How academic librarians experience evidence-based practice: A grounded theory model

This study explored academic librarians’ experience of evidence-based practice. A better understanding of evidence-based practice from an empirical basis can help fulfill the aims of evidence-based library and information practice to continuously improve practice and make effective, value-adding decisions about library and information services for their clients and communities. This research uses a constructivist grounded theory approach to investigate the question: How do academic librarians experience evidence-based practice? Thirteen Australian academic librarians participated in semi-structured interviews. The study used the methods of constant comparison to create codes and categories towards constructing a new theoretical model of experiencing evidence-based practice in the academic library context. The model consists of six categories of experiences: empowering, intuiting, affirming, connecting, noticing and impacting. This model can provide a platform for developing support for academic librarians andtheir educators by increasing awareness of various mindsets and actions experienced in the workplace context towards facilitating evidence-based information practice.     

The peritextual literacy framework: Using the functions of peritext to support critical thinking

The peritextual literacy framework (PLF) is a tool for accessing, evaluating, and comprehending the content of media using elements that frame the body of a work and mediate its content for the user. Paratextual elements are the focus of research in classification, bibliometrics, reader’s advisory work, and in studies of authorship and publication. However, paratextual theory is just beginning to be acknowledged in LIS. The PLF closes a gap in paratext theory by categorizing the functions of peritext into six types: production, promotional, navigational, intratextual, supplemental, and documentary. The PLF is unique that it provides both a framework for further research on peritext, as well as a pedagogical tool that supports teaching in the areas of information literacy, media literacy and analysis, critical thinking, reading, and media design and production.     

Developing the methodological toolbox for information literacy research: Grounded theory and visual research methods

The growing complexity of information environments calls for a reconsideration of the ways in which grounded theory method is employed within library and information science (LIS). This methodological discussion explores the synergies between grounded theory, information literacy and visual research to establish a research agenda for the extension of grounded theory method within LIS. The discussion draws upon recent theoretical and methodological advances to outline the challenges and opportunities of the proposed shift in focus for the development of a LIS researchers methodological toolbox. The ongoing exploration of grounded theory method is vital for the creation of richer and more complex theorising about the ways in which people engage with information within evolving settings and spaces.     

Hybrid gatekeeping framework for value-added information services

Information control processes designed to prioritize the most relevant information are important for enhancing the service experience of users. Gatekeeping is the process of filtering and disseminating information in online information services. This study investigates the effects of gatekeeping activities on information services and the resulting impact on the value of such services from a user's perspective in an information service environment characterized by online and offline transactions. Various hybrid gatekeeping activities are derived through focus group interviews with information services planners. A survey of information service users reveals values that could be obtained from the information services. The results of these two data gathering tools suggest an information service framework for hybrid environments. The findings enable the development of value-added information services for users through efficient information control in hybrid online and offline environments.     

Search systems and their features: What college students use to find and save information

College students have often been surveyed about their general information seeking behaviors. However, little has been done to explore what specific system features they use to find and save information when they are working on their real-life tasks. In this study, 32 college students were invited to an information interaction lab for a session in which they recalled a recently finished task and worked on a to-be-finished task using a computer in the lab. They were asked to complete questionnaires regarding what systems they used to finish their tasks and what features were helpful for searching and for saving information. Results showed that college students rely more heavily on the Internet sources than on library sources, even for their course related work. The study identified fourteen categories of system features helpful for information search and eight categories helpful for information saving. The findings have implications for designing systems that will better help people accomplish their tasks.     

Student perceptions of information literacy skills and curriculum before and after completing a research assignment

Library instruction often involves one-shot sessions where librarians interact with students for a short period of time and are then left wondering what the students thought of the session and if students perceive the session as helpful for their course work. Using two surveys to gather data, this study compared student perceptions of a redesigned library curriculum and of their own information literacy skills immediately after attending a library workshop and six weeks later after completing a research paper. The findings indicate that the library workshop is meeting student needs and has a lasting effect. Additionally, the researchers found that students were better able to articulate gaps in their own knowledge after having the opportunity to apply their skills to a research assignment. The researchers recommend that librarians using surveys to inform one-shot curricular changes gather data after students have applied the skills and knowledge gained in the instruction session.     

