Volume 64, Issue 2

This study explores the perceptions of Egyptian undergraduate students at The American University in Cairo, an American-style private university in Egypt, as related to academic integrity. The research questions were developed in order to discover how these students perceive the scholarly environment in which they learn, if they engage in dishonest behaviors, and if so, why. The qualitative results of this mixed-method study were collected via online survey and photovoice interviews, an ethnographic method in which participants take photographs in response to prompts provided by the investigator. In the survey, students were asked to define academic integrity and explain how they learned about the concept, and also respond to statements about the scholarly environment on campus. The photovoice participants took photographs in response to the following prompts, and others related to their research processes: something that shows how you feel about plagiarism, something that shows how you feel about cheating, something that shows how you learned about academic integrity. The results include the responses to 114 completed surveys, supported by the photographs and content of the eight photovoice interviews. The qualitative data was coded line by line, and larger themes were identified. Students indicate that their colleagues engage in academically dishonest behavior regularly, and pointed to poor time management, pressure for high grades, and helping friends as reasons for this. The paper argues that academic librarians are in a unique position to promote academic integrity on campus, and provides some suggestions for advocacy.

This paper reports on the study conducted by the Swiss National Library (NL) in 2012 on its coverage of the acquisition of printed monographs published in Switzerland in 2010. Since the NL had never conducted a study of its acquisition coverage, a pilot project was set up to evaluate list checking techniques that would be the most appropriate in the context of the bibliographic tools available in Switzerland. After considering the methods proposed in ISO/TR 28118:2009, the study tested the list checking method developed at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in the Netherlands to evaluate the results of the list produced by Swissbib, the Swiss union catalogue. The study found that the rate of coverage for commercial publications (with an ISBN) was 97.05% and that of grey literature (without an ISBN) was 93.96%. These results are discussed in the context of an analysis of a random sample of the Swissbib list which resulted in a high rate of rejection of records. It found that the search query used did not appropriately and efficiently select records that corresponded to the collection criteria of the NL. The relevance of valid records used in the study to establish the rate of coverage is discussed and arguments are put forward to support the validity of the results. The methodological findings of the pilot project will be integrated in the planning of an official study to be conducted later in 2014.

Grey literature can be perceived as the unpublished content produced by academic, research, public and private institutions. Grey literature comprises newsletters, reports, working papers, theses, government documents, bulletins, fact sheets, conference proceedings, minutes, PowerPoint presentations and other publications which are generally produced for internal, localised and short-term purposes. The available evidence indicates that grey literature is steadily becoming an important source of research information. There is consensus amongst researchers that grey literature provides glimpses of research trends even before the formal publication of results. Grey literature also provides background information such as statistics, facts, overviews and research summaries which are important for new or ongoing research projects. Most researchers also agree that grey literature complements scientific sources (e.g. journals) in the provision of research information. In spite of its growing value, most research libraries in Kenya do not have strategies to manage grey literature effectively. This article explores the current status of grey literature in research libraries in Kenya. This study used an interpretive qualitative case study approach to collect data from researchers and librarians drawn from five national and international research institutions in Kenya. Data was collected through interviews, focus group discussions, documentary analysis and social network analysis. Data analysis was done through content analysis, conversation analysis and Heideggarian hermeneutics. Reliability and validity of the results was ensured through effective sampling and pre-testing of data collection techniques and instruments. The study found that most of grey literature generated or collected by research libraries in Kenya tends to be lost as soon as its short-term purposes are served. The authors propose strategies that research libraries in Kenya can use to mainstream grey literature in their collections and enhance access to it and use of it.

