Library Review

Stevenson, Siobhan A.; Domsy, Caleb

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-02-2016-0015

PurposeThis paper aims to draw attention to the quiet, if inadvertent, disappearance of the front-line public librarian, as libraries make difficult organizational choices in the struggle to survive the relentless pressures to cut costs on one side while supporting a market ethos of customer service on the other.Design/methodology/approachInformed by the preliminary findings of a pan-Canadian study of labour in large urban public libraries and a review of professional and academic literatures dealing with contemporary service trends, four models/proposals [(1) participative, (2) community-led, (3) managerial/leadership and (4) digital inclusion] are critically reviewed with respect to their positioning of the front-line professional librarian.FindingsThe paper concludes with an argument in favor of one of these proposals because it supports the relevance of public librarians in service to their communities while remaining true to the democratic aspirations of this vital public service within our increasingly complex information societies.Research limitations/implicationsThe implication of this work is that by drawing our attention to the contradictions inherent within contemporary and popular library initiatives, the disconnect between formal education and professional practice is highlighted, thus providing a foundation for new empirical research into the changing nature of waged work (professional and non-professional) in public libraries.Practical implicationsFailure to situate the professional public librarian strategically and unambiguously within the rapidly evolving roles of the public library has implications for LIS educators, employers and, as significantly, current and future students.Social implicationsDespite the high rates of connectivity among Western nations and the increasing sophistication of their populations, the digital divide persists among a growing urban and rural underclass. Building, maintaining and promoting a strong and accessible municipal information infrastructure, one could argue, is what public librarianship is all about.Originality/valueThis paper’s identification and critical review of the four dominant service models proposed for the present public library represents the first time that these literatures have been assembled together and critically interrogated for their implications for the work of public librarians. Given the importance of the question “what is the future role of the public library”, a critical analysis of the key contenders is a necessary exercise, as is shifting the subject of the conversation away from the customer and onto the professional public librarian.

Martins, Jorge Tiago; Canhoto, Rosa

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-10-2015-0099

PurposeThis paper aims to identify and conceptualize a set of relational capabilities that school libraries in the Alentejo region of Portugal develop for acquiring new knowledge that exists externally in the wider community.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design operationalized via case studies was followed for the empirical analysis. Empirical findings are based on the analysis of the 84 narrative reports submitted by school libraries as part of a national performance evaluation exercise that took place between 2010 and 2012. Data analysis followed the techniques of inductive data categorization, within case-analysis, and cross-case analysis.FindingsThe exploration of the relational capabilities that school libraries in the Alentejo region of Portugal develop for acquiring new knowledge that exists externally in the community resulted in the identification of relationships that school libraries in the region have established to acquire new knowledge: connecting with and supporting organizations committed to civic engagement; facilitating discussions about challenging issues through strategic partnerships; convening community conversations to identify shared concerns and solutions; and embracing local culture to foster endogenous development.Originality/valueThe ability to seek and recognize the value of new and external knowledge, assimilate it and apply it to organizational ends has been traditionally linked to the concept of absorptive capacity. While absorptive capacity literature in business settings is prolific, literature that focuses on school libraries’ ability to identify and explore external knowledge and applying it to improve their performance is scarce. Focusing on the specific context of the Alentejo region of Portugal as an archetypical rural area, this paper identifies how knowledge existing externally in the community is absorbed by rural school libraries through specific relational capabilities that reflect school libraries’ community orientation and engagement in participatory processes that develop social resilience.

Koizumi, Masanori; Widdersheim, Michael M.

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-11-2015-0111

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the characteristics of the public sphere with those of a shared value approach and better understand the value that public libraries can offer to management theory.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses two methods. First, this study uses a systematic literature review to identify sources relevant to shared value and the public sphere in public libraries. Next, this study uses comparative theoretical analysis using data gathered from the systematic review to analyse the two theories.FindingsThis study successfully describes the similarities and differences between “shared value” and the “public sphere in public libraries”.Originality/valueThis study elucidates public library innovation from the perspectives of library management and the public sphere concept.

vanDuinkerken, Wyoma; Romano, Joanne

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-11-2015-0113

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the Joint Library Facility services and how Medical Science Libraries have embraced the Resource in Common model to save service copies for their patron’s use while allowing libraries to reclaim critically needed space and develop library services that better meet the needs of their patrons.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins with a description of the Joint Library Facility and its targeted users. It will discuss how this unique library storage facility shares ownership of its material with other libraries to reduce duplication of low-use print items on library shelves.FindingsAlthough electronic materials are more popular with library patrons, there is still scholarly value in keeping low-use print materials as service copies.Originality/valueThis paper is a case study of a unique library storage facility that shares ownership of its material with other libraries. Its findings will help other libraries plan and implement their own shared print repository.

Singson, Mangkhollen; Thiyagarajan, S.; Leeladharan, M.

