Braden Saint-Val – News Writer
Buley Library staff and university faculty celebrated the milestones the university’s Authors Citation Database has made since its creation in the Adanti Student Center Ballroom.
The Authors Citation Database is a collection of citations of publications made by Southern faculty, staff, administration and graduate students from every academic department.
Buley’s Head of Research and Instruction Rebecca Hedreen, who after the Provost’s office gave out a call in 2019 for a collection of recent written work by Southern authors, volunteered to manage it and help format the citations.
Using the search engines Web of Science, Microsoft Academic, The Lens and later Scopus, she harvested several thousand citation and rapidly discovered that the data was messy, confusing and sometimes contradictory.
***STEM Librarian Diana Hellyar then volunteered to help with the data cleanup, and the Authors Project went into full gear.
Computer science students in their capstone course also contributed by developing the database’s interface as part of their project.
Hedreen believes the database can act as a lens into the university’s academics and credibility.
“People should know what we do. Prospective students, students who are here who are maybe exploring majors or looking for a professor to work with: this is all available to anyone who wants to look and see what we do here at Southern,” Hedreen said.
So far, the database has over 5,000 publications and counting by authors from the university dating as far back as the early twentieth century, back when the university was called the New Haven State Teacher’s College.
“It sets an institutional record, which is really important for any institution to have its own archive and its own record of accomplishment,” Amy Beth, the director of Buley Library said. “It also is an opportunity then to bring about visibility for the stupendous work of our colleagues.”
At the celebration, Beth and Hedreen gave their thanks and appreciation to the faculty that have provided additions to the database and reflected on its growth and improvements.
Both Provost Robert Prezant and Interim President Dwayne Smith gave their remarks, as well as Dr. Anuli Njoku and Dr. Marian Evans, professors of public health who are the editors of “Navigating Academia During COVID-19: Perspectives and Strategies from BIPOC Women,” a book in the database that provides the personal narratives of diverse women in academia regarding strategies to navigate academia during times of COVID-19 and unrest.
There were also table displays that presented books published by faculty from 1983 to 1993 and from 2019 to 2023.
The Authors Citation Database is always growing, and Hedreen and Hellyar plan to add creative works such as performances and art exhibitions as well as publications from digital measures and undergraduate student work, like the annual Folio magazine.
It can be accessed through Buley Library’s website by navigating to the “Find a Database” drop-down bar.