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The article discusses a November 2008 further education conference at the Carl von Ossietzky Provincial and University Library in Hamburg, Germany on the theme "So That Paper Persists... Experiences With Mass Deacidification." The rationale, methodology, scope, and evaluated results of paper deacidification projects in various German libraries were reviewed.

The importance and urgency of IPLE (intellectual property literacy education) are increasingly prominent. This paper aims to build an IPLE mode to provide support for the talent cultivation in university libraries facing opportunities and challenges in the service transformation period. The IPLE mode and content of the Regional Patent Information Centers (PIZ Regional Centers) in German universities and university libraries are studied through network research, literature research, and comparative analysis. Based on the practical experience, educational characteristics and advantages, this paper constructs an IPLE mode of university library that includes six modules. Building the IPLE mode of university libraries can provide reference for university libraries in the work of IPLE, and gradually form an IPLE system that meets the needs of users' training, conforms to the university's talent training objectives, and improves the development plan of the university libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries' roles and contributions in promoting and raising awareness of culture and cultural heritage to support the sustainability of cultural life can be strengthened by utilizing social media platforms, including Instagram. However, there is a gap in studies and research relating to how academic libraries reflect their cultural functions through social media, i.e., Instagram. This paper provides a content analysis of academic libraries' Instagram accounts at three academic libraries located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. These libraries represent their universities' concerns with promoting sustainable development goals, specifically Sustainable Development Goal 11 (make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable). This study analyzed and categorized the Instagram posts of academic libraries related to culture and cultural heritage to answer the following research question: how do academic libraries reflect their cultural functions through social media, i.e., Instagram? The results show that the academic libraries studied here considered reflecting their cultural functions through social media by informing users about various cultural events, collections, facts, and news on Instagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of an e-first or e-preferred strategy in academic libraries has become increasingly important due to digital advances in scholarly communication. This paper analyses the opportunities and challenges of an e-preferred strategy for academic libraries, particularly in electronic monographs (e-books). The diversity of the e-book market in terms of platforms, licensing models and DRM is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional notion of university library strategy has been that of a pattern of goal-oriented activities that implement a strategic plan. Through conceptual analysis, this paper integrates strategic planning with two other perspectives—strategy based upon competitive position and upon library resources—to propose that a university library can best serve its academic community through a "strategic process" when supporting research and teaching. Drawing extensively upon applicable library science and strategic management literature, the paper presents the potential contribution of each perspective and of the entire strategic process using relevant examples. Successfully applying the strategic process enables university library managers to move forward with optimism in difficult competitive and financial situations. The process enables the university library to gain sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors by providing faculty and students with intellectual value in support of their discovery and education. As it operates, the strategic process empowers the university library to fulfill its traditional mission—providing persistent, generalized access to information—but to do so in transformed ways. The process also enhances library managers' ability to communicate such successes to university decision-makers, illuminating the library's effective use of scarce financial resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Beitrag diskutiert die beiden Verbundkataloge Argentiniens, UNIRED 30A und den Konkurrenzkatalog SIUBDU. Der UNIRED 30A integriert die Bibliotheksbestände von 109 Institutionen, darunter den wichtigsten Regierungsinstitutionen, Ministerialbibliotheken, Think-Tanks, Universitäten des Landes, Banken, Institutionen der lateinamerikanischen Wissenschaftsintegration wie FLACSO, CLACSO, INTAL und die Fundación Bariloche. Der SIUBDU integriert die Bestände von 56 Institutionen, darunter CLACSO und FLACSO und führende Universitäten des Landes aus allen Regionen. Um die Katalogentwicklung der in den beiden Bibliotheksverbunden integrierten wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken zu testen, analysierte der Autor die Präsenz der Gewinner*innen des Skytte-Preises der internationalen Politikwissenschaft für die Jahre 2021, 2022 und 2023 in diesen Verbundkatalogen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass selbst bei sehr renommierten internationalen Politikwissenschaftler*innen ihre Bibliothekspräsenz in Lateinamerika äußerst gering ist und sich im Wesentlichen vor allem auf Werke bezieht, die von Ihnen in spanischer Sprache geschrieben wurden oder übersetzt worden sind. The paper introduces Argentina's union catalogues, UNIRED 30A and the rival catalogue SIUBDU. UNIRED 30A integrates the library collections of 109 institutions, including major government institutions, ministerial libraries, thinktanks, national universities, banks, Latin American science integration institutions such as FLACSO, CLACSO, INTAL and the Fundación Bariloche. The SIUBDU integrates the collections of 56 institutions, including CLACSO and FLACSO as well as leading universities in the country. To test the catalogue development of the academic libraries integrated in the two library networks, the author analysed the presence of the Skytte Prize laureates in political science in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 in these union catalogues. Findings show that even for prestigious international political scientists, library presence in Latin America is extremely poor and refers chiefly to work written by them in Spanish or works translated into Spanish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ABI Technik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mit Blick auf das Jahr 2040 stellt der Beitrag die Auswirkungen der künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) auf die Bibliotheken dar. Mit der zunehmenden Fähigkeit von Algorithmen, Texte zu generieren, könnten Maschinen in der Lage sein, ganze Bibliotheken zu lesen und auf individuelle Bedürfnisse zugeschnittene Fragen in natürlicher Sprache zu beantworten. Dies könnte dazu führen, dass Informationskompetenz und der Rückgriff auf (veraltete) Bücher für die Nutzer gleichermaßen verzichtbar wird. Dieses Szenario stellt jedoch eine dystopische Zukunft für die institutionelle Informationsversorgung durch Bibliotheken dar; es