Beth M Sheppard | University of West Georgia (original) (raw)

Papers by Beth M Sheppard

Theological Librarianship, 2009

nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were,... more nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were, of any book, journal article, or text. The cycle includes the creation of material (authorship, publication), its dissemination (marketing, sales), organization (indexing, cataloging), diffusion (making available to users), utilization (by readers/researchers), preservation (long-term storage), and ultimately its destruction. i would like to commend Jeff for his very insightful paper and its incredible range. indeed, through the course of his exposition he addresses, at least in passing, virtually every aspect of the information transfer cycle and clearly demonstrates that the mode in which information is produced, whether it be in electronic format or print, doesn't essentially alter the fact that information still passes through these same phases. he included insights garnered from the information creation stage with his experiences with Bookbird, discussed distribution of e-content via aggregators and indexers, highlighted digital storage on platforms and archives such as JsTor, and even gave an anecdote about the destruction of digital information when an editorial team of Bookbird required the removal of digital content from proQuest. sadly, i am not well read in, nor do i have experience with, the fragility of digital information and its destruction, about which i would be very interested in learning more, should my colleagues have the opportunity to address that in our discussions today. but, i would like to provide an additional thought or two regarding the "usage" and "creation" portions of the cycle as they relate to digital materials and theological scholarship.

Theological librarianship, Jun 2, 2008

Theological librarianship, Nov 9, 2009

nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were,... more nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were, of any book, journal article, or text. The cycle includes the creation of material (authorship, publication), its dissemination (marketing, sales), organization (indexing, cataloging), diffusion (making available to users), utilization (by readers/researchers), preservation (long-term storage), and ultimately its destruction. i would like to commend Jeff for his very insightful paper and its incredible range. indeed, through the course of his exposition he addresses, at least in passing, virtually every aspect of the information transfer cycle and clearly demonstrates that the mode in which information is produced, whether it be in electronic format or print, doesn't essentially alter the fact that information still passes through these same phases. he included insights garnered from the information creation stage with his experiences with Bookbird, discussed distribution of e-content via aggregators and indexers, highlighted digital storage on platforms and archives such as JsTor, and even gave an anecdote about the destruction of digital information when an editorial team of Bookbird required the removal of digital content from proQuest. sadly, i am not well read in, nor do i have experience with, the fragility of digital information and its destruction, about which i would be very interested in learning more, should my colleagues have the opportunity to address that in our discussions today. but, i would like to provide an additional thought or two regarding the "usage" and "creation" portions of the cycle as they relate to digital materials and theological scholarship.

Resource Use Patterns in a Distance Doctor of Ministry Population

Journal of Religious & Theological Information, Jul 1, 2012

Online and distance learning are delivery modes in theological education that prompt questions ab... more Online and distance learning are delivery modes in theological education that prompt questions about a library's ability to serve non-resident or occasionally resident students. This bibliometric study of 23 Doctor of Ministry theses completed at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary between 2006 and 2010 includes data about the kind of resources that are being used by distance students. The data is analyzed longitudinally and also by overall sample. Percentages of items cited that are in the library holdings either in hard or e-versions are also provided. Preliminary recommendations are made about how the library might adapt to serve the research needs of distance students.

Theological librarianship, Nov 10, 2009

Diktuon: The Kindle 2: Risk and Promise by Beth M. Sheppard p rinted books are dead. and amazon k... more Diktuon: The Kindle 2: Risk and Promise by Beth M. Sheppard p rinted books are dead. and amazon killed them. or so opines a burgeoning group amongst library supporters and education industry leaders who are convinced that Kindle e-book readers and a growing stable of Kindle titles provide the miracle remedy for the perennial problem of crowded library shelves and the cure-all for acquisitions budget dyspepsia. certainly there are some experimental programs at colleges and universities that may pave the way for widespread application-someday. For instance, Ken Frazier, library Director at the University of Wisconsin, purchased 20 Kindles for use in a history seminar class. both brigham Young University and the University of nebraska have been investigating the use of the devices for general lending to patrons and interlibrary loan, though in a recent Library Journal note, bYU was withdrawing its program due to concerns that amazon regarded lending of Kindles a breach of its terms of service. 2 These experiments, while laudable, do not necessarily mean that theological libraries should rush out to purchase Kindles. There is still a very wide divide between the potential of Kindle e-book technology as an elixir for space and monetary woes in the library context and the reality that the device and its software were developed for the general reading populace, not the academic library. Two library procedural arenas in particular, acquisitions and circulation, require improvements of both product and services before the Kindle will cease to be a risky investment and live up to its promise for successful deployment in theological libraries.

