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An interview with systems librarian and cataloger Gordon Dunsire is presented. Topics include progression from studying mathematical physics to becoming a systems librarian, emphasizing his influence on library automation and metadata practices; and the necessity for integrating STEM expertise into library practices. Dunsire also discusses technological transformations in libraries and the importance of ensuring equitable access to information worldwide in the digital age.

Since the release of ChatGPT for public use in November 2022, the academic world has been debating the use and merits of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in academia and academic libraries. Is ChatGPT something that librarians should adopt, or should they shun the new technology altogether? The following articles examine the possibilities of using generative AI and ChatGPT in academic libraries. Overall, the authors see positive applications for the technologies in libraries and encourage librarians to study and learn the implications of using generative AI models in academic library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primary impact metric for institutional repositories (IR) is the number of file downloads, which are commonly measured through third-party Web analytics software. Google Analytics, a free service used by most academic libraries, relies on HTML page tagging to log visitor activity on Google's servers. However, Web aggregators such as Google Scholar link directly to high value content (usually PDF files), bypassing the HTML page and failing to register these direct access events. This article presents evidence of a study of four institutions demonstrating that the majority of IR activity is not counted by page tagging Web analytics software, and proposes a practical solution for significantly improving the reporting relevancy and accuracy of IR performance metrics using Google Analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent decades, the composition of academic library collections has shifted toward electronic formats, resulting in a more complicated publication landscape to be navigated by selectors. Additionally, the workload of public services librarians has become more weighted toward instruction and research support, putting more pressure on the time of liaison librarians tasked with collection development responsibilities. These shifts have prompted academic institutions, including University of Wyoming Libraries, to consider a restructuring of collection development responsibilities. This article describes the evolution and implementation of a centralized model of selection at UW Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Libraries have always tried to identify the places their patrons visit and the tools they use to make sure they are fully serving these patrons. Since a high percentage of adults in the United States use some form of social media, libraries should be visible there too. This column offers guidelines and advice for implementing social media in the academic library in two areas: marketing and instruction. The guidelines will help library administrators plan, implement and assess social media campaigns in both areas and will ensure that valuable time and resources are not wasted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Librarianship has a long tradition of collaboration and cooperation between libraries, but the literature yields scant evidence of formal partnerships in practice in special libraries. This column explores the barriers to collaboration for special libraries, from organizational culture to legal constraints, as well as the potential benefits and how librarians can overcome the barriers to reap these benefits. Different types of collaboration, including among similar special libraries and between special libraries and other types of libraries and related organizations, as well as informal and formal cooperation, and short-term and long-term partnerships, are discussed. Collaboration and cooperation were part of the impetus to form professional associations. The column provides a brief history of professional library associations and their role in supporting library partnerships in the United States. The conclusion explores how the increasingly digital nature of information and library work affects collaborative library efforts and where the future of these efforts may lie, especially for special libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past seven years, the University of Michigan Library's programming model has evolved to be responsive and reflective of staffing areas of interest and expertise. Our team-based, iterative model enables us to develop responsive exhibits, workshops, experiences, and events in our community. This article explores our experiences in developing this model through the lens of some of our collaborations with the Ann Arbor District Library (AADL). Our approach to programming opportunities builds on learning by doing, building deeper, mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations, and continually making sure we are truly developing programming with our audience (our community) in mind. While public and academic libraries often develop distinct sets of services, collections, and expertise to serve their respective communities, successful collaborations can yield interesting opportunities for more effective engagement and programming. Our relationship with AADL has helped us to identify and better understand how we can connect our teaching and research missions with the interests and needs of the broader community in which we are situated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic planning requires us to stop and take a closer look at our organizations and consider the impact that changes in the profession are causing, influenced by the society around us. These considerations lead us past our library walls, past our institutional walls and into a more speculative world of changes in the technological society. Scholars and pundits have provided us with many scenarios for the future, including a world of solely electronic resources and hyper-connected users. But how closely does this match reality and what are the trends in our larger society that will affect how we work in the future. This article provides an overview of several reports on the students and technologies that we work with and closely explores the IFLA Trend Report. The report was developed after discussions with individuals representing many non-academic, non-library organizations and provides us with a view of the larger trends forecast for the information society. The report is envisioned as a living document that invites further comment and wider distribution to the library world and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S. R. Ranganathan's five laws of library science have long been a theoretical cornerstone of librarianship. This article draws on theories in the field of technology studies to advance the claim that the enduring relevance of the five laws is rooted