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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that there can be different ontologies that support the domain analysis that Birger Hj0rland argues for in library and information science research and that meet the realist demands he wants to seek, but differ as to what is recognized as an entity. Methods: This paper is a literature-based analysis, comparing Hj0rland's literature on domain analysis and ontology with that of Hilary Putnam and Markus Gabriel, focusing on their similarities and differences. Results: Hj0rland notes the importance of domain analysis in knowledge organization research. Domain analysis is a research method that recognizes multiple domains and emphasizes the social and historical perspectives in each domain. However, Hj0rland avoids relativism and subjectivism in library and information science research and advocates pragmatic realism and physical monism. Pragmatic realism is the view that while what we consider to exist depends on a theory or paradigm, we cannot freely create reality, and the acceptance of a theory requires a pragmatic element to better explain events. Physical monism recognizes only physical entities. However, there may be other ontologies that support domain analysis and emphasize social and historical perspectives while avoiding relativism and subjectivism, as Hj0rland aims to do. Candidates include Putnam's ontology and Gabriel's ontology. In particular, Gabriel's pluralist new realism, which argues for a reality that is neither without observers nor with only observers, could be a promising candidate. However, the relationship of domain analysis to Hj0rland's claim of physical monism remains to be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aimed to understand the characteristics of and changes in research on Japanese public library services for older adults over time, as well as to identify future research directions, in relation to the social trends surrounding this demographic. Methods: First, literature and web surveys were employed to research and clarify the social trends surrounding older adults in Japan, from the period of rapid economic growth to the present. Policy documents of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), as well as gerontology research results, were the main texts used. Next, focusing on 168 references extracted from CiNii, BIBLIS PLUS, the Current Awareness Portal, and the Bibliography of Library and Information Science, the characteristics and changes in research on services for older adults in public libraries were discussed in relation to the related social trends. Results: The analysis revealed that research on services for this population in Japanese public libraries can be divided into five phases: Phase I: emerging awareness of older adults; Phase II: beginning of the search for services; Phase III: transitioning to an independent user category; Phase IV: deepening awareness of this population and diversification of services; and Phase V: focusing on dementia and strengthening cooperation. Although there are some differences among the phases, it is clear that public library research on older adults has followed specific social trends in many cases. Finally, two important issues were identified for future research: the continuous recognition of the actual situation of older adults and the discussion of services from diverse perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study focused on the concept of information media, which includes the social and cultural meaning of information mediating entities for users, to explain complex information behaviors. Information behavior is attempted to be understood from the perspective of individual cognition in this study, and it is treated as a dynamic interaction between information media and people. This study aims to clarify the actors' understanding of these information media on their information behavior in learning. To examine sense-making in detail, we focus on the circumstances of actors' selecting information media and organize their consideration of factors for their selections. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 18 first-year university students; they were asked about their learning and information media use. In this paper, the information behavior for assignment and examination were analyzed. Results: The participants chose information media based on two factors: whether it conformed to the teacher's instructions and whether it was trustworthy. The students' trustworthiness judgments were based on their experiences and past education or were informed via the media's reputation as earned from others. After satisfying the above assumptions, "convenience" will also be considered, given that previous studies have identified it as the main criterion for selecting information media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper analyzes the whole process in which college students completed assignment reporting from within an integrated framework. The framework consists of three layers: acts, contexts and knowledge. The students decided the topics, searched information, and wrote reports in the process of assignment reporting. This study hypothesized that the students' acts were successfully completed by finding contexts and that finding context was facilitated by having knowledge. This paper aimed to clarify how college students act, how contexts are found, and what kind of knowledge is required in carrying out assignment reporting. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Hitotsubashi University students on assignment reporting in their first or second year of university, and 27 responses were collected. Assignments were classified into three types: text summarization, argumentation, and hypothesis verification. Criteria of success and failure were established for each type. The typical patterns of success and failure were extracted from the interview results. To clarify the difference between success and failure, the relationship among acts, contexts and knowledge was analyzed. Results: The big picture context, which enables to grasp a complete understanding of assignments, had the most influence toward success or failure. Knowing what a good report is and what is expected from the assignment contributed highly to establishing the big picture context. Skills to think logically and structure information had a big influence on success. To practice such knowledge and skills successfully, students' understanding and experience of doing assignments were required. In the instruction on assignment reporting, paying attention to the whole process and students' difficulties was important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to determine the role of libraries in junior colleges and clarify their strengths and weaknesses with a view to further developing these in a manner that is closely related to the mission oi junior colleges, without limiting the existing scope of junior college library functions and rules. A further purpose of the paper is to attempt to identify strengths and weaknesses of libraries according to the missions espoused by the junior colleges. Methods: From 331 junior college accreditation evaluations conducted by the Japan Association for College Accreditation in the seven-year period from 2005 to 2011, the author investigated 2,204 "matters where particularly excellent efforts can be recognized" (of which, 92 were matters relating to libraries) and, after dividing these into 15 classifications based on their content, the author established 2,964 items in total (of which, 131 related to libraries and 2,833 to other matters). Based on these items, the author conducted a survey of the strengths and weaknesses of libraries by comparing library attributes and other matters. The author also attempted to analyze these strengths and weaknesses in light of the types of missions the respective junior colleges espoused. Results: The survey found that the strengths of libraries were: well-equipped facilities and equipment; support for learning and study; activities in cooperation with society, activities that contribute to the community, and support for student extracurricular activities; and support for graduates and cooperation with alumni associations. On the other hand, the survey found the weaknesses of libraries were: support for teachers' educational activities; and enhancement of educational content and improvement in educational methodology. The survey did not find any characteristic relationship between the types of missions of the junior colleges and the strengths of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the shift from bibliographic instruction to information literacy in the United States and to examine its significance. Methods: Based on the literature and practical reports by librarians, the paper considers the discussion about information literacy. Results: The Information Literacy Movement in the United States is an educational reform movement that started during the educational reforms in the 1980s. Its philosophy is not to expand education by librarians but to implement educational reform. Initially, the philosophy of the information literacy movement was misunderstood by librarians and caused conflicts within the library world. However, as librarians’ understanding of the philosophy of the movement gradually spread, their recognition shifted from the emphasis on “education by librarians" to their “contribution to the realization of educational reform. As a result, librarians' practice expanded from simply educating students to changing the awareness of faculty members, supporting them to revise curriculums. and improving classes through information literacy. The significance of the shift from bibliographic instruction to information literacy is that librarians are turning from providers of education on information use to promoters of educational reform through information literacy. This has allowed librarians to become directly involved in educational reform. Following this shift, the Information Literacy Movement as a form of educational reform has started to have a substantial impact, thus shifting from the theoretical to the practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With a focus on U.S. accreditation standards to promote information literacy in American higher education, this paper aims to clarify how accreditation bodies have sought to position information literacy within higher education. Methods: The transition of the description until the information literacy was formally described as a part of the curriculum was examined. Results: In 1994, for the first time, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education made information literacy a necessary skill for all students. However, in the 1994 version, information literacy was entered only m the library section, leaving the possibility that information literacy can be recognized as belonging to the library" not only by university administrators and faculty members, but also by librarians. In the 2002 version, with the emphasis on assessment of learning outcomes, information literacy was described as an essential learning outcome in all academic disciplines in the section on the curriculum. The integration of information literacy into the curriculum of the Middle State Commission on Higher Education was realized not in the context of utilizing libraries and information resources but in the improvement of teaching and learning through outcome assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to identify what research papers on building collaboration between teaching faculty and librarians in higher education have been published in Library and Information Science; which methodologies and theoretical frameworks have been applied; and what themes have been discussed. Methods: In this systematic review, research papers were carefully selected based on replicable search strategies and inclusion and exclusion criteria defined for this study. The data were analyzed through a content analysis, and an overall picture of building collaboration between teaching faculty and librarians in higher education was constructed. Results: The study clarified the following points: 1)there were considerably fewer research papers on this topic than the number of practical reports; 2)regarding authors of these research papers, there were many more college and university librarians than researchers in Library and Information Science or other disciplines; 3)there were a limited number of researchers who continued studying this topic: 4)most of the research papers were qualitative studies; 5)only a few papers applied theoretical frameworks; 6)core papers regarding this topic were not identified. 