Implications For Academic Libraries Research Articles

Comparing the “value of information services” for providers and vulnerable patrons: a mixed-methods study with academic libraries and students with disabilities

Introduction. This multi-year, mixed-methods study compares (a) the reasons administrators and librarians of academic libraries invest in assistive technology for delivering information services to students with disabilities, with (b) the benefits that influence these students’ intention to use AT. Method. In the first phase, 50 library administrators and 22 librarians from 186 public universities across the US shared their top-three reasons for investing in assistive technology through a qualitative survey. In the second phase, 322 students with disabilities from the same institutions completed a quantitative survey, in which respondents shared individual-level benefits that influence their intention to use assistive technology. Analysis. We utilised thematic analysis and structural equation modelling to analyse data in the first and second phases, respectively.Results. Three individual, three organisational, and three societal benefits prompt academic libraries’ investment in assistive technology. However, only two individual benefits – increasing information literacy and completing academic tasks – significantly influence the intention of students with disabilities to use the technology. In addition, neither academic libraries nor students, perceive the technology to be valuable for enhancing autonomy and the self (i.e., self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-image) of students with disabilities. Conclusion. Implications for academic libraries that provide information services to students with disabilities are discussed at the end.

An initial interpretation of the U.S. Department of Education's AI report: Implications and recommendations for academic libraries

This article provides an analysis of the U.S. Department of Education's report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for academic libraries. It delves into the report's key points, including the importance of AI literacy, the need for educator involvement in AI design and implementation, and the necessity of preparing for AIrelated issues. The author discusses how these points impact academic libraries and offers actionable recommendations for library leaders. It emphasizes the need for libraries to promote AI literacy, involve librarians in AI implementation, develop guidelines for AI use, prepare for AI issues, and collaborate with other stakeholders. The article concludes with a call to action for academic libraries to take a proactive approach to AI, ensuring its effective, ethical, and responsible use in library services and operations. This analysis serves as a roadmap for academic libraries navigating the evolving landscape of AI in education.

ChatGPT: Implications for academic libraries

ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late November 2022 and immediately went viral, reaching one million users in one week. Built by OpenAI, which is also responsible for the breakthrough image generator, DALL-E, ChatGPT is an LLM (large language model) tool that uses deep learning techniques to generate text in response to questions posed to it. It can generate essays, email, song lyrics, recipes, computer code, webpages, even games and medical diagnoses. Rather than search the internet, ChatGPT has been trained on a large corpus of text, including news articles, books, websites, academic articles, and other sources. The current corpus includes data from multiple languages and computer codes. The generation of text is accomplished by predicting the next word in a series of words to produce sentences and then entire pages of content.

Doctoral Students’ Perspectives on Textbooks and Open Educational Resources: Needs, Impact, and Future Directions

While discussions of textbook needs have typically focused on undergraduate students, doctoral students face some unique challenges related to course materials. Their positionality as students and also potentially future faculty, researchers, or instructors can provide useful insight as academic libraries seek opportunities to promote open textbooks. This article reports on the results of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 doctoral students in the College of Education at the Pennsylvania State University. Findings suggest that they obtain access to required textbooks in different ways and tend to purchase a personal copy of a textbook if they expected to use it in the future for their research. Their course selection was not impacted by the cost of the required textbook, although textbook requirements influenced their perception of the teaching faculty. Some already had experience publishing OER. Some others expressed interest in promoting OER or open access materials, while others expressed skepticism of these initiatives. Many articulated the importance of accessibility. Materials related to older seminal texts, ethnographical works, and methods textbooks were suggested as potential open textbook targets. Implications for academic libraries are discussed.

