Textual keyword extraction and summarization: State-of-the-art

With the advent of Web 2.0, there exist many online platforms that results in massive textual data production such as social networks, online blogs, magazines etc. This textual data carries information that can be used for betterment of humanity. Hence, there is a dire need to extract potential information out of it. This study aims to present an overview of approaches that can be applied to extract and later present these valuable information nuggets residing within text in brief, clear and concise way. In this regard, two major tasks of automatic keyword extraction and text summarization are being reviewed. To compile the literature, scientific articles were collected using major digital computing research repositories. In the light of acquired literature, survey study covers early approaches up to all the way till recent advancements using machine learning solutions. Survey findings conclude that annotated benchmark datasets for various textual data-generators such as twitter and social forms are not available. This scarcity of dataset has resulted into relatively less progress in many domains. Also, applications of deep learning techniques for the task of automatic keyword extraction are relatively unaddressed. Hence, impact of various deep architectures stands as an open research direction. For text summarization task, deep learning techniques are applied after advent of word vectors, and are currently governing state-of-the-art for abstractive summarization. Currently, one of the major challenges in these tasks is semantic aware evaluation of generated results.     

Library Book Theft and Audits in University Libraries of Pakistan

Librarians are the custodians of library materials. University libraries have a large number of materials in their collections; these collections have different challenges to maintain their existence and utilization. Security and protection of these resources is a difficult task. Book theft or loss is a phenomenon naturally associated with libraries and librarians. This article is an attempt to provide an overview of existing conditions of theft and loss of library material and to describe a major initiative that has been taken to overcome the situation. This study was designed with survey methodology and circulated to library professionals at 172 university and degree awarding institutions. There were 94 responses (54.65%) received. The study revealed that librarians faced objections from auditors and sometimes paid a penalty for stolen or lost books. The theft and loss of materials are examined critically by university management, library committees, and internal and external auditors. Some library professionals are required to pay from their own pockets for stolen and lost material. However, a few librarians write off library books as per Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) rule. Research highlighted that most libraries have not used technology such as RFID, 3M, or EM Tags for the security of books. An effective technological book security system minimizes loss and provides relief for librarians from audit issues and financial penalties.     

Designing User-Focused Marketing Culture in Academic Libraries: A Conceptual Outline

ABSTRACT

To design an outline of a user-focused marketing model and its implication in academic libraries is the goal of this article. The determinants for the proposed model were primarily derived from the success factors of customer-focused marketing noted in earlier research, and views and insights from a number of allied constituencies in Bangladesh. Doing this job, the study used exploratory investigation in the form of executive interview, focus group discussion, and questionnaire survey. To examine reliability of the determinants “item-total correlation” was applied. The proposed model shows quality service has been seen as a direct result of the quality of library products, services, and service providers that leads to ensure user satisfaction and loyalty. It also demonstrates how users are the central theme from all functional perspectives of library services. The model emphasizes the quality improvement and operational efficiencies are to be working together to achieve a competitive advantage. The model may help librarians understand how to set the users as the central theme from all functional perspectives of the library services.     

An Investigation of Service Expectations: Developing and Validating an Alternative Scale for Service Quality Assessment in Academic Libraries

The article provides an overview of the expectations and perceptions of library service quality from university students in Bangladesh. A modified version of the five dimensional SERVQUAL instrument was used to collect data from the universities. Respondents were asked to indicate their opinion on three columns, i.e., desired, minimum, and perception of service performance using 28 service items. It was found that the students’ desired expectation for services is unreasonably high. The study, therefore, made an effort to examine the sources of their expectation to develop and validate an alternative item-scale for service quality assessment. The results indicate that the students’ expectation sources had a significant impact on their opinion on service quality. A large proportion of students felt that their expectation for quality services is their right. This led them to rate higher desired expectation score for services. It suggests that user's desired service expectation is unrealistic and is not reliable for quality measurement. Based on this, the study argues that the prior scales of service quality assessment, particularly the calculation of the gap difference between perception of service performance and desired service expectation cannot produce a realistic result. An alternative item-scale, called real service expectation, was developed to calculate the gap score between perception of service performance and real service expectations. The computation of real service expectation, and the corresponding gap analysis could provide a new strategic direction for service quality assessment in academic libraries.     

