Library Review

Nicholas Joint

2005 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242530510588340

Purpose – Argues that the successful introduction of digital libraries in the 1990s has important lessons for the successful implementation of e‐learning strategies. Design/methodology/approach – An opinion piece based on current and recent trends in digital library and e‐learning development. Findings – Pragmatic information strategies have important parallels with potentially effective strategies for introducing VLEs. Information strategies were marketed as tools for pursuing more efficient ways of conducting existing forms of research and teaching. Initially, e‐learning platforms may well be best marketed as tools for facilitating existing forms of teaching carried out with transmission‐based pedagogies. Research limitations/implications – An expression of belief about what may prove to be likely methods for implementing virtual teaching and learning tools. Offers potential for exploration via more in‐depth research. Practical implications – Offers a concrete strategy for successfully implementing in everyday academic teaching practice, and bases this firmly in the lessons to be learned from practice in library and information management. Originality/value – The suggestion that by taking a pragmatic approach to the introduction of virtual teaching and learning tools, one based on the acceptability of existing pedagogic practice, many of the more “blue skies” ambitions of e‐learning may be eventually achieved, thereby encouraging deep‐seated and long‐lasting changes in educational delivery.

George Macgregor

2005 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242530510574129

Purpose – With the proliferation of electronic information via the web a further distension of the unique characteristics of information has been witnessed. With seismic developments occurring in such a short period of time, it seems prudent to consider the very nature of information and to assess whether this accelerated growth has implications for the work of the informatics community and the information society. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins by revisiting and refreshing the unique characteristics of information via a reappraisal of the relevant literature. These characteristics are then contextualised within the new economy and traditional economic theory. Once these unique characteristics have been examined, the author discusses how the nature of information in the twenty‐first century presents the informatics community with new and difficult challenges. Findings – The challenges posed by the unique nature of information demand a definite response on the part of the informatics community, including the creation of innovative new models to accommodate information's inherent characteristics. Additionally, as the nature of information evolves yet further and ICT innovations accelerate, ever more adaptable skills will be required by the end user in order that value be derived from information. Practical implications – Outcomes and conclusions addressed in the paper may inform the informatics community generally, but will specifically inform the practice of information managers and librarians, and offer ways of assisting them in arriving at holistic decisions with respect to service provision. Originality/value – The paper is a contribution to the debate on the precise nature of information and offers new perspectives on how the informatics community should view information in the twenty‐first century.

Philip Calvert

2005 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242530510574138

Purpose – To explore and evaluate the evidence about the effectiveness of “mystery shopping” as a technique for service evaluation in the public library system of one country. Design/methodology/approach – A critical summary and review of the literature in this field. Interviews with public librarians in New Zealand who have used mystery shopping. Findings – Demonstrates that there were three major reasons for using this method of customer service evaluation in the libraries under consideration: improving process, improving staff behaviours, and benchmarking with similar organisations. In practice, objectives were mixed, with some data being used for process improvement, and other elements of the mystery shopping used to assess library staff performance. Staff reactions were initially negative, but changed after they saw that the assessment was positive. Research limitations/implications – This examination of a particular form of service evaluation shows that it offers a narrow, very specific description of customer service that can be used in conjunction with broader forms of assessment such as customer satisfaction surveys. Offers insights into the value of this particular form of research methodology at the same time as showing the need for it to be used in conjunction with broader research techniques. Practical implications – The paper can be used for thoughtful and practical guidance on the use of a specialised but powerful tool for library and information service evaluation. Originality/value – This paper acts as a useful source of information for practitioners with a commitment to using research techniques for real‐life service enhancement, while also establishing that there is a sound academic basis for this research method, if implemented appropriately. The suggestions for how mystery shopping can be used to best advantage by the profession in future are of particular worth.

Véronique Hadengue

2005 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242530510574147

Purpose – To describe a Swiss Virtual Campus project in which an internet‐based computer‐assisted learning (CAL) package for students in economics and in dentistry was developed. Design/methodology/approach – A case study account of a CAL package implementation against a rigorous and well‐thought‐through pedagogic framework. Findings – The paper shows that it is possible to use a CAL package effectively to promote information literacy both on campus and to a distance learning community of students as an accredited form of learning activity, thus showing how e‐learning is suitable for the promotion of information literacy both to full‐time students and to those engaged in lifelong learning in the context of professional practice. Research limitations/implications – The case study approach gives a useful structured account of the development process of a library CAL package, with implications for the application of well‐developed pedagogic models in other e‐learning contexts. Practical implications – The paper offers a clear model for the successful implementation of e‐learning models in information literacy practice. Originality/value – The paper establishes the value of having a clearly developed pedagogical framework together with sophisticated technical e‐learning platforms as practical means of effectively promoting and enhancing student use of information resources across a virtual campus.

Hua Yi

2005 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242530510574156

Purpose – To demonstrate how there is an irreversible momentum towards the adoption of online modes of delivery for library instruction, a process which will have distinctive benefits in the promotion of enhanced levels of information literacy (IL). Design/methodology/approach – The author uses case study and other literature, plus examples from personal professional practice to build an argument. Findings – The momentum towards “cyber‐delivery” is inevitable and is driven by a variety of factors, which can be understood as either external or intrinsic to the arena of IL. External factors include the pressure to find the most effective educational approaches to train students to use tools such as Google appropriately (virtual formats are best to deal with virtual challenges); intrinsic factors include the innate suitability of online IL for encouraging independent learning and student‐centred education. Research limitations/implications – The research technique consists of a dualistic analysis of dynamic factors driving the digital library movement towards online delivery of IL: this has the potential to be extended to other LIS contexts and tested for robustness and relevance. Practical implications – The paper shows how the LIS practitioner can better understand the relevance of courseware‐based models of IL delivery for their user education practice. Originality/value – An insightful summary and coherent analysis of a range of disparate trends in digital library developments helps provide a coherent overview of a fast‐developing aspect of the current LIS world.

Mohd. Zain Abd. Rahman

2005 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/00242530510574165

Purpose – To describe and evaluate the collection of the library of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC). Design/methodology/approach – The relevant Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Standard for College Libraries of 1986 (Standard 2) is used to assess the quality of the Library collection. Findings – The library of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) achieves level B of the ACRL standard. Research limitations/implications – The paper takes one very particular, widely respected quantitative tool for collection evaluation and uses it “as is” – the paper thus accepts and applies the theoretical framework on which the tool is based, but applies it in a relatively unfamiliar library setting. Practical implications – The description of the collection is of value to those needing to locate materials relating to Islamic culture and civilization; the implementation of the ACRL methodology is a useful demonstration of a practical tool for collection management and assessment. Originality/value – It is important for any educational institution to establish an effective library collection, one that is able to support the teaching and learning activities of the institution. To ensure that the library achieves its objectives, evaluation of the library collection needs to be done. This paper applies an internationally accepted standard for collection evaluation to a particular library, giving a model for other libraries to follow, especially libraries in the developing world. It is important to demonstrate that libraries in the developing world can aspire to and attain standards designed for collections in developed countries: this paper achieves that goal.