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The Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association has published a special issue featuring papers from the 2023 Research Application in Information and Library Studies (RAILS) conference. RAILS serves as an important platform for library and information research in Australasia and the Pacific region, aiming to raise the visibility of research from this area and promote a more balanced and representative research environment. The papers in this issue cover a range of topics, highlighting the diversity of research activities and expertise in the region. The upcoming RAILS 2024 conference, with the theme "Making a Difference: Research with Real-world Impact," is scheduled for November and aims to explore how research can lead to improved outcomes for library and information services. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this paper is to present some thoughts on the sidelines of the international conference "The privilege of the written word: management, conservation and enhancement of personal papers and books", held at Salerno University on April 10-12th 2019. The conference represented a significant moment of meeting for the scientific and professional community of archives and libraries in order to debate the issues related to conservation, management and valorization of personal collections. This event also provided an opportunity for the presentation of the 'Guidelines on the treatment of personal funds' edited by the National Commission of special libraries personal archives and libraries of the Italian Library Association (AIB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the role of mobile applications in enhancing library-related tasks. Mobile technology emerges as a valuable resource for saving time and eff ort. The study demonstrates how mobile applications can simplify tasks like stock-taking and generating other collection-related statistics within a library. The paper takes a distinctive approach by recording book usage statistics and monitoring staff activities, specifically the re-shelving of books. This method carries significant implications for collection development and the efficient management of library staff. It underscores the potential of mobile technology to enhance library services' economic and sustainable operation. Notably, the library's stack area frequently experiences congestion, poor internet connectivity, and insufficient infrastructure for routine operations. Some setbacks, such as inadequate lighting in the stack area, were identified as factors affecting the app's performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This institutional case study analyses 1723 sources referenced in five PhD theses awarded at Alphacrucis University College between 2017 and 2021. The purpose was to demonstrate that the library’s collection development policy is successfully guiding purchasing decisions in order to provide students with the resources they need to complete their research at high levels. Sources were extracted from each thesis and grouped according to type. Library holdings were then checked, revealing that, overall, 70.2% of all cited sources were available from the AC library collection. This research-in-practice paper shows that AC library’s shift in focus for its collection development policy is adequately providing required resources to research students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe paper aims to discuss ChatGPT and its role in academic libraries. It identifies the key areas where ChatGPT can be implemented in libraries to improve various services and the overall work experience of academics, along with the risk factors associated with ChatGPT. Research finds that ChatGPT can be aided with many library services such as collection development management, virtual reference services, digital information service and library discovery, research writing and publishing, research performance analysis and bibliometric services. It can be helpful for libraries to meet patron requirements, streamline the research process, and increase the efficiency of the library and staff. It reduces the workload of library staff to a certain extent rather than replacing the human librarians as various threats are associated with the ChatGPT, such as incorrect query responses, data protection, misuse, privacy, security, inaccessibility, limited technology comprehension and other ethical issues. It also discusses the limitations and challenges libraries may face while implementing the technology to impart various services. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it acknowledges the reality of ChatGPT and its limitations and how the library will be ready to cope with and deal with the technology in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses his past (1998) and more recent (2015) work on documenting the holdings of the historic collections of East Slavic Modernist imprints at the New York Public Library and Columbia University, providing a brief account explaining what makes the NYPL collections so unique. The author then takes the narrative forward, to more recent and ongoing efforts at Columbia and Cornell to build holdings of both Slavic and non-Slavic interwar Modernist imprints, most especially from Central and Eastern Europe, including Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Estimates of the price or value of the individual journals within a full-text database may be useful to librarians engaged in serials reviews or other collection development projects, to scholars investigating the determinants of journal prices, and to publishers seeking to rationalize their pricing strategies. This paper evaluates six methods of apportioning the cost of a full-text database among the individual journals in the database--methods based on variables such as journal size, total citations, Journal Impact Factor (JIF) percentile, and single-journal list price. Each method is evaluated based on how well the resulting prices can be predicted by the determinants of journal prices identified in previous research. Although the six methods yield similar results, the single best option is to use price estimates that account for JIF percentile. If citation data are not available and cannot be estimated, the best alternative is to rely on the equal-value assumption--to split the total price equally among the wanted journals in the database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is trauma in how Indigenous knowledge collections in libraries are managed. This paper seeks to understand the tikanga Māori context of Indigenous knowledges management in library collection policies. A review of selected library policies from five major AotearoaNew Zealand libraries regarding collection development, tikanga Māori integration and specifically Māori collection content will be explored using