The book collections of British university libraries an American reaction

This study summarizes a survey conducted to discover the extent to which professional librarians in Nigerian university libraries have achieved academic/faculty status. The survey revealed that: (1) almost all professional librarians (16 or 80%) in Nigerian universities have full faculty status, coupled with mandatory research and publication for promotion, in 17 (85%) of the libraries; (2) publications in subject-fields and in library/information science carry equal ratings; and (3) academic librarians in Nigeria are entitled to the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as their teaching counterparts. This paper urges the Nigerian Library Association and the Committee of University Librarians to set standards for the attainment of faculty/academic status for professional librarians in Nigerian universities and colleges.     

纸本期刊与电子期刊:国家图书馆与公共图书馆的两难选择

电子期刊有许多优点,但相对高校和科研机构图书馆而言,国家图书馆和公共图书馆由于读者类型的不同,服务方式的差异等,在电子期刊的使用上还存在着许多问题。如何根据电子期刊以及国家图书馆和公共图书馆自身的特点制定科学的采选策略,并采取与之相应的服务方式,是提高电子期刊使用率的有效手段。表2。参考文献3。     

Exploring the Application of Information and Communication Technologies in the Acquisition of Information Resources in Three Academic Libraries in North-West Nigeria: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) incursion has brought a lot of changes to libraries activities. ICTs are used to manage libraries more efficiently and in meeting customers’ demands more appropriately at the right time. Despite the contribution of ICTs to library and information work, many libraries are yet to adopt these technologies especially in the acquisitions of library materials. This study was carried out in three selected university libraries in North West Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: determine the influence of performance expectancy on academic librarians’ intention to use ICT for acquisition; establish the influence of effort expectancy on academic librarians’ intention to use ICT for acquisition; find out the extent of social influence and facilitating conditions on academic librarians’ intention to use ICT for acquisition and lastly to proffer recommendations. This study adopted a positivistic approach and used a questionnaire administered to 224 librarians to collect data in the three selected libraries. The study is guided by the Unified Theory Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) developed by Venkatesh. Findings from the study reveals that academic librarians are supportive on the use of ICT in their work; ICTs are significantly important, trainings were organized mainly for librarians on general use of ICT not only on acquisition, but also on the general issues related to library activities; librarians also have the knowledge necessary to use ICT for acquisition in their libraries. The study recommends among others that the parent universities should increase the funding of their libraries with adequate supervision, so that such funds are well utilized for ICTs application; university libraries should continually sponsor their academic staff on modern computerized ways of using ICTs to source for materials and the acquisition of information resources in academic libraries should be given all the seriousness it deserves by enacting legislation to allocate a reasonable percentage of the university’s budget to it.     

Government Periodicals and the Reference Librarian:

Government publications in serial form provide timely, authoritative information on a range of subjects but reference librarians are not always aware of what is available in these sources. In libraries with separate documents departments, reference staffs may abrogate all responsibility for government publications, relying upon commercial sources to fill information needs more appropriately met with government periodicals. Documents librarians and reference librarians can facilitate the incorporation of govemment information in serial form into the general reference process. Benefits will include improved service to library patrons and an expanded user base to support the continued publication and distribution of government periodicals.     

Demonstrating Value in Federal Medical Center Libraries

Abstract

Librarians in the federal sector, like librarians in other medical center libraries, increasingly find it necessary to prove their worth to administrators of their facilities in order to keep their libraries open. The Federal Libraries Section of the Medical Library Association developed a survey for use by federal librarians to help them quantify the value of library reference services provided. Using this survey, these librarians gathered statistics to show the library’s effect on patient care, education, and administrative questions.     

Privacy and Library Public Services: Or,I Know What You Read Last Summer

SUMMARY

The privacy and confidentiality of library use are often at odds with efficiency in and customization of library public services. When librarians make decisions about services and privacy, they should consider strategic approaches to defining and discussing privacy and become familiar with the law of library privacy and their ethical commitment to privacy in library use. A wide range of library services and efficiencies threaten privacy and introduce the potential for secondary uses of personally identifying information collected by the library. Market failure for privacy weakens the value of consumer surveys and consent as substitutes for librarians' choices between privacy and services. Compromises such as those outlined by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee offer reasonable approaches to libraries and librarians struggling with the uncertainties that characterize the challenge of meeting both service and privacy interests.     

