Volume 74, Issue 2

The paper presents a study of library and information science students’ perceptions and experiences related to the use of telepresence robots (TPRs) in libraries, with a specific focus on students assuming the role of library consultants. The study explores the innovative application of TPRs, such as Double, Ohmni and Temi, within library settings. The findings of the research reveal a positive perception of TPRs, emphasising their potential for fostering innovation, increasing engagement, providing flexibility and overcoming geographical constraints. The study also identifies distinct advantages of TPRs, including remote accessibility, enhanced communication, flexibility, a personalised user experience and cost savings. However, concurrent challenges, such as limitations in nonverbal communication, pointing accuracy, connectivity issues, space requirements, costs, safety, security concerns and varying levels of user acceptance emerge as crucial areas for refinement. While the results may not be generalisable due to the limited sample size, the study underscores the transformative potential of TPRs in libraries and the necessity of addressing these challenges to optimise their application. Further research, technological advancements and user feedback can help refine and optimise the use of TPRs in libraries to provide innovative and accessible assistance.

Intelligent recommender systems provide personalized recommendation for users based on their behavior trajectories. Intelligent recommendation is a double-edged sword with increasing impacts. This study investigates the influencing mechanism of social media users’ satisfaction with behavior trajectory security protection in the context of intelligent recommendation, with the aim of promoting healthy development of mobile social media. This study applied the grounded theory method to identify relations among concepts and categories in terms of three-level coding. During open coding, 271 initial concepts and 26 subcategories were elicited; during axial coding, 10 categories were elicited; and during selective coding, relations among categories were identified and a theoretical model was developed. The results indicate that satisfaction with behavior trajectory security protection is directly influenced by security protection information quality, security protection system quality, security protection service quality, net benefits, external support, privacy concerns, and privacy cognitive biases. Privacy literacy has direct impacts on privacy concerns and privacy cognitive biases. Meanwhile, herd behavior directly impacts privacy concerns. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

The sugar industry is the dominant agricultural sector in Swaziland’s economy, contributing significantly to the gross domestic product. Provision of relevant and timely information to smallholder sugarcane farmers is crucial for them to have a competitive footing with large-scale counterparts and reduce poverty. However, there is limited literature on the information needs and the kind of information communication resources that could make the dissemination of information to farmers efficient and effective. This study thus aims to investigate the information needs and resources of smallholder sugarcane farmers in Swaziland to inform the provision of information services in the sugar industry. It was underpinned by a positivist paradigm and used the survey research method complemented by methodological triangulation to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Data was collected using survey questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, with 168 responses and six interviews conducted. The findings revealed that 71 % of information needs of farmers were primarily in legislative compliance, sugarcane crop husbandry, markets and transport, and financial advice information, however, there were no statistically significant differences between the three mill groups in information needs. The smallholder sugarcane farmers also mostly obtained agricultural information through extension officers, farmer groups, and mobile phones, indicating that required information was mainly accessed through face-to-face interactions. The empirical findings of the study have implications for practice, policy, and theory with respect to guiding the implementation of agricultural information services by information providers in the context of rural farmers in developing countries.

