Search

A library should be accessible and provide inclusive services. This is a challenge for many developing countries. However, with limited funding and infrastructure, there have been concerted attempts to mitigate this challenge. This paper focuses on mini-libs as a possible solution for library users with print disabilities. A case study approach is used to focus on a South African partnership between the North-West University and the North-West Provincial Department of Arts and Culture. Funding was sought to establish and support mini-libs in the North West Province community libraries through a leading South African petroleum company. Using a qualitative approach, the study investigated the implications of establishing mini-libraries (mini-libs) as a possible solution. The main results identified challenges in resource provision, negative attitudes in library staff, and accessibility to the min-libs. Training for both library patrons and library staff is recommended to resolve some of the challenges reported. The paper also recommends that resources be allocated for the mini-libs to be relevant to the library patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the status and application of automated acquisition in central university libraries in north India. North India is a loosely defined region consisting of northern parts of India. Significantly, all the libraries are having very rich collections of different types of documents. Design/methodology/approach: Data for the present study have been collected using questionnaire. Interview and observation techniques have also been used to bring more objectivity in the present study. MS-Excel has been used for analysis of the data. Results show that varying levels of progress has been made with respect to implementation of acquisition system in the surveyed libraries. Findings: Expectations of user community have been increased manifold in the wired world. Furthermore, suggest that the staff morale is boost up in the automated environment. Research limitations/implications: The study covers select academic libraries of north India. Application of various features of acquisition module is examined in this paper along with the staff perspective about automation. Automation process in these university libraries has been started with the selection of different library management software package in different universities. Notably, all the prominent central universities are located in north India. Practical implications: The evaluation shed light on the current automation scenario in prominent academic libraries of India. Social implications: All the surveyed libraries must explore the fullest potentials of all the features available in the software to provide better services. This will help in heading toward and information rich society. Originality/value: There have been a couple of studies in the past on library automation in academic libraries, but none have intended to cover collection building or acquisition activities in central university libraries of north India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market data clearly shows a growing user preference for streamed media along with a rapid decline in the use of physical media by consumers. In an effort to quantify this trend on a local level, circulation data and fund expenditures for physical media were analyzed along with usage statistics for streamed media databases at the University of Kansas. Data collected will be used to inform acquisitions and subscription renewals going forward. Given the increasing availability of content in streamed databases and issues of access versus ownership in preserving the cultural record, librarians must decide how to responsibly spend allocated funds for physical media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes recent activities of the Central Library of Charles University (based in Prague, Czech Republic) in regards to providing access to digitized and digital-born content, in particular theses and habilitation theses as well as additional varieties of electronic content. The paper also describes the process behind the creation of the digital repository of Charles University, current tasks and plans for the future development of this service. We attempt to answer two "simple" questions: "Where are we now?" and "Where do we want to be in the future?" [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical processing means library technical services and maintenance activities of a library's collection. Behind the-scenes activities that a library undertakes to process library materials loaned for the public. Most technical services operations covered ordering, claiming and receipt of materials; cataloging, classification of materials; and serials control. Other technical services include the activities related to acquiring donated materials, and repairing and preservation of library materials. I have been studied technical processing of the five private university libraries of Assam. In my studied, I want to study on determine the acquisition policy and procedure about the library materials and through light about different procedure and practices about library classification and cataloguing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of primary documentary sources indexed by Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) indicates that LISTA indexed 519 and LISA indexed 327 primary documentary sources. These sources mainly are scholarly or academic journals, magazines and trade journals. As proportion of total documentary sources, the share of scholarly journals indexed by LISA was more than LISTA. However, in absolute terms the journals indexed by LISTA were more than LISA. LISTA indexed scholarly journals from 37 countries and LISA indexed scholarly journals from 38 countries. LISA mainly emphasized indexing of scholarly periodicals as compared to LISTA, which also emphasized to index magazines. Of the total 646 scholarly titles indexed by LISTA and LISA, 131 titles were common to both databases. Maximum titles indexed by both the databases were published from USA and UK. Most of these journals were published by commercial publishers. Taylor and Francis Ltd contributed highest number of journals to both the databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers tips on organization of data in libraries. Topics include the use of spreadsheet to sort data in an order and categories; that one should be able to perform simple data cleaning to facilitate accurate comparisons; and that one should provide context, such as comparison of case counts over time.

