Journal articles on the topic 'Consortium of University Research Libraries'

The article discusses the use of digital platforms, consortiums, collaborative online catalogues that have substantially transformed the Indian agricultural libraries and are playing a significant role in research support in digital environment. It describes the use of CeRA (Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture) online platform in Pantvarsity for the five years. It is shown that the use of these e-resources by the academic community of the university has a declining trend. The analysis has revealed that while research information available through the platform is highly valued in the university system, many patrons including students and faculties both are not largely dependent only on the consortium resources, and are likely be comfortable with other easily available open access research materials over the web, repositories or print journals and digital repositories. The author suggests that librarians should create greater awareness about the consortium resources, identify barriers, faced by the academic community in accessing these resources for fruitful utilization of this platform.

Purpose – The concept of academic library consortium emerged in the Philippines in the 1970s evidenced by the successive establishment of three consortia namely, the Academic Libraries Book Acquisition Services Association (ALBASA) in 1973, the Inter-Institutional Consortium (IIC) (now South Manila Inter-Institutional Consortium) in 1974, and the Mendiola Consortium (MC) in 1975. This paper aims to find out the experiences and status of selected academic library consortia in the Philippines, namely, the Academic Libraries Book Acquisitions Systems Association, Inc. (ALBASA), the American Corners (also known as American Studies Resource Center (ASRC) in some areas), the Aurora Boulevard Consortium Libraries, Inc. (ABC), the Davao Colleges and University Network (DACUN), the Inter University Consortium (IUC), the Intramuros Library Consortium (ILC), the Mendiola Consortium (MC), the Ortigas Center Library Consortium (OCLC), and the South Manila Inter institutional Consortium (SMI-IC) specifically in terms of the objectives of the different consortia, the activities they undertake and how such relate to the set objectives, the benefits they have enjoyed or continue to enjoy, the issues they have encountered as well as success/failure factors experienced by libraries in joining the different consortia. Design/methodology/approach – The sample was derived from the review of literature, which also served as basis to come up with the list of existing academic library consortia. The respondents were selected based on the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL) directory. Communication was sent via email, telephone, scheduled personal interview and social networking sites (e.g. Facebook). A total of 13 out of 23 (56.52 percent) respondents accomplished the survey questionnaires which were distributed online and manually. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the results. Findings – Results of the study revealed that the role academic library consortia play in the development of academic libraries is crucial particularly in the promotion of professional development and resource sharing. As technology greatly influences the way libraries do things, the varying level of technological development among consortium member libraries confirmed to be a major challenge being faced by them today. While majority of the surveyed consortia assessed themselves to be successful, it is evident that there is lack of congruence between the consortia's objectives and undertakings. Originality/value – The paper is a modest contribution to the dearth of literature in Philippine academic library consortia. It also is the first study conducted measuring the success of selected academic consortia and identifying the factors contributing to their success/failure.

Purpose – This paper aims to report on several initiatives towards formation of national consortium among academic libraries in Malaysia. The consortium focused on subscription of online databases. Design/methodology/approach – In July 2004, CDC on behalf of PERPUN members made several initiatives towards formation of national consortium of Malaysian academic libraries. Proposal paper on the formation of the consortium has been submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education. Through “loose consortia” formed, CDC and later known as Malaysian Online E-Resources Consortium (MOLEC) succeeded in negotiating for subscription of online databases and was able to get financial aid from the Ministry of Education to subscribe several databases since 2002. Findings – A commercial databases committee (CDC) was formed in year 2000 as a platform for academic libraries to evaluate, select, negotiate and manage the online databases. Complications involved in online databases subscriptions such as cost increase, license agreement, various formats of usage statistics, merger and takeover of publishers have made PERPUN (Malaysian Standing Conference of National and University Libraries) realize that there is a need for a formal consortium to be formed. Research limitations/implications – An improved service was established for the benefit of the academic libraries in Malaysia. Practical implications – A more coordinated approach to consortial dealings is being established in Malaysia. Originality/value – This is a report on the process and outcomes.

Formation of the Michigan Research Libraries Triangle consortium in 1991 served to bring the education librarians of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University into a working relationship. The education programs at each institution have unique histories shaped by demographic, political and economic forces. The evolution of the programs profoundly influenced the physical and philosophical development of the education libraries at each institution and the education librarians have based their cooperation on the historic roles and unique strengths of each library 's collection. The level of activity and opportunityfor cooperation has fluctuated over the years due to institutional changes.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges and opportunities for Zimbabwe’s academic libraries in their endeavour to provide quality services. It will examine how library consortia, namely, the Zimbabwe University Library Consortium (ZULC) and the College and Research Libraries Consortium (CARLC), have been able to provide for the information needs of their users at a time when budgets are inadequate and subscription costs to journals remain unaffordable. It will examine how academic libraries, through resource sharing platforms, have been able to exploit ubiquitous technologies and build on from the traditional interlibrary loan (ILL). The paper will recommend a strategy based on a model to strengthen access to scholarship through resource sharing. Design/methodology/approach The researcher opted for a qualitative research design. A purposive sample of 32 participants drawn from ten academic librarians located in Zimbabwe was used to collect the information. The participants were chosen because of their involvement in resource-sharing activities. The participants were drawn from the two library consortia, namely, CARLC and ZULC. Data for the study was collected using structured interviews. Findings The findings revealed that resource sharing was critical for the survival of academic libraries in Zimbabwe. The study found out that resource sharing was the only option to overcome the challenges of the paywall. It highlighted the need for a concerted effort of all academic institutions in adapting a model that provides for the diverse needs of members with regard to widening access to scholarship. However, in spite of the success of library consortia in enhancing resource sharing in Zimbabwe, there are challenges that require the concerted effort of all academic institutions in coming up with a model that best provides for the diverse needs of members with regard to resource sharing. Practical implications The results of the study will be useful in providing a long-term strategy for enhancing resource sharing among academic libraries in Zimbabwe in their endeavor to support teaching, learning and research. Originality/value There is a scarcity of scholarly studies on resource sharing initiatives among academic libraries in Zimbabwe. This study is unique because it tackles the experiences of the academic libraries in overcoming the challenges of the paywall.

PurposeThe paper explores library cooperation in Zimbabwe and gathers views from librarians on the need for a library consortium model to underpin national development. This study aims to investigate the development of library consortia in Zimbabwe and then propose a model that will both accelerate their development and support the country’s national development agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for an investigative study using a multi-method research design. Data on existing library consortia, namely, Zimbabwe University Library Consortium (ZULC) and College and Research Library Consortium (CARLC), were collected through questionnaires and interviews. The data were complemented by documentary analysis including primary sources of information, for example, annual reports and brochures. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights on how ZULC and CARLC are transforming the provision of library services in several ways, for example, providing for the dynamic needs of users and strategizing on overcoming rising costs of scholarly content through resource sharing. The proposed model effectively elevates the fundamental library consortium principles of cooperation and sharing onto the national development stage, and it is novel and pioneering. The gestures and general remarks made recently by Zimbabwe Library Association and some ZULC members about national development and ZIMASSET are given rigorous and scholarly expression in this model.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability beyond Zimbabwe. It is therefore imperative for researchers to test the proposed propositions further.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for the development of a library consortia model to underpin national development in Zimbabwe. The existing academic sector library consortium still excludes other types of libraries from participating in resource sharing and promoting access to information on a national development scale. The proposed library consortium model providing for nation-wide access to information is critical in realising national development goals in Zimbabwe. Currently, academic library consortia are contributing immensely through supporting learning, teaching and research in their respective institutions. Such benefits can also be extended to all institutions through a national library consortium to support development in Zimbabwe.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to study how the development of a nation-wide library consortium model can be realised. There is relatively little researched information on library cooperation and library consortia and national development in Southern Africa with specific reference to Zimbabwe. The paper seeks to close the gap by providing information on library cooperation and library consortia and national development in Zimbabwe.

Introduction. We investigated the problem of comparative analysis of the world and national trends of development of information support of the university research and education and position of Russia in the world academic community. Materials and Methods. We analyzed international and national surveys with data processing methods. Materials comprise results of the latest survey of the Publishers Communication Group, initial data of annual surveys conducted by Russian National electronic information consortium and the data of the surveys conducted by the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation in 2016 and 2017. Results. More than 90 % of world and Russian universities report of acquisition of scholarly resources via university consortia, 75 % of university funds are spent on periodicals. All peer groups demonstrate gradual migration to e-resources. In 2016, e-resources comprised 91 % of total acquisition expenses and e-books – 63 % of book acquisition. In Russia, more than 85 % of expenses on scholarly information belong to universities. From 2006 to 2014 average annual expenses on e-resources in Russian universities increased, however since the 2014, due to the economic crisis one can see shrinking of library expenses. This leads to a decrease in a number of acquired resources. Acquisition budgets of Russian leading universities (group 1) exceed budgets of non-leading universities (group 2) by ten times. In 2015, Russian universities spent 57 % of their acquisition budgets on the Elsevier databases. Discussion and Conclusions. Information support at Russian and world universities show common trends and features. The data on the e-resource expenses can be used as indicator of research activity in Russian institutions. It can also affect the information providers and scholarly journal publishers in development of the marketing, subscription and pricing policy in Russia.

