Ensure Equitable Access to Information

Improving access to collections through Inclusive Metadata Implementation

This initiative seeks to redress inequities and injustice in the descriptive language and narrative framing of archives, special collections, and the institutional repository. In this phase of work, we will apply conscious editing principles to metadata in ArchivesSpace and the FSU Digital Repository. Conscious editing is an active, critical awareness of bias, privilege, and power and an ethos of deliberate care used in the assessment, creation, and refinement of descriptive texts. One outcome of conscious editing is the increased accessibility of our collections in unserved and underserved communities seeking meaningful connections with their histories. Collection and object descriptions will undergo a metadata gap analysis to identify harmful and outdated terms and prioritized for remediation. The analysis will require a combination of computational queries and manual analysis. After the initial analysis, a small collection will be identified for a pilot remediation project and a prioritization document will be produced along with documentation for workflows and practices to remediate legacy collections and to incorporate conscious descriptive practice in work going forward.

This initiative supports ethical and inclusive descriptive practices at Florida State University Libraries by encouraging the ongoing, reflective examination of legacy descriptions, by engaging colleagues in a continuous dialog about that examination, and by connecting practice with scholarship, theory, and contemporary social justice activism.
Initiative Leads
Keila Zayas Ruiz, Sunshine State Digital Network Coordinator
Updates
2023
We have continued to review and update records identified in our priority list. We posted a statement in the FSU Digital Repository about the work and how to provide feedback.
Launched feedback form in the FSU Digital Repository for reporting language and content concerns. Over 5,000 records have been reviewed and 1500 records updated from five different collections.

Project milestones include:
*A sub-collection of Bradford Eppes
*Pride Student Union
*Holocaust Collection
*Davis Houck Papers
*HUA Photographs
*Updated the Seminole Symbol finding aid in consultation with the Head of Manuscripts.
*Documentation that has been created include:
*Annotated bibliography
*Guidelines
*Decision tree
*Priority lists for the FSU Digital Repository and ArchivesSpace
*Recommendations for Inclusive Cataloging practices.
*Posted statement in the FSU Digital Repository about the work and how to provide feedback.
*Launched feedback form in the FSU Digital Repository for reporting language and content concerns."

FSU Libraries Website Refresh

Due to a significant Drupal software upgrade requirement, the FSU Libraries website needs to be migrated to a new infrastructure. This upgrade provides an opportunity to refresh the website to improve user experience and advance our interface to best meet the needs of the FSU community.
Initiative Leads
Jess Barmon, Web Services Librarian
Lindsey Wharton, Extended Campus and Distance Services Librarian
Updates
Phase 1a - Website Feedback and User Testing (November 2021 - February 2022): Using surveys, open forums, and other communication tools, we will identify opportunities for improvement for our current website. We will also work with the UX Group to perform user testing and analysis that will provide insight into how our users utilize our website and uncover roadblocks with the goal of integrating feedback into an iterative design process.

Phase 1b - Website Content Review (November 2021 - February 2022): This phase will include a web content review with the goal of assessing, and improving our overall content structure and pages for clarity, discoverability, accessibility, and usability. As part of this assessment, we will perform a comparative analysis of other academic library websites in order to adopt and model best practices.

Phase 2a - Wireframes, Mockups, Themes: Design and Testing (January 2022 - June 2022): Using the feedback from phase 1, we will design an improved website interface. As new features and interface changes are implemented and tested, the Web Advisory Group will be consulted for final approval.

Phase 2b - Drupal 9 Infrastructure Design and Implementation (January 2022 - June 2022): A parallel workflow to phase 2a, our Digital Infrastructure team will be working on AWS Cloud Formation templates to deploy a highly available, scalable environment for our Drupal 9 website deployment.

Phase 3 - New Website Launch (May 2022 - July 2022): This phase will include communication with various stakeholders regarding any changes and improvements made to our website, training content editors, and performing additional testing and assessment of our new infrastructure.