An important role of library and information professionals is in assisting others to find the information they need. As such, these professionals are themselves expected to have the necessary competencies to identify, access and communicate the required information, i.e. to be information literate. The foundations for these competencies are laid during their library and information science (LIS) education programs. This study investigated the role and contributions of LIS programs in Iran to the development of information literacy (IL) competencies among LIS students. It also examined the challenges in the development of these competencies and approaches to overcome the challenges. Taking an exploratory approach, the study used semi-structured interviews to gather the data. Using the 2000 ACRL standards as a framework, the fieldwork questions were designed around the five areas of IL competencies, viz. determining information needs, locating information, evaluating information, using information ethically, and using information for a specific purpose. A total of 15 academics teaching 18 different LIS courses from six universities were interviewed. They were asked to reflect on the IL competencies in the context of their teaching experience and dealing with students’ projects, and to identify how their course(s) contributed to the development of these competencies. A thematic approach was used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that the existing LIS curriculum does contribute sufficiently to the development of “determining information needs” competency explicitly. Through the module outline, students just learn how to develop a research statement in the “Methodology in Library and Information Science” course. Although the educators took some effective approaches, such as getting students to find and select a topic, scoping and breaking it down, making presentations, using journal clubs and having interactions, further considerations are needed to equip students with this competency. The main challenges facing educators were a lack of clear understanding of LIS as a discipline, the gap between the way students learn in schools and the expectations in a university, shortcomings in teaching styles, and the fixed nature of the LIS education system.

High agricultural research productivity by scientists and the promotion of agricultural education through universities of agriculture is critical for Nigeria’s food security. This study examined the influence of self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, accessibility and utilization of Internet information resources as predictors of research productivity of lecturers in universities of agriculture in Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Data collected were analysed using percentages, mean, multiple Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis. The results of these analyses revealed that selfefficacy, perceived usefulness, accessibility of Internet resources, and utilisation of Internet resources contributed significantly to research productivity of the respondents. The reports identified inconsistencies in public electric power output as well as inadequate infrastructural support, particularly telecommunication facilities. The study concluded that there is a need to give priority to self-efficacy when recruiting people for a lecturing jobs in the universities in order to develop an intrinsic drive for knowledge creation that will build positive attitudes towards enhancing research. Similarly, given the current trend in the communication revolution, there is also a need to overhaul the universities’ resources to enhance research productivity in developing countries.

The purpose of this paper is to establish the extent to which Croatian university teachers and researchers use online academic databases in their work. In addition, the research looks into the ways they perceive certain aspects of database usage. The study focused on one university, but it is believed that the results could be replicated state-wide since the Croatian academic community is small and faces similar problems. The survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire. A total of 102 questionnaires were fully completed and used in the study. Apart from the descriptive statistics, inferential statistical methods were applied in order to analyze the differences between particular categories of users. The results show that 73.5% of respondents use online academic databases. These resources are more frequently used by university teachers holding a PhD, who are full, associate or assistant professors. It was also established that users assess online databases as an important source of information which reduces the time of research, but they also encounter certain difficulties in exploiting them. These refer primarily to the limited number of available commercial databases and the fact that full texts are often not accessible. The analysis of group differences revealed that with respect to gender, level of education and academic title, users had relatively uniform perceptions regarding online databases. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of online database users’ perceptions and needs. The results may also be useful in planning, designing and implementing training programs.

With the unveiling in the United States of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics that value inquiry, cross-curricular connections, and the use of technology in instruction, school librarians may be best positioned to collaborate with mathematics teachers to instill these practices into mathematics teaching and learning. However, the mathematics curriculum is often perceived as challenging or even impossible for librarians to connect with. Consequently, such collaboration is often not pursued by either party. This paper examines the factors that shape or hinder collaboration between school librarians and mathematics teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mathematics teachers, school librarians, and school leaders in four middle schools in a highly resourced school district in the mid Atlantic region of the United States. We find several factors that influence the nature and opportunities for collaboration, including: perception; comfort with technology; institutional structures; testing pressure; and knowledge about mathematics teaching and learning. Our analysis reveals pivotal transformations that need to take place in order to strengthen the collaborative relationship between these two domains: (1) changes in the perceptions mathematics teachers and school librarians have of each other, and of various aspects of technology integration in mathematics teaching and learning and collaborative relationships; (2) enhanced structural support at the school district level; and (3) enhanced structural support at the school level to support collaboration. By examining the connections and contexts of these emerging themes from our study, we reveal the impact that school librarians can have in mathematics learning in middle schools.