Purpose This paper aims to describe a variety of accessibility initiatives implemented at the Michigan State University (MSU) Libraries to better support persons with disabilities who want to use and access library services and resources. Design/methodology/approach By using two campus accessibility policies to help expand and improve its accessibility efforts, the MSU Libraries implemented accessibility purchasing procedures for e-resources; drafted a five-year accessibility plan, which launched an extensive multi-year staff accessibility training plan and detailed plans for content accessibility and accessibility investment; dedicated additional library staff positions and time to accessibility; drafted an accessibility statement and website documentation; established an in-house remediation service; increased library web page and collection remediation; and began leading efforts related to vendor e-resource accessibility in the Big Ten Academic Alliance library consortium. Findings As a result of these many accessibility initiatives, the MSU Libraries has thought strategically about and taken action on constantly improving its accessibility in a variety of areas; provided or hosted 29 staff accessibility training sessions; implemented new accessibility positions, roles and services; and helped influence and improve library e-resource accessibility, especially through its leadership in the Big Ten library consortium. Originality/value Most libraries strive to provide welcoming access to information and library services for all users, including persons with disabilities, but resources and literature on comprehensive accessibility initiatives in academic libraries are somewhat limited. The library accessibility initiatives implemented by a large, academic research library shared in this paper will hopefully contribute to the much-needed library and information science literature on this topic.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to examine the challenges and opportunities the new public procurement legislation has created for academic librarians as regards the acquisition of library materials in academic libraries (university/college libraries) in Malawi. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a multi-method approach. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires. The questionnaires were sent online to the university/college libraries of seven major accredited public universities in Malawi. After an initial analysis of that data, qualitative data on patterns were obtained through a mailing listserve with all the possible 19 librarians. Responses were analysed and categorised using a thematic approach. Findings – Academic libraries (university/college libraries) are involved in the internal procurement committees. Librarians are represented in internal procurement committees, though their representation differs from one institution to another. All the academic libraries (university/college libraries) either use the centralised or independent procurement methods. As a result, the public university libraries deal with agents as independents. Working as independents has negatively affected the libraries, as materials are procured at different prices and sometimes at higher prices, thereby ignoring the value for money. Research limitations/implications – In academic libraries, the library consortia have pulled resources towards a basket fund for wide access and cheaper licensing. However, for print library materials, a collaborative procurement process in which the academic libraries identify an agent capable of achieving a supplier list and then purchase directly from the preferred suppliers seems not to have been tried in the most developing countries. Practical implications – The study suggests that academic libraries (university/college libraries) should emulate the library consortia approach when dealing with agents. The academic libraries should consider collaborative procurement models as a means of procuring library materials. Originality/value – Since the enactment of the public procurement legislation in Malawi, no research has been documented on the challenges and opportunities the public procurement act and the acquisition of library materials. This research seeks to bridge the literature gap.

Making information available for the acquisition and transmission of human knowledge is the focal point of this paper, which describes the creation of a consortium for the university and research institute libraries in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Through sharing and cooperation, the project will facilitate information access and minimize acquisition costs of international scientific periodicals, consequently increasing user satisfaction. To underscore the advantages of this procedure, the objectives, management, and implementation stages of the project are detailed, as submitted to the Research Support Foundation of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP).

E-books constitute major challenges for library collections generally and present fundamental problems for consortial collection development specifically. The Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) and Oxford University Press (OUP) have created a mutually equitable and financially sustainable model for the consortial acquisition of e-books coupled with print titles needed to support instruction and research across the disciplinary spectrum within a transitional framework that is acceptable to users while moving both libraries and publishers to a decidedly electronic environment for monographs. Working with YBP Library Services, TRLN and OUP developed a flexible vending model for systematically increasing e-books acquisitions in tandem with reducing print intake over time and keeping net costs constant that other consortia and publishers would find useful. This article focuses on creating an acceptable and sustainable model that allows libraries to shift to e-books and the implications for traditional cooperative collection development. The research reports on the principles undergirding the pilot, how it developed, challenges encountered and lessons learned, librarian and user reactions to this format shift, and resulting philosophical and practical evolutions in consortial approaches to monographic acquisitions and understandings of what constitutes cooperative collections success in a digital environment.