Diaries of lifelong learners: Information seeking behaviors of older adults in peer-learning study groups at an academic institution

Although not much has been written about older adults' use of academic libraries, they experience challenges navigating these considerable physical and online library spaces. Members of a university lifelong learning community were recruited for a 10-week diary study. They were asked to record their real-time information seeking behaviors related to their study groups, and the challenges they faced looking for or using information. They were also asked to rate their enjoyment to determine whether the joy of engaging in community learning extends to the information seeking process. Findings from sixteen diarists show that they sought information primarily on a specific topic, person, or book. They used a variety of resources but found books and periodicals most useful. They struggled with trust, technology, time management, library anxiety, information overload and dissemination. With increased understanding, librarians can be better equipped to reach older adults that are doing scholarly research and contribute to their success.     

高校图书馆为政府提供决策信息服务研究——以上海对外经贸大学图书馆为例

为政府提供决策信息服务是高校图书馆在泛在信息环境下深度开发信息资源、创新信息服务内容、拓展信息服务方式、延伸社会价值的重要途径。文章采用文献研究和案例分析相结合的研究方法,分析了图书馆为政府提供决策信息服务在理论研究、服务途径及实践案例等方面所呈现的特点,并结合上海对外经贸大学图书馆的实践,提出了高校图书馆开展政府决策信息服务的实施框架,从而为高校图书馆深入开展政府决策信息服务提供借鉴。高校图书馆可利用其自身的信息资源、馆员队伍、情报研究和用户服务优势,依托高校学科建设背景,深化与政府机构的文献信息资源和人力资源共建共享机制,为各级政府进行科学决策提供更有效的个性化信息服务。     

Understanding User-Librarian Interaction Types in Academic Library Microblogging: A Comparison Study in Twitter and Weibo

This research examined the ways in which academic librarians and users interact when using social media tools such as Twitter and Weibo as well as end-users' and librarians' perceptions of the types of interaction through social media. The study conducted an analysis of 1600 microblog posts sampled from twenty university library Weibo (Chinese Twitter) sites and twenty library Twitter sites in English-speaking countries. The results were compared using Chi-Square analysis. Results indicated that at present academic librarians in English-speaking countries use post information relevant to the library (news and events) and respond to information/research inquiries. And academic librarians in China are likely to use Weibo to communicate with users and to disseminate library news. Given the lack of previous research on how social media such as micro-blogging in general facilitates communication between librarians and library users in academic libraries between in English-speaking countries and China, this study provides valuable information concerning librarians' and end-users' interactions of information/knowledge sharing activities, which will enable libraries to be better positioned to promote user engagement through SNS usage.     

Supporting User Needs and Skills to Minimize Library Anxiety:

Academic reference and instruction librarians are commited to providing excellent and appropriate service to their library users. However, the increasing diversity of users in today's academic libraries, coupled with the overwhelming amount of information available in a variety of formats, often form barriers which prevent users from feeling sufficiently comfortable in approaching the reference desk to ask for assistance. Guidelines are suggested for use by academic librarians in evaluating facilities, services and staff in their libraries to assess their effectiveness in welcoming users and validating their information needs.     

知识经济时代高校图书馆期刊资源开发与利用创新探析

知识经济时代,读者对高校图书馆期刊服务工作提出了更高的要求。文章从增强高校图书馆馆员的职业精神与业务能力、加强高校图书馆馆员和读者的信息素养、加强导读工作和真正做好定题服务工作四个方面探讨了创新高校图书馆期刊资源开发与利用的途径与方式,以便提高期刊资源利用率。     

Graduate and Post-MLS Study in Digital Libraries

ABSTRACT

As librarians confront the Information Age, it is imperative that they remain aware of the issues that affect the profession. Traditional library skills are no longer adequate for maintaining a competitive edge in the field. Post-graduate education in digital libraries offers information professionals an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the new technologies utilized in libraries, as well as the issues generated by their use. This article surveys current educational opportunities with regard to digital libraries.     

Chinese academic librarianship in transition

Abstract

This study examines reasons for the shortage of qualified academic librarians in China and recommends ways to position Chinese academic libraries to move into the modern era.

Interviews were conducted with 20 academic librarians in China and 20 in the United States, in one library in each country, to collect data for a comparative study. This paper compares Chinese and US academic librarianship in terms of reasons for entering this profession, academic education in library and information science, and requirements for knowledge and information skills.

Chinese librarianship faces great challenges in the recruitment and education of librarians and with the library system itself. It is time for the government, university officials, libraries and society as a whole to learn to promote librarianship and build a powerful librarian workforce, to meet the needs of China's social and economic development.     

The Changing Instructional Paradigm and Emerging Technologies: New Opportunities for Reference Librarians and Educators

As the next millennium approaches, libraries must change and evolve in the very near future in order to survive. Reference services can no longer stay behind a desk or wihtin a building's walls. Instead, reference librarians must examine their clientele, determine their unique information needs, and develop and market appropriate collections and services. The changing instructional paradigm in America's classrooms provides an opportunity for reference librarians to modify and expand their efforts to encourage information use and literacy for education faculty, student teachers, classroom teachers and administrators. This paper briefly discusses present day information seeking and library use by educators and then suggests new overtures to this library patron community.     