Theological librarianship, Oct 13, 2017

Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, re... more Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, resemble a box of chocolates-you never know what you are going to get. In the case of Reading for Faith and Learning, which was edited by librarians John B. Weaver and Douglas L. Gragg, one finds a rich and varied assortment of nineteen essays. The contributors include colleagues and friends of our esteemed associate M. Patrick (Pat) Graham, Director of the Pitts Theological Library at Emory University, whose career is honored with this volume. These authors represent a variety of disciplines including library and information science, preaching, church history, Hebrew Bible, religious education, and others.

Biblical Interpretation, 2013

Atla Summary of Proceedings, 2021

The issue of transitioning from work in theological libraries to public university libraries is e... more The issue of transitioning from work in theological libraries to public university libraries is explored using the method of autoethnography. Key differences between public, private, and for-profit schools are highlighted and linked to how each type is driven variously by a mission, mandate, or method. Since the ease by which job seekers may adjust when moving between each type may be affected by factors beyond personal preferences for benefits, this paper surveys literature related to fit and retention in the academy; religious privilege; religion and legal doctrine; and faith in the context of secular employment. Finally, the terms theological librarian, religious librarian, and religion librarian are defined relative to the different roles librarians undertake in private versus public institutions. A rubric for evaluating a move to a new employment setting is included as an appendix.

Introduction Hello. Welcome to our presentation. For those attending who do not know me, I am Bet... more Introduction Hello. Welcome to our presentation. For those attending who do not know me, I am Beth Sheppard, the Director of the United Library. During the academic year 2010-11 our library, which serves Garrett Evangelical and Seabury-Western Theological Seminaries in Evanston, Illinois, began a three-year phased-in implementation of a radio fluency identification (RFID) security system. Our objectives during this panel presentation are both to share details from our own experience and also to allow ample opportunity within this time slot for everyone present in the room to engage in dialogue about RFID. Our own RFID implementation, though it has had its ups and downs to be sure, has been largely successful due to the talents and dedication of our staff. Indeed, we all know that the best librarians are the key to making any new project actually work! We are fortunate that two of them are here today to participate in this panel. Lucy Chung, who currently serves as our Technical Serv...

Theological Librarianship, 2017

Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, re... more Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, resemble a box of chocolates-you never know what you are going to get. In the case of Reading for Faith and Learning, which was edited by librarians John B. Weaver and Douglas L. Gragg, one finds a rich and varied assortment of nineteen essays. The contributors include colleagues and friends of our esteemed associate M. Patrick (Pat) Graham, Director of the Pitts Theological Library at Emory University, whose career is honored with this volume. These authors represent a variety of disciplines including library and information science, preaching, church history, Hebrew Bible, religious education, and others.

Theological Librarianship, 2012

Theological Librarianship, 2009

nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were,... more nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were, of any book, journal article, or text. The cycle includes the creation of material (authorship, publication), its dissemination (marketing, sales), organization (indexing, cataloging), diffusion (making available to users), utilization (by readers/researchers), preservation (long-term storage), and ultimately its destruction. i would like to commend Jeff for his very insightful paper and its incredible range. indeed, through the course of his exposition he addresses, at least in passing, virtually every aspect of the information transfer cycle and clearly demonstrates that the mode in which information is produced, whether it be in electronic format or print, doesn't essentially alter the fact that information still passes through these same phases. he included insights garnered from the information creation stage with his experiences with Bookbird, discussed distribution of e-content via aggregators and indexers, highlighted digital storage on platforms and archives such as JsTor, and even gave an anecdote about the destruction of digital information when an editorial team of Bookbird required the removal of digital content from proQuest. sadly, i am not well read in, nor do i have experience with, the fragility of digital information and its destruction, about which i would be very interested in learning more, should my colleagues have the opportunity to address that in our discussions today. but, i would like to provide an additional thought or two regarding the "usage" and "creation" portions of the cycle as they relate to digital materials and theological scholarship.

