LIS Schools Research Articles

Information Science Advancing while Library Retreating:An Exploratory Study with LIS Education in mainland China

The aim of this study is to highlight the evolving trend of 'delibrarization' in LIS school education in mainland China and to explore the underlying reasons for its emergence. To achieve this, the study employs discourse analysis to examine the nomenclatures and objectives of undergraduate degree programs at the top five LIS schools in mainland China. Furthermore, a critical analysis of the social background and academic evaluation system was conducted to further identify some contributing factors. The study concludes that the trend of 'delibrarization' in LIS education is driven by a combination of factors: the self-imposed perception of library science as 'restricted to library' and interdisciplinary, as constructed by some scholars in the field; the unfavorable nature of the current academic evaluation system; and the diminishing influence of library science within LIS schools.

Relationship between skills acquired and on the job performance of library and information science (lis) graduates of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina, Nigeria

This research is a study of Library and Information Science Graduates of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina 2010-2019 for their skills Relevance and performance in the Job Market. The areas focused upon were employers of LIS graduates in Katsina Metropolis. The data was gathered through literature review and field survey. Total enumeration sampling was applied to determine the required sample frames of graduates. The responses were gathered from LIS schools, Libraries, higher institutions, Ministries, Banks and NGOs. A Questionnaire was administered to obtain the necessary data from the respondents. The questionnaire was administered on a total of 120 graduates and a response rate of 98 representing 81.70% was achieved. Data was analysed using quantitative statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Two null hypotheses were tested at α =0.05 using Correlation. The overall results revealed that the graduates were employed (100%). Decision on each of the items and aggregate mean score for the table is based on the midpoint average of 3.0 on the five-point scale. Opinion of the responses in the table revealed that Time manage was low on the scale among skills acquired by the graduates during their training in the university. Most responses were of the view that the graduates’ acquisition of Time management during training was not adequate enough. Responses were of the view that Information Management Skill acquired by the graduates was relevant in the job market. The responses rated the graduates’ performances as very high. Ho1 revealed that acquired skills during training as under-graduate in the university was significantly correlated with the graduates’ performances in their respective jobs. Ho2 revealed that the UMYU LIS graduates’ skills and relevance of the skills in the job market were significantly correlated.

Prior Learning Assessment

Higher education continues to experience challenges arising from changing demographics and perceptions of the value of higher education. Prospective students want flexibility in how they pursue higher education. Programs must adapt to meet the changing needs and expectations of the audiences they serve. This is equally true for programs offered by library and information science schools. In an increasingly competitive educational environment where traditional student populations are shrinking, higher education institutions must be agile and proactive (Grawe, 2021).
 Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) or Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) recognize the students may bring knowledge and skills that are not documented as credit-bearing learning experiences from higher education institutions. The idea of PLA and CPL is not new. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) (https://www.cael.org/) has advocated for PLA and CPL for more than 40 years. Learning can take place through nontraditional instructional outlets. Work-related and military experiences also provide learning opportunities for which evidence may be available. Central to PLA and CPL is rigorous assessment. This assessment can take multiple forms, including portfolio evaluation, examinations for learning achievement, or equivalency determination of non-credit learning experiences. A recent study on PLA for adult learners concluded that PLA is associated with better student outcomes, including higher credential completion, cost savings and time savings (Klein-Collins et al., 2020). The panel topic addresses the conference theme by focusing on learning, practice and competencies.
 Many students applying to undergraduate or graduate programs at LIS schools bring work or non-credit experiences in areas such as information technology, librarianship or archival studies that are germane to the areas they plan to study. Should these applicants be provided the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge they bring for admission consideration, course exemptions or credit recognition?
 The objective of this juried panel is to begin a dialogue on the place of PLA in library and information science programs. After a brief introduction to PLA concepts, the panelists will discuss PLA initiatives in their schools. This will be followed by a discussion with the audience during the second half of the panel on questions that arise when considering the adoption of PLA. These questions include:
 
 What are the potential benefits of, and concerns with, offering PLA options to prospective undergraduate and graduate students?
 Which programs offered by LIS schools lend themselves to PLA?
 How much credit should be provided to students for demonstrating prior learning?
 What are the most effective approaches for assessing prior learning?
 Can PLA make LIS programs more inclusive, and can it serve as an effective recruitment tool?
 
