Attitudinal Correlates of Selected Nigerian Librarians Towards the Use of Information Technology

The explosion of information technology (IT) since the beginning of the 20th century rendered manual-based library systems, in academic, research, special and public libraries, irrelevant. Implementing information technology in the digital age depends largely on librarians' attitudes. This study examines the attitudinal correlates of selected Nigerian librarians towards the use and application of IT in their libraries. Forty-one librarians were surveyed from the four selected automated libraries in state of Oyo in Nigeria form the study's population. Two research questions were developed to guide the study. The results indicate that four out of the five variables age, gender, educational qualifications and prior knowledge of IT significantly correlate with the librarians' attitudes towards IT. The other variable, IT anxiety, correlates negatively with the librarians' attitudes towards IT. Findings further show that all the five variables significantly predict librarian's attitude towards IT with prior IT experience showing the greatest predictive effect. Based on these findings, libraries in the developing countries should consider sending their librarians, who do not have knowledge of IT, to IT training in order to remove fear and anxiety hindering them from developing a better attitude towards the use of IT in their libraries.     

Exploring Innovative Information Seeking: The Perspectives of Cognitive Switching and Affinity with Digital Libraries

Drawing on adaptive structuration theory (AST), this study develops a research model to explore innovative information seeking in the context of digital libraries from the perspectives of cognitive switching and affinity. Innovative information seeking behavior is the combination of innovative IT (information technologies) use behavior and information seeking behavior and subsequently refers to innovative IT use oriented to information seeking. A research model was developed and survey data were collected. The partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to verify the research model. The findings suggest that affinity with digital libraries is the most powerful determinant of innovative information seeking. Meanwhile, task nonroutineness and disconfirmation have positive effects on innovative information seeking; the effect of social influence on innovative information seeking is overpowered by affinity with digital libraries. The findings and their implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Value Creation in the Publishing Industry: The Impact of Acquiring IT Services Firms Between 2002 and 2007

With the presence of online, digital content and new services for manipulating and searching it, printing and publishing firms may experience technological uncertainty and risk and diminishing profitability. Mergers and acquisitions are approaches for dealing with the current technology and market changes that are underway in the printing and publishing industry. Using an event study methodology and a sample of 60 U.S. printing and publishing firms, this study investigates the value creation of acquiring information technology (IT) services firms. The study's findings reveal that printing and publishing firms experience significant increases in their market values as a result of acquiring IT services firms. In fact, non-newspaper firms realize the largest increases in market value. The study's findings should help academicians and practitioners understand the kinds of strategic acquisitions from which printing and publishing firms are most likely to benefit.     

National Information and Communication Technology Policy and Digital Era School Librarianship in Botswana

School librarianship has advanced in the digital era to encompass interactivity, connectivity, and access to a wide variety of information in different formats, through the capabilities of information and communication technologies. School libraries exist to support learning in schools and the importance of the digital age in student's learning cannot be overstated. Today's students are born in the age of technology; therefore a school library that does not encompass the use of electronic media will not meet the needs of the digital generation. The purpose of this article is to find out the status of technology diffusion and use in Botswana school libraries and to advance reasons for the lack of information and communication technology uptake in school libraries. A document analysis of literature was done to determine the factors that hinder the growth of school librarianship in Botswana during the digital era, using the stakeholder theory as a lens for the investigation. Findings reveal a weakness in the social, political, and economic areas of leadership in national information policies which seem to be a remnant from the beginning of the digital age in Botswana and indeed in most African countries. Some of the recommendations point to using the stakeholder theory to tackle the hurdles in school librarianship leadership and policy in the information age.     

Information Use in Communication Research: A Citation Analysis of Faculty Publication at the University of Houston

Citation analysis provides valuable information on researchers' information use behavior, and helps librarians make evidence-based collection development decisions. However, no citation analysis of faculty publications in the field of communication has been performed to study communication researchers' information use behavior. This study examined communication faculty publication from 2006 to 2014, analyzing format, age, most frequently cited journals, and their subject areas. Analysis of local holdings provides evidence for the library's role in support of faculty research, and helps librarians articulate the value of libraries.     

美国高校儿童图书馆学课程研究

美国儿童图书馆学教育发端于19世纪末20世纪初,儿童图书馆学课程建设已有超过百年的历史。本文首先梳理了53个ALA认证的硕士学位教育项目和34个AASL-CAEP认证的学校图书馆硕士教育项目,系统展示了美国高校儿童图书馆学教育的概貌;然后筛选出84所高校的603门ELSY课程,并对这些课程进行了统计与内容分析。当前,美国ELSY课程按主题可区分为六大类型:文献类、服务类、管理类、职业类、研究类和实习类。ELSY课程有超过1/3(约占39%)为文献类课程,其核心内容为文献知识;有约1/4(约占26%)为服务类课程;实习类课程约占16%,每个学校都至少有一门实习类课程;管理类、职业类课程较少,分别占比8%和6%,并非每个学校都开设了此类课程;研究类课程占比最少,约占5%,是美国ELSY课程的短板。美国在ELSY课程内容建设上的经验与问题,可为我国设立和发展儿童图书馆学课程提供借鉴。表7。参考文献47。     

