Volume 75, Issue 2

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of visual literacy in enhancing learning effectiveness and enjoyment among elementary school students in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. Additionally, the study proposes a model for integrating visual literacy into the elementary school curriculum, offering educators and policymakers pathways to maximize its benefits for future generations. A quantitative survey method with a well-structured questionnaire was employed to gather the necessary data. After obtaining permission from the school authorities, the researchers co-ordinated with the instructors to establish a three-day data collection plan that accommodated their schedules. In total, 84 pupils were selected as a sample population. The study revealed that integrating visual literacy strategies with traditional curricula can significantly improve students’ learning experience and involvement. Tools such as flash cards, picture books, maps, charts, and ICT applications were found to enhance both engagement and vocabulary acquisition. The study found that students had a positive attitude toward using visual aids, which led to cognitive benefits such as improved problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The study also established that graphical tools were particularly effective in second language acquisition, helping students overcome the fear of acquiring a non-native language (English). Furthermore, the study recommends incorporating visual literacy techniques across classroom settings and suggests that these strategies can make elementary education more engaging, effective, and child-friendly.

We investigated undermining practices in the Iran Public Libraries Foundation (IPLF) using grounded theory and the concept of “risk society” and “politics of waste”. We interviewed 81 IPLF employees and identified undermining practices in four categories: Normalization, GONGO (Government-Organized Non-Governmental Organization) Structure, High-profile Showcasing, and Inequality. We have argued that pursuing the goal of “normalization” has led authorities to use a centralized and at the same time decentralized form of management. This form of management has caused inefficiencies that have made the managerial restructuring of the organization difficult. As a result, the authorities have abandoned the structural reform and focused on improving the external image of public libraries through media and cultural activities.

The critical incident technique is a pragmatic method that yields rich data derived from individuals’ specific and related-to-the-truth experiences. This study was conducted to identify and analyze the use of this technique in the field of library and information science (LIS). A review of 523 records retrieved from databases like Web of Science, Scopus, Emerald, LISTA, and Google Scholar revealed that the critical incident technique has been applied in various areas including information-seeking behavior, analysis of positive and negative experiences, reference services, psychological aspects, copyright issues, knowledge management, change management, user satisfaction, the role of resources and information systems in decision-making, as well as the clinical, educational, and research utility of libraries. Researchers have also used this technique to explore users’ perceptions about the role of librarians, investigate the educational role of librarians, and examine users’ perceptions about the invisible web. Despite the usefulness of this technique, the study identified many research gaps in its applications, suggesting the need for more attention from researchers in this field.

The main aim of this study was to identify the personal information management (PIM) practices of university students. A quantitative research method was adopted for this study. The population of the study consisted of currently enrolled students at two HEC (Higher Education Commission) affiliated universities of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. A questionnaire was sent to the target population for data collection by using a convenience sampling technique, with 335 students returning the questionnaire, a response rate (of the collected data) of 88.75 %. The data collected through the questionnaire was arranged and entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis. The results of the study showed that students perceived that they were at a high level of agreement about their PIM practices. The study provides insights into the PIM practices of university students for effectively managing their personal information. It is suggested that universities should provide proper training on PIM so that students will be able to manage their personal information.

In an information-intensive society, everyday information practices are central to the daily life of people. Everyday information practices (EIP) are set in culturally and socially established ways to identify, seek, use, and share information. This study explores Pakistani urban youth’s individual, social, cultural, and economic factors shaping their EIP. A qualitative research approach was used. We collected data through semi-structured interviews with 25 urban teens, aged 13 to 19, using purposive sampling. We used NVivo software for the analysis. The findings revealed that individual, social, cultural, and economic level factors are connected to the EIP of youth and had influence on these practices. Urban teens’ EIP are reliant on technology through internet sources and often face confusion due to information overload. The youth’s reliance on librarians and libraries as primary information sources is also diminishing, as the outdated practices and lack of technology in libraries no longer meet the needs of today’s technology-savvy youth. Relevant recommendations are given for librarians, educational institutions, publishers, policymakers, and curricula designers to improve EIP of the youth.

With the development of mobile technology and digital scholarship in higher education, university students’ communication needs change over time. The academic communication space includes both student-oriented physical spaces in the library, such as discussion rooms and conference rooms, as well as online virtual spaces such as knowledge-based forums and academic communication groups. Thus, it is necessary to re-examine students’ needs for academic communication space in physical and virtual modes, as well as the differences between student groups. We conducted a survey at three universities to collect information on users’ needs regarding the spaces, amenities and equipment, environmental requirements, management and service, and other areas. The data revealed that the top demand scores are for small communication spaces (7.80), an online forum for academic exchange (6.77), and a chat group for academic exchange (6.74). The virtual communication space is also becoming popular with students, especially in upper classmen and postgraduate groups. The top three demand scores for space amenities and equipment are a high-speed and stable network environment (9.26), freely placed tables and chairs (8.51), and a printing, copying, and scanning all-in-one machine (8.28). There is no difference in space demands according to gender. Graduate groups generally have a much higher demand for equipment than undergraduate groups. Furthermore, the respondents at Jinan University have a significantly higher demand for communication space than the other two universities. Our research provides insights into the communication space of academic libraries in China, which also has implications for other academic libraries to improve their spaces to meet student groups’ needs.

With the constant increase in new publications, data, and documents, people’s demand for new knowledge and information continues to grow. Blockchain is widely used by public and open-source software and tools to ensure that the technology reaches its full potential and that progress is made towards its long-term goals. Based on a literature review on blockchain technology (BCT) in libraries, its benefits could be implemented in different areas of libraries to modernize services. The extensive literature review could, in turn, help authors in developing instruments based on five measures – optimism, innovativeness, attitude, discomfort, and insecurity – with an underlying 15 items. The authors collected data from various universities in 31 provinces of China and analyzed them using structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop a new research model. The research findings revealed that optimism has a statistically significant impact on library patrons’ attitudes and innovativeness using BCT. It further concludes that insecurity related to the use of BCT negatively impacts users’ attitudes towards the use of the technology. Furthermore, the results revealed that a positive user attitude stimulates knowledge sharing and generates new ideas that lead to innovation in academia.