A Systematic Literature Mapping of E-Learning Prospects for Librarians’ Sustainable Competence and Smart Library Service Delivery in Academic Settings

Purpose The study aims to identify the effects of virtual reality on innovative library services in academic settings. It also aimed to find out the challenges associated with virtual reality-based systems in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) was applied to conduct the study. A total of 24 research papers published in peer-reviewed journals were selected to conduct the study. Required literature was retrieved through 12 different online databases. Findings The findings of the study showed that virtual reality assists in innovative smart library systems, personalized services, marketing of library products and transformation of library systems. Results also displayed that technical and infrastructure challenges, legal concerns and health issues cause challenges to the successful adoption and integration of virtual reality-based library services. Research limitations/implications The study has offered theoretical implications for future investigators by revealing different dimensions related to virtual reality in library services. It has also offered managerial implications for management bodies through the provision of practical recommendations to effectively implement virtual reality in academic settings. The study has a societal impact through the provision of theoretical, practical and social implications as it is expected to deliver positive outcomes in society by refining information services patterns. Practical implications It has also offered managerial implications for management bodies through the provision of practical recommendations to effectively implement virtual reality in academic settings. Social implications The study has a societal impact through the provision of theoretical, practical and social implications as it is expected to deliver positive outcomes in society by refining information services patterns. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, it is the first study on the effects of virtual reality on innovative library services in academic settings through a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology. The study is expected to serve as a valuable benchmark for librarians to refine the information systems in universities.

The concept of distributed leadership within library services is explored in this chapter. It focuses on how this model of leadership, which devolves leadership functions and practice widely throughout organizations, can lead to intra- and interorganizational collaboration as a catalyst for library service development and innovation. The chapter discusses the distributed leadership approach by presenting selected results of a study of team leaders in public and university library services in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The study employed an online questionnaire and individual interviews with library team leaders to identify the level and nature of collaboration taking place in library services and also to ascertain the skills needed for successful partnership work. The interviews focused primarily on how and why collaborations occurred and it emerged that the team leaders had considerable autonomy to establish and participate in partnerships, fitting well within the distributed leadership paradigm. The chapter adds to, and augments the limited literature on distributed models of leadership in libraries by exploring how this approach works in practice. It also proposes and evidences a link between distributed leadership, collaborative working, and innovation. The authors suggest that distributed leadership can help library services innovate and lead service development by freeing up the creativity of employees through a less formal, hierarchical leadership approach. The chapter ends with propositions for a research agenda to establish the best conditions and most appropriate format of distributed leadership in library services.

Humanity is facing environmental, social, and economic challenges, including climate change, inequality, and poverty. Different initiatives, such as the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and the Paris Agreement are introduced to deal with these challenges. Furthermore, several researchers conducted studies to identify sustainability competencies (SCs), i.e., integrated knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to contribute to a more sustainable future. These studies are typically conducted based on Western worldviews. As a result, the existing SC frameworks are not comprehensive enough to include non-Western worldviews, contexts, and related indigenous knowledge (IK). This dissertation argues that sustainability challenges are complex and that the collaboration of several stakeholders and the use of diverse worldviews are required to address them. For sustainability challenges to be effectively addressed at the global level, integrating non-Western perspectives in the development of SCs is essential. The 2021 UNESCO report ‘Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education’ strongly advocates the inclusion of IK in education worldwide. The dissertation articulated the SCs that are specifically needed in this respect and assessed teaching methods by which they can be developed in higher education.The studies in this dissertation focused on identifying competencies that facilitate efforts toward a more sustainable future and exploring different means of fostering these competencies. Accordingly, the first study identified SCs for the Ethiopian context, as a country with different socioeconomic characteristics than Western contexts. The other studies focus on fostering SCs of higher education students, future sustainability change agents. These studies explored the potential contributions of using IK with modern education in Ethiopia. The studies also proposed education design principles of integrating IK with modern higher education systems. One of the studies on enhancing SCs explored the contributions of multiple learning approaches in a real-world environment to fostering the systems thinking competence of learners. The findings of this dissertation contribute to theoretical discourses on sustainable development, competence, SCs, education for sustainable development, the constructivist learning literature, and IK.The findings also have societal implications related to the SDGs, education and training in sustainable development, the role of stakeholders, including policymakers, teachers, and students.

