mar14_b.indd March 2014 153 C&RL News C & R L S p o t l i g h tScott Walter Scott Walter is C&RL editor and university librarian at DePaul University, e-mail: swalte11@depaul.edu One of the great advantages of C&RL’s transi- tion to an open-access, fully-digital publica- tion can be found in the opportunities this transition provides for deeper discussion of themes found across the research publications in our field. Recently, for example, ACRL published Studying Students: A Second Look (2013), the follow-up to the studies of under- graduate students’ research habits and library use at the University of Rochester that served as the inspiration for the current generation of ethnographic research in academic librar- ies. Studies applying those same research methods to other student populations have appeared in C&RL, of course, including Pick- ard and Logan’s “The Research Process and the Library: First-Generation College Seniors vs. Freshmen” (July 2013), but this is only one facet of the broader connections between research on college students and research published in C&RL. Peer learning and leadership programs, for example, have been an important component in student affairs research for many years. In their overview of the peer educator move- ment, Students Helping Students: A Guide for Peer Educators on College Campuses (2000), Ender and Newton describe how students serving as “peer health educators, peer counselors, peer advisers, resident assistants, peer tutors, supplemental instruction leaders, orientation leaders, and group facilitators. . . . [make] a positive and lasting difference for students with whom they have contact” (p. ix). Libraries were not included in Ender and Newton’s list of possible sites for peer education (despite the success of such pro- grams going back at least to the 1980s with the University of Michigan’s Peer Information Counselors), but the increasingly important relationships between academic libraries and student services programs as a site for learning outside the classroom provide new opportunities to consider library-based peer educator programs within a broader campus context. In this month’s issue of C&RL, Brett B. Bodemer demonstrates one way in which the academic library may begin to weave itself into the campus network of peer educators around its core competencies of research as- sistance and information literacy instruction. Bodemer’s study, completed while C&RL was still bound to its print model, was not able to take advantage of the opportunity to amplify the importance of its results through linkages with online resources for peer educators, audio files providing snippets of interviews with library-based peer educa- tors, or excerpts from a campus-wide panel on the value of peer educators [such as the annual “Peer Tutor and Mentor Summit” at DePaul University (https://depaul.digication. com/2013_peer_tutor_and_mentor_summit/ Home)], but linkages such as these are all now possible as the journal continues its transition to a wholly digital publication plat- form. Consider how that new platform might be used as you explore the issues highlighted in the studies to be published in this month’s issue of the journal. • Jane Johnson Otto. “University Faculty Describe Their Use of Moving Images in Teaching and Learning and Their Perceptions of the Library’s Role in That Use.” Abstract: This study, which engaged teaching faculty in a dialogue with library faculty, revealed a gap between faculty’s film and video in- formation retrieval needs and provision of access by the library. Ultimately, the findings of this study can inform and transform library practices to make more moving images avail- able for use in coursework and research. • Cassidy R. Sugimoto, Andrew Tsou, Sara Naslund, Alexandra Hauser, Melissa Brandon, Danielle Winter, Cody Behles, S. Craig Finlay. “Beyond Gatekeepers of Knowledge: Scholarly Communication Prac- C&RL News March 2014 154 tices of Academic Librarians and Archivists at ARL Institutions.” Abstract: Librarians and archivists are intimately involved in scholarly communication systems, both as information providers and instructors. However, very little is known regarding their activities as scholars. This study seeks to examine the scholarly communication practices of librar- ians and archivists, the role that tenure plays in scholarly communication practices, and the degree to which institutional support is provided in librarians’ efforts to consume and disseminate research and reports of best practices. • Brett B. Bodemer. “They CAN and They SHOULD: Undergraduates Providing Peer Reference and Instruction.” Abstract: Peer learning dynamics have proven powerful in collegiate contexts. Drawing on the literature of peer learning, documented examples of peer reference and instruction in academic libraries, and preliminary evidence from current practice at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, this article provides support from the pedagogical standpoint that undergraduates not only can provide peer reference and instruction, but should. • Edith A. Scarletto. “Mapping the Lit- erature of GIS.” Abstract: This study ana- lyzed citations in four journals, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Cartography and Geographic Information Science, International Journal of Geographi- cal Information Science, and Cartographic Journal, using Bradford’s Law of Scattering to identify three influence zones indicating core and peripheral titles in the study areas of GIS. The results can assist librarians and collection managers to support research in their institutions where GIS is both used and studied. • Noa Aharony. “Mobile Libraries: Librar- ians’ and Students’ Perspectives.” Abstract: This study which is based on the Techno- logical Acceptance Model (TAM), seeks to explore whether librarians and LIS students are familiar with the newest technological innovations and whether they are ready to accept them. On the whole, the current study supported the two core variables of the TAM (perceived ease of use and useful- ness), as well as personal innovativeness