Information Science Literature Research Articles

Academic librarians as educational developers: Overview, case study, and discussion

In the library and information science (LIS) literature, there are examples of librarians leading educational development initiatives, often centered on information literacy (IL). However, there does not appear to have been significant exploration in the educational development literature of librarians acting as educational developers. This article is intended fill this gap by providing an overview of academic librarians’ engagement with educational development and offering a brief case study of a librarian who is involved in educational development, followed by discussion of key questions and potential implications that are raised when considering librarians acting in this role. The goal is to open up a dialogue between and among educational developers and librarians about the role of librarians in educational development. This may also encourage discussion among educational developers about how the field should be defined and who qualifies as an educational developer.

In defense of information literacy across the disciplines

Information literacy, coined in the 1970s, covers a wide range of skills needed to navigate the information landscape to find relevant and useful information to solve problems. The teaching of information literacy is inconsistent across state standards, and West Virginia students entering college are often ill-equipped to find credible, useful information. Information literacy’s core skills include identifying individual information needs, finding relevant sources to solve those needs, and evaluating those sources for credibility. In the pre-Internet, mass media age, it was necessary primarily to evaluate and consider the bias of sources when assessing credibility. Then, mass disinformation/misinformation became a critical issue for information literacy, particularly in the mid 2010s. In the last two years, the now wide scale availability of generative AI tools now requires an even more substantial toolbox for information literacy. Unfortunately, discussions around equipping users with the appropriate skills have become increasingly siloed, with parallel developments in news literacy, digital literacy, media literacy, AI literacy, and reappropriation of science literacy to effectively encompass the same skill set. Here, I show the cross-disciplinary nature and value of information literacy, arguing for its superseding nature against these other literacies, and give recommendations for greater integration of information literacy instruction across college curriculum. Solutions for ILI implementation are readily found in the library and information science literature, and professional staff and faculty are in many institutions prepared or trainable to deliver ILI in both generalized and discipline-specific contexts to empower users to be more information literate and capable of navigating increasingly complex information landscapes.

Sense‐making, sensemaking and sense making—A systematic review and meta‐synthesis of literature in information science and education: An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) paper

AbstractSense‐making, sensemaking, and sense making are terms used in different disciplines. Similarities of usage seem unclear. (1) to examine the concepts used in different approaches to sense‐making/sensemaking/sense making; (2) to identify, classify and synthesize recent studies relevant to information science, as well as similar group on sensemaking in education research; (3) to reflect on future directions for sense‐making/sensemaking methodology in information science. The objectives were to retrieve, examine, classify and perform meta‐synthesis on sense‐making/sensemaking studies in both information science and education research. The review used systematic review principles, with selection criteria for case studies for examination in both information science and education sets. The final meta‐synthesis used a meta‐ethnographic approach, together with findings of recent overviews on organizational sensemaking, and other information science reviews. Qualitative sense‐making studies in information science often used Dervin's SMM (sense‐making methodology) and studies in organizations and education frequently used Weick's organizational sensemaking. Different mixed methods approaches were identified. Sense‐making is actively used in research and practice in information science and knowledge management. Using a coherent sense‐making methodology helps and dialogic principles are useful in planning, data collection and analysis. Individual and collective sense‐making are important to information science.

Curiosity and information-seeking behaviour: a review of psychological research and a comparison with the information science literature

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to review the psychological literature on curiosity and its relationship to information-seeking behaviour, and compare this with the information science literature on the same subject.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted is that of a comparative literature review, with an analysis of the papers retrieved in terms of their theoretical approach, context, study population and research method.FindingsCuriosity is understood as a multi-faceted cognitive trait in humans and the relationship to information-seeking behaviour is explored through an exploration of other personality characteristics. There is very little citation of the information science literature in the psychological papers, and only a little more citation of the psychological literature in the information science papers.Originality/valueThe author is not aware of any similar exploration of the literature on curiosity.

Examine the Challenges and Barriers Hindering Distance Learners' Access to Academic Library Resources

This research evaluates the barriers and challenges towards distance learners' access to academic libraries' physical and digital resources, databases, catalogs, and technological infrastructure, as well as the accessibility of virtual reference services and online tutorials. This research provides practical measures to improve library conditions, assist administrators in formulating effective policies, and benefit library professionals. The study aims to fill the gap in the Library and Information Science literature and contribute to knowledge in the field. A questionnaire was used for a nature of survey, and data was collected from six distance education providing universities in Pakistan selected from the Higher Education Commission HEC- Pakistan website. Two universities discontinued their programs, so data was collected from the remaining four. A sample of 200 students was selected, and 178 responses were received. Two incomplete responses were discarded, and the 176 responses were analyzed using SPSS. Distance education has become more available around the globe, and the number of distance learning students increases day by day. In response to the growing popularity of distance education, libraries and librarians identify their needs and then provide the best available services to these off-campus part-time students.