in how they embrace the social construction of technology (SCOT) framework, which is based in the supposition that the actions of user communities shape a technology's meaning. After briefly discussing the five laws along with the central principles of the SCOT framework, the article analyzes how the laws map within the framework and also how the laws confound the claims of a competing theory of technology, technological determinism. The article advocates that librarians use the laws' SCOT-based principles as a guide to navigate through a period of transformative change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excel® offers powerful features that can spare its users countless hours of tedious and unnecessary effort. Pivot tables and pivot charts are robust tools that can streamline the work of analyzing library data, making it nearly instantaneous, visually engaging, and efficient. Although electronic resource usage statistics will be used for illustrative purposes, countless types of data in a tabular format are suited to the application of pivot tables and pivot charts. This article will discuss background and approaches for using these tools, followed by a companion article that will demonstrate essential techniques and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents issues of concern for public librarianship and the concepts of community needs and public interest. Focus is given to the state of public libraries in 2013. Topics addressed include the need for political-economic advocacy on behalf of libraries, the irony of struggling libraries amidst rising rates in literacy and book consumption, and the library as a community center.

The use of a paper-based tally sheet systems for gathering reference statistics has been unchanged for decades. However, with new technology and data gathering tools being developed, libraries now have an alternative for gathering statistical data more efficiently. This paper will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both paper-based tally sheet forms and electronic tracking systems being used in libraries and will encompass a variety of commercial, open source, and homegrown products. Preference for either tool will be explored and determine reasons for a libraries reluctance to embrace new technology and keeping with old methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a lively point/counterpoint format, the authors discuss issues of library technology from two perspectives: that of a library administrator and that of an Emerging Technologies Librarian. Rather than providing an artificial sense of closure, this article is designed to highlight differing positions on these issues, inviting libraries to use these conflicting viewpoints as tools to aid them in finding the solutions that best fit their unique situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southern Methodist University's libraries and central IT staff have been working hand in hand for more than 30 years to provide high quality information technology tools in support of the University's academic mission. The technology might change, the players might change, but the commitment of these two units goes above and beyond to serve University goals. Not intended to document every technological change on campus, this article focuses on the various stages in this fruitful relationship, and explores the organizational, cultural and environmental factors that have sustained this strategic alliance and fostered its growth over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is a government mandated program that distributes government information to the populace through designated "depository" libraries. From the 1970s until today, due to advancing technology, government documents librarianship has undergone several transformative changes. Beginning with distribution of government information on microfilm through the appearance of electronic information in the 1980s exponentially increased the amount of information available to users, information that often came with a large learning curve to use. The proliferation of government information transformed government documents librarianship from a self-contained, stand-alone, bibliographically focused entity to a more forward-facing, user-centric focus. The depository community is largely led by academic institutions, which account for 72% of depositories. They have lobbied the FDLP for increased access, better training, improvements in delivery, and assurances that electronic information would be found, captured, and preserved. In addition, their efforts have ensured digitization of the historic print depository collection is largely complete. However, until federal statutory legislation changes, significant amounts of born-digital government information is being lost to time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of radical socio-economic-technological developments, the Library and Information Science sector in Greece is undergoing a series of changes in a dialectic relation with technological changes. Libraries in Greece have a long history, from the Academy of Plato and the Lyceum of Aristotle in the 5th century BC to the transition of the National Library of Greece at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre. This paper aims to provide an overview and record the milestones signifying the beginning of the changes happening in every aspect of the Greek LIS landscape. In addition, it aims to highlight the changes in the Greek library scene, extending from synergies and networks to new library buildings, as well as the role of LIS education and lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in the 1980s has been widely accepted in the field of language teaching and institutions across the globe. But it has been commonly employed in face to face communication. Not much work has been done to promote TBLT through technology, especially in Indian language classrooms. The recent trend towards globalisation has urged the language experts to supplement their classroom instructions with technological devices such as computers, smart phones, tablets, and white boards. It offers a wide range of support to both the teachers and language learners to broaden their language skills. Hence, the paper is an attempt to blend the already existing communicative approach of task based instruction with technology in Indian diaspora to expand the recent trends in language education in India. It aims to highlight the advantages of using technology in language classrooms for enhancing the communicative competence of the learners. The paper also tries to highlight some of the challenges faced by the language teachers in employing technology-based instructions in Indian classrooms along with some suggestions to tackle the problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented discussing the various topics in this issue regarding librarianship and libraries, including the economic value of libraries to their communities, medical libraries' response to open access publishing initiatives, as well as libraries' technological innovations.