Role of academic libraries in the achievement of quality education as a sustainable development goal

PurposeThis study explored the role of academic libraries in the achievement of quality education as a Sustainable Development Goal.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a qualitative research approach and descriptive case study design. This study focuses on academic libraries from four universities in Ghana. From each university, the researchers purposely selected four respondents, comprising the heads of the libraries, deputies, and two assistant librarians or library assistants. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and document reviews. The results were analyzed and presented in descriptive and interpretive forms.FindingsThe study established that the majority of the library staff were aware of the sustainable development goal, SDG 4. The libraries provided relevant materials to support students’ learning, organize training on information literacy and engage library patrons in periodic information literacy programs to create awareness of the SDG 4. Since the libraries do not have their own internally developed policies on the SDG 4, they depend on the general United Nations (UN) document on the SDG and SDG 4 as a guide in information delivery; and the general policies on information delivery, teaching and quality assurance of the universities in general and the libraries in particular. The study concluded with a framework to guide the successful accomplishment of the SDG 4 in libraries.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focused on academic libraries in Ghana and adopted the purposive sampling technique which makes it assume a weak power of generalization.Practical implicationsThe study has implications for academic libraries and librarians in Ghana in achieving the SDG 4. It will guide librarians and academic libraries in formulating policies to guide them in their activities. The framework developed as a result of the findings will equally guide the librarians in their quest to provide information to achieve the SDG 4.Originality/valueThis study's originality lies in its articulation of academic libraries' initiatives in the actualization of the SDG 4 in Ghana with a developed framework to guide librarians and academic libraries. Academic libraries and librarians who are eager to contribute their quota to the achievement of the SDG 4 will find this study useful.

E-Book Perceptions and Use: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study

This article describes the results of a survey that gathered data on perceptions and use of e-books from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff at two Maryland research universities in 2019. It follows two previous surveys in 2012 and 2014 by the same team of investigators, with slight changes in personnel, and compares results across time, by user affiliation with the university, and by STEM versus non-STEM disciplines. The study concludes with a discussion of the major findings and their implications for academic libraries and publishers, as well as areas for further inquiry.

Exploring Chinese researchers' research information management practices: Implications for academic libraries

There is a recent trend toward university libraries to actively participate in research information management (RIM). This study examines Chinese researchers' RIM practices. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 researchers from 16 Chinese scholarly institutions to identify which RIM systems they used, how and why they used those systems, and their levels of participation. This study develops a typology of 11 activities involving Chinese researchers' use of RIM systems, including finding relevant literature and patents, knowing about other researchers, interacting with peers, applying for grants, and identifying conferences to attend. The findings indicate that Chinese researchers use international RIM systems to obtain English literature, build ties with researchers worldwide, and meet the requirements of English journals. This may result from the impact of China's national and university policies to encourage publishing in Anglophone journals. This study offers academic libraries and university RIM systems suggestions on how to support Chinese researchers' needs for RIM and engage them in curating research information on personal and community-wide levels, such as providing instructions on profile creation, assisting in self-archiving copyright-compliant full-text articles, allowing assignment of Chinese and English tags to publications, and promoting the norms of altruism and reciprocity.

Exploring Social Sciences Students’ Perceptions on Information Literacy and the Use of Mobile Technologies in Higher Education

This study aims to examine information literacy (IL) and the use of mobile technologies in the educational sphere by a sample of social sciences undergraduate students (N = 1,390). The study used the MOBILE-APPS questionnaire, which is a scale for measuring students’ perceptions regarding information literacy (both the institutional and as a personal dimension), the threshold concepts of the ACRL Framework and the use of ICT and mobile technologies in learning contexts. The survey was distributed to a sample of four universities and eight Social Sciences degrees in Spain. A descriptive, inferential, and multivariate study is performed, regarding age, course, gender, and degree. The results show that student perception is higher concerning the personal dimension of IL; most of the students are unaware of the threshold concepts of the ACRL Framework , and responses are very heterogeneous in relation to the use of ICT and mobile technologies. An MDS-clustering strategy regarding the diverse degrees that participate in the study is also provided, to grasp a disciplinary view. From the diagnosis developed in this research, some recommendations for teaching activity in IL as well as implications for academic libraries are provided.

