OU Libraries Faculty Scholarship

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10323/2152

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Faculty perspectives on open access: A multidimensional analysis of open-access usage and library relationships at an R2 institution
(Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 2026-06-03) Van Loon, James E.; Rodriguez, Julia E.
Introduction: The focus of this study is the broad impact open-access (OA) publishing has on all aspects of faculty members’ work (including publishing habits, research activities, and teaching) and on faculty relationships with the library. Methods: An online survey addressing the impact of OA publishing on faculty and on their relationship with the library was administered to full-time tenure-track faculty at an R2 institution. Responses were analyzed by disciplinary unit, and themes were developed from faculty qualitative responses. Results: A majority of faculty respondents had experience with OA publishing, with payment of article processing charges (APCs) to OA publishers, and with the use of OA materials in research and teaching. Many faculty respondents reported a substantial impact of OA on their research, teaching, and authorship, but expressed concern with the funding of OA publishing fees, with the quality and reputation of OA journals, and with the ethics of the OA business model. Discussion: Faculty respondents demonstrate differing levels of familiarity with OA materials in all three roles. Overall, they are more receptive to OA materials as readers and researchers and more demanding about the quality, impact, and cost of OA publishing as authors. Conclusion: Despite recognition of the benefits of OA materials, faculty respondents express concern over the cost, quality, and ethics of OA publishing. Faculty respondents also indicate a desire for the institution to provide funding for OA publications and rely on the library for expertise in locating, evaluating, and utilizing OA publications.
Faculty talking: Thoughts on open access publishing and the library's role
(2025-10-23) Van Loon, James; Rodriguez, Julia
An online survey addressing the impact of open-access publishing on faculty and on their relationship with the library was administered to full-time tenure-track faculty at an R2 institution. Responses were analyzed by disciplinary unit and themes were developed from faculty qualitative responses. In this presentation, we present a selection of quantitative and free-text responses from faculty about the impacts of open-access publishing and how the faculty's use of and relationship with the library has been impacted by the growth of OA materials.
Talking Among Ourselves: Using a Book Club as an Inclusive Leadership Tool
(ACRL, 2026) Wallis, Elizabeth L.
No Textbook Required: Converting courses to no-cost course materials to support student success
(2025-05-16) Julia E. Rodriguez
Teaching and Learning Symposium 2025 - Imagining Inclusive Futures through Teaching session presentation
Faculty attitudes and behaviors towards open access publishing at an R2 university
(2024-05-16) Van Loon, Jim; Rodriguez, Julia E.
Emerging changes in scholarly publishing will have a profound effect on both academic libraries and their patrons. As part of an environmental scan at an R2 institution, an online survey of tenure-track faculty was conducted to understand their use of open access (OA) and their experience with funding open access publication. The session presents results from the survey and engages attendees in discussion about OA funding at their institutions.
Enhancing accessibility in STEM: A survey of accessibility errors in STEM academic databases
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-09-19) Van Loon, James; McCann, Shawn
Academic libraries must provide accessible electronic and information technology to patrons using assistive technology to access library materials. Accessibility of scholarly material is particularly important in the STEM disciplines, where attrition rates of students with disabilities is higher than in other fields. In this study, the accessibility of STEM indexing databases was evaluated using the WAVE accessibility tool, and the frequency of errors, alerts, and features encountered during the completion of typical searching tasks for each database was noted. The use of accessibility-checking tools like WAVE can supplement other methods used to verify the accessibility of vendor-created library databases.
You got transformative learning in my critical pedgogy! Connecting two theoretical perspectives to inform our instructional identities and praxis
(LOEX Conference Proceedings, 2023) Nichols Hess, Amanda
Critical information literacy and transformative learning theory grow from the same roots: Both are founded in examinations of power structures, critiques of cultural systems, and aims of emancipation. However, librarians haven’t considered whether transformative learning theory can support critical practices in our teaching, nor have we explored how critical library instruction can shape our own transformative experiences around who we are as educators. In this conference paper, I connect these complementary theoretical approaches to consider our instructional identities in more critical ways, create conditions where students may experience perspective transformation, and provide pathways for true and meaningful praxis.
