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How students use their libraries: A case study of four academic libraries

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, the whys and hows of academic library space assessment: a case study.

Library Management

ISSN : 0143-5124

Article publication date: 13 November 2019

Issue publication date: 8 January 2020

The purpose of this paper is to advocate for change in academic library space assessment and use philosophy in favor of a more user-centered approach emphasizing space designed for and by users themselves. This goal is achieved by analyzing the implementation of a recent space assessment project at the University of Northern Colorado Libraries to investigate specific patterns of library space utilization.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a case study for which data were collected through a multi-method approach, including flip chart and whiteboard questions, brief semi-structured “tabling” interviews, and more in-depth “roving” interviews.

The current library literature on space assessment does not encompass broader, more holistic approaches to how library space is used by students, faculty, staff and community users. The findings from this study highlight the diversity of ways patrons may use an academic library, many of which are related to academic work. However, visitors also come to the library for other purposes, such as socializing or attending an event. It is imperative that the space be adequately equipped to meet varied visitor needs and to create a welcoming environment for all patrons.

Originality/value

The paper has several implications for planning and managing the operations of medium-sized academic libraries. It contributes to the larger conversation in higher education about the importance of user research for enhancing visitor experience through data-informed decision-making. Furthermore, the project it details is not an isolated assessment effort but part of the library’s ongoing space assessment work.

• Academic libraries
• Space assessment
• User behaviours

Trembach, S. , Blodgett, J. , Epperson, A. and Floersch, N. (2020), "The whys and hows of academic library space assessment: a case study", Library Management , Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 28-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-04-2019-0024

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Mobile Applications in Academic Libraries

Jamie Saragossi, Laura Costello, and Kathleen Kasten

Jamie Saragossi ( [email protected] ) is Head of Health Sciences Library, Stony Brook University Libraries. Laura Costello ( [email protected] ) is the Virtual Reference Services Librarian at Rutgers University Libraries in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Kathleen Kasten ( [email protected] ) is Head, Humanities and Social Sciences, Stony Brook University Libraries.

Manuscript submitted July 18, 2017; returned to authors for revision September 11, 2017; revised manuscript submitted November 12, 2017; reviews completed December 14, 2017; accepted for publication July 8, 2018.

Portions of this paper are based on a presentation delivered at the New York Library Association Annual Conference on Friday, November 4, 2016, at the Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a virtual lightning talk delivered at the ALCTS Exchange on Thursday, May 11, 2017.

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities presented by mobile applications in the context of an academic library collection. This emerging format raises important questions about selection, acquisition, access, instruction, outreach, and evaluation as these practices have been applied to traditional resources. A more nuanced understanding of the content and format of mobile applications informs a collection development strategy for discovering, acquiring, and maintaining these resources. The development of an outreach program that includes liaison activity, instruction, and research consultations is also explored as a way to drive users to these new resources. Using Stony Brook University Libraries as a case study, this paper discusses the potential of mobile applications as academic library resources plus practical ways to promote usage and enhance academic engagement.

P roviding access to library materials and services on mobile devices has become an imperative for libraries. A 2016 Pew Research survey estimated that 77 percent of adults in the United States now own and use smartphones. The ubiquity of mobile device ownership holds relatively steady even across traditional divisions like race and income. 1 Libraries have an opportunity to provide materials and services to a large population of users via mobile access, and new patterns of collection development and resource management have emerged to support this demand. Library mobile site optimization, acquiring mobile-ready or native mobile collections, nuancing selection practices to accommodate the evaluation of application content, and training and promotion for these activities are now essential practices for information professionals.

This paper explores the emerging processes of mobile application acquisition, support, and promotion at Stony Brook University Libraries. While the practice of adopting mobile applications and sharing them effectively with library communities is still developing, Stony Brook has endeavored to create strategies to acquire this new type of material and make it accessible and useable for patrons. As mobile applications (apps) become more integrated into the Libraries’ resource landscape, they highlight challenges posed by traditional evaluation and acquisition models, prompting librarians to reconsider how users identify, access, and use information. Mobile applications may potentially serve a variety of functions in a library’s collection, including expanding discovery or modes of access or functioning as point-of-need resources. Others contribute unique content not available through more traditional database subscriptions. In either case, mobile applications are a fundamental aspect of collection development in the modern academic library. Whether a particular app represents unique content, the app format conditions the reader’s experience to create a new, content-rich encounter with library content.

The need for clarity and praxis regarding mobile apps is crucial in the contemporary academic library because mobile apps represent both a new format and a new content type. Logistically integrating mobile apps into the collection development process requires communication and cooperation between departments and the establishment of new workflows. In this study, a review of the current literature is combined with practical strategy and case study to elucidate key questions, innovations, and future directions in the promotion and collection of mobile apps in academic libraries.

Literature Review

The current landscape of library participation in mobile initiatives spans a wide variety of institutions and practices. There are examples in the literature of libraries evaluating and optimizing their websites and collections for mobile access. Adelphi University Libraries examined their database content for mobile compatibility in 2015 and found that 28 percent of the services they reviewed were appropriate for mobile use. 2 Since this paper was written, many more databases have incorporated mobile optimization into their strategies. The authors concluded in their study that mobile-incompatible databases were inappropriate for an increasingly mobile instruction and resource landscape, and this is still accurate. Pressure on vendors by librarians to increase mobile compatibility might help push them towards providing a better mobile experience for end users. To exert that pressure, librarians could begin by optimizing their own websites and resources for mobile devices. Caniano and Catalano conducted a survey of mobile device preferences among students, faculty, and staff at Hofstra University, concluding that increased usage of mobile technologies mandate apps as a collection development priority of modern academic libraries. 3

The effort to accommodate mobile users in libraries is far from complete. Bomhold investigated the library websites of academic institutions with very high research activity, as ranked by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, for evidence that these libraries had made an effort to accommodate mobile users. 4 She found that about 71.2 percent of these institutions had made some effort to provide mobile access, but that approaches varied. Slightly over half of the institutions provided a designated mobile app. The remainder offered a mobile optimized website or linked to a mobile website from the desktop homepage or from the institution’s homepage. A significant number of institutions—28.7 percent of those studied—did not provide a mobile option for library resources. Her research raises another significant point, which is that mobile access is not just a different access format but also a different access philosophy. Mobile users want to be able to access help and content seamlessly, placing potentially different expectations on the role of the library in their research. Making the accommodation of mobile users essential in library website and app design is an important step in changing practice to meet these users’ needs. To properly evaluate, acquire, and promote mobile content from external sources, access points through the library website for mobile users must be established. Creating a basic level of mobile access is the first step in facilitating app access, and it is a continuing effort. Wong developed a desktop website and mobile application for a library event. Usage was surprisingly similar between the two platforms. 5 Since this study, increased mobile adoption and patron outreach initiatives by libraries may have changed this trend to favor mobile users. At this time, it seems that library users have come to expect mobile access to library resources and increasingly demand access to mobile-ready and mobile-native content. Once users enjoy basic access to library resources through mobile platforms, libraries can begin to respond to demand from users for app acquisition. This transition has implications for library collection development policies and strategies, as demonstrated by DeRosa and Jewell. 6 Their study of mobile app collection development at Memorial Sloan Kettering Library emphasizes the need for a coherent, relevant set of procedures to facilitate the selection, testing, and ultimate evaluation of mobile resources. Though app evaluation relies on many of the same metrics that are useful when applied to more traditional library resources, this procedure necessitates increased consideration of factors such as user-friendliness, legal approaches when there is no contract or site license available, and questions of copyright and fair use.

Some early papers on mobile app acquisition in libraries are from the field of medical librarianship. Access to library content outside of the traditional formats has been a priority for clinicians and medical professionals for the past several years because access to information for these users frequently takes place during the course of their medical practice rather than within a library. The demand for immediacy is an important factor in the development of app acquisition in health sciences libraries. As early as 2012, Prince and O’Hagan published papers reviewing and describing emerging applications to assist medical librarians in developing collections in this area. 7

While mobile apps offer complexity in collection development, cataloging, and other technical services workflows, the successful adoption of these technologies relies on access, and an effective strategy includes promotion, outreach, and patron-facing troubleshooting. Some institutions that include mobile apps in their collection strategy have offered best practices for promotion and outreach. DeRosa and Jewell propose website-based promotion to appeal to users who are likely to be interested in apps, rather than flyers and other strategies based on visits to the physical library. 8 Research from Boopsie highlights the effectiveness of banner and web-based advertising for library mobile app adoption. 9 Other strategies recommended in this study include social media, instruction sessions, campus outreach, online video tutorials, and workshops, including app content on Springshare’s LibGuides.

The inherent challenges in marketing mobile apps to library users are well defined by Swogger and Linares in their study of BrowZine. 10 The authors highlight the necessity of showing the app to users to market it, a task that is not always feasible on a retail basis. BrowZine is a platform that integrates existing electronic journal content into a mobile-ready wrapper so it does not function like a journal that can be added to an institution’s catalog or index. They underscore the fact that BrowZine’s creator, Third Iron, knows that marketing their product can be problematic for libraries. This understanding is demonstrated by the expected compatibility of the new web version of BrowZine with online learning platforms, and the company’s commitment to creating materials and custom widget codes for libraries. Marketing BrowZine has prompted Third Iron to partner with academic libraries to make their platform more visible, thereby helping libraries to assess their outreach strategies in a targeted way. 11

Academic librarians view app outreach as a component of the broader mission to educate patrons about emerging research modalities and technologies. In their survey of app usage in Canadian academic libraries, Canuel and Crichton insist that librarians have a responsibility to understand the app landscape and to guide users through it. 12 Apps offer opportunities to engage students learning information literacy principles in new ways, and to help researchers manage bibliographic data. Their survey demonstrates that many academic libraries are already promoting apps, while also engaging with important cost and collection development considerations raised by apps in academic libraries. 13 Furthermore, app outreach initiatives are consistent with librarians’ broader mandate to communicate information and technological literacy. 14

Collections

As academic libraries expand their collections to embrace mobile apps, they face challenges that echo those encountered with the arrival of e-books and streaming media. Similarly, apps present challenges with regard to evaluation, acquisitions, licensing, access, cataloging, and technical support. These challenges require creative solutions, updates to existing policy, and collaboration across library departments. DeRosa and Jewell outline the relevant considerations for collection development policies relating to the acquisition of mobile apps, underscoring the potential obstacles posed by the variability and instability of the content, format, and restrictions of mobile apps. 15 At Stony Brook University Libraries the move toward mobile apps was accompanied by reflections on the implications for the selection, budgeting, and support necessary to meet patron requests and expectations.

Collection development librarians at Stony Brook University Libraries do their own research on emerging app content and functionality within their disciplines. However, they also receive suggestions and requests from faculty and students in two additional ways, both of which highlight the importance of apps as both format and content. Patrons contact subject liaisons directly to request app content and other resources to support their research and teaching. They can also submit requests through the Libraries’ Purchase Recommendation Form, an online form available on the website that gives users the option to select a format when making a recommendation. The documentation of these requests helps to provide a record of the frequency of requests and the ways that content and format intersect as components of patron interest. This informs policy by helping the library to gauge the relative importance of content and the means by which it is delivered and accessed. This agnostic attitude toward the consideration of format allows the Libraries to emphasize content and researcher experience when making collection development decisions within the broader context of the particular acquisitions and technical challenges posed by emerging formats such as apps. A prime example of this is type of demand was evident in the case of Stony Brook University Health Sciences Library’s acquisition of the Visible Body Application. For several years the library had a standard version of the Visible Body Database. This reference tool consists of 3D anatomical images with the ability for the user to manipulate and review thousands of anatomical images, structures, and systems. The Visible Body has been hosted on the authors’ database page and is accessible with proxy authentication. Many of Stony Brook’s students are currently enrolled in courses that distribute iPads. It became necessary for students to be able to study for anatomy on their mobile devices. The library decided to also purchase the Visible Body Application. This standalone app can be downloaded through an institutional link hosted on the library’s mobile app webpage. Once students authenticate, they have access to the anatomy app on their device for ninety days. As evidenced by increased downloads and frequently asked reference questions, this app continues to be in high demand. This duplication of content for the traditional desktop and mobile environments required careful consideration. This type of acquisition could be likened to purchasing an electronic copy of a print resource and must be done in close consultation with collection development specialists, with the understanding of the anticipated usage and adoption of the product. However, there are often cases for the purchase of multiple copies or multiple formats of items and accessibility can be a consideration in the decision-making process and collection development implications for mobile applications.

