Journal of Academic Librarianship最新文献

Librarians working in university libraries are torn between the two dominant categories (academic and professional) of university staff. Belonging to either of the categories of staff has implications for the employees' roles and duties, status, and career progression in the academic setting. This study sought to understand the perception of librarians' roles, status, and career progression with the changing frontiers of knowledge and education in contemporary times. Using the qualitative approach, fourteen (14) librarians working in seven university libraries in Ghana were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. These librarians were purposively selected because they possessed the qualifications of practice and were experienced in the academic library setting. The data collected from the interview was transcribed. Using Nvivo software version 14, the researchers used the Reflexive Thematic Analysis method to garner codes and themes from the data to understand the phenomenon under study. The findings from the study showed that librarians perceived their roles and responsibilities of academic librarians to be classified into three dominant categories: research support, teaching, and managerial/administrative roles. Again, academic librarians were assigned to either the academic or professional cadre in their universities based on the university's understanding of the library as a professional or academic unit irrespective of the Librarian's qualification, roles and responsibilities and the changing academic librarianship landscape. The study revealed the challenges librarians working in academic libraries face with their promotion and career progression, including long years of waiting (6 years) to qualify for the promotion, role inconsistencies, stagnation/lack of promotion, the presence of an unclear career path, and the inability to meet promotion requirements due to the lack of time for research, all of which have implications on their job satisfaction leading to demotivation and stress among academic librarians. The findings of this study have practical implications for policymakers in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field, Higher Education Institutions (HEI), and researchers to understand the perception of the roles, status, and career progression of the librarians working in academic libraries in Ghana and to inform policy decisions.

This study aims to investigate the adaptation of Thai academic libraries in response to changes driven by increased reliance on emerging technologies, referred to as Library 4.0. Employing Garvin's Three Ms. Framework, the meaning, management, and measurement aspects were examined to identify the principles of Library 4.0, policies and practices, as well as measurement alterations. A qualitative case study approach, using document analysis and in-depth interviews, was employed. Eight academic libraries were purposefully selected based on criteria, including their age, size, and interests. The findings indicated that the concept of Library 4.0 had driven Thai academic libraries to integrate digital technologies into both front-end services and back-office operations. While continuing to prioritize support for teaching and research, the libraries had expanded their roles to address broader societal impacts. The importance of effectively utilizing measurement approaches, particularly data analytics, was highlighted to demonstrate the value and impact of libraries in the digital era. A comprehensive framework produced from this study contributes to a holistic understanding of the adaptation of Thai academic libraries. Given the pivotal role of environmental dynamics, this framework provides guidelines for future investigations, ensuring that academic libraries remain relevant in preparation for the transition to Library 5.0.

The research paper investigates doctoral students' information literacy (IL), a demographic often overlooked in IL studies. Focusing on the unique context of Polish doctoral schools, the paper explores the competences of young researchers. The methodological and descriptive objectives of the study include creating and validating the ILDoc tool and evaluating the self-efficacy in terms of information competences of doctoral students. The research employs the Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) technique, targeting doctoral students from five Polish universities (Jagiellonian University, University of Gdańsk, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, and University of Warsaw). Through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the study refines the ILDoc model, identifying four latent factors: Information Access, Information Retrieval, Reference Management, and Information Analysis. The findings highlight the critical importance of IL in academic librarianship, particularly underscoring gaps in advanced searching and reference management skills. While gender and age appear to have no significant impact, the year of study and successful midterm evaluations do influence IL self-efficacy. Additionally, the field of study affects students' abilities in information access and analysis. The study advocates for customized IL training and support for doctoral students. It also calls for ongoing IL training that aligns with the evolving research processes of doctoral students, emphasizing the collaborative role of librarians and faculty. The application of the ILDoc tool in this study yields significant benefits, offering academic institutions, libraries, and educators valuable insights for improving support strategies, thereby enriching the information literacy journey of doctoral students.

Learning new technology is essential for students and scholars in higher education to engage in learning and research of today. Previous studies have reported various barriers to technology acceptance and application in academic communities. To foster active engagement in technology-enhanced research and learning, academic libraries could serve as a technology hub for their communities. Many researchers have already explored the role of academic libraries in promoting information literacy as well as digital and data literacy. However, technology education in library instruction, which helps students and scholars develop such literacies, has not been a major topic in the existing literature. Even when studies deal with technology related content, their topics of instruction concentrate largely on data science skills and tools. The existing literature does not capture a comprehensive landscape of what instructional support the academic libraries provide in terms of technology skills and tools, including but not limited to data science techniques.

The goal of this study is to present an overview of academic library instruction for technology education for their communities. This study examines library workshops offered by 43 four-year college libraries in the US. The titles and descriptions of the workshops were manually collected and analyzed to understand the content of library instruction using both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods. The findings of this study suggest that American academic libraries play an important role in educating their patrons a wide range of technology for their academic success in technology-mediated learning and research environments. They teach various technologies for research, teaching and learning, career support, conventional library instruction, and many other purposes. We found that academic libraries teach not only popular and common tools, but also specialized and unique tools for certain fields.