A clickstream data analysis of Chinese academic library OPAC users' information behavior

Chinese academic libraries have been devoting great effort into introducing next-generation online public access catalogs (OPACs) in order to provide a better user experience. However, there is a lack of empirical research on their usage. In this study, a transaction log file from a typical next-generation OPAC, the Wuhan University Library OPAC, formed the basis for an investigation of users' information behavior, using a clickstream data analysis framework. The 26,732,368 clickstream records in the original log file were cleaned, parsed, coded, then analyzed at the footprint, movement, and pathway levels. The results showed that the users relied heavily on the single-box simple search interface, seldom involved themselves in an exploratory search process, and preferred page navigation over search refinement when interacting with search results. The OPAC was used as a lookup tool to locate known academic resources and as a personal information management tool to utilize basic library services, instead of as a discovery tool as intended.     

Exploring the experiences of academic libraries with research data management: A meta-ethnographic analysis of qualitative studies1

Taking on responsibilities in research data management (RDM) has proven to be a significant challenge as libraries have adopted new roles within higher education institutions. A qualitative review using the meta-ethnographic approach was conducted that examined the experiences of academic libraries and provided clarity on contextual influences associated with achievements, as well as illuminating the reasons for deficiencies. Libraries experienced uncertainty around roles and relationships related to RDM yet were recognized positively as a neutral, centralized space within academic institutions. This perception, combined with the current approach of fostering partnerships and collaborations, may prove to be useful for libraries as they strategically consider how best to provide continued support and services in RDM. Understanding the perspectives of academic libraries on how they respond and support the demands related to RDM offers a fuller, more robust insight that is essential for planning and decision-making.     

Information activities within information horizons: A case for college students' personal information management

Personal information management behaviors appear differently by sources and by context. This study investigates personal information spaces from a quantitative approach and factors specific information behaviors and sources into information contexts. Using the information source horizon theory as a theoretical framework, college students' information behaviors to specific information sources were investigated in three personal information contexts (academic, health, and personal history contexts). In the college setting, students' personal information horizons echo the findings of previous studies that information contexts determine information horizons in general. In addition, specific information behaviors (collect, organize, and utilize) in this study are an important factor to influence personal information horizons. Certain information activities are observed in similar patterns regardless of contexts. The study suggests that the Information Horizon theory could be expanded to include information behaviors as an important determinant. From the data, radar charts visually present the relationships between information sources and activities, and they served as a collective form of information horizon maps.     

Learning bodies: Sensory experience in the information commons

Despite the digital shift, university libraries have grown in importance as places where students come to learn. Interest in designing better spaces has led to a flowering of user experience studies. Such research into how students use library space could usefully be informed by the theory of embodied cognition, which emphasises the role of the body in thinking and learning. This study explores students' embodied experience of an information commons building. Data were gathered from participatory walking interviews, where students were asked to give the interviewer a guided tour of the building. Findings revealed the way that particular combinations of sensory experience contributed to particular forms of learning. Very small movements or choices seem to reconfigure space significantly. This research also draws attention to the way that different learning atmospheres are actively constructed. The findings contribute a new perspective on inquiry into the use of library space. The potential implication for libraries is the need for more fine grained analysis of use experience from a sensory perspective and for teachers and learners to more explicitly reflect on the role of the body in learning.     