The availability of electronic journals in the Portuguese academic community improved in a spectacular way since the creation of the national university consortium, Online Knowledge Library (b-on), in 2004. The work presented here is the outcome of a line of research begun in 2011 which aims to investigate the supply and use of electronic journals incorporated into university libraries through b-on. This study aims to present and analyse some of the statistical and bibliometric indicators of the Portuguese scientific consumption and output seeking to evaluate its connection with b-on. It was analysed the usage of b-on resources by the public universities members of the consortium, from 2004 to 2010.In addition to the usage data of the consortium, we used the Web of Science (WoS) from which we identified the articles indexed by five Portuguese universities between 2000-2010.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the training of college librarians, academic and management staff, IT managers and students on how to organise, manage and use a user-friendly library. In Uganda, as in many countries, the problem is that school and/or college libraries are managed by librarians who may have good cataloguing and management skills, but who do not have the pedagogic skills and knowledge of the school curricula that are necessary for librarians to be able to guide and mentor both teachers and students or organise curriculum-related activities or facilitate research. The development of user-friendly libraries contributes in improving education quality through nurturing the interest of students and teachers in literacy activities and active search for knowledge. Under the stewardship of the Belgium Technical Cooperation and the Ministry of Education in Uganda, library stakeholders were trained on how to put users – rather than themselves – in the centre of the library’s operations and introduced to active teaching and learning methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections. Several measures, short and long term were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. Given the disparities in the trainees’ education level and work experience, the training was delivered in seven modules divided into three units for over eight months in 2015. By the end of the training, trainees developed unique library strategic plan, library policies and procedures, capacity to use library systems, physical design and maintenance systems, partnerships, library structure and staff job descriptions. Design/methodology/approach To effectively engage the participants each topic was conducted using active teaching and learning (ATL) methodologies, including: lecture with slides and hands-on practice – each topic was introduced in a lecture form with slides and hands-on exercises. The main goal was to introduce the participants to the concepts discussed, offer opportunities to explore alternative approaches, as well define boundaries for discussion through brainstorming. The question-answer approach kept the participants alert and to start thinking critically on the topic discussed – brainstorming sessions allowed thinking beyond the presentation room, drawing from personal experiences to provide alternatives to anticipated challenges. The goal here was for the participants to provide individual choices and approaches for real life problems; group discussions: case study/ scenario and participant presentations – participants were provided with a scenario and asked to provide alternative approaches that could solve the problem based on their personal experience at their colleges. By the end of the group discussion, participants presented a draft of the deliverable as per the topic under discussion. More so, group discussions were an excellent approach to test participant’s teamwork skills and ability to compromise, as well as respecting team decisions. It was an opportunity to see how librarians will work with the library committees. Group discussions further initiated and cemented the much-needed librarian–academic staff – college management relationship. During the group discussion, librarians, teaching staff, ICT staff and college management staff, specifically the Principals and Deputy Principals interacted freely thus starting and cultivating a new era of work relationship between them. Individual presentation: prior to the workshop, participants were sent instructions to prepare a presentation on a topic. For example, participants were asked to provide their views of what a “user-friendly library” would look like or what would constitute a “user-friendly library”; the college library of HTC-Mulago was asked to talk about their experience working with book reserves, challenges faced and plans they have to address the challenges, while the college librarian from NTC-Kaliro was asked to describe a situation where they were able to assist a patron, the limitations they faced and how they addressed them. Doing so did not only assist to emotionally prepare the participants for the training but also helped to make them start thinking about the training in relation to their libraries and work. Take-home assignment: at the end of each session, participants were given home assignments to not only revise the training material but also prepare for the next day training. Further the take-home assignments provided time for the participants to discuss with their colleagues outside of the training room so as to have a common ground/ understanding on some of the very sensitive issues. Most interesting assignment was when participants were asked to review an article and to make a presentation in relation to their library experiences. Participant reports: participant reports resulted from the take-home assignments and participants were asked to make submission on a given topic. For example, participants were asked to review IFLA section on library management and write a two-page report on how such information provided supported their own work, as well as a participant report came from their own observation after a library visit. Invited talks with library expert: two invited talks by library experts from Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association with the goal to share their experience, motivate the participants to strive higher and achieve great things for their libraries. Library visitation: there were two library visits conducted on three separate days – International Hospital Kampala (IHK) Library, Makerere University Library and Aga Khan University Hospital Library. Each of these library visits provided unique opportunities for the participants to explore best practices and implement similar practices in their libraries. Visual aids – videos, building plans and still photos: these were visual learning aids to supplement text during the lectures because they carried lot of information while initiating different thoughts best on the participants’ past experience and expertise. The training advocated for the use of ATL methodologies and likewise similar methodologies were used to encourage participants do so in their classrooms. Findings Addressing Key Concerns: Several measures, both long and short term, were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. The measures taken included: selected representative sample of participants including all college stakeholders as discussed above; active teaching and learning methodologies applied in the training and blended in the content of the training materials; initiated and formulated approaches to collaborations, networks and partnerships; visited different libraries to benchmark library practices and encourage future job shadowing opportunities; and encouraged participants to relate freely, understand and value each other’s work to change their mindsets. College librarians were encouraged to ensure library priorities remain on the agenda through advocacy campaigns. Short-term measures: The UFL training was designed as a practical and hands-on training blended with individual and group tasks, discussions, take-home assignments and presentations by participants. This allowed participates to engage with the material and take responsibility for their own work. Further, the training material was prepared with a view that librarians support the academic life of teaching staff and students. Participants were tasked to develop and later fine-tune materials designed to support their work. For example, developing a subject bibliography and posting it on the library website designed using open source tools such as Google website, Wikis, blogs. The developed library manual includes user-friendly policies and procedures referred to as “dos and don’ts in the library” that promote equitable open access to information; drafting book selection memos; new book arrivals lists; subscribing to open access journals; current awareness services and selective dissemination of information service displays and electronic bulletins. Based on their library needs and semester calendar, participants developed action points and timelines to implement tasks in their libraries at the end of each unit training. Librarians were encouraged to share their experiences through library websites, Facebook page, group e-mail/listserv and Instagram; however, they were challenged with intimate internet access. College libraries were rewarded for their extraordinary job. Given their pivotal role in the management and administration of financial and material resources, on top of librarians, the participants in this training were college administrators/ management, teaching and ICT staff, researchers and student leadership. Participants were selected to address the current and future needs of the college library. These are individuals that are perceived to have a great impact towards furthering the college library agenda. The practical nature of this training warranted conducting the workshops from developed but similar library spaces, for example, Aga Khan University Library and Kampala Capital City, Makerere University Library, International Hospital Kampala Library and Uganda Christian University Library. Participants observed orientation sessions, reference desk management and interviews, collection management practices, preservation and conservation, secretarial bureau management, etc. Long-term measures: Changing the mindset of librarians, college administrators and teaching staff is a long-term commitment which continues to demand for innovative interventions. For example: job shadowing allowed college librarian short-term attachments to Makerere University Library, Uganda Christian University Library, Aga Khan Hospital University Library and International Hospital Kampala Library – these libraries were selected because of their comparable practices and size. The mentorship programme lasted between two-three weeks; on-spot supervision and follow-up visits to assess progress with the action plan by the librarians and college administration and college library committee; ensuring that all library documents – library strategic plan, library manual, library organogram, etc are approved by the College Governing Council and are part of the college wide governing documents; and establishing the library committee with a job description for each member – this has strengthened the library most especially as an advocacy tool, planning and budgeting mechanism, awareness channel for library practices, while bringing the library to the agenda – reemphasizing the library’s agenda. To bridge the widened gap between librarians and the rest of the stakeholders, i.e. teaching staff, ICT staff, college administration and students, a college library committee structure and its mandate were established comprising: Library Committee Chairperson – member of the teaching staff; Library Committee Secretary – College Librarian; Student Representative – must be a member of the student Guild with library work experience; and Representative from each college academic department. A library consortium was formed involving all the four project supported colleges to participate in resource sharing practices, shared work practices like shared cataloguing, information literacy training, reference interview and referral services as well a platform for sharing experiences. A library consortium further demanded for automating library functions to facilitate collaboration and shared work. Plans are in place to install Koha integrated library system that will cultivate a strong working relationship between librarians and students, academic staff, college administration and IT managers. This was achieved by ensuring that librarians innovatively implement library practices and skills acquired from the workshop as well as show their relevance to the academic life of the academic staff. Cultivating relationships takes a great deal of time, thus college librarians were coached on: creating inclusive library committees, timely response to user needs, design library programmes that address user needs, keeping with changing technology to suite changing user needs, seeking customer feedback and collecting user statistics to support their requests, strengthening the library’s financial based by starting a secretarial bureau and conducting user surveys to understand users’ information-seeking behaviour. To improve the awareness of new developments in the library world, college librarians were introduced to library networks at national, regional and international levels, as a result they participated in conferences, workshops, seminars at local, regional and international level. For example, for the first time and with funding from Belgium Technical Cooperation, college librarians attended 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress in South African in 2015. College libraries are now members of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association and have attended meetings of these two very important library organisations in Uganda’s LIS profession. The college librarians have attended meetings and workshops organized by these two organisations. Originality/value At the end of the three units training, participants were able to develop: a strategic plan for their libraries; an organogram with staffing needs and job description matching staff functions; a Library Committee for each library and with a structure unifying all the four project-support Colleges; a library action plan with due dates including deliverables and responsibilities for implementation; workflow plan and organisation of key sections of the library such as reserved and public spaces; furniture and equipment inventory (assets); a library manual and collection development policy; partnerships with KCCA Library and Consortium of Uganda University Libraries; skills to use Koha ILMS for performing library functions including: cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, serials management, reporting and statistics; skills in searching library databases and information literacy skills; skills in designing simple and intuitive websites using Google Sites tools; and improved working relationship between the stakeholders was visible. To further the user-friendly libraries principle of putting users in the centre of the library’s operations, support ATL methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections the following initiatives are currently implemented in the colleges: getting approval of all library policy documents by College Governing Council, initiating job shadowing opportunities, conducting on-spot supervision, guide libraries to set up college library committees and their job description, design library websites, develop dissemination sessions for all library policies, incorporate user-friendly language in all library documents, initiate income generation activities for libraries, set terms of reference for library staff and staffing as per college organogram, procurement of library tools like DDC and library of congress subject headings (LCSH), encourage attendance to webinars and space planning for the new libraries.

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how the transition from print to electronic scholarly communication has affected faculty’s information behaviour and their perception of academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was distributed among academics affiliated to the member universities of the Consortium of University Services of Catalonia. A total of 2,230 replies were received. Findings – Journal articles are the most relevant information resource used for research and teaching purposes. Databases are the preferred starting point for bibliographic searches, although a significant proportion of scholars rely on Internet search engines. The main source for gaining access to documents is libraries, followed by free materials available online. Scholarly journals are the preferred channel for disseminating research outputs, with the open access being a factor of marginal interest when deciding where to publish. Originality/value – The results of this study should be useful to guide policies regarding scientific information and research and, more specifically, policies regarding academic libraries.

A Review of: Meert, D.L., & Given, L.M. (2009). Measuring quality in chat reference consortia: A comparative analysis of responses to users’ queries.” College & Research Libraries, 70(1), 71-84. Objective – To evaluate the quality of answers from a 24/7 online chat reference service by comparing the responses given by local and consortia library staff using in-house reference standards, and by assessing whether or not the questions were answered in real time. Design – Comparative analysis of online chat reference transcripts. Setting – Large academic library in Alberta, Canada. Subjects – A total of online chat reference transcripts from the first year of consortium service were analyzed for this study. Of these, 252 were answered by local library staff and 226 from consortia (non-local) library staff. Methods – A stratified random sample of 1,402 transcripts were collected from the first year of consortium service (beginning of October to end of April). This method was then applied monthly, resulting in a sample size of 478 transcripts. In the first part of the study, responses were coded within the transcripts with a “yes” or “no” label to determine if they met the standards set by the local university library’s reference management. Reference transaction standards included questions regarding whether or not correct information or instructions were given and if not, whether the user was referred to an authoritative source for the correct information. The second part of the study coded transcripts with a “yes” or “no” designation as to whether the user received an answer from the staff member in “real time” and if not, was further analyzed to determine why the user did not receive a real-time response. Each transcript was coded as reflecting one of four “question categories” that included library user information, request for instruction, request for academic information, and miscellaneous/non-library questions. Main Results – When all question types were integrated, analysis revealed that local library staff met reference transaction standards 94% of the time. Consortia staff met these same standards 82% of the time. The groups showed the most significant differences when separated into the question categories. Local library staff met the standards for “Library User Information” questions 97% of the time, while consortia staff met the standards only 76% of the time. “Request for Instruction” questions were answered with 97% success by local library staff and with 84% success by consortia. Local library staff met the “Request for Academic Information” standards 90% of the time while consortia staff met these standards 87% of the time. For “Miscellaneous Non-Library Information” questions, 93% of local and 83% of consortia staff met the reference transaction standards. For the second part of the study, 89% of local library staff answered the questions in real time, as opposed to only 69% of non-local staff. The three most common reasons for not answering in real time (known as deferment categories) included not knowing the answer (48% local; 40% consortia), technical difficulty (26% local; 16% consortia), and information not being available (15% local; 31% consortia). Conclusion – The results of this research reveal that there are differences in the quality of answers between local and non-local staff when taking part in an online chat reference consortium, although these discrepancies vary depending on the type of question. Providing non-local librarians with the information they need to answer questions accurately and in real time can mitigate these differences.