Communications in Information Literacy, 2019

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion i... more This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communications in Information Literacy by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu. Copyright for articles published in Communications in Information Literacy is retained by the author(s). Author(s) also extend to Communications in Information Literacy the right to redistribute this article via other scholarly resources and bibliographic databases. This extension allows the authors' copyrighted content to be included in some databases that are distributed and maintained by for-profit companies. All other rights of redistribution are licensed by Communications in Information Literacy under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Theological Librarianship, 2015

Citation analysis is a staple in the sciences for measuring the impact of faculty members' ou... more Citation analysis is a staple in the sciences for measuring the impact of faculty members' output, but heavy reliance on monographs as a vehicle of scholarly communication diminished the value of bibliometrics in theological disciplines. The digital revolution, however, created a seismic shift for citation analysis and has given rise to altmetrics. Overviews of altmetrics and bibliometrics are provided and a series of questions posed to encourage ongoing discussions about the value of these tools in theological contexts.

The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel: An Introduction to John. By Paul N. Anderson. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2011. Pp. xiii + 296

Biblical Interpretation, 2013

During a bibliometric analysis of the scholarship of ninety-five social science faculty members a... more During a bibliometric analysis of the scholarship of ninety-five social science faculty members at the University of West Georgia (UWG), observations were made concerning potential differences between how scholarly communication is practiced by the disciplines of the social sciences and biblical studies. The fields appear to diverge on the role of book reviews, prevalence of co-authored materials, use of ORCIDs, and adoption of DOIs. In addition to highlighting these points, the data set used for the project is described. Finally, a few theological reflections are offered.

Theological Librarianship, Jun 2, 2008

The Fourth Gospel, Romanization, and the Role of Women

An Introduction to Empire in the New Testament

Theological Librarianship, 2009

nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were,... more nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were, of any book, journal article, or text. The cycle includes the creation of material (authorship, publication), its dissemination (marketing, sales), organization (indexing, cataloging), diffusion (making available to users), utilization (by readers/researchers), preservation (long-term storage), and ultimately its destruction. i would like to commend Jeff for his very insightful paper and its incredible range. indeed, through the course of his exposition he addresses, at least in passing, virtually every aspect of the information transfer cycle and clearly demonstrates that the mode in which information is produced, whether it be in electronic format or print, doesn't essentially alter the fact that information still passes through these same phases. he included insights garnered from the information creation stage with his experiences with Bookbird, discussed distribution of e-content via aggregators and indexers, highlighted digital storage on platforms and archives such as JsTor, and even gave an anecdote about the destruction of digital information when an editorial team of Bookbird required the removal of digital content from proQuest. sadly, i am not well read in, nor do i have experience with, the fragility of digital information and its destruction, about which i would be very interested in learning more, should my colleagues have the opportunity to address that in our discussions today. but, i would like to provide an additional thought or two regarding the "usage" and "creation" portions of the cycle as they relate to digital materials and theological scholarship.

Theological librarianship, Jun 2, 2008

Theological librarianship, Nov 9, 2009

nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were,... more nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were, of any book, journal article, or text. The cycle includes the creation of material (authorship, publication), its dissemination (marketing, sales), organization (indexing, cataloging), diffusion (making available to users), utilization (by readers/researchers), preservation (long-term storage), and ultimately its destruction. i would like to commend Jeff for his very insightful paper and its incredible range. indeed, through the course of his exposition he addresses, at least in passing, virtually every aspect of the information transfer cycle and clearly demonstrates that the mode in which information is produced, whether it be in electronic format or print, doesn't essentially alter the fact that information still passes through these same phases. he included insights garnered from the information creation stage with his experiences with Bookbird, discussed distribution of e-content via aggregators and indexers, highlighted digital storage on platforms and archives such as JsTor, and even gave an anecdote about the destruction of digital information when an editorial team of Bookbird required the removal of digital content from proQuest. sadly, i am not well read in, nor do i have experience with, the fragility of digital information and its destruction, about which i would be very interested in learning more, should my colleagues have the opportunity to address that in our discussions today. but, i would like to provide an additional thought or two regarding the "usage" and "creation" portions of the cycle as they relate to digital materials and theological scholarship.