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-02-2016-0019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between electronic journal downloads and citations and whether online electronic resource usage can be adopted as an alternative to citation for evaluation of scholarly discourse.Design/methodology/approachA consolidated 16 publishers’ COUNTER usage data of UGC-Infonet members was collected from INFLIBNET Centre. The usage was meticulously filtered from UGC-subscribed journals and institutional subscriptions. The quantitative data were analysed to establish the relationship between download, impact factor (IF) and price. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the influence of price and IF on usage and to predict the usage when they are known and the threshold for significance was set at p < 0.05.FindingsThere exists a relationship between IF and downloads of journals in UGC-Infonet. Journal IF and price significantly influence usage, where journal IF plays an important role in the intensity of the use. Also, the top 25 hottest downloaded papers were journals with IF; hence, no journal without IF featured in the top 25 most downloaded journals in the consortia. The relationship between the top 25 IF journals in the consortia and download is strong (r = 0.368537).Originality/valueThe only account that reports on the relationship between journal IFs and downloads for UGC-Infonet consortia. Also, the influence of usage behaviour with respect to citation and price of a journal.

Katabalwa, Anajoyce Samuel

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-11-2015-0108

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the use of electronic journal resource at the University of Dar es Salaam. The study involved the postgraduate students in the School of Education at the University of Dar es Salaam.Design/methodology/approachA combination of questionnaires for postgraduate students and interview for the reference librarians was used, whereby 100 postgraduate students and six reference librarians were involved in the study. SPSS and content analysis were used to analyse the data.FindingsMajor findings of the study reveal that majority of the students reported using electronic journal resources for various purposes including working on the assignments, research proposal writing, literature review, research report writing, current awareness, leisure and for extra exploration of ongoing scientific debates through peer-reviewed papers. The challenges encountered in the use of electronic journal resources include power outage, inadequate bandwidth, slow download speed, inability to access the resources from home, lack of training, lack of awareness, limited access to computers and difficulty in searching. Finally, the recommendations for improving the use of electronic journal resources are provided.Originality/valueThis is the first time an effort has been made to assess the use of electronic journal resources by postgraduate students in the School of Education at the University of Dar es Salaam. The study could be used to assess the postgraduate students’ need for electronic resources at the University of Dar es Salaam and other users in higher learning institutions.

Al-Shwabkah, Younis; Hamad, Faten; Taha, Nashrawan; Al-Fadel, Maha

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-12-2015-0115

PurposeThis study aims to explore undergraduate students’ perceptions of teaching information and communication technology (ICT) courses in the library and information science (LIS) program in Jordanian universities. It also aims at investigating the correlation between the impact of some variables, namely, gender, the type of university, academic year and student GPA on and their students’ views.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative methods were adopted. A questionnaire with 40 items was distributed on a stratified random sample of 220 students from four LIS departments in Jordan and, of whom, 203 responded with a response rate of 92.3 per cent.FindingsResearch findings indicated that teaching ICT courses was considered highly important. Students stressed on the importance of incorporating ICT courses in LIS programs. They also pointed out the competence of the teaching staff and the efficacy of their teaching methods. On the other hand, student assessments of the curriculum content, the teaching pedagogy and methods of assessment were on an average level. In addition, the findings indicated that resources and facilities necessary to teach ICT courses were available and adequate. It was noted that the “university” was the only factor that affected results; the University of Jordan students showed a higher satisfaction. The other factors (gender, academic year and GPA) did not appear to affect student perceptions.Originality/valuePrevious studies investigated the importance of teaching ICT courses in general but did not consider students’ perceptions. Only a few studies discussed students’ perceptions of studying ICT courses but in a different context, i.e. Kuwait. This research focused on students’ perceptions of studying ICT in Jordan as a new geographic region. This would be beneficial for other developing countries to learn from this experience and refine their ICT curricula and LIS programs accordingly.

Sakas, Damianos P.; Sarlis, Apostolos S.

2016 Library Review

doi: 10.1108/LR-06-2015-0068

PurposeTwitter is the most popular instant messaging platform today. Thanks to the consistency factor typical of it, it offers every company or business the best opportunity to promote their products or services. Likewise, it offers an unprecedented opportunity to public utility or benefit organizations like libraries to promote their services and build a powerful digital information exchange community. However, because of its immense number of users and chaotic nature, the steps toward making the best of it must be precise and systematized, or else the information professional will end up squandering resources to no avail. The purpose of this paper is the optimization of the distribution of the libraries’ resources regarding the promotion methods on Twitter.Design/methodology/approachSuch a model is initially built by recording and analyzing the potential offered by the social network platform in question. Third-party tools that help handle Twitter are also analyzed. The factors’ total is then modeled by using the iThink editor. This editor is able to receive data from the decision-maker with respect to the specific attributes of each product and given conditions and produce specific outcomes by use of the model.FindingsThis research paper, includes a decision-making tool (model) that combines a theoretical view of library information science (LIS) and marketing science with a practical tool, simulating the process and producing certain outcomes using specific resources. The model presents him with the outcome that is bound to be produced with regard to the given circumstances and the amount of resources invested, encouraging, or not, certain courses of action.Practical implicationsThe decision-maker can accurately anticipate an outcome so as to respectively customize his data and moves.Originality/valueProper use of the tools available, alongside anticipation chances offered by dynamic simulation models, enables the model decision-maker use it according to any given context, hence maximizing library business profits.