PurposePrevious studies have shown that knowledge management (KM) plays a role in service innovation or that there is a positive relationship between them. However, this role or relationship is yet to be established quantitatively through empirical evidence within the context of university libraries in Nigeria. The purpose of this study is to determine how knowledge management affects innovative services in university libraries in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a quantitative approach and used questionnaire to collect data from 250 librarians who participated in the study. A structural equation modeling approach was used to validate the research model.FindingsIt was found that KM affected service innovation positively. The three measures of KM cycle, namely, knowledge capture/creation, knowledge sharing/transfer and knowledge application/use were found to have positive and significant effect on service innovation in university libraries in Nigeria. In conclusion, university libraries in Nigeria with high activities in knowledge capture, knowledge sharing and knowledge use are more likely to provide innovative services to their users.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that libraries with high level of activities in knowledge capturing, sharing and application are more likely to engage in innovative services. The study is also capable of encouraging students to take courses on KM and library and information science educators to place more emphasis on KM in their curricular.Originality/valueThe paper offers a unique empirical direction for service innovation in university libraries in Nigeria. As there is a dearth of quantitative empirical evidence in the area of service innovation in libraries, the empirical evidence obtained in this paper will not only contribute to the body of knowledge in this area but also be used to create an environment for innovative library services.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a crucial global agenda that demands an enhancement of sustainability competencies among educators. However, in reality, the sustainability competencies of teachers remain low, dominated by theoretical understanding that is not well integrated into teaching practices. This study aims to analyze the role of professional learning frameworks in improving teachers' sustainability competencies. The research adopts a literature review approach, utilizing data collection through a comprehensive review of the latest academic sources, including reputable journals, books, research reports, and educational policy documents. The data were analyzed qualitatively using content analysis methods to identify patterns and relationships between concepts. The findings reveal a significant gap between the theory of sustainability competencies and its implementation within professional learning frameworks. Structured professional learning frameworks are shown to hold great potential in supporting the enhancement of teachers’ understanding, skills, and attitudes towards sustainability. This study highlights the importance of designing professional development programs for teachers that explicitly integrate sustainability as a core component to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the education sector. The findings are expected to serve as a foundation for developing sustainability-based professional learning frameworks for implementation across various educational levels.

PurposeThis study aims to assess the level of sustainability competencies among full-time students and professional students, foresee any noteworthy change in students’ competencies after applying teaching pedagogy and determine whether lecturing is an effective teaching pedagogy for developing all five sustainability competencies in both cohorts.Design/methodology/approachThe presence and development of competencies after varying pedagogical practices are assessed using a pre-/post-test based on two case studies. This research approach of comparative case study is more advanced and is particularly useful when seeking to understand differences and similarities between distinct entities, which in our case were students of two different capacities. The study targets two cohorts: the first includes 15 professional students with considerable industry experience, while the second consists of 24 full-time students without industry exposure.FindingsThe study revealed that professional students have more sustainability competencies than full-time students. Also, lecturing is an effective pedagogical practice when all five sustainable competencies have to be enhanced in full-time students. In contrast, lecturing does not work for interpersonal competence in professional students.Research limitations/implicationsThere are certain limitations of the study that future researchers undermine. Firstly, the study was conducted only on business students at Bahria University. Secondly, the sample size for the study is small as the data were qualitative, and the researchers had time constraints. Thirdly, the effectiveness of only one teaching pedagogy has been gauged in the current research.Practical implicationsIt is recommended that higher educational institutions (HEIs) of Pakistan introduce sustainability courses or programs to its students to spread awareness among learners and develop sustainable competencies. All service and production industries in Pakistan should train their employees in sustainable practices so that hazardous impacts in the future can be reduced. It is a need of time for the country to move a step ahead towards sustainable development goals.Originality/valueThis research contributes to education for sustainable development (ESD) in Pakistan. Pakistan is a developing country that is far behind ESD. Therefore, this study identifies how sustainability education can become a part of the academic system. It also identifies the need for sustainable education not only for students but also for professionals. It also identifies teaching pedagogy required for developing sustainability competencies and is relevant to learners’ exposure.