wird davor gewarnt, zu pessimistisch zu sein. Vielmehr muss festgestellt werden, dass frühere Prognosen über die Auswirkungen der Technologie auf die Bibliotheken falsch waren. Dementsprechend sollte die Zukunft der Bibliotheken nicht in einem aussichtslosen Kampf gegen digitale Trends gesehen werden. Stattdessen sollten sich Bibliotheken an das sich verändernde Umfeld anpassen, indem sie ihre Rolle als Lern- und Wissensinstitutionen neu definieren, die Differenzierungswirkung der digitalen Transformation in den Blick nehmen und sich die Frage stellen, wie das Analoge sich im digitalen Umfeld verändert bzw. wie eine sachgerechte institutionelle Antwort auf diese Veränderung aussehen kann. Looking ahead to 2040, the paper outlines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on libraries. As algorithms become more capable of generating text, machines could be able to read entire libraries and answer questions tailored to individual needs in natural language. This could make information literacy and reliance on (outdated) books less important for users. However, this scenario represents a dystopian future for institutional information provision by libraries; it is important not to be too pessimistic. Rather, it should be noted that previous predictions about the impact of technology on libraries have been wrong. Accordingly, the future of libraries should not be seen as a hopeless battle against digital trends. Instead, libraries should adapt to the changing environment by redefining their role as institutions of learning and knowledge, looking at the differentiating effects of digital transformation, and asking themselves how the analogue is changing in the digital environment, or what an appropriate institutional response to this change might look like. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of digital and mobile technology has led to the emergence of digital scholarship, which is a challenge but also an opportunity for higher education institutions to improve their space and relevant services to support students' success. The purpose of this study is to explore university students' needs and expectations on digital scholarship spaces and relevant services in an academic library, as well as the differences in this based on gender, academic identity, and subject being studied. We conducted a survey at Shipai campus of Jinan University in Guangzhou to collect and analyze users' needs and expectations. Among the digital scholarship service, the demand scores of the top three services are text recognition and full-text processing with 7.00, academic paper writing, submission, publication, and dissemination consulting services with 6.86, and digitization of printed documents with 6.72. Elsewhere, the demand score of the top three spaces are the online digital scholarship space with 6.57, the research project application and exchange space with 6.43, and the text analysis, data analysis, Big Data, and visualization service center with 6.27. With the improvement of academic identity, the demand for digital scholarship services is higher. Gender has led to differences in a small number of space needs, while the differences brought about by the subject being studied are more significant. This research contributes to the understanding of how the digital technology, the students' spaces needs, and relevant management practice merge in academic libraries for students' learning and research purposes. These have implications for universities to improve their libraries' space services oriented to the diverse users' digital scholarship needs in the current digital learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information about the journal "Restaurator," which was founded in 1969 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It evolved when the care and preservation of archives and libraries began to generate wider interest in many countries, which archivists and restorers began to collect and exchange information on the paper-based materials. The author also states that since the beginning, the journal focused on presenting the results of scientific research with the goal of establishing an international platform for disseminating knowledge about preservation and conservation of paper-based collections.

Digitization of archival materials has gained global popularity as both practice in cultural heritage institutions and a scholarly topic. However, ethical issues involved in digitization, especially the challenges brought by cross-cultural archival digitization practices, have been only weakly explored. In the domain of Asian Studies librarianship in the United States, digitizing archive materials acquired from Asian countries in academic and research libraries has facilitated Asian Studies research, but also brought up ethical concerns of inappropriately translating the original culture for new audiences. This paper treats digitization as a translational device bridging cultural contexts, public audiences, and personal accounts, as well as openness and privacy. Focusing on the unique open-access digital archival collection The Chinese Marriage Documents (1909–1997) at the University of Pittsburgh as a case study, I examine crucial cross-cultural ethics involved in the digitization process and discuss best practices to digitize and disseminate culturally sensitive archives ethically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the spatial culture theory as the basis and from the perspective of cultural heritage, this paper elucidates the construction of the Liu Xiao Ling Tong Book Pavilion of Yunnan Normal University (which may also be interpreted as a Traditional Culture Commons), introduces modern library concepts such as ‘celebrity charm’, featured resources and space reconstruction, as well as provides enlightenment to the library cycle with Chinese wisdom and experience. This paper applies participant observation method, interviewing method and textual analysis method with the data collection period from September 2015 to December 2016. Through library space reconstruction and the inheritance of certain outstanding features of Chinese culture, the Liu Xiao Ling Tong Book Pavilion has had an influence among university faculty and students, the university library circle in China and even the entire education circle, while also complemented and improved the applicability of the spatial culture theory in the library circumstance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyze the effects of soft skills on the work productivity of academic library professionals in Pakistan. The study employed quantitative survey method. The data was collected through a self-compiled online questionnaire from academic library professionals, yielding a response rate was 83%. Findings of this study reveal that library professionals' level of different soft skills, interpersonal, emotional intelligence, leadership, motivation, and communication is high, which indicates that they are proficient in soft skills. Results of correlation test used to examine the relationship between the variables, soft skills, and work productivity of library professionals disclose a significant relationship between variables across the study. Moreover, soft skills have profound effects on the work productivity of library professionals, and no difference is found in library professionals' perceptions based on their demographic characteristics. Soft skills help librarians to manage and perform different jobs effectively. Based on the outcomes of the