Resource Use Patterns in a Distance Doctor of Ministry Population

Journal of Religious & Theological Information, Jul 1, 2012

Online and distance learning are delivery modes in theological education that prompt questions ab... more Online and distance learning are delivery modes in theological education that prompt questions about a library's ability to serve non-resident or occasionally resident students. This bibliometric study of 23 Doctor of Ministry theses completed at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary between 2006 and 2010 includes data about the kind of resources that are being used by distance students. The data is analyzed longitudinally and also by overall sample. Percentages of items cited that are in the library holdings either in hard or e-versions are also provided. Preliminary recommendations are made about how the library might adapt to serve the research needs of distance students.

Theological librarianship, Nov 10, 2009

Diktuon: The Kindle 2: Risk and Promise by Beth M. Sheppard p rinted books are dead. and amazon k... more Diktuon: The Kindle 2: Risk and Promise by Beth M. Sheppard p rinted books are dead. and amazon killed them. or so opines a burgeoning group amongst library supporters and education industry leaders who are convinced that Kindle e-book readers and a growing stable of Kindle titles provide the miracle remedy for the perennial problem of crowded library shelves and the cure-all for acquisitions budget dyspepsia. certainly there are some experimental programs at colleges and universities that may pave the way for widespread application-someday. For instance, Ken Frazier, library Director at the University of Wisconsin, purchased 20 Kindles for use in a history seminar class. both brigham Young University and the University of nebraska have been investigating the use of the devices for general lending to patrons and interlibrary loan, though in a recent Library Journal note, bYU was withdrawing its program due to concerns that amazon regarded lending of Kindles a breach of its terms of service. 2 These experiments, while laudable, do not necessarily mean that theological libraries should rush out to purchase Kindles. There is still a very wide divide between the potential of Kindle e-book technology as an elixir for space and monetary woes in the library context and the reality that the device and its software were developed for the general reading populace, not the academic library. Two library procedural arenas in particular, acquisitions and circulation, require improvements of both product and services before the Kindle will cease to be a risky investment and live up to its promise for successful deployment in theological libraries.

Theological librarianship, Oct 13, 2017

Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, re... more Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, resemble a box of chocolates-you never know what you are going to get. In the case of Reading for Faith and Learning, which was edited by librarians John B. Weaver and Douglas L. Gragg, one finds a rich and varied assortment of nineteen essays. The contributors include colleagues and friends of our esteemed associate M. Patrick (Pat) Graham, Director of the Pitts Theological Library at Emory University, whose career is honored with this volume. These authors represent a variety of disciplines including library and information science, preaching, church history, Hebrew Bible, religious education, and others.

Biblical Interpretation, 2013

Atla Summary of Proceedings, 2021

The issue of transitioning from work in theological libraries to public university libraries is e... more The issue of transitioning from work in theological libraries to public university libraries is explored using the method of autoethnography. Key differences between public, private, and for-profit schools are highlighted and linked to how each type is driven variously by a mission, mandate, or method. Since the ease by which job seekers may adjust when moving between each type may be affected by factors beyond personal preferences for benefits, this paper surveys literature related to fit and retention in the academy; religious privilege; religion and legal doctrine; and faith in the context of secular employment. Finally, the terms theological librarian, religious librarian, and religion librarian are defined relative to the different roles librarians undertake in private versus public institutions. A rubric for evaluating a move to a new employment setting is included as an appendix.

Introduction Hello. Welcome to our presentation. For those attending who do not know me, I am Bet... more Introduction Hello. Welcome to our presentation. For those attending who do not know me, I am Beth Sheppard, the Director of the United Library. During the academic year 2010-11 our library, which serves Garrett Evangelical and Seabury-Western Theological Seminaries in Evanston, Illinois, began a three-year phased-in implementation of a radio fluency identification (RFID) security system. Our objectives during this panel presentation are both to share details from our own experience and also to allow ample opportunity within this time slot for everyone present in the room to engage in dialogue about RFID. Our own RFID implementation, though it has had its ups and downs to be sure, has been largely successful due to the talents and dedication of our staff. Indeed, we all know that the best librarians are the key to making any new project actually work! We are fortunate that two of them are here today to participate in this panel. Lucy Chung, who currently serves as our Technical Serv...