a modified Mead's Tikanga Test (of 2003). From this analysis will be inferred the ways in which the various library policies negate or affirm tikanga Māori. This will be followed by a brief introduction to the model Ngā Matatiki Mātauranga for culturally safe management of Indigenous collections to be integrated into collection policies. This paper will draw from a Māori perspective, in Aotearoa-New Zealand. The testing of library policies from five major libraries will drive the findings to represent the state of Indigenous collection policy in Aotearoa and how best for Māori to distinguish our futures in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of the libraries'' selection of research papers are based on the quality and quantity of the papers selected. Most recently, a new mode for this type of selection appeared in the field of scientometrics. The Hirsch index provides new viewpoints to meet the criteria regarding the quality of journals. An understanding and use of the Hirsch index provides assistance to those librarians who wish to expand their libraries'' selection, find it important to maintain a higher quality, and want to develop the standards of their library. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a case study of the British government's State Paper Office, with a particular focus on the relationship between archives and libraries prior to the development of modern archival theory in the early 20th century. Details on processes of appraisal, arrangement, and description are presented. It is suggested that while the office's collecting policies were similar to those of modern archives, its organizational philosophy was more closely aligned with those of libraries.

Who Wants Yesterday's Papers? was a symposium organized by librarians and graduate students at the University of Maryland in 2002 to bring the debate about the future of print collections to campus. The symposium included academic faculty to strengthen communication with them about these issues. Besides reporting what the faculty said they wanted at the symposium, Carignan describes some of the trends changing research libraries in ways not anticipated in 2002, and some of the responses needed for continued stewardship of and access to print collections in research libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library and information science has been at an infant stage in Pakistan, primarily in resource management, description, discovery, and access. The reasons are many, including the lack of interest and use of modern tools, techniques, and best practices by librarians in Pakistan. Finding a solution to these challenges requires a comprehensive study that identifies the current state of libraries in Pakistan. This paper fills this gap in the literature by reviewing the relevant literature published between 2015 and 2021 and selected through a rigorous search and selection methodology. It also analyzes the websites of 82 libraries in Pakistan through a theoretical framework based on various aspects. The findings of this study include: Libraries in Pakistan need a transition from traditional and limited solutions to more advanced information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled, user-friendly, and state-of-the-art systems to produce dynamic, consumable, and sharable knowledge space. They must adopt social semantic cataloging to bring all the stakeholders on a single platform. A libraries consortium should be developed to link users to local, multilingual, and multicultural collections for improved knowledge production, recording, sharing, acquisition, and dissemination. These findings benefit Pakistani libraries, librarians, information science professionals, and researchers in other developing countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind providing insights into the current state of libraries in Pakistan through the study of their websites using a rigorous theoretical framework and in the light of the latest relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to shed light on the state of the Reference Collection in post-secondary Art and Design libraries. Recent trends indicate that the availability of electronic research tools is a factor in institutions dismantling their print collections; however, others have argued for retaining them for their convenience, low cost, and even for their value as training tools. This research seeks to determine what types of reference collections art and design libraries are maintaining, how they are using and promoting them, and what considerations go into their removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the major findings from a nationwide survey about sexual and reproductive health information services in public libraries. The survey was conducted between March 3 and May 1, 2022 through an online survey. The participants were library professionals who work in public libraries. This analysis reviews data from 179 respondents from 12 states. Most survey participants believe that their library needs to increase sexual and reproductive health information services. However, findings from the survey reveal the complicated nature of providing this information, including intellectual freedom and self-censorship issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year of COVID-19, 2020, brought unique experiences to everyone in their daily as well as their professional life. Facing many challenges of division in all aspects (social distancing, political and social divisions, remote work environments), University of South Florida Libraries took the lead in exploring how to overcome these various separations by providing access to its high-quality information sources to its local community and beyond. This paper shares the insights of using Linked Data technology to provide easy access to digital cultural heritage collections not only for the scholarly communities but also for those underrepresented user groups. The authors present the challenges at this special time of the history, discuss the possible solutions, and propose future work to further the effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a literature review of academic library collection activities related to the provision of streaming video content in support of higher education curricula. It reviews the budgetary, collection management, licensing, technology, and acquisition processes and associated challenges that the provision of streaming video content poses for academic libraries in offering this much needed content to their patron base. The authors present a recent history of developing academic video collections, the transition to and increased demand for the streaming video format, and the evaluations required of funding models and vendor supply models to make the availability of streaming video content sustainable in the academic environment. The article also reviews current and future research and planned collaboration which hold great promise in addressing the current challenges academic libraries face in offering streaming video content to their patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how quality information materials are maintained in Kenyan museum libraries by examining collection development policy, skills and processes used by librarians in acquisition. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 137 respondents, which included 130 registered library users and seven members of staff, completed the questionnaires. This included the principal librarian, for whom an interview schedule was used to collect the required data. A pilot study to ensure data validity and reliability was carried out at the Kenya Medical Research Institute Library. Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the research data. Findings: The findings, which were presented both textually and graphically, show that the National Museum of Kenya library lacks a collection development policy to guide the acquisition process, as well as a diverse set of information resources that are both comprehensive and current to meet the current user information needs. Furthermore, the key impediment to the acquisition of information materials was revealed to be financial constraints, and there was a positive effort to involve library users in the acquisition process. Research limitations/implications: The study focus on library users and library staff at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) library in Nairobi, it may not be, therefore, representative of the acquisition processes at all Kenyan museum libraries. Although NMK has other branches across the country, they were not included in this study. Practical implications: This paper purposes to provide the Kenyan museum library with important information about maintaining quality information materials from the perspectives of librarians and library users. Despite efforts to improve information materials, the management faces financial challenges. Social implications: The study unveils underlying picture in selection and acquisition practices which will inform on meeting library users information needs. Originality/value: The paper is of value as a case study of Kenya Museums Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bibliometric analysis of research papers, articles, etc., has gained increasing importance in Library and Information Science to analyze the publication patterns, authorship patterns, and citation patterns of research papers published within a defined period. Bibliometric analysis is essential for library professionals in the collection development process. This paper intends to analyze the articles published in the journal 'Library Herald' from 2017 to 2021 with the help of different statistical tools and techniques. The results indicate most of the contributions by two authors and one article by six authors and the overall degree of collaboration among authors is 0.62. The study highlights the volume-wise distribution of articles, authorship pattern, Degree of collaboration, keyword use pattern, length of articles, and geographical distribution of authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzed the literature on collection development, space planning, futuristic technologies, and information services related to academic libraries. The content analysis method was applied to review these papers. The selected papers for review have the potential to influence the future of academic libraries. This review of the related studies shows that the academic library has evolved into a hybrid model, combining traditional collections and a modern, sophisticated knowledge warehouse. It is predicted that the future library will be a place for aesthetic, emotion-rich social centers and will act as a knowledge refinery. Developing innovative technologies and services and improving the skills of library staff are significant challenges for the future. This study has designed a new conceptual framework in this area, identifying the possible scenarios for future academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper evaluates the literature guarantee for Folklore graduate students based on their dissertations at Beijing Normal University (BNU) Library. First, it investigates related works concerning literature guarantees. Researchers collected 72 master's and 47 doctoral students' dissertations between 2011 and 2014. By building a literature guarantee hierarchy for monographs and periodicals, this study maps citations to the library collection to quantify the collection status. Findings demonstrate that nearly 81% of monograph citations, which is slightly less than periodical citations (nearly 90%), are owned by the library. In frequently cited literature, the percentage rises to 90% for both monographs and periodicals. Moreover, the literature guarantee percentage of electronic monographs (74.8%) and periodicals (87.6%) are both higher than paper editions. This study also provides suggestions to improve the literature guarantee. Finally, it points out some limitations and future direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of this paper is to examine the criteria and the current procedures in the procurement of unreliable nonfiction materials in public libraries observing two fundamental selection principles: principles of a publication value (quality) and principles of demand (existing or anticipated user needs). Approach/methodology. The first part of the paper gives a theoretical overview of the particularities of developing and assessing of collections of nonfiction materials in public libraries, taking into account international and Croatian library documentation and publicly accessible guidelines on collection development. The second part presents the options and challenges in the assessment of unreliable nonfiction materials on the example of five publications. The methods used for this assessment were selected from those focused on collections - comparison to reference materials lists, citation analysis and expert opinion; and those focused on users - data on circulation, reservations and interlibrary loans. Results. The application of several methods of qualitative and quantitative assessment on the five selected examples of unreliable nonfiction materials, and especially the analysis of their loan data, which is considered the best performance indicator of collection development in public libraries, demonstrates the incredible complexity of the procurement of such materials and the need to be especially attentive so that librarians can surmount the rift between the criteria which they encounter during their procurement and assessment. Originality/value. In the Croatian library science field, there are few papers describing the assessment of public library collections, whereby this is