study, it is suggested that LIS schools, professional associations, and other organizations offering professional development programs should endeavor to develop soft skills among LIS students and professionals by incorporating necessary contents in LIS curricula and offering training sessions. The research paper is the first attempt to explore the relationship between soft skills and work productivity from the perspective of librarianship in Pakistan; it will make a unique contribution to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Aufsatz skizziert grob die Entwicklung der Spartentrennung zwischen Öffentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert Er beschreibt die strukturelle Konvergenz der Sparten ab Mitte der 1960er Jahre. Auf der Basis einer Diskursstrukturanalyse lässt sich feststellen, dass sich seit Mitte der 2000er Jahre der Abstand zwischen den Sparten wieder vergrößert. Es wird vorgeschlagen, die Unterschiede zwischen den Sparten unter dem Paradigma der Diversität umzuwerten und dann auf der Basis der Diskursanalyse nach Themen gesucht, die die Sparten im Dialog verbinden können. The paper illustrates how the relationship between the sectors of public and academic libraries in Germany developed in the 20th and 21st centuries. Following an initial period of strict separation in almost all respects and institutional structures, the two library sectors had started to gradually converge in the mid-1960s. On the institutional level, this process seemed to have come to an end by the year 2000, but quantitative discourse analyses show that the communication gap between the two library segments has been widening yet again since the mid-2000s. We propose a change in paradigm to capture the fact that the differences are indicators for an ever-expanding and more differentiated field. Discourse analysis will be used to identify topics and subjects that could serve as either 'boundary objects' or 'translatable objects' in the dialogue between the different library sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because Open Access is such an essential component in the method of fostering the development of scientific research and progress, a great number of academics are fixated on this issue. When it comes to the process of building a complete library collection for academic institutions, the incorporation of Open Access materials presents the opportunity for the process to be sped up, which is a positive development. This study seeks to identify how professionals and users perceive Open Access resources (OARs), identify any obstacles that professionals may have while incorporating OARs into their libraries, and provide a set of tactics to eliminate these obstacles. A study of six Bangladeshi academic institutions with 454 participants was conducted, with the current study quite promising for any library intending to implement or advocate for OARs in their systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Considerable investments have been made in Europe and worldwide for developing research data infrastructures. Instead of a general lack of data about data, it has become apparent that a pivotal factor that drastically constrains data use is the absence of contextual knowledge about how data was created and how it has been curated and used. This applies especially to many branches of social science and humanities research, where data is highly heterogeneous, both by its kind (e.g. being qualitative, quantitative, naturalistic, purposefully created) and origins (e.g. being historical/contemporary, from different contexts and geographical places). The problem is that there may be enough metadata (data about data) but there is too little paradata (data on the processes of its creation, curation and use). The aim of this position paper is to draw attention 1) to the need for a better and more systematic understanding and documentation of the contexts of creation, curation and use of research data to make it useful and usable for researchers and other potential users in the future, and 2) to specific obstacles that make the capturing of this particular type of metadata, known as paradata, especially difficult. Failing to understand what information about the creation, curation and use of research data is needed and how to capture enough of that information risks that the currently collected vast amounts of research data become useless in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper is a review of the status of Research Data Management (RDM) efforts in UAE public university libraries. Approach: The investigation is through examining available literature about the topic using region-specific articles when available, librarian comments, and the information provided by UAE university library websites. Existing lessons and policy documents are sought, and plans suggested for local solutions, suggesting avenues for progress. Findings: Though not a new concept, findings indicate that local RDM activities are emerging, but knowledge of their importance of exists. Research limitations: This review is limited to public university libraries though the results and experiences could be generally relevant to more research establishments. Practical implications: Taking advantage of the existing awareness to organize tangible RDM efforts can facilitate retrieval and availability of data relevant to the region. Value: An intricate range of activities involved in the organization of RDM services is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the main research question of what the critical roles and competencies of data curation are in supporting research data life cycle management, this paper adopts a multi-case study method, with data governance frameworks, to analyze stakeholders and data curators, and their competencies, based on different contexts from cases from enterprises and academic libraries in mainland China. Via the context and business analysis on different cases, critical roles such as data supervisor, data steward, and data custodian in guaranteeing data quality and efficiency of data reuse are put forward. Based on the general factor framework summarized via existing literature, suggestions for empowering data curators' competencies are raised according to the cases. The findings of this paper are as follows: besides digital archiving and preservation, more emphasis should be placed on data governance in the field of data curation. Data curators are closely related but not equivalent to stakeholders of data governance. The different roles of data curators would play their own part in the process of data curation and can be specified as data supervisor, data steward, and data custodian according to given contexts. The roles, competencies, and empowerment strategies presented in this paper might have both theoretical and practical significance for the fields of both data curation and data governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research depends on prior results. The cycle of transforming research output to disseminated knowledge is changing to engage more researchers to openly discover and thereby shape future contributions to scholarship. No established framework helps librarians understand the opportunities that transition offers librarians. However, through four propositions, this paper addresses some of the changes facing academic librarians as they expand their roles: 1) Research cycles embrace interactive sharing and reuse of data; 2) Managing open research data expands librarians' roles; 