Continuing Education (CE) of LIS Professionals: Need Analysis & Role of LIS Schools

Information explosion, development and applications of ICTs, changing dynamics of information users, and evolving trends in library and information services have promoted the discussion of continuing education (CE) in Library and Information Science (LIS) domain. ICTs are increasingly changing the landscape of libraries and challenging the traditional prevailing roles of LIS professionals. LIS professionals find it hard to remain in context in this technological era. They require the new set of skills and knowledge to address the challenges and issues of their professional life.The purpose of this study was to explore the opinions of LIS professionals to make an assessment about CE needs and the role of library schools to address these needs. The study opted sequential mixed methods of research. In first phase, an online survey was conducted to meet the objectives of the study. Data was collected by using a structured questionnaire. A total of 144 responses (70% male and 30% female) were received. In 2nd phase, a focus group was conducted to collect the qualitative data. The meta inferences were drawn on the basis of inferences of both QUAN and QUAL strands. The findings of the study revealed that respondents perceive a very active and instrumental role of LIS schools in their continuing education. Workshops, post-master certificate, and post-graduate diplomas were preferred formats of continuing education programs. The respondents preferred week long and 1–6 months long CE programs. In terms of the timings, weekends programs were most preferred. The respondents recommended that course instructor should be based on the contents of the course and a blend of teaching faculty and practitioners may be productive. The study also identified core areas of CE offerings.The findings of the study are helpful for LIS schools, professionals, trainers, funding bodies and policy makers. The study has the potential to bridge the gap by providing insight about the CE needs and recommend the concrete suggestions to act upon.     

An autonomous mobile agent-based distributed learning architecture: a proposal and analytical analysis

Current distance learning systems are increasingly packing highly data‐intensive contents on servers, resulting in the congestion of network and server resources at peak service times. A distributed learning system based on faded information field (FIF) architecture that employs mobile agents (MAs) has been proposed and simulated in this work. The learning contents are decentralised in the proposed system, and these are dynamically distributed around the main education site server on different nodes in response to network congestion and server overload. The system simulation results have been presented and analysed. The proposed system holds the potential to address the network congestion and server‐overload problems in distance learning systems.     

Developing online learning resources: Big data,social networks,and cloud computing to support pervasive knowledge

Utilizing online learning resources (OLR) from multi channels in learning activities promise extended benefits from traditional based learning-centred to a collaborative based learning-centred that emphasises pervasive learning anywhere and anytime. While compiling big data, cloud computing, and semantic web into OLR offer a broader spectrum of pervasive knowledge acquisition to enrich users’ experience in learning. In conventional learning practices, a student is perceived as a recipient of information and knowledge. However, nowadays students are empowered to involve in learning processes that play an active role in creating, extracting, and improving OLR collaborative learning platform and knowledge sharing as well as distributing. Researchers have employed contents analysis for reviewing literatures in peer-reviewed journals and interviews with the teachers who utilize OLR. In fact, researchers propose pervasive knowledge can address the need of integrating technologies like cloud computing, big data, Web 2.0, and Semantic Web. Pervasive knowledge redefines value added, variety, volume, and velocity of OLR, which is flexible in terms of resources adoption, knowledge acquisition, and technological implementation.     

维吾尔族有关盐风俗的文化阐释

维吾尔人历来生活在我国西北部和中亚地区,具有丰富的文化传统和人文精神,食盐风俗在他们生活中占重要地位。论文探讨了维吾尔人有关盐的风俗来源以及这些风俗的文化内涵。