SPEC Kit 339: Innovation and R&D · 49
Review, analysis, and implementation of open repository platforms. Review, analysis, and implementation of open
publishing platforms. Development of data archiving processes and software. Development of research fluency
framework for guiding development of embedded instructional learning modules. Development of software to help
students collect environmental data. Development of curated digital humanities collections.
Software exploration, evaluation of early Sony e-reader
Technology: Ethics CORE Portal: http://nationalethicscenter.org/ an interactive resource designed to provide researchers
and professionals in the sciences, social sciences, engineering, and mathematics with information on ethical practices
and materials on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), is now available at http://nationalethicscenter.org. The
University Library played an integral role in the $1.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Illinois
to develop the site, which is housed in the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center. William Mischo, Head of the
Grainger Engineering Library, was the library lead. The grant provided learning opportunities for new librarians and LIS
graduate students to develop digital library expertise.
Collections: The library has used the materials allocation to fund small pilot collection development projects that have
the potential to result in ongoing services. Local experiment in demand driven acquisitions (and partnerships with the
state library consortium, CARLI) were funded that way. The acquisition of small data sets was funded in this way. The
examination of different methods of cataloging via some outsourced services was also funded that way. Approximately
$20,000/yr is devoted to these types of experimental activities.
Preservation: The University Library will receive a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS). The library will partner with the William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum the McLean County
Museum of History Heritage Preservation, Inc. the Chicago History Museum the Illinois Heritage Association and
the Illinois State Library to develop the Preservation Self-Assessment Program, a free computer-based tool that will
help library, museum, and archives staff to conduct physical assessment and prioritization of preservation needs for
paper-based and photographic materials. This tool will build upon the project director Jennifer Hain Teper’s previous
work developing a similar tool for assessing audio-visual collections, and will produce a detailed preservation report
prioritizing collection items in order of preservation need. The tool will be designed to allow interoperation with other
emerging software tools such as the open-source Archives Space collections management tool.
The Coordinator of Information Literacy and the Digital Technology/Systems Librarian are conducting a survey of user
interaction with a pilot discovery portal to our collections to determine if there is potential for further development.
The Information Literacy Coordinator and Head of Reference and Information Literacy conducted an analysis of student
essays about their approach to research to determine if there were implications for info lit instruction. In the past
few years, we have conducted pilots of reference chat service and the use of Gimlet software as an enhancement to
traditional data collection about reference transactions. Both have been adopted and Gimlet data is being used to
redesign reference services and as the prompt for exploring more technology-based help services in the libraries. We
have a Student Advisory Board that has provided insight into study patterns in the building in order to reallocate space
and redesign one floor.
User Experience testing, Big Data initiative, Scholars’ Lab’s PRAXIS (new program for graduate education in the
humanities)
User Research (ethnographic studies), preservation assessment for special collections, website interface/architecture for
digital collections
We examined reservation system data to discover patterns of patron usage, and computer login data to see which
publicly available computers got the heaviest use. After exploring reservation system options, an internal library unit
wrote its own software. A user experience team conducts observation of patron use of the library website.
Review, analysis, and implementation of open repository platforms. Review, analysis, and implementation of open
publishing platforms. Development of data archiving processes and software. Development of research fluency
framework for guiding development of embedded instructional learning modules. Development of software to help
students collect environmental data. Development of curated digital humanities collections.
Software exploration, evaluation of early Sony e-reader
Technology: Ethics CORE Portal: http://nationalethicscenter.org/ an interactive resource designed to provide researchers
and professionals in the sciences, social sciences, engineering, and mathematics with information on ethical practices
and materials on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), is now available at http://nationalethicscenter.org. The
University Library played an integral role in the $1.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Illinois
to develop the site, which is housed in the Grainger Engineering Library Information Center. William Mischo, Head of the
Grainger Engineering Library, was the library lead. The grant provided learning opportunities for new librarians and LIS
graduate students to develop digital library expertise.
Collections: The library has used the materials allocation to fund small pilot collection development projects that have
the potential to result in ongoing services. Local experiment in demand driven acquisitions (and partnerships with the
state library consortium, CARLI) were funded that way. The acquisition of small data sets was funded in this way. The
examination of different methods of cataloging via some outsourced services was also funded that way. Approximately
$20,000/yr is devoted to these types of experimental activities.
Preservation: The University Library will receive a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS). The library will partner with the William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum the McLean County
Museum of History Heritage Preservation, Inc. the Chicago History Museum the Illinois Heritage Association and
the Illinois State Library to develop the Preservation Self-Assessment Program, a free computer-based tool that will
help library, museum, and archives staff to conduct physical assessment and prioritization of preservation needs for
paper-based and photographic materials. This tool will build upon the project director Jennifer Hain Teper’s previous
work developing a similar tool for assessing audio-visual collections, and will produce a detailed preservation report
prioritizing collection items in order of preservation need. The tool will be designed to allow interoperation with other
emerging software tools such as the open-source Archives Space collections management tool.
The Coordinator of Information Literacy and the Digital Technology/Systems Librarian are conducting a survey of user
interaction with a pilot discovery portal to our collections to determine if there is potential for further development.
The Information Literacy Coordinator and Head of Reference and Information Literacy conducted an analysis of student
essays about their approach to research to determine if there were implications for info lit instruction. In the past
few years, we have conducted pilots of reference chat service and the use of Gimlet software as an enhancement to
traditional data collection about reference transactions. Both have been adopted and Gimlet data is being used to
redesign reference services and as the prompt for exploring more technology-based help services in the libraries. We
have a Student Advisory Board that has provided insight into study patterns in the building in order to reallocate space
and redesign one floor.
User Experience testing, Big Data initiative, Scholars’ Lab’s PRAXIS (new program for graduate education in the
humanities)
User Research (ethnographic studies), preservation assessment for special collections, website interface/architecture for
digital collections
We examined reservation system data to discover patterns of patron usage, and computer login data to see which
publicly available computers got the heaviest use. After exploring reservation system options, an internal library unit
wrote its own software. A user experience team conducts observation of patron use of the library website.
