How Much of Library and Information Science Literature Qualifies as Research?

There is an extensive amount of Library and Information Science (LIS) writing produced each year. While there is general awareness regarding the variety of journal literature, there is no certainty on the percentage of the collection that we can call research. This project is an important first step in answering the question. A content analysis of the LIS academic/scholarly journals at the Simmons College Library was conducted. The research level collection of LIS literature makes the library an ideal candidate for this study. The latest issue of each journal subscribed to for fiscal year 2012–2013 containing academic/scholarly content was analyzed. Each article was analyzed to determine: 1) if it was research or non-research, 2) the method used to collect data for the study in the article, and 3) the subject terms or keywords associated with the article. 105 journal titles were identified out of 177 periodicals. In the 1880 articles analyzed from these, 16% qualified as research. Surveys were found to be the most popular research method used. This study will benefit students, faculty, and staff with research requirements as well as librarians who guide patrons through a search for research literature.     

Current Situation and Development of Library and Information Science Education in China

1　StageofDevelopment　　Theoriginoftheregularsystemoflibraryandinformationscience(LIS)educationinChinacanbetracedbacktotheearlypartofthiscentury.In1920,M.E.Wood(1862～1931),alibraryscientistfromtheUnitedStates,foundedtheBooneLibrarySchoolatWuchang,thefir…     

Predictors of Library and Information Science Undergraduates’ Participation in the Online Discussion Forum

The study examined predictors of Library and Information Science undergraduates’ participation in a discussion forum. Through a total enumerative sampling technique, the entire 115 students in (2010/2011) academic session in the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Ilorin, Nigeria were selected to represent the sample for the study. A questionnaire was used to gather data on the study. Three research questions were developed to guide the study. The results demonstrate that computer and Internet search efficacy together with emotional intelligence significantly correlate with and predict users’ participation in an online discussion forum. Similarly, the results suggest that computer and Internet self-efficacy and emotional intelligence constructs are good predictors of participation in the online forum. Based on these findings, the study recommended that LIS students need to be more Internet and computer self-efficacious, as it has been proved that these will promote their participation in the online discussion forum.     

Scientometric Analysis of Library and Information Science Journals 2003–2012 Using Web of Science

This article highlights the research productivity and scholarly communication of library and information science professionals during 2003–2012 by using Web of Science databases from 40 library and information science core journals. Data was interpreted by using two open-source software Vantage point (powerful text-mining tool for discovering meaningful result from raw data) and CiteSpace II to visualize the library and information science growth and trends. Underlying results indicated that mainstream of authors (12,847, 69.9%) published their article as a single author from 2003–2009, this trend has declined and collaborative number of publications trend has inclined during the last 3 years. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign produced 95 (0.52%) of the total publications and stands at the leading position. The maximum number of publications was carried out by universities rather than non-academic institutions. This article identified that Asian countries, such as China, Taiwan, India, and Iran, are still in its infancy stage. The present study could be considered as a useful tool for effective allocation of research funds in the research community and academic world of library and information science to enhance the research process.     

The Educational Strategy of Library and Information Science in China in the 21st Century

The author states that the requirements for the professional personnel of library and information science in the future information society are to have wide knowledge and to be versatile. The knowledge required may include the knowledge of administration, documentary information, technical method and research method, etc.“Versatile”here means the ability of self-teaching, practical operation, social investigation,administration and organization, creation and scientific research. Finally, by analysis of the existing situation of library and information science education in China, and the needs of the Chinese economic vitalization in the 21st century, the author proposes to take a lot of measures at present for the improvement of thee ducation.     

Are Library Science Programs Preparing New Librarians? Creating a Sustainable and Vibrant Librarian Community

Recent studies show a growing sense of frustration for new library and information science (LIS) graduates who struggle to gain employment, as well as for hiring libraries who find the skills of entry-level employee candidates to be lacking. This study endeavors to discover the origins of this troubling juxtaposition by examining the perceptions of recent LIS graduates. The researchers administered a large-scale survey with over 575 respondents, analyzed and coded the data, and compared codes using a Cohen's kappa calculation. The responses indicate that LIS graduates feel that their LIS education would have been more valuable had it given them more opportunities to gain experience, more courses in technology and instruction, more guidance in which courses to take, and more mentoring opportunities with practicing information professionals.     

An Examination of Library and Information Science Undergraduate Students’ Career Aspirations in Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment

This study examined Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduate students’ career aspirations in entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities. A total of 155 students constituted the sample for the study. A self-designed questionnaire was used for the collection of data. The results demonstrate that 20.3% aspire to set up a small business, 39.2% prefer company employment, 30.4% prefer self-employment, and 20.3% prefer government employment. Forming partnerships, loans from banks and friends, grants from private foundations and personal savings and cash, private stock, and angel investors were identified as sources of funding. Careers available in LIS were identified to include librarian, abstracter, lecturer, web designer, database manager, archivist, information broker, publisher, and researcher. Hindrances to careers in entrepreneurship and self-employment were identified to include lack of access to financial services, access to physical infrastructure, and basic services. The study makes recommendations based on the findings.     