3) Intellectual entrepreneurship roles provide a model to empower others; 4) Librarians demonstrate their entrepreneurial leadership by creating partnerships outside the library. Now academic librarians have opportunities to strengthen their role in how higher education shapes research by shifting greater focus toward research data management [RDM]. Two seasoned administrators and librarians illustrate pathways to prepare academic librarians for these new roles. They offer two practitioners' impressions of the demands and opportunities for librarians to extend their expertise to support RDM, and illustrate how academic librarians have begun doing so through professional association work (through the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)) and at one academic library (at Drexel University). They urge academic librarians to step out of their comfort zones of organizing, preserving and servicing discovery of information resources and embrace emerging roles for which their values and expertise have prepared them. If librarians ignore these opportunities, they risk being bypassed in efforts to ensure that managing research data and scholarship are central to research protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RDS are usually cross-disciplinary, centralised services, which are increasingly provided at a university by the academic library and in collaboration with other RDM stakeholders, such as the Research Office. At research-intensive universities, research data is generated in a wide range of disciplines and sub-disciplines. This paper will discuss how providing discipline-specific RDM support is approached by such universities and academic libraries, and the advantages and disadvantages of these central and discipline-specific approaches. A descriptive case study on the author's experiences of collaborating with a central RDS at the University of Cambridge, as a subject librarian embedded in an academic department, is a major component of this paper. The case study describes how centralised RDM services offered by the Office of Scholarly Communication (OSC) have been adapted to meet discipline-specific needs in the Department of Chemistry. It will introduce the department and the OSC, and describe the author's role in delivering RDM training, as well as the Data Champions programme, and their membership of the RDM Project Group. It will describe the outcomes of this collaboration for the Department of Chemistry, and for the centralised service. Centralised and discipline-specific approaches to RDS provision have their own advantages and disadvantages. Supporting the discipline-specific RDM needs of researchers is proving particularly challenging for universities to address sustainably: it requires adequate financial resources and staff skilled (or re-skilled) in RDM. A mixed approach is the most desirable, cost-effective way of providing RDS, but this still has constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assessed the extent to which federal university libraries in Nigeria have prepared for management of their records in electronic format. Specifically it investigated the extent to which university libraries have provided ICT infrastructures for digital records, made institutional plans for e-records management, and enacted policies that guide e-records management, among other areas. Survey research design was used. The instruments for data collection were questionnaire, observation checklist, and oral interviews. The population of the study was 84 librarians drawn randomly from 18 federal university libraries in Nigeria. Data was analyzed using mean scores and simple percentages. The criterion of judgment was that if the mean value of any item of the research instruments scored 2.50+ and above, it was rated high; if otherwise, it was considered low. The study found that ICT facilities were available in all the libraries, but the state of preparedness for their utilization for e-records management was low. Inadequate funding, intermittent electricity supply, absence of e-records management policy, etc. were the major factors hindering preparedness for e-records management. Adequate budgetary provision, increasing power supply, and enactment of digital records management policy were among the recommendations made. With regards to practical implications, federal university libraries may not steadily use their e-records in a networked/connected environment. These records may become inaccessible over time. This study was the first to investigate extensively on the state of preparedness of Nigerian university libraries for digital records management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dieser Aufsatz liefert einen kurzen Überblick über das afghanische Bibliothekswesen. Im Zentrum stehen dabei zwei Digitalisierungsprojekte. Nach dem Einmarsch der US-Truppen folgten bald auch US-amerikanische Bibliothekar*innen zur Aufbauhilfe. Zudem wurden zahlreiche Öffentliche und wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken gegründet. Mit der „Digital Foundation Strategy for Afghanistan" der afghanischen Regierung für die Jahre 2019 bis 2022 hätte wieder eine neue Entwicklungsstufe des Landes erreicht werden können. Durch den Abzug der NATO-Truppen und der Rückkehr der Taliban steht dies alles jedoch nun auf der Kippe. The paper gives a brief overview of the library system in Afghanistan focusing on two digitalisation projects. Shortly after US troops marched into the country, US librarians were sent there too, in a bid to assist in the development of the country's cultural landscape, and numerous public and academic libraries were established in the following years. The former Afghan government's Digital Foundation Strategy for Afghanistan scheme planned for 2019 – 2022 would have been a next step in this development. With the withdrawal of NATO troops and the return of the Taliban, the project is now hanging in the balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dieser Artikel thematisiert die technische Umsetzung eines Webportals und einer SQL-Datenbank (Output.UP), um die manuelle Erfassung und Auswertung von wissenschaftlichen Publikationen für die Universitätsbibliothek Potsdam weitestgehend zu automatisieren. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird auf die Importe mittels API von ORCID, Crossref und Unpaywall gelegt. Nach Abschluss der Testphase wird Output.UP in einem Git-Repository für die Nachnutzung zur Verfügung gestellt. The paper focuses on the technical implementation of a web portal and SQL database (Output.UP) as automation system for the collection and analysis of scientific publications for the Potsdam University Library, with a pecial emphasis on imports via API from ORCID, Crossref and Unpaywall. After the test phase, Output.UP will be made available in a Git repository for subsequent use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the numerous benefits of digital scholarly communication made visible through institutional repositories (IRs) that have become trendy in institutions of higher learning in developed countries of the world. In line with its vision to be a leading centre of academic excellence in Africa and the world, the University of Botswana (UB) established its own IR known as the UB Research, Innovation and Scholarship Archive (UBRISA). This paper discusses the challenges of profiling digital scholarly communication on UBRISA, a technology brimming with potential but which UB staff has largely ignored. The consequences of