Objective – To investigate researchers’ practices and attitudes regarding research data management and data sharing. Design – Email survey. Setting – Universities in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Subjects – Surveys were sent to 4,086 academic faculty researchers. Methods – The survey was emailed to faculty at three Arab universities, targeting faculty in the life sciences and engineering. The survey was created using Google Docs and remained open for five months. Participants were asked basic demographic questions, questions regarding their research data and metadata practices, and questions regarding their data sharing practices. Main Results – The authors received 337 responses, for a response rate of 8%. The results showed that 48.4% of respondents had a data management plan and that 97% were responsible for preserving their own data. Most respondents stored their research data on their personal storage devices. The authors found that 64.4% of respondents reportedsharing their research data. Respondents most frequently shared their data by publishing in a data research journal, sharing through academic social networks such as ResearchGate, and providing data upon request to peers. Only 5.1% of respondents shared data through an open data repository. Of those who did not share data, data privacy and confidentiality were the most common reasons cited. Of the respondents who did share their data, contributing to scientific progress and increased citation and visibility were the primary reasons for doing so. A total of 59.6% of respondents stated that they needed more training in research data management from their universities. Conclusion – The authors conclude that researchers at Arab universities are still primarily responsible for their own data and that data management planning is still a new concept to most researchers. For the most part, the researchers had a positive attitude toward data sharing, although depositing data in open repositories is still not a widespread practice. The authors conclude that in order to encourage strong data management practices and open data sharing among Arab university researchers, more training and institutional support is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study is to investigate the readiness rate for implementing the 5S methodology in one of the greatest ancient public libraries in Iran and the Islamic world. The other objectives of this study are to determine the necessity and possibility of the 5S implementation in this library. The target population included all librarians, 110 people, working in the library departments who are in direct contact with users, out of whom 86 ones were selected randomly. After holding a training workshop on 5S, required data was collected by a self-made questionnaire. The research findings show that the librarians have a superb knowledge regarding the necessity of implementing the 5S in the library and according to them, implementing the 5S is relatively possible. Moreover, the library readiness, for implementing the 5S, has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) Collection, Evaluation and Assessment Interest Group Meeting at the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference held in Chicago, Illinois in June 2017 is presented. Topics include library collections, conversion of stored books to electronic books (ebooks) and assessment of usage data.

This paper expounds to mine up data with the DBSCAN algorithm in order to help teachers and students find which books they expect in the sea of library. In the first place, the model that DBSCAN algorithm applies in library data miner is proposed, followed by the DBSCAN algorithm improved on demands. In the end, an experiment is cited herein to validate this algorithm. The results show that the book price and the inventory level in the library produce a less impact on the resultant aggregation than the classification of books and the frequency of book borrowings. Library procurers should therefore purchase and subscribe data based on the results from cluster analysis thereby to improve hierarchies and structure distribution of library resources, forging on the library resources to be more scientific and reasonable, while it is also conducive to arousing readers' borrowing interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large purchasable screening libraries of small molecules afforded by commercial vendors are indispensable sources for virtual screening (VS). Selecting an optimal screening library for a specific VS campaign is quite important to improve the success rates and avoid wasting resources in later experimental phases. Analysis of the structural features and molecular diversity for different screening libraries can provide valuable information to the decision making process when selecting screening libraries for VS. In this study, the structural features and scaffold diversity of eleven purchasable screening libraries and Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound Database (TCMCD) were analyzed and compared. Their scaffold diversity represented by the Murcko frameworks and Level 1 scaffolds was characterized by the scaffold counts and cumulative scaffold frequency plots, and visualized by Tree Maps and SAR Maps. The analysis demonstrates that, based on the standardized subsets with similar molecular weight distributions, Chembridge, ChemicalBlock, Mucle, TCMCD and VitasM are more structurally diverse than the others. Compared with all purchasable screening libraries, TCMCD has the highest structural complexity indeed but more conservative molecular scaffolds. Moreover, we found that some representative scaffolds were important components of drug candidates against different drug targets, such as kinases and guanosine-binding protein coupled receptors, and therefore the molecules containing pharmacologically important scaffolds found in screening libraries might be potential inhibitors against the relevant targets. This study may provide valuable perspective on which purchasable compound libraries are better for you to screen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information security is one of the major challenges of the information and knowledge based society. The preoccupation of organizations to ensure the security of information in the digital environment has led to the emergence of specific standards in the field. Thus, ISO 27000 brings together reference standards in the field. Starting from ISO 27001, which summarizes policies and procedures on physical, legal and technological security risks, this paper looks at the steps the organization must undertake to implement the standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key pointsThe Open Discovery Initiative (ODI) was created in 2011 to improve participation among content providers in the then ‐ novel web ‐ scale discovery services.The issues addressed by the ODI included metadata standards, content indexing, and availability of licensed content in discovery services.After adoption of the recommended practice in June 2014, a new Standing Committee has been formed to address unfinished business and implementation.A challenge for the ODI is finding the right balance between the needs of commercial partners and library customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key pointsLean methods can give rich insights: Even a few, short sessions with a handful of users can generate useful inputs for a user ‐ centric design process.Design for beginners: An interface that supports novices will also support experts.Keep it simple: Focus on functionality that supports core search and discovery tasks.Popular or high ‐ value features should have prime position and rarely used or low ‐ value features should be hidden or removed.Visual cues are important for usability, as is balancing the visual space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key pointsWorking with library discovery services can improve end user experience, increase usage, and help sales.Methodologies developed for working with discovery tools can be applied to other discovery channels, such as search engines and abstract and indexing (A&I) databases.Publishers need to focus on data quality, workflows, and complying with industry standards.Publisher collaboration with vendors will impact a large number of libraries and end users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the use of data services in academic libraries, discussing topics such as the management of scholarly publications, the role of a librarian working in such libraries, and the use of data instruction models in libraries.

