Information Science Literature Research Articles

Análise Crítica dos Modelos de Maturidade da Gestão do Conhecimento

Assuming that organizations need to identify their knowledge management maturity levels before implementing such management, this study aims to critically analyze the main knowledge management maturity models found in the Information Science literature. The goal is to contribute to the selection of the most suitable maturity model for each organization at a given moment. To this end, the guiding concepts of knowledge management are presented, with emphasis on maturity models, which are tools used to evaluate existing knowledge management activities within an organization. As a methodology, a bibliographic review was conducted on the concepts under study, allowing the identification of the main maturity models to be analyzed and compared. Regarding the results, it is highlighted that the presentation, analysis, and comparison of the maturity models enable the identification of different contexts in which they should be applied. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the Knowledge Management Maturity Model is recommended when external support is sought; the application of the Organizational Knowledge Assessment tends to be simpler and more straightforward, besides being free of charge; and the model of the Asian Productivity Organization offers a more complex and comprehensive approach, including a well-structured evaluation methodology. Additionally, it is concluded that for organizations to effectively implement knowledge management and benefit from it, they must identify their maturity level in terms of this management. This should be done using a maturity model, and it is further highlighted that among various models, there is one best suited for each organization.

Development of a Professional Identity Scale for Information Professionals

Professional identity is generally defined as one’s interpretation of self as a professional in connection with the personal and professional experiences, attitudes, and aspirations. The research used the framework developed by Pierson et al. (2019), value statements from major professional associations, library and information science (LIS) literature to revise a professional identity scale for counseling profession developed by Woo and Henfield (2015). The developed instrument will be reviewed by small number of experts (N≈20) for content validation. The instrument will be sent out to LIS professionals via mailing lists for construct validation. LIS professionals who have just transitioned from school to work (graduated from LIS programs in the last 5 years) will be invited to participate in the study. The final instrument will include demographic questions (e.g., age, gender), highest degree achieved, employment status, and LIS job experience. Exploratory factor analysis will be carried out to identify the factor structure of the scale and relevant tests (e.g., Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Bartlett's test of sphericity) will be performed to investigate and assess the professional identity constructs that will emerge from the data. Confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted to obtain additional measures of fit and possibly explore additional changes. As the profession goes through a transformation and recalibrates itself to stay relevant and better address the needs and expectations of users, having a validated and reliable instrument to assess the professional identity of the professionals in the field will help address this gap.

The Role of the Practitioner in Curating LGBTQIA+ Safe Spaces in Libraries

ABSTRACTThe LGBTQIA+ community has come under increasing hostility in the North America through policy and challenges to library holdings and funding. These challenges to professional jurisdiction have prompted renewed scrutiny of the library‐as‐institution's responsibility toward society and the LGBTQIA+ community specifically. Safe spaces for this community remains a nebulous and contested concept. This paper reports preliminary findings of conceptualizations of LGBTQIA+ safe spaces in scholarly and practitioner literature in library and information science. Undertaking a critical literature review, this work outlines conceptualizations of the librarian's role in cultivating safe spaces and contrasts the theme of safe spaces as consisting of in‐group safe spaces. This paper collocates discussions of sociocultural contexts informing the ideas within literature alongside critical appraisals of and tensions with lived experience of queer folks. Surfaced is the gap between the two bodies of knowledge and conceptual and practice‐oriented approaches to reduce this gap.

The leisure reading habits of undergraduate business students

While literature on undergraduate student reading behavior is prevalent, there has been limited research on subject-specific leisure reading. Additionally, this type of research is often underrepresented in Library and Information Science (LIS) literature, despite its relevance. The authors of this study recognize the value of popular business reading titles. As such, the authors were interested in exploring the perspectives of students studying business to understand current attitudes toward popular reading. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the leisure reading habits of undergraduate business students and how this information can inform aspects of business librarianship. The authors surveyed business students enrolled in a required pre-major business course at Pennsylvania State University. The results reveal that a substantial proportion of business students enjoy leisure reading, often choosing books that align with their academic pursuits and personal interests. However, they frequently forgo reading due to the time constraints imposed by their studies. Overall, this study contributes to the literature on subject-specific leisure reading and seeks to determine whether popular business titles have a meaningful place in academic business libraries. Recommendations are provided on how to integrate such texts into librarianship and how to further investigate popular business titles and leisure reading among academic students.

Understanding Digital Library Use among STEM and Non-STEM Students: Insights from PLS-SEM MGA

Digitalization has transformed education globally, with Digital Library Remote Access (DLRA) services offering seamless access to literature and scientific resources. This study examines the factors influencing DLRA usage behavior in a prestigious Indian private higher education institution. Using a sample of 400 researchers and students, the research investigates the factors influencing DLRA adoption among STEM and Non-STEM respondents. The data were investigated employing Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling Multi-group Analysis using SmartPLS software version 3. Findings reveal notable variations in social influence, facilitating conditions, habit, and usage patterns of STEM and Non-STEM participants. The novel study contributes to library and information science literature as well as technology adoption literature by exploring the differences among the factors influencing DLRA adoption among STEM and Non-STEM researchers and students.

The reading practices of people with neuropsychiatric disabilities: a review of library and information science literature

Introduction. The ability to read and interpret different types of text can be significantly impacted by neuropsychiatric disabilities, which affect cognitive abilities. This paper explores and reviews previous studies within library and information science on neuropsychiatric disabilities in relation to reading practices. Method. Searches were performed in LISA and LISTA to identify research on readers with neuropsychiatric disabilities. Results were screened and 14 peer reviewed articles were chosen for inclusion. Utilising content analysis, the examined articles were deductively and inductively categorised according to the following themes: impairment, user group and context, research design, assistive technologies for reading, reading for information seeking, reading for evaluation, and reading, self-efficacy and identity. Findings. Most articles address dyslexia. The majority of studies have been conducted in educational settings and have an experimental research design. Six studies address assistive technologies for reading, the remaining eight concern reading in relation to information practices. Conclusion. There is an imbalance in the types of impairments that have been addressed in previous research. Few studies concern everyday reading practices and more research outside of educational contexts is needed. Furthermore, there is a lack of research that delves deeper into the experiences of readers with neuropsychiatric disabilities.

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.

Authorship Pattern and Authorship Productivity in Library and Information Science Literature

Authorship Pattern and Authorship Productivity in Library and Information Science Literature

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.