 The following presenters will participate on the panel:
 Dietmar Wolfram (Moderator), Head of School and Associate Dean, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies (SOIS) will provide a brief overview of PLA and methods of assessment.
 Louise Spiteri, Professor, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University will discuss how Dalhousie’s School of Information Management (SIM) moved from an ad hoc process to an official PLA process for admission assessment for their Master of Information (MI) program, and how this has allowed SIM to broaden the students entering the program. The presentation will also discuss the experience of students who have entered this way.
 Sarah Beth Nelson, Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has led the University of Wisconsin System School Library Education Consortium where students can submit a portfolio to demonstrate prior learning in order to be exempted from three of the courses required for school library licensure.
 Chad Zahrt, Assistant Dean, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will outline how SOIS has been providing elective credit for non-credit workshops in relevant information technology areas to incoming students in the Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology program.
 Tomas A. Lipinski, Professor, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will describe how SOIS is addressing the challenge of recognizing the knowledge of incoming MLIS students who bring substantial experience working in the field and how this may be assessed.

Data Science Curriculum

With an increase in technology use and rapid generation of information and data, graduate-level programs with data science curricula have grown exponentially to match the demand for information professionals with data-related skills. However, a gap has formed between skills learned in school and skills information professionals need post-graduation. Previous research indicates a skills gap among data scientists who lack LIS training in areas like data curation, preservation, etc., which data science programs should address (Ortiz-Repiso et al., 2018). This study, as part of a broader project funded by IMLS (Grant # RE-250066-OLS-21), attempts to address current and future workforce demands in data librarianship and analytics, employer skill demand, and acquisition of skills.
 This poster reports on part of the larger project - content analysis of 294 distinct graduate program curricula involving significant data science coursework in 43 LIS schools and iSchools across North America. After collecting over 1,000 data science/librarianship-related courses from institutional websites, we coded them into seven categories using their titles and descriptions. Data analysis, curation, governance, and discovery were the most popular subjects, followed by data professions, miscellaneous courses, and data assessment. In conjunction with job ad analysis and surveys of stakeholders in data science and librarianship education by others, our study could serve as input for graduate programs/curricula design. Results from our study will increase understanding of the nature and structure of data science curricula in iSchools and LIS departments while giving students requisite skills to meet future needs as data science professionals/data librarians.

Impact of personal innovativeness, perceived smartphone ease of use and mobile self-efficacy on smartphone-based personal information management practices

PurposeAlthough, smartphones have facilitated users to keep their personal information, nonetheless, less has been investigated about factors affecting personal information management (PIM) practices. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how personal innovativeness, perceived ease of use (PEOU) and mobile self-efficacy affect PIM (e.g. finding/re-finding, keeping, organizing and maintaining) practices.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative research design was used in this study. The authors collected data from 222 students of information management from public sector universities using a questionnaire. PLS modeling technique was used to analyze data.FindingsThe authors noted that personal innovativeness significantly impacts finding/refinding information, whereas it insignificantly affects keeping, organizing and maintaining information practices. In addition, smartphone PEOU significantly influences information finding and refinding, information keeping and organizing information, whereas insignificantly influences information maintaining. Moreover, mobile self-efficacy was noted to be significantly associated with finding and refinding information, information keeping, information organizing and information maintaining.Originality/valueThis research is an important contribution to the body of existing literature, as it proposed an integrated model based on constructs extracted from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Social Cognitive Theory, personal innovativeness and PIM. This study also has practical significance because the findings of this study would be helpful for smartphone application developers and LIS school directors to design programs for information literacy.

