Journal of Academic Librarianship最新文献

The purpose of the study is to support library and information science students and recent graduates considering academic librarianship by helping them strategize their career preparation and job search endeavors based on recent graduates' experiences. The authors accomplished this by quantifying the demographic characteristics, experiences during LIS studies, pre-professional experiences, aspects of the job search, and information about first librarian positions of recent graduates in the United States seeking positions as academic librarians. This article focuses on the factors which significantly influence successful and unsuccessful job search outcomes based on gender identity, specifically by looking at the experiences of cisgender men in pursuing employment in the women-majority librarian occupation. Results yield one statistically significant finding for this group – applying for administrative positions is associated with a successful job search outcome – while revealing that on average cisgender male respondents need the shortest amount of time to obtain their first academic librarian position. We discuss these findings in context of research on and related to (cisgender) male librarians and in relation to our study's initial results of other population groups represented in the study.

This paper presents the development and validation of a self-assessment scale integrating information literacy and academic writing, based on a conceptual model of information-based academic writing. Statistical analyses provided validity evidence, supporting its interpretation and use. The analysis also confirmed the cognitive, metacognitive, social, and emotional nature of information-based academic writing. Based on the development of this scale, I argued that (1) this scale communicates the shared learning and teaching goals among academic librarians, writing instructors, and content experts; (2) an integrated assessment tool could maximize the efficient use of resources; (3) encompassing the often-overlooked social and emotional dimensions in the scale could facilitate the holistic development of academic writing and information literacy. This study demonstrates the process of developing an assessment instrument, which can be an example for instructors of information literacy and academic writing to design their localized instruments.

Background

Academic libraries have been adapting and changing their collections with technology. Often this technology has accompanied a transition from physical collections, such as print books, to electronic collections and electronic books. Understanding how this shift away from print formats might affect certain campus populations is essential as electronic collections continue to grow and expand in various academic institutions.

Methods

This mixed methods case study aimed to understand how first-generation college students at a public research university use print books versus electronic books. Data was collected in two phases, with the first phase consisting of a Likert scale survey distributed to 4419 potential participants. The second phase was a qualitative semi-structured interview with 19 self-identified participants from the survey.

Results

The survey did not indicate a strong preference for print books over electronic books. However, the qualitative interviews did indicate that first-generation students preferred using print to facilitate their reading styles.

Conclusion

The study showed that students prefer to use print books over electronic formats daily at their academic institutions for various factors, including the ability to focus and review information. However, the primary reason first-generation college students prefer print books is that it helps them retain information for classes better than electronic books.

Information literacy is important for students' academic and professional development as they begin to engage with the world as adults in college. However, students' information literacy may be influenced by the different forms of capital they possess, such as economic, social, and, potentially, their cultural capital. Cultural capital is a concept developed by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu which addresses the capital individuals possess within a society that exists beyond economic and social spheres. Much research exists exploring cultural capital and its impact on the educational outcomes of students, but it has yet to be explored in depth regarding libraries and, specifically, information literacy. This study addresses that research gap by analyzing the relationship between students' information literacy and their acquired cultural capital before they start their first semester of post-secondary education. The study explores multiple forms of cultural capital, including students' hobbies and activities, educational backgrounds, and the involvement of their parents in their education. Analysis of the distributed survey examined cultural capital through assessing students' reading habits and parental involvement as well as its influence on students' information literacy skills, specifically those related to the “Searching as Strategic Exploration” frame of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Theatre design research is multidisciplinary and highly visual in nature. Students of theatre design need to learn how to locate appropriate primary source images, as this is not necessarily intuitive for early career students. While multiple image repositories are available online, students usually rely on more convenient resources. This article describes a seven year collaboration between a librarian and theatre design professor working to develop the information literacy skills, as well as visual literacy and primary source literacy skills and knowledge of Theatre design students enrolled in Stage Makeup, Costume Design, and the History of Style and Decor at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. This article adds a unique and innovative perspective to the library literature. Not only does it add to the limited collection of scholarly literature on the information literacy knowledge and skills training of theatre students, but since it focuses on theatre design students and their unique visual research needs, this article includes both visual and primary source literacy.

McGill Library strives to best support the University's established community of lifelong learners. To inform their professional practice, the authors conducted a diary study that offered insights into the information seeking behaviours of this population (Colosimo & Badia, 2021). Questions remained about how other academic libraries respond to the presence of non-degree seeking older adults at their institutions who are studying for the sheer joy of it. For example, are librarians aware of affiliated lifelong learning centres or units and, if so, are they offering targeted services? To answer these questions, the authors distributed a survey about the provision and tailoring of different library services to non-degree seeking older adults at higher education institutions and about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these services. The results provide a snapshot of library support for later life learning at colleges and universities, which is currently not covered in the literature.

This study aims to investigate the applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the university libraries of Pakistan. Following the explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, this study was completed in two phases. In the first phase, quantitative data was collected from 237 university librarians from across Pakistan. In the second phase, 10 purposefully selected university librarians were interviewed. The results reveal that Pakistani university libraries are using limited AI-based library services including text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies, Google Assistant to search by voice command, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system for self-checkout, check-in, and security purposes, and intelligent data analysis for collection management. This study explored key factors that influence implementation of AI applications including highly integrated technological infrastructure, funding/cost associated with AI, collaboration between AI experts and professionals, and library users' feedback. The major identified challenges were the requirement of a highly networked and integrated environment, lack of budget, high cost of AI technologies, and lack of staff expertise. This study claims to implement the first comprehensive survey of AI applications in Pakistani university libraries at the national level. The research findings would support library and university administrators to integrate AI applications in libraries not only in Pakistan but also in other developing countries.

The study examined whether the levels of technological and institutional information security measures implemented in university libraries in Türkiye differ based on the usage of a corporate information security management guide. The study was conducted through a literature review and survey method in a total of 199 university libraries in Turkey actively operating in 2023, comprising 124 state universities and 75 private universities. To ensure the contributions of all university libraries population was obtained in a homogeneous manner, a purposive sampling method was used, collecting data from one staff member from each university library.

The findings reveal that there are significant differences (p < 0.05) in the levels of both technological and institutional information security measures, depending on the presence and utilization of a corporate information security management guide in university libraries. These findings demonstrated that an enterprise information security management tool is effective in influencing information security practices in university libraries. This result confirmed the hypothesis that there are significant differences in the implementation levels of technological and institutional information security measures based on the presence and usage of an enterprise information security management tool in university libraries in Turkey.

Considering the lack of comprehensive studies on information security management in university libraries in Turkey, this research demonstrates its uniqueness by approaching the topic with a holistic approach.