BrowZine, which was noted earlier, is a mobile app that provides access without necessarily offering unique content. It is subscription-based, allows researchers to browse journal content, and is a portal to content that already exists in the library’s holdings. Nevertheless, BrowZine presents researchers with a reading experience that combines the serendipity of a print journal with the ease-of-access of an app. In the updated version of this product, users can curate their own reading lists and bookshelves, turning the app into an effective means of being alerted to new content in a particular field. Additionally, BrowZine’s format, which privileges access to sequential issues of a journal, permits a juxtaposition of articles and ideas that is less likely to occur when researchers access journal content through an electronic database or discovery layer. Rather than seeing the article in isolation, the researcher encounters it within the context of a journal’s editorial priorities, or even of the wider discourse of a particular field of inquiry. BrowZine offers the convenience and accessibility that are the hallmarks of well-designed mobile apps intended for academic research. However, the ways in which the content it makes accessible can be accessed and curated by the user underscore its utility as a tool. The potential for synthesis and discovery in BrowZine are critical factors that outweigh the apparent redundancy of its content. This consideration rests on the curatorial function of collection development librarians, while also creating important outreach and instruction opportunities to make users aware of the app’s potential as both a discovery tool and an intellectually rich reading experience.

While the content available through Visible Body and BrowZine is accessible through other formats, apps that provide exclusive content have emerged as a format to consider for acquisition. These proprietary resources host content that may no longer be available in print or even as an e-book. For example, the Johns Hopkins’ ABX Guide ( https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/index/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/ ), a standard resource for clinicians, is now offered through a mobile app to help facilitate the continual updates that occur with clinical and drug information. Individual libraries should consider developing guidelines for the type of mobile applications that fit within their larger collection development policies and mechanisms for requesting materials in this new format. The necessity of fiscal restraint can mean making difficult choices between platform and content. To support and defend such difficult decisions, mobile applications should be included in an institutional collection development policy. According to DeRosa and Jewell, evaluative criteria for the selection of mobile apps should reflect the process used for other traditional formats: subject relevance, quality of content, reputation of publisher/provider, cost, access, legal issues, and copyright. 16

Besides evaluating these resources intellectually, using liaison expertise and the Purchase Recommendation Form, librarians confront collection development decisions within a larger budgetary context. Many academic libraries are currently facing flat collections budgets at best. It is imperative that allocations and expenditures for electronic resources ensure greater impact than their traditional counterparts. Mobile apps typically provide frequent updates that alleviate the need to replace physical copies or maintain annual subscriptions with additional platform fees for individual titles. Furthermore, mobile app versions of some standard library resources are often available as part of a traditional subscription. Libraries should work to identify which resources in their current holdings offer mobile app versions and provide promotion and instruction, ensuring that they are taking full advantage of subscription benefits. Mobile application downloads and access have evolved greatly, making license administration less burdensome for the individual library.

Workflows should also be considered when deciding to implement the acquisitions of these new resources, including communications and work strategies of acquisitions, cataloging, and IT support. The profession may consider taking lessons from previous format transitions, such as the switch from analog (VHS and DVD) to streaming video. Explaining the transition to streaming video at Brigham Young University, Schroeder and Williamsen observed that it “required the unified expertise of subject librarians, acquisitions librarians, catalogers, and information technology personnel.” 17 Consideration must be given to both the policies surrounding the collection and the workflows necessary to make these resources discoverable, accessible, and sustainable. In addition to the work necessary to catalog other formats, the mobile application may be hosted outside the integrated library system (ILS) and catalog, such as on a web page that requires metadata and IT support.

The ways that our end-users interact with mobile app providers can pose unique budgetary challenges to libraries. A recent example is Read by QxMD. Read is a product developed for physicians and medical students to address the need for immediacy and the need for quick access to evidence-based resources. This mobile application helps to aggregate newly published content in specific clinical disciplines and provide users with an easy way to connect to full text through the library’s subscription. It was initially developed, launched, and marketed as a free tool. However, its use was adopted by clinicians and students at several universities and medical centers. To continue supporting the needs of their growing user base, the company switched to a paid model. This led to a situation where the library was left with patrons unable to connect to the full text they had come to expect. At Stony Brook University, the demand was so great that the authors investigated whether they could identify funds to add this type of app. Although the functionality and use were clearly beneficial to patrons, from a collection development standpoint, it was important to identify that the app functions as an aggregator or mobile discovery layer that provides access to content already available through traditional mechanisms.

While the Read by QxMD app assists in discovery and facilitates article interaction in the mobile environment, Stony Brook University’s Library is paying for this layer while also maintaining access to the full-text content from the individual publishers. As with the Visible Body application previously cited, accessibility to information and content will need to be considered as an evaluative criterion in the collection development process for mobile applications. Additionally, the authors learned through their review of mobile apps to be mindful of vendor platform compatibility and authentication issues. In the case of Read by QxMD, following rigorous review, including multiple vendor demonstrations to all health science librarians plus conversations with several faculty and clinicians, the authors decided to move forward with a one-year pilot subscription. The potential improvements to the clinical workflow using Read by QxMD and the possible increased access to their subscribed content were considered beneficial enough to justify the cost. The authors will closely track the number of downloads and usage through the app platform to evaluate their subscription after one year. Stony Brook University Libraries are currently working closely with the vendor to ensure proper integration using IP range for user authentication.

It is imperative for libraries to establish their own evaluative criteria, standard platform requirements, and methods for data capture for mobile applications. Most mobile app platforms are not standardized across publishers or developers. The authors have not identified any apps in their current research that are COUNTER compliant, as is the case with other subscribed database platforms. Libraries may need to monitor the number of downloads through their own web platform or work with vendors to provide meaningful statistics that will assist in future decisions and justification for continuing subscriptions.

Promotion of Mobile Applications

The adoption of mobile apps as an emerging format within the Libraries’ collections necessitates a varied outreach strategy that endeavors to make apps accessible and approachable. Because barriers to app use in research include questions of content and technical issues, it is necessary to address user concerns by providing high-quality apps in conjunction with responsive services. This can be achieved through hands-on workshops or the creation of robust resources for online users.

The motivation for use of these applications must be considered when providing support for mobile applications. Each user has a different comfort level and understanding of the scope and use potential of these applications. Many users are interested in exploring the technology; others enjoy quick access to information. Still others prefer to fully integrate the applications into their research practice. While considering the aforementioned issues of access, technical services, and technical support, these varying levels of interest and motivation for use should be incorporated in the decision-making process.

The authors organized a workshop designed to help attendees use mobile apps for their research. The workshop focused on the rich and varied content contained in apps, the practicality and timeliness of their format, and how they allow users to access information. Additionally, the workshop addressed common access issues, such as downloading apps and using them on mobile devices. Held in a library computer classroom and simulcast online, this event focused on the process of downloading and using the Libraries’ subscription apps from a student and faculty perspective plus the use of free apps and those that are available from the University independently of the Libraries.

Moreover, the Libraries host a LibGuide to help students discover the apps offered and how to use them effectively at Stony Brook University Libraries. 18 The authors will begin recording and hosting tutorials that can be accessed by patrons at the point of need. The tutorials will provide narration and visual step-by-step instructions about the download process for subscribed mobile applications. The instructions will present the processes for different types of devices. As the authors learned from their experiences with e-books, procedures can differ greatly with every publisher on each type of device. These guides, workshops, and tutorials were developed to close the technology gap for this new format and to help users connect to content through apps as easily as they access library content through our databases or discovery system.

Besides acquiring and promoting external app content, Stony Brook University Libraries is developing a native library app to help users access library content appropriate for their mobile devices, including both apps and traditional library offerings. This library app was developed in response to various iPad one-to-one initiatives across Stony Brook’s campus. For the last two years, Stony Brook has provided iPads to students in the Educational Opportunity and Advancement on Individual Merit Programs (EOP/AIM) through an initiative called Mobile/Digital Now. The EOP/AIM students are high-potential applicants from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, and the Mobile/Digital Now program gives these students a technology portal to scholarly content. The Libraries are working with the EOP/AIM program to ensure that the app is preloaded on the iPads so that students have direct access to the Libraries’ resources. Similar programs are beginning in Stony Brook’s School of Medicine and Athletics Programs, and the Libraries will partner with each of these programs to promote access to library resources via the library app.

Currently, Stony Brook Medicine is implementing an iPad initiative. All incoming students will be given an iPad, and instructors are encouraged to use interactive tools and mobile apps to deliver content that can be accessed by students remotely to support interactive learning and classroom engagement. 19 To respond to this initiative, the Libraries created a LibGuide for mobile applications with information on downloading library-supported and departmental apps. This provides the library with an opportunity to stay informed regarding the use of these resources and to proactively provide support and instruction for users in this program. This LibGuide is also a platform for course-integrated instruction. It allows the librarian to customize sessions to apps with a specific function or content focused towards particular disciplines or programs.

The need to develop acquisitions policies and promotion procedures for mobile apps arose from an understanding of the needs of Stony Brook University’s researchers and students. The acquisition and evaluation of mobile apps are becoming increasingly crucial in academic libraries. Mobile-enabled patrons require library content that fit their devices and their needs. To create responsive collections, librarians must approach apps as an emerging resource type at the confluence of content and format. Documenting user requests and behavior with regard to point-of-need apps can help librarians demonstrate a demand for these resources as an emerging format capable of yielding new insight by virtue of its ability to on-demand access. Though mobile apps represent a collection development opportunity because of their ability to support new research modalities, they can also be an important means of accessing unique content only accessible through this format.

The body of literature addressing the acquisition and promotion of mobile apps is still limited. Many libraries are in the process of adapting their sites and traditional content to mobile users, and a growing number of institutions are working to license and distribute external app content. As we encounter and adjust our policies to adapt to this new format, we should be assessing and documenting effective practices to share with the field. Developing best practices to serve the mobile user will help librarians at all types of institutions build more responsive collections.

• Pew Research Center, “Mobile Fact Sheet,” accessed February 13, 2017, www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/ .
• April Grey and Rachel Isaac-Menard, “Database Mobile Accessibility Assessment at Adelphi University Libraries,” Journal of Web Librarianship 9, no. 2–3 (2015): 85–98.
• William T. Caniano and Amy Catalano, “Academic Libraries and Mobile Devices: User and Reader Preferences,” Reference Librarian 55, no. 4 (2014): 298–317.
• Catharine Bomhold, “Mobile Services at Academic Libraries: Meeting the Users’ Needs?,” Library Hi Tech 32, no. 2 (2014): 336–45.
• Shun Han Rebekah Wong, “Which Platform Do Our Users Prefer: Website or Mobile App?” Reference Services Review 40, no. 1 (2012): 103–15.
• Antonio P. DeRosa and Sarah T. Jewell, “Establishing a Mobile Resources Collection Development Policy,” Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries 11, no. 3 (2014): 144–54.
• J. Dale Prince, “Ten Essential Cloud-Based Apps for Medical Librarians,” Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries 9, no. 2 (2012): 155–66; Emma O’Hagan, “Getting Started with Medical Apps: Apps You Should Know About,” Journal of Hospital Librarianship 12, no. 2 (2012): 162–70.
• DeRosa and Jewell, “Establishing a Mobile Resources Collection Development Policy,” 144–54.
• Danielle Kane and Jeff Schneidewind, “QR Codes as Finding Aides: Linking Electronic and Print Library Resources,” Public Services Quarterly 7, no. 3–4 (2011): 111–24.
• Susan E. Swogger and Brenda M. Linares, “BrowZine: A Method for Managing a Personalized Collection of Journals,” Medical Reference Services Quarterly 35, no. 1 (2016): 83–93.
• Matthew Ismail, “Marketing BrowZine in Michigan Universities,” Against the Grain 25, no. 5 (2016): 22.
• Robin Canuel and Chad Crichton, “Leveraging Apps for Research and Learning: A Survey of Canadian Academic Libraries,” Library Hi Tech 33, no. 1 (2015): 2–14.
• Robin Canuel, Chad Crichton, and Maria Savova, “Tablets as Powerful Tools for University Research: Teaching the Relevant Skills,” Library Technology Reports 48, no. 8 (2012): 35–41.
• Rebecca Schroeder and Julie Williamsen, “Streaming Video: The Collaborative Convergence of Technical Services, Collection Development, and Information Technology in the Academic Library,” Collection Management 36, no. 2 (2011): 89–106.
• Stony Brook University Libraries, “Mobile Resources and Apps for Library Research,” accessed March 1, 2017, http://guides.library.stonybrook.edu/mobile/home .
• “Mobile Medicine Education,” Stony Brook Medicine, accessed October 4, 2017, https://medicine.stonybrookmedicine.edu/mmeded .
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Priority Assessment

Determine whether a software development project prioritization system was effective in speeding the time to completion for high priority jobs.

