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The paper mill crisis, which is polluting the scholarly literature with fake papers, has led to record-breaking article retractions and continues to erode trust in science. While publishers and other scholarly publishing stakeholders have mobilized to address this grave threat to research and publishing integrity, action from the library community has been lacking. This article explores the ongoing impact of the paper mill crisis and its causes. It also reviews the steps being taken across the sector to address it. This includes actions taken by publishers, integrity sleuths and organizations like Retraction Watch, NISO and STM. Based on the severity of the crisis and the current response, this article recommends actions libraries can take to help address the crisis and clean up the mess paper mills have made in the scholarly literature. At a time of declining trust and growing threats facing society, it is critical that all scholarly publishing stakeholders, including librarians, help hold the line on publishing integrity and restore trust in science.

In brief: The short research paper is ubiquitous in undergraduate liberal arts education. But is this assignment type an effective way to assess student learning or writing skills? We argue that it rarely is, and instead serves as an artifact maintained out of instructor familiarity with and unnecessary allegiance to timeworn conceptions of “academia.” As […]

Mihai Constantinescu - Ane Landøy, Daniela Popa, Angela Repanovici, “Collaboration in Designing a Pedagogical Approach in Information Literacy” (pp. 101-102) Ane Landøy, Angela Repanovici - A Book about International Trends for Academic Libraries (pp. 102-103) Robert Coravu - Romanian Scientific Contributions in the Field of Conservation and Restoration of LAM’s Paper Documents (p. 104)

Abstract This paper is based on the findings of a doctoral study that aimed to examine the role of continuing professional development (CPD) in enhancing digital transformation in selected university libraries in Uganda. One of the ways of effecting digital transformation is to continuously build the technological competencies of the librarians working in academic institutions through attending technology-related CPD. The study adopted a mixed methods approach with a convergent parallel design for collecting qualitative and quantitative data from six universities in Uganda. Quantitative data were collected from 76 librarians with a minimum degree-level qualification from the six selected universities. Qualitative data were obtained from six University Librarians working in these universities. The study findings indicated several challenges hindering librarians from participating in technology-related CPDs such as lack of management support, lack of personal interest, limited funding, and lack of opportunities, among others. The implementation of digital transformation within university libraries in Uganda was also reported to be beset by a lack of competent staff, limited management support, lack of funds, and technological gaps. Therefore, this paper presents a proposed model to address challenges hindering the digital transformation and the participation in technology-related continuing professional development activities within academic libraries. The proposed model is based on the study findings, and it draws from Watkin and Marsick’s learning organisation model, andragogy theory, the technology-organisation-environment framework, and extant literature. The model will guide academic libraries in the implementation of a conducive environment to necessitate staff development and implementation of digital transformation.

Academic libraries, as part of their traditional responsibility, engage in the collection and generation of data and records with a various degree of sensitivity and usefulness. This study examined the importance of library record and advocates for the implementation of cloud computing technology as a viable alternative to other mode of record storage. Cloud computing as a record management tool will help preserve the myriad of records generated from the daily activities of libraries. The paper also identified the danger of paper or electronic method of information storage. It argued that information stored in this format is susceptible to loss by theft, fire or computer viruses, hard drive collapse as well as the destruction of local library internet server due to poor maintenance culture on the part of the personnel. Apart from the data backup function, remote accessibility of these record is another key consideration for cloud computing utility in library record management. In view of the vast potential, especially in the area of its elastic storage capability, it is highly recommended for all academic libraries in the country. However, it is observed that the cost of data and irregular power supply are some of the challenges facing its adoption in Nigeria, as along with the vulnerability to cyber-attacks which may lead to a partial or total loss of record. In these regards, it is further recommended that cloud computing, as a service platform, is adopted as a backup platform rather than a sole tool for record and data management in academic libraries.

This paper examines the challenges in implementing the Resource Description and Access in bibliographic records and library software. To meet this end, a survey approach was employed, and a questionnaire was used to collect the data. The statistical sample size was determined as 95 librarians from Tehran University, 48 librarians from Allameh Tabataba’i University, and 35 librarians from Tarbiat Modares University. According to the results, the respondents believe that the main problems for implementing RDA in academic libraries in Iran are, in turn: “problems in switching to new library software", "problems of not having enough information and knowledge to implement RDA", "problems in the internal communication of libraries", "data incompatibility", "lack of a trustee to apply the RDA rules", and "problem with library users". Therefore, using a correspondence table and designing a comprehensive manual in library software is needed to guide the librarians and catalogers in implementing RDA.

This paper analyses the role of libraries in the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) and, more specifically, the impact and level of implementation of UNESCO’s (2019) OER Recommendation in Higher Education libraries. This study, the result of a joint undertaking between a national R&D project and SPARC Europe, is based on an online survey, disseminated amongst the European Network of Open Education Librarians (ENOEL) and uses a descriptive research methodology. The results highlight the implementation actions being taken by university libraries (n = 136) in each of the five areas of action of UNESCO’s Recommendation. We find that the main contributions are being made in the areas of capacity building and Open Education policies, but that considerable work has yet to be done in terms of promoting inclusiveness and the sustainability of OER. Thus, the full implementation of UNESCO’s recommendation requires a greater commitment on the part of librarians to joint actions undertaken via international networks and projects, as well as greater institutional commitment and the building of interdepartmental alliances.