this neglect are seen in the paltry submissions to it during its four years of existence. The paper explains the implementation policy, and the involvement and functions of a tripartite team that drives UBRISA. The paper notes that the problem of tardiness experienced in populating the digital repositories of other institutions is also deeply rooted in UB. It shares some failed efforts made to populate UBRISA through the instrument of the performance management system - an annual contract which the academic staff members sign at the beginning of the year. The paper then analyses the efforts of the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) that worked with UB in training its staff regarding the operation of the IR, and also established a workflow process for vetting, describing and uploading content to the IR so that UB scholarship could become more visible to the world. Some recommendations are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degree to which librarians are actively involved in developing the writing skills of students has primarily been studied in academic libraries (Bronshteyn and Baladad 2006, "Librarians asWriting Instructors: Using Paraphrasing Exercises to Teach Beginning Information Literacy Students." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 32 (5):533-536; King 2012, "Essentials of Basic Writing Pedagogy for Librarians." Community & Junior College Libraries 18:55-66. Accessed March 20, 2016. doi:10.1080/ 02783915.2012.700211; Smith 2001, "Keeping Track: Librarians, Composition Instructors, and Student Writers Use the Research Journal." Research Strategies 18:21-28) and has rarely been researched in terms of K-12 settings either in the United States or internationally. This paper examines the ways in which school library programs and school librarians contribute to the writing skills of K-12 students in South Carolina in the United States. A selective analysis of the findings is presented from Phase II of the South Carolina Association of School Librarian's (SCASL) 2014 School Library Impact Study, conducted by Keith Curry Lance and the RSL Research Group. The extent to which school librarians perceive their role in the teaching of writing in K-12 schools is examined, along with the perceptions of administrators and teachers. The results indicated that school librarians are less likely than other educators to assess their teaching of writing as excellent. Rather, administrators and teachers valued school librarians' contributions to the teaching of writing standards more than librarians did. In addition, the paper presents a review of the literature pertaining to the school librarian's contributions to the teaching of writing skills and offers suggestions for applying the findings of this research to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to identify service quality differences among librarians working in the public and private sector university libraries of Pakistan. An adapted instrument based on the SERVQUAL model, comprised of 30 items and divided into four dimensions, (a) responsiveness; (b) reliability; (c) assurance; and (d) empathy, was used to measure the service quality of librarians. A convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from the users of public and private university libraries, with the Mann-Whitney U test used to find the differences between public and private university librarians' service quality. Additionally, effect size was measured by using formula (r = Z/√N) to find the degrees of differences. Findings of the study show that four dimensions, empathy, responsiveness, assurance and reliability, can influence service quality of librarians. The users of university libraries are overall satisfied with the service quality of librarians. However, a significant difference was found in the satisfaction level of users regarding service quality of librarians working in public and private university libraries. Effect size shows that the librarians of private university libraries are generally more capable of providing prompt services to users. The results of this paper will help the management of public and private sector university libraries improve librarians' service quality capabilities. Furthermore, the results of this study can be used as a guideline to compare the service quality of librarians in different libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Im Dezernat Medienbearbeitung der Universitätsbibliothek Potsdam wurden im Rahmen einer Evaluation sieben Kernprozesse definiert. Auf Basis dieser wurden erstmals zentrale Arbeitsbereiche erhoben, beschrieben und dokumentiert. Dabei stand der medienneutrale Geschäftsgang im Fokus der Neuausrichtung. Der Artikel thematisiert die zentralen Erkenntnisse der letzten fünf Jahre und gibt einen Überblick zur aktuellen Struktur. As part of an evaluation initiative, the department for media processing at Potsdam's university library has identified seven core processes. They serve as the basis for defining, describing and documenting central areas of work. The focus is on media-neutral business routines in the reconfiguration of tasks. The paper presents key findings of the past five years and provides an overview of the new structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries are one of the vital institutions that collect and manage the intellectual and cultural output of human beings, both in print and digital forms. Along with the growth of digital collections, the threats to or vulnerability of those collections are also increasing. This paper aims to describe the digital disaster preparedness measures implemented by respondent academic libraries in Indonesia that participated in the study. The study was conducted in Jakarta, Indonesia. The finding shows that even though libraries have taken steps to protect their digital data and collections, most of the libraries that participated in this study do not have a written digital disaster preparedness policy and had never conducted a risk analysis of the potential for digital disasters in their institutions. This research recommends that the libraries need to do a risk assessment first to prevent and manage any potential disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to bring to light the state of education in Digital Libraries (DLs) in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, and the readiness of library schools to produce future digital librarians in Nigeria. The study covered 31 universities offering Library and Information Science (LIS) approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria. The main data collection method for the study was analysis of departmental documents containing the LIS curriculum. Second, six Library and Information Science educators in universities that are yet to integrate digital libraries course in their LIS curricula were interviewed. The study revealed that majority of the library schools offer a course in digital libraries or related areas as a core course in their curricula. However, only a few library schools have computer laboratories for students to enhance their digital library skills. Some LIS educators identified challenges such as lack of qualified ICT staff to handle the course and a lack of computer laboratories equipped with modern computers and stable Internet facilities in the LIS departments. Findings from the study will inform library educators on the need to redesign curricula to integrate digital libraries course, in order to produce future digital librarians