Social media provides a rich amount of data on the everyday lives, opinions, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors of individuals and organizations in near real-time. Leveraging these data effectively and responsibly should therefore improve our ability to understand political, psychological, economic, and sociological behaviors and opinions across time. This article is the first in a series of white papers that will provide a summary of the discussions derived from meetings of social scientists and computer scientists with the goal of creating consensus for how social and computer science could converge to answer important questions about complex human behaviors and dynamics using social media data. We present three basic research designs that are commonly used in social science and are applicable to research using social media data: qualitative observation, experiments, and surveys. We also discuss a fourth design that is primarily informed by computer science, non-designed data, but that can inform social science research. After a brief discussion of the general approach of these designs and their applicability for use with social media data, we discuss the challenges associated with their use with social media data and potential solutions for “convergence” of these methods for future quantitative research in the social sciences.

Purpose – This study aims to combine the patron perception of the interlibrary loan services offered in three libraries: an ARL campus, a small private liberal arts campus, and a large state public library. The goal was to have a vehicle for gathering both satisfaction and value information for each of the services provided by a resource-sharing operation to cross-analyze patron perceptions, satisfaction and value placed on resource sharing at each institution. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was created to gather the information desired, and it was designed to be completed in less than 15 minutes. The survey wording was adjusted depending on the individual participating organization to provide appropriate text for the local patrons. However, the basic content was similar for each library. The survey included an optional field where the patron could enter their name to allow follow-up as desired. It also included an open question to capture anything else the previous questions did not. Findings – This case studies finding include recognition of recurring features found valuable to library patrons utilizing all three institutions: access, speed and people. Each library was able to identify areas of strength and areas to improve upon within their services. Each library also gained insight into their patrons’ perceptions of the resource-sharing services offered. This insight is being used for further assessment studies, as well as to implement changes on each local campus. Originality/value – This study provides insight and data into resource-sharing assessment as related to patron value. As the literature review shows, no studies of this kind have been done recently or across the institutions included: small private academic, large research academic or large public library.

During the summer of 2012, St. John Fisher College's Lavery Library developed a coordinated assessment plan. Committing to weekly meetings, librarians reviewed ACRL Standards, identifying key outcomes that would link to the college strategic plan. Utilizing the unique synergy of the library staff, librarians committed to persistence, collaboration, and flexible teamwork. Based on their summer-long perseverance, the librarians originated an assessment strategy that has not only aligned them with the college but has also positioned them to demonstrate the value they provide to their community.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to share St John Fisher College Library's marketing approach to recruiting and retention of parents within the higher education community. Design/methodology/ approach-The objectives of this paper are achieved by connecting local experiences with other parent initiatives on university campuses throughout the country. The paper takes the approach of addressing marketing strategies for recruitment and retention of parents, while also including opportunities for these strategies to be applied. Findings-The findings display the library's ability to contribute to their campus recruitment and retention goals while assisting parents in connecting to the library in an informational and emotional capacity. Originality/value-This paper presents the academic library's perspective on a higher education initiative focused on targeting parents during the recruitment and retention processes. Academic librarians will find the most value in this paper by finding step-by-step guidelines for implementing the experiences shared by St John Fisher College's library. Disciplines Disciplines Higher Education | Library and Information Science Comments Comments Originally published in Reference Services Review.

This chapter discusses the distributed, volunteer nature of an information delivery cooperative which became formally designated as the IDS Project and how a "coalition of the willing" has been able to move the resource sharing community forward on a national scale through innovations in training, support, and technology. The authors use a case study approach to highlight some of the major accomplishments of the IDS Project, such as the Article Licensing Information Availability Service (ALIAS), IDS Search, the Mentor Program, and the Regional Users Groups. The team-based structure of the IDS Project allows for groups to work independently and from multiple locations while still creating a synergistic result through the combination of community and innovation. Distributed teams often provide enriched user skills for the group but often cause difficulties due to the distance, communication, and differing requirements of the different local institutions. The IDS Project's use of technology and periodic face-to-face meetings has reduced the issues with distributed teams and created highly effective working groups. These groups, such as the mentors and the Technology Development Team, have provided excellent service and training to the member libraries. Through the use of the Best Practices Toolkit, the Getting It System Toolkit, ILLiad Addons produced by IDS, and other national services, the IDS Project has made it possible for libraries that use ILLiad to benefit from its developments. This chapter will discuss the distributed, volunteer nature of an information delivery cooperative which became formally designated as the IDS Project and how the 'coalition of the willing' has been able to move the resource sharing community forward on a national scale through innovations in training, support, and technology. Disciplines Library and Information Science Comments The final version of this chapter is published in Mergers and