In the Spring issue (volume 5, issue 1) of the LibraryZone, Springer’s quarterly newsletter for librarians and information professionals, you can read “an article on the innovative approach taken at Jönköping University Library (Sweden) with their Subject Guides”.

Springer Account Development Manager Timon Oefelein talks with Daniel Gunnarsson about his new and growing role as a Content Manager and the impact of creating a guide like The Business and Economics Librarian.

Web technology is poised to shake universities, the way it rocked newspapers and the music industry—with convenient, cheaper alternatives.

Kevin Maney says:
” The higher education market is a lot like that. For centuries the university model dominated because nothing else worked. No technology existed that might deliver an interactive, engaging educational experience without gathering students and teachers in the same physical space. In the past century, a powerful social bias set in: Only accredited universities were allowed to grant degrees, and most professional jobs required an accredited degree. Even though technologies emerged that might foster new models of higher education, the neat accreditation ecosystem locked out innovative competitors.

These days broadband Internet, video games, social networks, and other developments could combine to create an online, inexpensive, super-convenient model for higher education. You wouldn’t get the sights and sounds of a campus, personal contact with professors, or beer-soaked frat parties, but you’d end up with the knowledge you need and the degree to prove it. The University of Phoenix which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, is partway there, though it’s a hybrid of online and campus learning. Other organizations, entrepreneurs, and governments are trying to develop super-convenient universities—often in places outside the U.S., including Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Canada.”

Taken from BusinessWeek, read more here.

Steve Lohr is writing about a  recent report on online education in the New York Times Bits blog.

The report, conducted by SRI International and published by the US Department of Education, has a really intriguing conclusion:

“On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”

Barbara Means, the study’s lead author and an educational psychologist at SRI International: “The study’s major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing – it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction.”

One important finding in the report is the importance of blended learning and it is expressed by one of the key findings:  “Instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction”.

Get the report: “Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning : A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies“.

In February 2009, the third International Symposium on University Rankings was held in Leiden, the Netherlands. University rankings were discussed from several perspectives: from the position of the researcher or organization developing the rankings to that of the university dean or provost using the rankings to improve their university’s position. Read more (link)

International Symposium on University Rankings

If you want rapid information about business news, new books in economics and business administration, Open Access publications, gems from the library collections, database information, e-resources…

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More than 300 heads of graduate, doctoral and research schools, rectors, deans, networks involved in doctoral training and policy makers recently gathered in Lausanne for the inaugural meeting of the EUA-CDE to outline the key challenges facing doctoral education.

The work of the EUA-CDE will push forward the debate on the future of doctoral education and ensure the integral link between teaching and research is strengthened in universities across Europe.

Read more (pdf)

In the last issue of IVA-aktuellt (pdf) they present a study regarding 30 Swedish universities´ use of the web to share information about their research. The study has been conducted online on each university website, respectively.

If we look closer at Jönköping University we can see that for the variable “number of articles based on research findings” we are number 24. Another variable is the “number of article divided with research funds” and there we come at 19th place. Finally, the overall judgement regarding “clarity, finding contacts, layout and other criterions” Jönköping University comes in 21st place.

In 2007, when the same study was done, Uppsala University took the first place and Umeå University came second. This year they shift places and Umeå University is the winner. Åsa Rudehäll, responsible for research information at Umeå University, gives her explanation: a new website 2008 and a strategy that the web should be their primary information channel for the diffusion of research findings and recruitment of new students.

Is there a lesson to be learned?

Daniel Gunnarsson and U-G Nilsson:

When the latest URANK was presented, it was with great anticipation that we looked at in what place our own library had come. And whoops! That was not a stimulating read… We had slipped down from 5^th place to the 21^st! Sure, they had changed assessment values, but the newer one were supposed to suit us better, that’s what we thought anyway.

Without trying to defend ourselves, one could take a closer look at the figures. What is it that they measure? Do they really measure what they are supposed to measure? Why are they measuring this in particular, and what is the purpose of URANK? Without going into too much detail, we just want to comment on URANK from a librarian’s point of view, however limited this might seem.

Without quality aspects

Firstly, what seems to be the main focus of interest in the assessment of libraries seems to be input (i.e. means) only, not attained quality, not even the scope of the activities of the library organization! They could choose to focus more on other aspects of the organization, for example, loans, downloads of full text material, number of library visitors, and all this in proportion to the number of full-time students, or to obtained means.  

Incomparable values

The measured input is based on data that is not at all comparable. The first variable measures means obtained from the mother organization. Some libraries have study counselors, welfare officers and others, who are included in their budget, whereas some do not. Libraries divided into several branches demand increased resources for this kind of activities. Since staff constitutes a large amount of the budget, university libraries, which are usually smaller organizations, will show greater differences when compared with each other. The second variable in the assessment concerns the number of students? Not full-time students or whole-year achievements. This means that a university with only programme students and no courses gets better ranking, since acquisitions of resources are based on fewer individuals.

Alternative measurements

We then made some tests by carrying out some alternative measurements with considerations taken to the commentaries above, and compared our library with those ranked higher on URANK’s list. And certainly, we are doing very well in such comparisons when you look at how well we’ve managed to administer the means by loans carried out, downloads, visits at the library, in proportion to full-time students, and adjusted for means not normally within the scope of ordinary library activities.

Improved data

The research library statistics that we produce and make public via Swedish Statistics (SCB) is used, and will be used, for different kinds of purposes. As professionals, we know that it’s not comparable between different libraries. We are aware of the fact that we are measuring different things. We even know that we may measure them differently from year to year. Accordingly, we have a responsibility to stop this inaccurate production of statistics until we can guarantee reliable data.

Reliability and validity

It’s more or less a fact that ranking lists are here to stay. However, one could demand more from the methods that are used. Since we’re teaching our students scientific methods, including reliability and validity and a critical attitude, we, as academics, should perhaps be a bit careful not to produce and embed inaccuracies which will then be considered “true”. We know that URANK writes a great deal about the existing uncertainties and flat-out inaccuracies, but if they are so widespread, we can’t see why they’re not trying to find more comparable variables. If not, it would perhaps be better not to present such a deficient ranking list.

I have conducted a quick and simple bibliometric analyse of the use of sholarly articles in bachelor theses within the subject business administration. Even though it´s not based on advanced statistical methods the trend is interesting… The use of more qualitative, peer reviewed, articles increases. Why???

Since 2007 Jönköping University Library is an institutional member of The International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL)!

IATUL was founded in Düsseldorf, Germany in May 1955, as an international forum for the exchange of ideas relevant to librarianship in technological universities throughout the world. IATUL is a voluntary international non-governmental organisation of a group of libraries, represented by their library directors or senior managers, who have responsibility for information services and resources management.  The main objective of IATUL is to provide a forum where library directors and senior managers can meet to exchange views on matters of current significance and to provide an opportunity for them to develop a collaborative approach to solving problems.

IATUL holds an annual conference, which provides members and other interested professionals the opportunity to discuss issues facing tertiary education libraries. The 29th annual conference is held at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand on 21-24 April 2008 with the theme Digital Discoveries: Strategies and Solutions.

Jönköping University Library is participating in the conference for the second time.