the first paper on the topic of developing library collections focusing on the procurement of unreliable nonfiction materials. Considering that the nonfiction materials collections in public libraries also include publications presenting ideas and theories which are not expertly and scientifically grounded and which spread disinformation and fake news, this paper draws attention to the need to systematically assess such materials since, on the basis of the obtained indicators, it is possible to understand more objectively the scope, depth and level of usefulness of collections, on which future collection planning and development can be grounded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based acquisition (EBA) programmes have been gaining momentum in academic libraries over the past 5–10 years. This paper examines our experience implementing one of these programmes at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. In 2019, The Alma Jordan Library of the St. Augustine Campus partnered with Wiley Publishers to administer the Usage Based Collection Management (UBCM) programme. The results at the end of this first year were very encouraging and therefore, the decision was taken to extend the programme for a second year, and it has been continued for a third year. This paper describes the process of selecting a provider of a user-driven eBook acquisition model, implementing the programme, and gathering usage statistics. An analysis of the data was conducted at the end of the programme, and then criteria developed and used for identifying titles for purchase. In the analysis, the authors explore the following: usage based on titles not owned, usage based on subject areas; return on investment to the library; continued use of UBCM- purchased titles. Also included are the benefits of implementing such a programme, challenges experienced, and recommendations for libraries wishing to embark on such a project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have shown high‐level differences in people's perception and use of various information formats. However, the lack of a coherent and theoretically informed framework of elements of format has inhibited a nuanced understanding of the role that formats play in information behavior. This paper draws on theories from the field of rhetoric and composition to ground the study of information format in a social constructivist perspective that foregrounds action in context. Specifically, rhetorical genre theory is discussed in detail and the limitations of previous information behavior studies using rhetorical genre theory are explored. One of the main problems of earlier studies is confusing genres and their containers. This paper introduces and defines the concept of containers as typified ways of collecting and presenting texts of certain genres for publication. Building on rhetorical genre theory, the paper offers a theoretical exploration of the role that containers play in the formal and/or public sharing of information within discourse communities. An illustrative example of the concepts applied to data from an Institute of Museum and Library Services funded study is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Academic libraries are struggling to support the growing demand for streaming video. The purpose of this paper is to detail the experience of running three long-term pilots with different streaming video platforms, including processes involved, lessons learned and next steps. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses a mixed methods approach, combining analysis of usage data with case study observations. Findings: The length of the pilots allowed for deep understanding of the needs of this academic library's community's engagement with streaming video in the classroom, and confirmed anecdotal information that availability of multiple platforms supports diverse needs which led to continuing access to all platforms, operationalized to be managed within existing processes. Using usage data and feedback from a task force led to decisions to continue with all three platforms that were piloted. Research limitations/implications: While this research describes the experience at one academic library, the information may be generalizable enough that other libraries may use it for their streaming video collection development decisions. Originality/value: Long-term pilot studies for streaming video platforms can be challenging for many libraries to undertake. With a modest initial financial commitment, the library was able to explore how the community might use streaming video. Through analysis of usage data, the library was able to see when, where and what was being used and could make better informed decisions about where to concentrate future funds for streaming video support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the role of Alexander J. Rolich (1923–2014), the first Slavic Bibliographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) Libraries. He was appointed as UW-Madison's first Slavic Bibliographer in October 1964 and remained for 37 years until his retirement in 2001. He was instrumental in guiding the development of the libraries' Slavic, East European and Central Asian collections in a period of rapid growth. It was estimated that the University's Slavic and East European collection had increased by ten-fold during his time as Slavic Bibliographer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents five key questions that should be considered by researchers and librarians who develop or use survey-based (stated preference) journal rankings. Many of the distinctions among the various rankings—their attributes, strengths, and weaknesses—are captured in the responses to these five questions: What construct is being measured? How are differences in the construct expressed and recorded? Who are the respondents? Which journals are included in the rankings? How is respondents' familiarity with the journals taken into account? The paper also summarizes the problems that may require attention when survey-based rankings are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes usage data from Hunter Library's digital collections using Google Analytics for a period of twenty-seven months from October 2013 through December 2015. The authors consider this data analysis to be important for identifying collections that receive the largest number of visits. We argue this data evaluation is important in terms of better informing decisions for building digital collections that will serve user needs. The authors also study the benefits of harvesting to sites such as the Digital Public Library of America, and they believe this paper will contribute to the literature on Google Analytics and its use by libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the reports "Creating Sustainable Assessment Through Collaboration: A National Program Reveals Effective Practices," by Kara J. Malenfant and Karen Brown and "The Evolving Institutional Repository Landscape," by Judy Luther on library practices.