FSU Islandora Migration

The FSU Digital Repository is shifting from being hosted under FLVC's architecture to one that is maintained, in-house, by FSU Libraries. The migration involves a complex, multi-layered process that includes: building and sustaining this technical infrastructure in a cloud-based computing environment (Amazon Web Services), deploying an updated version of the repository's software stack (Islandora) within this environment, and transferring the contents of the old repository to the new one in a way that maintains their integrity and discoverability. Updates to the overall look and feel of the repository are also being implemented in addition to new features and functionalities that were not available through the old system.
Initiative Leads
Jean Phillips, former Associate Dean for Technology and Digital Scholarship
David Rodriguez, Digital Services Librarian

Florida State Open Publishing

Florida State Open Publishing (FSOP) places FSU Libraries’ support for open access publishing and digital project development under one initiative. FSOP provides publishing services for journals, monographs, open educational resources, and digital scholarship projects. We consult on a variety of scholarly publishing topics and digital research tools and methodologies. We aim to provide open access publishing expertise, services, and platforms to enhance the scholarly output of Florida State University students, faculty, and staff. FSOP services include:
*Journal and monograph hosting
*Copyright and licensing guidance
*Indexing and discovery support
*Usage metrics and altmetrics
*Light layout and typesetting
*DOI, ISSN, ISBN registration
*Digital preservation
*Digital scholarship consultation

Initiative Leads
Devin Soper, Director of the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship
Laura Miller, former visiting Open Publishing Librarian
Updates
2023
Published the following:
*Four issues of the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success (https://journals.flvc.org/jpss/issue/archive).
*Two issues of Athanor (https://journals.flvc.org/athanor/issue/archive).
*A volume of essays celebrating the work of educational researcher John Holland (https://manifold.lib.fsu.edu/projects/reardon-holland-festschrift).
*The Forgotten Canopy: A UCLA Plant Guidebook (https://manifold.lib.fsu.edu/projects/ucla-guidebook).
*Completed production work for three volumes of poetry by Bernard Binlin Dadie, translated by Peggy Wright Cleveland (forthcoming).

2022
*A new Open Publishing Assistant to support the initiative has been recruited.
*One open textbook with revisions from the author has been updated.
*In addition, one new issue of the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success has been published.

2021
*Launched new Florida State Open Publishing (FSOP) website at http://publishing.lib.fsu.edu/
*Developed strategic communications plan for FSOP
*Published Bio-Inspired Sensory Systems: Using Natural Photo-, Mechano-, and Chemo-Sensory Systems for Design Inspiration by Dr. Geoffrey Brooks
*Published From Growing to Biology: Plants 1e by Dr. Gokhan Hacisalihoglu
*Republished an edited volume, Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice in Vocational Psychology: Current Status and Future Directions
*Supported Dr. Shouping Hu in preparing the inaugural issue of the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success, scheduled to be published in September 2021 at https://journals.flvc.org/jpss

Enhancing Online Learning at the Libraries with Articulate 360

Led by the Teaching, Learning & Engagement Instruction & Reference Unit, the Reference & Instruction Librarian and Library Instruction Specialist will use Articulate 360, a suite of e-learning authoring applications, to create online learning objects, such as web-based lessons and modules that can integrate with Canvas. This work will meet the information literacy-related instruction needs of FSU learners in an accessible and mobile-friendly format. We will also use the software to create asynchronous internal training materials. These materials will support employee onboarding processes as well as library-wide projects. Other library personnel will also be trained on how to use the software if they identify a need to create online learning materials related to their operations and areas of expertise.
Initiative Leads
Liz Dunne, Instruction and Reference Librarian
Lisa Play, Library Instruction Specialist
Updates
2023
Based on evaluation data (both assessing the efficacy of the instruction by measuring how many learners met the stated learning objectives and assessing learners' attitudes towards the tutorial), we made substantial updates to our ENC2135 Library Research Basics Tutorial. We also conducted a focus group with ENC 2135 instructors to collect in-depth feedback on the tutorial to make further improvements to it. The tutorial continues to meet learner needs and be well received by students and instructors alike. In continuing to use this tutorial to cover more rote database instruction, we have been able to launch a new in-person synchronous instruction offering for ENC 2135 classes that is more discussion-based and allows learners to get personalized feedback while practicing research skills to complete their assignments. Outputs include significant updates made to all of our existing online instruction materials in response to collected assessment data. We have begun planning a new tutorial geared towards teaching learners about ethical attribution and citing sources in the major citation styles, and we have identified opportunities for developing content pertaining to AI and digital literacy. We have also started talks with our peers in charge of the new Dirac Media Suite about working together to create training materials instructing folks on how to utilize all the Suite's features.