Different mysteries,different lore: An examination of inherited referencing behaviors in academic mentoring

Library and information science (LIS) dissertations cite a wide variety of literature, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. A review of 76 LIS dissertations was undertaken to determine whether the disciplinary background of the dissertation adviser influences the citing behaviors of the dissertation author. Of the 76 dissertations, 38 were advised by individuals with a disciplinary background in LIS and 38 were advised by individuals with a disciplinary background outside of LIS. The Library of Congress subclass for each citation was determined according the venue of publication. The most cited authors overall and by each group were determined, as well as the percentage of citations to LIS literature over time. LIS-advised dissertations were found to have cited a wide variety of literature. The percentage of citations in LIS-advised dissertations to LIS literature has declined from a peak of 59% to 21%. Citations to the most-cited authors in each group were largely exclusive to the LIS-advised dissertations, and nonLIS-advised dissertations generally do not appear to cite the same bodies of academic literature.     

Emotional design application to evaluate user impressions of library information desks

To evaluate the quality of service it is critical to know the concepts on which such evaluations are made from the user point of view. Differential semantics was applied in an emotional design framework to identify these concepts, or dimensions, and an equation was devised to discover the influence they have in the acceptance of a service by users. Some 53 users evaluated the tangible elements of 28 library information desks. Five latent concepts emerged from the analysis: modern, welcoming, professional, simple, and accessible. The most influential concepts influencing willingness to interact at library information desks were, in descending order, modernity, professionalism, welcoming environment, and accessibility. Finally, a comparative semantic profile was developed to explore the perception differences between the most and the least desirable information desks. Understanding the concepts that users consider when evaluating information desks and the influence of those concepts on user behavior can help designers improve overall service quality impressions.     

Equitable access: Information seeking behavior,information needs,and necessary library accommodations for transgender patrons

This study highlights the unique accommodations integral to welcoming transgender library patrons. Research shows transgender people have unique needs which differ from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals, and experience substantial barriers to obtaining quality library service. Most studies in the past exploring the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender library users focused exclusively on LGBQ users. This study surveyed adult transgender individuals (n = 102) with an online questionnaire. The majority of participants were white, designated female at birth, and under 40 years old. Survey respondents needed libraries to make accommodations for them to feel safe (p < 0.001). The top 5 accommodations needed were recent transgender literature, gender identity or expression as part of library nondiscrimination policy, gender neutral, single-stall bathrooms where a key did not need to be requested, recent LGBQ literature), and an established remote process for name change.     

Holistic information behavior and the perceived success of work in organizations

Surprisingly little is known about the relationship between perceived work success and information behavior. This study shows that holistic (versus organization-centric) information behavioral preferences are related to interaction and exchange oriented perceptions of the success of work. The findings were drawn from a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) based analysis of the survey data (N?=?305) collected from employees of a large multinational corporation. The findings suggest that holistic information behavior is more strongly related to social measures of success, whereas their association with quantitative measures tends to be lower. From the perspective of information behavior research, the findings suggest that holism seems to be a similar factor to, for instance, task complexity or personality, which influences human information behavior and, for instance, perceptions of relevance. From a practical perspective, the study suggests that the promotion of specific facets of measuring success and patterns of information behavior can be used to influence the orientation of working between centrifugality and openness.     

Conceptualizing the information seeking of college students on the autism spectrum through participant viewpoint ethnography

Due to increased numbers of diagnoses, targeted programs and initiatives, more students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending college (Heflin & Isbell, 2012; Zager & Alpern, 2007) but academic librarians and their staffs have not been trained to optimally serve this growing population. Utilizing wayfinding, think aloud protocol (TAP), retrospective think aloud protocol (RTAP), and a wearable camera, the actions, thoughts and feelings of a student with ASD and a neurotypical peer are evidenced as they navigate their campus library in search of materials. The library website, virtual maps to resource locations, and library workers served equally as enablers and barriers to both students in their information seeking. This study demonstrates that participant viewpoint ethnography is a viable research methodology for both neurotypical college students and those with autism.     

