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The purpose of this paper is to generate awareness of and interest in the techniques used in computer-based corpus linguistics, focusing on their methodological implications for research in library and information science (LIS).

This methodology paper provides an overview of computer-based corpus linguistics, describes the main techniques used in this field, assesses its strengths and weaknesses, and presents examples to illustrate the value of corpus linguistics to LIS research.

Overall, corpus-based techniques are simple, yet powerful, and they support both quantitative and qualitative analyses. While corpus methods alone may not be sufficient for research in LIS, they can be used to complement and to help triangulate the findings of other methods. Corpus linguistics techniques also have the potential to be exploited more fully in LIS research that involves a higher degree of automation (e.g. recommender systems, knowledge discovery systems, and text mining).

Numerous LIS researchers have drawn attention to the lack of diversity in research methods used in this field, and suggested that approaches permitting mixed methods research are needed. If LIS researchers learn about the potential of computer-based corpus methods, they can diversify their approaches.

Over the past quarter century, corpus linguistics has established itself as one of the main methods used in the field of linguistics, but its potential has not yet been realized by researchers in LIS. Corpus linguistics tools are readily available and relatively straightforward to apply. By raising awareness about corpus linguistics, the author hopes to make these techniques available as additional tools in the LIS researcher’s methodological toolbox, thus broadening the range of methods applied in this field.

This paper aims to investigate the potential benefits and limitations associated with aligning accreditation and academic program reviews in post-secondary institutions, using a descriptive case study approach.

The paper describes two Canadian graduate programs that are subject to both external professional accreditation and institutional cyclical reviews, as they underwent an aligned review. The process was developed as a collaborative effort between the academic units, the professional associations and the university’s graduate-level quality assurance office. For each program, a single self-study was developed, a single review panel was constituted, and a single site visit was conducted. The merits and challenges posed by the alignment process are discussed.

Initial feedback from the academic units suggests that the alignment of accreditation and program reviews is perceived as reducing the burden on programs with regard to the time and effort invested by faculty, staff and other stakeholders, as well as in terms of financial expenses. Based on this feedback, along with input from reviewers and program evaluation committee members, 14 recommendations emerged for ways in which an aligned review process can be set up for success.

The results suggest that aligned reviews are not only resource-efficient but also allow reviewers to provide more holistic feedback that faculty may be more willing to engage with for program enhancement.

The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge about conducting aligned reviews in response to external accreditation requirements or institutional needs. It summarizes the potential benefits and limitations and offers recommendations for potential best practices for carrying out aligned reviews for policymakers and practitioners.

This paper aims to explore the benefits of embedding a records manager into a team of university administrators to help them address their information management needs.

The paper describes an experience that was inspired by reports of successful experiences with embedded librarianship. The literature on records management culture and embedded librarianship is reviewed to identify best practices and criteria for success. These criteria are used to design and implement a pilot project where, rather than hiring a consultant, a records manager is embedded into a quality assurance team working at a large university in Canada.

The project is a success in conventional terms (e.g. active files reduced; duplicates deleted; inactive files archived; naming conventions, version control and access rights applied); however, similar results could have been achieved using a consultant. More interesting are the added benefits achieved through embedding. Added benefits included identifying workflow inefficiencies, identifying terminological inconsistencies, iterative training opportunities and useful knowledge sharing outside the project’s scope. The argument is made that an embedded information professional is better able to appreciate the organizational culture, which in turn facilitates the establishment of trusted relationships and produces an overall added value for the entire team.

There is very little, if any, current literature that explores the value of embedding a records manager into a team, rather than simply hiring a consultant to address information management needs. The outcome of this pilot project will benefit those who are seeking to develop a model for embedding an information professional into their organization to gain an added value.

Using a descriptive case study approach, this paper aims to validate academic librarians’ perceptions that they are marginalized by faculty during academic program reviews, and recommends ways for the two groups to collaborate more effectively to make program reviews more meaningful.

The paper describes a case study at a Canadian university where the six types of documents produced as part of the program review process for ten graduate programs were analyzed using corpus analysis tools and techniques, such as keyword generation and key word in context analysis. For each program, documents were examined to determine the volume and nature of the discussion involving libraries in the self-study, library report annex, site visit itinerary, external reviewers’ report, academic program’s response and final assessment report.

The empirical evidence from the corpus analysis validates the findings of previous perception-based studies and confirms that librarians currently have a minor role in program reviews. Best practices and gaps emerged, prompting five recommendations for ways in which academic librarians can play a more meaningful role in the program review process.

The results suggest that programs are not currently putting their best foot forward during program reviews, but this could be improved by including librarians more fully in the program review process.

The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge about the role of academic librarians in the program review process by providing direct and empirical measures to triangulate previous perception-based investigations that rely on surveys and interviews. It summarizes limitations of the current institutional quality assurance process and the benefits to be gained by involving librarians more in the process. It offers recommendations for policymakers and practitioners with regard to potential best practices for facilitating librarian involvement in academic program reviews.

This is a comparative investigation of how university libraries in the United States, Canada and Spanish-speaking Latin America are responding to predatory publishing.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings was used to identify the top ten universities from each of the US and Canada, as well as the top 20 Spanish-language universities in Latin America. Each university library's website was scrutinized to discover whether the libraries employed scholarly communication librarians, whether they offered scholarly communication workshops, or whether they shared information about scholarly communication on their websites. This information was further examined to determine if it discussed predatory publishing specifically.

Most libraries in the US/Canada sample employ scholarly communication librarians and nearly half offer workshops on predatory publishing. No library in the Latin America sample employed a scholarly communication specialist and just one offered a workshop addressing predatory publishing. The websites of the libraries in the US and Canada addressed predatory publishing both indirectly and directly, with US libraries favoring the former approach and Canadian libraries tending towards the latter. Predatory publishing was rarely addressed directly by the libraries in the Latin America sample; however, all discussed self-archiving and/or Open Access.

Brazilian universities were excluded owing to the researchers' language limitations. Data were collected between September 15 and 30, 2019, so it represents a snapshot of information available at that time. The study was limited to an analysis of library websites using a fixed set of keywords, and it did not investigate whether other campus units were involved or whether other methods of informing researchers about predatory publishing were being used.

The study reveals some best practices leading to recommendations to help academic libraries combat predatory publishing and improve scholarly publishing literacy among researchers.