Datasets for submitted article titled "A Health Education Partnership Between an Academic Medical Library and Public Library: Lessons Learned Before & During a Pandemic"
(2021-01-22) Swanberg, Stephanie M.; Look, Erin; Yuen, Emily W.; Jayakumar, Mithya; Shubitowski, Tyler; Bulgarelli, Nancy; Wedemeyer, Rose; Lucia, Victoria
Three datasets for submitted article (see article abstract below): Background: Public libraries serve as community centers for accessing free, trustworthy health information. As such, they provide an ideal setting to teach the local community about health and health literacy, particularly during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2018, an outreach partnership between an academic medical library and public library has developed, delivered, and continuously evaluated a health education program targeting public library users. Case Presentation: Health education activities were integrated into three existing public library programs: adult workshops, child and family programming, and circulating family activity kits, all of which pivoted online during the pandemic. An interprofessional team approach combined the expertise of academic medical and public librarians, medical school faculty and staff, and medical students in developing the educational programs. A total of 12 in-person and three virtual health education programs were offered and seven health education family kits were launched. Activities were evaluated using program evaluation surveys of the adult and children’s programs. Conclusions: This case report showcases the lessons learned in implementing a longitudinal outreach partnership between an academic medical and public library before and during the COVID-19 pandemic with a look to the future. The interprofessional team approach and flexibility in program design and delivery in both the in-person and virtual environments proved critical to the success of the partnership. This can inspire other libraries to pursue interprofessional collaborations in educating local communities on healthy behavior and health information seeking practices.
How Much Do Faculty Think Students Should Pay for Course Materials? A Survey of Instructors' Use of Current Course Materials and OER Use
(Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 2022) Rodriguez, Julia E.
Introduction: Campus affordability initiatives promote the adoption of free, low-cost, and open educational materials. Coordinators first need to understand faculty usage of instructional course materials, textbook selection authority, and their price tolerance for, knowledge of, and use of open educational resources (OER). Methods: Faculty at a medium-sized research university in the Midwest were invited to participate in an online survey about their current use of instructional course materials, their knowledge of material cost, and student purchasing habits. The survey had a completion rate of 128 responses, representing all teaching ranks on campus. Results: Instructors assign a wide range of materials and rarely hear from students about their inability to purchase textbooks. The majority find US$100 or more an acceptable price and believe that more than 70% of students purchase all required items. Over half of respondents make the final decision about their materials, and factually accurate content is the top priority when making selections. Eighty percent have some awareness of OER, but OER use is low. Discussion: Response rate was too low to make general assumptions but suggests areas for further exploration and provides base data when working with departments. A faculty member’s selection authority could be limiting OER use and impacting students. Discussions need to take place about an acceptable price for department courses and how faculty decide to require materials. Conclusion: Outreach to campus partners should promote high-quality materials as instructors consider this the most when selecting resources. Further examination of how selection authority impacts OER use and student success need to occur.
How Much Do Faculty Think Students Should Pay for Course Materials? Understanding Faculty Cost Tolerance and Selection Authority
(2023-05-18) Rodriguez, Julia E.
Campus OER initiatives promote the adoption of open educational materials but first, there needs to be an understanding of campus practices, policies, and norms that may impact or even obstruct the adoption of new course materials. This presentation reports on the findings of a study that investigated the types of course materials instructors assign, instructors’ perception of an acceptable cost for these materials, their selection authority, and instructors’ knowledge and use of OER.
Scholarly Communication Services: From an Island, You Can Build Bridges
(2023) Rodriguez, Julia E.