7)As for factors of librarians’ strategic approaches to teaching faculty, “educational development,” “shared goals and means, building interpersonal relationships and “working with other campus units” were identified, and as factors of the intervening conditions in the library, institutional and social contexts, librarians sense of rivalry with teaching faculty,” “library’s competence in collaboration,” accrediting agencies, teaching faculty s attitudes towards libraries/librarians” and “campus hierarchy” were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the achievements and problems of the bibliographic instruction movement in terms of the information literacy movement. Methods: With reference to the state of higher education at the time, this paper examines the bibliographic instruction movement in the 1960s and the move toward information literacy in the 1980s. Results: The bibliographic instruction movement has come to incorporate a new specialty in librarianship, which involves librarians in education to some extent. The aim was to integrate bibliographic instruction or library instruction into the college curriculum. However, those involved in the reform of both undergraduate programs including general education expected that librarians would not only provide library instruction as part of the curriculum, but also help to transform the existing curriculum and demonstrate students' learning by using the library. Hence, in order for bibliographic instruction to be fully integrated into higher education, it was necessary for those involved in the bibliographic instruction movement to share the goals of the university as well as to redefine its own practices. That is to say, the bibliographic instruction movement needed a philosophical shift. However, while the shift was inevitable, this did not happen from within the bibliographic instruction movement itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the interpretation of an element of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) is different, the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) representation of the element is also different. This paper reveals the SKOS representation of elements related to synthesis in a hierarchy classification scheme based on the interpretation by Structure-expression Style Theory. This theory is different from the conventional ones. Methods: “Entry in main schedules,” “entry in auxiliary tables,” “auxiliary table,” and “entry created by synthesis (synthesis entry)” are included in the agenda as elements related to synthesis. The Nippon Decimal Classification (NDC) is used as an example of a hierarchy classification scheme. Results: This paper reveals the method that uses skos:Concept as a SKOS representation of “entry in main schedules” as well as the method that uses skos:Concept as a SKOS representation of “synthesis entry.” The paper also describes the method that uses SKOS semantic relations (e.g., skos:broader) as a SKOS representation of relationships between “synthesis entry" and another entry. “Entry in auxiliary tables” and “auxiliary table” could not be represented in SKOS. All elements that cannot be represented in SKOS relate to the expression style of the classification scheme and they are beyond the scope of SKOS. Previous studies are based on conventional theories, whereas this paper is based on Structure-expression Style Theory; thus, this paper differs in its interpretation and the SKOS representation of the following: “entry in auxiliary tables,” “auxiliary table,” and a part of “synthesis entry.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the actual conditions and characteristics of academic library services for undergraduate research in the United States and Canada. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 133 research university libraries that were selected as research objects. Invitations to participate in a web-based questionnaire survey were sent to the librarians of these institutions by e-mail. The duration of the survey period was October-December 2014, and the month of March in 2015. The interviews were conducted with six libraries. The e-mail interviews were conducted with four libraries in March and April 2015. The face-to-face interviews were conducted with two libraries in May 2015. Results: The total number of libraries that responded to the questionnaire was 30. The numbers of libraries offering each type of service are as follows: 30 libraries support courses that promote undergraduate research, 28 libraries support honors programs or honors students, 19 libraries support the undergraduate research opportunities program, 16 libraries are involved in the undergraduate research symposium, 9 libraries publish or support the publication of undergraduate research journals, and 14 libraries offer library research awards to undergraduate students. Many libraries collaborate with faculty, and several libraries collaborate with other units, such as the undergraduate research office and the honors program office. The results of the interviews clarified that promoting undergraduate research is considered one of the principal goals in universities, and that libraries recognized support for undergraduate research as an important service that is based on the university’s policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous studies have either proposed or used the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) as a method for representing the elements of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS). However, SKOS representations of the same element in different studies sometimes differed from one another. This study examines the causes of this. Methods: This paper focuses on the classification schemes among KOSs. SKOS representations of each element of a KOS, i.e„ “centered entry,” “notation and heading,” and “auxiliary tables,” are different in previous studies. The study compares the processes of representing these elements in SKOS and considers the causes of the difference in representations. Results: The cause of the difference in representation for “centered entry” and “auxiliary tables” could be the difference in interpretation in different studies, while that for “notation and heading” could be the difference in priorities between previous studies. “Interpretation is the way the element to be represented is understood. “Priorities” are things that someone prefers at the time of SKOS representation, such as uniqueness of skos:prefLabel or perspicuity of SKOS data. Which merits and demerits of each SKOS representation are emphasized depends on the “Priorities.