Chinese College Students' Health Information Seeking Behavior: Implications for Academic Libraries

Chinese College Students' Health Information Seeking Behavior: Implications for Academic Libraries

The discoverability of award-winning undergraduate research in history: Implications for academic libraries

ABSTRACTMaking scholarly information visible to web search engines is an ongoing challenge, and undergraduate research is no exception. Using a sample of award-winning undergraduate history papers and journals, the authors searched Google, Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, and the authors' institutional repository to gauge the difficulty of locating these works. Given that many of these works were not easily found, results suggest that libraries and their institutions could be doing more to increase the discoverability of undergraduate research. Based on the success stories observed in this study, we offer strategies to libraries and librarians for increasing the visibility of undergraduate student research.

Facebook as a Communication Tool for an Academic Library: East West University Library, Bangladesh Perspective

ABSTRACTThe primary objectives of this research article are to explore the concept of communication tools using Facebook, and to evaluate the performance of the East West University (EWU) Library Facebook page as a communication tool. The EWU Library Facebook page uses a variety of strategies and techniques to engage with its patrons. The author's intention is to examine this library Facebook page, which is explored using a case study method. This article also focuses on how Facebook facilitates collaborations between the library and the patron's community, as well as the implications for academic libraries in the future. This case study reviews the literature on the use of social networking while focusing on Facebook as a communication tool and engaging libraries in social networking. The article emphasizes the author's experience of working in an academic library to identify the main trends in providing services based on posting various topics through the Facebook page of the EWU Library, Bangladesh. The numerous issues in adapting Facebook as a communication tool and an exploration of the opportunity and drawbacks of the use of the Facebook application in academic libraries are also discussed.

Faculty Publications and Citations: A Longitudinal Examination

This investigation seeks to study the publication and citation activity of faculty at research universities, as defined by membership in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). It constitutes the fourth iteration in a study of publishing behaviors, conducted over more than twenty years. The present data indicate a substantial rise in publications, both in total and as measured on a per capita basis. These data are compared with those of the previous three studies. In addition, and for the first time, citation data are also examined. The reason for the addition of citations is that there is cause to believe that citations are becoming common evaluative criteria for individuals, academic programs, and departments. There are implications for academic libraries with regard to all these data.

Faculty Publications and Citations: A Longitudinal Examination

This investigation seeks to study the publication and citation activity of faculty at research universities, as defined by membership in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). It constitutes the fourth iteration in a study of publishing behaviors, conducted over more than twenty years. The present data indicate a substantial rise in publications, both in total and as measured on a per capita basis. These data are compared with those of the previous three studies. In addition, and for the first time, citation data are also examined. The reason for the addition of citations is that there is cause to believe that citations are becoming common evaluative criteria for individuals, academic programs, and departments. There are implications for academic libraries with regard to all these data.

E-Book Perceptions and Use in STEM and Non-STEM Disciplines: A Comparative Follow-Up Study

This article describes the results of a survey that gathered data on perceptions and use of e-books from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. The investigators analyzed the results based on user affiliate status and subject discipline and compared the results with the findings of a similar, smaller-scale study conducted in 2012. The study concludes with a discussion of the major findings and their implications for academic libraries and publishers, as well as areas for further inquiry.

The McDonaldization of Academic Libraries?

George Ritzer, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, has proposed an influential thesis that suggests that many aspects of the fast food industry are making their way into other areas of society. This article explores whether his thesis, known as the McDonaldization thesis, is applicable to academic libraries. Specifically, it seeks to determine to what extent academic libraries may be considered McDonaldized, and if so, what effect McDonaldization may be having on them. It also investigates some possible alternatives to McDonaldization, and their implications for academic libraries.