Reiterating Visibility: Canadian Librarians’ Experiences of Racial Microaggressions via Findings from a Minority Librarians Network Redux Survey

Based on the data from the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada 2021 Redux Survey, this study examines experiences of racial microaggressions among visible minority librarians in Canada. This research fills the gap in the library and information science (LIS) literature regarding racial microaggressions in librarianship in the Canadian context. Of the 148 respondents, 69% (n=102) experienced at least one stated racial microaggression. The result of a Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed a significant association between years of experience as a librarian and a librarian’s overall experiences with microaggressions. A post hoc test based on Bonferroni correction was run, which indicated that librarians with less than five years of work experience encountered microaggressions less frequently compared to those with 11–15 years of experience. For the ten stated types of racial microaggressions, the most frequently reported type was “I was told that people of all racial groups face the same barriers in employment or promotion,” and the least frequently reported type was “A colleague claimed that he/she felt threatened because of my race.” Fisher's exact tests were further performed to examine how the respondents differed in their experiences of each microaggression. The test results revealed that the librarians with different personal attributes (ethnicity, disability status, gender identity, language used) and employment attributes (librarian experience, management position, library type) had significantly different encounters with eight forms of microaggression. Professional library associations and libraries must strengthen education about racial microaggressions and offer support to visible minority librarians when they are confronted with microaggressive behaviours.

Evaluating the Citations and Social Attention Difference Between Open Access and Paywalled LIS Literature

The purpose of the present study is to assess the open access advantages in getting citations and social media attention for Library and Information Science (LIS) literature indexed in the dimensions database and tracked by Altmetric Explorer. An advanced search in the Altmetric Explorer was carried out to collect the needed data for the study and subjected to parametric and non-parametric tests to achieve the objectives. The results discovered differences in citations and altmetric attention benefits between Open Access (OA) and pay-walled LIS literature. Open access was found to have more citations and altmetrics than Non-Open Access (NOA). Furthermore, green OA outputs were reported to have more citations among the OA categories, while hybrid OA attracted more social media attention. The results of the present study offer insights for authors in deciding where to publish in order to maximise the scientific and social impact of their writings.

Dismantling structural and individual cisgenderism in Illinois libraries: a descriptive research study on cisnormativity, transprejudice and biases against transgender and nonbinary populations

PurposeRecent library and information science literature suggests transgender and nonbinary populations are not treated, served and represented on an equal or equitable basis as cisgender populations are in libraries. This article aims to assess the prevalence of bias and inclusion efforts in Illinois libraries.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study utilizes a critical queer theory lens and includes a Likert scale survey with a demographic question on gender identity to measure four constructs and determine if there is a relationship between gender identity and bias, inclusion efforts, and knowledge of transgender and nonbinary user needs.FindingsResults suggest respondents' biases reinforce structural cisgenderism in Illinois libraries and may account for the unequal conditions trans and nonbinary populations experience. Additionally, there is a correlation between cisgender-identifying Illinois LIS professionals and biased attitudes and behaviors, use of inclusive practices, and knowledge of transgender and nonbinary user needs.Originality/valueThis study contributes quantitative data, analysis and practical implications to a body of predominantly qualitative library literature on transgender and gender diverse experiences in libraries.

Cutting the Gordian (workload) Knot? Adding data services to academic library public services

The data librarianship as a profession produces on workloads can't give us the answers we seek. The library and information science literature wants two irreconcilable things out of its workload data: 1) aggregate comparable data to document and measure use of libraries and its value; and 2) accurate descriptions to document and measure the individual work done by librarians. That is our Gordian Knot. We propose here to change the question asked: how can we achieve a reasonable balance of workload within a group of librarians? That of course implies a focus on a library of a specific type: here a medium-sized academic library of an R2 institution. The goal was to answer a common and longstanding question: we are in continual process of assessing what needs to be done and how/where to shift workloads, but how do we know we're doing it in a reasonable and fair way beyond anecdotes and intuitions? We developed a weighted measure of public services workload in order to assess and track and assign a) areas of declining workload, b) areas of increasing workload (data services), and c) a balance between library divisions contributing to public services.

Searching for Indigenous Health Information and Knowledges

What was the question?
 
 How can we work toward reconciliation by improving search methods for CADTH projects on Indigenous health topics?
 