Key words: Summary statistics, histograms, normal quantile plot, ANOVA, pairwise comparison, unequal variance test, and Welch's test

Determine if a backgammon program has been upgraded by comparing the performance of a player against the computer across different time periods.

Key words: Histograms, confidence intervals, stacking data, one-way ANOVA, unequal variances test, one-sample t-Test, ANOVA table and calculations, F Distribution, F ratios

Per Capita Income

Use data from the World Factbook to explore wealth disparities between different regions of the world and identify those with the highest and lowest wealth.

Key words: Geographic mapping, histograms, log transformation, ANOVA, Welch's ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis

• Download the data set 3

Kerrich: Is a Coin Fair?

Using outcomes for 10,000 flips of a coin, use descriptive statistics, confidence intervals and hypothesis tests to determine whether the coin is fair. 

Key words: Bar charts, confidence intervals for proportions, hypothesis testing for proportions, likelihood ratio, simulating random data, scatterplot, fitting a regression line

Lister and Germ Theory

Use results from a 1860’s sterilization study to determine if there is evidence that the sterilization process reduces deaths when amputations are performed.

Key words: Mosaic plots, contingency tables, Pearson and likelihood ratio tests, Fisher's exact test, two-sample proportions test, one- and two-sided tests, confidence interval for the difference, relative risk

Salk Vaccine

Using data from a 1950’s study, determine whether the polio vaccine was effective in a cohort study, and, if it was, quantify the degree of effectiveness.

Key words: Bar charts, two-sample proportions test, relative risk, two-sided Pearson and likelihood ratio tests, Fisher's exact test, and the Gamma measure of association

Smoking and Lung Cancer

Use the results of a retrospective study to determine if there is a positive association between smoking and lung cancer, and estimate the risk of lung cancer for smokers relative to non-smokers.

Key words: Mosaic plots, two-by-two contingency tables, odds ratios and confidence intervals, conditional probability, hypothesis tests for proportions (likelihood ratio, Pearson's, Fisher's Exact, two sample tests for proportions)

Mendel's Laws of Inheritance

Use the data sets provided to explore Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance for dominant and recessive traits.

Key words: Bar charts, frequency distributions, goodness-of-fit tests, mosaic plot, hypothesis tests for proportions

Contributions

Predict year-end contributions in an employee fund-raising drive.

Key words: Summary statistics, time series plots, simple linear regression, predicted values, prediction intervals

Direct Mail

Evaluate different regression models to determine if sales at small retail shop are influence by direct mail campaign and using the resulting models to predict sales based upon the amount of marketing.

Key words: Time series plots, simple linear regression, lagged variables, predicted values, prediction intervals

Cost Leadership

Assess the effectiveness of a cost leadership strategy in increasing market share, and assess the potential for additional gains in market share under the current strategy.

Key words: Simple linear regression, spline fitting, transformations, predicted values, prediction intervals

Archosaur:  The Relationship Between Body Size and Brain Size

Analyze data on the brain and body weight of different dinosaur species to determine if a proposed statistical model performs well at describing the relationship and use the model to predict brain weight based on body weight.

Key words: Histogram and summary statistics, fitting a regression line, log transformations, residual plots, interpreting regression output and parameter estimates, inverse transformations

Cell Phone Service

Determine whether wind speed and barometric pressure are related to phone call performance (percentage of dropped or failed calls) and use the resulting model to predict the percentage of bad calls based upon the weather conditions.

Key words: Histograms, summary statistics, simple linear regression, multiple regression, scatterplot, 3D-scatterplot

Housing Prices

After determining which factors relate to the selling prices of homes located in and around a ski resort, develop a model to predict housing prices.

Key words: Scatterplot matrix, correlations, multiple regression, stepwise regression, multicollinearity, model building, model diagnostics

Bank Revenues

A bank wants to understand how customer banking habits contribute to revenues and profitability. Build a model that allows the bank to predict profitability for a given customer. The resulting model will be used to forecast bank revenues and guide the bank in future marketing campaigns.

Key words: Log transformation, stepwise regression, regression assumptions, residuals, Cook’s D, model coefficients, singularity, prediction profiler, inverse transformations

Determine whether certain conditions make it more likely that a customer order will be won or lost.

Key words: Bar charts, frequency distribution, mosaic plots, contingency table, chi-squared test, logistic regression, predicted values, confusion matrix

Titanic Passengers

Use the passenger data related to the sinking of the RMS Titanic ship to explore some questions of interest about survival rates for the Titanic. For example, were there some key characteristics of the survivors? Were some passenger groups more likely to survive than others? Can we accurately predict survival?

Key words: Logistic regression, log odds and logit, odds, odds ratios, prediction profiler

Credit Card Marketing

A bank would like to understand the demographics and other characteristics associated with whether a customer accepts a credit card offer. Build a Classification model that will provide insight into why some bank customers accept credit card offers.

Key words: Classification trees, training & validation, confusion matrix, misclassification, leaf report, ROC curves, lift curves

Call Center Improvement: Visual Six Sigma

The scenario relates to the handling of customer queries via an IT call center. The call center performance is well below best in class. Identify potential process changes to allow the call center to achieve best in class performance.

Key words: Interactive data visualization, graphs, distribution, tabulate, recursive partitioning, process capability, control chart, multiple regression, prediction profiler

Customer Churn

Analyze the factors related to customer churn of a mobile phone service provider. The company would like to build a model to predict which customers are most likely to move their service to a competitor. This knowledge will be used to identify customers for targeted interventions, with the ultimate goal of reducing churn.

Key words: Neural networks, activation functions, model validation, confusion matrix, lift, prediction profiler, variable importance

Boston Housing

Build a variety of prediction models (multiple regression, partition tree, and a neural network) to determine the one that performs the best at predicting house prices based upon various characteristics of the house and its location.

Key words: Stepwise regression, regression trees, neural networks, model validation, model comparison

Durability of Mobile Phone Screen - Part 1

Evaluate the durability of mobile phone screens in a drop test. Determine if a desired level of durability is achieved for each of two types of screens and compare performance.

Key words: Confidence Intervals, Hypothesis Tests for One and Two Population Proportions, Chi-square, Relative Risk

Durability of Mobile Phone Screen - Part 2

Evaluate the durability of mobile phone screens in a drop test at various drop heights. Determine if a desired level of durability is achieved for each of three types of screens and compare performance.

Key words: Contingency analysis, comparing proportions via difference, relative risk and odds ratio

Durability of Mobile Phone Screen - Part 3

Evaluate the durability of mobile phone screens in a drop test across various heights by building individual simple logistic regression models. Use the models to estimate the probability of a screen being damaged across any drop height.

Key words: Single variable logistic regression, inverse prediction

Durability of Mobile Phone Screen - Part 4

Evaluate the durability of mobile phone screens in a drop test across various heights by building a single multiple logistic regression model. Use the model to estimate the probability of a screen being damaged across any drop height.

Key words: Multivariate logistic regression, inverse prediction, odds ratio

Online Mortgage Application

Evaluate the potential improvement to the UI design of an online mortgage application process by examining the usability rating from a sample of 50 customers and comparing their performance using the new design vs. a large collection of historic data on customer’s performance with the current design.

Key words: Distribution, normality, normal quantile plot, Shapiro Wilk and Anderson Darling tests, t-Test

Performance of Food Manufacturing Process - Part 1

Evaluate the performance to specifications of a food manufacturing process using graphical analyses and numerical summarizations of the data.

Key words: Distribution, summary statistics, time series plots

Performance of Food Manufacturing Process - Part 2

Evaluate the performance to specifications of a food manufacturing process using confidence intervals and hypothesis testing.

Key words: Distribution, normality, normal quantile plot, Shapiro Wilk and Anderson Darling tests, test of mean and test of standard deviation

Detergent Cleaning Effectiveness

Analyze the results of an experiment to determine if there is statistical evidence demonstrating an improvement in a new laundry detergent formulation. Explore and describe the affect that multiple factors have on a response, as well as identify conditions with the most and least impact.

Key words: Analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-Test, pairwise comparison, model diagnostics, model performance

Manufacturing Systems Variation

Study the use of Nested Variability chart to understand and analyze the different components of variances. Also explore the ways to minimize the variability by applying various rules of operation related to variance.

Key words: Variability gauge, nested design, component analysis of variance

Text Exploration of Patents

This study requires the use of unstructured data analysis to understand and analyze the text related to patents filed by different companies.

Key words: Word cloud, data visualization, term selection

US Stock Indices

Understand the basic concepts related to time series data analysis and explore the ways to practically understand the risks and rate of return related to the financial indices data.

Key words: Differencing, log transformation, stationarity, Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test

Pricing Musical Instrument

Study the application of regression and concepts related to choice modeling (also called conjoint analysis) to understand and analyze the importance of the product attributes and their levels influencing the preferences.

Key words: Part Worth, regression, prediction profiler

Pricing Spectacles

Design and analyze discrete choice experiments (also called conjoint analysis) to discover which product or service attributes are preferred by potential customers.

Key words: Discrete choice design, regression, utility and probability profiler, willingness to pay

Modeling Gold Prices

Learn univariate time series modeling using US Gold Prices. Build AR, MA, ARMA and ARMA models to analyze the characteristics of the time series data and forecast.

Key words: Stationarity, AR, MA, ARMA, ARIMA, model comparison and diagnostics

Explore statistical evidence demonstrating an association between Saguro size and the amount of flowers it produces.

Key words: Kendall's Tau, correlation, normality, regression

Manufacturing Excellence at Pharma Company - Part 1

Use control charts to understand process stability and analyze the patterns of process variation.

Key words: Statistical Process Control, Control Chart, Process Capability

Manufacturing Excellence at Pharma Company - Part 2

Use Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) to assess the precision, consistency and bias of a measurement system.

Key words: Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Manufacturing Excellence at Pharma Company - Part 3

Use Design of Experiments (DOE) to advance knowledge about the process.

Key words: Definitive Screening Design, Custom Design, Design Comparison. Prediction, Simulation and Optimization

Polymerization at Lohmann - Part 1

Application of statistical methods to understand the process and enhance its performance through Design of Experiments and regression techniques.

Key words: Custom Design, Stepwise Regression, Prediction Profiler

Polymerization at Lohmann - Part 2

Use Functional Data Analysis to understand the intrinsic structure of the data.

Key words: Functional Data Analysis (FDA), B Splines, Functional PCA, Generalized Regression

Optimization of Microbial Cultivation Process

Use Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize the microbial cultivation process.

Key words: Custom Design, Design Evaluation, Predictive Modeling

Cluster Analysis in the Public Sector

Use PCA and Clustering techniques to segment the demographic data.

Key words: Clustering, Principal Component Analysis, Exploratory Data Analysis

Forecasting Copper Prices

Learn various exponential smoothing techniques to build various forecasting models and compare them.

Key words: Time series forecasting, Exponential Smoothing

Increasing Bioavailability of a Drug using SMEDDS

Use Mixture/formulation design to optimize multiple responses related to bioavailability of a drug.

Key words: Custom Design, Mixture/Formulation Design, Optimization

Where Have All the Butterflies Gone?

Apply time series forecasting and Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to evaluate butterfly populations being impacted by climate and land-use changes.

Key words: Time series forecasting, Generalized linear mixed model

Exploratory Factor Analysis of Trust in Online Sellers

Apply exploratory factor analysis to uncover latent factor structure in an online shopping questionnaire.

Key words: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Bartlett’s Test, KMO Test

Modeling Online Shopping Perceptions

Apply measurement and structural models to survey responses from online shoppers to build and evaluate competing models.