The academic library: Structure,space, physical and virtual use

This mixed-methods study aims to characterize the appropriate structure of the academic library in the information age according to the perceptions of the faculty members who use the library and the academic librarians operating it. Two main issues were addressed: centralization versus decentralization, and the provision of physical versus virtual services. The study population included members of the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences in three academic institutions in Israel and academic librarians working in these institutions. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 20 faculty members and 15 librarians, while quantitative data was collected through questionnaires filled by 191 faculty members and 50 librarians in the above-mentioned institutions. Analysis of these data reveal that faculty members generally prefer a concentration of materials—rather than decentralization—and they show a similar preference toward a faculty library model, a combined faculty/departmental library model, and a central library model. Similarly, the academic librarians prefer either faculty or combined faculty/department libraries, but their preference toward a central library model is lower than that of the faculty members. The decentralized, departmental library model was the least favored by both groups. In addition, our findings indicate that both the faculty members and the librarians appreciate the virtual services that the library provides as well as its physical presence, although fewer faculty members than librarians perceived the latter as an important role of the library. Taken together it appears that the preferred model for the academic library in the information age is of large, multidisciplinary libraries that contain materials from a variety of fields and provide comprehensive virtual services.     

The library's role in the management and funding of open access publishing

This survey presents information on library management of open access resources, institutional involvement in open access funding, and the role librarians see themselves playing in this model in the future. 149 responses from 30 different countries were included. 94% of respondents were librarians, and the remaining 6% consisted of faculty, students, and other library staff. Results showed that most libraries are cataloging open access journals, though they usually represent only 1–5% of total listings. The responsibility for funding open access is more likely to fall on the author or a granting organization than the library or institution. 23% of libraries in this survey help finance open access, and one‐third of these had established criteria for funding. While librarians disagreed on the appropriate level of their involvement in the publishing process and financing of article charges, the majority viewed the library as an important advocate for open access publishing in their institution.     

Using Information Architecture to Evaluate Digital Libraries

Information users face increasing amounts of digital content, some of which is held in digital library collections. Academic librarians have the dual challenge of organizing online library content and instructing users in how to find, evaluate, and use digital information. Information architecture supports evolving library services by bringing best practice principles to digital collection development. Information architects organize content with a user-centered, customer oriented approach that benefits library users in resource discovery. The Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM), a cooperative digital initiative of the state university libraries of Florida, demonstrates the value of information architecture to digital libraries.     

Use of Social Networking Sites by Academic Librarians in Six Selected States of Nigeria

The attractiveness of social networking sites (SNSs) has extended to almost all professionals in numerous human organizations including the library. Librarians as a result of this development are now making use of these sites to connect to other libraries and librarians both within and outside their environment. However, it is observed that the use and benefits derived from social networking sites by Nigerian librarians, generally, and those in academic libraries, particularly, has not been well documented. It is against this backdrop that this study examined the use of social networking sites to both the libraries and the librarians in selected academic libraries in six Nigerian States. A survey research design approach was adopted. The simple random study drew upon 200 academic librarians from academic libraries across six selected States in Nigeria. Five research questions were raised and answered by the study. The results demonstrate that Facebook and Twitter are mostly use by academic librarians. Academic librarians are making use of SNSs on a weekly basis and partially on a daily basis. Many potential benefits of SNSs were indicated both to the librarians and their libraries such as creating opportunity to connect with people across the globe, which includes those that have never been seen and those that one is not sure of coming in contact with. It was also found that SNSs give opportunity for academic libraries to incorporate SNSs as a means of creating more interactive user centered library and information services. Examples of the defects identified associated with SNSs include sexual harassment, cybercrime, fraud, and spreading of spam. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will serve as pioneer data upon which future related studies will be anchored.     

Reference Use of Electronic and Optical Full-Text Databases

Use of full-text databases in electronic and optically published format is being pursued vigorously by major publishers. Reference librarians are using databases published in these alterative formats to print for dissemination of information products by publishers. Introduction of distribution technology for databases in these formats should be easier for reference librarians to introduce to end-users than has been the case with formats other than print for full-text searching of newspaper and periodicals. Bibliographic instruction in the use of databases embedded in these formats have interactive features allowing the publisher to use interactive tutorials to assist the librarian in introducing them to novices in the use of such technology in libraries. This should facilitate their acceptance in reference areas of libraries. Several such systems are described. An examination of the standards governing this technology is discussed.