Employee reactions to user incivility in academic libraries

Workplace incivility and its consequences have been studied by many scholars; however, little attention has been given to the phenomenon in the library environment. More specifically, empirical research in the Library and Information Science (LIS) literature has focused on deviant behaviors, such as bullying, mobbing, and aggression, mainly from colleagues and supervisors rather than from users. However, incivility in the workplace is more common than other forms of negative behaviors, such as aggression. Moreover, in service organizations uncivil behavior from patrons is more frequently encountered than from co-workers and supervisors. In this vein, the current exploratory study aimed to investigate the manifestations and frequency of user incivility, as well as employee reactions to these behaviors in Greek academic libraries. Employee perceptions regarding the causes of user incivility were also explored. Results indicated that users are mainly impatient, angry and make unreasonable demands. These behaviors are attributed to user personality. Finally, respondents reported milder reactions to user incivility compared to those of their colleagues. Implications of the findings for library leaders are also discussed.     

A dual approach to assessing collection development and acquisitions for academic libraries

With a growing interest in evaluating the effectiveness of libraries, it is increasingly important that libraries find efficient ways to evaluate the collection development and acquisitions process. This requires a dual approach to explore both what was collected and actually used and also what was not collected which should have been. This study presents a way that both of these areas can be studied for smaller academic libraries and suggests ways these results can be interpreted and used to reallocate scarce budgetary resources or provide evidence for more funds for further developing the collection.     

Exploring the future of academic libraries: A definitional approach

The central argument of the article is that while the building, the collection and the staff were inseparably linked, in a digital environment these facets of the library are diverging. This divergence clouds the process of envisioning a future for the library, but, if properly defined, it is a source of clarity, which sheds light on strategic opportunities.     

A new approach to collection bias in academic libraries: The extent of corporate control in journal holdings

Questions of collection bias in library journal collections usually turn on a left-right political contrast. This article presents another approach that distinguishes between corporate and non-corporate controlled publications. Using this method, the catalog holdings of all Canadian academic libraries were searched to determine the penetration of socio-political titles of mainstream “corporate publishers” and those of “small publishers.” Canadian academic libraries privilege, by a wide margin, mainstream titles published by corporate entities, although some libraries have impressive “small publisher” collections. This article also analyzed the availability of mainstream and small publisher journals provided by ten popular electronic vendors. These vendors provide very low access to non-corporate “small publisher” titles while covering 100% of surveyed mainstream titles. The implications of such provision rates are examined from the perspective of the scholarly browsing process and the role of the university.     

Reforming administration in Chinese academic libraries. A key to success

As centers of research and study in colleges and universities, Chinese academic libraries are heavily used and play a significant role in higher education. However, the level of administration can affect service to patrons and have an impact on their development. In this paper, the characteristics of administration in Chinese academic libraries are examined from both a historical perspective and current practice. The problems arising from the centralization of authority and administrative structure are also examined. Some possible suggestions are made of ways to improve library services in areas such as the quality of leadership, the creation of new positions, the increased responsibility of assistant directors, the re-organization of work distribution, the establishment of reference services, the development of faculty and staff participation in committee work, the importance of a library liaison program and the importance of designing a strategic plan for the library.     

Ethnographic methods in academic libraries: A review

Research in academic libraries has recently seen an increase in the use of ethnographic-based methods to collect data. Primarily used to learn about library users and their interaction with spaces and resources, the methods are proving particularly useful to academic libraries. The data ethnographic methods retrieve is rich, context specific, and often difficult to collect via other methods. This review provides an overview of research demonstrating how ethnography can be applied to learn about a variety of issues in academic libraries, ranging from space use to a way of teaching new students about library resources and facilities.     

A social media strategy for academic libraries

This study was carried out to analyse strategies regarding the use of social media for academic library services in Ghana. The research design was quantitative and adopted the survey approach. Questionnaires served as the main data collection instrument. The study population comprised of one hundred and ten library staff from public and private universities in Ghana. As indicated by the study results, the library staff agreed that there was a need for a well-formulated social media strategy to help academic libraries identify the most appropriate social media tools, establish contact with targeted audience, and increase engagement rates to enable an effective and efficient distribution of its resources and services. The results also indicated that the academic libraries, however, seem to neglect these strategies which could drive patrons' use of such platforms. Recommendations therefore suggest the need to implement social media plans and policies, user engagement, social media update, and dedicated staff with the requisite skills in the use of social media platforms for library services delivery.     