Proper leadership in a public service department begins with effective and meaningful communication. Oftentimes the most important piece of information communicated in a library stems from the daily scheduling of events within a department. The Lending Services department at William Paterson University's David and Lorraine Cheng Library piloted a new method of tracking staff scheduling and daily events at a service point location to enhance internal staff communication. The department shifted away from a paper-based monthly calendar and weekly email, and moved towards using a free cloud-based online platform called Teamup. The new calendar compiles daily staff shifts, changes, such as modified library hours, staff vacation and sick days. This facilitates service desk coverage, meetings, and more. The user-friendly calendar offers searchable and color-coded calendars, provides multiple views by day, week, and month, and is embeddable as a stable URL. Other advantages include having an historical record, being able to visually identify gaps in coverage, and above all, enabling communication or events within the department and library in one simple calendar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a significant paradigm shift in drone applications. Exclusively available only for military missions in the past application of drones has made its way to various platforms and the library is the one such platform that is being examined here. A significant feature of a drone that is its delivery feature can prove immense potential in bringing information to the users in the form of books or other library documents. A study is done on various elements of the drone facility, its payload capacity, the integration of such a facility with the library, the procedure of processing user requests via drone delivery, drone technology and procedure for making delivery, the regulations in India concerning flying of drones and the advantages and limitations of using drone delivery service. It is an emerging technology that has yet to see its full potential in civilian platform. In today's digital era with diminishing demand for physical books caused by electronic documents, drone delivery can breathe fresh air into the library services by bringing back the popularity of books and making them available to the users in the click of a button. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The published articles in leading Indian LIS journals during 2012-2017 have been mapped to depict the authorship pattern and collaboration trend in LIS domain of India. The study assessed the collaborative authorship trend on using different parameters like journal wise pattern, year wise collaboration, co-authorship index, ranked list of most productive authors and the level of collaboration. The Lotka's law on author productivity has also been tested to confirm the applicability of the law to the present data set. It is found that two-authored papers are predominant (48%) in LIS publications and the collaborated articles of multi-authorships received greater average citations. Besides, in Indian LIS discipline, maximum collaboration occurs in intra-institutional level and inter-institutions within state level. Therefore, it is recommended that the LIS schools across the country should also consider interdepartmental collaboration to produce more quality works on emerging and innovative research areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries and in particular, university libraries around the globe are constantly revolutionized due to technological advancements which provide rich opportunities for libraries to embed blends of innovations into the work environment and render better services for their user communities. This research attempted to render views of library academics with regard to their current use of Social Network Sites (SNS) in the workplace. The objectives of the study were to investigate the background of SNS use by university library academics inclusive of their usage experience, skills and frequency of use, to examine the types of SNS used by them, professional purposes as well as personal purposes for using SNS in the workplace and to investigate the access methods and user perceptions towards SNS use in the workplace. Data were gathered from a study population of 116 university librarians in Sri Lanka via the survey strategy based on a questionnaire and the data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. The key findings of the study included that the majority (78.4%) of university librarians who participated in the survey used SNS in the workplace, respondents who had 1-5year experience in using SNS were in majority (44.8%), a high percentage (64.7%) of respondents assessed themselves as having "moderate experience" in using SNS, more than half (52.6%) of the respondents felt that they possessed adequate skills to use SNS, Facebook was the social network site most frequently used by the respondents (64.7%), most university librarians used SNS in the workplace to fulfill both professional and personal purposes, while the highest percentage of university librarians (58.6%) used SNS in the workplace for the specific professional purpose of "interacting with co-workers and professionals in the field" and the highest percentage of them (47.4%) used SNS for the specific personal purpose of "personal contact", and the majority of them used the university network to access SNS in the workplace. Sri Lankan university librarians should keep pace with new innovative technologies such as SNS to remain worthy and important in this competitive digital world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the level of user satisfaction of electronic information resources and services available at library, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. The objective was to determine the level of satisfaction on the use of electronic resources and services by medical postgraduate trainees at Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo. Total