The story so far: a summary of the contributions to the ‘Dissertations into practice’ feature

The ‘Dissertations into practice’ feature began life in March 2012 with a dual aim: to encourage students and new professionals to write for publication and to highlight the impact of student research on policy and practice. This article reflects on the initiative and to summarise what has been achieved so far. It highlights the diverse range of contributions to the feature so far and proves that student research can and does influence policy and practice. It also demonstrates that, with a bit of encouragement and support, students are willing and able to write for academic publication. AM     

The Covid‐19 ‘infodemic’: a new front for information professionals

The virus, commonly known as COVID‐19 which emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has spread in 213 countries, areas or territories around the globe, with nearly 144 683 deaths worldwide on 18 April 2020. In the wake of this pandemic, we have witnessed a massive infodemic with the public being bombarded with vast quantities of information, much of which is not scientifically correct. Fighting fake news is now the new front in the COVID‐19 battle. This regular feature comments on the role of health sciences librarians and information professionals in combating the COVID‐19 infodemic. To support their work, it draws attention to the myth busters, fact‐checkers and credible sources relating to COVID‐19. It also documents the guides that libraries have put together to help the general public, students and faculty recognise fake news.     

Global publication trends in the Health Information and Libraries Journal, 2014–2015

In an age when health science librarians are encouraged to engage in research, it is worth considering how international the published literature is. This article analyses the authorship of articles in Health Information & Libraries Journal over a 1‐year period, to determine the country of the authors who were published. JM     

Dissemination of public health information: key tools utilised by the NECOBELAC network in Europe and Latin America

Background: Open Access (OA) to scientific information is an important step forward in communication patterns, yet we still need to reinforce OA principles to promote a cultural change of traditional publishing practices. The advantages of free access to scientific information are even more evident in public health where knowledge is directly associated with human wellbeing. Objectives: An OA ‘consolidation’ initiative in public health is presented to show how the involvement of people and institutions is fundamental to create awareness on OA and promote a cultural change. This initiative is developed within the project NEtwork of COllaboration Between Europe and Latin American Caribbean countries (NECOBELAC), financed by the European Commission. Methods: Three actions are envisaged: Capacity building through a flexible and sustainable training programme on scientific writing and OA publishing; creation of training tools based on semantic web technologies; development of a network of supporting institutions. Results: In 2010–2011, 23 training initiatives were performed involving 856 participants from 15 countries; topic maps on scientific publication and OA were produced; 195 institutions are included in the network. Conclusions: Cultural change in scientific dissemination practices is a long process requiring a flexible approach and strong commitment by all stakeholders.     

The changed – and changing – landscape of serials publishing: Review of the literature on emerging models

This article presents an up‐to‐date portrayal of the greatly changed landscape of scholarly journal publishing and identifies the emerging trends characterizing it. We consider the attributes, novelty, and disruptive potential of different models, which range from improvements to the extant model to attempts at reconfiguration and transformation. We propose that journal transition can be seen as falling into three categories. The first is enhanced models of the traditional scholarly journal, which typically afford enriched functionality that breaks the bonds of the printed page whilst otherwise remaining wholly traditional in their offerings. The second category is innovative models of the traditional scholarly journal, which aim at supporting the journal in performing its traditional roles through convention‐altering ways. The third category is the possible alternatives to the traditional journal, which represent a move towards alternative modes of knowledge dissemination. This review shows that each of the models identified makes contributions to enriching the reporting and showcasing of scholarly output. They also make it more effective and more efficient. However, we conclude that none of the possible alternatives being discussed can serve as a full‐fledged alternative to the journal.     

‘Today and more than ever,I FEEL LIKE A RESEARCHER’: successful online learning collaborations between librarians and a Graduate School

This article describes the development and delivery of an online module at the University of Nottingham on the literature review process. In particular, it discusses how academic librarians collaborated with researcher developers at the Graduate School at the University to deliver a highly successful online learning experience for students. The article provides an overview of the course, a discussion on the experiences of both the tutors and participants involved, concentrating specifically on those in Medicine and Health Sciences. Details about future international collaborations and development of the course are also provided.     

A Survey of Catalogue Use by Engineering Students in Nigerian Universities

This article is a survey of catalogue use by engineering students in Nigerian universities libraries. Simple random sampling technique was used to select one thousand three hundred and sixty-eight engineering students from three universities in the country. A questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data gathering. Some of the findings revealed that a majority of the student survey participants make use of the catalogue occasionally and prefer to browse through the shelves when searching for information in the libraries. This article recommends that library use instruction should be included in the university curriculum and that librarians should provide practical demonstrations on the use of various catalogues to students during orientation programs.     

The Researcher's Journey: Scholarly Navigation of an Academic Library Web Site

A qualitative study of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library's Web site identified the ways in which students and faculty of the University of Montana used the site for research purposes. This study employed open-ended interview questions and observations to spontaneously capture a user's experience in researching topics in which they specialized. Four thematic recommendations emerged from nine study participants: increase the readability and consistency of the library's Web site, provide research guidance and ease of navigation, offer task-based services that maximize technology, and enable customization. The study led to Web site modifications and a formalized process by which the library will approach subsequent Web site design.     

The Mystery Room: discovering the flexibility of an information literacy-based educational escape room

Abstract

The Mystery Room is an educational escape room based on information literacy and applied to multiple audiences, including first-year students and library student employees. In this article, we explain how we developed the game, its theoretical underpinnings, and why it’s a flexible workshop for a variety of audiences.     

High-touch,low-tech: Investigating the value of an in-person library orientation game

Since 2011, the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has offered Scrabble Scramble, an in-person, student-centered library orientation game, to incoming first-year students. This article describes our journey of developing, assessing, and refining Scrabble Scramble, which focuses on introducing first-year students to the basic services and resources of an academic library. Through analysis of student and library staff feedback survey results, this article reflects on the value of offering a student-centered, impactful, and personal orientation in an environment of rising student enrollment, steady staff numbers, and a trend to move orientation activities online.     

International trends in health science librarianship Part 9: the UK – Scotland and Wales

This is the 9th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship. The previous article in this series looked at Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In this issue the focus is Scotland and Wales. There will be three or four more articles this year tracking trends in the Far East, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. JM     

行动研究法——促进图书情报专业实践与研究的融合

文章首先阐述行动研究的概念内涵、研究步骤,然后调研行动研究在图书情报界的应用现状及意义,最后分析了图书情报界开展行动研究的优势和劣势.     

The relationship between national and institutional electronic library developments in the UK: An overview (1)

This paper describes the background, processes and outcomes of the European Commission funded EQUINOX project, which recommended a set of fourteen performance indicators for electronic library services. Each of the recommended indicators is described and the thinking behind them, together with issues raised during consultations with the library community in Europe, is explained. Finally, it is noted that further work will be needed to link performance indicators to new models of libraries which fully describe their roles and functions in a networked information world.     

关键事件技术法在图书馆学情报学研究中的应用

文章在阐述关键事件技术研究法基本思路的基础上,重点分析了关键事件技术研究法在图书馆学情报学研究中的可行性和具体应用,最后提出其应用中存在的优缺点。