The author discusses the implication of big data industry in the library and information sciences (LIS). Topics include the benefits of using big data analytics in all academic fields, the increasing growth and interests in big data due to low cost in data storage, and the need for librarians to understand big data and their use for facilitating basic research. Several LIS schools in the U.S. that added big data to their curricula are also mentioned, including the University of Pittsburgh.

Libraries as memory institutions and infrastructure for science have for the most part undergone the digital transformation. For some people, the apparent dichotomy between the allegedly good old world of the printed book, which included readers and dignified education, and the world of the ubiquitous digital, which is often perceived to be dangerous and in which we are flooded with data and stimuli and wander about in confusion, may still stir heated discussions. For libraries, that dichotomy is long gone. Today the libraries' concern is to let knowledge contents do their work in the various innovative and--more often than not--mobile user scenarios of the internet. The content's format is irrelevant. The new mantra is 'content in context'. The focus is as much on knowledge, learning, and research as on culture and education for everyone. The big challenge for the libraries of tomorrow is the trend towards the disappearance of that textual culture. It will be replaced by the new knowledge paradigm of the data stream that is dynamic, multimedia, and constantly changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubiquitous computing aims to make tasks that depend on computing transparent to the users, providing resources and services anytime and anywhere. Currently, libraries have sought to position themselves closer to their users, by adopting ubiquitous technologies. This paper presents an intelligent model to support ubiquitous libraries called U-Library. U-Library specification focuses on relevant aspects to build intelligent systems, such as the use of trails, dynamic profiles, recommendation strategies, ontologies and multi-agent systems (MAS). The model provides appropriate information and tools for librarians to maintain resources and services in a library, as well as tools that enable them to offer better services. We have developed a prototype that was evaluated by volunteers using data from a real library. More than 200 thousand records formed the resources database. The trails database consisted of ∼7 million records, covering the period from 31 January 2000 to 1 July 2013, and associated with 26 476 users. The group of volunteers that participated of the experiment consisted of 20 clients and 25 librarians. The evaluation sought to measure ease of use and perceived usefulness of U-Library, as well as the quality of the recommendations delivered. The results showed a good acceptance of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of increasing online discoverability in a mixed-format archival collection. Topics include the supply of detailed inventory in a text document by collection creator Russell E.Train, the idea of Smithsonian Libraries to provide records that address the needs of physical and digital materials in an archival collection through its Encoded Archival Description and Machine-Readable Cataloging, and the principles for the creation of records in an online publication.