that may predict librarians’ and students’ behavioral intention to use mobile services in the library. • Carmelita Pickett, Simona Tabacaru, Jeanne Harrell. “E-Approval Plans in Re- search Libraries.” Abstract: Research libraries have long invested in approval plan services, which offer an economical way to acquire scholarly and scientific publications. Tradi- tional approval plans have evolved and now enable libraries to expand their e-book of- ferings to better serve researchers. In 2010, Texas A&M University Libraries implemented an e-preferred approval plan. This article will discuss the evaluation process for re- search libraries migrating to an e-preferred approval plan. • Nancy E. Adams. “A Comparison of Evidence-Based Practice and the ACRL In- formation Literacy Standards: Implications for Information Literacy Practice.” Abstract: Evidence-based practice (EBP), like in- formation literacy, is concerned with an individual’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes relating to using information. EBP is now a professional competency in fields as diverse as social work, nursing and allied health fields, and public policy. A comparison of ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education with the commonly accepted EBP model shows con- gruence, but the two models diverge in their use of authority of the producer as a marker of information quality and in their relative emphasis on formulation of the research question and application of information. The essays included in this month’s is- sue of C&RL reflect the broad nature of the research that has been published in the jour- nal for the past 75 years. Later this month, ACRL will invite you to consider some of the most important studies published over the life of the journal as we begin planning (continues on page 157) March 2014 157 C&RL News tors will not lose their way as they drill into the site. Each section includes a brief display of the latest articles, featuring report type and mean- ingful graphics to optimize scanning. If sifting through the mounds of data available becomes daunting, try a keyword search, where results display by relevance with a convenient option to filter by issue, state, project, or content type. New topical articles, reports, and studies appear daily making this a must-see site for anyone exploring topics about the states. On a given day content may include news on cancer death rates, top states for job creation, a report on federal tax deductions, analysis of election performance in Virginia, and an update on the War on Poverty by state. Interactive objects such as “State of the States 2014” and “Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis” offer creative ways to find quick facts and figures. An army of experts serves the Pew Trusts, directing relevant projects and initiatives from which the voluminous well-researched and documented content issues. And yet the genius of this site is how fun and easy it is to learn so much about what is going on across the states on so many levels. For deep study, reference, or simply discovery, there is something here for every citizen and researcher.—Barbara Valentine, Linfield College, bvalen@linfield.edu Statistics Canada. Access: http://www.statcan. gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html. Although many federal departments collect statistics, Statistics Canada is the primary gov- ernment department responsible for statistical data. They “collect, compile, analyse, abstract, and publish statistical information relating to the commercial, industrial, financial, social, economic and general activities and conditions of the people of Canada.” Statistics Canada conducts and publishes a variety of surveys, including the Census of Canada and the National Household Survey. The homepage highlights featured reports and provides easy access to the latest statistical indicators and key resources. Researchers can browse statistics by broad topics, such as aboriginal peoples, energy, and labor. These broad topics lead to featured reports and further subtopics for exploration. Re- sults are finally grouped into types of resources, including news releases, summary tables, census tables, CANSIM data, publications, and informa- tion for analysts and researchers. The site is also organized by type of user, including analysts and researchers, media, and survey participants. Analysts and researchers can conduct refined searches for studies, research papers, and technical papers. This search page also makes note that certain portions of the site have been archived. These archived portions are not current but are included for reference or context. Statistics Canada also notes that legacy web content has been removed from the website but is maintained internally. The main website itself has adopted the current look and feel of federal government websites but appears to be in the midst of this transition. A number of links lead to an older look, including the search results. It should be noted that a search for a broad topic, such as oil, can return thousands of results but only the top 500 are provided. There is no option to access the remaining results. A mobile version of the site is available. The site easily links users to social media accounts for the department and includes a link to a chat with an expert feature. This leads to an archived page with previous chats available for reference but no future sessions are presently planned. The site is an essential resource to scholars and researchers and provides access to key statistical sources for Canada.—Krista Godfrey, Memorial University of Newfoundland, kgod- frey@mun.ca for a special 75th anniversary issue of C&RL to be published in March 2015 (in time for discussion at ACRL 2015 in Portland). Please keep an eye on this space next month, as well as on the C&RL Facebook page and other ACRL social media outlets, for more information on your chance to help to choose seven “landmark articles” to be republished and discussed as part of the 75th anniversary of ACRL and C&RL. (“C&RL Spotlight” cont. from page 154)