Abstract The aim of this research was to analyze the contemporary practices of Big Data Analytics (BDA) in medical libraries of Pakistan and to explore ways for its implementation in these libraries. A cross-sectional study was carried out among medical librarians in Pakistan by using a Modified Technology Acceptance Model (MTAM) model, with collected data analyzed using Smart-PLS. The results revealed that lack of resources, technical expertise, and some other factors were significant hurdles in smooth implementation of BDA. It is concluded that the perception of medical librarians about adoption of BDA is very encouraging, which resultantly will improve the quality of healthcare services in the country.

Abstract This study examines the use of scholarly communication platforms in Zambia, exploring the perceptions, usage patterns and factors influencing the adoption and utilisation of these platforms among Zambian researchers and academics. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, the study gathered data from a sample of faculty members and researchers at selected universities in Zambia. The survey instrument consisted of three sections, collecting information on demographic background, scholarly communication practices in Zambia and the scholarly communication platforms used by the academic community. The findings reveal insights into the perceptions of scholarly communication services, the challenges faced by Zambian researchers in accessing and utilising scholarly resources and potential strategies to enhance scholarly communication in the country. Additionally, the study identifies the scholarly communication platforms most widely used by the Zambian academic community and the factors influencing their adoption and usage. This research contributes to the limited literature on scholarly communication in Zambia, providing valuable insights for stakeholders involved in promoting and enhancing scholarly communication practices within the country.

Abstract The development of digital and mobile technology has led to the emergence of digital scholarship, which is a challenge but also an opportunity for higher education institutions to improve their space and relevant services to support students’ success. The purpose of this study is to explore university students’ needs and expectations on digital scholarship spaces and relevant services in an academic library, as well as the differences in this based on gender, academic identity, and subject being studied. We conducted a survey at Shipai campus of Jinan University in Guangzhou to collect and analyze users’ needs and expectations. Among the digital scholarship service, the demand scores of the top three services are text recognition and full-text processing with 7.00, academic paper writing, submission, publication, and dissemination consulting services with 6.86, and digitization of printed documents with 6.72. Elsewhere, the demand score of the top three spaces are the online digital scholarship space with 6.57, the research project application and exchange space with 6.43, and the text analysis, data analysis, Big Data, and visualization service center with 6.27. With the improvement of academic identity, the demand for digital scholarship services is higher. Gender has led to differences in a small number of space needs, while the differences brought about by the subject being studied are more significant. This research contributes to the understanding of how the digital technology, the students’ spaces needs, and relevant management practice merge in academic libraries for students’ learning and research purposes. These have implications for universities to improve their libraries’ space services oriented to the diverse users’ digital scholarship needs in the current digital learning environment.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the services and facilities provided by rural public libraries in West Bengal, India. In addition, the study aims to evaluate the perceptions of librarians regarding the implementation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications in these libraries. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data. The primary method of data collection was a survey using a structured questionnaire, which was administered to a total of 102 rural libraries. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with the respective librarians to bring more objectivity to the results. The findings revealed that rural libraries possess a moderate collection of printed books, newspapers, and magazines. The results indicate that these rural libraries offer a diverse range of services and facilities that benefit their respective communities. However, findings of the study indicated an acute shortage of staff in almost all the surveyed libraries, with this factor, consequently, affecting services. One significant challenge faced by these libraries is the lack of ICT applications. Nevertheless, most librarians expressed positive attitudes towards the implementation of ICT in rural libraries, recognizing their potential to enhance library services and reach out to a wider audience. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that the government should provide the necessary ICT tools in order to provide ICT-based library services. The results of this study can contribute to the upgrading and restructuring of rural library collections, infrastructure, services, and facilities in developing countries.

Abstract This theoretical paper explores the significance of Internet memes to the field of information research. Adopting a constructivist framework, it conceptualizes memes as documents that undermine popular assumptions about people’s engagements with information. In particular, it argues that Internet memes are conceptual tools through which people can negotiate different representations of reality and the logics that underlie them. Through a close reading of several memetic examples, I propose that memes are a means through which Internet users document and test their values against those of others, thereby allowing them to explore the different courses of action associated with situations they encounter. Memetic communication is thus presented as an important new information literacy practice that has critical implications for the following research areas: education, freedom of expression, ethics and policy, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Abstract Fact-checking information (FCI) serves in the fight against the infodemic and as an information service that helps people use their discretion in judging information in a post-truth era. Therefore, we investigated personal factors influencing users’ decisions in using and sharing COVID-19-related FCI in South Korea. The study took three steps to build hypotheses and collect data: a theoretical approach; an empirical approach through in-depth interviews; and an online survey amongst 304 information users who reside in Korea. More strictly, the interview data were analyzed through content analysis, and the online survey data were statistically analyzed using a SPSS 25.0 program. In conclusion, the study revealed that previous political FCI user research ignored health belief variables (health consciousness, perceived severity, and perceived susceptibility), which also influenced FCI usage. Moreover, critical prosuming literacy, a key predictor of sharing and disseminating misinformation, has a strong causal relationship with FCI seeking and sharing. The findings expand the notion of fact-checking from a type of journalism to “information” and “information services” and suggest that fact-checking has the potential to become an expanded information service in which experts in broader areas can participate.

Abstract Kuwait University Library has invested in electronic information resources (EIR) to facilitate users’ access to library materials. However, this has been insufficiently investigated to identify the factors that influence the use of EIR. Therefore, this study aims to explore the factors influencing the use of EIR by faculty members at Kuwait University, as the study further aims to enhance library services. Specifically, the study uses a modified technology acceptance model (TAM) to investigate whether the perceived ease-of-use, the perceived usefulness, and prior experience of using EIR affect their adoption. The EIR adoption, consequently, impacts the faculty’s academic performance. A mixed-method approach was adopted using the questionnaire and interview tools sequentially to collect primary data from faculty members at the College of Social Science, Kuwait University. Out of 116 questionnaires sent to participants, 48 were returned, yielding a 41 % response rate, which was supplemented with ten semi-structured interviews. The quantitative results, which were supported by the qualitative findings, indicate that the perceived ease-of-use, the perceived usefulness, and prior experience significantly influenced the adoption of EIR, and that adoption significantly impacted the academic performance. Moreover, the qualitative findings revealed the challenges that EIR users encountered. Recommendations and future research are also discussed.

Abstract The Library of Congress Classification system was designed during the age of colonialism, and as such, poorly represents the information-seeking behavior of present-day users. Students of Judaica are especially hindered by the limited scope of the B class (Philosophy and Religion) of the Library of Congress Classification system, which extensively classifies Christian material, but limits the thematic classification of Judaic subjects. Qualitative data collected on students of Jewish thought via a proposed questionnaire is anticipated to shed light on the specialized information-seeking behavior of Judaic students. The thematic coding and analysis of such data would assist in selecting an appropriate classification system that will complement Judaica scholarship or facilitate the creation of a novel classification system. More inclusively, such an endeavor may contribute to the understanding of specialized efforts in librarianship.

Abstract This paper examines the Bad News series of games, created by the Cambridge University Social Decision Making Lab and DROG Group, as an educational tool. More specifically, it considers Bad News as a persuasive game, within the umbrella of gamification. After considering the history and context of the game, the educational, motivational, and informational theoretical frameworks of the games, research, and criticisms, this paper concludes that the games are not, in themselves, transformative.