Purpose Since the incorporation of competence-based learning in the European Higher Education Area, advancing competence-oriented assessment tools in sustainability is both a challenge and a necessity. The purpose of this study is the design and validation of an instrument to assess learning about sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals among students in the Bachelor’s Degrees in Education at the University of Salamanca and the University of Seville, spain. Design/methodology/approach The procedure for designing, validating, creating and exploring the instrument is described in five phases. An 18-item ad hoc questionnaire was designed to analyse students’ self-conceptions about the development of four sustainability competencies. Six competency units and three levels of acquisition were identified: knowledge (conceptual learning), know-how (practical skills) and doing (demonstration in action and transferability to real-life situations). The sample included 188 students from the two universities. Findings The learning of sustainability competencies by pupils is not very significant in relation to the social and environmental demands required now and in the near future to restore planetary balance. This paper provides a valid and reliable instrument for assessing sustainability competencies and for finding out what university students in the Bachelor’s Degree in Education know about sustainability. Furthermore, it argues that fostering coherent and quality learning about sustainability requires educational institutions to work on sustainability in their day-to-day work, permeating all activities and actions carried out. Originality/value An empirical study investigated the perceptions of first-year Gracods education students on the acquisition of four sustainability competencies, considering three levels of acquisition (Knowing, Knowing how to do and Doing). This study provides insights into education for sustainable development (ESD) teaching and learning approaches and the assessment of ESD outcomes. It also points out the importance of operationalising sustainability competencies in an assessment tool that can help measure their development. It gives a glimpse of how current pedagogical approaches contribute or not to the development of sustainability competencies. This is crucial to adjust teaching methodologies, making them more participatory, integrative and linked to the socio-environmental reality that future teachers will face, highlighting the urgency for future teachers to develop solid competencies to face environmental challenges.

Sustainability is recognized as one of the most important trends in project management today. The instrumental role of projects in the sustainable development of organizations and society requires that sustainability is considered in all aspects and practices of project management and execution. Project managers are significantly placed to make contributions to sustainable management, and play a pivotal role in the sustainability of a project. This role, however, requires adequate competencies, and earlier studies point out that the competencies that are recognized as ‘sustainability competencies’ are not all covered by the frameworks of project management competencies. A relevant question therefore is whether project managers master the competencies that their role in sustainable development asks from them? It is this question that is central in the study reported in this paper. Based on a the European GreenComp standard, the study reports how project managers self-assess their proficiency on sustainability competencies. The study deployed a quantitative, survey based research strategy, with non-probabilistic sampling. In the survey, separate questions were included for the respondents self-assessed knowledge, skill, and attitude per individual sustainability competence. The study showed that the project managers assess their sustainability competencies with an average score of 3.07, on a scale of 1 to 4. The results also show a clear need or desire for further competence development, especially on the competencies sytems thinking and critical thinking. These findings provide guidance for organizations that aim to improve the alignment between their sustainability goals and strategy, and the way sustainability is considered in projects, as this consideration requires adequate competencies.

Think outside the European box: Identifying sustainability competencies for a base of the pyramid context

With the establishment of social enterprises, the role of social entrepreneurs (SEs) becomes prominent with their exceptional competencies that contribute to the sustainable development (SD) of the environment. Sustainable competencies (SC) assist these entrepreneurs in strengthening their personalities for the present and future development by facilitating entrepreneurial social activities. This study focuses on the investigation of SC of SEs with the help of in‐depth interviews and exploratory factor analysis by collecting the data from SEs belonging to different regions of Uttar Pradesh, India, through a questionnaire. During the analysis of interviews and data, it has revealed that among the eight vital SC, few are entrepreneurial resilience, empathy, emotional intelligence, strategic thinking and so forth, which are crucial for the success of the social entrepreneurial journey. This is the significant study that focuses on the SC required by the present and future generations for the world's SD with humankind and would facilitate the academic institutes and policymakers to inculcate the SC among the generations to create more social enterprises.

Sustainability challenges such as degradation of ecosystem, loss in biodiversity, depletion and destruction of natural resources, numerous instances of pollution, and the extreme poverty of millions of human beings all originated from how people think. In an effort to improve the situation, the UN declared the years 2005–2014 as Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), calling for a thorough integration of competencies in sustainability issues at all levels of education. In line with this, addressing numerous sustainability-related problems requires an urgent need to reorient the school curricula, so that appropriate sustainability competencies are injected. Since the contents of HEIs curricula revolve around knowledge-based goals, skill-based goals and affective goals, this study investigated competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes) in the environmental sustainability suitable for incorporation into Higher National Diploma (HND) electrical/electronic engineering curriculum in Nigeria. The study employed qualitative approach through document analysis and semi-structured interview with the participants. The documents analyzed were twelve Journal Articles and five Skill Standards. The researchers also conducted interviews with electrical/electronic personnel in the academia and industry. The empirical findings of the semi-structured interviews corroborated the theoretical findings in the documents analyses. The study discovered several competencies in the document analysis as well as interviews, which were ultimately analyzed thematically. The themes include: Climate change, Ecology, Environmental Resource Management, System Thinking, Sustainable urbanization, Recycling/Re-use, and Empathy and Ethics. The researchers analyzed only 17 documents and conduct 10 interviews, thus, conclusions derived from these sources rely on the genuineness of the information provided by the participants. The findings provide the researchers, accreditation body as well as curriculum developers with competencies in environmental sustainability in the events of curriculum upgrade or renewal to integrate sustainability. The findings are the results of triangulated data elicited theoretically and empirically.