Key words : Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Measurement and Structural Regression Models, Model Comparison

Functional Data Analysis for HPLC Optimization

Apply functional data analysis and functional design of experiments (FDOE) for the optimization of an analytical method to allow for the accurate quantification of two biological components.

Key words: Functional Data Analysis, Functional PCA, Functional DOE

Nonlinear Regression Modeling for Cell Growth Optimization

Apply nonlinear models to understand the impact of factors on a cell growth.

Key words: Nonlinear Modeling, Logistic 3P, Curve DOE

Quantifying Sentiment in Economic Reports

Apply Sentiment analysis to quantify the emotion in unstructured text.

Key words: Word Cloud, Sentiment Analysis

Monitoring Fish Abundance in the Mesoamerican Reef

Apply exploratory data analysis in the context of wildlife monitoring and nature conservation

Key words: Summary statistics, Crosstabulation, Data visualization

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Indoor Noise in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of University of Ilorin Main Library, Nigeria

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This study assessed indoor noise at the University of Ilorin Main Library in Nigeria, using semistructured questionnaire and sound level meter. Sources, subjective rating, extent of noise disruption, and ambient daytime and night-time noise levels in the library were determined. The study revealed that noise rating and extent of disruptions were divergent. Daytime sound pressure level in the library is equally location dependent, fluctuates, and most of the measurements surpass the recommended maximum limit of 45 Decibels. It is suggested that a noise policy should be formulated for the library, in addition to acoustic upgrading and library space reclassification.

Keywords: Library, Noise, Ilorin, Empirical Assessment, Subjective Assessment

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)

Introduction

Certain indoor environments such as libraries require quietness and cannot tolerate any form of noise at any time of the day. This is because absolute silence is required for comprehension, skill development and proofreading. Though libraries are custodians of book and non-book materials, modern libraries play more important roles as work, study and meeting spaces, and cheap public access points to Internet and multimedia services (Markham, 2004). Hence, libraries now experience more patronage than ever before, and more physical facilities are often provided to cope with the needs of library users. Environmental factors such as ventilation, noise and physical facilities are variables that are likely to influence the use of a library (Saka et al, 2012). Noise, in particular, has a high tendency to discourage library use; in a learning environment, too little background noise can make the slightest sound noticeable thereby enhancing distraction, while too much noise leads to low concentration and annoyance (Hodgson and Moreno, 2008).

Established acceptable noise level in libraries range between 35-45 decibels (Kiely, 1997; Duggal, 2007 ; Davis and Cornwell, 2009), and library noise could also be evaluated based on perception of library users. Some research outcomes conclude that cognitive task performance such as students' concentration and librarian's consultation is hindered by background noise (Kjellberg et al., 1997; Sullivan, 2010). Findings of the research by Gordon-Hickey and Lemley (2012) indicate that the influence of background noise on cognitive activities has physiological rather than psychological origins. Therefore, students accurately self-assess their acoustic study environment needs while it is recommended that academic libraries should offer multiple...

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• DOI: 10.1108/dts-03-2024-0040
• Corpus ID: 272057826

Digital humanities in US academic libraries: case studies

• Kelda Habing , Lian Ruan
• Published in Digital Transformation and… 16 August 2024

23 References

Back to basics: supporting digital humanities and community collaboration using the core strength of the academic library, digital humanities degrees and supplemental credentials in information schools (ischools), shifting expectations: revisiting core concepts of academic librarianship in undergraduate classes with a digital humanities focus, from transaction to collaboration: scholarly communications design at uconn library, beyond the one-shot: intensive workshops as a platform for engaging the library in digital humanities, visualizing history in the classroom: a faculty-librarian partnership in the digital age, digital humanities research: interdisciplinary collaborations, themes and implications to library and information science, scanning the digital: using survey data to support digital scholarship initiatives at the university of mississippi, innovative management strategies for building and sustaining a digital initiatives department with limited resources, digital humanities, libraries, and collaborative research: new technologies for digital textual studies, related papers.

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This is a qualitative research study that considers academic library internationalization at a medium-sized liberal arts university. Dr. Jane Knight's (2004) higher education internationalization model was conceptualized to provide a framework in which to study internationalization at the case study library. A systematic review revealed three major themes, and four subthemes, that permeate literature on the topic, and informed this study. Research consisted of semi-structured interviews of case study library and international office personnel, along with document analyses of library and university artifacts. Through coding and cluster analysis, three themes -- Content, Intention, Roles -- emerged that described internationalization at the case study library within context of the conceptual framework.

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Assessment and Advocacy: Using Project Outcome for Academic Libraries

September 4, 2024 Erin Nevius Project Outcome , Publications 0

ACRL announces the publication of Assessment and Advocacy: Using Project Outcome for Academic Libraries , edited by Gena Parsons-Diamond, demonstrating how a variety of libraries have used Project Outcome to make improvements in their practice and highlighting the value the toolkit has brought to institutions and the academic library profession. Proceeds from the book go to keeping Project Outcome free.

Learn more about Assessment and Advocacy in this excerpt from the Introduction by the editor, licensed under CC BY 4.0 .

What is Project Outcome?

While many libraries collect data about their programs and services, it can be more difficult gathering evidence that captures the benefits libraries provide to students and other users. Measuring outcomes can provide libraries with new ways to demonstrate their effectiveness beyond gate counts and anecdotal success stories.

Project Outcome is designed to help libraries understand and share the impact of essential library programs, instruction, and services by providing simple surveys and an easy-to-use process for measuring and analyzing outcomes. ACRL believes so strongly in the value of this tool for the profession, and places such a high importance on libraries implementing outcomes-based assessment and improvement, that the association invests $60,000 annually in making the tool freely available. This support ensures the tool is available to all post-secondary libraries without a subscription fee.

Project Outcome provides libraries with access to quick and simple patron surveys, an easy-to-use survey management tool, custom reports and interactive data dashboards for analyzing the data, and various resources to help libraries implement the surveys and then use the results. Libraries are encouraged to use their results to support and promote future action—allocating resources more efficiently, advocating for new resources more effectively, and providing support for future library funding, activity reports, and strategic planning. Whether new to outcomes measurement or advanced in data collection, all academic libraries can access the standardized surveys, national and peer benchmarking, and data analysis tools to effect change within their institutions and beyond.

 Project Outcome’s standardized surveys allow libraries to aggregate their outcomes data and analyze trends by service topic, program type, and over time. Academic libraries can see how the outcomes of their programs and services compare across their institution, Carnegie classification, and nation. Project Outcome for Academic Libraries surveys help libraries measure outcomes and assess their impact in seven key service areas (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 . The seven survey topics offered in the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries toolkit.

The outcomes measured in the Project Outcome surveys are one piece of the assessment puzzle. They help libraries understand the specific benefits that result from their services or programs. Outcomes can be quantitative or qualitative and are often expressed as changes that individuals perceive in themselves. They answer the question: “What good did we do?” (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2 . Four key outcomes measured in the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries toolkit.

Project Outcome provides three types of tools for libraries to measure their patron outcomes (see Figure 3).

Figure 3 . The three types of tools provided in Project Outcome and what they measure.

Each Project Outcome immediate survey is six questions long and includes both Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Libraries can add up to three custom questions to help them gather additional evidence. The immediate surveys are designed to be distributed right after a program or service is completed and aim to help libraries better understand the immediate impact that program or service had on patrons and their intention to change their behavior as a result. Results from immediate surveys are ideal for informing program or service changes and providing a snapshot for advocacy and reporting.  The standard immediate and follow-up surveys for all topics are available in Appendices C and D at the end of the book.

 Each Project Outcome follow-up survey has five questions and follows a Yes/No/Not Applicable/Please Explain format. The follow-up surveys are designed to be used four to eight weeks after a program or service is completed and aim to help libraries better understand if patrons have changed their behavior or continued to benefit as a result of the program or service. Results from follow-up surveys are ideal for assessing the lasting impact of a program or service, informing internal planning, measuring progress toward strategic goals, and providing evidence for advocacy.

The Outcome Measurement Guidelines[i] included in the toolkit resources provide additional support for outcomes-focused data collection. The guidelines focus on four areas: developing outcome measures, alternative data collections methods, measuring outcome data over time, and working with partners. They, along with the many other resources, are designed to help libraries conduct advanced methods of outcomes measurement and demonstrate long-term, collaborative impact on their users and institutions.

User Engagement

Between the April 2019 launch and July 12, 2023, 5,016 users (librarians, library workers, and LIS students) have registered for the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries toolkit. The users come from 1,584 institutions in 65 countries. There have been 12,154 surveys created in the toolkit that have collected 159,252 responses. See Appendix E for a full list of institutions who have collected survey responses. While Project Outcome is open to all academic and research libraries globally, the majority of registered users (over 76 percent) and survey responses (96 percent) come from institutions in the United States.

Surveys are distributed and responses collected by institutions from all Carnegie classifications. Community colleges and 2-year institutions account for 17 percent of response data, four-year institutions for 16 percent, master’s-granting colleges and universities for 33 percent, doctoral-granting universities for 31 percent, and special focus institutions for 3 percent.  As shown in Figure 4, Associate’s Colleges are underrepresented in Project Outcome data, while Master’s Colleges & Universities and Doctoral Universities are overrepresented.

Figure 4 . Chart comparing Project Outcome usage by Carnegie Class to overall institutions by Carnegie Class.

Organization of Assessment and Advocacy

This book begins with the chapter Characteristics of Academic Libraries, Library Instruction, and Student Outcomes: A Descriptive Analysis Focusing on Minority-Serving and Rural Institutions by Kara Malenfant and Sara Goek. Malenfant and Goek discuss several national-level academic library survey tools and datasets and how the Project Outcome data can be used in conversation with these sources. Their ultimate goal is to encourage greater participation in national-level surveys and using this data for future research opportunities.

Following this are ten case studies, each of which describes how use of the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries toolkit has benefitted the authors’ library and institution.

• The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO) aimed to assess the impact of library support on student success, particularly in Writing 188 classes, to contribute to a new library strategic plan. Using Project Outcome surveys, the university’s instruction librarians gathered feedback from students and individual research appointment participants, leading to workflow adjustments and insights into possible future improvements for the library.
• Iowa State University (ISU) uses the Project Outcome space survey to assess library spaces and make data-driven decisions. The survey, conducted semi-annually since fall 2018, involves collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from students who have reserved library study rooms.
• The Centre College library’s information literacy instruction program has used Project Outcome instruction surveys since the 2020-2021 academic year as part of its three-tiered assessment plan: course-level, satisfaction-based assessment; competency-based assessment; and program-level, competency-based assessment. The goal of this assessment is to provide student feedback to library instructors and use the results to demonstrate the value of library instruction to faculty and administrators.
• Librarians from two institutions, Seminole State College of Florida (SSC) and University of Central Florida (ICF), collaborated on a project to study library instruction outcomes across both campuses using the Project Outcome instruction survey. The resulting data was used to align information literacy instruction at SSC and UCS, strengthen their partnership, and support student success.
• In July 2022, Central Piedmont Community College opened their new library, the largest library space of their six campuses. Staff used the Project Outcome space survey to assess the study rooms as a part a larger assessment plan, considering in particular potential changes to the study room configurations that could improve student knowledge, confidence, and awareness of library resources.
• After two years of virtual instruction due to the pandemic, the librarians at the University of Houston-Clear Lake undertook the task of updating and modifying the first-year experience course. They used the immediate instruction survey to gather a clear vision of areas which needed improvement and used responses to promote the value of the library’s instruction program to faculty and other stakeholders.
• Before January 2022, the library at Hiram College had not collected any assessment or performance data about library instruction sessions. Following an administrative decision that made library instruction a mandatory part of the college’s first-year seminar courses , they used the instruction survey to determine if the mandate resulted in an improvement in student performance.
• Regis University used the follow-up instruction survey to build a stronger argument in favor of mandatory library instruction for all sections of the first-year experience course at their institution.
• The research and instructional services librarian at Felician University used the immediate instruction survey in the library orientation session for all first-year, first-semester students to yield data on how well students remembered information about the session and if their library awareness increased. The resulting data was also included in end-of-year reporting and to advocate for the permanency of a mandatory library session.
• Librarians at Western Michigan University used the immediate instruction survey to assess the effectiveness of library programming for first-year writing courses in different colleges at a mid-sized public university. They used the results to assess modes of instruction, learning outcomes, and student affect.