Purpose As libraries are required to become more accountable and demonstrate that they are meeting performance metrics, an assessment website can be a means for providing data for evidence-based decision making and an important indicator of how a library interacts with its constituents. The purpose of this paper is to share the results of a review of websites of academic libraries from four countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA. Design/methodology/approach The academic library websites included in the sample were selected from the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Research Libraries of the United Kingdom, Council of Australian University Libraries, Historically Black College & Universities Library Alliance, Association of Research Libraries and American Indian Higher Education Consortium. The websites were evaluated according to the absence or presence of nine predetermined characteristics related to assessment. Findings It was discovered that “one size does not fit all” and found several innovative ways institutions are listening to their constituents and making improvements to help users succeed in their academic studies, research and creative endeavors. Research limitations/implications Only a sample of academic libraries from each of the four countries were analyzed. Additionally, some of the academic libraries were using password protected intranets unavailable for public access. The influences of institutional history and country-specific practices also became compelling factors during the analysis. Originality/value This paper seeks to broaden the factors for what is thought of as academic library assessment with the addition of qualitative and contextual considerations.

Purpose – In 2014, the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) consortium developed a shared set of customer-focused service standards to be adopted and used by all University Library members. This was the first time that such an approach had been taken across research libraries in the UK. The driver for this initiative was to enable the libraries to develop more comprehensive, shared quality indicators which would enable them to demonstrate their value, especially in times of austerity when budgets might be under threat. The purpose of this paper is to set out the approach taken to the development of shared service standards and ensuring the engagement and buy-in of the RLUK membership. Design/methodology/approach – The service standards initiative was conceived and developed as a strategic RLUK project, as part of the strategy on “collaboration to reduce costs and improve quality”. Initially it was considered that a collaborative approach to developing quality and performance indicators and service standards would reduce duplication of effort across members and save staff time in establishing mechanisms for collection of performance data. In addition it was agreed that there would be potential for a shared set of measures or standards to be used for benchmarking purposes and to enable libraries to demonstrate their value to their institutions. Findings – The initiative established eight customer-facing service standards which were agreed as being applicable to all of the University Library members of RLUK. These include a range of quality indicators focused on services rated as important to the largest customer group – undergraduate students. The service standards include measures on areas such as shelving turn-around, time taken to obtain materials on reading lists, opening hours, information literacy teaching and inter-library loans. In addition, the UK National Student Survey data are included on satisfaction rates for library services, with a benchmark target set at 90 per cent. Originality/value – Notwithstanding the SCONUL Annual Statistics exercise, this is the first time in the UK that a collaborative approach to the development of service standards has been attempted for a group of research libraries. The initiative also demonstrates the increased commitment amongst research libraries to the fundamental principles surrounding excellent customer service – in particular the need to demonstrate service quality and proactively identify gaps in services so that these can be addressed, and services can be improved on a continual basis.

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to describe the use of e-resources at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), those are being offered through the University Grant Commission – Information and Library Network (UGC-INFONET) consortium. Statistical techniques are applied on usage reports generated by e-resources vendors/publishers to understand trend and seasonality in usages of e-resources in academic libraries. The researchers evaluated gain in popularity of e-resources and drew a comparison in use of various databases of e-resources in terms of volume of downloads over a period of three years. The study would help in designing an instrument to evaluate utilization of e-resources. The cross comparison of databases helps in identifying e-resources, which have been optimally used. Design/methodology/approach – The present study used quantitative approach to express utilization of e-resources in terms of number of downloads of full text research papers from Project Muse, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Springer Links, Taylor and Francis and JSTOR databases, accessible through the UGC-INFONET consortium. The investigation is based on secondary data of usage statistics made available by the UGC-INFONET consortium. The descriptive statistics techniques have been used in the initial phase of the investigation to understand trend in utilization of e-resources and examine robustness of various statistical tests to identify most appropriate tests for the latter phase of the investigation. The robustness analysis has been recommended for graphical and non-parametric tests for advanced investigation, in the latter phase of the study. The with-in cohort analysis techniques investigates numbers of monthly downloads from each database for a period of three years, i.e. 2008-2010 to explain seasonality in volume of downloads of e-resources. Findings – e-Resources have been gaining popularity gradually in academic libraries; this trend is in tune with gaining of popularity of web-based intellectual resources in other sectors. The study established need of library consortium for sharing resources and subscription fee. The investigation proves significant association between numbers of downloads of e-resources from different databases in the same period; thus gain in popularity of one database encourages readers to explore other databases. The study indicates seasonality effect in the usages of e-resources in academic libraries. This seasonality effect is contemporary to the academic calendar. There are large numbers of downloads just before the examinations, which are held twice in a year and negligible number of downloads during and around long summer study breaks. Thus, the bandwidth rendered to the university is not consistently used during the academic session. The coverage of databases in terms of disciplines and numbers of journals varies to great extent. There is overlapping in the coverage of databases. The strength of students and their demands for scholarly works also vary across disciplines, thus cross comparison of numbers of downloads from databases has little meaning until impact of these three parameters are not controlled in the investigation of utilization of e-resources. Originality/value – The literature shows that no study has been carried out for the use of e-resources by researchers of JNU.

The VuFind open–source, next-generation catalog system was implemented by the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois as an alternative to the WebVoyage OPAC system. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign began offering VuFind alongside WebVoyage in 2009 as an experiment in next generation catalogs. Using a faceted search discovery interface, it offered numerous improvements to the UIUC catalog and focused on limiting results after searching rather than limiting searches up front. Library users have praised VuFind for its Web 2.0 feel and features. However, there are issues, particularly with catalog data.

Purpose This paper of this study is to attempt to explore the status of collection in agricultural libraries of Northern India and assess the magnitude of impact of the advent of electronic information resources (EIRs) on the contemporary acquisition. Design/methodology/approach While adhering to the survey method, the questionnaire was used as a data collection tool to collect data from university librarians. Telephonic interaction and e-mail correspondence were also used to clear doubts, remove ambiguities and obtain data of higher significance from the respondents. Findings The majority of the agricultural libraries in Northern India have a sound collection of information resources in the print form, which may continue to act as a source of attraction for users in the future for a long time to come. Yet, the acquisition of information resources in the print form across the studied libraries continues at routine pace, and as such the advent of e-resources seems to have not yet laid any prominent impact on acquisition of resources in print form. E-Books have not yet been fully incorporated into the library collection and that e-journal collection “CeRA” (Consortium for Electronic Resources in Agriculture) seems to gratify the needs of users of these libraries, as no additional e-journals are seen to be subscribed to at present. Research limitations/implications Only seven agricultural libraries have been taken as a sample. Moreover, the work is confined to only two aspects, i.e. current status and the impact of EIRs on acquisition of information resources. Other aspects like those of collection development, storage and accommodation, preservation, library functionality and library services need to also be studied. Originality/value This is first work of its nature in Northern India with agricultural libraries as their domain. The findings will help the librarians and the library advisory committees decide on logical grounds about the proportion at which the print and electronic forms of information resources need to be acquired.

A Review of: Belliston, C. Jeffrey, Jared L. Howland, & Brian C. Roberts. “Undergraduate Use of Federated Searching: A Survey of Preferences and Perceptions of Value-Added Functionality.” College & Research Libraries 68.6 (Nov. 2007): 472-86. Objective – To determine whether use of federated searching by undergraduates saves time, meets their information needs, is preferred over searching databases individually, and provides results of higher quality. Design – Crossover study. Setting – Three American universities, all members of the Consortium of Church Libraries & Archives (CCLA): BYU (Brigham Young University, a large research university); BYUH (Brigham Young University – Hawaii, a small baccalaureate college); and BYUI (Brigham Young University – Idaho, a large baccalaureate college) Subjects – Ninety-five participants recruited via e-mail invitations sent to a random sample of currently enrolled undergraduates at BYU, BYUH, and BYUI. Methods – Participants were given written directions to complete a literature search for journal articles on two biology-related topics using two search methods: 1. federated searching with WebFeat® (implemented in the same way for this study at the three universities) and 2. a hyperlinked list of databases to search individually. Both methods used the same set of seven databases. Each topic was assigned in random order to one of the two search methods, also assigned in random order, for a total of two searches per participant. The time to complete the searches was recorded. Students compiled their list of citations, which were later normalized and graded. To analyze the quality of the citations, one quantitative rubric was created by librarians and one qualitative rubric was approved by a faculty member at BYU. The librarian-created rubric included the journal impact factor (from ISI’s Journal Citation Reports®), the proportion of citations from peer-reviewed journals (determined from Ulrichsweb.com™) to total citations, and the timeliness of the articles. The faculty-approved rubric included three criteria: relevance to the topic, quality of the individual citations (good quality: primary research results, peer-reviewed sources), and number of citations. Data were then analysed using ANOVA and MANOVA. Finally, librarians at the ACRL 13th National Conference Presentation were polled about their perceptions of the time savings of federated searching, whether the method meets undergraduates’ information needs, undergraduate preference for searching, and the quality of citations found. Main Results – Seventy percent of all participants preferred federated searching. For all schools combined, there was no statistically significant difference between the average time taken using federated searching (20.34 minutes) vs. non-federated searching (22.72 minutes). For all schools combined, there was a statistically significant difference in satisfaction of results favouring federated searching (5.59/7 vs. 4.80/7 for non-federated searching, α = .05). According to the librarian-created rubric, citations retrieved from federated searching were a statistically significant 6% lower in quality than citations retrieved from non-federated searching (α = .05). The faculty-approved rubric did not detect a difference in the quality of the citations retrieved using the 2 methods. Librarians’ perceptions as assessed at the ACRL 13th National Conference Presentation generally matched the authors’ findings. Conclusion – Overall, students in this study preferred federated searching, were more satisfied with the results of federated searching, and saved time (although the savings were not statistically significant). The quality of citations retrieved via both methods was judged to be similar. The study provides useful information for librarians interested in users’ experiences and perceptions of federated searching, and indicates future studies worth conducting.