 What did we do?
 
 We scanned the library and information science literature to find mention of searching for Indigenous topics.
 We examined a list of key journals to determine their inclusion in bibliographic databases.
 We analyzed a set of evidence reviews to assess their search methods.
 We expanded the library collection to include Indigenous research methodologies.
 
 What did we find?
 
 Standard biomedical sources for literature searching do not include the full spectrum of Indigenous health information and Indigenous Knowledges.
 Development of research and literature searching methodology for Indigenous health topics must ensure Indigenous Knowledges are respected and Indigenous communities are consulted.
 
 What does this mean?
 
 Current search methods may not adequately retrieve relevant sources of Indigenous health information.
 CADTH is taking steps to expand literature search methods to retrieve sources of Indigenous information.
 This work aligns with CADTH's commitment to reconciliation as outlined in our Strategic Plan and Statement of Reconciliation.
 Further engagement with Indigenous communities is needed to help ensure respect is maintained in CADTH's reconciliation work moving forward.

Disability and surveillance: Disability justice as a framework for educational technology

The increased accessibility of technology is often employed as rationale for data extraction and surveillance. This paper examines critical perspectives on surveillance and educational technologies from Library and Information Science (LIS) literature, as well as those from disability studies that concern technology development more broadly. This research aims to understand how a disability justice framework can interrogate both the overall expansion of surveillance technologies and justifications for increased surveillance that argue that data extraction and analytics lead to increased accessibility for disabled users. As an activist approach toward disability advocacy that underscores the connections between white supremacy, sexism and colonialism as central to ableism, disability justice recognizes surveillance technologies as embedded in systems of power that disproportionately harm people of color, immigrants, transgender people, and gender nonconforming people. Using a disability justice framework, this paper argues against the expansion of surveillance technologies – especially in the name of increasing accessibility.

What are Carbon Footprint and Carbon Footprint Calculators?

Carbon Footprint (CF) calculations have recently drawn considerable attention in order to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Adapting to environmental consequences of climate change will require collaborative action, which involves every stakeholder, particularly libraries. CF calculators are digital tools for revealing and reducing CF. This paper introduces the concepts of “carbon footprint” and “carbon footprint calculator” by reviewing relevant library and information science literature.

Are We on the Same Page about Data Sharing? A Bibliometric Comparison Between Biomedicine and Information Science Literature

ABSTRACTData sharing has been an extensively discussed subject in both the information science and biomedicine communities. However, the two communities do not seem to speak to each other. Such an absence of exchange of perspectives can lead to siloed knowledge, duplicated work, and hindered collaboration. To uncover existing knowledge gaps, this poster depicts the bibliometric relationships between relevant literature in the fields of information science and library science (ISLS) and biomedicine and health sciences (BMHS). The findings demonstrate stronger bibliographic couplings within ISLS publications and between ISLS and multidisciplinary science publications, compared to the BMHS group. In addition, the examined ISLS and BMHS publications exhibit distinct topical foci on open science. This poster is expected to serve as a first step toward stimulating more conversations in the information science community, as well as bringing the discussions to the biomedicine community in the near future.

Preliminary Findings on Developing a Scale for Credibility Assessment on Interactive Web Platforms

ABSTRACTThis poster introduces an ongoing project to develop a scale for measuring information credibility on current and newly emerging interactive web platforms. The poster reports on preliminary findings from an initial phase in the project to generate an item pool based on an analysis of existing scales for credibility (n = 3) and empirical studies in the library and information science literature on web credibility assessments in the social media context (n = 19). Results show that in most papers analyzed (16 of 19; 84.2%), credibility was conceptualized as a one‐dimensional construct and often measured with only one item (e.g., credible, believable), despite the common view among scholars that credibility is a high‐level, multifaceted concept. The analysis also identified 59 semantically distinct items as an initial pool, which will be validated and tested with empirical data in subsequent project phases.

(Talking About) Failing Better in Research: The First Rule of Failure Club Is…You Don’t Talk about Failure Club

ABSTRACTFailure in research is an underexplored topic in the information science literature. Many instances of research failure go unreported due to the success‐oriented nature of academic culture, and academic publishing in particular. In not discussing, or failing to enable the discussion and reporting of research failures, important learning opportunities are being missed by the information science community. The aim of this panel is to explore these missed opportunities and to consider the need for approaches to research design, research collaboration and relationships, community engagement, publishing, mentorship, and teaching that will make room for such discussions to take place. The panel will bring together prominent information researchers to discuss failure in research in a series of short themed provocations and moderated group discussion activities.

