Delivered as part of the session "Unlocking the Value of the Monograph" at Electronic Resources and Libraries (ER&L) 15th Annual Conference, Austin, Texas, March 9, 2020.

Scholarly monographs are undergoing a digital transformation that brings new value to both libraries and researchers. This presentation approaches the session theme with a single institution’s view of the digital environment unlocking the value of the scholarly monograph. It builds upon and expands a preliminary appreciation from ER&L 2019 that compared local download activity across ebooks recently acquired via two evidence-based programs at UC San Diego with the lifetime circulation histories of our matching legacy print holdings. This new foray is powered by a 10 times larger study pool of every JSTOR Books title purchased since the inception of our local contract in early 2015, which now includes DDA, EBA, and Pick-and-Mix channels.

Slides 8 & 9 were not presented at ER&L 2020 owing to session time constraints. All script notes and slide transitions are preserved in the supplemental file.

The University of California Libraries initiated the Springer e-Book Pilot Project with the goal of developing appropriate systemwide processes for acquiring and managing licensed e-books, as well as informing future licensing activities. Evaluation of the UC academic community’s experience utilizing the Springer e-book collection began in 2010, and a UC systemwide survey was launched by the UC Libraries for the purpose of assessing the user experience. The primary objectives of the survey were to determine:

- Respondents’ general preference for print books as compared to e-books.

- How respondents interact with e-books and barriers to e-book adoption and use.

- How users of Springer e-books discover their availability.

- Satisfaction level with Springer content and features, including the “MyCopy” service.

The initial survey received 2,569 responses. Respondents who indicated the use of e-books in their academic work (58%) became the core target for the remaining survey questions. Those identifying themselves as not having used – or being uncertain about having used – e-books (42%) were directed to a single open-ended question designed to explore their attitude toward e-books.

Academic users approach e-books with a range of needs, expectations, and workflows. Understanding how users interact with e-books and uncovering useful e-book functionalities are essential to providing library services to the academic community and help inform future purchasing decisions. Respondents to this survey offer a valuable window into the nuances of utilizing e-books for academic work. The consequences of the transition from a print- to a digital-based study environment are not always predictable – witness the undergraduate who prefers print books for reading and deep study because the computer presents too many distractions or the faculty member who uses a digital copy of a title for search and discovery tasks, then moves to a corresponding paper copy for note taking and text comparison. Adoption of academic e-books and the movement away from print books remains a complex dynamic that is significantly influenced by one’s area of study or research. Comments by survey respondents who both use and prefer academic e-books over print books remind us that the transition is far from easy. Users need e-books that present usable interfaces, quality content, high resolution illustrations, access at the chapter and book level, and importantly, that are easily discoverable through both the library catalog and commercial search engines. As academic e-books become more broadly available and sophisticated in presentation and functionality, users’ expectations and acceptance of them will necessarily evolve. It is essential that those providing library and information services to the academic community continue to monitor and develop innovative services in support of the changing patterns of e-book use.

In response to the acquisition of various e-book packages by individual campuses, the University of California Libraries’ Collection Development Committee charged a task force in June 2007 to develop principles to integrate the acquisition of e-books into existing system-wide collection development activities. Based on the work of the task force to date, this article will discuss the current state of e-book implementation on the University of California campuses as well as the draft “Principles for Acquiring and Licensing E-book Packages and Services” developed by the task force.

This paper is a preliminary environmental scan conducted by Sharon Mizota on behalf of UCI Libraries in 2023 as part of a research assessment designed to identify actionable strategies to support ethical and responsible representation of marginalized histories in digital collection aggregations and exhibitions.

The research assessment is itself part of Community-Centered Archives Practice: Transforming Education, Archives and Community History (C-CAP TEACH), a Mellon-funded initiative led by the UCI Libraries Department of Special Collections & Archives — Orange County & Southeast Asian Archive Center. C-CAP TEACH aims to cultivate commitment among higher education institutions to community-centered archives approaches, simultaneously solidifying the ability and responsibility of academic libraries to engage critically and contribute to social justice-focused scholarship, training, pedagogy, and partnerships in their communities.

Early life experience and environmental context “gets under our skin,” playing a role instress reactivity and affecting health over one’s life (Corburn, 2017; McEwen, 2012; Shonkoff et al., 2012). The body’s physiological response to strong, frequent, or prolonged adversity in the absence of supportive adult relationships during childhood development is toxic stress (Shonkoff et al., 2012). It can result in impaired development that impacts health and wellbeing over the life course (Burke Harris, 2018; Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, n.d.; Purewal Boparai et al., 2018; Shonkoff et al., 2012). Increased likelihood of chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, increased likelihood of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and the development of negative coping mechanisms are associated with toxic stress (Burke Harris, 2018; Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, n.d.; Purewal Boparai et al., 2018; Shonkoff et al., 2012).

A growing body of literature recognizes the need for greater exploration of toxic stressoutside of clinical and social service settings, a movement upstream to situate toxic stress research in an ecological context (Burke Harris, 2018; Corburn et al., 2014; Ellis & Dietz, 2017; Shonkoff et al., 2012). My dissertation research is part of this growing area of toxic stress research. In this dissertation, I have three aims: 1) to identify concepts and frameworks in the academic and professional literature that situate toxic stress within an ecological context, 2) to understand toxic stress and healing at the community level through a case study of a community-driven process as collective healing, and 3) to explore youth perspectives of and experiences with toxic stress and adversity. I will achieve these aims through the completion of a narrative literature review, case study, and youth Photovoice project.

This dissertation radically reframes the library and information discourse on the African American literacy gap. It argues that special collections libraries are research environments where humanistic knowledge is produced, and that the books they house can provide important insights about the nature of literacy that have been previously overlooked. The research employs a nascent ethnobibliographic methodology in the examination of a range of artifacts from the black press, as it effectively recasts these artifacts as individual nodes in a larger system of knowledge production. By engaging in ethnobibliographic analysis, the study attempts to both identify and explore the bibliocultural link that connects bibliographical materiality with the processes of racial identity construction. The study draws upon data collected from a group of four individual case studies to further situate the research in an argument that advances the idea of a perception gap over the notion of an achievement gap in the institutional response.

The normalized “ramen diet” of college students has become of greater concern as calls to eradicate hunger and homelessness on campuses gained traction in recent years, but little information is available on how this social movement began. This thesis traces the trajectory of the college basic needs movement and examines the challenges faced in implementing intervention mechanisms. Using a mixed-methods research design, I interviewed key leaders and conducted content analysis of media coverage of this issue, in addition to drawing upon insights from over three years of field work at the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Committee.

I argue that the college basic needs movement gained traction due to the combined effects of the widespread economic downturn during the 2007-2009 Great Recession, escalating student debt and cost of college, published research studies that legitimized the student experiences, and grassroots efforts to institutionalize intervention mechanisms. These factors contributed to the shift from individual campus initiatives to a holistic, collective movement and allowed its leaders to acquire resources and influence policy changes to combat this crisis. While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the movement trajectory, it has raised awareness towards the changed reality of the college student experience and uplifted the importance of the holistic framework integrated in the movement. Ultimately, the college experience was not built for basic needs insecure students, and social service programs were not built for college students--addressing this fundamental misalignment will be a continued focus for the movement to eradicate hunger, malnourishment, and homelessness in higher education.