Data sharing and its implications for academic libraries

Purpose – As an important aspect of the scientific process, research data sharing is the practice of making data used for scholarly research publicly available for use by other researchers. This paper seeks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the data-sharing challenges and opportunities posed by the data deluge in academics. An attempt is made to discuss implications for the changing role and functioning of academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive review of literature on current trends and the impact of data sharing is performed. Findings – The context in which the increasing demands for data sharing have arisen is presented. Some of the practices, trends, and issues central to data sharing among academics are presented. Emerging implications for academic libraries that are expected to provide a data service are discussed. Originality/value – An insightful review and synthesis of context, issues, and trends in data sharing will help academic libraries to plan and develop programs and policies for their data services.

Commercial Social Media and the Erosion of the Commons: Implications for Academic Libraries

Recent scholarship challenges the celebratory discourse surrounding Web 2.0. This paper engages with this scholarship to examine critically the implications of academic libraries’ presence within commercially owned social media spaces. It considers the apparent contradiction between work to promote the principles of open access and the idea of the commons, and engagement with commercial social media that may be contributing to the enclosure of the commons. It also examines whether the form of participation permitted within commercial social media sites may be limited and subordinating. The paper concludes with possible directions for further research and analysis.

Use of Web Resources in the Journal Literature 2001 and 2007: A Cross-Disciplinary Study

This article examines Web resources in research articles from 30 scholarly journals in disciplines across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The purpose of the study is to report the degree to which scholars make use of Web-based resources in the journal literature and to identify Web citation characteristics within different subject areas. The study also explores whether any changes emerged between 2001 and 2007. The examination confirms the finding of previous studies that, even though Web resources are not heavily used in journal articles, the number of such resources is increasing. Publicly accessible database repositories and open source software prevail over other Web resources in research communication. The implications for academic libraries are discussed. The study suggests that new strategies need to be developed to manage Web-based information resources.

Futures thinking for academic librarians: Higher education in 2025*

For academic librarians seeking to demonstrate the value of their libraries to their parent institutions, it is important to understand not only the current climate. We must also know what will be valued in the future so that we can begin to take appropriate action now. This document presents 26 po ssible scenarios based on an implications assessment of current trends, which may have an impact on all types of academic and research libraries over the next 15 years. The scenarios represent themes relating to academic culture, demographics, distance education, funding, globalization, infrastructure/facilities, libraries, political climate, publishing industry, societal values, students/learning and technology. They are organized in a “scenario space” visualization tool, reflecting the expert judgment of ACRL members as to their expectations and perceptions about the probability, impact, speed of change and threat/opportunity potential of each scenario. Finally, the study draws out implications for academic libraries. For scenarios which have been identified as high impact with a high probability of occurring, it is incumbent upon library directors and those who set strategic agendas for academic libraries to plan to act now upon these scenarios. This report reinforces the notion that academic libraries are part of a larger ecosystem, and librarians should be consistently scanning the environment to look for signs of the changes that may come. It includes an appendix with a suggested activity to engage library colleagues in stretching your imaginations and considering possible futures. This can build capacity to engage in strategic thinking and planning, supporting librarians in making better decisions now that can address a variety of possible futures.

Desk to the Desktop—Digital Reference Service Leveraging Educational Assistance in Distance Learning: Implications for Jamaica

The Internet and the World Wide Web have influenced the new approaches taken in teaching and learning at institutions of higher learning. The nature of the courses offered, the geographical spread of the teaching sites as well as the diverse and distributed student population are the catalysts for the changes. These non-traditional, or distant learners, have emerged as a significant subset of the student population, however, they are usually at a disadvantage because they do not have access to the information experts who would be able to assist them with their reference and research queries. Many libraries have adapted innovative e-reference services in the mainstream of their operations to bridge this divide. In 2009 the author received the 2008 Fulbright Visiting Researcher Scholar Fellowship and explored the theme “Digital Reference Services—Trends, Use and Implications for Academic Libraries in Jamaica.” The author was based at Syracuse University from September to November 2008, and visited other libraries such as the Ohio State University and the University of Illinois in the United States of America. This paper seeks to provide an overview of the research project that was undertaken. The findings presented are based on review of academic discourses through literature, interviews and observation.