in this digital era and thus overcome the frequently mentioned challenge of lack of ICT staff to manage digital libraries in Nigeria. The project will enable library schools in Nigeria to provide a world class library education that is in line with the standard recommended by international and national LIS professional bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consortia are widely used by academic libraries worldwide to support the most cost-effective means of acquiring digital content and services. Some developing countries, however, have been slow to benefit from consortia due to a range of obstacles and challenges faced by their academic libraries and higher education sectors more broadly. This paper investigates the current state, and future prospects, for consortia in one developing country, Vietnam. A questionnaire survey was distributed to all academic libraries in Vietnam. Valid surveys were received from 99 respondents (34.37 % response rate). The survey results address a number of issues, including current levels of engagement in consortia; identification of drivers for, and obstacles to, the use of consortia; the support required by libraries for future participation; and the need for a supportive legal and administrative framework. The paper concludes that there is a willingness by Vietnamese academic librarians to engage with consortia, but there are also considerable obstacles to be overcome to make this possible. The conclusions are presented as a series of 11 recommendations aimed at improving the operating conditions for consortia in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new theory of metadata enriching and filtering. The theory emerged from a rigorous grounded theory data analysis of 57 in-depth interviews with metadata experts, library and information science researchers, librarians as well as academic library users (G. Alemu, A Theory of Digital Library Metadata: The Emergence of Enriching and Filtering, University of Portsmouth PhD thesis, Portsmouth, 2014). Partly due to the novelty of Web 2.0 approaches and mainly due to the absence of foundational theories to underpin socially constructed metadata approaches, this research adapted a social constructivist philosophical approach and a constructivist grounded theory method (K. Charmaz, Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide through Qualitative Analysis, SAGE Publications, London, 2006). The theory espouses the importance of enriching information objects with descriptions pertaining to the about-ness of information objects. Such richness and diversity of descriptions, it is argued, could chiefly be achieved by involving users in the metadata creation process. The theory includes four overarching metadata principles - metadata enriching, linking, openness and filtering. The theory proposes a mixed metadata approach where metadata experts provide the requisite basic descriptive metadata, structure and interoperability (a priori metadata) while users continually enrich it with their own interpretations (post-hoc metadata). Enriched metadata is inter- and cross-linked ( the principle of linking), made openly accessible ( the principle of openness) and presented ( the principle of filtering) according to user needs. It is argued that enriched, interlinked and open metadata effectively rises and scales to the challenges presented by the growing digital collections and changing user expectations. This metadata approach allows users to pro-actively engage in co-creating metadata, hence enhancing the findability, discoverability and subsequent usage of information resources. This paper concludes by indicating the current challenges and opportunities to implement the theory of metadata enriching and filtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LIS Schools in South Africa, like in many other parts of the world, are part of a triangular relationship involving LIS teaching departments, universities and the library and information services profession. This relationship is profoundly affected by a rapidly evolving information and technology environment as well as higher education restructuring globally. In a context of 'diffusion and diversity' arising from this relationship, this paper takes a look at LIS Schools in South Africa to ascertain whether they have succumbed to the pressures and constraints brought about by a technologically driven information environment and the so called efficiency models of universities. Alternatively, have they used these pressures as challenges to catalyse a paradigm shift from a discipline that evolved largely on a pragmatic basis to one grounded in epistemology and research methodologies providing it with the capacity to embrace rapidly evolving trends in the generation, use and transfer of information in the ICT age? A qualitative approach, involving a cursory survey of LIS School Heads in South Africa analysed against conceptual understandings gleaned from relevant literature, frames the inquiry attempting to address these critical questions. The paper outlines the pressures of the triangular relationship that frames the existence and inherent difficulties of the LIS School and points out that the LIS Schools surveyed, each in their own way within their institutional contexts, have managed thus far to survive their challenges - albeit this being no guarantee of continued survival. In terms of whether these LIS Schools have used these pressures as challenges to catalyse a paradigm shift in their conceptualisation of LIS education, the limited data from the cursory survey of LIS School Heads suggests that some LIS Schools may have been engaging more with such a paradigm shift than others. The paper concludes that LIS Schools, in South Africa or elsewhere, need to dig deeply and creatively into their epistemological resources and use the interdisciplinary nature of the LIS discipline to sustain their academic projects in a highly competitive and arduous environment. The paper suggests a followup to the cursory survey of LIS Schools in South Africa to 'drill down' into individual institutional dynamics to mine primary data for studies towards addressing LIS School challenges emanating from the changing environments within which they are located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on climate change and sustainability have been gaining interest within the global preservation and conservation communities. However, studies related to sustainability in library preservation and conservation, especially in academic libraries, are still limited. This study aims to determine current practices of sustainable library preservation and conservation in academic libraries. The findings of this study will serve as a starting point to obtaining a comprehensive understanding of how academic libraries are implementing climate change–responsible preservation and conservation programs. This study applies quantitative and descriptive approaches to collect data. A questionnaire was distributed to the top 200 universities in the Universitas Indonesia (UI) GreenMetric World University Rankings 2021. The results show that current practices of sustainable library preservation and conservation implemented at the majority of academic libraries relate to sustainable energy use. Although some areas still need to be developed (e.g., policy and regulation toward sustainable library preservation and conservation practices, alternative eco-friendly preservation and conservation materials, and waste management practices), the