2022
In the last six months, the Teaching, Learning & Engagement Instruction & Reference Unit, the Reference & Instruction Librarian and Library Instruction Specialist have created and distributed multiple interactive tutorials with Articulate 360. These tutorials include ENC 2135 modules, a Reference Associate training module, a Crafting a Research Question for UROP students, and other projects in progress.

E-resources Usage Statistics Platform

This initiative proposes to create a platform on AWS to store and process e-resource usage data. It will consist of a data harvester, database and front-end interface to query the data. The completed product will allow subject librarians, the FSU Libraries' collections committee, and others access to up-to-date e-resource usage statistics data. This will facilitate improved collection management and purchasing decisions across the Libraries.
Initiative Leads
Elissa Reiskind, Library Associate
Jim Snowden, Systems Administrator
Updates
2022
In the past six months a functional test system has been implemented. This system consists of a server, which hosts a basic web front-end, that is connected to a database back-end. Sample usage data files are currently being prepared for loading.

2021
A development environment with a Docker container on AWS has been established. Methods for resource de-duplication have been identified.

FSU Digital Repository Migration

The FSU Digital Repository is shifting from being hosted under FLVC's architecture to one that is maintained, in-house, by FSU Libraries. The migration involves a complex, multi-layered process that includes: building and sustaining this technical infrastructure in a cloud-based computing environment, deploying an updated version of the repository's software stack within this environment, and transferring the contents of the old repository to the new one in a way that maintains their integrity and discoverability.
Initiative Leads
Jean Phillips, former Associate Dean for Technology and Digital Scholarship
Dave Rodriguez, Digital Services Librarian

Create FSU - FSU Libraries Web Hosting for Digital Projects

This initiative will provide web hosting for digital projects through an educational technology company called Reclaim Hosting. This service would be available to any FSU faculty members, graduate students, or undergraduate Honors students who wants a web domain to host content related to their research, meeting both research and pedagogical needs for which there is currently no solution on campus.
Initiative Leads
Sarah Stanley, Digital Humanities Librarian
Matt Hunter, Digital Scholarship Librarian
Updates
2023
As of February of 2023, CreateFSU has over 65 active accounts where content is being authored and published. During 2022 we created a Projects Exhibit page to highlight example projects and give prospective users an idea of what they could use CreateFSU to make: https://create.fsu.edu/projects-exhibit. We have surpassed the 50 total accounts we wished to create within the first year. We have also distributed a report to key partners on campus, including ITS, the digital humanities advisory board, and to our libraries colleagues.

2022
There are currently 17 total live user accounts, and about 15 more accounts will be created in the next month. Partnerships have been developed with several campus units, including the Honors in the Major program. The onboarding and workflow procedures that have been developed are being used to facilitate account creation.

2021
We are now in the implementation phase for CreateFSU. Reclaim Hosting's services have been acquired, and the website is now live at https://create.fsu.edu. We are in the process of seeking new users for the pilot program, and we already have a few accounts set up.