The digital divide, in my view, is not only created due to the lack of local contents but also due to the fact that few digital contents from local sources are found in the digital libraries of higher education in Ethiopia. Likewise, the creation and dissemination of local contents could be facilitated not only by the presence of local digital contents but also by the presence of usable digital technology at a local level. This article aims to give a practical solution to bridging the digital divide by unlocking local heritage knowledge through creating digital contents from locally grown literary heritage as well as by developing a localised digital library system. Therefore, this article presents the research processes and results that were undertaken to unlock local heritage knowledge and developed the localised digital library system: customising a free and open-source software; digitising and translating the local literary heritage contents; and building the digitised and translated literary heritage contents into the localised digital libraries, which Greenstone digital library software was used to customise into local use. The English version of the Greenstone user interface (macro files) was translated into the Tigrinya language, one of the locally spoken languages in Ethiopia. For translation purposes, a list of suitable and compatible Tigrinya words and phrases that basically fit with the meaning of the English version of the Greenstone spreadsheet was developed. As a result of this translation work, the Tigrinya language interface has become one of the languages that are included in Greenstone digital library software version 2.83 for the first time (Language short name=ti “long name=ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)” default encoding=utf-8). To unlock the heritage knowledge and build the localised digital library with local digital collections, a sample of Ethiopia’s ancient Ge’ez parchment manuscripts were digitised and translated into Tigrinya and English languages. To facilitate the retrieval of information and to be easily recognised by internet search engines in the Tigrinya language, a local specific metadata standard for Ethiopia’s ancient Ge’ez parchment manuscripts was developed at three hierarchical levels, at manuscript level, at chapter level and at page level, with each translated page tagged using HTML. To facilitate the link between the translated text and the corresponding digital image, an “item” file was created using a WordPad. As a result, three collections were built into the customised digital library: the digitised image of the Abushakir manuscript as well as the Tigrinya and English translated texts of the same manuscripts. The functionality and usability of the localised digital system was tested by searching keywords and browsing titles from the built collection of the Tigrinya text and the original digital image of the manuscript. The result of this test shows that the localised digital library system is capable of allowing end-users to discover the information they want at the granular level from digital content of the local literary heritage. Therefore, further manuscript collection through digitisation, translating into local language and building the digitised collection into this localised digital library system is necessary for wider access to the local literary heritage digital content and for bridging the digital divide in the long-term.

Gamification has emerged as an engaging approach to motivate participation and enhance experiences in diverse contexts. This study aimed to identify potential applications of gamification for attracting audiences to public libraries. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with gamification experts, using purposive and snowball sampling, with thematic analysis revealing 16 main themes and 56 sub-themes. Our results show the potential of gamification to increase reading rates, help organize interesting events/challenges, and improve interactivity, the book lending process, library appeals, program awareness, user experience, educational activities, brand loyalty, participatory/volunteer activities, patron guidance, book searching, resource returns, marketing, and scientific/economic outputs in public libraries. This study highlights the fundamental and influential role of gamification in advancing public libraries and improving services in libraries. A dedicated gamification platform and system could enable libraries to engage librarian visitors, with further research needed to continue building knowledge in this emerging area.

The importance and urgency of IPLE (intellectual property literacy education) are increasingly prominent. This paper aims to build an IPLE mode to provide support for the talent cultivation in university libraries facing opportunities and challenges in the service transformation period. The IPLE mode and content of the Regional Patent Information Centers (PIZ Regional Centers) in German universities and university libraries are studied through network research, literature research, and comparative analysis. Based on the practical experience, educational characteristics and advantages, this paper constructs an IPLE mode of university library that includes six modules. Building the IPLE mode of university libraries can provide reference for university libraries in the work of IPLE, and gradually form an IPLE system that meets the needs of users’ training, conforms to the university’s talent training objectives, and improves the development plan of the university libraries.

The advent of digitalization has been hailed as a remedy to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it has also brought to light the existence of a digital divide, exacerbating the hardships faced by those who are digitally excluded. Amidst the turmoil of the crisis, there has been limited attention given to addressing the digital divide in developing countries including Malaysia. In response, Malaysian universities swiftly transitioned to online learning to curb the spread of the contagion. Nonetheless, this rapid shift has inadvertently marginalized underprivileged students, hindering their access to the benefits of online education. Employing the three-level digital divide framework, this study aims to probe into the extent of the digital divide among Malaysian university students and evaluate its progression. Through mean score and frequency analyses, we assessed the magnitude of the digital divide among these students. Furthermore, we employed partial least squares structural equation modeling to gauge the flow of the digital divide from the initial level to the third level. Subsequently, we examined the mediating roles of material access, digital skills, and digital usage. The findings revealed that the digital divide persists across all three levels among university students in Malaysia. The path analysis lends support to all proposed hypotheses, with the exception of digital usage as a predictor of student satisfaction and as a mediator.