Understanding everyday life information seeking behavior in the context of coping with daily hassles: A grounded theory study of female students

Studying everyday life information seeking (ELIS) in a variety of contexts contributes to its conceptual development. The primary goal of this study was to understand ELIS in the context of female university students' coping with daily hassles. To identify the dimensions and determinants of ELIS, and to fill this current gap in the literature, a grounded theory study was conducted using Flick's stages of episodic interviewing with 21 Iranian female first-year university students. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. The findings showed that ELIS in coping with daily hassles is a multidimensional phenomenon that is affected by individuals' characteristics and sociocultural norms and values. Three main categories emerged as determinants of ELIS, namely normative status of the daily hassles, normative status of the information resources, and the individual's characteristics. Two main categories emerged as dimensions of ELIS which were type and strategy of action. Results of this study can contribute to the conceptual development of ELIS and may indicate how and in what circumstances ELIS dimensions emerge. The findings can also be used as a basis for developing information and intervention services in the context of coping with daily hassles.     

Academic librarian's transition to blended librarianship: a phenomenology of selected academic librarians in Zimbabwe

This paper explores the shared experiences of practices of blended librarianship among Zimbabwean academic librarians to identify how adequately they comply with their dynamic roles and functions. The paper relies on the theoretical constructs from Bell and Shank's (2004, 2007) blended librarianship and Lave and Wenger's (1991) Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP) to understand how Zimbabwean academic librarians practice blended librarianship in the workplace through engagement in legitimate work tasks. The investigators used phenomenology to explore academic librarians' experiences of blended librarianship. They selected a sample of 101 academic librarians and delivered a semi-structured questionnaire to the sample, conducted document research and interviewed key informants from the sample. The researchers collected data from the Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Lupane State University, Midlands State University, the National University of Science and Technology, and PHSBL80 Library which chose to be undisclosed. Each institution adopted blended librarianship in its way. Four (4) different categories of blended librarianship emerged from the experiences; that is “transcending blended librarians”, “partially blended librarians”, “intermittent blended librarians” and “aspiring blended librarians”, displaying each institution's level of instructional technology and instructional design roles. The study proposes that the “Academic librarian's transition to blended librarianship” two-by-two matrix that developed was in this inquiry needs further refinement. Further enquiries may test the matrix within the same sites or other locales altogether to corroborate if the results are replicable.     

The effects of inquiry-based information literacy instruction on memory and comprehension: A longitudinal study

How information literacy instruction affects students' learning has been a concern for many librarians and teachers. This study examines the effects of six-year integrated information literacy instruction on elementary students' memory and comprehension of subject content through inquiry learning and also focuses on the moderating factor of students' academic achievement levels. The subjects were 75 students participating in the study from the time when they entered elementary school. The school adopted information literacy instruction and integrated it into various subject areas using the framework of inquiry learning, for example, the Super3 and Big6 models. A total of 11 inquiry learning projects were implemented from Grade 1 through Grade 6. The results showed that inquiry-based integrated information literacy instruction helps students memorize facts and apply new concepts in the subject content. In general, the progress level in comprehension was higher than in memory learning for the six-year integrated information literacy instruction. Regardless of students' prior academic achievement levels, if they devoted their efforts to inquiry processes, their fact memorization and conceptual understanding of subject content improved. Low-achieving students displayed the most progression in both memory and comprehension learning, compared to their medium- and high-achieving peers. This study underscores the importance of information literacy instruction in students' learning.     

Librarians as Research Partners: Their Contribution to the Scholarly Endeavour Beyond Library and Information Science

Academic libraries are increasingly called upon to demonstrate their value to their home institutions. Research collaboration with faculty resulting in the co-authorship of scholarly output is one possible way to demonstrate the alignment of the library with the institutional mission. Involvement in research also improves librarians' skills in offering research support services. This study explores the contribution of librarians to scholarly journals in fields other than Library and Information Science (LIS) as well as their collaboration practices with researchers in those fields. Results show an increasing number of papers published by library-affiliated authors in non-LIS journals between 2006 and 2015. The papers fall broadly into four areas: articles on topics related to LIS published in non-LIS journals; higher education and information literacy; systematic reviews and meta-analysis; and research collaboration in the faculty's areas of expertise. The study is limited by the difficulty in properly retrieving the scholarly output of librarians from bibliographic databases and the difficulty in ascertaining their contributions to published articles.