Introduction: This mixed-method study analyzes the self-archiving behaviors and underlying motivations of researchers at an institution very recently recategorized by the Carnegie Classification system from "Doctoral-High Research Activity (R2)" to "Doctoral-Very High Research Activity (R1).". Methods: A quantitative analysis of data provided by CHORUS, a multi-institutional open access (OA) infrastructure project designed to minimize the administrative costs of complying with federal public access mandates, was followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews with researchers to determine the underlying motivations for self-archiving research papers resulting from federal grant support. Results: Fifty-one authors with federal research funding published 71 journal articles; 139 OA versions of these 71 articles were intentionally made available by researchers across nine types of platforms, including and in addition to those provided by publishers. Interviews with 11 investigators revealed motivators such as a dedication to public access to knowledge, learned behaviors in specific disciplines, and enlightened self-interest. Challenges included concern regarding confidentiality, confusion about intellectual property and funder requirements, administrative overhead, and integrity of the scholarly record. Discussion: Despite concerns and a lack of an OA mandate and other drivers more commonly present at larger, more research-intensive universities, several researchers interviewed actively engaged in self-archiving article versions, not always with clear motivations. These findings have implications for both scholarly communications and collection development services.Conclusion: These quantitative and qualitative data informed the creation of three distinct personas intended to help librarians at similar universities design services in a manner that aligns with investigator motivations. Conclusion: These quantitative and qualitative data informed the creation of three distinct personas intended to help librarians at similar universities design services in a manner that aligns with investigator motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore the bibliometric features of scientific publications in the area of domestic violence (an important global social problem) for the period 2011–2020; thus, enabling the scientific community to understand the research progress on the topic. Design/methodology/approach: The data of the scientific publications were retrieved from the Scopus database. The keyword "Domestic Violence" was applied as a topic term to search articles published during the study period. The statistical analysis was conducted by using the RStudio and VOSviewer tools along with MS Excel. Findings: A total of 11,899 scientific works were published during the study period. The annual percentage growth of publication in the area of domestic violence in the study period is 74.97%. The majority of the papers (74.72%) were published as journal articles. USA and UK have the highest numbers of scientific publications and citations. Together they account for more than half of the publications (58.38%) and citations (67 per pub). However, the highest average citation per publication has been recorded by Switzerland (34 per pub). Feder G. (UK) is the most cited author, and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (Sage publications) has the highest number of publications, citations and source title impact ratio in the domain of domestic violence. Practical implications: One can find numerous bibliometric studies in the domain of natural science, but not many studies have been conducted in the field of social sciences. In this light, the scientific community can gain from the bibliometric information regarding the scientific publications in the area of domestic violence, which is one of the dominant areas of study in social sciences. Originality/value: The study will provide significant information on the trends of academic publications in the study area. It is one of the most comprehensive studies on domestic violence, which will aid the potential researchers in identifying the most prominent contributions, county-wise research distribution, author and journal productivity and other related indicators. The findings of the study will be also helpful to library authorities in reviewing and updating collection development policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the scattered behaviour of the overall published output of library service quality literature. Different parameters have been taken into consideration to analyze the literature on library service quality. The bibliographical data of the total number of publications published on Library Service Quality (LSQ), during 1960–2018 were searched from the Scopus database by using the search phrases, "Library Service Quality", LibQual and LibQual+, in Title, Abstract and Keyword have been used with Boolean operator 'OR' on December 8th, 2019. The search query resulted in 290 records. The first-ever publication published in the field of library service quality was published in 1997 as reflected from the Scopus database. The data were analyzed to observe the year wise pattern of growth of output with citations per publication (CPP), most prolific countries, institutions, and authors. It also identified the distribution of citations with highly cited papers and further source titles were used to establish the linkage between research results. Analyzing authors, institutions and country of the publications, citations complete count methodology was followed. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Iran were found to be the leading contributors to the field, and the pattern of growth is undulating. The journal articles (228) were scattered among 80 source titles, and it connotes that on an average, approximately three articles were produced by each source title. Moreover, a detailed and comprehensive content analysis of all the publications of clusters formed in co-citation and bibliographic coupling networks was employed to get the in-depth knowledge of the trend in concerning literature. The present study is the first bibliometric as well as text-analysis research to assess the overall research output on service quality in the field of Libraries & Information Science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper presents research that sought to understand how the National Library of Australia engages with soft power in its Annual Report 2019–20. Driving the analysis was the research question: How is soft power discourse reproduced and enacted in the National Library of Australia's Annual Report 2019–20? The research recognises the significance of Australia's soft power, cultural diplomacy, and regional relationships to national interest in the context of a library's contributions to these areas. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs a qualitative discourse analysis, with constructivist and interpretivist perspectives. A critical discourse analysis was undertaken that applied a discourse-historical approach. Findings: The findings suggest that the National Library of Australia primarily engages with soft power discourse through the construction and preservation of an Australian national identity. National identity is framed as key to the Library's collection development, with Australian knowledge prioritised. Originality/value: This study extends on research addressing the roles of galleries, archives, and museums in cultural diplomacy, but rarely examines soft power and libraries explicitly or in a contemporary context. It contributes to broader understandings of libraries in international relations and the role they can play in soft power attraction and cultural diplomacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare book collections do not form in a vacuum; they are shaped by the individuals who assemble and curate them. This is certainly the case with the rare book holdings of Becker Medical Library at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. This paper examines some of the most significant donors to Becker's rare book collections in order to explore how these collections are a reflection of the interests and priorities of the physicians who assembled them, and also raises the issue of how the makeup of these collections create a Western-focused narrative regarding the history of medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, inwiefern die Erwerbung in Bibliotheken auch Randbereiche berücksichtigen kann und ob diese für eine zeitgemässe Bestandswicklung und für die Inklusivität der Wissenslandschaft relevant sind. Als Einstieg in das Thema werden aktuelle Debatten zur Erwerbungspolitik in der BibliotheksCommunity aufgezeigt. Flankierend fächert eine Situationsmap die von den Autorinnen erarbeitete Skizzierung der verschiedenen Facetten der Erwerbung visuell auf. Auf Basis von strukturierten Interviews und gesammelten Erfahrungsberichten mit Expert:innen der Erwerbung dienen Best-Practice-Analysen als verdichtende Beispiele für mögliche Diversität im Bestandsaufbau. Unter Einbeziehung der Methodik des Denklabors rücken zwei Fallbeispiele in den Fokus, zum einen die Kanonbildung in der Erwerbung – hier geht es um drei sehr spezifische Erwerbungsbereiche der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin: Amtliche Publikationen, EBooks jenseits des Mainstreams und der Publikationsmarkt Japans – und zum anderen die Erwerbung von Literatur zu Gender und Diversity in MINT (Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaft und Technik) in der Genderbibliothek/Informations- und Dokumentationsstelle des Zentrums für transdisziplinäre Geschlechterstudien der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Allen Beispielen ist gemeinsam, dass ein spezifischer Sammlungsaufbau sehr spezifische Markt- und Fachkenntnis und intensive Vernetzung sowohl auf bibliothekarischer wie auch auf fachlicher Ebene voraussetzt. Ein weiterer Befund ist, dass nur mit verteilen Schwerpunkten und untereinander abgestimmten Profilen dafür gesorgt werden kann, dass bestimmte schwierig zu erwerbende Publikationsbereiche abgedeckt sind. Ein zusätzlicher Ertrag dieses Textes ist, dass das Denklabor und der intensive Austauschprozess zwischen den Autorinnen zu einem neuen Verständnis der jeweiligen Community führt und immer wieder auf die Situiertheit und Partialität der Perspektiven hinweist. This paper explores the question if acquisition in libraries could also take marginalised areas into account and whether these are relevant for contemporary collection development and for the inclusivity of the knowledge landscape. As an introduction to the topic, we are highlighting some current debates on acquisition policy in the library community. A situation map visually spreads out the authors' outline of the various facets of acquisition. On the basis of structured interviews and collected experience reports with acquisition experts, best practice analyses serve as condensed examples of diversity in collection development. Using the methodology of “living labs”, the focus is on two case studies: firstly, canonical acquisition – here, the focus is on three very specific acquisition areas of the Berlin State Library: official publications, e-books beyond the mainstream and the publication market of Japan – and secondly, the acquisition of literature on gender and diversity in STEM in the Gender Library/Information and Documentation Centre of the Centre for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. All the examples share that specific collection building requires very specific market and subject knowledge and intensive networking at both library and subject level. Another finding is that only distributed focal points and coordinated profiles can ensure that certain publication areas are covered. Further outcome: The living lab and the intensive process of exchange between the authors leads to a new understanding of the respective community and repeatedly points to the situatedness and partiality of the perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the organizational level, libraries focus on the development of physical collections of books and other materials, on the development of library materials by persons who are profiled in the selection, enrichment, organization, classification, cataloging and circulation of these materials, for stakeholders, who are primarily university students. The information technology programs used by libraries go beyond the physical collection of books, documents, and scientific journals, so we have a transformation of the library into the virtual world of the Internet. The advancement of libraries in the technological aspect has influenced us to have a change in the communication process between the library and the student. So, the purpose of this paper is to present the changes that have been made to the library in its structure, the programs they offer, the impact they have on the communication process between stakeholders, with a specific focus on changes that have been implemented at the AAB College Library in Prishtina, Kosovo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and remote course delivery recede in the rear-view mirror, academic librarians look to what the future holds for streaming video. During 2020 and 2021, library-funded streaming video requests soared while library budgets declined. Librarians are concerned that this trend will continue beyond budgetary limits. This paper describes an analysis of streaming video usage from 2019 through 2022 at California State University, Fresno. The results