PurposePhysical education has been described as an essential material to contribute to sustainable development. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the proficiency of higher education students in the three dimensions of sustainable development. This paper aims to analyse both the competences associated with the sustainability of preservice physical education teachers and the curriculum's influence on them.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 341 students (112 women) completed the validated Physical Education for Sustainable Development – Future Teacher PESD-FT questionnaire. This instrument assesses sustainable competences in its three dimensions (social, economic and environmental). In order to determine the influence of the curriculum on sustainability competences, the academic year studied was used as a variable. Variables such as gender, age and competitive experience in institutionalised sport were also considered in the statistical analysis.FindingsThe results showed that the total set of students scored above average in their self-perception of competences associated with sustainable development in all three dimensions. The Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis statistics showed no differences attributed to gender and grade, respectively.Originality/valueThis could help to rule out the influence of the curriculum as the main factor in the acquisition of these sustainable competences. However, greater competitive experience in institutionalised sports was associated with greater proficiency in social competence within sustainable development.

There is an urgent need for a global sustainability transition. This change needs to be cultural and transform both our actions and the values on which we base our decision-making. Sustainability transition requires concentrating on future generations as well as on the people teaching them because class teachers have an impact on their pupils' knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes. Therefore, class teachers need new competency to make sustainability transformation in schools happen. Teachers also need to possess a sufficient level of self-efficacy beliefs, as they strongly impact a teacher's ability to manage their job as a sustainability educator. This survey research studied Finnish class student teachers' (N = 166) perceptions about their sustainability competency and self-efficacy in education for sustainable development. Students' perceptions of their sustainability competency were clustered into one weighted sum variable. Three principal components were constructed with principal component analysis (PCA) to describe the students' self-efficacy beliefs in education for sustainable development. A PCA paired with linear hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to explain the variation in students' sustainability competency perceptions. The results indicated that the combined self-efficacy beliefs in teaching values and ethics and systems thinking explained 19.3% of the variation in class student teachers' sustainability competency. As a result, improving class student teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about teaching ethics and values and systems thinking in the Finnish context can improve their sustainability competency and vice versa. To promote the sustainability competency of class student teachers, it is necessary to be aware of this connection when developing class teacher education.

This study investigates the use of radio drama competitions to enhance competencies for sustainability among students. It focuses on how radio drama competitions can provide students with opportunities to develop collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving competencies within the sustainable development framework proposed by UNESCO. The study utilized a mixed-method approach, including online surveys and in-person interviews, to evaluate the effects of Hong Kong students’ participation in radio drama competitions on the development of their competencies for sustainability over a period of four years. Both the quantitative and qualitative data suggested radio drama competitions had a positive impact on enriching students’ collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving competencies. Students and teachers believe these critical competencies for sustainability can be acquired and enriched from the radio drama competition. These competencies help develop global citizens who can nurture more sustainable societies (UNESCO, 2017). This research also aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by incorporating insights on how radio drama competitions can empower primary and secondary school students from Hong Kong to develop these sustainable competencies through experience and reflection. The radio drama competition offers a platform for students to explore complex sustainability issues, express their creativity, collaborate with other students, as well as engage with a broader audience. In addition, this study provides suggestions on how radio drama competitions can be used as an educational tool for sustainability, integrated into primary or secondary schools’ curriculum, nurture students’ transferrable skills and achieve the goals of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at very young age.

Higher levels of material well-being lead almost inevitably to giving priority to individualism and personal advancement, often at the expense of civic conscience. A proposal for integrating sustainability into the curriculum is presented in the third year of the degree in Early Childhood Education at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC). Projects on sustainable food are planned and elaborated to this aim. This study seeks to apply a global and systemic approach to solving socio-environmental problems and to check whether education for sustainable development (ESD) helps to develop and encourage actions that promote sustainable development. Quantitative research was conducted using a pre-test/post-test quasi experimental design separated by a period of didactic training in the project method. The results presented in this article show the students’ sustainability competencies (SC) improve after working on didactic proposals in a global manner. It is concluded that elaborating competencies in education for sustainable development enables an integrated approach of knowledge, procedures, attitudes and values in teaching through promoting the project method in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams, which enhances future teachers’ sustainability competencies.