In 2012, my library reorganized to align with a new strategic plan. As a result, my position changed and I needed a new job title. My dean suggested scholarly communication librarian, to which I had a strong reaction. “What on earth does scholarly communication even mean?” After some discussion, we settled on faculty research support librarian, agreeing that it more clearly communicated my role to campus. I was tasked with developing services for assisting faculty throughout the research life cycle. I didn’t have a department or even a group of other librarians who also embraced this work. It was just me on my island, and it wasn’t a sunny tropical island but a medium-sized Midwest public university library with not enough librarians (thirteen) to serve the growing student population (now 20,000), let alone over 500 faculty. My acquired competencies for this position at this point included some basic expertise in copyright, I had recently served as open access track lead for a regional teaching conference where I also presented on institutional repositories, and I was the author of two peer-reviewed articles. I thought back to four years earlier when I was assigned to support the School of Nursing and the School of Health Sciences with no corresponding experience beyond having been a patient. To alleviate my sense of impostor syndrome, I completed every continuing education course I could find on evidence-based medicine, PubMed, and systematic reviews. Fortunately, many courses were free and my administration financed the cost when there was a fee. With my new title in hand, I set forth, sometimes deliberately and sometimes fortuitously, to develop my skills and knowledge. Reflecting on this eight-year journey, the following themes emerge.
Knowledge is Power: The Rise and Fall of the Libraries of the United Automobile Workers’ Union
(2019) Daniel, Dominique
This article traces the history of libraries run by local unions of the International United Automobile Workers' union (UAW) from the mid-1930s through the 1950s. Using the records of the UAW it examines the purpose of its libraries and the workers' education program they were part of. It analyzes the collections in these libraries and considers how they were developed, who used them, and how they fared in light of the role of print in the UAW's activities and of Depression, wartime-era, and postwar working-class reading culture.
Doing the Donor Dance: Lessons Learned from Talking to Donors and Working with Donor Relations Staff [Conference presentation]
(2022-09-29) Rodriguez, Julia E.
MI-OER Summit 2022 - presentation. Recording available. https://youtu.be/s-ln4JIN4Y0
Work in progress: Promoting the use of standards by faculty through improved access
(2022-03-18) Van Loon, James
Technical standards can provide an effective instructional scaffold for undergraduate engineering coursework, and exposing engineering students to appropriate standards is one of the requirements for program accreditation by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). However, providing access to standards can be challenging for academic libraries due to their expense and the restrictions imposed by publishers on borrowing these documents from other libraries. As a first step towards improving access to standards for students and faculty at Oakland University (OU), the use of standards by faculty in their teaching and research is investigated via survey research. It is hoped that this study will not only provide guidance on which standards are the highest priority for access by our affiliates, but will also yield insight into how standards are being integrated into coursework in the engineering curriculum at OU.
Datasets for submitted article titled "A Health Education Partnership Between an Academic Medical Library and Public Library: Lessons Learned Before & During a Pandemic"
(2021) Bulgarelli, Nancy; Look, Erin; Swanberg, Stephanie M.; Yuen, Emily W.; Jayakumar, Mithya; Shubitowski, Tyler; Wedemeyer, Rose; Lucia, Victoria
Three datasets for submitted article (see article abstract below): Background: Public libraries serve as community centers for accessing free, trustworthy health information. As such, they provide an ideal setting to teach the local community about health and health literacy, particularly during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2018, an outreach partnership between an academic medical library and public library has developed, delivered, and continuously evaluated a health education program targeting public library users. Case Presentation: Health education activities were integrated into three existing public library programs: adult workshops, child and family programming, and circulating family activity kits, all of which pivoted online during the pandemic. An interprofessional team approach combined the expertise of academic medical and public librarians, medical school faculty and staff, and medical students in developing the educational programs. A total of 12 in-person and three virtual health education programs were offered and seven health education family kits were launched. Activities were evaluated using program evaluation surveys of the adult and children’s programs. Conclusions: This case report showcases the lessons learned in implementing a longitudinal outreach partnership between an academic medical and public library before and during the COVID-19 pandemic with a look to the future. The interprofessional team approach and flexibility in program design and delivery in both the in-person and virtual environments proved critical to the success of the partnership. This can inspire other libraries to pursue interprofessional collaborations in educating local communities on healthy behavior and health information seeking practices.