This paper discusses an etextbook initiative which an academic library adopted to support affordable learning. After providing an overview of how textbook costs affect university students, the paper details the library’s etextbook initiative and how the library works both proactively (before/during the course design phase) and reactively (after textbook selection) to identify library etextbooks which courses can use in place of student purchased textbooks. The paper then reviews data demonstrating the use of library etextbooks in courses and the cost savings to students resulting from replacing student purchased textbooks with library etextbooks. The paper concludes by discussing problems and issues the library has encountered using library ebooks as textbooks.

The article aims to summarise the activity of the “Medical Library Forum” (MLF) – an scholarly journal which has served to share ideas and record the work of medical university libraries and related institutions for over 16 years now. The paper presents three key stages in MLF’s history – from the idea of creating the journal in 2006 and printing the first issue in 2008, through moving the publishing activity from Łódź to Warsaw, to finally introducing the Creative Commons licence to publishing practice. The authors remark on the systematic progress of the journal – constantly bettering the level of publishing and editorial practices and strengthening the journal’s reputation by being indexed on the ministerial list, as well as the ERIH PLUS or DOAJ databases. The article puts emphasis on the journal’s support towards the open access idea, expressed by publishing in the Diamon Open Access model. Further plans for MLF’s future are also presented, such as implementing the Open Journal Systems (OJS) in the publishing process.

Introduction. This paper investigates how the academic library's concepts, functions, and roles as the center of scholarly and student activities are portrayed in the novel Babel by R.F. Kuang. Data Collection Methods. This research used Bengtsson’s qualitative content analysis model. Data was collected through an extensive reading and found 111 data that matched with the research focus. Data Analysis. Data were analyzed through decontextualization with open coding and then recontextualized into 89 data to categorize and interpret. Results and Discussion. The library supported students by being portrayed as a learning commons, co-working space, and makerspace; hence it became the scholarly activity center for scholars. Libraries are not portrayed neutral in providing services and tend to limit students’ research scope and public access to information. The libraries are also used for non-academic activities, such as a source of magical power production and knowledge development center, the center of social and student movements. The library representation in the novel is not only a critique towards academia and its information institutions, but also an example of the library’s negative stereotype. Conclusion. From the author's perspective, the library is portrayed as a center for scholarly activities and directly involved in student political life as it becomes the center of student movements.

A small branch of a large academic library is in the process of moving locations from one area of campus to another. Although the new space is drastically smaller than what they currently have, the librarian wishes to build upon the small maker area that was recently created for the relaxation and enjoyment of the patrons. With the SCAFFOLD makerspace design framework, this new area will be created using the latest research in making and learning, keeping inclusivity at the forefront of all activities. This paper describes the current maker area, what the plans are for the new space, and how that space will be designed using this new SCAFFOLD method. It is hoped that this project can be replicated by any academic librarian wishing to add a small yet useful makerspace while staying within their budget.

The Biblioteca Universitaria di Cagliari archive, formerly the subject of census activities, is now only partially ordered and lacking in finding aids. By examining the regulations that affected the Library from its promotion (1764) to the adoption of the Regulations for Government Public Libraries (1885), examining the administrative correspondence (1870-1955) and studying the classification and preservation practices adopted during the 19th century, this paper aims to contribute to the study of the archival history of the institution in order to foster future activities of reorganization and description of the Library’s documentary heritage.

Undergraduate students in health and allied health professions need to develop information literacy (information literacy) skills to decide which interventions, therapies, and methods should be used to improve the quality of life of their clients. These skills are learned through a combination of academic and clinical exposure. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an essential set of skills and knowledge all health sciences students should have to make the best clinical decisions. However, information literacy and EBP skills are seldom taught together, deemphasizing their natural connection. Collaboration between faculty and librarian can enable this correlation. The paper is a call to invite librarians to collaborate with teaching faculty to integrate information literacy skills in health disciplines to improve the quality of student research, meet professional standards, and help them understand EBP fundamentals that they will carry with them after graduation.

In December 2021, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) released the CARL Library Impact Framework (CLIF). While library impact has been a topic of discussion for many years, CLIF offers a new contribution to the dialogue on the demonstration of impact of research libraries. The concept of impact pathways was borrowed from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences report entitled Approaches to Assessing Impacts in the Humanities and Social Sciences. To realize the impact pathways concept, CLIF has adapted a logic model framework. This approach provides users of CLIF with a way to represent a more complete arc of influence of research libraries systematically and visually. By design, CLIF encourages the use of assessment techniques and tools beyond the quantitative data collection and descriptive statistics often used by research libraries. This paper provides an overview of CLIF, its genesis, intent, structure, and possibilities for its application in research libraries.

[Purpose/Significance] Currently, most academic libraries utilize the RFID technology with duo-identification method, i.e. "Barcode+RFID tag" but the immature RFID technology and the parallel duo-system cause several issues. This paper provides solutions to the issues, and other academic libraries can use them as references. [Method/Process] This paper reviews the related literature and investigates the issues that arise from the application of the RFID technology such as erroneous identification, signal interference, and function overlaps in duo-systems which make them difficult to operate by librarians, system lagging if calling data frequently, and incompatibility between existing circulation workflow and the RFID technology. This paper summarizes the causes of these issues and explores solutions based on the case study of the RFID technology in the CAU library. [Results/Conclusions] This paper proposes a number of actions including tuning RFID parameters, refining environment conditions to improve tag identification accuracy, outputting and displaying shelf numbers on demand to improve work efficiency, disabling certain functions to resolve function overlaps and make system run smoothly, revising workflow to improve work productivity and enhancing training of the librarians, all of which improve the effectiveness of RFID technology and overall service quality.

Cultures of sharing and collaboration are essential to supporting instruction practices, yet there is limited literature on how these cultures are successfully cultivated in libraries. In this paper, I explore cultures of sharing and collaboration among instruction librarians in Canadian academic libraries. I report on a series of semi-structured interviews (n=14) I conducted with librarians who support or provide information literacy at their institutions. The interview data was reviewed using a thematic analysis approach (Braun and Clark 2022) and coded in NVivo. I explore the barriers and supports to sharing and collaboration as documented in the interviews. Barriers include a) instructional silos caused by the liaison model; (b) a lack of trust in sharing one’s teaching with colleagues; (c) the lack of prioritizing instruction in institutions; and (d) limited time to engage in collaborative work. The supports for sharing and collaboration include (a) intentionally building personal relationships, (b) developing a structure for sharing, and (c) having dedicated time for collaborative work. Based on these findings, practical ways sharing and collaboration can be cultivated in libraries will be explored.

Abstract This paper investigated knowledge and perception of librarians towards cloud-based technology in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria. The population comprised all professional and non-professional librarians in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria. One hundred and thirty-two (132) librarians from Southwest, Nigeria were selected using simple random sampling technique. Two research questions were answered. A structured questionnaire titled “QKPLCTLSN” was used for data collections. The reliability co-efficient of the instrument yielded r = 0.76 and r =0.82. The findings of this research revealed that, librarians in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria have knowledge about cloud-based technology and they have been using one or more applications in academic libraries but their perception towards the use of cloud-based technology was negative. In view of this, the following recommendations were made; librarians should embark on staff development programmes that would enable them keep pace with the latest technology, library management should encourage librarians to attend seminars, conferences and workshops that would enhance their technological skills, there should be adequate funding from the government and provision of stable power.

In Brief: This paper presents a review of the literature on when, why, and how librarians say ‘no’, drawing from work on vocational awe, service orientation and deference behavior, and criticism of the one-shot model. Findings from a survey describing the experiences of approximately 285 American and Canadian academic librarians with instruction responsibilities to examine impact of personal and professional demographics, burnout, pedagogical concerns.

Large scale data and predictive analytics are the most challenging tasks in the field of academic data mining. Academic libraries are a great source of information and knowledge to provide a wide range of services to meet end-user requirements. Due to the rapid changes in the educational environment and availability of huge library rental book data, it is required to utilize data mining and machine learning techniques in the context of the academic library to extract and analyze underlying knowledge from rental book data, which is important to facilitate library administration to drive better future decisions to improve and manage library resources effectively. These are the following resources, such as managing future demands of the library books, selection and arrangement of the books, operational efficiency, and also improve the quality of interaction between the library and end-users, etc. This work uses and analyzes a real dataset collected from the library of Jeju National University, the Republic of Korea. The dataset contains 2,211,413 rental book records including 173671 unique book records, 57203 unique number of the rental user, and 78 data parameters. In this paper, we propose a novel model to analyze and predict library rental book data to facilitates library administration in order to plan and manage library resources effectively and provide better services to end-users. The proposed model consists of two different modules; library data analysis and prediction modules. Firstly, we use data mining techniques to analyze and extract useful underlying patterns from library rental book data, which can lead to plan and manage library resources effectively. Secondly, a novel prediction model is proposed based on Deep Neural Network (DNN), Support Vector Regressor (SVR), and Random Forest (RF) to predict future usage of the academic libraries rental books. The performance results of the implemented regression models are evaluated in terms of MAE, MSE, and RMSE. In this paper, it is found that the DNN model performs significantly better than SVR and RF. The experimentation results show that the proposed model improves the future usage of library books to facilitate library administration to plan and manage library resources effectively. Based on the proposed model results, the academic library administration can easily plan and manage resources effectively to provide quality services to end-users.

This paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of three individuals, all of whom are early-career professionals: Julia, a term librarian for an academic library who began her role as the pandemic was causing widespread change; Christine, a recent graduate who started her job search during the pandemic; and Kevin, a current Master of Library and Information Science student who started and completed his co-op in an entirely remote setting. This paper explores their perspectives on job precarity in a remote work environment and provides reflections on working in a library setting during the pandemic. To bring together the key themes experienced throughout this period, several recommendations are offered to managers and early-career librarians as they navigate this new landscape. For employers, advertising new employees, organizing their onboarding, and ensuring concerted efforts for introductions are recommended. For new librarians, forming communities of practice and building relationships in the remote work environment to battle feelings of isolation and not belonging are recommended. The precarious roles most early-career librarians find themselves in is unlikely to improve during the pandemic. The perspectives and reflections shared in this paper are intended to provide a transparent view into the experiences of three early career librarians, what they have learned, and how they are maximizing their time in the remote work environment.

Foreign research reports low use of mobile devices for reading e-texts among students, so we investigated mobile reading behaviour among UL students. Since the results of the online survey showed that low use of mobile devices for reading e-texts is also characteristic of UL students, we wanted to investigate in more detail the reasons and barriers to the use of mobile devices for reading e-texts. The paper summarises the results of a survey which showed similar results to foreign surveys: students already use mobile devices (most often a smartphone) to read e-texts, but not frequently and not to read longer texts. Barriers are the smaller screen and keyboard, poorer page clarity and poorer ability to highlight text. The surveys also provided information on the most appropriate formats of library services for mobile devices and the most appropriate formats of training on how to use these services. The findings of the research are important for academic libraries, as e-resources constitute a large part of their services and mobile technology is already an important part of student life.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of readiness of Iranian academic libraries for sustainable management to realize green libraries.Method: In terms of the type of objective, the present research is applied research, and it was carried out by a descriptive survey method. The statistical population of this research includes different departments of university libraries under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. In this research, a researcher-made checklist was used to collect the data, which was prepared based on the components of the ISO 14000, and a Delphi panel was used to determine its validity, and SPSS 22 software was applied to analyze the research data.Results: According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that the libraries of Iranian universities are far from the indicators of readiness to become green libraries, and in order to reach the desired level, it seems necessary to review the design of their infrastructure. The results also showed compliance with rules such as waste management, optimal energy consumption and use of renewable energies, attention to the optimal consumption of natural resources such as paper, the use of environmentally friendly raw materials and equipment in the library, and so forth. There are those who help the libraries in obtaining the necessary standards to become a green library.Conclusions: Considering the importance of paying attention to environmental issues, this research is the first work done in this direction in this society and its scope.

Evidence-based practice is an approach to professional practice that involves a structured process of collecting, interpreting and applying valid and reliable research and evidence to support decision-making and continuous service improvement in professional practice. This paper reports on emerging initiatives in evidence-based practice at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Library, a regional multi-campus university in Australia. It demonstrates how evidence-based practice forms part of our organisational strategy to engage with our community and society. The case study describes a new model of embedding evidence-based practice through a role explicitly dedicated to developing the library’s evidence base. While other libraries may have a person responsible for assessment, performance metrics or data analysis, the Coordinator (Evidence-Based Practice) has a broader mandate – to work with library staff to develop tools, skills and expertise in evidence-based practice. The paper will describe why this role was created and how the Coordinator is working to engage with library staff to understand their business and the evidence needed to support service improvement for the Library. By doing this, USQ Library is building the capacity to demonstrate value to stakeholders, gain a deeper understanding of clients’ needs and experiences, promote robust decision-making and improve service delivery. The paper also outlines an initiative led by the Coordinator (Evidence-Based Practice) to develop a conceptual model of evidence-based practice within academic libraries at the organisational, rather than individual level. Current models of evidence-based library and information practice apply predominantly to individuals. Informed by relevant literature and 16 semi-structured interviews with library professionals from Australian and New Zealand university libraries, three themes emerged to describe how evidence-based practice might be experienced at the organisational level. The lived experience at USQ Library and our research investigations suggest that being evidence-based provides benefits to an academic library’s culture, practice and impact.

With the rapid prevailing of electronic information resources and services, the traditional academic libraries are being declined and gradually deserted. Recent studies highlighted this issue as one of the challenges of the digital era. Responding to this issue, this paper introduces the idea of revitalizing academic libraries through the concept of "Third place" based on the possibility of providing traditional libraries with new interior spaces wherein students, scholars, and faculty can learn and socialize as well as cooperate, without stress. Based on the literature reviewed, there are several factors through which it is possible to enhance the interior spaces to attract more users to traditional academic libraries and make them more vital. This paper discusses the possibility of revitalizing traditional libraries by activating the role of the "Third Place" identity in their interior design. To activate the concept of "Third Place" in local academic libraries that lack such active spaces, this work focuses, in particular, on the academic library of the University of Technology as a major case study, three student proposals are included in this paper. Indeed,

En aquest article es presenta l'estat actual de l'educació oberta dins el context europeu i, especialment, des de l'enfocament universitari. Inicialment, s'exposa què s'entén per educació oberta contemporània i com aquest concepte ha anat evolucionant al llarg del temps. A continuació, s'incideix en les accions que impulsa la Comissió Europea: des de l'establiment d'un marc europeu d'educació oberta fins a una panoràmica de les polítiques educatives actuals. També s'informa d'experiències concretes i es fan una sèrie de recomanacions per al disseny de polítiques que afavoreixin l'obertura de l'educació. D'altra banda, s'analitza la relació de l'educació oberta amb la ciència oberta i, més concretament, el seu encaix dins aquest nou paradigma. Finalment, es considera si el suport a l'educació oberta és una oportunitat per a les biblioteques acadèmiques i quina influència tenen els professionals de la informació dins el context educatiu obert. This paper provides an overview of open education in Europe, focusing on higher education. It begins by considering how the notion of ‘contemporary open education’ has evolved over time. It then reviews the various open education-related initiatives that have been promoted by the European Commission, from the institution of an open education framework to the current development of education policies. It also reports on specific initiatives and makes a series of recommendations about policy design oriented to opening up education. It analyses the relationship between open education and the open science movement, specifically the manner in which open education can be contextualised in the emergent paradigm of open science. Finally, the paper considers how academic libraries should be supporting open education and examines the influence that information professionals can bring to bear in this field.

En este artículo se presenta el estado actual de la educación abierta dentro del contexto europeo y, especialmente, desde el enfoque universitario. Inicialmente, se expone qué se entiende por educación abierta contemporánea y cómo este concepto ha ido evolucionando a lo largo del tiempo. A continuación, se incide en las acciones que impulsa la Comisión Europea: desde el establecimiento de un marco europeo de educación abierta hasta una panorámica de las políticas educativas actuales. También se informa de experiencias concretas y se hacen una serie de recomendaciones para el diseño de políticas que favorezcan la apertura de la educación. Por otro lado, se analiza la relación de la educación abierta con la ciencia abierta y, más concretamente, su encaje en este nuevo paradigma. Finalmente, se considera si el apoyo a la educación abierta es una oportunidad para las bibliotecas académicas y qué influencia tienen los profesionales de la información en el contexto educativo abierto. This paper provides an overview of open education in Europe, focusing on higher education. It begins by considering how the notion of ‘contemporary open education’ has evolved over time. It then reviews the various open education-related initiatives that have been promoted by the European Commission, from the institution of an open education framework to the current development of education policies. It also reports on specific initiatives and makes a series of recommendations about policy design oriented to opening up education. It analyses the relationship between open education and the open science movement, specifically the manner in which open education can be contextualised in the emergent paradigm of open science. Finally, the paper considers how academic libraries should be supporting open education and examines the influence that information professionals can bring to bear in this field.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a narrow definition of brand, explain why it is important, and present practical exercises to discover a library’s brand. Based on the author’s experience in corporate and library settings, a brand is defined as an idea that can be discovered by two formal processes outlined in the paper. Libraries can use branding to create more focused marketing programs—going beyond logos or claims about services—that, in turn, will have a greater impact on potential users. The processes described in this article provide an alternative to costly and time-consuming consultants or agencies. Furthermore, these two templates for brand discovery enable librarians to move beyond marketing libraries generically to marketing a specific library. This article discusses organizational culture and related obstacles to brand discovery and implementation.

The community of Polish medical libraries has been cooperating on numerous projects and initiatives for many years. Recently, eight libraries have created a joint platform for the promotion of research outputs and research potential of eight medical institutions. The project titled “Polish Platform of Medical Research: a knowledge and research potential management platform” (PPM) was created following the identification and analysis of the needs of the scientific community in the area of medical research. It was implemented between November 2017 and January 2021 under the Operational Program Digital Poland for 2014–2020, co-financed with funds of the European Union in connection with the European Regional Development Fund. This paper presents the assumptions, stages, effects and internal organization of the project as well as the conclusions from this complicated implementation.

Library promotion through social media is an integral part of library services, especially for academic libraries. Social media can inform the end-users of what library’s resources and services and give librarians an impression of users’ views and needs. This study aimed to determine the use of social media to promote academic libraries in Indonesia. This research used a qualitative approach, specifically a systematic literature review, and includes details about identifying the research questions, the literature search process, data synthesis and search results. Based on the scientific papers identified and reviewed, the majority of research was published in 2019. The most frequent social media platforms for library promotions were Facebook and Instagram. Academic libraries located in Yogyakarta carried out the most social media promotions. Obstacles to promoting libraries through social media in Indonesia were primarily due to internal factors of libraries.

In March and April of 2021, my co-investigators and I conducted semi-structured interviews with academic librarians across Canada about their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included their thoughts about going “back to normal.” Most participants were resistant to returning to the “old normal” without myriad changes inspired by the COVID-necessitated adaptations. However, there were concerns raised about whether or not their ideas would be implemented or even heard by their administrations. Additionally, many participants felt caught between proving their value through productive (and measurable) labour and the care-work that felt necessary and pressing but was not externally validated. This paper highlights the need for refocusing on building library collegial governance structures that include all library workers. As well, there is indication that the COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to do so, as, removed from the “sacred space” (Ettarh 2018) of the library building, participants showed resistance to the austerity narratives typically invoked during a crisis. Embodying our values starts with establishing and building on shared library governance structures. If the changes inspired by COVID are to come to pass, then our vision of care and relationship-building must be inclusive to our own workers, to harness our collective power to build a future that works for everyone.

The purpose of this exploratory case study is to consider from peer tutors’ perspective the relevance of information literacy (IL) in their roles as tutors, students and in their everyday lives. The research used a qualitative methodology, wherein nine participants shared thoughts and reflections in course discussion forums in response to six online modules, each outlining one the the six frames of the ACRL information literacy framework. The data-gathering phase of the study was bookended by focus groups that were also recorded. Analysis of these various discussions reveals that while tutors see the relevance of IL in their everyday lives, their responses in terms of their roles as tutors and students varies depending on the nature of their program. The need to budget research time efficiently in response to a heavy course load prevents some from pursuing information more broadly or deeply than strictly necessary. The paper considers implications of these insights for further inquiry into the library’s role in advancing IL development in a polytechnical environment.

Predatory publishing is an emerging but worrisome trend among academics including librarians in Nigeria. This paper examines crucial issues and implications of predatory publishing among Nigerian academic librarians. It outlines the characteristics of predatory publishers and journals and their subtle means of enticing unsuspecting authors. The paper discusses the intricate dimensions of predatory publishing and its effects on research and scholarship among librarians. It notes that predatory publishing has devastating effects on the future of research and scholarship. The paper concludes with strategies for intervention and a call on relevant authorities in Nigeria to take proactive steps to curb predatory publishing among faculties especially academic librarians.

This qualitative case study provides fresh understandings about first year undergraduate international students’ library and information use at an Australian university, and their associated information literacy learning needs. The findings provide evidence to inform the development of library spaces and information literacy responses that enhance international students’ transition and learning. The study was conducted in 2015 as part of a project that simultaneously investigated the same topic at three US universities. This paper presents the case study context, reviews relevant literature and identifies gaps in research about international students’ library use and information literacy, and outlines the qualitative methodology—questionnaire, interviews and thematic analysis. The findings reveal international students’ lived experiences of using the library and information, in general and for assignments. After presenting the students’ recommendations to the library, the paper discusses the wider implications of the findings for university libraries and information literacy innovation.

This study was carried out to examine the awareness and use of social media tools by library and information professionals (LIPs) in selected academic libraries in South-west, Nigeria and the challenges they face in the use of social media technologies. Descriptive survey was adopted for this study. The population of the study comprised 217 library and information professionals from 10 selected academic libraries in south-west, Nigeria. A total enumeration technique was used to cover all the library and information professionals, 136 respondents filled and returned the questionnaire, given a response rate of 62.7%. The questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data collected. The findings show that majority of LIPs possessed a high level of awareness in the use of social media tools. The study also revealed that social network tools were highly used by LIPs in the academic libraries studied and the types of social media used by LIPs was also revealed. The major challenges faced in the use of social media include inadequate power supply, lack of Internet access and time constraints. The paper recommended that to enhance the use of social media by LIPs, there is need for constant awareness of the importance of social media tools to LIPs and libraries in effective service delivery, LIPs should be ready to learn, unlearn and be learned in the use of social media and university libraries should provide enabling environment such as internet connectivity, power supply and policy to guide LIPs in social media usage.

Is there room for war metaphor in academic libraries? Is there a good, or justifiable, reason for its use? In this paper, we argue the answer to these questions is no. The paper will discuss the nature of metaphor in general, the effects of its use, and why those effects matter. Grounded in this discussion, it will consider and analyze the use of war metaphor, specifically in the academic library world. Finally, it will offer suggestions for how, through individual and collective effort, the metaphor of war might be purged from the academic library lexicon.

Data literacy and research data services are a growing part of the work of academic libraries. Data in this context is often presumed to mean only numeric data or statistics, leaving open the question of what role qualitative research plays in services and programming for research data and data literacy. In this paper, we report on the results of interviews with academic librarians about their understanding of data literacy, qualitative research, and academic library infrastructure around qualitative research. From the interviews, we propose a model of data literacy that incorporates both interpretive and instrumental elements. We conclude with suggestions for incorporating qualitative data and analysis methods into academic library programming and services around data literacy and research data.

Introduction: Since 2014, Boise State University’s institutional repository (IR) has included artwork from Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) exhibitions. This paper explores how the experience of viewing artwork at an in-person BFA exhibition differs from that of viewing an online representation of it, makes recommendations to increase viewer engagement with online representations of artwork, and suggests ways that online exhibitions can enhance in-person viewing. Method: The authors conducted two surveys, one of in-person exhibition attendees and one of online exhibition viewers. Fixed-answer results were analyzed quantitatively, whereas an inductive qualitative coding process was used to analyze survey comments. Results: In-person participants were more likely to view all the artwork, spend more time at the exhibition, and view individual artwork for longer. Online participants were more likely to view artists’ statements. Online survey participants who attended the in-person exhibition preferred the in-person exhibition. Discussion: Results point toward a need to increase online viewers’ engagement with exhibition artwork, many of them centered around improving the usability of the IR interface. Finally, several benefits of the online environment are noted. Conclusion: Although the online representation of the art exhibition in the IR is not a complete replacement for the in-person exhibition, it is a representation that the authors believe can positively influence a viewer’s experience of the BFA exhibition, whether they have viewed the in-person exhibition or not. Respondents’ comments in both surveys provided suggestions for improving the two exhibitions, as well as insights into how IR exhibitions enhance the in-person exhibition experience.

The reference librarian and the services provided hold more than ever the attention of users at the “Dunărea de Jos” University Library of Galați (DJULG). The Internet, technology and struggle for survival left a significant mark on both librarians' skills and reference services in the new context of the information society. In order to align with new trends in librarianship and to respond effectively to the increasingly complex demands of users, the reference librarians had to move beyond the traditional and reinvent themselves. As a result, new skills have been acquired and new services emerged in the information landscape of the university library. The paper examines the evolution of the reference services at DJULG over the last ten years, emphasizing the changes of the librarian profile in this area. The variety of information sources, the emergence of new information technologies, the movement on open access have been the main elements that contributed to the professional development of the reference librarian and the implementation of new models of services for users. The case of the university library in this study reveals different profiles of the reference librarian: researcher, educator in information literacy, bibliometrician, wikilibrarian, digital resources manager, reference manager etc. Not far from the truth, we can say that the reference librarian became a chameleon, from the perspective of information evolution and ensuring sustainable library services.

This paper focuses on the move by some academic libraries to replace subject-based organisational structures with new functional structures, introducing functional specialists instead of subject librarians. It reports 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior managers in UK libraries discussing their attitudes to this change. Key drivers for change included the desire to align the library more closely with institutional strategy and provide enhanced research support. However, there were also major concerns, particularly the loss of close relationships with academic departments. Little consensus emerged apart from agreement that this is a major current debate impacting significantly on the future positioning of libraries in their institutions.

Despite holding the potential to liberate scholarly information, the digital era has, to the contrary, increased the control of a few for-profit publishers. While most journals in the print era were owned by academic institutions and scientific societies, the majority of scientific papers are currently published by five for-profit publishers, which often exhibit profit margins between 30%-40%. This paper documents the evolution of this consolidation over the last 40 years, discusses the peculiar economics of scholarly publishing, and reflects upon the role of publishers in today’s academe.

The paper starts from the definition of competency and then discusses the competencies that librarians employed in academic libraries must have so that the library could provide their mission. The requirements of the scientific community as a dynamic category go towards the achievement of the knowledge society, and therefore they change and improve methods of evaluating its productivity. Measurement and evaluation of the overall scientific creativity is an extremely demanding job that must be made by competent professionals. The paper informs on qualitative and quantitative: bibliometrics, sociometrics, altmetrics and other methods that can be used for evaluation of scientific production. It presents and explains the new competency profile which the scientific community requires from the academic library as a service user and special attention is paid to the possible role and place of the library in the evaluation of scientific productivity. This paper is designed to provide information on the new competencies that the library must have if it is involved in the provision of various metric services. In this regard, possibilities of the academic library as a partner in measuring and increasing scientific productivity are discussed. It is explained how academic libraries can adapt to their new role. Furthermore, it is attempted to answer the question in which direction education of librarians should move in order to realize this partnership.

Academic libraries in Croatia for the past fifteenth years have started implementing information literacy programmes for their users. Most frequent forms of information literacy programme delivery are library workshops with voluntary participation, conducted by librarians, either independently or through informal cooperation with academic staff on various courses. However, it can be assumed, because of non-systematic and sporadic information literacy programmes, that students of all years possess different levels of both generic and contextual information literacy skills in the field of law. Because of the small number of studies and the insufficient number of evidence, it can be assumed that there is not enough awareness regarding the promotion and relevance of the information literacy programmes. Thus, it can be concluded that the programmes are insufficient, or if they exist, they do not rely on the real needs of students, teachers and other participants in the educational process. The aim of the paper is to point to some of the most important models and standards of information literacy in the field of law and medicine in the world by using qualitative method of analysing the content of relevant literature in the area of information literacy in the field of law and medicine. The purpose of the research is to broaden theoretical knowledge and to improve the teaching of information literacy in the field of law and medicine in the Republic of Croatia. On a practical level, the explored models and standards can serve as a theoretical framework for creating formal programmes of information literacy in law libraries’ practice, as well as for improving practice in libraries with similar experience in other countries.

Publication ethics principles became one of the main aspects of conducting scientific research and presenting its results. Publication ethics challenges cover a wide range of problems of varying importance that involve all participants of publication processes: authors, academic authorities, peer-reviewers, editorial board members, publishers, and funders. All stakeholders put efforts to make modern science and publication processes ethical. This goal is achieved first of all through detailed criteria of publication ethics and extensive author guidelines, as well as by increasing the level of awareness of these criteria in educational programs aimed at prophylactics of research misconduct. However, there is a need for technical facilities for detecting different cases of violation of ethical principles, and bibliometric methods are one of the most promising approaches. The paper summarizes the authors’ recent studies on bibliometric perspectives for detecting plagiarism, inappropriate authorship, and official misconduct among editorial board members.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided opportunities to create innovative, robust services as libraries worked to support residential-turned-online students. This paper situates the pandemic in the broader context of the challenges distance learners face, discusses the opportunity for innovation that came as a result of the pandemic at one university library, and considers the lasting impact these changes may have on the future of library services for distance learners.

Based on experimental results and existing resources, the paper explored and identified the major contributing factors to the email notice issue, including local administrator status, Aleph client, mail server, Aleph system files, and security settings. The paper elaborated the troubleshooting process, and how to find the solution to the issue. The authors suggested recommendations based the lessons learned from the project experience. The project experience presented in this paper should be instructive for libraries solving the similar problems.

In Slovenia, the scientific research infrastructure is implemented through a variety of information systems, and through other many times integrated systems. Due to the development of information and communication technologies, academic libraries are able to create, develop and maintain new library and information services by using the research infrastructure, which has not been used before. Some of these infrastructure systems in which the Central Technological Library at the University of Ljubljana participates are described in this paper. The paper discusses the activities of the Central specialized information centres as part of the Slovenian Current Research Information System SICRIS, consortial procurement of international scientific literature, and library's participation in some of the research projects. A new niche for the affirmation of academic libraries, special information services, such as the information support to the researchers in the process of publication in open access, are also discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the quality of the ILS library collection of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) in Osijek, Croatia and its congruence with the curriculum. The quality of the collection is measured using the check-list method. The required and optional reading lists of the Department of Information Sciences at the FHSS (academic year 2011/2012) are used as standard lists that the library holdings are compared to. The results found that the library does not have 30.8 per cent of the titles on the reading lists. The remaining 33.9 per cent of the titles are accessible in the library, 28.5 per cent are free electronic resources, and 6.8 per cent of titles are accessible for students through the Department’s Moodle, Learning Management System. The study provides data about the titles available and not available in the FHSS library. However, it does not differentiate between the titles on the required and optional reading lists. This study provides the FHSS librarians with the list of titles that should be obtained in the near future. In Croatia, very few papers on collection assessment have been published so far, and this is the first study about the quality of a library collection at the University of Osijek. The paper attempts to fill that gap and contribute to a deeper understanding of the quality of library collections in the Croatian academic setting.

The problem that patrons frequently encounter with searching via a discovery layer linked to a knowledgebase is the overwhelming number of hits. Few if any research or discussion compares how libraries resolve this difficulty. To begin a discussion, the author disseminated an open invitation for academic libraries to participate on three panels from October 2018 to June 2019 to discuss their implementation processes and decisions. Five academic libraries accepted the invitation. This paper reviews the approaches of the five American academic library systems with the intent to encourage further examination of the issues of design, implementation, and maintenance of discovery layers. The conclusions reached point to the evolving nature of discovery layer interfaces and the struggle for libraries to adapt their needs to this still changing product type. Within this group, the larger institutions with more financial and staff resources have designed a ‘’bento box’’ interface with open source software, while the other institutions with lesser means have chosen to create different instances of their subscribed proprietary discovery layers to meet their specific institutional demands and the specific needs of their patrons. A statistically relevant examination with rigorous comparison of usability testing would have to be done to see how these and other factors play out in the wider field.

Reacting to the appearance of data-intensive research prompts academic libraries to become service providers for scholars, who work with research data. Although this is an imperative for libraries worldwide, due to the differences between countries and institutions, the level of readiness to engage in related activities differs from country to country. While some of the related tasks are fairly novel, others heavily build on librarians’ traditional, well-known skills. To identify these tasks, as well as making an inventory of the required skills and abilities, this paper, based on a non-exhaustive review of the recent literature, presents both theoretical and practical issues. It is demonstrated that the most obvious directions of the service development in academic libraries to support data-intensive science are research data management, data curation, data literacy education for users, and data literacy education for librarians.

This paper reports on the establishment of an open pedagogy initiative between community organisations and students, facilitated by the Temple University Libraries (TUL) and faculty in the Philadelphia area. The Community-University Research Exchange (CURE) produces community-driven social justice research. Library facilitators solicit research questions and project proposals from grassroots community organisations who experience social and economic marginalisation, limiting or even disallowing the access to information that is vital to innovating the services organisations provide. Students select from a bank of research projects, developed by community organisations, identifying issues that they wish to investigate, skillsets they hope to master, or organisations for whom they hope to contribute their intellectual labour. This project facilitates community organisations’ direction and autonomy in promoting beneficial research objectives. It also foregrounds students as the directors of their own knowledge output and learning. This project is modeled after the Quebec Public Interest Research Group’s (QPIRG) programme.