Marketing institutional journal subscriptions to academic libraries

This paper examines different influences on the journal cancellation and selection policies of university libraries in the UK. Changing funding arrangements are outlined, followed by a discussion of varied criteria that are used during journal cancellation exercises, and how publishers can influence this process. The paper then considers changes consequent upon the advent of the electronic journal, and suggests that this, together with budget devolution and greater library liaison with academic staff, is increasing the influence of library staff in journal selection. As a result of these various trends, direct contacts between publishers and library staff are increasing.     

评估--再次挑战高校图书馆

新形势下高校图书馆评估成为促进图书馆事业发展的机遇,在高校图书馆迎接评估、追求达标过程中,对图书馆文献资源建设、自动化、服务和科学管理等方面进行了探讨,指出目前评估体系存在的问题并提出建议,使图书馆真正达到以评促改、以评促建.     

Chinese students in American academic libraries: A survey of Chinese user satisfaction with U.S. library experience

Abstract

While scholarship has addressed issues around serving international students in U.S. libraries, until recently, relatively little attention has been directly focused upon the library needs of specific ethnic groups. This study surveys 83 Chinese students and scholars after they returned from studying at universities in the United States to measure and document their satisfaction with the academic library services and resources they used during their study abroad. Results of the survey are analyzed with the goal of benchmarking and improving services for this growing academic library user population in the United States.     

Mentorship programs in academic libraries

Abstract

Academic librarians new to the profession, or seasoned with mid-career changes, have questions and challenges as they progress in their professional careers. Often, librarians need answers and guidance beyond a supervisor and may seek help from their peers. These mentor-mentee relationships can happen either informally or formally, within their home library, or across the profession. Many academic libraries have mentorship programs in place, but mentorship is not a standardized practice and seldom is a one-size-fits-all program. The library and information science (LIS) literature contain articles that describe and analyze the value of these mentorship programs from a variety of interesting angles.     

Technology and customer expectation in academic libraries: A special reference to technical/management libraries in Karnataka

Technology has transformed the way people live. Current day information seekers are empowered with multiple choices of information sources and libraries no longer remain the primary centre for information seekers. With diminishing time and geographical barriers the world has become a global village and information seekers are stressed with time constraints. It is the duty of library and information professionals to address these tech-savvy library users' needs and align their services to satisfy them.Recently, the author of this paper conducted a research study on the “Impact of technology on quality of services in technical and management libraries in Karnataka” sponsored by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, New Delhi. The study was approved in 2005 and the final report was submitted to the government in 2007. This paper carries some of the results of this research study conducted by the author in Karnataka state in Southern India.     

Technology and customer expectation in academic libraries: A special reference to technical/management libraries in Karnataka

Technology has transformed the way people live. Current day information seekers are empowered with multiple choices of information sources and libraries no longer remain the primary centre for information seekers. With diminishing time and geographical barriers the world has become a global village and information seekers are stressed with time constraints. It is the duty of library and information professionals to address these tech-savvy library users' needs and align their services to satisfy them.

Recently, the author of this paper conducted a research study on the “Impact of technology on quality of services in technical and management libraries in Karnataka” sponsored by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, New Delhi. The study was approved in 2005 and the final report was submitted to the government in 2007. This paper carries some of the results of this research study conducted by the author in Karnataka state in Southern India.     

高校图书馆美学浅议

以广东海洋大学图书馆为例,对高校图书馆美学进行了阐述,指出高校图书馆只有将外在美与内在美结合起来,才能促进高校图书馆的发展。     

关于高校图书馆机构设置的探讨

文章分析了大学图书馆现有机构设置的现状和不足,提出应从文献信息的整体和图书馆功能的整体着眼,规划全新的高校图书馆组织机构,并对其特点进行了具体的说明。     

Resource allocation to government documents departments in academic libraries

Resource allocation to documents departments in academic libraries is not a purely rational process. This lack of rationality leads to wide variation in the local levels of support upon which the GPO depository system depends. This article demonstrates these variations and suggests how documents librarians may change the levels of support their departments receive from sources within and beyond their libraries.     

高校图书馆如何防范恶意下载

恶意下载严重影响高校图书馆电子数据资源的正常服务，并可能引起法律纠纷。文章结合案例，从法律、管理、技术三个方面为高校图书馆有效防范恶意下载提出了对策。