Overview of cultural capital theory's current impact and potential utility in academic libraries

This literature review introduces academic librarians and library administrators to Pierre Bourdieu's Cultural Capital Theory (CCT). CCT originates from the fields of sociology and education. People possess cultural capital in varying degrees according to their level of access to cultural resources, participation in cultural activities, and titles held in high regard by the cultural community. CCT argues that people can acquire certain forms of cultural capital, and those who are successful improve their social status. Academic libraries are in a prime position to be a source of cultural capital, and many already have an established ethos of assisting their vulnerable student populations. A survey of professional library and information science (LIS) literature was conducted to identify articles that substantially discuss cultural capital as it relates to education, libraries, and information literacy. We discovered that CCT has not been comprehensively studied in the LIS discipline. This literature review reveals the limited current understanding of cultural capital from an academic library perspective and posits that students may benefit from academic library leaders examining their services, resources, and programs through a cultural capital perspective. Challenges of this theory, its connection to other critical approaches, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

The informative potential of bibliographic classification systems – reflections on a discussion in the French Documentation Movement

PurposeIn this article, the author discusses works from the French Documentation Movement in the 1940s and 1950s with regard to how it formulates bibliographic classification systems as documents. Significant writings by Suzanne Briet, Éric de Grolier and Robert Pagès are analyzed in the light of current document-theoretical concepts and discussions.Design/methodology/approachConceptual analysis.FindingsThe French Documentation Movement provided a rich intellectual environment in the late 1940s and early 1950s, resulting in original works on documents and the ways these may be represented bibliographically. These works display a variety of approaches from object-oriented description to notational concept-synthesis, and definitions of classification systems as isomorph documents at the center of politically informed critique of modern society.Originality/valueThe article brings together historical and conceptual elements in the analysis which have not previously been combined in Library and Information Science literature. In the analysis, the article discusses significant contributions to classification and document theory that hitherto have eluded attention from the wider international Library and Information Science research community. Through this, the article contributes to the currently ongoing conceptual discussion on documents and documentality.

Themes in Health Sciences Librarianship Literature, 2016–2020: A Keyword and Subject Analysis

Previous investigations into trends in Library and Information Science literature have revealed changes in the topics librarians publish on over time, with older studies highlighting classification and indexing, and information retrieval and more recent studies highlighting keywords such as Internet, information technology, digital libraries, and again, information retrieval. No similar investigation has been conducted on current publication trends by health sciences librarians. This study analyzes the top themes on which health sciences librarians published from 2016 to 2020 by examining the frequency of keywords. Keywords and subject headings were analyzed from The Journal of the Medical Library Association, Medical References Services Quarterly, The Journal of Hospital Librarianship, and The Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries. A total of 8,806 keywords were downloaded for analysis and organized into 292 categories during taxonomy creation. The ten most frequent themes were: libraries, information, education, humans, demography, librarian, geographical locations, research, electronic resources, and technology. The study also found that data, psychiatry and psychology, informatics, and publishing were other key themes, indicating that health sciences librarians are publishing on a wide range of topics. Some keywords that appeared only once, such as telecommuting and flexible staffing, suggest emerging areas of research for librarians.

Terminology applied in the study of user information when aimed at visually impaired people

Society comprises unique individuals; this is a human condition. Individuals think differently, act differently, and feel with varying intensities; and all this is because human beings live and make sense of the world in their own unique ways. Despite these differences, some terminologies help in expression and communication. From this perspective, this article aims to present the terminology for visually impaired people in the study of information users, based on the literature of information science and related areas. This is a qualitative study that uses a bibliographic method, associating conceptual aspects relevant to the topic. The study shows that terms and concepts should be defined for users with disabilities, and that user studies should be focused on people's individuality and consider their experiences, needs, and expectations, thus paving the way for a holistic perspective.

Breaking the barriers: The impact of health information and cultural factors on immigrant health in the Nordic countries

Immigrants encounter cultural adaptation challenges impacting their health behaviors and outcomes, with health information and cultural factors influencing their actions. A survey of 340 participants from Finland, Norway, and Sweden was conducted, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. Results show that health beliefs and access to health information, mainly via the Internet, significantly predict immigrants' intentions to engage in health-related actions, while perceived barriers negatively affect their adoption of healthy behavior. The findings underscore the importance of information professionals in providing culturally relevant health information and resources to immigrants and emphasize the need for policymakers to consider cultural factors and information sources in health promotion efforts targeting immigrant populations. This study adds value to the information science literature by highlighting the role of information access and cultural context in shaping health-related actions among immigrants in Nordic countries.