Purpose This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the resource sharing initiative through signing reciprocal agreements, joining consortia and subscribing to OCLC at the American University of Beirut (AUB) Libraries. Design/methodology/approach Statistical analysis of interlibrary loan transactions over the past five years was conducted. Findings Joining local, regional and international consortia, signing reciprocal agreements with two institutions and subscribing to OCLC Worldshare ILL have maximized access to resources by reducing the cost allocated to ILL and expanded the DDS services to allow unlimited requests to all members of the AUB community. Originality/value Academic libraries are still facing budget cuts while they are expected to deliver better services to their communities. The implication of the statistics gathered discloses a constant need for finding ways to support resource sharing and to align with the University’s mission of fostering life-long learners by supporting research and maximizing access to resources.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the digital era and to explain that these changes have given rise to the existence of several communities or consortia in higher education of Algeria in order to bring users closer. Various changes linked to advancement in information technologies have changed work methods and behavior among professionals in the information and communication sciences field. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for a survey which was organized into two principal phases. An exploratory phase that consisted of undertaking qualitative interviews and another phase followed by a preliminary survey (pilot study) to prepare for the definitive survey. In this way that the authors chose a sample of a total of 50 questionnaires. The authors succeeded in obtaining a total of 30 respondents, representing a response rate of 60 percent. Findings – The preliminary survey reveals that the Algerian university libraries wish to create a community of exchange and collaborative work between professional colleagues in this new digital age. Research limitations/implications – This study is a beginning of a research on the behaviors of professionals in Algerian university libraries. A national survey is about to be performed in order to analyze more better the new communication behaviors. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for changing the new behavior of professionals in university libraries in order to be adapted in this new digital age that requires us to work in the library without walls. Originality/value – The originality of this paper is to discuss the subject of the digital libraries, the information retrieval and the collaborative work environments and the Semantic Web.

The article reveals the role of a university library in forming the united information-educational space. The higher institution library is considered as a backbone element of the information-educational space. A qualitative change in the library activities is emphasized by its ability to interact with other subjects of the educational space both within the university and beyond it.The university library has an integrative function providing the effect of the integrity of the information-educational space in two directions: internal and external ones. The emphasis is placed on the disclosing the integration external direction, that ensure the library access to the global information-educational spaces of the city, region, country, and world. Early forms of realizing the integration external direction are shown. First directions on the resources sharing are marked in organizing libraries interaction.The involved item modern state supposes using both traditional and electronic information resources, and new information technologies allow opening new forms of implementation of the integration external direction. Among them are consortia and corporations of university libraries of cities, regions, as well as other levels and departments. Libraries, becoming resource centers of universities and regions, create research-educational orientated resources; serve the university, municipal and regional circle of users, providing them with direct and remote access to all available resources. The integrative function content of university libraries is connected with creating a uniform information-educational space of the region, namely the unification of library activities of territorial entities (a region, a city) and libraries of other regional systems and departments (education, science, culture, etc.).The next form of implementing the integration external direction is participation of education institutions in development of the existing electronic library systems, i.e. interaction between electronic resources created by the universities of culture and arts, and external electronic resources available to students. Thus, integrative function of the university libraries includes supporting to fill external electronic library systems with the profile content (both educational and scientific character).The third form implementing the integration external direction is an integrated electronic library. It allows organizing the united information-educational space with the whole set of information-educational resources such as bibliographic, abstract, reference, analytical, full-text ones, etc., and the university library ensures its integrity thanks to its integrative function.

As guest editors, we are excited to publish this special double issue of IASSIST Quarterly. The topics of reproducibility, replicability, and transparency have been addressed in past issues of IASSIST Quarterly and at the IASSIST conference, but this double issue is entirely focused on these issues. In recent years, efforts “to improve the credibility of science by advancing transparency, reproducibility, rigor, and ethics in research” have gained momentum in the social sciences (Center for Effective Global Action, 2020). While few question the spirit of the reproducibility and research transparency movement, it faces significant challenges because it goes against the grain of established practice. We believe the data services community is in a unique position to help advance this movement given our data and technical expertise, training and consulting work, international scope, and established role in data management and preservation, and more. As evidence of the movement, several initiatives exist to support research reproducibility infrastructure and data preservation efforts: Center for Open Science (COS) / Open Science Framework (OSF)[i] Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS)[ii] CUrating for REproducibility (CURE)[iii] Project Tier[iv] Data Curation Network[v] UK Reproducibility Network[vi] While many new initiatives have launched in recent years, prior to the now commonly used phrase “reproducibility crisis” and Ioannidis publishing the essay, “Why Most Published Research Findings are False,” we know that the data services community was supporting reproducibility in a variety of ways (e.g., data management, data preservation, metadata standards) in wellestablished consortiums such as Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) (Ioannidis, 2005). The articles in this issue comprise several very important aspects of reproducible research: Identification of barriers to reproducibility and solutions to such barriers Evidence synthesis as related to transparent reporting and reproducibility Reflection on how information professionals, researchers, and librarians perceive the reproducibility crisis and how they can partner to help solve it. The issue begins with “Reproducibility literature analysis” which looks at existing resources and literature to identify barriers to reproducibility and potential solutions. The authors have compiled a comprehensive list of resources with annotations that include definitions of key concepts pertinent to the reproducibility crisis. The next article addresses data reuse from the perspective of a large research university. The authors examine instances of both successful and failed data reuse instances and identify best practices for librarians interested in conducting research involving the common forms of data collected in an academic library. Systematic reviews are a research approach that involves the quantitative and/or qualitative synthesis of data collected through a comprehensive literature review. “Methods reporting that supports reader confidence for systematic reviews in psychology” looks at the reproducibility of electronic literature searches reported in psychology systematic reviews. A fundamental challenge in reproducing or replicating computational results is the need for researchers to make available the code used in producing these results. But sharing code and having it to run correctly for another user can present significant technical challenges. In “Reproducibility, preservation, and access to research with Reprozip, Reproserver” the authors describe open source software that they are developing to address these challenges. Taking a published article and attempting to reproduce the results, is an exercise that is sometimes used in academic courses to highlight the inherent difficulty of the process. The final article in this issue, “ReprohackNL 2019: How libraries can promote research reproducibility through community engagement” describes an innovative library-based variation to this exercise. Harrison Dekker, Data Librarian, University of Rhode Island Amy Riegelman, Social Sciences Librarian, University of Minnesota References Center for Effective Global Action (2020), About the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences. Available at: https://www.bitss.org/about (accessed 23 June 2020). Ioannidis, J.P. (2005) ‘Why most published research findings are false’, PLoS Medicine, 2(8), p. e124. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124 [i] https://osf.io [ii] https://www.bitss.org/ [iii] http://cure.web.unc.edu [iv] https://www.projecttier.org/ [v] https://datacurationnetwork.org/ [vi] https://ukrn.org

A Review of: Borrego, Á., & Anglada, L. (2016). Faculty information behaviour in the electronic environment: Attitudes towards searching, publishing and libraries. New Library World, 117(3/4): 173-185. doi:10.1108/NLW-11-2015-0089 Objective – To determine faculty’s information behaviour and their perception of academic libraries in the current transition between print and electronic scholarly communication. Design – Online survey. Setting – A consortium of 12 large universities in Spain. Subjects – More than 17,380 faculty members. Methods – The researchers used a questionnaire based on a subset of the questionnaire used for the Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey, with 20 closed and 2 open-ended questions. The survey was implemented via Google Forms and sent through mailing lists. The number of recipients was not known, but university statistics for 11 of the 12 universities list 17,380 faculty (statistics were not available for one university, located in a different administrative area). The questions aimed to identify the types of documents used by scholars for teaching and research, the search tools used, the strategies used to keep up-to-date in their disciplines, preferences for print or electronic books, the sources used to access documents, their preferred channels to disseminate their own research, and their views regarding library services. Main Results – The response rate was 12.7%. Based on the results, scholarly journals were the most used information resource for research across all academic disciplines, with 94% of respondents rating them as important. For teaching, faculty preferred to use textbooks for undergraduates, and journal articles for Master’s students. To search the literature, faculty chose bibliographic databases and Internet search engines over the library catalog and physical collections, although the catalog was the first choice for known-item searches. Respondents favored print to read entire books or chapters but preferred the electronic format for skimming. Of the respondents, 78% rated the library as an important channel to access resources, while 61% also considered free online materials important. If the material was not available at their library, 71% frequently chose to search for a free online version and 42% used the inter-library loan service. For their own research, faculty have published in scholarly journals more often than other channels and have selected the journal based on its impact factor (77.5% ranked it as important) and on its area of coverage (73.4%). When asked to rank library services, faculty placed paying for resources highest, with 86.2% identifying it as important. Next were facilitating teaching and helping students develop information literacy skills. Finally, a majority of faculty considered themselves highly dependent on the library. Conclusion – Journal articles are the most widely used information resource for research and teaching purposes, regardless of discipline. This includes arts and humanities, which are known for heavy monograph usage. Articles are also scholars’ preferred channel for publishing. With regards to books, faculty have mixed feelings about print and electronic formats. Spanish faculty display information behaviours similar to their British and American counterparts, as documented in the Ithaka S+R 2012 surveys. Blogs and social networks are not widely used in spite of growing attention to such channels for research output and altmetrics. Open access is also relatively unimportant for faculty when they choose where to publish. A majority of respondents still consider library services as important, for collections as well as teaching and learning support, which may present opportunities for librarians.