fact that academic libraries have implemented sustainable practices in preservation and conservation is noted as a positive finding, since it represents success in universities' efforts to address the climate change issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of examining modelling methods in academic electronic libraries is justified by the need to understand the library's structure and ensure its operation in technological terms. The purpose of this study is to analyse the applied modelling methods for electronic libraries serving Kazakhstani and international higher education institutions. The study employed basic (structural, comparative-comparative) and additional (analytical-synthetic, graphical) methods. During this study, it was found that the main modelling methods for modern electronic libraries include the following: conceptual with the establishment of a clear hierarchy between objects of the electronic library and attributes of search queries, logical using search categorisation, informational employing the semantic principle of material construction and systemic-functional ensuring a balance between functions, structure, technologies and the management system. In particular, after modelling the structure of Kazakhstani, British and American digital libraries at universities, it was determined that the Yale University Electronic Library Collection is built on the method of logical modelling, the Electronic Library at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University uses the systemic-functional method, the Cambridge University Electronic Library employs the informational method and the Al-Farabi Library uses the conceptual method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hungarian librarianship and related research are sadly underrepresented in international literature. With this article we intend to fill this gap and inform the experts of library and information science of some of the most recent Hungarian innovations. After showcasing the international professional connections of Hungarian librarianship, we present the structure of the Hungarian public library network and its mode of operation. We also analyse current and future main digital development plans, projects and the most important related professional activities of Hungarian libraries. Emphasis is placed on information systems promoting cooperation between libraries and the issues of the National Library System Project, which is a large-scale modernisation programme carried out between 2016 and 2018, designed to develop the IT system of the National Széchényi Library. After introducing the information systems of academic and specialised libraries and the access models of scientific databases provided by multinational and Hungarian content services, we also discuss the endeavours of public libraries aiming for multifunctionality and community organisation. The paper ends by providing insights into how the outcomes of the recent initiatives have been fed back into Hungarian LIS training courses offered in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an aspect of a 2016 masters study which addresses the research question: what knowledge and skills do humanities librarians require to effectively provide support to postgraduate students in the digital age? The study adopted a qualitative approach using a multiple case study design, within a constructivist paradigm, to respond to the research question, with core competency theory used to provide theoretical support. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with purposively sampled librarians and postgraduate students from Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape, all of which are situated in the Western Cape of South Africa. A significant finding of the study is that a mixture of discipline-specific knowledge and skills, generic skills and personal attributes are required by humanities librarians to effectively support postgraduate students, especially in the current digital age. The study presents a knowledge and skills framework that could be used to ascertain humanities librarians' current knowledge and skills as well as establish areas for further knowledge and skills acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th aim of the paper is to present findings of a study on information sources and information behavior of doctoral students at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The study also looked into student perceptions of the role of the academic library and their attitudes toward it as a legitimate partner in the research process, as doctoral students are required to publish the results of their doctoral research in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals during their course of study. However, they rarely use the library and its services; the study was undertaken with the intent to obtain insight into the students' information behavior as well as needs and reasons for overlooking the library as a relevant partner in their research process. The online survey was conducted on a sample of 138 postgraduate students, with semi-structured interviews with five postgraduate students also conducted. The findings show a dominant student orientation towards online sources such as online databases and Google Scholar. Students tend to overlook the library as a relevant information source but have positive attitudes toward librarians (their knowledge, skills and courtesy). The library needs to become more active in promoting its services and, especially in the domain of postgraduate education, needs to be regarded as a necessary location for any serious research work, where librarians are regarded as cooperating partners in the research process. There were a few limitations of the study: respondents were unwilling to dedicate their time to this research and therefore the interviews were too short to examine the topics discussed in-depth, while the sample was extremely homogeneous, making the results only in part transferable to other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bibliotheksdienst is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bibliotheksdienst is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In many countries, including Malaysia, school librarians are entrusted with the delivery of information literacy education to both teachers and students. However, the extent of school librarians' own information literacy skills and capabilities is not well understood. Accordingly, this paper examines (1) the level of self-assessed information literacy skills among school librarians and (2) the perceived need for these school librarians to have information literacy skills. Employing a self-administered postal survey of school librarians in two Malaysian states (Selangor and Pahang), the study indicates that urban school librarians are better trained than their rural counterparts. The urban respondents also self-assessed their information literacy skills at a higher level than the rural respondents. There was some variation in responses depending on in-service training and length of professional experience. The results reveal that the respondents are information literate, but need further training and exposure to information literacy. However, there is presently little encouragement for them to acquire additional skills training in information literacy or other areas of school librarianship. This research is limited to school librarians in two districts and may not be generalisable to all school librarians