number of 427 registered postgraduate medical trainees during the years of 2014 and 2015 was the sample population. Sample size of 100 trainees from 32 medical specialties were selected randomly. Self-administrated questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. The study revealed that 95.5% of the respondents have their own computers and Internet connection to access electronic resources. Postgraduate medical trainees use electronic resources for multiple purposes. Among them 98.6 % of the respondents use the electronic resources for their studies and updating knowledge. Among them 70.5% of the respondents use electronic resources for gathering general information. Regarding the level of satisfaction on electronic resources and services 60.2 % of the respondents strongly agreed the satisfaction level on provision of Internet access at library, Postgraduate Institute of Medicine. The satisfaction level of subscribed e-journals was agreed by 56.8% of the respondents. Lack of time to access e-journals at library, lack of training, nonavailability of remote access for subscribed resources were identified as significant issues. Based on the research findings it can be recommended that the library should subscribe more electronic books and journals; more training programs should be arranged; remote access facility should be provided for subscribed electronic sources. Further, mobile alert services should be arranged to make aware about the latest issues and updates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of library collections is an inherently collaborative process. Spanning multiple generations, materials are selected that support user communities, as librarians strive to achieve optimization of storage and access at the lowest cost.i While established partnerships are crucial for the survival of libraries, within any cooperative network, there exist opportunities for divergent practices. Alternative initiatives may have progressive intentions, but competing systems and groups have the potential to disrupt recognized standards and infrastructure, some of which can prove detrimental to information organizations. Abrupt format changes and technological advancements have altered the ways in which materials are currently acquired, accessed, and preserved. Despite advantageous possibilities arising from the evolution of material formats, convoluted access processes have imposed problematic barriers within academic libraries, particularly for humanities disciplines. The accelerated change of formats has placed materials within a liminal construct: the composite of past, present, and emerging technologies and formats, simultaneously interacting in information organizations. The heterogeneous mixture of content necessitates concurrent navigation of physical and digital environments to conduct research. As a measure of counteracting these obstacles, collaborative initiatives have produced the network connection,ii pooling physical and technological resources to theoretically stabilize and consolidate collections.iii In many instances, however, the network connection fails to meet user expectations and needs of humanities scholars. A sustainable, collaborative network is critical for continued access of humanities resources. At present, instability increases as provisional products, standards, and proprietary models arise; operating in isolated or capriciously compatible systems, such conventions contradict the supported outcomes of information organizations: to increase access, simplify usability, and sustainably preserve content. Negligent, divergent collaborative models inevitably destabilize the network connection by increasing systemic entropy. Sustainable practices must be facilitated in a concerted effort by authoritative information organizations, effectively aiding the reduction of information entropy. Otherwise, the risk of losing cultural memory in the humanities becomes an alarming possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the professional opinion of LIS with reference to open source software (OSS) adoption, status, problems and future measures in research and academic libraries of Beijing, China.Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted among 20 academic and 20 research libraries in Beijing, China. The convenient sampling technique was used to collect data. The data collected were interpreted using descriptive statistics and independent t-test.Findings The results reveal that Chinese research and academics libraries depend mostly upon commercial software and place a great deal of trust on locally produced free software. This situation may be caused due to the lack of professional knowledge in OSS and lack of appropriate technical expertise. Although there were a sufficient number of librarians who have shown interest in OSS, they did not enthusiastically agree to implement it in their libraries. Furthermore, the interviews highlighted the professionals’ opinion that most librarians are reluctant to adopt OSS due to the risk factor, lack of professional expertise, insufficient interest of the Chinese Government and lack of professional training.Originality/value The findings are useful for the Chinese LIS community, software developers, technology administrators and library administrators. In particular, it is beneficial for research and academic libraries of China to adapt OSS for library management and provide better library services and sources to their library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the study of innovation in the University electronic-libraries (e-Library) at Kogi State Nigeria. Topics discussed include importance of University e-library in promoting research in academic through researchable information resources, mechanized access and retrieval information system; identification of e-library resources and services in university e-libraries Kogi State; and determination of areas for improvement to enhance access to e-library resources.