The influence of basic needs on reading culture of library and information science students in Kwara State, Nigeria

This study explored the influence of basic needs on reading culture of library and information science students in Kwara State. It adopted a descriptive survey design. The population consisted of 3,249 students of three library and information science schools in Kwara State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique – stratified sampling and simple random – were used to select 296 respondents from the LIS schools in Kwara State University, Malete, Al-Hikmah University and Federal Polytechnic, Offa. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Findings showed that security, access to atmosphere, portable water and adequate safety strengthen students‘ sense of self-security, boost their emotional stability and their confidence to read. However, inadequate housing, inadequate/insufficient income and depression are the challenges that lack of basic needs posed to the reading culture of students. This study concluded that basic needs play crucial roles on reading culture of students because it strengthens their sense of self-security, boosts their emotional stability and boosts their confidence to read.

Using text analysis to study doctoral-level library and information science research trends in India

This study attempts to identify research trends in doctoral-level library and information science research in India. The study uses topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation to identify research trends by collecting relevant sections from the full-text of theses awarded in the last ten years by Indian universities in the discipline of library and information science. The topic modelling results show that the entire corpus can be classified into ten topics, including information communication technology and its application in libraries. The topic-wise trends indicate that ‘ICT and its application in libraries’ are still the prime themes of choice among doctoral-level research in Indian LIS schools, followed by studies on ‘Information seeking behaviour’. The growth-wise trend analysis suggests the decline in the interest in ‘Bibliometrics/Scientometrics’ and ‘Webometrics/Website evaluation studies’. The findings of the study will be of help to academics studying the development of LIS research, as well as aspiring doctoral-level scholars who are to identify a topic for their research work.

Why Soft Skills Matter: Analyzing the Relationship between Soft Skills and Productivity in Workplace of Academic Library Professionals

Abstract This study aimed to analyze the effects of soft skills on the work productivity of academic library professionals in Pakistan. The study employed quantitative survey method. The data was collected through a self-compiled online questionnaire from academic library professionals, yielding a response rate was 83%. Findings of this study reveal that library professionals’ level of different soft skills, interpersonal, emotional intelligence, leadership, motivation, and communication is high, which indicates that they are proficient in soft skills. Results of correlation test used to examine the relationship between the variables, soft skills, and work productivity of library professionals disclose a significant relationship between variables across the study. Moreover, soft skills have profound effects on the work productivity of library professionals, and no difference is found in library professionals’ perceptions based on their demographic characteristics. Soft skills help librarians to manage and perform different jobs effectively. Based on the outcomes of the study, it is suggested that LIS schools, professional associations, and other organizations offering professional development programs should endeavor to develop soft skills among LIS students and professionals by incorporating necessary contents in LIS curricula and offering training sessions. The research paper is the first attempt to explore the relationship between soft skills and work productivity from the perspective of librarianship in Pakistan; it will make a unique contribution to the literature.

How have LIS school curricula evolved over the past twenty years?

This study analyzed the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) statistical reports from 1997 to 2020. This study demonstrated that over the past twenty years, the LIS trends of diversity and interdisciplinary work have all been well reflected in the LIS curricula both in iSchools and non-iSchools, and LIS schools are preparing their graduates for evolving information environments.

Library and Information Science Curriculum in Pakistani Universities: A Comparison with Higher Education Commission Approved Curriculum

The main theme of this research article is to equate the library and information science curriculum taught at Bachelor of Studies (BS) level at the Pakistani schools of library and information science with curriculum designed by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Efforts were made to dig out and download the required information from the websites of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and schools of library and information science where the BS-LIS program is in functioning mode. In cases of non-availability of the desired information on the concerned university website, the authors consulted prospectuses and also approached the faculty/focal person of the concerned department for the requisite information. Seven out of fourteen LIS schools are offering BS-LIS programs in Pakistan. The majority of these schools follow the guidelines of the HEC in connection with BS-LIS programs in the country. Revision of LIS curriculum by the HEC is currently needed, as course revision has not taken place since 2014. The oldest schools of LIS are required to offer BS-LIS programs, as they have not yet initiated this program. This study is beneficial in designing a market-based curriculum for library science professionals in Pakistan. This attempt also helps the university authorities to make possible the compatibility of their BS-LIS program in line with the HEC curriculum. Uniformity in LIS curriculum at the national level is also a probable output of this study that can assist our professional bodies to achieve accreditation with international bodies.