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify how public libraries use the Weekly New Books Guidance provided by TRC Library Service Inc. (TRC), TRC MARC and to identify how sources and services provided by TRC are located in their task of selecting resources in public libraries. Methods: From November 19-30, 2010. we conducted semi-structured interview surveys a t four city libraries and two town libraries in X Prefecture. The librarians were asked six questions pertaining to their library’s budget and number of staff, the librarians’ years of experience and likelihood of continuing employment, the type of neighborhood surrounding the library, user age and constitution of the neighboring inhabitants, method of selecting resources, use of the Weekly New Books Guidance, and obstacles to selecting resources and their measures. Results: As a result of our investigation, it became clear that public libraries, regardless of their size, depend to a considerable extent on TRC’s tools, such as Weekly New Books Guidance and TOOLi, when conducting resources selection. However, it was also revealed th a t public libraries collect information from multiple viewpoints using tools other than the Weekly New Books Guidance. This was true for all the libraries investigated. Due to falling budgets and the resultant staff shortages making the selection of resources more difficult, we conclude th a t the Weekly New Books Guidance and other TRC's services make it possible to perform b etter resource selection and with less effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: By focusing on the effect of the Internet, this study aims to identify Japanese corporate employees’ current information-gathering activities and the role that they expect Japanese corporate libraries to perform. Methods: From July to September 2015, a survey was conducted with 194 employees from eight companies and five different industries. Ultimately, data from 137 respondents-130 people engaged in research and development and seven people from other areas-were used for analysis. The results of the survey were compared with those of previous studies and discussed. Results: Employees gathered information primarily from free websites at their desks. If we define it as the service area of corporate libraries that provide information to the employees in the form of papers and documents, it accounted for less than 30% of all information-gathering activities. This figure represents a 20% decrease in the use of corporate libraries since the introduction of the Internet. Respondents stated that they would like corporate libraries to enhance their databases to include more electronic journals and magazines. This preference reflects the effect of the Internet. According to respondents, a library’s primary roles as a “place of information gathering” were lending, browsing, and copying print collections, which were functions unaffected by the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to propose a new cooperative program for School and Public Libraries in Korea. First, cooperation sought by both public and school libraries are reviewed. Second, a cooperative program was designed by taking specific circumstances of public libraries as well as school libraries. After its implementation, achievements, issues, and possible improvements of the program are discussed. Methods: Surveys and some additional interviews were conducted as the preliminary field study in 24 public libraries, 644 elementary, middle, and high school libraries in Busan between April and June in 2012. Based on the results of the research, the Reading Mentoring Program was designed, and was implemented with mentors during the period of between 2012 and 2014. Analysis was conducted using results of reports and interviews of elementary school students who participated in the program, brief surveys and interviews of school teachers, as well as records of activities and plans created by mentors who implemented the program, and surveys and interviews conducted to the mentors. Result: The Reading Mentoring Program was implemented and managed for three years with undergraduate students in Library and Information Science acting as mentors. The results of the study on public and school libraries showed high demands for mentors with specialized knowledge in reading education. The analysis shows that the Program has had good effects on public and school libraries as well as mentors. Remaining issues are the need for analyzing mentees' needs, improvements on educational content for mentors, development of manuals for implementing the Mentoring Program, and the establishment of a cooperation system for managing the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: NDLSH are lists of subject headings, some of which have their corresponding classification numbers in NDC 9th ed. and are called "representative classification numbers." This paper investigates the extent to which the representative numbers in NDLSH match the classification numbers assigned to bibliographic records. It reports the detailed results on their matching, while referring to a preceding research on the same topic. Methods: Pairs of NDC numbers and NDLSH subject headings were extracted from bibliographic records created between 1997 and 2014. General topical subject headings and geographic ones were examined separately. The representative classification numbers for individual subject headings were obtained from Web NDL Authorities. Results: l) For general topical headings, less than 20% of them have representative NDC numbers, most of which do not have sub-headings. More than 80% of subject headings with representative NDC numbers have records with NDC numbers matching the representative ones, while more than 10% of the NDLSH-NDC combinations that occurred in records were in agreement with those shown in NDLSH. Left-hand match on classification numbers increased the number of matching cases. Limiting the NDLSH-NDC pairs to those that occurred first in each record brought a substantial increase in the number of matching cases. 