Theological Librarianship, 2017

Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, re... more Sometimes the collected essays in a Festschrift, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, resemble a box of chocolates-you never know what you are going to get. In the case of Reading for Faith and Learning, which was edited by librarians John B. Weaver and Douglas L. Gragg, one finds a rich and varied assortment of nineteen essays. The contributors include colleagues and friends of our esteemed associate M. Patrick (Pat) Graham, Director of the Pitts Theological Library at Emory University, whose career is honored with this volume. These authors represent a variety of disciplines including library and information science, preaching, church history, Hebrew Bible, religious education, and others.

Theological Librarianship, 2012

Theological Librarianship, 2009

nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were,... more nformation professionals talk about the "information transfer cycle"-the life stages, as it were, of any book, journal article, or text. The cycle includes the creation of material (authorship, publication), its dissemination (marketing, sales), organization (indexing, cataloging), diffusion (making available to users), utilization (by readers/researchers), preservation (long-term storage), and ultimately its destruction. i would like to commend Jeff for his very insightful paper and its incredible range. indeed, through the course of his exposition he addresses, at least in passing, virtually every aspect of the information transfer cycle and clearly demonstrates that the mode in which information is produced, whether it be in electronic format or print, doesn't essentially alter the fact that information still passes through these same phases. he included insights garnered from the information creation stage with his experiences with Bookbird, discussed distribution of e-content via aggregators and indexers, highlighted digital storage on platforms and archives such as JsTor, and even gave an anecdote about the destruction of digital information when an editorial team of Bookbird required the removal of digital content from proQuest. sadly, i am not well read in, nor do i have experience with, the fragility of digital information and its destruction, about which i would be very interested in learning more, should my colleagues have the opportunity to address that in our discussions today. but, i would like to provide an additional thought or two regarding the "usage" and "creation" portions of the cycle as they relate to digital materials and theological scholarship.

Communications in Information Literacy, 2019

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion i... more This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communications in Information Literacy by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu. Copyright for articles published in Communications in Information Literacy is retained by the author(s). Author(s) also extend to Communications in Information Literacy the right to redistribute this article via other scholarly resources and bibliographic databases. This extension allows the authors' copyrighted content to be included in some databases that are distributed and maintained by for-profit companies. All other rights of redistribution are licensed by Communications in Information Literacy under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Theological Librarianship, 2015

Citation analysis is a staple in the sciences for measuring the impact of faculty members' ou... more Citation analysis is a staple in the sciences for measuring the impact of faculty members' output, but heavy reliance on monographs as a vehicle of scholarly communication diminished the value of bibliometrics in theological disciplines. The digital revolution, however, created a seismic shift for citation analysis and has given rise to altmetrics. Overviews of altmetrics and bibliometrics are provided and a series of questions posed to encourage ongoing discussions about the value of these tools in theological contexts.

The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel: An Introduction to John. By Paul N. Anderson. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2011. Pp. xiii + 296

Biblical Interpretation, 2013

During a bibliometric analysis of the scholarship of ninety-five social science faculty members a... more During a bibliometric analysis of the scholarship of ninety-five social science faculty members at the University of West Georgia (UWG), observations were made concerning potential differences between how scholarly communication is practiced by the disciplines of the social sciences and biblical studies. The fields appear to diverge on the role of book reviews, prevalence of co-authored materials, use of ORCIDs, and adoption of DOIs. In addition to highlighting these points, the data set used for the project is described. Finally, a few theological reflections are offered.

Theological Librarianship, Jun 2, 2008

The Fourth Gospel, Romanization, and the Role of Women

An Introduction to Empire in the New Testament

The Craft of History and the Study of the New Testament

Theological Librarianship, 2017

Review of John B. Weaver and Douglas L. Gragg, eds. Reading for Faith and Learning: Essays on Scr... more Review of John B. Weaver and Douglas L. Gragg, eds. Reading for Faith and Learning: Essays on Scripture, Community, & Libraries in Honor of M. Patrick Graham. Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 2017. 326 pp. $50.00. Paperback. ISBN: 9780891124290