in Malaysia. As the study relies on self-assessment and reporting regarding information literacy skills, future research could seek to test librarians' information literacy skills by means of external evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although higher education (HE) libraries have given increasing attention to information literacy, the information literacy requirements of researchers have been relatively neglected. This paper reports on the findings of a national survey on the training of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in the UK, focusing on the information literacy training provided by academic libraries, in the context of generic research skills training programmes provided by HE institutions. Significant differences between librarianled and centrally provided training are highlighted as well as variation in the breadth of information literacy training provided. Key issues in training provision in this area are identified, and options for developing information literacy support for researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bibliotheksdienst is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The two inscribed artifacts discussed in this article were excavated by C. L. Woolley during the seventh field campaign (1928-1929) at Tell al-Muqayyar, ancient Ur, Iraq. The objects were shipped to the British Museum of London in 1930 and 1935 and have never been published in print. These items are presented and analysed here through a review of their textual information, archaeological context, and associated material culture, using unpublished data from the Ur collection kept in the British Museum. This paper is part of a collaborative research project aiming at re-contextualizing the archaic texts from Ur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global spread of English has made it the dominant language in academic publishing (Hyland, Ken. 2015. Academic Publishing: Issues and Challenges in the Construction of Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press). Influenced by enterprise culture, scholars from peripheral non-Western countries face mounting pressure to publish in English (Curry, Marry Jane & Theresa Lillis (eds.). 2017. Global academic publishing: Policies, perspectives and pedagogies. Bristol, UK: Multilingual matters). The English academic publishing industry has also ballooned in China (Tian, Mei, Yan Su & Xin Ru. 2016. Perish or publish in China: Pressures on young Chinese scholars to publish in internationally indexed journals. Publications 4(2). 9.). In response to the Chinese government's commitment to developing world-class universities and disciplines to enhance the internationalization of its higher education system, local Chinese scholars are increasingly encouraged to produce research that has international impact, as well as to engage in international academic exchange and cooperation arrangements (Li, Yongyan & Guangwei Hu. 2018. Collaborating with management academics in a new economy: Benefits and challenges. Publications 6. 1–17). In seeking academic collaboration, a growing number of Chinese academics have participated in visiting scholar programs offered by western-based universities. In light of this emergent phenomenon, this study explores how Chinese visiting scholars, driven by an ethical imperative to enhance human capital at "neoliberal universities" (Holborow, Marnie. 2013. Applied linguistics in the neoliberal university: Ideological keywords and social agency. Applied Linguistics Review 4(2). 229–257), exploited language-related resources available to them to succeed in English academic publishing. Data, which include in-depth interviews, social media posts, journals, resumes and manuscripts that were in press at academic journals, were collected from two Chinese professors who took part in a one-year visiting scholar program in the U.S. university. Our findings revealed that under the mounting expectations to publish in English-dominated SSCI journals, our focal participants enacted linguistic entrepreneurial practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is culled from a doctoral study that investigated the development and management of digital libraries in selected academic libraries in Ghana. In this article, the authors report on the value that faculty members place on access to and use of digital resources and their implications for library services in three Ghanaian universities. The survey method was used to administer a structured questionnaire to 230 faculty members. Using convenience sampling, 10% of faculty were selected from the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Cape Coast. Univariate and bivariate analyses were done to construct frequencies and establish relationships among respondents. Findings showed that less than half of the faculty members were aware of and used digital resources such as the online databases, institutional repositories, the library's website and the online public access catalogue (OPAC). Nevertheless, the impact of the resources on them was very positive. The study recommended the need for university librarians to interact with faculty during orientation sessions for new faculty as well as new heads of departments. Additionally, subject librarians should work closely with departmental heads to be allocated periods for presentation on available digital resources, their usefulness for their own career enhancement and for their teaching role. The underlying implications of this study show that more advocacies are required from university libraries to enhance the use of digital resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bibliotheksdienst is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bibliotheksdienst is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bibliotheksdienst is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines different outreach strategies in academic libraries in Canada, the United States and China. It analyzes the possibilities and concerns of community outreach and argues that community outreach by libraries is the best approach to respond to the increasing significance of community engagement in academic environment. Drawing on the outreach program at the University of Toronto Libraries, this paper demonstrates that academic libraries can effectively connect resources and enable interactions between scholars and the public. These connections and interactions ultimately lead to the preservation and generation of knowledge and understanding. Available outreach examples are investigated and classified into four major categories: 1) community access, 2) information literacy, 3) cooperation, exchange and partnership, and 4) exhibitions and scholarly events. In each category the trends and values are illustrated by representative cases discussed in literature and the activities organized by the author in his capacity as the Director of the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library, and the Chair of the International and Community Outreach Committee at the University of Toronto Libraries. The discussion and analysis of the diverse outreach activities in this article provide guidance and suggestions for academic librarians who are interested in outreach and community engagement of any scale and nature. Cases are draw from a wide spectrum and are particularly strong in the setting of large academic libraries, special collections and programming for multicultural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]