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Since internationally visible scientific productivity is a criterion for state evaluation of Croatian academic and scientific institutions and their scientists, Croatian academic libraries have a key role in quantitative evaluation of scientific productivity using methods such as bibliometrics, scientometrics and the like. The aim of this case study is to identify and illustrate the current situation of library services for evaluating scientific production at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and to make recommendations for the further development of such services, which could serve as a framework for the systematic implementation of this type of service in all libraries at the University of Zagreb and beyond. More specifically, the purpose of this paper was to identify the existence of the bibliometric services in the libraries of the University of Zagreb (UNIZG), examine the status and involvement of university librarians in the academic advancement procedures and to identify the required competences for bibliometric experts in Croatia. The research was conducted using the content analysis method, the survey method, and the focus group method. The research results show that although UNIZG libraries are integrated into the system of academic promotion and the role of UNIZG libraries is enshrined in Croatian regulations, the bibliometric service is not standardised at the University level. The results also indicate that the service needs to be strengthened in terms of training of professional staff and greater investment in staff capacity and infrastructure. The fact that the study was conducted at a single Croatian university is a possible limitation that could relate to the application of guidelines for further actions and the development of bibliometric services at national level. It would therefore be desirable to conduct future research to identify the situation at other Croatian universities as well. It would also be necessary to determine the open science and open access policies at UNIZG through further research and, in this context, to establish guidelines for possible improvements in the processes of evaluating scientific productivity. The results of this study make an important contribution to the possible future positioning of university libraries and UNIZG librarians in the process of evaluating scientific productivity. In addition, some practical advice is given so that this case study may be a good introductory overview for the wider academic community in relation to this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper considers how changes in the research landscape are simultaneously changing the skills needs of library staff, and opening up new opportunities for researchers to pursue careers within libraries. It explores what skills, competencies and knowledge staff with doctoral qualifications can bring to library research support services. Context: Librarians working in research support areas need different skills to the skills academic librarians have traditionally needed. There is currently a gap in the training which those undertaking professional librarianship qualifications receive, in relation to the skills needed for research roles. Simultaneously, expansion in the numbers of PhD students in the UK in recent years has been accompanied by the professionalisation of researcher skills development, equipping students with transferable skills for careers outside, as well as inside, academia. Methodology: This paper compares the skills' needs of research librarians with the competencies and skills of doctoral graduates, specifically in the UK context (as articulated in the Vitae Researcher Development Framework). It also surveys and discusses the skill-set and qualifications of research support staff employed at three UK research libraries. Results: Understanding the needs and, importantly, the behaviours, of researchers is integral to the provision of a successful library research support service. Many of the skills which are necessary for library graduates to have, are those that are already identified as essential researcher skills. The peerlevel support offered by library staff with research backgrounds has a role in developing stronger relationships between the library and the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians working in higher education want to support students in the pursuit of their academic work, based on the good use of information. To this end, they need to know the emerging pedagogical changes that they can take advantage of when designing their courses, integrating this knowledge into a more segmented, clear, and objective training offer, based on international references, published in the last decades, since the ACRL Standards, until the ACRL Framework. The attention given to these documents can prepare librarians for the necessary updating of skills, supporting innovation, and best practice achievement. This paper aims to systematise the evolution of concepts and practices of information literacy guidelines in higher education and identify their inspiration for the creation of Portuguese guidelines. An exploratory inventory of international information associations was carried out to identify information literacy guidelines. The content analysis of these guidelines allowed the identification of pedagogical trends in the performance of libraries and their professionals. The analysed contents show an interpretative evolution of the guidelines, converging in the ACRL Framework and the contents of the Portuguese recommendations for academic libraries for the period 2020-2022. It is evident that updating skills for librarians requires not only an awareness of sector trends, but also transforming them into good practice and recommendations appropriate for the national context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) now forms a part of various activities in the academic world. AI will also affect how research libraries perform and carry out their services and how the various kinds of data they hold in their repositories will be used in the future. For the moment, the landscape is complex and unclear, and library personnel and leaders are uncertain about where they should lay the path ahead. This extensive literature review provides an overview of how research libraries understand, react to, and work with AI. This paper examines the roles conceived for libraries and librarians, their users, and AI. Finally, design thinking is presented as an approach to solving emerging issues with AI and opening up opportunities for this technology at a more strategic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians in academic libraries are facing major changes in their work due to, e.g., the internet, digitization, and increasing use of new channels for information retrieval by their most important clients, namely researchers. This creates challenges for librarians: both to deepen their own expertise and to develop innovative service models for their clients. In this paper we present a development project entitled ‘Knotworking in the Library’ from the Helsinki University Library. The project made use of the Change Laboratory method, which is an intensive developmental effort which facilitates improvements in the activities of organizations and changes in the organizational culture. The process started in Viikki Campus Library in 2009–2010 and continued in the City Centre Campus Library in 2010–2011. The aim was to create new kinds of partnership between libraries and research groups in the form of knotworking. By knotworking we mean a boundary-crossing, collective problem-solving way of organizing work. The knotworking model presented in this paper generated practical tools to assist selected research groups in dealing with data management related-issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries are increasingly adopting user-centred design (UCD) approaches to the development of their services for the benefit of customers. Less attention is paid to evaluating the activity of designing these services. To address this managerial question, we present a study that examines UCD performance in the context of digital library services' development. The study builds on the existing knowledge on library and design evaluation and examines the literature from two theoretical perspectives: performance management and temporalities. As the primary contribution of this paper, we introduce the conceptual 360-Degree Temporal Benefits Model, which captures the situation where many stakeholders are involved in a design activity of digital library service. Application of the model to two cases demonstrates that the stakeholders can assess the benefits of UCD very differently. We argue that the new model helps in framing the change from the measurable design benefits towards more ambitious and ambiguous public values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ETH Zurich's university collections and archives encompass around twenty facilities with unique holdings. Their diversity reflects the historic development of collections at the university and its modern potential for research and teaching. ETH Zurich makes its collections and archives available for research and teaching in a form that befits the digital age. To this end, it combines ETH Library's skills in information science with the expertise of the collection owners in the departments in accordance with the Strategy 2015-2020, which was passed by the Executive Board in 2014. This paper presents the strategic approach of ETH Zurich's Executive Board and focuses on the role of ETH Library in the current line of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to understand, compare, and contrast professional experiences, attitudes, and beliefs among personnel in academic libraries in the USA and in Germany, which may inform future library and librarian collaborations between the two countries. Notable findings include differences in: respondents' professional backgrounds; services offered by, and perceived adequacy and support of, respondents' libraries; and views of the library profession and its future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While open access (OA) has become a significant part of scientific communication and academic publishing, qualification issues have been out of focus in the OA community until recent years. Based on findings about the qualification for OA within university-based programs in France and Germany the authors surveyed continuing professional education activities regarding OA in both countries in the years 2012-2015. The results indicate that there are different types of events qualifying for OA and reveal a lack of coherent concepts for different target groups. Until now traditional presentation formats have been dominant. Formats for distance learning, like MOOCs or webinars, might serve different needs and interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]