Library Review

Luck, Sarah Elizabeth; Lamp, John William; Craig, Annemieke; Coldwell-Neilson, Jo

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-02-2015-0018

Purpose– The focus of this paper is on the benefits that may eventuate through new mechanisms of production and distribution. As we enter the twenty-first century, the nature of the book and the structure of the industry which produces it are undergoing radical transformation, as developments in information technology offer new mechanisms for production and distribution. Most of the discussion of these changes is conducted from the perspective of what has been lost through these changes. Design/methodology/approach– This paper reviews the history of the book from the perspective of the disruptive effects of the changes in production technology and impact on the roles involved in production, distribution and reading of books. Darnton’s Communication Circuit is updated to predict future limiting factors and opportunities for participation. Findings– The evolution of the book has seen successive categories of workers involved in book production supplanted by the adoption of new technology. The updated Darnton’s model suggests that the roles involved in the production and distribution of the book will, however, be supplanted in favour of authors and readers of the book in the future. Social implications– The predicted changes will alter the roles of authors and book users. Originality/value– This paper suggests a novel approach to the discussion of the future of book publication and suggests future developments.

Uukkivi, Anne

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-01-2015-0002

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the personal factors for both the students and the lecturers that support intercultural communication in library and information science (LIS) e-learning. Research was conducted to explore the factors supporting intercultural communication in LIS e-learning. Design/methodology/approach– Using case study, the opinion of students of two LIS curricula about the factors that support intercultural communication in e-learning has been determined. The data have been collected using e-interviews and document analysis. Document analysis and constant comparative analysis method were used for analysing collected data. Findings– Intercultural communication in the e-learning of LIS curriculum was supported by pedagogical, personal, cultural and technological factors. In this paper, the personal factors are emphasised. These factors are the supporting characteristics of the students and lecturers, their motivation, similarities between co-students and the competence of the students. Practical implications– Results of the research project are necessary to improve the curricula and to plan and conduct learning process. The results explain possibilities for supporting the students in international e-learning. Originality/value– The results of the present study concerning the personal factors and their respective support differed – when compared to previous studies – in the following aspects: LIS students brought forward the characteristics that support intercultural communication in e-learning, were willing to gain extra knowledge and skills and considered information literacy and knowledge about written communication important but, at the same time, less-often mentioned the problems emerging from lags.

Yuvaraj, Mayank

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-02-2015-0015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of librarians engaged in Indian academic libraries towards cloud computing. Design/methodology/approach– A structured questionnaire was used to collect responses from the library professionals engaged in Indian academic libraries. Overall, 339 respondents participated in the survey. Descriptive survey method was used in the study. Findings– The findings of the study reveal that library professionals are using cloud-computing tools in their daily works. They want to adopt cloud computing in the libraries to improve library services and avoid redundancy of works. Ubiquitous availability, economy and the various service layers are the core drivers of its adoption in the libraries. The respondents showed their concern over security and data privacy in cloud. Practical implications– The study establishes the fact that the benefits of cloud computing are inadequate to convince the libraries to migrate from the traditional computing paradigm to the cloud. Technological advancement may not transform the cloud into a mainstream technology. To motivate the expansion of cloud computing adoption, emphasis has to be laid upon collaboration between the cloud service providers supplemented by solid cloud legislations which need to be worked out. Originality/value– The paper provides the perceptions of library professionals in response to the adoption of cloud computing.

Sedighi, Mehri

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-07-2015-0075

Purpose– The purpose of this article is to investigate the use of word co-occurrence analysis method in mapping of the scientific fields with emphasis on the field of Informetrics. Design/methodology/approach– This is an applied study using scientometrics, co-word analysis and network analysis and its steps are summarised as follows: collecting the data related to the Informetrics field indexed in Web of Science (WOS) database, refining and standardising the keywords of the extracted articles from WOS and preparing a selected list of these keywords, drawing the word co-occurrence map in the Informetrics field and analysing of results. Findings– Based on the resulted maps the concepts such as information science, library, bibliometric analysis, innovation and text mining are the most widely used topics in the field of Informetrics. The co-word occurrence maps drawn at different periods show the changes and stabilities in the concepts related to the field of Informetrics. A number of topics such as “bibliometric analysis” are present in all years, whereas others such as “innovation” have disappeared. New topics emerge as a recombination of existing topics and in interaction with new (technological) developments. Originality/value– The results of these analytical studies can be used as a guide for determining research priorities in the scientific fields, and also for planning and management in academic institutions.