Course Adopted eResources Program

This initiative builds upon the Course Adopted eResources Program through development of an eTextbook portal to serve as the center of communication, promotion, and course-adopted library-licensed eResource access for instructors and students. Additionally, this initiative bolsters advocacy for the program as part of the broader Libraries’ collection strategy through coordination with stakeholders to assess and expand the program as well as acquisition of unlimited eBook titles assigned as course materials.
Initiative Leads
Lindsey Wharton, Extended Campus and Distance Services Librarian
Updates
2023
We have successfully continued our work identifying and targeting courses with available eTextbook options with an increase of 29% increase of titles identified in 2022 in comparison to 2021. We have worked with numerous instructors on purchasing Unlimited User Licenses for materials they assign to their classes to continue lessening the burden of cost for students, communicating availability of the program across campus, and demonstrating impact of the program through website analytics and feedback. In total, our funding has supported us purchasing over 200 assigned titles and having the necessary OPS support to complete the analysis each semester.

We coordinated the cross-analysis of eBook collections identified by the bookstore and provided by the Provost's office as course adopted materials with a 29% increase of titles in comparison in 2021 with 1,205 titles identified for Spring 2022, 1,500 titles identified for Summer & Fall 2022, and 997 titles identified in Spring 2023. Potential savings for students has now exceeded five million dollars. Our team developed a new Course Materials landing page to improve navigation and accessibility of this resource. Our program has continued to receive national recognition in the field through requested consultations an presentations to share our success.

Build a Community of STEM Data Scholars

Building a community of STEM Data Scholars at FSU will increase data literacy by allowing the Libraries to expand the reach and impact of research data services across the STEM community. This will be achieved through the creation of a STEM data fellowship program where paid student employees will teach and collaborate with STEM scholars. It will also allow the Libraries to leverage the expertise of our community in order to solve data related problems, enable interdisciplinary collaboration, and foster engagement around topics related to open data and open science.
Initiative Leads
Nick Ruhs, Research Data Management Librarian
Updates
2023
The data fellows have made several noteworthy accomplishments over the course of the program. The fellows have embedded into FSU Libraries' ongoing data instruction efforts and have created several Canvas modules on various data tools and programming languages, including MATLAB, R, and Unix. In Spring 2022, one data fellow served as a co-instructor for an Introduction to MATLAB workshop. In Fall 2022, another data fellow designed, developed the curriculum for, and taught an Introduction to R workshop, in collaboration with the Academic Health Data Librarian. Furthermore, the data fellows are involved outreach and engagement with the FSU community around data services. To this end, the fellows have authored several blog posts on trending data topics. One of these posts, which discussed the critical evaluation of data, was highlighted by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) News. Finally, the fellows provide direct support to the FSU student population through weekly walk-up hours--which are now offered both virtually (through the "Ask a Data Librarian" chat) and in-person.

2022
There has been significant progress in the first year of this initiative. Two undergraduate Data Fellows have successfully been hired as part of the initial group of fellows. The fellows have received training and have participated in discussions about data reference, instruction, outreach, and open data. Weekly virtual data reference hours have been started in conjunction with Libraries colleagues, which includes a channel on the Virtual Reference platform devoted to data. The fellows also co-wrote a blog post for the FSU Libraries blog on Big Data, with more posts planned. Finally, the fellows have begun work on two long-term projects, which include creating a CANVAS module for MATLAB and a survey gauging awareness of our data services among undergraduate students.

2021
*Creation of a STEM Data Fellowship program where FSU Libraries hires student employees who will teach data related curricular to STEM Scholars
*Development of a peer-to-peer teaching and consultation model where data fellows provide direct support to peers in academic departments.
*Development of a library data services model that leverages the expertise of the FSU community to educate and advocate for principles related to data information *literacy and open science.
*Development of data related curricular that encourages engaged learning and post graduation success.
*Development of training materials in response to data related researcher needs.
*Documentation of solutions to research challenges by contributing to existing documentation and expanding documentation in response to researcher needs.