Nė viena šiandienė biblioteka individualiai negali suteikti prieigos prie visų vartotojams reikalingų informacijos šaltinių. Prieigos problema nuolat aštrėja ir bibliotekoms tenka spręsti informacijos aprūpinimo bei paklausos suderinimo problemą. Vienas iš galimų sprendimo būdų – glaudesnis bibliotekų bendradarbiavimas, tenkinant vartotojų poreikius. Jau įprastomis bibliotekų bendradarbiavimo formomis tapo įvairūs bibliotekų tinklai, susivienijimai, konsorciumai, asociacijos. Viena iš glaudžiausio bibliotekų bendradarbiavimo formų – jungtinės bibliotekos. Straipsnyje keliama jungtinių bibliotekų kaip naujo reiškinio bibliotekininkystėje problema bei pristatomi vieno iš autorių atlikto jungtinių bibliotekų egzistavimo galimybių Lietuvoje tyrimo rezultatai. Straipsnyje daroma išvada, jog jungtinės bibliotekos – tai perspektyvi bibliotekų veiklos forma.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: mokslinė biblioteka, bibliotekų bendradarbiavimas, jungtinės bibliotekos, viešoji biblioteka, bibliotekų tapatybė.Joint Library – a New Model of Library Co-operation, a New Type of Library or a New Form of Future Libraries?Janina Pupelienė, Simona Baliutavičiūtė SummaryToday, no one individual library can provide access to all information resources needed to their users. The problem of access is growing, and libraries have to accommodate information provision and demand. A possible solution of this problem is a close co- operation of libraries in order to satisfy users’ needs. Various networks, unions, consortiums of libraries are the most common forms of such co-operation. The most radical form of today‘s library co-operation is establishment of joint-use libraries. Library co-operation and particular joint-use libraries are shown as very useful for individual libraries in the article. Authors of the article give attention to various sides of joint-use library practice. They present the latest publications (Hansson, 2010) where the library identity problem while joining different types of libraries have been described.The article presents joint use libraries as a new phenomenon in library science, together with the analysis of the possibilities of such libraries in Lithuania. Considering the existence some joint-use libraries (in all cases public and school libraries are merged) in Lithuania and not very enthusiastic comments on them by some Lithuanian library professionals, authors of the article intend to present this form of joint library activities more widely to stimulate Lithuanian library managers’ interest to this innovative form.Authors believe that the current situation in Lithuania is favourable for adopting good experience of world libraries and organising joint-use libraries in the country.As a kind of a pilot research, library staff and users of two university and county libraries of Lithuanian cities – Klaipėda and Šiauliai – have been questioned in order to discover their opinion on this form of library. According to the results, library users are more enthusiastic about joint-use libraries in their cities than library staff.Both groups of respondents represented quite a similar understanding of the main benefits of joint libraries. As the most positive benefits, comfortable access to all kinds of needed information has been highlighted by 38% of questioned users and by 33% of library staff. Facilities and complexity of transformed library activities have been stressed as the main problematic areas of joint libraries for both librarians and users. A half (54%) of librarians stressed the need of additional skills in case of organising a joint library. The ability to adapt the different needs of users and provision of service for them has been mentioned as the main requirement for these new skills.The study has revealed a lack of information on joint libraries among the library staff and users of the analysed Lithuanian cities. Despite this lack, results of the research concerning the general opinion on joint-use libraries is close to the analysed publications in the world‘s media. The main conclusion of the article: Lithuanian library managers have to value joint-use libraries as an innovative and possible form for the future development of libraries in Lithuania.

On September 1, 2020, LLMC, a non-profit Minnesota-based consortium of law libraries, launched the open-access portal RIGHTS! (http://www.llmc.com/rights/home.aspx). If you are looking for primary materials such as current constitutions, human/civil rights acts, Non-Governmental Organizations’ websites, advocacy organizations, and other resources specifically dealing with injustices regarding marginalized parties, this is the place to look. Their stated mission is preserving legal titles and government documents, while making copies inexpensively available digitally through its on-line service, LLMC-Digital (http://www.llmc.com/about.aspx). The original intent was to focus on primarily US and Canadian sources, as seen by the dropdown navigation on the left of the site, but the site also includes other international sources. The page opens at the “Civil and Human Rights Law Portal—Global,” which includes links to various government organizations, judicial information, non-governmental organizations, research and education resources and various documents from different countries. The RIGHTS! site can also be reached through the parent page (http://LLMC.com) with the link to RIGHTS! Located in the right-hand column. The RIGHTS! Portal is sponsored by the Vincent C. Immel Law Library at Saint Louis University.

Introduction: Early exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) without foods or formula milk (FM) is recommended for the first six months of life, for optimum growth and development. Aim: This study aims to review studies in Egypt on nutritional status of preschool children by type of feeding. Methods: A two staged study was done: First; research was obtained from the Egyptian university libraries consortium (www.eulc.edu) on overweight, obesity stunting, and wasting in preschool children. We filtered 18 thesis fitting the criteria of the study. Next, analysis was done to compare EBF versus FM. Results: Comparison of nutritional status of children aged 6–59 months among formula versus EBF was as follows: Overweight 5.4% versus 3.45%, obesity 13.8% versus 5.65%, stunting 21.6% versus 1.15%, and wasting 9.7% versus 0.85%, respectively. Obesity and overweight were higher in males, whereas stunting and wasting were higher in females irrespective of mode of feeding. Early and extended formula feeding, foods before 6 months of life, packed foods, canned drinks, and low activity are risk factors for obesity. Colostrum feeding, exclusive and longer duration of breastfeeding, healthy food intake, and fruits and vegetables are protective. Studies report that deficiency of micronutrients is common with obesity. Conclusions: Prolonged formula feeding and unhealthy food intake are risk factors for the emerging and growing problem of obesity. Policies and legislations are needed to encourage exclusive breastfeeding and control marketing of unhealthy foods.

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the current trends, needs and opportunities of professionalism in librarianship in Nigeria. The broad purpose of the paper was to investigate the level of professionalism in librarianship and to ascertain the current status, trends and opportunities within the profession among academic librarians in Nigeria. Five specific research questions were formulated which are: to examine how librarians value librarianship as a profession, to elicit the efforts made by librarians with regards to professional development, to ascertain methods of acquiring current competencies within the profession, to investigate the role of professional bodies in promoting professionalism and excellence within the library and information science (LIS) profession and to proffer strategies to enhance professionalism and excellence among librarians in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive survey design was adopted in the study across both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The area of the study was the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Anambra State. Population of the study comprised a total of 63 librarians in the two universities. All librarians were sampled because of the small sample size. The instrument for data collection was oral interview and questionnaire which contained 53 items derived from the research questions and built on a four-point scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree, (A) Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). The criterion mean was 2.50. Therefore, any calculated mean below 2.50 was adjudged a negative score, while any mean from 2.50 and above was regarded as a positive score. Findings – The study revealed the challenges facing professionalism and excellence within the LIS field as lack of funding for professional development, lack of sponsorship to workshops and conferences, lack of uninterruptible internet facility and a dearth of professional mentors in the South East zone. Other problems gathered from a scheduled interview with some senior professionals in the institutions revealed that most librarians are still facing the challenge of imbibing and utilizing emerging skills in the LIS professions such as digital archiving and data mining skills for their day-to-day activities. Originality/value – Recommendations arising from the study were proffered such as the creation of staff development programmes by management; collaboration and partnership by libraries within the zone; acquisition of training through workshops and conferences irrespective of sponsorship by the institutions; and teaming of academic librarians to enhance their visibility and publication output. International staff exchanges and opportunities for sabbatical leave, which hitherto was not common in the South East Zone, were recommended. Among other recommendations also were building of consortia with libraries in the country; LIS professional bodies helping to create visibility and prestige of the LIS profession; and, finally, to scale up the image of the profession the marketing of library products through profiling of patrons and furnishing them with required information has not only become necessary but critical.