Project Outcome provides valuable data, benchmarking, and feedback from students, faculty, and other library stakeholders, which can help you and your library advocate for continued investment, improve instruction, strengthen partnerships, and much more. Register for free today at https://acrl.projectoutcome.org and let us know how you’ve implemented the ideas in this book and your new ideas to effect change at your library, institution, and in the profession.

[i] Project Outcome for Academic Libraries, “Outcome Measurement Guidelines,” June 2023, https://acrl.projectoutcome.org/surveys-resources/outcome-measurement-guidelines .

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Use of Academic Library: A Case Study of Covenant University, Nigeria

This study examines the extent of use of library resources in Covenant University, Nigeria. Two separate questionnaires were used to gather data. 400 registered library users were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. The findings revealed that 88% of the students sampled visited the library to read for examination while most faculties visited the library to read journals, electronic or print. Also, students used OPAC more than faculty. It is recommended that faculty give reading assignments that will require students to consult journals and other resources in the library, not just for examination purposes. And the library should organize a “library week” each semester to showcase the various resources available in the library

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An academic library is established in an institution of higher learning to provide services that will meet the information needs of students, lecturers, researchers and the entire academic community. The use of the library and its resources by the students of the institution is therefore a must for both faculty and students if academic work would go on successfully. This study examines the extent of use of library resources in Ghana Communication Technology University, Accra, Ghana. Two separate questionnaires were used to gather data. 400 registered library users were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. The findings revealed that 46.87% of the students sampled visited the library to read for examination while most faculty members visited the library to consult journals, electronic or print resources and to read newspapers. Also, students used the online catalogue to locate materials more than faculty. It was recommended that faculty give reading assignments tha...

United International Journal for Research & Technology

UIJRT | United International Journal for Research & Technology

An academic library is established in an institution of higher learning to provide services that will meet the information needs of students, lecturers, researchers and the entire academic community. The use of the library and its resources by the students of the institution is therefore a must for both faculty and students if academic work would go on successfully. This study examines the extent of use of library resources in Ghana Communication Technology University, Accra, Ghana. Two separate questionnaires were used to gather data. 400 registered library users were selected using the stratified random sampling technique. The findings revealed that 46.87% of the students sampled visited the library to read for examination while most faculty members visited the library to consult journals, electronic or print resources and to read newspapers. Also, students used the online catalogue to locate materials more than faculty. It was recommended that faculty give reading assignments that will require students to consult journals and other resources in the library, not just for examination purposes. The library should also embark on aggressive awareness creation on regular basis to showcase the various resources available in the library.

Dr. K . Arockiaraj

Library is an essential aspect of any academic quality. NAAC and UGC has emphasized the need for a quality library with effective services. The 21 st generation technologies have dampened the use of it by the students. However it is imperative for the college to enhance the quality of library to attract students. This paper is an outcome of a study conducted with 60 college youth from UG and PG and form both the gender. This descriptive paper highlights the utilization of the library by the students and their attitude, family reading environment, interest in reading, satisfaction towards the library facilities of the academic library in the college. This paper lists the various recommendations to the colleges to enhance the quality of its library services.

Library Philosophy and Practice

Akobundu Ugah

This study evaluated the use of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Library, Umudike, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised 1,000 library registered users. A random sample of 200 was selected and administered a questionnaire. There were 154 usable responses. Result showed that a total of 130 (84.5%) used the library on daily basis, 50 (32.5%) came to read library books, and 42 (27.3%) to consult reference materials. Textbooks were the most used reading material and were located by direct approach to the shelves. Assistance was needed in locating reference materials and staff cooperation was rated good by 84 (54.5%).

Olajide Oluwakemi

This study examines the usage of academic library by undergraduates of Afe Babalola University, Nigeria. Four research questions were considered to gather data. Purposive sampling technique was used to obtain data from 500 students of the university who participated in the study. The findings revealed that 56% of the students visited the library daily. 99.6% of the students sampled only visited the library to read for test and examination while 96.8% visited the library to browse the internet. Also, 79.4% were not satisfied with the seating capacity and availability of computers in the library. The study recommended that lecturers should give reading assignments to students that will require that they visit the library to read even before test and examinations. Also, the library should organize a " library week " every session to sensitize students on the available resources in the library. In addition to college libraries, a more spacious central library should be made available to serve the teaming population of the users.

shahnaz khademizadeh , Khaiser Nikam

The performance of library depends on the nature and the type of collection the library ‎has. If the collection is good and need based, libraries can attract more number of users and every ‎book will find its user. If the collection is bad and not user-friendly then the libraries may not ‎attract the users to the library. The problem is how to ascertain that the collection is good or bad. ‎The answer is to conduct the performance evaluation of the library on a regular basis. Hence ‎performance evaluation is one of the major concerns of library and information systems and it ‎forms an integral part of Library and Information Science practitioners.‎ This study is a survey of scientific and research institute libraries in Iran. In Iran there are ‎sixty nine (63) scientific and research institutes affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research & ‎Technology (MSRT) Government of Iran. Of the 63 research institutes, only ten Institutes were ‎selected for this study. The sample covered is 2390 and the responses received re 1550 scoring ‎‎64.85%.Some of the major findings are: nearly 44.90 percent of the respondents seek library ‎staff’s assistance once in a month. Time taken to get the information from the library staff is a ‎Day (44.90 %). The type of action taken in case of failure of search is to 'Consult Staff ‎Members'(33.8%). The type of information services preferred is that ‘Content Page Service’ ‎‎(mean=2.72). The overall satisfaction with library collection is with regard to the ‘Extent of ‎Availability, of the collection is high (3.05). For the parameter, ‘Does the existing collection meet ‎your requirements? , nearly 83.4% said ‘YES’, and 16.6 % of them said ‘NO’.‎

Charles Chukwuji

The purpose of this study was to find out how undergraduates of Federal University Gusau, Nigeria use the library resources The descriptive survey design was used in the study. The population was 3,728 registered library users from the three faculties in Federal University Gusau Library, Nigeria. Proportionate stratified sampling technique was adopted to ensure equal participation of the subgroups (Faculties) in line with their respective population and Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula table for determining sample size from a giving population was used. Sample population of 346 was arrived at. The instruments for data collection were Students‟ library registration record and a structured questionnaire. 346 questionnaires were distributed while 328 copies were returned and 282 was duly completed and found usable. The distribution tables for faculty, level and sex were analysed using simple percentage while the research questions were analysed using Mean and Standard Deviation (STD)....

Ahmed Simisaye

Introduction Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) former Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE) was upgraded into first University of Education in Nigeria in 2005, its certificate of recognition as the 76th University in Nigeria was issued specifically in November, 2005 by the National Universities Commission (NUC). The University is owned and funded by Ogun State Government. The University has four (4) Colleges namely College of Applied Education Education and Vocational Technology (COAEVOT); College of Humanity (COHUM); College of Science and Information Technology (COSIT) and College of Social and Management Sciences (COSMAS). The University also has Center for part-time programmes (CEPEP), which runs part-time degree and Post Graduate Programmes. The university also has Vocational School that offer course vocational studies, Pre-Degree and Foundation Programme in Ososa annex. The University turned out its first set of graduates in December, 2009. Like any other Univers...

Kelsey Jumala

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Quantifying the impact of habitat modifications on species behavior and mortality: A case study of tropical tuna

Corresponding Author

Amaël Dupaix

• [email protected]
• orcid.org/0000-0001-9925-5756

MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, INRAE, IRD, Sète, France

Correspondence

Email: [email protected]

Laurent Dagorn

Jean-Louis Deneubourg

CENOLI, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

Manuela Capello

Handling Editor: Roberto Carlucci

Ecosystems and biodiversity across the world are being altered by human activities. Habitat modification and degradation are among the most important drivers of biodiversity loss. These modifications can have an impact on species behavior, which can, in turn, impact their mortality. While several studies have investigated the impacts of habitat degradation and fragmentation on terrestrial species, the extent to which habitat modifications affect the behavior and fitness of marine species is still largely unknown, particularly for pelagic species. Since the early 1990s, industrial purse seine vessels targeting tuna have started deploying artificial floating objects—Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (DFADs)—in all oceans to increase tuna catchability. Since then, the massive deployment of DFADs has modified tuna surface habitat, by increasing the density of floating objects, with potential impacts on tuna associative behavior and mortality. In this study, we investigate these impacts for yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean. Using an individual-based model based on a correlated random walk and newly available data on DFAD densities, we quantify for the first time how the increase in floating object density, due to DFAD use, affects the percentage of time that yellowfin tuna spend associated, which, in turn, directly impacts their availability to fishers and fishing mortality. This modification of tuna associative behavior could also have indirect impacts on their fitness, by retaining tuna in areas detrimental to them or disrupting schooling behavior. Hence, there is an urgent need to further investigate DFAD impacts on tuna behavior, in particular, taking social behavior into account, and to continue regulation efforts on DFAD use and monitoring.

INTRODUCTION

In the context of global change, biodiversity and ecosystem functions are deteriorating under the pressure of several direct and indirect drivers (IPBES,  2019 ). In terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, land-use increase, induced by agriculture, forestry, and urbanization, is the driver with the largest relative impact, while direct exploitation of fish and seafood has the largest relative impact in the oceans (IPBES,  2019 ). Increased exploitation of land and sea not only directly impacts populations but also modifies natural habitat, for example, by reducing its surface (Hooke & Martín-Duque,  2012 ; Neumann et al.,  2016 ) or degrading and fragmenting it (IPBES,  2018 ). Such habitat modifications can impact wild species distribution, reproduction, behavior, and ultimately their fitness (Fischer & Lindenmayer,  2007 ; Macura et al.,  2019 ; Mullu,  2016 ). Hence, it is central to determine to what extent these modifications, driven by global change or direct exploitation of animals, can impact species fitness, both in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

The impact of landscape modification and habitat fragmentation has been extensively studied in terrestrial ecosystems (Fischer & Lindenmayer,  2007 ). For example, evidence shows that 82% of endangered bird species are threatened by habitat loss, as are most amphibian species, with some of them now only breeding in modified habitats (IPBES,  2018 ). Anthropogenic disturbances also impact terrestrial ecosystem functions, reducing plant production (Hooper et al.,  2012 ), and the impact of terrestrial habitat fragmentation on population connectivity is regularly assessed (IPBES,  2018 ).

However, the extent to which habitat modifications determine the behavior, survival, and fitness of marine species is still largely unknown (Hays et al.,  2016 ). Research on the topic mainly focuses on estuaries and coastal marine ecosystems. Habitat modifications in coastal areas come from fisheries and development of infrastructures and aquaculture (IPBES,  2019 ). Climate change is also an important driver, with most striking impacts in the poles and the tropics (Doney et al.,  2012 ). Induced warming temperatures and ocean acidification are likely to drive the degradation of most warm-water coral reefs by 2040–2050 (Hoegh-Guldberg et al.,  2017 ), and mangroves are predicted to move poleward (Alongi,  2015 ). Pollution is also a driver of marine habitat modification, through acidification, oil spills, or plastics, which can lead to changes in population dynamics (IPBES,  2022 , p. 4.2.1.6.5). Marine habitat modifications also impact benthic community composition and sensitivity (Neumann et al.,  2016 ), and could affect fish recruitment (Macura et al.,  2019 ).

In pelagic environments, fewer studies have assessed habitat modifications (Dupaix et al.,  2021 ) and their impact on species behavior, condition, and survival (Hallier & Gaertner,  2008 ). Detailed movement data can be more cumbersome to acquire for marine than for terrestrial species (Hussey et al.,  2015 ). Currently, it is possible to record the horizontal and vertical movements of pelagic species, but the deployment of tracking devices is costly and operationally challenging (Ogburn et al.,  2017 ). For example, using active acoustic tagging, one can have a good estimation of an individual trajectory but needs to follow the individual by boat. Pop-up satellite archival tags are also increasingly used and allow to record the movement and depth of marine animals without having to follow them. However, these tags using light-level data for geolocation (Global Location Sensors [GLS]) only allow to track movement at large geographical scales. Finally, presence–absence data can be obtained through passive acoustic telemetry, by deploying networks of acoustic receivers allowing the detection of tagged individuals when they are in the vicinity. Recently, such data have been used to demonstrate the impacts of habitat modifications on the behavior of tropical tuna (Pérez et al.,  2020 ).