This article identifies issues with cataloging backlogs and quality control, particularly relating to the subsequent ingest of content into library high density storage. Results of a pilot project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are used to demonstrate the high cost of retroactively addressing cataloging concerns, and how not addressing them contributes to issues in discovery and access. Changes in local cataloging standards, and criteria for how to assess a cost/benefit ratio for quality cataloging are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University of Houston (UH) Libraries, along with three other UH Systems libraries, took the initiative to implementResource Description and Access(RDA), the new resource description standard, across their shared library database. An RDA Implementation Task Force was established to develop a plan and a strategy for the implementation process. The task force targeted a major goal of retrospective enrichment of all existing bibliographic records with RDA elements. This article discusses the RDA implementation planning, systems configuration, vendor collaboration, local RDA guidelines, training, and communication. Authors also identify challenges, benefits, and lessons learned from this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the application of social media in managing academic libraries. It mentions that social media can be used in online networking and communication. It notes that academic libraries can use social media to interact with patrons and community partners online, communicate messages and maintain an online identity.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Library meets the needs of the diverse NIH research community through a range of innovative services, resources, and knowledge. Based upon an understanding of the information industry and the mission and goals of NIH, the NIH Library offers a number of services that exploit data of various types to support assessment and create value. Understanding our users' engagement with content (e.g., citations, behavioral data, research funding) allows us to provide personal and customized services including bibliometrics, collection assessment, and custom information solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the Linked Library Data Interest Group Session at the American Library Association (ALA) midwinter meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2017 is presented. Topics include three-dimensional (3D) metadata resource as mapped with Europeana Data Model (EDM), clothing collection metadata by the Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries and Press metadata librarian Maura Valentino.

Automation efforts in libraries have moved from standalone database systems to cloud-based systems, traversing generations of library management system (LMS) and integrated library management system (ILS) in between. This paper attempts to traverse this transition with emphasis on present-day technological state-of-affairs in the libraries. The traditional terminologies vis-à-vis the cloud associated architecture has been touched upon. The paper introduces library specific tenant- based software services over the cloud architecture and also the associated maturity model. Apart from ILS, other facets of library automation have been talked upon with examples from libraries providing such aggregation or dissemination services. The paper lays special emphasis on library service platforms in use in India. An internet search was done to locate the cloud- based library software in use and thereafter a listing of major vendors and providers promoting these software were made. Questionnaires were sent to such vendors and exploratory study was conducted to overcome the non-respondent bias and the usage statistics extracted. Koha was found to be the most common open source in use over the cloud through a paid support from three of the eleven vendors in India. Only two clouds- enabled proprietary software are available at present, e-Granthalaya and CybrarianTM with former having the support from Government and hence has more installations. A detailed analysis on suitability of an ILS for a library indicated that single-tenant SaaS model suits large libraries while small group of homogeneous libraries can do with multi-tenet SaaS model. Still, library SaaS is in its infancy in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the panel discussions Technical Services Managers in Academic Libraries Interest Group who met in January 2015 and provided an opportunity for around 50 participants to meet with colleagues in small group discussions at roundtables. Roundtable topics included issues that technical services managers and their staff deal with everyday such as library-vendor relations, marketing technical services and in-house collaborative work.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is being increasingly implemented in academic libraries due to a promise of increased collections management efficiency. This paper reports on the recent implementation of RFID technology in the library at the University of Technology Sydney, providing insights into the change management process of RFID implementation. The paper focuses on the implications of the implementation and indigenisation of RFID technology for three specific and symbiotic areas of the library: people, processes and technology. Data from interviews with eight participants involved at various levels of the academic library were collected. This paper develops a best practice model through the insights gained by the people involved in the RFID implementation. The case study posits the dynamic relationships between people, processes and technology as greatly impacted by the implementation process, and analyses the divergence between projected and actual outcomes in the implementation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the opportunity that libraries have to transform and develop their services towards the management and exploitation of data. After setting the scene in the introduction, the article provides a definition of library data services and explains the meaning of term "data" in multiple settings. In order to prove that data services within libraries are not uncommon, the evolution of these types of services is analysed: from the initial social science data libraries to the current research data management services and data curation. This leads to expanding the role of data services as a strategic area for the analysis of the organizational knowledge, always led by libraries. The article finishes by looking at the new professionals, their skills and the background required to provide this new library data services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All of us -- scholars, publishers, librarians -- are being pulled apart by the forces of two concurrent revolutions in information access and processing. Every day, we are reminded that Stewart Brand was right: "Information wants to be free, and information wants to be expensive". Meanwhile, smart appliances and self-driving cars show the way to the Internet of Things in which information is not just for human consumption, while people crowdsource, crowdfund, and share everything from lolcats to regime change. These twin revolutions have already driven fundamental changes in publishing and in library services, and more changes will be coming. Meanwhile, the scholar's limited time and attention are overwhelmed by the rapid changes taking place. By shifting their focus to the scholar's personal information management needs, librarians and publishers can collaborate to deploy new solutions and improve the scholar's information environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data management is an emerging role for libraries that has been increasing in importance in the past ten years. Since many federal funding agencies require a data management plan, libraries have been natural partners in managing that data. Data, particularly geospatial data, have been gathered as part of library services for several decades. While it is easy to see a connection and role for the libraries to provide access and discovery or referral services to these known items, it is far more difficult to help researchers discover data that are unknown. Individual researchers may be aware of the data they have accumulated but it is difficult to determine what other researchers are gathering and utilizing. This article provides details about how one institution with many remote field research stations and limited library resources is attempting to shine a light on hidden data through faculty collaborations. Finding hidden data is a critical and lengthy first step in making the data findable and useable to a wide audience. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The modern academic library environment is changing not only to cope with technological advancements, but also to organise, preserve and make knowledge accessible in real time. The current technological developments, the increased library user expectations and users? participation in the information chain e.g through social media have been the major catalysts for automation. By 2013, Makerere University (Mak) Main Library alone had over 474 Personal Computers (PCs) in its bid to integrate Information Technologies (ITs) in library functions. However, in recent times, there has been evidence of own laptops? usage by Mak Library users. In response to this trend, Mak Main library redesigned space in 2012 to provide data points to accommodate laptop users as the wireless connection infrastructure could no longer handle the exponentially increased user population at Mak library. The paper reports findings of a quantitative study that investigated the usage of the Main library IT facilities, users? preferences and whether the various IT facilities were meeting the users? needs and expectations. The findings revealed that 22% (1221) of the 5,472 library users, at the time of collecting data, were found using library IT facilities, while the rest of the library users 78% (4,251) were engaged in private study, discussions in the Group study facilities or were using other library facilities and services. The 22% found using library IT facilities reported to have used the following: 46% Learning Commons for undergraduates, 4% Research Commons for postgraduates and researchers, 16% OPAC terminals, 2% lab for users with disabilities, 10% laptop users? lab and 22% own laptops connected to the LAN in the rest of the Main library building. Of the 22% who used library IT facilities, only 38% owned laptops, hence confirming the continued need for library PCs. The study highlighted reasons for the preferred IT facilities and its implications for policy on academic library service delivery. The findings confirmed that Mak Main lib had tried to cope with the changing IT developments and user behavior to remain relevant to the academic and research community served. [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.)

