Volume 63, Issue 3

This article presents a reflection on research in progress in the doctoral program of the Post-Graduate Program in Information Sciences of the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil, which is being developed in the Santa Clara Community (SCC), in the city of Joao Pessoa - Paraiba. This study is a continuation of previous Master’s thesis research, and seeks to create and implement a model of information mediation for the digital inclusion of local residents in society. This article approaches the issue in the perspective of information mediation, seeking to develop digital competence among the residents of SCC, using the support of digital information and communication technologies. It describes the informational skills that will be implemented, in partnership with the Intellectual Technologies Laboratory (ITL) of the Department of Information Sciences of the Federal University of Paraiba. The article argues that, in this context, the information professional has a social function as information mediator, facilitating its access and use, supporting the subjects of research in the sense of appropriation of intellectual technologies of information, putting into practice the concepts around social responsibility of Information Sciences. The methodology adopted is action-research, chosen to promote the network of cooperation needed to support the formulation of a model of mediation, appropriation and use of intellectual technology, using the aid of participant observation to reflect the reality of this field of research.

This paper reports the results of a study which investigated the use of social media by political parties and candidates in Scotland as part of their campaign for election to the Scottish Parliament in 2011, and which compared this to the situation encountered during the 2010 UK General Election campaign. During the five-week period preceding the election date of May 5, 2011, the content of 203 Facebook pages, 152 Twitter accounts, and 66 blogs was analysed in order to identify the ways in which political actors provided information to, and interacted with, potential voters. The study found that social media, as in 2010, were used primarily for the one-way flow of information to the electorate. There was little direct, two-way engagement, and a general reluctance to respond to difficult policy questions or critical comments posted by the public. The information provided also frequently lacked any meaningful policy comment. Although the average number of friends and followers of politicians’ social media sites had risen since 2010, there was evidence to suggest that the general public was less interested in engaging with these sites, by posting comments or entering into any online debates. The paper questions the assertion of the victorious party, the Scottish National Party, that the 2011 Scottish election was the “first European election where online has swayed the vote,” and concludes by considering what implications these patterns of information provision and communication might have for those candidates who were successfully elected to the Scottish Parliament.

Interest in migrating to open source software integrated library systems (OSS ILSs) continues to grow in libraries. In this research, twenty librarians who have worked in institutions that migrated to OSS ILS, or are in the process of migrating, were interviewed about resources for research and reasons an OSS ILS was chosen, including cost-effectiveness, ease of use, community and vendor support options, flexibility and customization, compatibility with other software, and an “ethic of sharing.” Librarians can find additional information at an online information portal created from this research at http://www.opensourceils.com.

This article examines different outreach strategies in academic libraries in Canada, the United States and China. It analyzes the possibilities and concerns of community outreach and argues that community outreach by libraries is the best approach to respond to the increasing significance of community engagement in academic environment. Drawing on the outreach program at the University of Toronto Libraries, this paper demonstrates that academic libraries can effectively connect resources and enable interactions between scholars and the public. These connections and interactions ultimately lead to the preservation and generation of knowledge and understanding. Available outreach examples are investigated and classified into four major categories: 1) community access, 2) information literacy, 3) cooperation, exchange and partnership, and 4) exhibitions and scholarly events. In each category the trends and values are illustrated by representative cases discussed in literature and the activities organized by the author in his capacity as the Director of the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library, and the Chair of the International and Community Outreach Committee at the University of Toronto Libraries. The discussion and analysis of the diverse outreach activities in this article provide guidance and suggestions for academic librarians who are interested in outreach and community engagement of any scale and nature. Cases are draw from a wide spectrum and are particularly strong in the setting of large academic libraries, special collections and programming for multicultural populations.

A diagnostic assessment of information literacy (IL) skills of students is useful to design an effective IL instruction program for them. This paper reports results of a study conducted to investigate students’ perceived IL skills in the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Using a locally developed 20-item scale, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1,414 conveniently selected students from all 73 academic units of the university. The findings indicate that the students were more comfortable in basic computing and internet related activities but less comfortable on specialized information searching tasks. The relationship of ‘total score’ of students’ IL skills was explored with six personal and academic variables (i.e., gender, discipline of study, degree level, social background, English language proficiency, and access to computer at home). This baseline study may be helpful for designing and implementing IL instruction programs in universities.

The National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI), like other national libraries across the world, plays a pivotal role in information services, education, research and preserving cultural heritage. For quality assessment of such a large national organization whose services to the broad mass of the population are undeniable, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model was implemented. The data was gathered using the EFQM selfassessment questionnaire and a consensus workshop. The result for the nine criteria of EFQM reported the NLAI’s total score for the year 2010 as 492 points out of 1000. Among all the criteria, “partnership and resources” achieved the highest score (62 points from 90) and “process” the lowest (41 points from 140). The results also confirmed EFQM as a reliable and effective tool for addressing strengths and pinpointing areas for improvement within the NLAI. The main study limitation was the NLAI managers’ difficulty in understanding the EFQM concepts. Approaches such as preparing a brochure and conducting an educational workshop were implemented to overcome the issue.

LIS Schools in South Africa, like in many other parts of the world, are part of a triangular relationship involving LIS teaching departments, universities and the library and information services profession. This relationship is profoundly affected by a rapidly evolving information and technology environment as well as higher education restructuring globally. In a context of ‘diffusion and diversity’ arising from this relationship, this paper takes a look at LIS Schools in South Africa to ascertain whether they have succumbed to the pressures and constraints brought about by a technologically driven information environment and the so called efficiency models of universities. Alternatively, have they used these pressures as challenges to catalyse a paradigm shift from a discipline that evolved largely on a pragmatic basis to one grounded in epistemology and research methodologies providing it with the capacity to embrace rapidly evolving trends in the generation, use and transfer of information in the ICT age? A qualitative approach, involving a cursory survey of LIS School Heads in South Africa analysed against conceptual understandings gleaned from relevant literature, frames the inquiry attempting to address these critical questions. The paper outlines the pressures of the triangular relationship that frames the existence and inherent difficulties of the LIS School and points out that the LIS Schools surveyed, each in their own way within their institutional contexts, have managed thus far to survive their challenges - albeit this being no guarantee of continued survival. In terms of whether these LIS Schools have used these pressures as challenges to catalyse a paradigm shift in their conceptualisation of LIS education, the limited data from the cursory survey of LIS School Heads suggests that some LIS Schools may have been engaging more with such a paradigm shift than others. The paper concludes that LIS Schools, in South Africa or elsewhere, need to dig deeply and creatively into their epistemological resources and use the interdisciplinary nature of the LIS discipline to sustain their academic projects in a highly competitive and arduous environment. The paper suggests a followup to the cursory survey of LIS Schools in South Africa to ‘drill down’ into individual institutional dynamics to mine primary data for studies towards addressing LIS School challenges emanating from the changing environments within which they are located.