provide evidence that the elevated growth rate is tapering off at this institution, but the medium remains popular. The impact of streaming media on library budgets and collection development policies is also discussed. Our evaluation is distinguished by the inclusion of data from before, during, and after the pandemic lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I share my experiences, opinions and perspectives of running a school library during the COVID-19 pandemic. I discuss the difficulties and problems I have encountered, but also the opportunities for creativity that have presented themselves. From experiencing government cutbacks to layoffs and school closures, I discuss my feelings and frustrations about COVID-19 and how it prevented me from doing my job. I demonstrate how the pandemic heightened the feeling of isolation and loneliness in a job that can already make one feel disconnected; I highlight the importance and need for human connection. I also examine the new creative opportunities that working during a pandemic has given me, like asynchronous programming, collection development, professional development and a chance to experiment or renovate. This paper is meant to highlight the importance of school libraries and start a discussion of our role before and after the pandemic. Advocacy helps ensure that school libraries remain open. My goal is to give a glimpse of day-to-day library practice in a school library during the pandemic and share ideas and information with the library and information community. My views and opinions are my own, and the context will be different in every school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clemson University Libraries offers a variety of technology equipment for loan by the campus community. The collection includes cameras, video camcorders, audio equipment, projectors, and VR/AR headsets. The program is popular with patrons, with technology equipment items accounting for 21 % of all library loans in 2021. This paper examines patron usage and proficiency with the technology equipment through a user survey and usage data. The results reveal differences in proficiency and usage across the types of equipment, types of patrons, and patron departmental affiliation. These results will help the program develop instruction and make collection decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper (a literature review) is threefold. First, it seeks to understand the current landscape of collection development practices within the contexts of academic Slavic and Eastern Europe (SEE) collections. Second, this paper aims to grasp the challenges that impact how librarians devise collection development policies for academic SEE holdings. Third, by drawing on current field research, it investigates how SEE collections are addressing these challenges and sustaining user services. It asks, for example, what tools/resources SEE collections employ to remain vital, relevant, and accessible. Based on these three foci, this paper provides an assessment of the library and information science field's major challenges, and examines various indications of what the future holds for academic SEE collections and their user populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper selected the library of the College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University as a subject and then surveyed four groups of samples: new-book replica rate, book-use rate, book-borrowed number, and number of books in the collection. Results were obtained by inspecting these data via the statistical methods of correlation and regression analyses, and two relationships were found: 1) the quadratic curve between the new-book replica rate and book-use rate; and 2) the power equation between the book-borrowed number and the number of books in the collection. Finally, after the new-book replica rate and the number of books in the collection were compared and predicted, respectively, this paper formulates a reasonable strategy for the library's hard-copy book purchase procedure. It would be helpful for the librarians who are interested in document resource developing or purchase of hard-copy books; however, this paper provides a method specific to engineering colleges. There are certain limitations in this paper, such as, the timespan of the four-group sample data is only one year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies and reviews some of the currently relevant components of collection development that contribute to the need for having a written collection development policy (CDP). The requisite elements for a pertinent and usable CDP are identified, being mindful of the need to customize these policies for each library’s unique needs. The literature review validates the long-standing purposes of CDPs, quantitative studies of existing CDPs, and some of the inherent drawbacks in the creation and application of these policies. The author presents a case study demonstrating the processes necessary to create a CDP for a medium-sized academic library. This includes more current and relevant considerations for a modern CDP. The paper also includes best practices identified throughout the policy creation process, which have the potential to be applied to other similarly situated libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the language of "weeding" (library deselection) within public library collection development policies in order to examine whether such policies and practices can be usefully connected to library and information science (LIS) theory, specifically to "Deweyan pragmatic adaptation" as suggested by Buschman (2017) in the pages of this journal. Design/methodology/approach: This is a policy analysis of collection deselection policies from the 50 public libraries serving US state capitals, using Bacchi's policy problem representation technique. Findings: "Weeding" as described by these public library collection deselection policies is clearly pragmatic and oriented to increasing circulation to patrons, but the "Deweyan pragmatic adaptation" as reflected by many of those reviewed might better be defined as the pragmatism of Melvil Dewey rather than that of John Dewey. Research limitations/implications: Although this work reviewed policies from a very small sample of US public libraries, collection, selection and deselection language as shown in the policies studied appear to be consistent with neoliberal priorities and values in terms of prioritizing "circulation" and "customers," which may have additional implications for the current transition from print to electronic materials in public libraries Originality/value: John Dewey's political philosophy and Carol Bacchi's policy problem representation technique have not been widely used in policy analysis by LIS researchers, and this paper offers a number of suggestions for similar public library policy investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collection development policy (CDP) is an essential working tool for effective collection development activities as it provides guidelines for selection, acquisition, evaluation, and weeding of library materials. However, despite its importance in developing library collection, collection development policy (CDP) has not yet been implemented in most academic libraries in Nigerian and this has greatly affected the collection development activities of the library. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine factors that could facilitate CDP implementation in Nigerian academic libraries as perceived by academic librarians. The study employed a quantitative methodology using a survey research design. One hundred and thirty-six (I36) academic librarians were recruited from three selected academic libraries in the Northwestern zone of Nigeria using random sampling. A paper-based questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study revealed that factors that could facilitate CDP implementation are librarians' awareness of the importance of CDP, knowledge of CDP, and management support. Hence, to ensure CDP implementation in Nigerian academic libraries, the librarians must not only be made aware of the importance of CDP but must also be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for CDP implementation. Also, library management support is necessary for CDP implementation. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge by exploring the vital factors that could facilitate CDP implementation and tried to resolve the important issue of CDP implementation by developing a framework. This study is more important for practitioners to promote CDP implementation in Nigerian academic libraries by exercising these three factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians at a large, federally funded, multidisciplinary research organization sought to assess the value provided by the library's collections. One method for capturing this value includes determining how well their library's collections meet researcher needs, as expressed by the materials those researchers choose to cite in the production of new scholarly communications. A cited reference analysis was performed on the publications originating from the institution to provide the necessary data for the assessment, as well as to aid in the creation of a core list of journals which will inform future collection development efforts. This paper fills a gap in the library and information science literature by addressing the citation behaviors of researchers at a large multidisciplinary government research facility, a setting that has not been examined previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As libraries commit to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, it is critical to measure the strengths and weaknesses of collections in response. Building off already established approaches of collection diversity audits, the author argues that it is possible to use MARC metadata to perform exploratory analyses at a large scale. This paper discusses the process of planning, preparing the data, and performing an analysis, following the trajectory of an analysis of the 2.8 million geographic subject headings present in the University of Toronto Libraries' MARC records. The tools developed during this project are cited and available for reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries (Libraries), which includes a main library and four branch locations, closed to the public and quickly shifted its services to support remote learning, instruction, and research in response to COVID-19. We fully transitioned services such as reference and research support to an online environment and pivoted collection development to primarily acquire e-resources. This was a dramatic change in operations that altered the way faculty and students interacted with the Libraries and we wanted to understand how these changes impacted our users. The authors collected and analyzed data about the use of the Libraries' collections and services to understand user expectations during the pandemic, and measure user satisfaction with recent adjustments. The presentation and this paper summarize findings from various library data sources and survey results, and provide recommendations for prioritizing library services that best meet user expectations for the academic year 2021–22. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge, as it has been shaped in the United States, is grounded in whiteness. As a result, maps and geospatial data can be particularly harmful in perpetuating historically and experientially inaccurate narratives of space. As stewards of knowledge, librarians are uniquely positioned to implement policies advancing antiracist practices. The following paper analyzes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in cartographic collection development, metadata, and instruction, and discusses the opportunities for librarians to employ critical theory in their cartographic and geospatial library praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preservation of popular music has traditionally faced numerous philosophical and practical obstacles, but do-it-yourself archives present an alternative method that warrants further attention. As grassroots cultural sites, they largely resemble community archives in their focus on community in all aspects of collection and preservation. DIY is a response to mainstream organizational and production structures that encourages self-sustainability and community engagement. Translated to archival practice, this ethos can provide the appropriate handling of music, something so prominent in human society but often missing from the formal cultural heritage sector. In this paper, I will further define DIY, specifically in relation to community archives. I will explain the importance of DIY music archives and describe several problems they face. In the end, I will maintain that further research and care be focused on DIY music archives to ensure that music and the communities built around music maintain their due places in our collective history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the analysis of over 4,000 chat questions from 2019-2020. Each chat question was individually categorized into broad level topics, and analyzed using sentiment analysis. During the COVID pandemic, there was an increase in the number of questions about accessing the physical collection, and a large decrease in questions about using the library space. The overall sentiments of the chat questions were much more negative during COVID. Tagging and analyzing chat questions in this way can offer unique insights for all types of libraries to appropriately staff the service and best support patron needs in times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]