Rahman, Muhammad Sabbir; Osmangani, Aahad M; Daud, Nuraihan Mat; AbdelFattah, Fadi Abdel Muniem

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-02-2015-0017

Purpose– This paper aims to develop and combined an understanding of the antecedents of knowledge sharing behavior among the non-academic staff of different higher learning institutions in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach– The researchers tested the hypotheses from the survey data from the non-academic staff of different private and public higher learning institutions in Malaysia. This research also applied confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to examine the proposed hypothesis of this inquiry. Findings– The results indicate that attitude and subjective norms both influence the staff knowledge sharing behavior significantly and positively. Additionally, this research also revealed that intention of knowledge sharing variable plays a substantial role as a mediating variable in those relationships. Research limitations/implications– This research is a cross-sectional survey. As a result, the limited sample size in this study may affect the power of generalizability. Further research may prove the model across different times to respect the nature of the knowledge sharing behavior among the non-academic staff of higher learning institutions. Practical implications– The results of this research clearly explain how academic institutions may proceed for knowledge sharing culture in their respective department by considering the variables used in this inquiry. If the office of any academic institution feels that the knowledge sharing among the non-academic staff is still low, they can utilize the factors as a tool to facilitate the advancement of the knowledge sharing environment in their respective sections. Originality/value– Previous research primarily focuses on the knowledge sharing behavior of students and lectures'perspective. This research minimizes the gap by including the non-academic staff of higher learning institutions. In summation, this research also examined the mediating role of knowledge sharing intention in the relationship between attitude, subjective norms and knowledge sharing behavior.

Kargbo, John Abdul

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-08-2015-0082

Purpose– This paper aims to, invariably, critically look at primary records, their origins, categorization, uses and what the future holds for them, amid changing times. From the cradle of civilization, people have been using varied ways to record, store and distribute information. Years back, people kept their records on such materials as wax, papyrus, leather, clay, parchment, paper and wood. But recent technological developments have brought about different formats which in turn have influenced the choice of materials and methods used to write and circulate information. Design/methodology/approach– This is a viewpoint paper on primary documents in library and information service institutions. The paper critically looks at the different types of primary documents, how they are collected, the challenges involved and their future amid changing technological times. Relevant literature was consulted, including the Internet. Findings– The findings are that the future of primary documents will remain bleak if librarians, curators, records managers and archivists do not give serious thought to primary documents regardless of the fact that they are germane in library and information science. Originality/value– This is a viewpoint paper on primary documents. Relevant information was drawn from varied readings in library and information service institutions as well as from the Internet.

Moyo, Mathew; Mavodza, Judith

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-06-2015-0069

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to establish and compare the provision of information literacy (IL) skills to university students both at undergraduate and graduate levels in South Africa (SA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This could in turn inform the development of appropriate/suitable IL programmes to support teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach– A review of available scholarly papers is performed for information collection. Findings– The findings can identify variations in IL provision within and across disciplines, deficiencies in local current and ongoing research. Research limitations/implications– It must be noted that this is a review and conclusions from it are expected to reveal areas that require more in-depth study. Practical implications– The study’s contribution to the field of IL lies in its revelation of what is understood by IL provision and how the ACRL standards are used to guide practice in the two different regions of the world. Originality/value– The study is the first of its kind which compares IL practices at university libraries in SA and the UAE. It will assist policymakers and librarians in the development of appropriate IL programmes in support of teaching and learning.

Chandrasekar, Kalpana; Sivathaasan, Nadarajah

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-05-2015-0050

Purpose– This survey research aims to investigate the level of satisfaction among children (up to 14 years) with regard to facilities and services available at the children’s section of the Jaffna Public Library (JPL, Sri Lanka). Design/methodology/approach– A structured questionnaire was distributed among randomly selected members of the children’s section, JPL. Data collected via the structured questionnaire were analysed using SPSS 22.0. In addition to the descriptive analysis, independent samples t-test and f-test were conducted to observe the influence of personal variables on different facets of user satisfaction. Findings– The response rate was 67 per cent. Descriptive analysis showed that the prime purpose of visiting the children’s section (JPL) is reading books and other materials. With regard to frequency of visit, 86 per cent of the respondents visit the library three to four times in a week or at least once a week. Results of the f-test indicated that there is no significant difference among different age groups for overall satisfaction of children’s section facilities and services. Results of the t-test revealed that female children are more satisfied with the library environment compared to males. Further, the level of satisfaction with shelf arrangement, library environment and children’s programmes differed significantly between children studying in the bilingual and the Tamil mediums. Originality/value– This study reports the empirical findings of the user survey carried out at the children’s section of the JPL.