Purpose

Created in 2012 ORCID now enjoys global status as a Persistent Identifier (PID) in the academic community. The international literature has been generally positive towards this new piece of research infrastructure, particularly based on its obvious potential to aid name disambiguation. However, a small number of commentators have highlighted negative issues with ORCID, as well as the way in which they are increasing mandated by publishers, funders, and even employers. This research sought to critically evaluate perceptions of ORCID in the Technological University (TU)/Institute of Technology (IoT) sector in Ireland.

Methodology

This study adopted a mixed methods approach involving an online survey with academics in Ireland's TU/IoT sector and a survey of senior librarians. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore the qualitative data collected via open-ended questions.

Findings

The results indicate that most lecturers have only minimally engaged with ORCID. Thematic analysis of responses from faculty identified six distinct themes. The majority of themes identified were negative towards ORCID, with many lecturers appearing unsure about its purpose, having only registered for ORCID because of external pressure. Faculty were also concerned that ORCID could facilitate external monitoring, as well as them being resistant to the effort involved in keeping an ORCID profile up to date. ORCID was also seen as a potential source of danger, although some lecturers had started to use their ORCID profile to promote their work. Perceptions amongst librarians were very different, with librarians notably more in favour of ORCID. Three themes were identified: name disambiguation, facilitation of linkages with other IT systems, and future potential.

Originality

The paper offers a critical analysis of ORCID adoption in Ireland based on perceptions amongst two stakeholder groups, academics and librarians.

This paper outlines an example of Special Collections materials being used to support master's-level students' data and digital skills development. It evidences positive student learning outcomes through an unconventional interdepartmental collaboration between a digital media teaching team and Special Collections staff, which combined digital practices and tangible Special Collections material. This paper outlines the readings used for the course under review, the assignments used to evaluate students, student experiences of those assignments, and staff observations of student success and the logistics of course delivery. Findings show that in completing their assignments students (a) negotiated uncertainty; (b) increased understandings of data and digital methods; (c) embraced the lifeworlds of data; and (d) blurred the boundaries of analog and digital. More generally, this work finds that Special Collections material can be effectively used to support data and digital skills development, as well as help students gain broader understandings of digital contexts and media. Value is, however, dependent upon embracing uncertainty: something that universities tend to avoid. But, as is shown, staff and students alike can thrive in states of bewilderment.

A study on gender stereotypes experienced by academic librarians can significantly contribute to the ongoing efforts to promote inclusivity, diversity, and gender equality in the academic library environment. In this light, this study sought to examine the stereotype issues that persist in academic libraries in the Philippines in the hope of offering recommendations in order to promote gender equality and build a positive image of librarianship. The quantitative method was utilized to collect sex-disaggregated data on academic librarians in Nueva Ecija, and the phenomenological qualitative method was used to gain insights on the narratives about their stereotyped experiences in the workplace. Results show that male and female academic librarians experienced various stereotypes on their physical appearance and job role. These come from their clientele, which include students, co-workers, and administrators. The majority of academic librarians claimed that despite coming across unfavorable assumptions at work, they maintain positive attitudes towards work. The study offers implications of the findings that can address stereotypes and which can serve as catalyst for image rebuilding of librarians towards inclusivity in the workplace.

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has notably influenced how library services are conceived and provided to their users. This research aims to examine the management of services in university libraries in Thailand and Vietnam during three critical phases of crisis management: prior to the pandemic, throughout the pandemic, and after its occurrence. The quantitative methodology was conducted to collect data from administrators and library staff at eight university libraries in Thailand and six universities in Vietnam through a questionnaire. Consequently, we got 67 and 61 valid questionnaires respectively in both countries. The findings showed that in the pre-pandemic, academic libraries mainly focused on building a plan to integrate e-resources and library services into university learning management system to deliver to users. During the pandemic, there was a focus on collaborative endeavors aimed at negotiating with database providers to ease access restrictions to their resources; leveraging digital platforms to improve current library services ensuring the reliable and practical development and upkeep of digital resources. Post-pandemic emphasis on assessment and recovery endeavors, including evaluating the competence of library staff to enhance their knowledge and skills in providing library services. Efforts are being made to improve and formulate a strategic plan for future library services. The findings offer crucial information for university library administrators and librarians, offering them extensive strategies to address and surmount challenges. These insights support the creation of tailored library services that cater to the varied needs of users at various stages.

This study explored the relationship between the leadership styles adopted by academic librarians and their openness to artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose was to discern whether particular leadership approaches influence librarians' attitudes and acceptance of AI technologies in higher education. Data was collected from 50 librarians across four Arab countries. Two distinct questionnaires were administered to the participants: the first focused on their perceptions of AI, exploring attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of AI technologies, while the second implemented the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5×) to assess the librarians' leadership styles. Correlational analysis, inferential statistics including structural equation model, and regression analysis were employed leading to explore the predictive power of various leadership styles on librarians' openness to AI. Findings suggest that the implementation of AI in academic libraries is most likely to occur under transformational leadership, with transactional leadership being associated with suboptimal outcomes; a noteworthy association is observed between the perception of ease of use and the adoption of laissez-faire leadership. The insights derived from this study hold particular significance for the development of librarians' professional training programs, offering valuable guidance on fostering adaptive leadership strategies that align with the evolving landscape of AI integration within academic library settings.