Tropical tunas are of major commercial interest worldwide ($40.8 billion in 2018, McKinney et al.,  2020 ) and are subject to an important fishing pressure (5 million tons of tuna caught annually in 2017–2021, ISSF,  2023 ). Yellowfin tuna ( Thunnus albacares , designated as YFT) is one of the three main targeted species, with the skipjack ( Katsuwonus pelamis ) and bigeye ( Thunnus obesus ) tunas. The main fishing gear targeting tropical tunas is purse seining, which accounted for around 66% of the global catch from 2017 to 2021 (ISSF,  2023 ). Many pelagic species, like tunas, are known to associate with floating objects (noted FOBs, Castro et al.,  2002 ; Fréon & Dagorn,  2000 ), such as tree logs which are a natural component of their habitat. In the 1990s, tuna purse seine vessels started to deploy their own artificial FOBs, called Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), to exploit this associative behavior.

Since then, the deployment and use of drifting FADs (DFADs) has increased, and the last global estimate is between 81,000 and 121,000 DFAD deployed in 2013 (Gershman et al.,  2015 ). In the beginning of the 2010s, fishers started equipping DFADs with echosounder buoys, transmitting the position of the DFAD and an estimation of the tuna biomass under it (and designated as operational buoys when transmitting), further increasing their efficiency (Wain et al.,  2021 ). In 2017–2021, around 56% of global purse seine catch was performed on FOBs, representing around 1.8 million tons per year (ISSF,  2023 ), and this proportion can be much higher in some regions, for example, with more than 85% of purse seine catch around FOBs in the Indian Ocean (IOTC,  2022e ). The use of DFADs directly impacts tuna populations, by increasing the proportion of juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna compared with free-swimming schools (Dagorn, Holland, et al.,  2013 ). Furthermore, the massive deployment of DFADs can also have indirect impacts, affecting the behavior and natural mortality of tuna (Hallier & Gaertner,  2008 ; Marsac et al.,  2000 ). Pérez et al. ( 2020 ) demonstrated, on arrays of anchored fish aggregating devices (AFADs), that a decrease in inter-AFAD distance leads to an increase in the percentage of time tuna spend associated. By comparing passive acoustic tagging data from three arrays with different inter-AFAD distances, the authors found that when the distance between AFADs decreases, tuna both spent more time associated with a given AFAD and less time between two associations. If an increase in DFAD density also increases the percentage of time tunas spend associated, it would strongly impact their catchability and therefore their mortality.

Several acoustic tagging studies characterized the behavior of tuna around AFADs, both through active (Girard et al.,  2004 ) and passive tagging (Pérez et al.,  2020 ; Robert et al.,  2012 ). These studies allowed to determine both residence times and duration between two associations. On DFADs, residence times were measured and showed important variations between oceans and species, ranging from 1.0 to 6.6 days, 0.2 to 4.6 days, and 1.4 to 7.6 days for yellowfin, skipjack, and bigeye tuna, respectively (Dagorn et al.,  2007 ; Govinden et al.,  2021 ; Matsumoto et al.,  2016 ). However, times between two DFAD associations are not known because neighbor DFADs are difficult to locate and exhaustively instrument with acoustic receivers. Without these measures, the percentage of time tuna spend associated with DFADs cannot be assessed, nor can the consequences of an increase in DFAD density on tuna.

This study investigates the impacts of pelagic habitat modifications, driven by industrial purse seine fisheries, on the behavior and mortality of YFT in the Western Indian Ocean (IO). In the IO, both the bigeye and YFT stocks are currently overfished and subject to overfishing (IOTC,  2022a , 2022b , 2022c ). One of the possible causes explaining the decline of these stocks is the important fishing pressure in the area. Tuna fisheries in the IO represent 1.2 Mt of tuna caught in 2021, 44% of which are caught by PS fisheries (percentage over 2017–2021), followed by gillnet and baitboat (IOTC,  2022d ; ISSF,  2023 ). Industrial purse seiners substantially rely on the use of DFADs, with the percentage of tuna caught at FOBs having increased from around 60% (mainly on natural FOBs) in the 1980s, to more than 85% lately (IOTC,  2022e ). The massive use of DFADs observed in recent years increases the fishing mortality of juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna and could also induce other indirect impacts, by modifying their habitat and thus increasing their natural mortality (Hallier & Gaertner,  2008 ; Marsac et al.,  2000 ). Recent studies investigated habitat modifications induced by the use of DFADs by industrial purse seine fleets in the Western IO (Dagorn, Bez, et al.,  2013 ; Dupaix et al.,  2021 ). Using data from observers onboard tuna purse seine vessels from 2006 to 2018, Dupaix et al. ( 2021 ) highlighted that DFADs multiplied the densities of FOBs by at least 2 and represented more than 85% of the overall FOBs. This study aims at quantifying how such habitat changes have affected the behavior of tropical tuna and its availability to the fisheries. Since 2020, detailed information on the total number of DFADs equipped with echosounder buoys has been made available to scientists (IOTC,  2019 ) at a 1°/monthly scale. This new data allow, for the first time, to have quantitative estimates of the density of DFADs in the IO. Furthermore, a recent study (Pérez et al.,  2022 ) developed an individual-based model fitting the movement behavior of YFT in an array of AFADs measured from acoustic telemetry data. In the following, we used this newly available dataset, combined with observers' data and the outputs of the individual-based model from Pérez et al. ( 2022 ), to predict the time that YFT spend between two DFAD associations in the Western IO. Using these predictions, we assess the impact of the modification of the pelagic habitat—FOB density increase due to the introduction of DFADs—on the percentage of their time YFT spend associated. This percentage of time spent associated has a direct impact on tuna availability to fishers and can thus affect their mortality due to fishing. Furthermore, we discuss how this habitat modifications can have other potential indirect impacts on tuna's fitness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In order to compare tuna behavior in modified habitats (due to the introduction of DFADs) relative to an unmodified environment (where only FOBs other than DFADs, either of natural or anthropic origin, noted LOGs, are present), we estimated the percentage of time tuna spend associated with FOBs ( P a $$ {P}_a $$ ) in FOB arrays characterized by different FOB densities. Simulations were run to model tuna movements in arrays of FOBs, using an individual-based model calibrated on passive acoustic data recorded for YFT (Pérez et al.,  2022 ). These simulations allowed estimating a theoretical relation between the time spent by tuna between two consecutive FOB associations (named Continuous Absence Time [CAT]) and the density of FOBs. Observer data, combined with data on the density of DFADs at a 1°/monthly scale, were used to estimate the total density of FOBs (DFADs and LOGs) and the density of FOBs in the environment not modified by DFAD use (LOGs only). Predictions of CATs obtained in the pristine and modified habitat, combined with acoustic telemetry data informing on the amount of time spent by tuna associated with FOBs (named Continuous Residence Time [CRT]), were used to estimate changes in P a $$ {P}_a $$ . A schematic view of the methodology developed is presented in Figure  1 and details of the model, methods, and data are provided below.

Model of tuna movements in an array of FOBs

Simulations were performed using the FAT albaCoRaW model v1.4 (Dupaix, Pérez, & Capello,  2023 ), an individual-based model simulating tuna trajectories in an array of FOBs based on a Correlated Random Walk (Pérez et al.,  2022 ). This model is built upon three behavioral rules: (i) tuna display a random search behavior between two associations to FOBs, (ii) at a certain distance from FOBs (the orientation radius R 0 $$ {R}_0 $$ ) tuna show oriented movements toward FOBs, and (iii) the tuna association dynamics follow a diel rhythm. The random search between two associations is based on three parameters: the time-step Δ t $$ \Delta t $$ , determining the time interval between two positions; the speed v , determining the length of each displacement at each time step; and the sinuosity coefficient c , determining the sinuosity of the path, from straight to a simple random walk. These parameters were fitted on passive acoustic tagging data of 70-cm-long YFT in arrays of AFADs, in Pérez et al. ( 2022 ) (Table  1 ). We considered 12 different FOB densities (noted ρ $$ \uprho $$ ), ranging from 1.00 × 10 − 4 $$ 1.00\times {10}^{-4} $$ to 4.44 × 10 − 3 FOB . km − 2 $$ 4.44\times {10}^{-3}\kern0.5em \mathrm{FOB}.{\mathrm{km}}^{-2} $$ . These densities correspond to a distance to the nearest neighbor in a regular square lattice ranging from 100 to 15 km, respectively (Table  1 ). For each of these densities, 100 different random arrays were generated, with FOB longitude and latitude being randomly picked. A thousand individual tunas were released from a random FOB in each of these arrays. As in Pérez et al. ( 2020 ), we define a CAT as the time spent between two associations to a FOB. A tuna was considered associated when it was located at less than 500 m from a FOB, which corresponds to the distance at which a tagged tuna can be detected by an acoustic receiver. CATs were separated into two categories: (i) CAT diff $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}} $$ when the movement occurred between two different FOBs and (ii) CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ when the tuna returned to its departure FOB after more than 24 h. Studies processing experimental acoustic tagging data of tropical tuna relied on a Maximum Blanking Period of 24 h, that is, below a temporal separation of 24 h between two subsequent acoustic detections at the same FOB, the fish is considered to be still associated (Capello et al.,  2015 ; Pérez et al.,  2022 ). Hence, each time a CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ of less than 24 h was recorded, this movement was discarded and the simulation time was reset to the beginning. The simulation was stopped when the individual either performed a CAT diff $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}} $$ , a CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ or after 1500 days of simulation. The obtained CAT was saved. A total of 100,000 CATs were simulated per FOB density, totaling 1,200,000 simulated CATs.

• Abbreviation: FOB, floating object.

CAT trends for different FOB densities

Fob density calculation in the io.

Echosounder buoy density data from January to December 2020, provided by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC, the regional fisheries management organization managing tuna fishing in the IO), was used as a proxy for DFAD data (IOTC,  2021b ). This dataset contains the monthly mean of the number of operational buoys , that is, the echosounder buoys whose GPS position is remotely transmitted to one or several fishing vessels, for each 1° × 1° cell of the IO. This value was divided by the sea area of each cell, to obtain a mean monthly DFAD density ( ρ DFAD $$ {\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}} $$ ). Densities were then averaged over 5° cells to predict CATs (for more elements on the spatial and temporal resolution choice, see Appendix  S2 ).

FOB and LOG densities were calculated combining DFAD densities with data recorded by scientific observers on board French purse seine vessels (2014–2019). Observer data include the date, time, and location of the main activities of the fishing vessel (e.g., fishing sets, installation or modification of FOBs, searching for FOBs). For every activity occurring on a FOB, the type of operation (e.g., deployment, removal, and observation of a FOB) and the type of FOB (DFAD or LOG) are recorded. Using the methodology developed in Dupaix et al. ( 2021 ) applied to these observations, we calculated a mean monthly ratio m = n LOG n DFAD $$ m=\frac{n_{\mathrm{LOG}}}{n_{\mathrm{DFAD}}} $$ (with n LOG $$ {n}_{\mathrm{LOG}} $$ and n DFAD $$ {n}_{\mathrm{DFAD}} $$ the number of LOG and DFAD observations, respectively) per 5° cell which was used to calculate the density of FOBs ( ρ FOB = 1 + m ρ DFAD $$ {\uprho}_{\mathrm{FOB}}=\left(1+m\right){\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}} $$ ) and the density of LOGs ( ρ LOG = m ρ DFAD $$ {\uprho}_{\mathrm{LOG}}=m{\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}} $$ ). Because observer data are only available in areas where purse seine vessels are actively fishing, the calculation of the m $$ m $$ ratio restricted the study area to the purse seine fishing zones.

Prediction of mean CAT and percentage of time associated in the IO

Using the density values calculated above and the fitted models' coefficients, monthly CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ values were predicted for each 5° cell in 2020.

