functionality and illustrates a broad range of case studies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    How Big a Problem is Copyright?
    Shamos, Michael I. (2006)
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    USAIN White Paper and AgNIC Strategic Planning Report
    Hutchinson, Barbara (2006)
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Defining the Nature of a Digital Conservancy: How diverse collections and systems shape a unified digital repository program
    Herold, Philip (2006)
    The institutional repository (IR) is fast being embraced as a necessary service of the academic library. Most often, the IR is implemented as an isolated software system and by definition it contains a limited range of content (i.e., institutionally-produced works). At the same time, non-institutionally-produced digital collections that the library owns typically sit separately - perhaps they have special audiences, contributors, needs, and likely they have unique development histories. What identity unifies them for presentation to users? Do they need to be tied together somehow? Organizationally, how should they be effectively and efficiently managed and preserved? Technically, are there ways to leverage systems to manage diverse collections found in IRs and in subject-based or special collections? The answer for the University of Minnesota is the University Digital Conservancy, a new program that encompasses data management, preservation, delivery, and the development of new born-digital or previously-digitized collections. This paper focuses on the opportunities and challenges posed by the construction of a holistic framework for developing, managing, preserving, and delivering digital collections. It discusses the complexities involved in: bringing together disparate collections with distinct contributors and audiences; integrating and replacing legacy systems with current technology; developing policy and workflow for digital archival collections, institutional repository-type content, and subject-based repository content that originates in- and/or outside of the institution. The paper focuses on three examples relevant to the agricultural, environmental, and natural resource sciences, including: AgEcon Search, an existing digital collection of 20,000 applied economics working papers contributed by faculty from around the world; agricultural extension publications; and, works of the new Institute for the Environment at the University of Minnesota. Discussion of the unique opportunities and challenges posed by each of these collections will help inform librarians working to develop their own institutional solutions around digital information.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    USDA Electronic Repository for Agricultural Literature (ERAL)
    Cole, Chris; Esman, Mike (2006)
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Bioinformatics: Opportunities and Challenges for Data Recovery, Analysis and Sustainability
    Giovannoni, Jim (2006)
    Dr. Giovannoni is a San Francisco native who received a BS in Biochemistry at UC Davis in 1985. Jim received a Ph.D. in Molecular and Physiological Plant Biology from University of California, Berkeley in 1990. Jim spent 1990-1992 as a post-doctoral research associate at Cornell University in the laboratory of Steve Tanksley. In 1992 Jim took a position as Assistant Professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at Texas A&M where he developed a research program based on analysis of developmental determinants of fruit ripening using molecular genetic and genomics approaches. Jim has been a Plant Molecular Biologist with the USDA-ARS Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory in Ithaca, NY since late September 2000 and continues to work on tomato with emphases on genetic determinants of ripening and nutrient quality of fruit. Dr. Giovannoni's laboratory is housed in the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI) on the Cornell University campus. He holds the title of Scientist at the BTI and is an Adjunct Professor in the departments of Plant Biology, Plant Breeding and Horticultural Sciences at Cornell. The focus of research in the Giovannoni laboratory is molecular and genetic analysis of fruit ripening and related signal transduction systems with emphasis on aspects of nutritional quality. The laboratory is also part of a large National Science Foundation-funded tomato genomics consortium that recently initiated the international tomato genome sequencing effort. He has over 50 refereed publications and has five patents issued or pending.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
Mann Library is offering broad public access to benefit education, research and scholarship. The materials in these collections may be protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) (see http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17). Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of copyright or licensing agreements. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners.