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This paper explores the characteristics of open leadership to support academic library leaders in promoting open science. It also aims to identify the existing leadership practices related to the implementation of open science from the viewpoint of Malaysian academic library leaders. The research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing online surveys distributed among 50 leaders from Malaysian public and private academic libraries. The study is anchored in the Open Leadership Framework, encompassing three key practices: design (contextualization), build (structure and system creation), and empower (personal leadership skills). Open leadership, viewed as a response to technological advancements and the use of multimedia communication tools, is framed within the principles, practices, and skills that communities can leverage to achieve shared goals. The findings from the design principle indicate unanimous agreement among respondents on the importance of collaboration, both internally and externally, for the success of the open science agenda, aligning with the principles of community interactions. In the build principle, all respondents share the belief that libraries should implement training and competence development programs, aligning with mentoring principles. This adherence corresponds to the principles of commons-based production, emphasizing the encouragement of publication in open-access journals, and project management, highlighting the pivotal role of libraries in determining the university's open data repository. In the empowerment principle, a total response of 61.5 percent under the "makes connection" principle, emphasizes the need for collaboration between the library, the university's Information Technology Center, and the Research Management Center to provide researcher profiles. This study not only provides insights into the current landscape of open leadership practices among Malaysian academic library leaders but also offers valuable implications for fostering collaboration, training initiatives, and empowerment strategies in the realm of open science. By understanding and embracing these principles, academic institutions and libraries can navigate the evolving scholarly environment, effectively contributing to the advancement of open science practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

his paper proposes teaching strategies and techniques for library instruction in academic libraries to achieve the intended goals. The recommendations are based on insights from previous research IN library instruction with the intention to identify possible strategies and techniques for different user groups. This study applied a systematic literature review method, using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol to examine the use of teaching strategies and techniques in library instruction programs. The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were searched for relevant literature using specific keywords. Applying the inclusion criteria, a total of 27 articles out of the 1380 documents extracted, were deemed relevant to the study. The results show that library instruction is usually conducted in the form of individual sessions. Teaching strategies used by librarians include flipped classroom, faux flip, class room teaching, research clinic, consultation, asynchronous learning, and online synchronous learning, among others. These teaching strategies improved engagement and relationships between students and librarians, while impacting critical thinking, confidence and self-directed learning. It is concluded that librarians should consider adopting and combining teaching strategies based on individual needs and use technology to improve teaching effectiveness and increase student learning. This study shows that most studies on library instruction have only partially addressed instructional strategies. A critical review of the literature revealed that a strategic shift in the management of library instruction is necessary to achieve the intended outcomes. In this study, three teaching strategies for library education are proposed, namely Embracing for freshman, Encouraging for sophomore, and Leveraging for postgraduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust and authority are emerging as key elements of success on social media environment. In spite of a burgeoning field of social media research, the topic on how institutions earn users' trust and establish their social media authority has received very little attention to date. This study describes how academic librarians strategize in creating trust in social media contents and orient their actions towards the goals of achieving social media authority as information experts. The study is guided by the following research question: What are the trust-creating activities that academic librarians do on library's social media to establish social media authority? Data were collected through interviews with 15 librarians from three Nigerian university libraries. Six themes on trust-creating activities emerged from the findings. Three themes are related to trust-creating activities by individual librarians: (a) post credible and useful social media contents; (b) provide relevant and responsive feedback; and (c) have authorized identification or social media icons. Another two themes are associated with trust-creating activities by librarians as a group: (a) collaborate in assessing social contents; (b) be an authority in library and information services. One trust-creating activity taken by the library management emerged i.e. involving the university authority for content. The researchers offer suggestions for librarians to orient their actions towards the goals of achieving social media authority and the distinctions are made in the trust- creating activities between individual, group and organisation. This paper contributes to the under-researched field investigating the actual implementation of social media authority in libraries. The study has shown that social media authority is built on the platter of users' trust. Based on this observation, we believe that successful implementation of social media in the library is associated with not only how proficient librarians are in social media use, but also how they build their social media contents through trust-creating activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates determinant of continuance intention to use e-book among higher education students. The determinants used in this paper are adopted from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory (EDT). The quantitative study employed random sampling where the email invitation which contained a hypertext link of the survey page, enables the participants to access to the survey hosted in Google Drive. Out of 760 sample size, a total of 650 responses were gathered with 509 valid responses used for analysis. The data were analysed to test the relationship between determinants of continuance intention to use e-book among higher education students. The finding demonstrates that determinant of continuance intention to use ebook are based on Satisfaction, while Satisfaction is strongly determined by Perceived Ease of Use and Confirmation of using e-book. Internet self-efficacy is reported to have strong effect on Satisfaction through Perceived Ease of Use, while Perceived Quality affects Satisfaction of using ebook through Confirmation. In general findings from this study are beneficial for libraries in that determinants of continuance intention of using e-books could also be used in selecting and evaluating e-books features before subscription. Additionally e-book vendors could use these findings to improve and enhance features of their e-books services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the accessibility and utility of library resources when studying research methodology among the non-science students at the University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur. It addresses the primary concerns of accessibility and utility among students when engaging library resources and undertaking the core subject "Research Methodology" both at the faculty level, as well as at three departments under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. In doing so, survey questionnaires were distributed among students doing research methodology across three distinct yet interrelated subfields of the Arts and Social Sciences, namely Anthropology and Sociology, Chinese Studies, and International and Strategic Studies. This descriptive study employs both quantitative and qualitative data gathering techniques through: (a) survey captured through an email invitation to a specific target of undergraduate and postgraduate students who have completed their research methodology course; (b) a focus group discussion (FGD) conducted to discuss students' responses toward initial findings from the surveys. The findings indicate that despite the pivotal role played by the library in facilitating the learning of research method, there is greater need to recognise the specific needs of library resources in research methodology in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. This should be able to help the acquisition division of respective university libraries in their future planning, particularly given the variety and diversity of research traditions in the non-science discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary reason for establishing an institutional repository is to increase the visibility of the institution's research output by making it Open Access. Academic libraries are becoming very involved in managing electronic scholarly products and participating in the evolving scholarly communication process through institutional repositories. Although institutional repositories can make room for easier access to universities' research output, unfortunately it is not fully developed in some academic institutions. The origin of this problem is that there are known instances where librarians in-charge of institutional repository are unaware of their roles, and are unskilled in implementing the institutional repository. This paper describes a study conducted on the roles of librarians in the deployment and content recruitment of institutional repositories in eight (8) universities in Malaysia. Sample for this study are librarians who are involved with the development and implementation of institutional repository in their respective universities. The study reveals that the act of collecting materials for depositing is mainly done by librarians rather than the authors and researchers. Providing training sessions, holding meetings in departments and faculties, and also linking of the institutional repository website from the university and faculties' website have the highest rank in librarians' approach to promote the institutional repository. The paper also discusses the process of depositing, motivation factors, roles, marketing and benefits of institutional repository that will have reference value for the librarians who desire to embark on an institutional repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a part of an investigation on learning organization and organizational learning practices at university libraries in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. The study aimed to find out whether or not academic librarians are applying the concepts and practices of learning organization at three levels, namely individual level, team level and the organizational level. This paper focuses on the perceptions of academic librarians on the practices of team level learning in public and private university libraries. There are 17 variables on team level learning that formed a part of a survey instrument using a seven-point interval scale. The instrument was distributed to a total population of 250 librarians of the public and private university libraries in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. A total of 191 (76.4%) respondents returned the questionnaire. The study found that academic librarians perceived learning at the team level does exist in general, but they were not overly convinced of the extent to which the practices exist. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that there is a statistical significant difference in the perceptions of team level learning practices between the senior and middle level academic librarians implying that the senior level librarians had more positive perceptions on the practices of team level learning in their organizations than the middle level librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on technology adoption theories and allied frameworks, this paper aims to explore e-book user behaviour around multiple dimensions of the role of user agents in formation of patterns, attitudes, perception and satisfaction with electronic resources in an academic and research library context. A convenience sample of academics, staff, and students at Edith Cowan University (ECU) voluntarily self-reported their e-book information behaviour via online survey. In terms of agent/platform satisfaction, desktop computer and laptop/netbook had the most satisfied users. Significant factors in e-resource use and agents/platforms were found to include familiarity (collection awareness and differentiation between resource types), usability (discovery, information retrieval and readability, and library interface ease of use), utility (collection sufficiency), hedonic attributes (attractiveness), culture of use and habituation. Users satisfied with laptops/netbooks as user agents also expressed overall satisfaction with library e-books. E-book users' information behaviour was found to be consistent with major technology adoption theories and frameworks in terms of e-resources and their use platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of standard library software is one of the main hinderance in the effective automation of libraries of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of Pakistan. A review of the literature does not provide the actual requirements of the libraries in Pakistan related to library software and highlights the absence of library software selection criteria. This paper explores the opinion of the experts about the current status of library software, problems faced by the libraries and needs relevant to library software in order to suggest a sustainable solution for the automation of the libraries of HEIs of Pakistan. This study was conducted using qualitative approach and three focus groups were conducted in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. The participants of all three focus groups comprised librarians from HEIs, Library and Information Science (LIS) experts with experience in designing and implementing library software, LIS educators with experience of teaching library automation and computer science professionals having experience with library software. A purposive sampling was made in this regard. A discussion guide was prepared on the basis of literature review and expert opinions. Data were analyzed qualitatively. The analysis of focus groups revealed that there was a shortage of library software and the libraries of HEIs were still in the process of automation. Few libraries were using standard software but most of the libraries had implemented cataloguing module only. The non-availability of standard library software, regional languages, lack of awareness, lack of funds and lack of vision in the top management of HEIs were the common problems causing hinderance in the effective automation of the libraries. The experts suggested formulation of a consortium under the umbrella of HEC that takes the resposibility of development and distribution of the software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores visually impaired persons' (VIPs) sense of belonging in a university library context. It focuses on their perceptions of and experiences with study carrels located in the university library. Data were collected during interviews and focus group discussions. Participants consisted of five female and thirteen male students between the ages of 20 and 37 years. Participants considered their carrels as second homes where they felt safe, comfortable, and accepted. The carrels gave them a sense of belonging. The carrels also served as social places where the VIPs could interact with peers, volunteer readers, and other sighted students. The VIPs viewed their carrels as quiet havens where they could study and learn. They felt they belonged to the library community and were proud to be accepted as students at the university. The findings may increase library managements' awareness of the need to include these types of spaces in future design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores visually impaired persons' (VIPs) sense of belonging in a university library context. It focuses on their perceptions of and experiences with study carrels located in the university library. Data were collected during interviews and focus group discussions. Participants consisted of five female and thirteen male students between the ages of 20 and 37 years. Participants considered their carrels as second homes where they felt safe, comfortable, and accepted. The carrels gave them a sense of belonging. The carrels also served as social places where the VIPs could interact with peers, volunteer readers, and other sighted students. The VIPs viewed their carrels as quiet havens where they could study and learn. They felt they belonged to the library community and were proud to be accepted as students at the university. The findings may increase library managements' awareness of the need to include these types of spaces in future design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study on students' perceptions and reactions towards e-books in Higher Education (HE). During this study a Web survey and a follow-up study were conducted using students from University of Strathclyde as a sample population. The Web survey revealed that there were three different types of e-book use in an academic setting: (a) fact finding; (b) finding relevant content; and (c) extended reading. The most popular reason for using e-books was for "finding relevant content" which indicated that e-books were not read in their entirety but instead were consulted or used for reference purpose. The Web survey finding was then confirmed by the follow-up study. This study is valuable for designing a better e-book features in which they should be designed according to what purpose the e-books are used for (i.e. for reference purpose or extended reading or both). If the e-books are intended to be used for reference purpose, the features might include practical searching and browsing features, whereas if the e-books are designed for extended reading they should be provided with features that are conducive for on-screen reading such as a good layout design and navigation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses faculty awareness and use of library information products and services in South-West Nigeria universities. Systematic random sampling method was used to select 446 faculty members from a population of 4,459 in the universities. A questionnaire formed the major instrument for data gathering. The response rate achieved was 89.7 percent and the reliability coefficient of the questionnaire used was 0.72. The study found that there was a significant difference in faculty awareness of available library information products and services. In addition, they did not have sufficient knowledge of those library products and services pertinent to their teaching and research activities. The survey also revealed that the level of knowledge of faculty staff had positive relationship with the frequency of use, consultation with the librarians, faculty status and membership of library related committees. User education programmes coupled with planned public relations were recommended to improve faculty awareness of library information products and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides information about electronic journals (e-journals), their subscribers, management issues and necessities from the Bangladesh perspective. An attempt has been made to explore the infrastructural facilities and the existing problems of libraries and information centres that are subscribing to e-journals. The study also discusses the status of e-journal usage and accessibility in selected libraries and information centres, as well as advantages, limitations and prospects for e-journals in the context of this country. Finally the paper suggests that there is a need to establish a workable and sustainable consortium among libraries and information institutions in Bangladesh: It also recommends that systematic efforts should be made urgently for the proper organisation and management of e-journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]