Evaluation of digital libraries: Criteria and problems from users' perspectives

Digital library research has developed over the past decade, but little has been done on the identification of evaluation criteria, especially from users' perspectives. This article identifies users' criteria and applies them to the evaluation of existing digital libraries. Forty-eight subjects were instructed to develop and justify a set of essential criteria for the evaluation of digital libraries. At the same time, they were requested to evaluate existing digital libraries by applying the criteria that they were developing. A compilation of criteria developed by participants show that usability and collection quality were the most important criteria for evaluating digital libraries. Service quality, system performance efficiency, and user opinion solicitation were also deemed essential criteria. The author further compares digital library evaluation criteria identified by users and researchers and applied in previous research. The article reveals problems in current digital library design and development, discusses suggestions for improving digital library design, and presents areas for further research.     

Cable in the Classroom

Cable in the Classroom (CIC) is the cable industry's education foundation and has been active in the fields of media and information literacy for more than fifteen years. This article explains media literacy and its connection to information literacy, details CIC's work in these areas, and describes related resources available on CIC's Web site (http://www.ciconline.org). Finally, the article examines digital citizenship, a new term encompassing teaching youth about Internet safety, media and information literacy, and digital ethics that is generating attention in education policy circles.     

Investigating variations in the provision of digital services in public libraries using network-based GIS models

Public libraries have been seen to have an important role in providing digital services to potentially excluded groups in order to help meet government targets regarding the delivery of digital services. Geographical information systems (GIS) have been used to investigate library service areas, to aid initial location decisions, and to model the implications of the opening and closure of library services. Recent studies have promoted the use of GIS-based techniques to investigate spatial variations in accessibility to public and private services in relation to socio-economic characteristics of population groups. One such technique, based on floating catchment area (FCA) approaches, has been primarily used to investigate potential inequalities in health services, access to employment and leisure opportunities, as well as planning public transport. In this study, FCA techniques are used to research variations in accessibility to public library facilities using bespoke application tools developed within a commercial GIS package. Drawing on a preliminary analysis of variations in accessibility to library services in a local authority area in south Wales, UK, a case study is presented whereby GIS-based models can be used to investigate spatial variations in digital services provision. As a result, provision gaps of such services can be identified. This study's findings help guide national government delivery programs to promote digital inclusion.     

Assessing citizen adoption of e-Government initiatives in Gambia: A validation of the technology acceptance model in information systems success

The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been used extensively to explain and predict users' acceptance of corporate information technology (IT). With the advancement in IT and the expanding popularity of internet applications in Gambia, e-Government has been a priority factor in rendering government services and in making information more accessible to citizens. This study shows how the TAM and e-Government initiatives would positively impact the Gambian government, despite the cultural differences within the country. This study developed a successful model of the Gambian e-Government system to assist Gambians with more efficient and cost-effective government operations. The study results reveal that the core constructs of the TAM have strong influences on user-intention towards e-Government products. This implies that the Gambian government can potentially utilize this study's TAM findings in other contextual settings to design and promote further implementation of e-Government systems.     

大学生数字囤积行为的探索性研究——基于个人信息管理视角

[目的/意义]结合当前数字信息时代数字囤积的普遍现象,厘清中式文化情境下大学生数字囤积的行为机理,规避数字囤积行为的病态性倾向,推进个人信息管理的发展创新。[方法/过程]采用扎根理论,利用Nvivo 12对30份访谈材料和爬取的知乎热帖进行三阶段编码,最终构建大学生数字囤积行为机理模型,对大学生数字囤积行为的表现特征和前因后果展开探索性研究,据此,从个人信息管理角度提出突破数字囤积困境对策与建议。[结果/结论]研究结果表明,大学生数字囤积行为呈现出不同的表现特征和多重类型;影响因素不仅包括数字信息本身和情感依恋,也包括数字个体、社会影响和技术赋权等方面的因素,且禀赋效应对数字囤积行为具有调节作用,数字囤积行为中未存在明显的性别差异,但男女受访者囤积的数字类型各有侧重。同时指出,大学生数字囤积行为的潜在后果涉及成本、自我损耗、病态及恶性循环多个方面。在此基础上,结合个人信息管理关键活动,对大学生突破数字囤积困境提供若干针对性建议。     

Grounded theory for generating theory in the study of behavior

The use of grounded theory procedures for the study of information behavior has contributed to generating theory in this field. Thirty-one works were analyzed with regard to a) their relationship to the context in which the research was carried out, b) the aspect of information behavior researched, c) the use of grounded theory procedures, and d) the generation of theory. Most of the studies were carried out in the context of health information, and grounded theory procedures were for the most part only partially applied. The theoretical propositions produced depended on the subject being studied. Although this methodology is suitable for the study of an individual's interaction with information from that individual's own point of view, documentation of the procedures involved is often deficient.     

