Sean Burns, PhD

Research

Current Projects

I am presently working on three research projects. The first project is a study of tacit knowledge and open science. In particular, my thesis is that tacit knowing, Michael Polanyi's idea that we can know more than we can tell, challenges the idea that an open science can be fully open. If true, this has ramifications for what we can learn from science done more openly and for what can be replicated based on a more open science.

The second project is a study on document credibility. Here I am interested in what aspects of a document, in particular, news documents and articles, influence how people judge its credibility.

The third project is about article titles. More details later.

Research Themes

The curriculum vitae serves as a valuable tool for recording a scholar's accomplishments. However, it may lack the some necessary context. To address this, I have categorized my publications by theme. These themes encompass bias in peer review, health information retrieval, reference librarianship, misinformation, tacit knowledge in conjunction with open science, the historical development of automation, and electronic resources.

Visit my selected research page to learn more.

Plain Text Social Science

I enjoy a Plain Text Way To Do Plain Text Social Science.

I used the plain text research approach described at the link above to write a paper for an upcoming conference. It was fun to write, even though the paper was rejected (2022-05-24), and I describe the process on The Text. See the output: Ungrade to Learn.

Software

Most of the coding I do is for analyzing data for my research projects. However, I built several programs to help introduce my students to the Linux command line. These are useful if you're running Linux or have access to a Linux machine and the Bash shell.

• learn-the-cli is an interactive Bash script that walks users through a set of common commands and lets them practice the commands.
• learn-the-filesystem is an interactive Bash Script that builds off the learn-the-cli script but focuses on navigating the Linux directory tree and learning the differences between absolute and relative paths.
• flashcards is a modified shell script that helps users memorize a set of common commands. This comes with a cards.csv file containing the data for the script.

Instructions for downloading and using the scripts above are on the GitHub repo: Learn the Command Line.

Teaching

Course Books

I have authored three books tailored to courses within my program, drawing inspiration from lectures and demonstrations I developed for these classes. These books cover Linux Systems Administration, Electronic Resource Management, and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). While I no longer actively teach the PKM course (it is well-managed now), I have long aspired to create a comprehensive resource for the subject, and the work is currently used for that course.

I view these works as living documents, subject to ongoing revisions for improved clarity and updates. This is particularly true during the periods leading up to and during the courses when new content is integrated.

Burns, C. S. (2022). Linux systems administration. https://cseanburns.net/WWW/linux-systems-admin/.

Burns, C. S. (2022). Personal knowledge management handbook. https://cseanburns.net/WWW/pkm/.

Burns, C. S. (2022). Electronic resource management. https://cseanburns.net/WWW/ERM-book.

As of Spring 2023, I am teaching a new course on Systems Librarianship and currently penning a book to accompany it. Although the book will not be completed until later in the semester, I am sharing it here for those interested in following its progress:

Burns, C. S. (2023). Systems librarianship. https://cseanburns.net/WWW/systems-librarianship

Undergraduate

I developed and regularly teach the following two undergraduate courses in my School's information, communication, and technology (ICT) program.

ICT 418: Linux Systems Administration

Undergraduate course covering systems administration using the Ubuntu Linux distribution. Topics include Bash scripting, managing users, installing, securing, and managing services such as MySQL, and more. Lectures and demo scripts for this course are on GitHub: Linux Systems Administration.

ICT 420: Semantic Web Development

Undergraduate course focused on HTML5, CSS3, JSON-LD, and Git as well as usability and accessibility. Main software tools: text editor, Git. Demo and other material for this course are on GitHub Semantic Web Development.

Graduate

I developed and regularly teach the following two graduate courses in my School's library science (LIS) and information, communication, and technology (ICT) programs.

LIS 617: Electronic Resource Management

Graduate course on managing electronic resources for libraries. Topics covered include the technologies and systems involved, legal issues such as managing copyright, contract negotiation, and more. Lectures and other material for this course are on GitHub: Electronic Resource Management.

LIS 690: Systems Librarianship

Graduate course on systems librarianship. Students learn to use the Linux command line, evaluate system logs, create a basic integrated library system from scratch, and install and administer several software programs including WordPress, Omeka, and Koha ILS. This is currently a special topics course, but it will eventually be added as an elective. Lectures and other materials for this course are on GitHub: Systems Librarianship.

Past Courses

I developed and taught the following courses:

ICT 201: Personal Knowledge Management

Undergraduate course on managing personal information and knowledge work flows. Lectures and other materials for this course are on GitHub: Personal Knowledge Management.

LIS/ICT 658: Knowledge Management

Graduate course on organizational knowledge management with some emphasis on disaster and risk management and communication.