An Evaluation of Library and Information Science Curricula and Professional Perspectives in India

The purpose of this research study is to identify the core, advanced, specialized, and soft skills courses offered as part of the various library and information science programs. The course content of the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), offered in 2019–2020, was collected and analyzed from 10 LIS schools in India. Course contents were analyzed to understand whether the LIS schools are preparing graduates for the digital environment. A survey was conducted among 42 experts in library and information science on required courses in the MLIS program. Research finds that the LIS schools do not a have separate course module on digital library and that it is, instead, integrated and taught with the information and communication technology (ICT) course. There are also variations among the LIS schools in the allocation of topics and credits in each course. The experts opined that schools should allocate more credits to the advanced course, introduce new courses, and update the curricula for the future job market. New courses like ‘research data management’ and ‘data and visual literacy’ and courses on soft skills should be introduced in the MLIS program with 2–3 credits. There is a mismatch between the skills required in the job market and the skills imparted by the Indian LIS schools. The LIS schools should fill in the gap by introducing advanced, specialized, and soft courses in the MLIS program. The research findings have practical implications for the library and information science programs and educators. The LIS schools in India offer courses to meet the local job market demands, but they should design and develop courses for meeting the global standards and needs.

Diversity of LIS School Students: Trends Over the Past 30 Years

Using the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) 2018 statistical reports, this study reports the current diversity status of LIS students. The findings are as follows: (1) overall LIS graduates’ diversity has improved from 6.79% to 17.47% over the past 30 years, and particularly, the increase in the number of Hispanic graduates is noticeable; (2) however, LIS graduates’ diversity does not follow the trends of the US population diversity: whereas 37% of the US population is minority, 17.43% of LIS graduates are minority students; (3) the ratio of LIS minority graduates (17.43%) is lower than the ratio of LIS minority students (20.70%); (4) larger disparities among LIS students are noticed in the most ethnically diverse states; and (5) the rate of minority students among the top ten LIS schools is lower than those of overall LIS schools, except the Asian group.

Cultural Heritage Informatics: Building an Interdisciplinary Master’s Concentration

The rising demand for digital information resources and services in the LAM sector has sparked many innovations by educators in recent years, as we seek to prepare students for careers in an environment that has continued to witness rapid and hard-to-predict changes. Granting agencies such as IMLS have played an important role in driving innovation to meet the needs of new professionals, in part by funding curriculum development projects within LIS schools, but also by facilitating dialogues between educators and practitioners. This work traces a 10-year process whereby one LIS school has designed and tested new courses as well as a new Master’s concentration geared to the needs of LAM professionals who will be expected to work intensively with digital technologies, workflows, and collections. Through a succession of projects, some with grant funding, the school has been able to engage practitioners on an ongoing basis, enabling it to build a substantial and regularly updated body of case-study data on LAM practices, which has informed course development efforts and which has enabled the school to meet its key objectives of delivering authentic learning experiences for students and to maintain an up-to-date curriculum in an evolving area of study within the LAM disciplines. It is hoped that both the experience and the results to date will help justify continued support for innovations in LAM education.

Echoes down the corridor. Experiences and perspectives of library and information science education (LISE) during COVID-19 through an African lens