2)Only 6% of geographic subject headings have representative NDC numbers. More than 50% of such headings have records with NDC numbers that match the representative ones, while 15% of the NDLSH-NDC combinations occurred in records that agreed with those shown in NDLSH. INSET: 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In order to identify the position of academic libraries within the university organization, and to consider the problems within certified evaluation and accreditation, this paper examines how academic libraries are evaluated in the certified evaluation and accreditation of universities. Methods: Firstly, in terms of the evaluation items of the certified evaluation and accreditation institutions and the aspects of libraries that are evaluated, we compared institutions over the first and second cycle. Secondly, institutions were compared across the academic year and first and second cycle so as to determine the number of findings in the evaluation and accreditation results and which items among the evaluation standards are used in the evaluations. Thirdly, by analyzing the evaluation and accreditation results, self-evaluation results and "cases of advanced approaches," the details addressed in the "cases of advanced approaches' and the "strengths' (library section) were compared among the evaluation and accreditation results. Results: 1) The position of academic libraries has fallen within the evaluation by JUAA, increased in the evaluation by NIAD-UE, and has not significantly changed in the evaluation by JIHEE. 2) Regarding the "strengths" raised in the reports, libraries have been evaluated in terms of "social contribution," "social networks," "educational content/methods," "educational content and methods," and "student support." Similarly, contents of "suggestions' and "recommendations' in the reports were not limited to library collections, resources, equipment and facilities. 3) The analysis of the "cases of advanced approaches" also showed that academic libraries have been evaluated from various perspectives. INSET: 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines how and why rules for creating rare book union catalogues, such as A Short- Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640 (STC), Short-Tile Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America, and of English Books Printed in Other Countries，1641-1700 (Wing STC) and English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), have been transformed. Methods: Some parts of the rules for creating union catalogues, STC and Wing STC in particular, might not be fully written. Thus, in order to reconstruct rules for creating union catalogues, not only rules and prefaces written in the catalogues as well as related literature, but also the union catalogues themselves were examined. The identified changes of the cataloguing rules are classified, and their reasons are considered. Results: Some unwritten rules for creating STC and Wing STC have been identified. Some written rules for creating ESTC, which are different from those used at present have also been identified. The rules for creating the earlier edition of ESTC are far more detailed than the STC 2nd edition. Matters related to each union catalogue, changes of cataloguers and expected users of the union catalogues have been identified as reasons for the above changes, in addition to changes in the tradition of descriptive bibliography, the evolution of library cataloguing rules, and technological changes, which have been identified in earlier studies about cataloguing rules for rare books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In 1915, an organizational reform was implemented in Tokyo City Libraries to unify library operations. This study examines the policies of the Tokyo city government regarding the unification, what kinds of services were available, and how the library business changed. The paper identifies and reevaluates the background of the reform, and how it contributed to improving the services and library business. Methods: Magazines, newspapers, government documents, and library bulletins from 1915 to 1919 were examined. Results: The organizational reform of the libraries coincided with a critical time for the political and administrative transformation of Tokyo City. Initiated by an internal political change in the Tokyo City Council in 1914, the Council conducted an audit called "Inspection on the educational administration". After the audit, the libraries were required to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their operations. Accordingly, the libraries undertook organizational reforms to unify operations to comply with the tight fiscal policy of the city, while also improving library services. The reforms not only reduced the cost of library operations in Tokyo City, but also led to new services under a new library system, and provided a convenient, accessible library service for residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the study conditions of university students, focusing on places, hours and study habits, in order to consider how university libraries should provide services to match students' learning style. Method: All students of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies were surveyed to clarify the following three points: 1) spatial and equipment aspects that students put priority on when studying, 2) their actual learning styles, and 3) number of hours of studying. Also, the lifestyles of 29 students were directly observed for three days, and then a focus group discussion with the students was conducted for deeper analysis. Results: Of all the undergraduate respondents who participated in the survey, 62.3% spent most of their study time "at home", while 28.2% "could not concentrate" when studying "at home". Furthermore, at least 42.3% of the respondents regarded that being able to concentrate on studying was a crucial element of the learning space. In contrast, 94.6% of the respondents "can concentrate" on studying at "the university library". This study revealed hindrances to studying such as shortness of opening hours of school cafeterias and insufficient spaces for rest and refreshment. It was also found that decentralizing study space out of the university library would not only provide enough learning space for students, especially those who use only their own materials, but also create additional space for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]