Volume 63, Issue 2

The author reasons that libraries need to expand their traditional services in the Post-Web Era. A library’s core values are reflected in the convenience it brings to users for quick access and consumption of content. The traditional value chain of libraries (acquisitions - catalog - discovery and access-based services) significantly lags behind the current times, and thus can no longer effectively serve the library’s core values. It is critical for libraries to amend the value chain at the point of content use (acquisitions - catalog - discovery and access-based services - use). The new value chain incorporates co-curation services between library staff and users and among users themselves. Not only does the author discuss the significance for such an extension, but he also demonstrates possible new roles for libraries in content utilization through an innovative project of the Emory University Libraries, Readux (Read Edit Annotation Digital User Experience). By enabling co-curation (read, annotate, describe, collaborate, share, import, export, and publish), libraries will create new opportunities to support users and themselves in the digital media context.

In recent years, the utilization of Internet-based social networking tools, such as the microblog Sina Weibo (http://weibo.com/), has grown rapidly in China. According to the most recent official statistics, about 309 million people used microblogs and over 275 million people used social networking websites in 2012. Many libraries in China take this opportunity to utilize these tools for information sharing and outreach. For instance, over 500 libraries have opened microblogs on the Sina platform alone. Do these tools really help libraries fulfill their goals and achieve their purposes? Some studies on this question showed positive results; others mentioned their ineffectiveness. To follow this line of research, we conducted a case study on the microblog of the East China Normal University Library, which made its initial presence on Sina Weibo in 2011. The number of its fans and followers has increased significantly, from zero to over 4,000 in 14 months. This paper investigates the interaction between the users and the Library’s microblog, and the users’ reaction to its posts since the library’s microblog was established. An analysis of the data collected from the library’s microblog between May 2011 and June 2012 shows that the content, language, writing style, frequency of microblog posting, and even the time of posting affect the users’ attention and the microblog’s effectiveness. To enhance libraries’ communication with users and dissemination of information through social networking tools, this paper offers some experience, feasible strategies, and suggestions, for instance, how to deliver information in an appealing way, how to attract more users, from both users’ and librarians’ points of view. Hopefully libraries will try to take advantage of the popular tools in order to provide better services and reach out to their users.

This study examines how American academic library directors evaluate change in the information age and the factors influencing the approaches used. Bolman and Deal’s reframing change model provided the foundation for this research (Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. 1st ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass, 1991). An online survey was sent to 1,010 academic library directors in the United States. The response rate was 59%. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The collected quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations) and inferential (chisquare tests and correlations) statistics. Many directors used single and dual approaches to evaluate change. The human resource approach was the most frequently used single approach. Chi-square test and correlation analysis confirms that demographics, human capital and library variables play significant roles in evaluating change. Correlation results show that directors who are males, or work for a higher academic degree institution, or are at universities with higher enrolment, are more likely to use multiple approaches to evaluate change than their counterparts. Directors who hold more different professional positions, or oversee more subordinates, or work for a higher academic degree institution, are more likely than their counterparts to use dual and multiple approaches to evaluate change. Directors may use the results to reflect on different options of strategies for evaluating change and to balance the weight of the factors’ influences. The results may also help librarians better understand various approaches to evaluating change in the information age.

Interest in migrating to open source software integrated library systems (OSS ILS) is continually growing in libraries. Along with this interest, a lack of empirical research and evidence to compare ILS options brings a lot of anxiety to interested librarians. In this research, 20 librarians who have worked in libraries that migrated to open source ILS or are in the process of migrating were interviewed. The interviews focused on how the implementation and migration process is successfully completed. A lifecycle model of the OSS ILS migration process includes the following steps: testing the OSS ILS, preparing the data for migration, customizing and installing the system, and finally maintaining and updating the system. Throughout these steps, libraries train their staff members in technical support or rely on OSS ILS vendors to varying degrees to deal with problems as they arise. In this paper, the results from the interviews are generalized and presented to help librarians who want to research and/or adopt open source ILS. Librarians can find additional information at an online information portal created from this research at http://opensourceils.com. This study is limited in that it cannot generalize the experiences of all libraries and presents results and conclusions from individual institutions. One of this paper’s unique contributions is a detailed assessment of how libraries understand and cope with the continuing challenges of OSS ILS even after migration.

The growing importance of data in society in general and scientific domains in particular, mirrored in the Open Data initiative and in the advent of eScience, requires public, school and academic libraries to contribute to both data and information literacy, as part of their mission to further knowledge and innovation in their respective fields of action. No specific library standards have been proposed to date, however, and most research studies conducted adopt a partial view of data literacy, stressing only the components needed in any given context. The present paper aims to contribute to the advancement of data literacy with the proposal of a set of core competencies and contents that can serve as a framework of reference for its inclusion in libraries’ information literacy programs. The various definitions of data literacy are discussed, the coverage of the competencies listed in information literacy standards is described, and the competencies considered in the experiments conducted to date in education and libraries are identified. The conclusion drawn is that the model proposed can favour the development of data literacy support resources and services. Topics for further research are also specified.

In this paper, we raise six arguments as follows: i) The assessment and evaluation of LIS education is largely done at institutional/university level where such qualifications are offered; ii) Countries have set up education and assessment mechanisms, for example qualification authorities (such as the South African Qualification Authority - SAQA) and related bodies that set and regulate education standards that work well for LIS education; iii) Professional associations in most countries, particularly in Africa and other developing regions, have no influence or control over LIS education; iv) The absence of a dedicated body or institution to regulate LIS education (which includes its assessment and evaluation) may not compromise the quality of such education, particularly if LIS education is provided within a university or another state-regulated Higher Education Institution (HEI) environment; v) Most LIS schools offer core LIS courses, but variations occur at institutional, regional and national levels in terms of the scope and depth of the core courses offered; vi) LIS education, particularly in less resourced countries where the harmonization of such education is preferred for improved cost effectiveness, is far more enriching and offers better job opportunities in the provision of information services. Finally the authors explore and discuss these arguments by using their experiences and related studies largely from South Africa, New Zealand, and the United States.

Knowledge workers are overwhelmed by the amount of information they collect and receive from a variety of sources. Proper strategies for personal information management can help in controlling the information overload and facilitate re-finding of information for future use. A study at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait has revealed that officers rely heavily on information items collected through search engines, institutional repositories, and email attachments. They save information found on desktops and share drives, add favourites and bookmarks, and save URLs of websites to reuse information in future. They organize information in folders using different work related categories and regularly clean and update their files and folders. They use social media and other Web 2.0 tools to support personal information management. However, there appears to be a lack of awareness about the need of organizing personal information according to any well-thought scheme. Also, efforts need to be made to improve the methods and capabilities of re-finding of information. Further research is desirable in order to enhance understanding and developing insight into the factors influencing the information management behaviour.

This study examines the information needs, information sources and information seeking behaviours of engineers in breweries in Nigeria. Questionnaire was used to collect data from 288 engineers employed in four major breweries. The major information need of the engineers is to acquire more knowledge. The results further show that the knowledge quest of the engineers is not necessarily for academic, research, or product related purposes, but rather about new discoveries in the field and how to use new equipment. The engineers seek less information about their clients, or social and political activities; the nature of their tasks and engagement tends to limit their interaction with their social environment. The Internet is the source used most, preferred, accessed most and considered most relevant by the respondents. The breweries need to recognize and improve the availability and accessibility of the Internet in the workplace; they also need to promote social Web technologies such as blogs, wikis, podcasts and other social networking services to increase social interaction with colleagues and other persons. These strategies ultimately lead to better job performance, facilitate innovation, and encourage economic growth in the breweries.