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in enormous challenges, but also presented opportunities that have notable implications for the future. The aim of this paper is to explore and discuss the experiences, perspectives, challenges and opportunities of Library and Information Science Educators (LISE) during the pandemic. The aim is articulated in the following three research questions: How is the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by LISE and in research? What are the perceptions formed during the period? And what are the challenges and opportunities?Design/methodology/approachThis is an interpretivist qualitative study informed by disaster management theories. The study involved the content analysis of existing literature with a focus on COVID-19 and higher education, particularly LISE, in conjunction with an open-ended email questionnaire that was sent to selected LIS educators/faculty/staff from major LIS Schools from eight sub-Saharan African countries. The author used personal experiences and observation to supplement the data and the interpretation.FindingsResults show more similarities than differences in how the COVID-19 pandemic is experienced and perceived, as well as the challenges and opportunities that it brings to the sector. As a whole, political factors are most pronounced, meaning that administration and decision-making need more attention in the sector. Also notable is that opportunities are mostly linked to technological factors, which will determine the “new normal” for LISE in the future. Almost all the narratives focused on the middle level of (during) the disaster life cycle, which is understandable as the complete cycle of the disaster is yet to come, likely when COVID-19 ceases to be a threat.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was small, as related studies focus more on COVID-19 and higher education, with hardly any focusing on LISE. The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended, so the disaster management life cycle cannot be fully exploited. Furthermore, the author’s categorization of responses within PEST was largely judgmental.Practical implicationsNew research, teaching and learning developmental paths have been created for LISE. The study provides practical reflection on the effects of COVID-19 on the sector and HEIs that can inform discourse and responses to the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study explores a new research domain in LISE and due to limited research in the domain brings together important voices/narratives – based on their experiences – of LIS educators in Africa on the research area. Further, it proposes the future of LISE under COVID-19 within the 4IR framework.

CURRICULAR IMPLICATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

The introduction of knowledge management into the library and information science curriculum comes with some implications that bordered on how knowledge management is being taught and represented in the curriculum design for LIS education. The investigation was carried out from the viewpoint of LIS community in Nigeria using a web-based survey questionnaire and interview. Certified librarians in Nigeria constitute the unit of analysis; their population stood at 6,504, and only 369 participants completed the survey, followed by interviews with five professors from library schools in Nigeria. The result from findings indicated that from the six variables raised on the implications of knowledge management on library and information science education, only two variables score above the Mean Variable Score (X=3.98) benchmark, the need for KM competencies to be fully integrated into the LIS curriculum score the highest mean score (X=4.46), followed by the need for the LIS curriculum to keep changing to accommodate new development in KM. It also manifested in the study that the current curriculum did not adequately equip LIS professionals for knowledge management practice. More so, knowledge management can be treated as a separate course on its own and as well be integrated into the existing library and information science courses. From the seven knowledge management concepts and themes raised, only four variables score above the Mean Variable Score (X=4.32) benchmark, interpersonal relationship leads the pact with a mean score (X=4.39), followed by research and evaluation with a mean score (X=4.38), knowledge management tools, technics and technologies with a mean score (X=4.36) and lastly leadership and managerial role with a mean score (X=4.35). Also from the four variables raised on responsibilities of LIS schools, two of the variables score above the Mean Variable Score (X=4.4) benchmark, need for LIS schools to train and retrain LIS educators score the highest mean score (X=4.45) followed by the need for LIS schools to collaborate with other allied disciplines in the design and training of LIS professionals for KM with a mean score (X=4.4). This implies that effective training and education for KM calls for cooperation and collaboration among different academic units.

Citation Analysis of Information Management Graduates’ MPhil and PhD Theses in University of the Punjab, Lahore-Pakistan

This study aims to explore the citation patterns of information management graduates' MPhil and Ph.D. theses submitted at the University of the Punjab, Lahore-Pakistan. It examined their core cited information sources in terms of gender, class, year-wise distribution of citations, the average number of citations, and authorship patterns in their citations. It identified the list of core cited information sources with several citations used by research graduates. Citation analysis technique was used to determine the core cited information sources in 71 theses (60 MPhil and 11 Ph.D.) submitted to the Institute of Information Management (IIM), University of the Punjab (PU), Lahore, during the period of one decade 2008-2017. All 7013 identified references were examined and categorized in journals, books and books chapters, web-pages, theses, conference proceedings, reports, and newspapers. Findings showed that both male and female MPhil/Ph.D. graduates frequently consulted and cited periodical literature i.e. journals (58.71%) followed by books and book chapters (20.72%). On an average MPhil graduates cited 80.85 sources and Ph.D. graduates cited 196.55 sources in writing up their theses. The authorship pattern of the citations showed the highest number of citations from single-authored work. Data revealed that information behavior was the favorite area among research graduates. Bradford's law of dispersion was applied to determine the list of most-cited journals and books. This study would be helpful for information professionals to understand the information needs of their patrons and to make informed decisions for building demand-driven collections. The findings of the study may apply to other LIS schools in the developing world with similar contexts.