Simulated CAT trends

Simulated CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ , CAT diff ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}}} $$ , and CAT return ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}}} $$ values varied from 0.89 to 30.77 days, from 0.88 to 37.84 days, and from 1.88 to 10.85 days, respectively. Shorter values were obtained for higher densities (Figure  2 and Table  2 ). The ratio R $$ R $$ between the number of CAT diff $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}} $$ and that of CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ was always above 1, meaning that the majority of CATs were performed between two different FOBs ( CAT diff $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}} $$ ). It varied from 2.82, for the lowest density ( ρ = 1.00 × 10 − 4 $$ \uprho =1.00\times {10}^{-4} $$ km −2 ), with CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ representing 26.18% of the number of CAT, to 87.11 for the highest density ( ρ = 4.44 × 10 − 3 $$ \uprho =4.44\times {10}^{-3} $$ km −2 ), with CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ representing 1.13% of the total number of simulated CAT. Hence, when ρ $$ \uprho $$ decreases, tuna tend to return to the FOB of departure more often. Consequently, CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ values were shorter than CAT diff ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}}} $$ for lower densities due to the higher proportion of CAT return ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}}} $$ , but were almost exclusively driven by CAT diff ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}}} $$ for high densities (Figure  2 and Table  2 ). The parameters of the fits of CAT diff ¯ ρ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}}}\left(\uprho \right) $$ , CAT return ¯ ρ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}}}\left(\uprho \right) $$ , and R ρ $$ R\left(\uprho \right) $$ are presented in Table  3 .

• Note : D , mean inter-FOB distance in a regular square lattice (in km); ρ $$ \uprho $$ , FOB density (in square kilometers); CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ , mean Continuous Absence Time (in days); CAT diff ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}}} $$ , mean Continuous Absence Time when the movement occurred between two different FOBs (in days); CAT return ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}}} $$ , mean CAT when the individual returned to the departure FOB (in days); R , ratio between the number of CAT diff $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}} $$ and the number of CAT return $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}} $$ .

DFAD densities

Buoy densities obtained from the IOTC data, considered as DFAD densities ( ρ DFAD $$ {\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}} $$ ), are presented in Figure  3 . The maximum observed density in a 1° cell was ρ = 8.39 × 10 − 3 $$ \uprho =8.39\times {10}^{-3} $$ km −2 , in August, which corresponds to 84 operational buoys in a 100 × 100 km square and a mean distance to the nearest neighbor (in a regular square lattice) of 10.9 km. After averaging the densities on a 5° grid, highest observed density was ρ = 2.8 × 10 − 3 $$ \uprho =2.8\times {10}^{-3} $$ km −2 , corresponding to 28 operational buoys in a 100 × 100 km square. Mean density over the whole area was ρ ¯ = 3.45 × 10 − 4 $$ \overline{\uprho}=3.45\times {10}^{-4} $$ km −2 , corresponding to 3.45 buoys per 100 × 100 km square. Areas with the highest buoy densities were different according to the month, moving from the west to the east of the Seychelles from January to April. Highest buoy densities could then be observed in the Arabian Sea, from May to July. In September and forward, highest densities were observed around the Seychelles and east of the Somalian EEZ. Finally, a high number of buoys around the Maldives was present in May and December, suggesting a high number of DFADs drifting toward the eastern IO during this period (Figure  3E,L ).

Predictions of CAT and percentage of time associated

Predicted CAT ¯ ρ DFAD $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}}\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}}\right) $$ values in 5° cells are presented in Figure  4 (see Appendix  S3 for predictions of CAT diff ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}}} $$ , CAT return ¯ $$ \overline{{\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{return}}} $$ , and R $$ R $$ , and Appendix  S4 for predictions on ρ FOB $$ {\uprho}_{\mathrm{FOB}} $$ and ρ LOG $$ {\uprho}_{\mathrm{LOG}} $$ ). Minimum CAT ¯ ρ DFAD $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}}\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}}\right) $$ predicted value was 1.06 days in February 2020. The area with the shortest predicted CAT ¯ ρ DFAD $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}}\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}}\right) $$ was spatially conserved through time: low values were observed from the north of the Mozambique Channel to the Arabian Sea, and from the African coast to 65° E. However, for each month, a peak of short CAT ¯ ρ DFAD $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}}\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}}\right) $$ was observed and moved from the south of the area to the north, from January to June (Figure  4A–F ), and back to the south of the area from June to December (Figure  4F–L ). The percentage of time spent by tuna associated with a DFAD ( P a ρ DFAD $$ {P}_a\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}}\right) $$ ) displayed similar spatial patterns as CAT ¯ ρ DFAD $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}}\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{DFAD}}\right) $$ (Figure  5 ).

Impact of DFAD on tuna availability

The comparison of the predictions obtained with FOB and LOG densities is presented in Figure  6 and Table  4 . The mean density of all types of FOBs ( ρ FOB ¯ = 1.32 × 10 − 3 km − 2 $$ \overline{\uprho_{\mathrm{FOB}}}=1.32\times {10}^{-3}\kern0.5em {\mathrm{km}}^{-2} $$ ) was 6.6 times higher than the mean LOG density ( ρ LOG ¯ = 2.00 × 10 − 4 km − 2 $$ \overline{\uprho_{\mathrm{LOG}}}=2.00\times {10}^{-4}\kern0.5em {\mathrm{km}}^{-2} $$ ), resulting in much shorter CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ with mean values, averaged over cells and months, of 5 and 46 days predicted from FOB and LOG densities, respectively. The strong density increase induced by DFADs resulted in an increase in the predicted proportion of time tuna spent associated ( P a $$ {P}_a $$ ), from P a ρ LOG ¯ $$ \overline{P_a\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{LOG}}\right)} $$ = 20% for the environment without DFADs, to P a ρ FOB ¯ $$ \overline{P_a\left({\uprho}_{\mathrm{FOB}}\right)} $$ = 68% for the environment modified by the introduction of DFADs.

Human-induced habitat modifications can impact species behavior and ultimately their fitness (Swearer et al.,  2021 ). CATs and CRTs are two behavioral metrics that allow one to assess the impact of the modification of one habitat component—the density of FOBs—on pelagic species. Several studies measured CATs (Robert et al.,  2012 , 2013 ; Rodriguez-Tress et al.,  2017 ) or CRTs (Govinden et al.,  2013 ; Robert et al.,  2012 , 2013 ) in arrays of anchored FADs. CRTs were also measured at DFADs (Govinden et al.,  2021 ; Matsumoto et al.,  2016 ; Tolotti et al.,  2020 ). However, experimentally measuring CATs in an array of FADs requires the equipment of the whole array with acoustic receivers. When these FADs are drifting, finding, equipping, and recovering them is difficult and has never been achieved. Another challenge is related to the availability of reliable data on DFAD densities. In the IO, this data deficiency could only be overcome recently, with the provision of the number of operational buoys by the IOTC secretariat. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to give estimates of CATs of YFT in arrays of DFADs. These estimates show a strong influence of fisheries-induced habitat modifications on tuna associative behavior in the Western IO. By modifying tuna habitat, purse seine fisheries increase the percentage of time tuna spend associated ( P a $$ {P}_a $$ ), which has a direct influence on YFT availability to fishers, which can impact fishing mortality and tuna fitness.

Numerous factors could affect the obtained CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ and P a $$ {P}_a $$ predictions. Predictions were made based on operational buoy densities deployed on FOBs (IOTC,  2021b ), which is a proxy of the actual DFAD density in the ocean. Among the instrumented FOBs, those for which the buoy was remotely deactivated (and thus could not transmit its position anymore) are not present in the data. Moreover, if most contracting parties provided their buoys' positions to the IOTC, some countries did not share their data (IOTC,  2021b ), so densities could be underestimated.

The other datasets used for the predictions are French observer data and measurement of CRTs. The use of French observer data restricted the study area, highlighting the need to better share these data among countries, as is done for instrumented buoys, and to increase observer coverage. Only the mean CRT value for the Western IO was used in our study (measured in Govinden et al.,  2021 ) and we considered CRT as constant. This approximation could influence the predictions, as it was demonstrated that CRTs also depend on FAD density, even if to a lesser extent than CATs (Pérez et al.,  2020 ). CRT measurements on DFADs also showed a variability between oceans as well as strong inter-individual variations (Govinden et al.,  2013 , 2021 ; Matsumoto et al.,  2016 ; Tolotti et al.,  2020 ). Further measurements of CRTs at DFADs and some modeling approach would then be needed to take this variability into account. However, Pérez et al. ( 2020 ) found that, as AFAD density increases, CRT also increases, suggesting that the increase in catchability observed in this study should be conserved or even intensified.

The model used for the predictions was fitted on passive acoustic tagging data from YFT of fork length 70 ± 10 cm, tagged in an array of AFADs (Pérez et al.,  2022 ). At DFADs, two main-size classes of YFT are found: individuals around 50 cm and individuals around 120 cm (IOTC,  2022e , p. 52). Fitting the model on bigger individuals (70 cm instead of 50 cm) should not change drastically the obtained parameters, but could change slightly individual speed (fitted value v = 0.7 m . s − 1 $$ v=0.7\;\mathrm{m}.{\mathrm{s}}^{-1} $$ in Pérez et al.,  2022 ). Also, as tuna orient themselves toward FADs several kilometers away (4–17 km, Girard et al.,  2004 ), it was suggested that they could detect FADs using acoustic stimuli (Pérez et al.,  2022 ). Although FAD design has not been identified to influence the attractiveness of FADs (Fréon & Dagorn,  2000 ), there might be a difference in detectability between AFADs, which are composed of a bigger structure containing a metal chain, and DFADs. Hence, both the type of FAD (anchored or drifting) and tuna size class could change some model parameters, such as the orientation radius ( R 0 $$ {R}_0 $$ , fitted value of 5 km) and swimming speed ( v $$ v $$ , fitted value of 0.7 m . s − 1 $$ 0.7\kern0.5em \mathrm{m}.{\mathrm{s}}^{-1} $$ ). To account for these uncertainties, we also performed predictions using other parameters ( v = 0.5 $$ v=0.5 $$ m.s −1 and R 0 = 2 $$ {R}_0=2 $$ km). The obtained CAT ¯ $$ \overline{\mathrm{CAT}} $$ were longer, resulting in smaller P a $$ {P}_a $$ values (see Appendix  S5 ). However, it should be noted that changing the parameters does not change the observed trend: the habitat modification induced by increasing DFADs increases YFT catchability, regardless of the parameter set considered.

Since 2016, in the IO, more than 80% of purse seine catch on tropical tuna was made on FOBs, reaching a maximum of almost 95% in 2018 (see fig. 5 in IOTC,  2022e ). YFT caught by industrial purse seine vessels on FOBs in the IO has steadily increased since 2008 and represented around 22% of the total YFT catch, by all gear types, in 2021 (IOTC,  2022e ; ISSF,  2023 ). The predicted P a $$ {P}_a $$ were very high in the Western IO, with a mean of 68% (calculated on all FOBs), mainly due to DFAD introduction (mean prediction without DFADs of 20%). As the habitat modification induced by DFADs strongly increases the percentage of their time YFT spend associated with FOBs, it increases their vulnerability to purse seine sets. In the IO, the YFT stock is currently overfished (i.e., the biomass is below the biomass reference point corresponding to the maximum sustainable yield) and subject to overfishing (i.e., the fishing mortality is above the reference point corresponding to the maximum sustainable yield; IOTC,  2021a ). The IOTC imposes limits on the number of operational buoys (buoys which transmit DFAD position and other information to fishers) at 300 per vessel at any one time (IOTC,  2019 ). The present results show that limiting the number of FOBs and of operational buoys directly affects tuna catchability by purse seine vessels. Therefore, if the YFT stock is to remain overfished, efforts should be made to further limit the number of FOBs in the ocean, through limits on operational buoy numbers and on DFAD deployments.

In addition to the increase in fishing availability to fishers, the observed increase in the percentage of time associated ( P a $$ {P}_a $$ ) could also have indirect impacts (i.e., not linked with fishing mortality) on YFT and other associated species. One of the main hypotheses to explain the association of tuna with FOBs is the meeting-point hypothesis (Fréon & Dagorn,  2000 ). Under this hypothesis, tuna would use FOBs as meeting-points to form larger schools. Fish schools can be viewed as an evolutionary trade-off: increasing school size would not only increase protection, mate choice, and information, but would also increase inter-individual competition and the propensity to be detected by predators (Maury,  2017 ). The increase in FOB density, inducing an increase in P a $$ {P}_a $$ , could result in a disruption of schooling behavior and provoke the dispersion of individuals among FOBs. Capello et al. ( 2022 ) developed a model to study school behavior in a heterogenous habitat, using tuna and FADs as a case study. Using several social scenarios, they demonstrated that social behavior has an influence on how the fraction of schools which are associated varies with FAD density. Considering social behavior could help further understanding of tuna behavior and its link with fitness. Echosounder buoy data allow to determine tuna aggregation dynamics (Baidai et al.,  2020 ), and could be used to assess the impact of DFADs on tuna association dynamics, taking their social behavior into account.

Marsac et al. ( 2000 ) suggested that DFADs could act as ecological traps on tropical tuna. This hypothesis was based on another behavioral hypothesis, the indicator-log , which suggests that tuna associate with FOBs to select rich areas. Natural FOBs would be located mainly in rich areas because they originate from rivers and accumulate in rich frontal zones (Castro et al.,  2002 ). By modifying the distribution of FOBs, DFADs could attract or retain individual tuna in areas that are detrimental to them and ultimately impact their fitness. Recent evidence, using a condition indicator as a proxy for tuna's fitness, tends to suggest that DFADs did not act as an ecological trap in the Western IO. However, DFAD impact could have been counteracted by other environmental effects or could have acted on other biological processes than condition (Dupaix, Dagorn, Duparc, et al.,  2023 ). Tuna associative behavior can also be influenced by climate change, which modifies prey abundance and physical characteristics of the environment (Arrizabalaga et al.,  2015 ; Druon et al.,  2017 ). Our study shows that the increase of FOB density impacts P a $$ {P}_a $$ and FOB array connectivity (increase in R $$ R $$ , i.e., of the proportion of CAT diff $$ {\mathrm{CAT}}_{\mathrm{diff}} $$ ). Added to previous evidence suggesting that an increase in FAD density induces an increase in tuna residence times around FADs (Pérez et al.,  2020 ), it suggests that DFAD use could retain tuna in some areas. Whether these areas can be considered poor for tropical tuna and the impact this retention can have on tuna fitness—through other biological parameters than condition—still needs to be investigated further.

CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVES

Human activities impact species habitat, potentially impacting their fitness (IPBES,  2019 ). Several studies assessed the direct impact of habitat modifications on species fitness, or on fitness proxies (IPBES,  2018 ; Mullu,  2016 ). These impacts on fitness can also be behaviorally mediated, for example, through ecological traps (Dwernychuk & Boag,  1972 ; Gilroy & Sutherland,  2007 ; Marsac et al.,  2000 ; Swearer et al.,  2021 ). Hence, there is a need to assess the impact of habitat modifications on species behavior and mortality. In the case of exploited species, such as tuna, behavioral change can have even greater impacts on fitness because it can also increase their availability to fishers and, hence, their catchability and fishing mortality. YFT and DFADs are an important case study, as they allow to assess the impact of the modification of one habitat component, FOB density, on the associative behavior of a commercially important species, this behavior being strongly linked to survival. The modeling framework used here could predict such impacts and can be used as a tool to take into account the indirect impacts of fisheries on tuna mortality. This framework could also be used as a predictive tool for assessing the potential benefits of management measures, for example, DFAD number reductions, on the behavior and fishing mortality of tropical tuna.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

AD performed the simulations, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper with major contributions from MC, LD, and J-LD. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank Q. Schull for his insights on the redaction of the paper. We acknowledge the Pôle de Calcul et des Données Marines (PCDM) for providing DATARMOR storage, data access, computational resources, visualization, web services, consultation, and support services (URL: https://pcdm.ifremer.fr/ ). This work was supported by the MANFAD project (France Filière Pêche), URL: https://manfad-project.com/en . We thank ISSF for its involvement in the overall project. We also thank the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Secretariat for providing the data used in this study. Observer data have been collected through the “Data Collection Framework” (Reg 2017/1004 and 2016/1251) funded by both IRD and the European Union since 2005, and the OCUP program (“Observateur Commun Unique et Permanent”), an industry-funded program coordinated by ORTHONGEL since 2014. We sincerely thank IRD's Ob7 (“Observatoire des Ecosystèmes Pélagiques Tropicaux Exploités”) in charge of observer data collection, processing, management, and for sharing the data used in this study.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Open Research

Data availability statement.

Simulations were performed with the model FAT albaCoRaW v1.4 (Dupaix, Pérez, & Capello,  2023 ) which is available in Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5834056 . All scripts (Dupaix, Dagorn, Deneubourg, et al.,  2023 ) used in this study are available in Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7915851 . Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) instrumented buoy data (IOTC,  2021b ) are available at https://iotc.org/WGFAD/02/Data/04-BU . French observers data used in this research was obtained from the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and these data can be requested via IRD's Ob7 by specifying “all operations on floating objects and all vessel activities, in the Indian Ocean, 2013–2022” in the request form at https://ob7-ird.science/les-donnees .

Supporting Information

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• Tech & Innovation

Internet Archive Court Loss Leaves Higher Ed in Gray Area

The nonprofit published thousands of ebooks for free, violating copyright law. What that means for research libraries remains to be seen.

By  Lauren Coffey

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A court ruling reaffirmed that a digital library violated copyright law by offering thousands of books for free online.

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Pandemic-era library programs that helped students access books online could be potentially threatened by an appeals court ruling last week.

Libraries across the country, from Carnegie Mellon University to the University of California system, turned to what’s known as a digital or controlled lending program in 2020, which gave students a way to borrow books that weren’t otherwise available. Those programs are small in scale and largely experimental but part of a broader shift in modernizing the university library .

But the appeals court ruling could upend those programs. Federal judges ruled that the Internet Archive’s pandemic-era online library violated federal copyright law. The Internet Archive, a nonprofit that also runs the popular Wayback Machine that archives websites, digitized thousands of books and loaned them out for free. The specific implications are still unclear. College libraries typically deal with research or out-of-print materials and adhere to different practices.

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Still, librarians at colleges and elsewhere, along with other experts, feared that the long-running legal fight between the Internet Archive and leading publishers could imperil the ability of libraries to own and preserve books, among other ramifications. The appeals court ruling comes more than a year and a half after a federal district judge also ruled against the Internet Archive—a decision the organization said was tantamount to “book burning.”

The lawsuit created divides beyond those directly involved, with other publishers, authors and academic groups weighing in. Those in favor of the Internet Archive, including hundreds of authors and several academics , viewed the lawsuit as an attack on libraries in a digital age, and they worry about the future of the organization. Those against the Internet Archive’s practices viewed its activity as piracy.

The concept of digital lending and making materials more accessible remains contentious. When Inside Higher Ed covered the district court ruling in March 2023, several college librarians declined to speak on the record, concerned that the topic would be a lightning rod.

Legal experts are uncertain how much this latest court decision will affect colleges and universities, though they expect institutions to tread carefully. The programs at Carnegie Mellon, Michigan State, the UC system and other institutions—including the University of Florida and the California Institute of Technology—all appear to be operating, according to their respective websites. The institutions either could not be reached or did not respond to requests for comment.

“A lot of people in the academic space and the business space would rather operate as cautiously as possible,” said Stephen Wolfson, assistant general counsel and copyright adviser for University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

Wolfson, who specified he is not speaking on behalf of his institution, said the latest ruling leaves a gray area in the academic lending space.

“If this says the digital lending of books that are otherwise available as commercial ebooks is probably a no-go in all circumstances, well, then, do we take the chance on things not valuable as ebooks?” he said. “Or will publishers find problems with that as well? We don’t know.”

The Lawsuit

The Internet Archive first drew critical scrutiny from the publishing community when it made titles available as ebooks for free in 2020 as part of its new National Emergency Library during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Since it began digitizing books in 2005, the Internet Archive has scanned 4,300 titles a day across 18 locations, according to its website. It also racked up partnerships with several higher educational library systems, including the University of California Press, MIT Press and Cornell University Press, among others.

But launching the National Emergency Library drew the ire of four major publishing houses—Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House and Wiley—which sued the Internet Archive, claiming it was violating copyright law and the publishing houses had sole rights to distribute those books. They called the offering a “pirate site.”

Publishers offer ebook licenses to libraries that range from two-year licenses to pay-per-use and perpetual licenses, but the Internet Archive never received such licenses for its online lending operation. Since the lawsuit was filed, 50 other publishers, including several university presses, have demanded their books be removed from the Internet Archive’s digital library.

The Internet Archive claimed digitizing the books was covered under a fair use provision of copyright law. As a result of the lawsuit, the Internet Archive claims more than 500,000 titles are no longer available on its site.

The U.S. District Court in Manhattan didn’t accept that argument, ruling in favor of the publishing companies. The Internet Archive appealed the decision, and last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the original ruling.

“IA’s Free Digital Library does not ‘improv[e] the efficiency of delivering content’ without unreasonably encroaching on the rights of the copyright holder; it offers the same efficiencies as publishers’ derivative works while greatly impinging on their exclusive right to prepare those works,” the appeals court said. “While IA claims that prohibiting its practices would harm consumers and researchers, allowing its practices would―and does―harm authors.”

Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, wrote in a blog post that the organization is “disappointed” and noted that it is lending books that are “available electronically elsewhere.” His team is reviewing the court’s opinion and will “continue to defend the rights of libraries to own, lend, and preserve books.”

Kahle can appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dozens of individuals representing several publishing, copyright and author-focused entities, including the Professors and Scholars of Copyright and Intellectual Property Law, the Authors Guild and the International Publishers Association, have made statements or filed briefs supporting the publishing companies.

“If there was any doubt, the court makes clear that under fair use jurisprudence there is nothing transformative about converting entire works into new formats without permission or appropriating the value of derivative works that are a key part of the author’s copyright bundle,” said Maria Pallante, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, in a statement to Inside Higher Ed .

University Libraries Could See Impact

While the appeals process upheld most of the district court’s ruling, there was one deviation.

The district court found that the Internet Archive was engaged in commercial activity, despite calling itself a nonprofit. Internet Archive sought donations from the public, received a portion of profit from book sales through its book subsidiary program and gained a nonmonetary, reputational value through its offerings.

But the appeals court found that the Internet Archive’s digital library wasn’t a commercial activity.

“To hold otherwise would greatly restrain the ability of nonprofits to seek donations while making fair use of copyrighted works,” the judges wrote.

Jonathan Band, a copyright lawyer who represents the Association of Research Libraries, said if the district court’s entire ruling had been upheld, the decision could’ve had potentially large ramifications for higher education libraries, many of which are nonprofits. (Note: This article has been updated to correct the library association Band represents.)

“If you start saying what they did was commercial, at that point anything engaged by any nonprofit would be found to be commercial,” Band said.

The American Library Association and the Association of College and Research Libraries both filed briefs stating the Internet Archive’s activity was “clearly not commercial,” though they did not take a further stance on either side of the lawsuit.

Penn’s Wolfson agreed with Band.

“If it had come out otherwise, it could look like practically everything we do is for commercial use,” Wolfson said.

Wolfson and Band did differ slightly on the impact of this latest ruling over all.

Band said the latest ruling—whether it was in favor of Internet Archive or not—wouldn’t have affected higher education libraries, given they work with research papers and scholarly monographs and not the popular titles that were targets of the Internet Archive.

“In this decision, we’re talking about trade books, the mass market books, like best sellers by Stephen King that are in print and available right now for commercial licensing,” Band said. To the contrary, many of the books seen in research libraries are typically not available, either digitally or physically, to the mass market. “These are just older, out-of-print books. They’re not available digitally through some easily accessible platform.”

Jennifer Urban, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, said university libraries’ lending programs differ from Internet Archive in that reader privacy is at the forefront.

In an amicus brief she wrote on behalf of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, along with the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Library Freedom Project, Urban pointed out that libraries minimize data collection and data transfer (transferring only a student’s library card number and book barcode, for example), as well as maintain data security.

“Library-led controlled digital lending incorporates longstanding library values and practices that protect reader privacy and intellectual freedom,” the briefing said. Urban added that commercial aggregators like Overdrive, along with the Internet Archive, “differ sharply from libraries in their incentives and practices regarding reader privacy.”

Wolfson expects higher education to feel minimal, if any, impact because of the small amount of digital lending programs just starting at institutions. But, as students increasingly demand access to online or digital materials, the ruling could stifle further program creation.

“This decision could be used down the road to challenge that sort of activity,” Wolfson said. “It creates an environment where previously you felt OK with lending some things through controlled lending programs—but not everything—but now there’s at least a couple decisions that show it’s problematic for this activity.”

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