Neutralization Role in College Students' Information Seeking Procrastination

This study examines the current state of research in academic procrastination. Neutralization theory is then explored with emphasis on its applicability to academic information seeking and use procrastination. Finally, results of qualitative semi-structured interviews illustrating the applicability of neutralization theory on students' information behavior are presented along with the implications and areas for further research.     

Validating students' library experience survey using rasch model

Few studies have investigated the psychometric property of new instruments developed locally to assess students' library experience, such as their behavior, perception and attitude toward library use. Validating a survey instrument is critical because using untested assessment instruments is more likely to lead to a lack of credibility in the results, as well as a lack of accuracy in the study's purpose (Sullivan, 2011). This study used data from a locally developed student library experience survey distributed in Spring 2018 at a large public research university library to examine undergraduate and graduate students' behaviors, attitudes and perceptions of library use. To test the validity of the survey as to whether six subdomains of the library experience survey contributed to a single construct, library experience, the study used Rasch model framework. This study contributes to the field as a first example using the Rasch model for library assessment purposes. Suggestions for best practices are discussed.     

Backstabbing in Organizations: Employees’ Perceptions of Incidents,Motives, and Communicative Responses

This study examined employees’ perceptions of backstabbing in the workplace and an initial typology was developed for backstabbing incidents, perceived motives, and communicative responses. We employed thematic inductive analysis and unitizing to develop the typology and approached this study from the decoder's perspective (the target), whereas previous research on other negative behaviors in the workplace focused on the encoder's perspective (the perpetrator). Results indicated that active incidents (e.g., talked behind back) were more prevalent than passive incidents (e.g., withheld information), perceived motives were primarily self-interest (e.g., self-advancement), and communicative responses included interaction (e.g., confronted backstabber), action (e.g., left job), and inaction (e.g., ignored). Other responses were emotion and cognition. Demographics indicated that this phenomenon cuts across numerous organizations, industries, and hierarchical positions.     

The emergence of homogeneity and heterogeneity in knowledge structures during a planned organizational change

Scholars and practitioners increasingly strive to understand the complexities marking implementations of organizational change programs. Studies on this topic often concentrate on members' cognition about a planned change, regularly finding that members' knowledge structures and interpretations either converge or diverge over time. Using interviews, observations, and a unique discourse processing technique, a nine-month case study of one division of a municipal government organization shows that members' knowledge structures simultaneously converged and diverged as a consequence of both the change initiative and several unanticipated organizational events, including a clash between workgroups. The study's findings and theoretical perspective suggest a challenge to cognitive perspectives on knowledge and traditional research on organizational change; they also provide lessons for practitioners on how organizations may learn from complex change dynamics.     

情报学前沿领域的确定与讨论

根据前两篇文章所描述的调查结果,对所识别出来的候选前沿领域进行进一步的分析、甄别、筛选和归类,最后确定目前情报学的十个前沿研究领域（知识组织、情报检索、情报研究、信息资源管理与知识管理、数字图书馆、网络用户行为研究、情报学理论、信息计量学、信息政策与法律、信息经济学）及其所包含的主要内容或前沿性问题,并对选择过程中遇到的问题加以说明、讨论。最后还探讨了这些前沿领域之间的关系和研究策略。     

国内外博物馆学习研究回顾与启示——基于Citespace的可视化分析

博物馆学习隶属于非正式学习领域,在我国教育研究中处于边缘地位,为了推进国内博物馆学习研究向纵深方向发展,需要把握国际相关研究的热点与前沿趋势。文章采用CiteSpace分析软件对国内外相关文献的发文量、关键词共现、聚类及突现等方面进行可视化分析。总结博物馆学习研究再出发的路径：利用现代信息技术,实现博物馆数字化学习;关注公众参与及影响因素,提高博物馆学习质量;理论与实践相结合,深化博物馆科学学习研究;基于博物馆学习结果多元性,开展纵向研究;立足本土文化,深化馆校合作实证研究。     

Management of core resources: The case of media enterprises

Abstract

For media firms, convergence is a strategy for value creation. However, the concept of convergence belongs to a field of media research and practice that still is in a pre‐paradigmatic stage (Kuhn). The aim of the analysis is to contribute to the process towards “normal science,”; where the paradox of conceptualisation is solved and the outcome is guiding research as well as business development. The article introduces the concept of “value creation convergence,”; and discusses its potential as a sixth dimension of the convergence concept in relation to Miège's typology of traditional media firms (editorial, press, and flow) and Stabell &; Fjeldstad's typology of value creation configurations (chain, shop, and network).