The Future of the Library: What Is a Public Library For?

The author suggests that libraries have been transformed a third time. Originally, libraries were the only place that valuable, handwritten, rare books could be found. As mass production kicked in post-Gutenberg, the library became an efficient way for the community to access knowledge. Today, though, in a post-paper world, the library must adopt a new role, a place where the community finds ideas, inspiration and others on a similar journey. The librarian is no longer a guardian of valuable books, but a curator of curiosity, passion and interest.     

Text Readability and the Impact of Academic Articles: An Empiri-cal Study Based on Library and Information Science北大核心

哪些因素会影响学术论文的被引次数是文献计量学领域的一个经典研究议题。目前的研究主要关注论文的内容特征和形式特征与被引次数之间的关系,鲜有研究从文本可读性视角切入这一议题。文本可读性影响读者对文本内容的理解和知识吸收,是一个关乎知识传播效率和研究成果认可度的重要因素。本研究在控制论文知识品质和权威性的基础上,使用文本可读性R值等五个变量研究论文的文本可读性对被引次数的影响。以中文图书情报学知名期刊发表于2016—2020年的论文为研究样本,研究发现论文的文本可读性R值、是否采用复合式标题、是否使用公式和表格对被引次数有显著影响,而是否使用图对被引次数没有显著影响。研究验证了中文情境下文本可读性对论文影响力的实质性作用,研究结果对科研人员改善自身的中文学术写作以及提高研究成果影响力具有重要参考价值。     

Is RFID Right for Your Library?

ABSTRACT

RFID technology is taking off in libraries at an increasingly rapid pace. Though there are few libraries employing this technology today, the benefits are great. The cost is still prohibitive however. This article discusses some of the benefits and drawbacks to RFID to provide information for librarians that will be useful when deciding if the technology should be employed.     

The Development of Library and Information Profession in the Chinese Academy of Sciences

1　Introduction　　Overthepast45years(1950～1995),undertheleadershipoftheChineseAcademyofSciences(CAS),andinacommoneffortofthestaffmembers,thelibraryandinformationsystemofCAShasbecomeasys-temwithmulti-disciplines,multi-levelsandmulti-functions.Thesystemi…     

Effects of Covid-19 on the Online Library and Information Science Degree at the University of León (Spain)

The Degree in Library Science and Documentation of the University of León started during the 1990–1991 academic year. This first curriculum suffered from a strong presence of subjects from the humanities, with a low fraction of experimental work in many subjects because of its inclusion within the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. The first years attracted large numbers of students. However, the subsequent decrease in the number of students pursuing the degree drove us to initiate a change toward blended and online modalities.The Librarianship and Documentation Area of the University of León (ULe) already has a long history in blended teaching, starting with the Degree in Librarianship and Documentation, which has used the platform aul@unileon since the 2006–2007 academic year; the Degree of Information and Documentation has used the blended modality since the 2010–2011 academic year, and it has been offered in the distance learning modality since the 2014–2015 academic year.These new technologies have been fully introduced into university education and have facilitated the teaching–learning process through the use of interactive programs via the Internet.The main objective of this column is to determine and study the kind of multimedia tools used by professors of the Bachelor of Information and Documentation at the University of León during the teaching–learning process and in virtual teaching before the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to report which new tools were introduced by the university for this reason. We study the student–teacher and student–student interactions to help promote communication and participatory learning through chats, forums, email, hangouts, Skype, Meet, videoconferences, etc.To carry out this study, two types of methodology were applied: satisfaction surveys implemented by the Quality Office of the ULe to determine the degree of satisfaction of students and teachers, and a study of annual reports.     

Textbook Affordability: Is There a Role for the Library?

Try searching the library catalog, as many students do each semester for the latest version of the textbook being used in a class at many universities and you will likely come up empty-handed. Many academic libraries—due to high prices, frequently issued new editions, and a tendency to go missing from the collection—have justifiably chosen to play only a marginal role in the provision of textbooks on campus. However, the dynamics of the textbook market are changing rapidly and this presentation explored the question: Should libraries reconsider the roles they play in the provision of course materials on campus? This session focused on the issue of affordability in the context of the rapid evolution and increased availability of e-textbooks (electronic versions of textbooks). Topics covered included: an overview of the e-textbook market, purchasing options and outlets for e-textbooks, new business models for institutional access to e-textbooks, potential savings from e-textbook adoptions, information on negotiating with publishers and platform providers, and why the library is well-positioned to play a prominent role in the provision of e-textbooks.     

A Talk on the Information Construction for Hospital on the Basis of the Knowledge Management

本文从知识管理的角度阐述建立基于知识管理的医院信息化系统的必要性及其作用,同时提出了建设基于知识管理的医院信息化系统的解决方案。