The article offers a study on effective rural library services in Anambra State, Nigeria. Topics discussed include objective of the study that is to determine the impact of provision of effective rural library services on users' satisfaction in Anambra State; key determinants of user satisfaction in a library that involves availability of electronic resources; technical facilities; and collections of printed publications; and views on the data analysis of the study.

The purpose of the work is to find out the impact of collection management practices on the use of library materials in two Ghanaian academic libraries. The convenience sampling technique was used and the quantitative data obtained were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software. Though it was difficult getting questionnaires from some respondents at University of Education, Winneba library, and therefore the time frame for the research was exceeded. The main findings were: the electronic and nonelectronic resources of the two libraries were inadequate; University of Cape Coast Library had a section for the visually impaired, whilst University of Education, Winneba does not; most users of both libraries failed to get involved in the selection process and also materials mainly used in the libraries were textbooks. The two institutions under study were established by the Government of Ghana to train teachers for the country's first and second cycle institutions. Compelling collection development and management practices of libraries in these institutions is crucial. The study implies that all collection development practices have a direct link on the patronage of libraries. Secondly, public academic were built with the funds of the tax payer, hence under utilisation of such a facility could be a waste of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted a review of government initiatives and projects aimed at strengthening school libraries in the country, with special emphasis in the city of Medellin, from the 19th century to the second decade of the 21st century. The aim is to contribute to the construction of a historical vision of school libraries in Colombia. Likewise, the study reviews some local studies on school libraries in Colombia and examines collections and the use of information and communication technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of the popular mobile social media platform We- Chat in library and information services in China was examined. Thirty-two out of a total of thirty-nine university libraries of Project 985 had established official WeChat accounts by the end of 2015. The study explores the use of WeChat from six aspects, including basic profile information of an account and interactivity of WeChat public account. Through analysis of the data and comparison with the results of previous research, the study indicates that the library WeChat platforms have improved in many respects, including official account authentication and self-service through WeChat, since the beginning of WeChat application at university libraries in November 2012. Although the library WeChat accounts have become a more effective tool in general, improvements are still needed to provide maximum benefit to library users in an effort to empower users, especially younger ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we provided a dictionary-based approach for identifying biomedical concepts from the literature. The approach first crawled experimental corpus by E-utilities and built a concept dictionary. Then, we developed an algorithm called Variable-step Window Identification Algorithm (VWIA) for matching biomedical concepts based on preprocessing, POS tagging and the formation of phrase block. The approach could identify embedded biomedical concepts and new concepts, which could identify concepts more completely. The proposed approach obtain 95.0% F-measure overall for the test dataset. Thus, it is promising for the method of biomedical text mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-intensive science presents new opportunities as well as challenges to research libraries. The cyberinfrastructural challenge, although chiefly technological, also involves social-economic and human factors, therefore requires a deep understanding of what roles research libraries should play in the research lifecycle. This paper discusses the rationale and motivations behind a research project to investigate effective library big data cyberinfrastructure strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots are becoming more commonly used in libraries. A robot that does shelf reading and reports the results to human staff is one example of a practical use of robotics in a library. Others have been used to retrieve large items such as boxes, but identifying and picking up small and varied objects such as books is still on the edge of what can be done. Devices using artificial intelligence can act as guides, or in some cases, as personal assistants for library customers. Some are answering questions and learning as they go. If robots can perform library work effectively and more cheaply than humans it is inevitable they will be more widely used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]