A Review of: Murphy, Sarah Ann. “The Effects of Portfolio Purchasing on Scientific Subject Collections.” College & Research Libraries July 2008: 332-40. Objectives – To determine whether the purchase of journal portfolios (i.e., packages of journals purchased as a group from publishers, such as Elsevier’s ScienceDirect) from publishers is an effective means of meeting research needs for faculty in the life, medical, physical, and applied sciences, and to determine the effects of such purchases on research library collections. Design – Citation analysis. Setting – Ohio State University libraries in the life, medical, physical, and applied sciences. Subjects – A total of 253,604 citations from 6,815 articles published between the years 2003 and 2005 by Ohio State University faculty in the life, medical, physical, and applied sciences were analyzed using the Bradford distribution (an explanation of the Bradford Distribution is provided later in this review). Methods – Using ISI’s Science Citation Index, the author generated a list of articles published by Ohio State University (OSU) faculty in the life, medical, physical, and applied sciences between the years 2003 and 2005. The author then assigned each article to a specific discipline, according to the OSU College of the first OSU author listed. For example, if an article was written by several co-authors, and the first OSU author listed was a faculty member in OSU’s College of Dentistry, the article would be designated a Dentistry article. Multidisciplinary works were assigned to the college of the first OSU author listed. (The OSU Colleges considered to be part of the study were the College of Biological Sciences; the College of Dentistry; the College of Engineering; Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences; the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences; the College of Medicine; the College of Optometry; the College of Pharmacy; and the College of Veterinary Medicine.) Books, conference proceedings, theses, and other non-journal materials were excluded from the set of citations considered. Next, the author pulled journal citations from each article, again utilizing Science Citation Index. The references were analyzed to determine the number of times each individual journal had been cited. The author then created a list of journals which had been cited in articles by OSU faculty in the various colleges, grouped by college. The journals were arranged in descending order, according to the number of times each journal had been cited. Thus there would be, for example, a list of all journals cited in articles published by faculty members in the OSU College of Dentistry between 2003 and 2005. Most journals had been cited only once over the three-year period. A total of 2,407 journal titles were cited 10 or more times. In total, the author analyzed 253,604 citations from 6,815 articles. A Bradford distribution of journal citations was calculated, and journals were divided into three categories. The three categories were called Zones 1, 2, and 3, with Zone 1 being core journals for the faculty, Zone 2 being more secondary titles, and Zone 3 being those cited least frequently. For those not familiar with this type of analysis, a definition of Bradford’s law is available on the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology website. It is included here for ease of reference: “Journals in a field can be divided into three parts, each with about one-third of all articles: 1) a core of a few journals; 2) a second zone, with more journals; and 3) a third zone, with the bulk of journals. The number of journals is 1:n:n². Note thatBradford formulated his law after studying a bibliography of geophysics, covering 326 journals in the field. He discovered that 9 journals contained 429 articles, 59 contained 499 articles, and 258 contained 404 articles. Although Bradford's Law is not statistically accurate, librarians commonly use it as a guideline” (Black). The author then determined how the OSU Libraries purchased access to each title. The three options analyzed were: 1) through OHIOLink (through which OSU Libraries purchase the bulk of the journal portfolios to which they subscribe), 2) through the independent purchase of an electronic subscription, or 3) through the independent purchase of a print subscription. The cost for each title was calculated by taking the amount paid for OHIOLink subscriptions and removing the cost of non-scientific journals from the total amount. Pricing for the non-scientific journals was obtained using EBSCO’s Librarian’s Handbook 2006-2007 and Ulrich’s Periodical Directory. To account for inflation, any 2007 prices were adjusted by 6. The above activities were designed to calculate both the cost of each title as purchased through OHIOLink, and what the OSU Libraries would have paid for each individual title if it had been purchased separately. Main Results – Of all journals cited by OSU faculty in the life, medical, physical, and applied sciences during the years studied, only 7% were available in print format only. The percentage of cited journal titles that were included in portfolio purchases varied considerably across the colleges. The college for which the greatest percentage of cited journals were obtained via OHIOLink was the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences; 85.7% of journals cited by this College were purchased via OHIOLink. Overall figures for the cited journals analyzed were as follows: 52.0% were purchased via OHIOLink portfolio purchases, and 26.3% were purchased individually in electronic format by the OSU Libraries. Of all journals listed in Zone 1 (those designated as “core journals” for the fields in question), 100% had electronic versions, though OSU Libraries continued to subscribe to the print version in addition to the electronic version for five titles, due to embargoes of 4-12 months in the electronic subscriptions. In terms of how the Zone 1 journals were acquired, 35.5% were purchased via OHIOLink as part of a portfolio purchase, and 62.2% were individually purchased. For the College of Biological Sciences; the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; the College of Medicine; the College of Nursing; the College of Pharmacy; and the College of Veterinary Medicine, fewer than 40% of the Zone 1 (core, most highly cited) titles for their disciplines were purchased via OHIOLink. For the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 75.5% of Zone 1 titles were purchased via OHIOLink. This figure was 60.5% in the College of Engineering. By contrast, over 50% of the titles in Zone 1 for the Colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine were purchased individually, and not via portfolio purchases from OHIOLink. The author notes that in these fields, the majority of research is published in journals from professional societies or smaller publishers, which have neither the high profile nor the market that some journals in other fields have, and thus are frequently not included in portfolios available via consortia such as OHIOLink. The author also provides a numerical breakdown, showing exactly how many titles in each of Zones 1, 2, and 3 were purchased via OHIOLink, how many were purchased directly by OSU in electronic form, and how many were purchased in print form, for each college and for all colleges combined. For all colleges combined, the overall results are as follows: • Zone 1 included 45 cited journal titles. Of these, 16 were purchased via OHIOLink, 28 were purchased in electronic format directly by OSU, none were purchased in print, and one was considered “Other” (not at OSU, ceased, or cancelled). • Zone 2 included 299 cited journal titles. Of these, 167 were purchased via OHIOLink, 109 were purchased in electronic format directly by OSU, 13 were purchased in print, and 10 fell under “Other”. • Zone 3 included 2,063 cited journal titles. Of these, 1,068 were purchased via OHIOLink, 497 were purchased in electronic format directly by OSU, 155 were purchased in print, and 343 fell under “Other”. The author also provides a list of the top 50 journals cited, including the number of citations linked to each title and how the title was purchased. Of the top 50 journals, 32 were purchased directly by OSU Libraries in electronic format, and only 18 were purchased via OHIOLink. Interestingly, however, 70% of OSU Libraries’ total expenditures on titles in the life, medical, physical, and allied sciences are devoted to OHIOLink. The author notes that if OSU had not had OHIOLink, they would have paid 61.4% more to directly purchase the journals cited in this analysis which they currently obtain by portfolio purchases. However, if they purchased only those titles which the faculty in question had cited 10 or more times, the cost would be 30% more. If they purchased only the titles which had been cited 15 or more times, OSU would only have paid an 8.9% premium to buy the titles directly from the publisher rather than through OHIOLink. Conclusion – As the author points out, her findings raise the question as to whether the large amount of content provided by buying into the “Big Deal” portfolio purchases (as they are frequently called) is really worth it for OSU Libraries. The author notes that other articles have asserted that portfolio purchases form a significant barrier to libraries wishing to purchase individual titles, as the amount spent on portfolio purchases can limit a library’s financial flexibility. Even when other individual titles may more closely meet faculty needs, it can be difficult to justify cancelling portfolio purchases that offer a larger number of journals in the field. The advantages and disadvantages of portfolio purchasing at Ohio State University Libraries are clear from the author’s research: while some fields are well-served by portfolio purchases, others are not, with large percentages of the journals which are most important in their fields not being available through such portfolios. Furthermore, due to the percentage of the OSU Libraries’ budget dedicated to OHIOLink portfolio purchases, flexibility to purchase titles not in portfolios is indeed limited. The author’s pricing calculations lead to the conclusion that OSU Libraries pay between an 8.9%-30.0% premium to maintain access to 3,813 titles (75.4%) which were cited fewer than 10 times over the three year period between 2003 and 2005. The author concludes that the premium paid to access over three-quarters of the journals available in portfolios should be reconsidered, as they are relatively infrequently used and thus may not be meeting faculty research needs. The author recommends that large research libraries (including OSU Libraries) consider a return to à la carte purchasing. Additionally, the author notes that purchase of portfolios by a large percentage of research libraries may lead to normalization of library collections and loss of the ability to support non-commercial publishers who publish strong research in specialized fields.