Insights of LIS Professionals Regarding the Skills Needed in Special Libraries

The present study tried to identify the employability skills needed by the LIS professionals to work well in special libraries. A questionnaire as a data collection tool was used to collect responses of LIS professionals who are working in different special libraries in New Delhi. A total of 23 responses were received from LIS Professionals who performed duties in different sections of the libraries. The study found that with the changing landscape of librarianship, new scientific and technical skills are in high demand; however, new desired skills are missing among recent LIS graduates. There are many factors responsible for lacking the appropriate skills; however, the majority of the professionals believe that the LIS curriculum and training imparted in LIS schools of the country are not providing sufficient abilities needed in the workplace, and the courses are not relevant to the new changing interfaces of libraries and information centres. Such a study will help suggest a new need-based curriculum emphasising new changing skills and abilities in LIS expertise and help frame special training courses for LIS schools to fill the gap of skills needed and imparted.

Continuing education for public library staff: Valued competencies and preferred delivery format

As the nature of public library services expands and transforms, continuing education (CE) for both degreed and non-degreed library staff is critical. An ongoing challenge for the LIS community is to identify the key areas in which to increase professional knowledge and skills. The purpose of this study was to identify what working library staff considered valued competencies for youth services, reference services, director, and non-degreed library staff positions, as well as their preferred delivery format for CE. Open-ended survey activities were conducted via four research sessions, with a total of 57 library staff members participating in the study. The findings from the study suggest that the preferred CE delivery format is low-cost or no-cost, limited-time-commitment workshops with high interactivity. Valued competencies identified in the study indicated interdisciplinary trends of business management skills for library directors; technology skills and diversity/inclusion training for library staff and adult services/reference librarians; and knowledge around child and adolescent cognitive, behavioral, and literacy development for youth librarians. The findings from this study will help inform LIS schools and other CE providers on how best to create and deliver CE that meets the needs of public library staff.

Repackaging LIS professionals and libraries for the fourth industrial revolution

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need for African Library Schools to repackage their curriculum to be able to produce graduates that will match up with jobs demand in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. The discussion argued for the review of African Library Schools, identified the technologies that drive the 4IRs which LIS graduates will be working with, if employed, and relevant skills needed for functionality in the era. Design/methodology/approach This viewpoint adopts discussion method with reference to some review of literature to argue the pints. Findings This viewpoint finds out that to be relevant in the 4IR, LIS graduate will have to possess the required skills relevant to function in the 4IR. The skills identified among other are information curation, in-depth research, digital scanning, preservation, cloud data expansion, collaboration, teaching and facilitation, analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and learning strategies. Originality/value This paper is an original idea from the author and has been published or submitted to any platform. This paper is original because it has been able to emphasise that African LIS schools should work closely with the employer to make sure their courses and curriculum are designed in such a way to teach employability skills. Moreover, this paper is important, as it made it clear that there is need to ensure removal of barriers to implementing better assessment and training and providing much-needed funding and resources to support the efforts. LIS graduates or those in training should also work to develop in-demand skills and learn to use tools that reveal their capabilities to their potential employers.

Future challenges and emerging role of academic libraries in Pakistan: A phenomenology approach

This study was carried out to investigate the current and prospective challenges faced by academic libraries in Pakistan and to present possible solutions addressing these challenges. The research design was qualitative, adopting the phenomenology approach. In-depth interviews of 14 senior academic library leaders from public and private sector universities of Pakistan were conducted. Leadership crisis was identified as the top challenge followed by those related to changing user behavior, human resources, financial, technological issues, and changes in higher education. Prospective challenges encompassed issues related to technological modalities, human resources, research data management and library space. While the study participants indicated their readiness to cope with these challenges, they agreed that there was a need of collective effort for human capacity building, initiation of compatible smart services, effective policy making and creation of societal awareness. The support from key players such as the library professionals, library associations, top management, LIS schools, HEC and other funding agencies was deemed to be vital for this purpose.