Quality evaluation of data management plans at a research university
(2017-03-01) Van Loon, James E; Akers, Katherine; Hudson, Cole; Sarkozy, Alexandra
With the emergence of the National Science Foundation (NSF) requirement for data management plans (DMPs), academic librarians have increasingly aided researchers in developing DMPs and disseminating research data. To determine the overall quality of DMPs at Wayne State University, the Library System’s Research Data Services (RDS) team evaluated the content of 119 DMPs from NSF grant proposals submitted between 2012 and 2014. The results of our content analysis indicate that, while most researchers understand the need to share data, many DMPs fail to adequately describe the data generated by the project, how data will be managed during the project, or how data will be preserved and shared after the completion of the project. Our results also show that DMP deficiencies vary across academic units, suggesting the need for differentiated outreach services to improve the strength of DMPs in future NSF grant proposals.
Examination of Academic Library Websites Regarding COVID-19 Responsiveness
(2021) Condic, Kristine S.
The COVID pandemic has affected all aspects of life including academic libraries. While many are now open, services have changed to accommodate social distancing such as limiting guests to those within the university community and requiring face coverings for those who enter and study. In order to determine a library’s COVID policy, users may examine the library website, but is this information easy to find? In a study of library websites from 132 "R2" academic libraries, it was found that most libraries displayed COVID-related services and hours directly on the library’s webpage or one click away. Opening status and hours were readily displayed on library webpages, however, user populations accepted in the library and face covering requirements were not as easily discovered. During this time of uncertainty, it behooves libraries to make their COVID policies clear on their websites.
Strategies for Staying Sane While Providing Research Support and Instruction in High Enrollment or Research-Intensive Programs
(2020-01-28) Rodriguez, Julia E.; Bucciarelli, Elizabeth R.
Managing the duties of an academic liaison librarian can be a challenge, especially when the liaison departments have high student enrollments. Two librarians from separate comprehensive Michigan universities assigned to the schools of Health Sciences and Nursing, representing ~4,000 students per semester and with 37 years combined experience, discuss a myriad of strategies used to provide instruction and research support both in-person and online for high enrollment programs and tips for keeping sane.
Designing for engagement: Using the ADDIE model to integrate high-impact practices into an online information literacy course
(2016) Nichols Hess, Amanda
In this article, the authors share how a team of librarians used the ADDIE instructional design model to incorporate best practices in teaching and learning into an online, fourcredit information literacy course. In this redesign process, the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ high-impact practices and e-learning best practices were integrated as scaffolds for course content. The authors' experience with this systematic process and the concepts of instructional design suggest that the ADDIE model can be used to achieve several different ends in information literacy instruction. First, it can provide a structure around which librarians can develop a variety of instructional interactions. Second, it can help librarians consider student engagement, learning, and assessment more intentionally. And third, it can help to marry information literacy-specific standards and other learning guidelines, such as high-impact practices and e-learning best practices. From the authors' experience, other academic librarians may find applications for instructional design constructs into their own teaching practices, both in online and face-to-face learning environments.
Advancing research data management in the social sciences: Implementing instruction for education graduate students into a doctoral curriculum.
(2017) Nichols Hess, Amanda; Thielen, Joanna
Research data management (RDM) skills are vital yet often untaught in graduate programs, especially in the social sciences. In this article, my co-author and I presented a case study of how a Research Data Librarian and an Education Librarian partnered to provide targeted RDM instruction for a previously unconsidered student group: education doctoral students. We discussed the design, development, and implementation of this focused RDM support. Assessment data from a workshop and in-class sessions were also presented and contextualized. From this information, we offered practical suggestions that other social science librarians can use to create similar workshops at their institutions.

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