May / June 2002 Vol. 34, no. 3

Canadian Library/Information Science Research Projects

Compiled by Tom Tytor, Research and Information Services

The following is a list of those Canadian research projects, both completed and ongoing, that were reported by individual researchers and interested organizations to the National Library from January to March 2002.

The research projects are classified as either ongoing or completed investigations. Within these divisions, the arrangement is alphabetic by name of researcher(s), although the title is given first. Titles are highlighted to facilitate scanning. The entries comprise, if available: person(s) responsible for the research, address of institution where the research is being done or was completed, sponsoring body or body financing the research, starting date and completion date (if applicable), estimated costs, and project title. For citations of reports on the various projects and for information on research projects that were submitted prior to March 2002, visit the Library Information Service section of the National Library’s Web site at www.nlc-bnc.ca/6/7/index-e.html.

SECTION I: ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS

History of the Library of Parliament=Histoire de la bibliothèque du Parlement. -- Gordon, Ross C. -- Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Que. H3A 1Y1. -- 2000-.

The project involves looking into the roots of this institution, from the combination of the collections of the Upper and Lower Canada Legislative Libraries, through the Province of Canada's Legislative Library. It also looks at the trials, physical and cultural, the collection endured and how the two linguistic groups, French and English, approached the creation of the final institution.

Career opportunities : 2000 and beyond. -- Harris, Roma ; Wilkinson, Margaret Ann. -- Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont. N6A 5B7. -- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. -- 1999-.

The Public library in "Connecting Canadians". -- Julien, Heidi. -- School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta. T6G 2J4. -- Faculty of Education, University of Alberta. -- $3980. -- January 2002-.

This study aims to assess the outcomes of public libraries’ attempts to fulfill public policy roles imposed on this sector by Industry Canada, via its "Connecting Canadians" initiative.

Success factors in information literacy instruction. -- Julien, Heidi. -- School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta. T6G 2J4. -- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. -- $29 756. -- April 2000-.

The goal is to identify those factors that ensure that students obtaining instruction in information skills at Canadian college and university libraries have sufficient information literacy skills. The research is identifying student learning outcomes and institutional and pedagogical factors supporting effective instruction.

Local newspaper index, Niagara Falls Public Library. -- Leak, Jan; Niagara Falls Public Library staff. -- Niagara Falls Public Library, 4848 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ont. L2E 4C5.

This database currently indexes birth, death, marriage, and anniversary notices, and Niagara Falls-related news articles that have appeared in the Daily Record, the Evening Review, and the Review since 1908. For dates indexed, please refer to the Years Indexed section of this Web site. As time allows, books, periodicals and other newspapers from the Niagara area that have been manually indexed will be added to this database. -- Access: www.nfpl.library.on.ca/nfplindex/.

Library workers health and safety guide. -- Pathak, Bhawani. -- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

Library work may have a number of health and safety hazards, including stress, risks of slips, trips and falls, back injury, personal safety concerns, inadequate work stations, inadequate lighting and poor indoor air quality. This guide provides an overview of how to recognize, evaluate and control such hazards in libraries.

Canadian children's illustrated books in English. -- Saltman, Judith. -- School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of British Columbia. -- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. -- $60 000. -- April 2000-.

Beliefs and practices of undergraduates searching the Web. -- Tillotson, Joy. -- Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld. A1B 3Y1. -- Memorial University of Newfoundland. -- $3200. -- September 2001-.

A survey of undergraduates at two Canadian universities which asks, among other things, whether they believe what they find on the Web, how they judge what is acceptable for academic use, and whether they distinguish among search engines and on what basis.

SECTION II: COMPLETED RESEARCH PROJECTS

The use of NLC MARC records in Canadian libraries. Phase I : University and large urban public libraries. -- Beheshti, Jamshid; Large, Andrew; Riva, Pat. -- Graduate School of Library and Information Studies; McGill Library Systems, McGill University, Montreal, Que. H3A 1Y1. -- National Library of Canada. -- $21 000. -- January 1-March 31, 2002.

InterPARES (International Research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems) Project. -- Duranti, Luciana. -- School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of British Columbia, 730-1956 Main Mall, Vancouver B.C. V6T 1Z1. -- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; University of British Columbia; National Archives of Canada. -- $845 517. -- January 1999-December 2001.