This paper reports research carried out at the end of 2012 to survey UK universities to understand in detail the ways in which libraries are currently involved in research data management and the extent to which the development of research data management services is a strategic priority for them. The research shows that libraries were offering limited research data management services, with highest levels of activity in large research-intensive institutions. There were major challenges associated with skills gaps, resourcing and cultural change. However, libraries are currently involved in developing new institutional research data management policies and services, and see this as an important part of their future role. Priorities such as provision of research data management advisory and training services are emerging. A systematic comparison between these results and other recent studies is made in order to create a full picture of activities and trends. An innovation hype-cycle framework is deployed to understand possible futures and Abbott’s theory of professions is used to gain an insight into how libraries are competing to extend their jurisdiction whilst at the same time working collaboratively with other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article talks about the 2016 American Library Association Conference held in Orlando, Florida, wherein Digital Conversion Interest Group highlighted challenges and opportunities related to promoting access and use of digital collections. Topics discussed include a digital exhibit promoting presentation of digitized materials from archival collections, importance of standardized metadata and file naming, and holistic view of digital conversion practices in libraries.

The focus of this edition of “The Balance Point” is text and data mining (TDM). The column editor invited Professor Michelle Alexopoulos from the University of Toronto to coauthor the column. Alexopoulos has completed several major TDM projects and gained considerable knowledge and expertise in the field. The authors conclude that TDM is an important research tool for most disciplines and is growing in importance. As such, libraries and librarians will need to develop new services and partnerships to meet the changing research needs of their constituencies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]