The June 2019 issue of Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL)
<https://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/> is available now. Our
regular content includes Bohyun Kim's final LITA President's Message as her
term concludes, "Moving Forward with LITA
<https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11093>," summarizing the work that has
gone into the planned division merger that would combine LITA, ALCTS,
and LLAMA. Editorial Board member Cinthya Ippoliti discusses the role of
libraries in fostering digital pedagogy in her Editorial Board Thoughts
column, "Digital Faculty Development
<https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11091>." And, in the second of our
new Public Libraries Leading the Way series, Jeffrey Davis discusses the
technologies and advantages of digital pass systems in "Online
Ticketed-Passes: A Mid-Tech Leap in What Libraries Are For
<https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11141>.

In this issue:

No Need to Ask: Creating Permissionless Blockchains of Metadata Records
<https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.10822>
Dejah Rubel

This article describes how permissionless metadata blockchains could be
created to overcome two significant limitations in current cataloging
practices: centralization and a lack of traceability. The process would
start by creating public and private keys, which could be managed using
digital wallet software. After creating a genesis block, nodes would submit
either a new record or modifications to a single record for validation.
Validation would rely on a Federated Byzantine Agreement consensus
algorithm because it offers the most flexibility for institutions to select
authoritative peers. Only the top tier nodes would be required to store a
copy of the entire blockchain thereby allowing other institutions to decide
whether they prefer to use the abridged version or the full version.

50 years of ITAL/JLA: A Bibliometric Study of Its Major Influences, Themes,
and Interdisplinarity <https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.10875>
Brady Lund

Over five decades, Information Technology and Libraries
<https://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/> (and its predecessor, the
Journal of Library Automation) has influenced research and practice in the
library and information science technology. From its inception on, the
journal has been consistently ranked as one of the superior publications in
the profession and a trendsetter for all types of librarians and
researchers. This research examines ITAL using a citation analysis of all
878 peer-reviewed feature articles published over the journal's 51 volumes.
Impactful authors, articles, publications, and themes from the journal's
history are identified. The findings of this study provide insight into the
history of ITAL and potential topics of interest to ITAL authors and
readership.

Weathering the Twitter Storm: Early Uses of Social Media as a Disaster
Response Tool for Public Libraries During Hurricane Sandy
<https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11018>
Sharon Han
*This article is the 2019 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award-winning
paper.*

After a disaster, news reports and online platforms often document the
swift response of public libraries supporting their communities. Despite
current scholarship focused on social media in disasters, early uses of
social media as an extension of library services require further scrutiny.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognized Hurricane Sandy
as one of the earliest U.S. disasters in which first responders used social
media. This study specifically examines early uses of Twitter by selected
public libraries as an information tool during Sandy's aftermath. Results
can inform uses of social media in library response to future disasters.

"Good Night, Good Day, Good Luck": Applying Topic Modeling to Chat
Reference Transcripts <https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.10921>
Megan Ozeran and Piper Martin

This article presents the results of a pilot project that tested the
application of algorithmic topic modeling to chat reference conversations.
The outcomes for this project included determining if this method could
be used to identify the most common chat topics in a semester and whether
these topics could inform library services beyond chat reference training.
After reviewing the literature, four topic modeling algorithms
were successfully implemented using Python code: (1) LDA, (2) phrase-LDA,
(3) DMM, and (4) NMF. Analysis of the top ten topics from each algorithm
indicated that LDA, phrase-LDA, and NMF show the most promise for future
analysis on larger sets of data (from three or more semesters) and for
examining different facets of the data (fall versus spring semester,
different time of day, just the patron side of the conversation).

Information Security in Libraries: Examining the Effects of Knowledge
Transfer <https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.10973>
Tonia San Nicolas-Rocca and Richard J Burkhard

Libraries in the United States handle sensitive patron information,
including personally identifiable information and circulation records. With
libraries providing services to millions of patrons across the U.S., it is
important that they understand the importance of patron privacy and how to
protect it. This study investigates how knowledge transferred within an
online cybersecurity education affects library employee information
security practices. The results of this study suggest that knowledge
transfer does have a positive effect on library employee information
security and risk management practices.

Wikidata:From "an" Identifier to "the" Identifier
<https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.10886>
Theo van Veen

Library catalogues may be connected to the linked data cloud through
various types of thesauri. For name authority thesauri in particular I
would like to suggest a fundamental break with the current
distributed linked data paradigm: to make a transition from a multitude of
different identifiers to using a single, universal identifier for all
relevant named entities, in the form of the Wikidata identifier. Wikidata (
https://wikidata.org) seems to be evolving into a major authority hub that
is lowering barriers to access the web of data for everyone. Using the
Wikidata identifier of notable entities as a common identifier
for connecting resources has significant benefits compared to traversing
the ever-growing linked data cloud. When the use of Wikidata reaches a
critical mass, for some institutions, Wikidata could even serve as
an authority control mechanism.

*Editorial Content*


   - The Public Libraries Leading the Way column
   <https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11141>, Jeffrey Davis discusses the
   technologies and advantages of digital pass systems
   - The June Letter from the Editor
   <https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ital/article/view/11241> describes
   the new look to journal, regular columns, and the 2019 LITA/Ex Libris
   Student Writing Award-winning paper.
   - In her June letter <https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11093>, LITA
   President Bohyun Kim summarizes the work that has gone into the
   planned division merger that would combine LITA, ALCTS, and LLAMA
   - In her Editorial Board Thoughts column
   <https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i2.11091>, Cinthya Ippoliti discusses
   the role of libraries in fostering digital pedagogy



*Submit Your Ideas*
Contact ITAL Editor Ken Varnum at [log in to unmask] with your proposal.
Current formats are generally:


   - Articles – original research or comprehensive and in-depth analyses,
   in the 3000-5000 word range.
   - Communications – brief research reports, technical findings, and case
   studies, in the 1000-3000 word range.


*Questions or Comments?*

For all other questions or comments related to LITA publications, contact
us at (312) 280-4268 or [log in to unmask]


--
Ken Varnum
Senior Program Manager for Discovery, Delivery, and Library Analytics
Library Information Technology | University of Michigan Library
[log in to unmask] | @varnum | 734-615-3287
https://www.lib.umich.edu/users/varnum