The University of North Texas Libraries’ Dean’s Innovation Grant, formerly known as the Green Light To Greatness Award, provides funding to research and projects within the UNT Libraries that promote scholarship and contribute to the gathering of knowledge that helps improve our libraries, our university, and the community.

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Dean’s Innovation Grant 2020 Awardees

Breakout Session for Civic Education and Engagement Development

Brea Henson, Coby Condrey, Robbie Sittel, Diane Robson

Project Description: In partnership with the University of North Texas Media Library, the Political Science Librarian, Government Documents Librarian, and Collection Development Liaison Librarian will create a breakout resource for use by students, staff, and faculty with a goal of increasing civic literacy. Investigators will host virtual play sessions with pre- and post- play surveys to determine whether civic education and engagement development (GEED) breakout sessions improve civic knowledge and activity among the UNT community.

This or That: An Innovative Approach to Passive Surveys for Continuous Improvement

Jonathan Mount, Garrett Rumohr, Jeff Guintivano

Project Description: This proposed project intends to implement an innovative form of student feedback solicitation using rapid, simple, single-question unsupervised surveys conducted passively in various locations within the UNT libraries facilities. These surveys, consisting of a single, binary, comparative question that can be answered in a matter of seconds, will allow for large sample sizes while minimizing resources spent recruiting and compensating respondents. By synthesizing these answers, we can then create aggregate datasets that accurately approximate the student population’s needs and preferences regarding services, materials, facilities and technology at the UNT Libraries while providing a model for inexpensive, responsive, flexible survey design.

Expanding AV equipment Holdings in the Music Library w/The Spark

Kristin Wolski, Blaine Brubaker, John Leutkemeyer, Judy Hunter, Sabino Fernandez

Project Description: This project aims to fill a technology need to support music students by expanding audio equipment holdings at The Music Library and The Spark so that students can produce higher quality sound recordings. After discussing real-life applications of recording needs with College of Music faculty, staff, and students, the Music Library has identified a need for students to obtain higher quality sound output, as well as video capturing, in variety of situations. The investigators will explore additional applications of a/v equipment needs in the College of Music throughout the project.

Improving Subjects in the Digital Collections with Data

Hannah Tarver, Chassidy Miles, Rachael Zipperer

Project Description: This research project would use qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., card-sorting, focus groups and surveys) to gauge user expectations for the purpose of formulating better guidelines to assign image keywords. Given the number of photographs and other images just in the Libraries’ Special Collections (as well as the rest of the Portal), metadata plays a crucial role in the visibility of our online materials. Funding would provide support for data collection (through researcher training and participant incentives), and for dissemination of results in the digital library community (i.e., conference presentations).

MEI at UNT: Towards a Semantic Presentation of Music Scores

Maristella Feustle, Adam La Spata, Susannah Cleveland

Project Description: MEI at UNT is a pilot project designed to encode sample scores from the Libraries’ Lully Collection using the Music Encoding Initiative’s XML format. Over the course of the year, we will encode, at minimum, three early prints or manuscripts to help define workflow, time management, and potential hosting prospects. This pilot will help inform an application for an external grant that will result in the encoding of all 27 scores in the Lully Collection.

Gadget Lending Project: Filling Gap in Equipment and Technology Needs

Seti Keshmiripour, Briana Knox, Emily Akers, Jonathan Mount

Project Description: This project seeks to expand the collection of equipment available for checkout at the Libraries in order to better support students’ academic and creative endeavors. The Libraries will conduct a survey to gauge student interest in a variety of different equipment items. Based on survey responses, the Access Services Department will purchase new equipment items to be circulated at the Willis Library Services Desk. Staff will research practices of other institutions offering special equipment checkouts and use the findings to develop a set of circulation policies and procedures.

Escape/Breakout Room for UNT Libraries Juvenile Collection

Jo Monahan, Matina Newsom, Diane Robson, Robbie Sittel

Project Description: This project will create a breakout game with a goal to increase visibility and knowledge of the juvenile collection specifically for students and College of Education (COE) faculty. Investigators will promote play of this breakout to students and faculty in COE with a pre and post-test to measure success.

Trans Accessible Libraries

Julie Leuzinger, Coby Condrey, Clark Pomerleau

Project Description: Current research highlights some of the barriers to information that transgender individuals face. Additionally, their needs are significantly different from others in the LGBQ+ community. Given that this population is hidden unless self-identified, this project will use findings documented in recent studies addressing information seeking behaviors of transgender persons and their perceptions of the library to provide more equitable access to our services and collections. Pre and post assessment of collection usage and LibGuides use will determine the success of the project. Funding will address gaps in our collection, provide outreach materials, and cover conference registration to share our results.

Dean’s Accessibility Grant 2020 Awardees

Increasing Music Accessibility for Patrons with Print Disabilities

Blaine Brubaker, Kristin Wolski, Sabino Fernandez

Project Description: This project aims to make music creation and study more accessible by supplying patrons with visual impairments with specialized music notation software and hardware, such as Dancing Dot’s GOODFEEL suite and a braille display. The study of music is a visual one as much as it is an auditory one. With the advent of composing using music notation software and digital scores, it is crucial that all users are able to participate in digital music composition, online discussions of music, and study digital scores.

Spanish Translation Pilot Project

Jaimi Parker, Julie Judkins, Morgan Gieringer

Project Description: UNT Special Collections proposes a pilot project to translate and present selected digital resources online. This pilot project will include a sample of Special Collections products including finding aids, digital exhibits, and basic information about using Special Collections digital resources in Spanish. This grant will allow us to take on the task of researching what similar institutions are doing to translate similar materials, the best methods for translating these materials, and collect usage data to determine whether or not we should continue the effort to translate more digital materials to reach the Spanish speaking population.UNT Special Collections proposes a pilot project to translate and present selected digital resources online. This pilot project will include a sample of Special Collections products including finding aids, digital exhibits, and basic information about using Special Collections digital resources in Spanish. This grant will allow us to take on the task of researching what similar institutions are doing to translate similar materials, the best methods for translating these materials, and collect usage data to determine whether or not we should continue the effort to translate more digital materials to reach the Spanish speaking population.

Making Music Accessible in Digital Libraries

William Hicks, Susannah Cleveland, student assistant

Project Description: Musical A/V content in the UNT Digital Libraries poses a unique accessibility challenge. Recordings are often restricted due to (possibly invalid) copyright concerns, videos often contain multiple works in a single file (making information seeking difficult), contain multiple languages (or none at all), and may contain videography that may or may not have contextual relevance. Legal requirements and remediating advisory techniques are generally vague. This grant explores ways of making Digital Collections Music Items more accessible to a broad audience.

Creating Accessible LibGuides

Meranda Roy, Jenn Stayton, Utsav Ranjit

Project Description: This project aims to develop a collection of accessible LibGuides and a community of practice that will support guide editors. It will address best practices in LibGuides design, accessibility, and instruction techniques through a continuous evaluation approach. Funds are requested to provide accessibility training opportunities, create materials that raise awareness of accessibility issues, instructions for creating LibGuides content within accessibility guidelines. The goal of this project is to develop a community of practice beginning with the owners of the most frequently used guides and to establish models of accountability and instruction that will promote accessible guide creation moving forward.