A Review of: Hobbs, K., & Klare, D. (2016). Are we there yet?: A longitudinal look at e-books through students’ eyes. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 28(1), 9-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1941126X.2016.1130451 Abstract Objective – To determine undergraduate students’ opinions of, use of, and facility with e-books. Design – A qualitative study that incorporated annual interview and usability sessions over a period of four years. The protocol was informed by interview techniques used in prior studies at Wesleyan University. To supplement the body of qualitative data, the 2014 Measuring Information Service Outcomes (MISO) survey was distributed; the researchers built five campus-specific e-book questions into the survey. Setting – A small university in the Northeastern United States of America. Subjects – 28 undergraduate students (7 per year) who attended summer session between the years of 2011-2014 recruited for interview and usability sessions; 700 full-time undergraduate students recruited for the 2014 MISO survey. Methods – The method was designed by a library consortium in the Northeastern United States of America. The study itself was conducted by two librarians based at the single university. To recruit students for interview and usability sessions, librarians sent invitations via email to a random list of students enrolled in the university’s summer sessions. Recruitment for the 2014 MISO survey was also conducted via email; the survey was sent to a stratified, random sample of undergraduate students in February 2014. Interview sessions were structured around five open-ended questions that examined students’ familiarity with e-books and whether the format supports academic work. These sessions were followed by the students’ evaluation of specific book titles available on MyiLibrary and ebrary, platforms accessible to all libraries in the CTW Consortium. Participants were asked to locate e-books on given topics, answer two research questions using preselected e-books, explain their research process using the above mentioned platforms, and comment on the overall usability experience. Instead of taking notes during interview and usability sessions, the researchers recorded interviews and captured screen activity. Following sessions, they watched recordings, took notes independently, and compared notes to ensure salient points were captured. Due to concerns that a small pool of interview and usability candidates might not capture the overall attitude of students towards e-books, the researchers distributed the 2014 MISO survey between the third and fourth interview years. Five additional campus-specific e-book questions were included. The final response rate was 33%. Main Results – The results of the interviews, usability studies, and MISO survey suggest that although students use print and electronic formats for complementary functions, 86% would still select print if they had to choose between the formats. Findings indicate that e-books promote discovery and convenient access to information, but print supports established and successful study habits, such as adding sticky notes to pages or creating annotations in margins. With that being said, most students do not attempt to locate one specific format over another. Rather, their two central concerns are that content is relevant to search terms and the full-text is readily available. Study findings also suggest that students approach content through the lens of a particular assignment. Regardless of format, they want to get in, locate specific information, and move on to the next source. Also, students want all sources – regardless of format – readily at hand and arranged in personal organization systems. PDF files were the preferred electronic format because they best support this research behaviour; content can be arranged in filing systems on personal devices or printed when necessary. Because of these research habits, digital rights management (DRM) restrictions created extreme frustration and were said to impede work. In some cases, students created workarounds for the purpose of accessing information in a usable form. This included visiting file sharing sites like Pirate Bay in order to locate DRM free content. Findings demonstrated a significant increase in student e-book use over the course of four years. However, this trend did not correspond to increased levels of sophistication in e-book use or facility with build-in functions on e-book platforms. The researchers discovered that students create workarounds instead of seeking out menu options that save time in the long run. This behaviour was consistent across the study group regardless of individual levels of experience working with e-books. Students commented that additional features slow down work rather than creating efficiency. For instance, when keyboard shortcuts used to copy and paste text did not function, students preferred to type out a passage rather than spend time searching for copy functions available on the e-book platform. Conclusion – Academic e-books continue to evolve in a fluid and dynamic environment. While the researchers saw improvements over the course of four years (e.g., fewer DRM restrictions) access barriers remain, such as required authentication to access platform content. They also identified areas where training sessions lead by librarians could demonstrate how e-books support student research and learning activities. The researchers also found that user experiences are local in nature and specific to campus cultures and expectations. They concluded that knowledge of local user communities should drive book format selection. Whenever possible, libraries should provide access to multiple formats to support a variety of learning needs and research behaviours.

A Review of: Lemley, T., & Li, J. (2015). "Big deal” journal subscription packages: Are they worth the cost? Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 12(1), 1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15424065.2015.1001959 Abstract Objective – To determine if “Big Deal” journal subscription packages are a cost-effective way to provide electronic journal access to academic library users versus individual subscriptions, pay-per-view, and interlibrary loans (ILL). Design – Cost-per-article-use analysis. Setting – Public research university in the United States of America. Subjects – Cost-per-use data from 1) journals in seven Big Deal packages, 2) individually subscribed journals, 3) pay-per-view from publishers’ websites, and 4) interlibrary loans. Methods – The authors determined cost-per-use for Big Deal titles by utilizing COUNTER JR1 metric Successful Full-Text Article Request (SFTAR) reports. Individual journal subscription cost-per-use data were obtained from individual publishers or platforms. Pay-per-view cost was determined by recording the price listed on publishers’ websites. ILL cost-per-use was established by reviewing cost-per-article obtained from libraries outside of reciprocal borrowing agreement networks. With the exception of pay-per-view numbers, title cost-per-use was averaged over a three-year period from 2010 through 2012. Main Results – Cost-per-article use for journals from Big Deals varied from $2.11 to $9.42. For individually subscribed journals, the average cost-per-article ranged from $0.25 to $84.00. Pay-per-view charges ranged from $15.00 to $80.00, with an average cost of $37.72. Conclusion – The authors conclude that Big Deals are cost effective, but that they consume such a large amount of funds that they limit the purchase of other resources. The authors go on to outline the options for libraries thinking about Big Deal packages. First, libraries should keep Big Deal packages in place if the average cost-per-article is less than individual subscriptions. Second, libraries could subscribe only to the most-used journals in Big Deals, cancel the packages, and rely on ILL and pay-per-view access. Third, consortia could be joined to favourably negotiate Big Deal package prices. Fourth, Big Deals could be dropped completely. Fifth, individual libraries armed with JR1 reports can negotiate with publishers for better deals.

Objectives – To examine patterns of Inter-Library Loans and Document Supply (ILL) in a large network of libraries over a period of five years, in order to establish whether ILL services are being used to replace journal subscriptions. The authors also aimed to establish which journal titles were most requested in their network, to inform future acquisitions policy. Design – Longitudinal study using transactional data collected from the Italian Network for Inter-Library Document Exchange (NILDE) for the period 2005-2009. Setting – The Italian library sector. Subjects – Member libraries of NILDE, which is the largest ILL network in Italy with several hundred libraries. These consist primarily of university libraries, but also hospitals and health research institutions, public research institutions, and not-for-profit and public organisations. Methods – ILL request data collected from the NILDE network software were analyzed. Figures were retrieved for the number of different journal titles requested per year of the study overall and by individual institution. Further analysis was undertaken on requests for more recent articles, those published up to five years prior to being requested. This involved creating a list of the most requested titles for each year, and then compiling a core collection of journals that were requested 20 or more times in each year of the study. These core titles were analyzed for trends by subject and publisher, and for any significant correlations between either Impact Factors (IFs) or citation counts and ILL requests for particular journals. Main Results – The data revealed that the number of ILLs processed through NILDE increased every year during the period of the study. The majority of journals were only requested a small number of times in the five year period of the study, with 60% being requested five times or less. In the majority of instances, institutions were not borrowing the same title regularly. Analysis of the core collection of journals revealed that these repeated requests of the same title were mainly in the biomedical sciences and science and technology subject areas, and that these journals were often produced by smaller publishers who were not included in consortia purchasing. There was no correlation between journal impact factors (IFs) and ILL requests, but there was a statistically significant correlation between citation counts and ILL requests. Conclusions – ILL numbers are increasing despite big deals and consortia purchasing. The majority of requests are for articles that are two years old or older, and the authors suggest that this indicates that ILLs do not influence journal subscriptions. The authors suggest that ILLs may have increased during the course of the study (and may continue to do so) due to the current global financial crisis and its impact on library acquisitions.

A Review of: Calvert, K. (2015). Maximizing academic library collections: Measuring changes in use patterns owing to EBSCO Discovery Service. College & Research Libraries, 76(1), 81-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.1.81 Objective – To find out what the effects of a discovery tool are in relation to usage of print and electronic library collections, and with the aim to measure the effects in three specific areas: circulation numbers, use of electronic resources, and interlibrary loan requests. Design – Comparative quantitative analysis of usage statistics and data sets. Setting – A regional comprehensive university in the United States of America. Subjects – Usage data from a university library. Methods – The methods used were informed by three hypotheses stated at the beginning of the study. First, an analysis of usage data of e-resources tested the hypothesis that the introduction of a discovery tool would increase use of e-resources. Second, to test whether the use of print collections increased, circulation statistics including items borrowed via consortia and in-house use statistics were measured. Finally, interlibrary loan statistics from 2010 to 2013 were collated to test if the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) led to a decrease in interlibrary loan requests. Main Results – The introduction of the EBSCO discovery tool resulted in increased use of EBSCOhost and other databases at the library in question. However, the library's circulation statistics decreased, with a drop of 28% of checkouts compared to the previous year. The drop is more pronounced with undergraduates, who checked out 39% fewer items after the EDS was introduced. There was a 30% decrease in requests for borrowing items from a consortia. There was insufficient data to support or refute the third hypothesis. Conclusion – The implementation of a discovery tool at one library has had both postive and negative outcomes. An increase in the use of electronic collections was observed as a positive outcome, whereas a decrease in the use of print collections was a negative outcome. Due to the findings of the study, the library revised its policy on content inclusion to the EDS. Any new content is now screened for suitability before it is included. As a changing student demographic evolves at the library, with an increase in distance and online learners, the library will grow its collection in line with their needs. The author notes that a further study is needed to examine ebook usage, and recommends that the library consider a move towards ebooks for all

On the activities of one of the most significant international organizations connected with research of book history - Consortium of European Research Libraries. The creation of a bibliographic database of the printed book from 1452 to 1830, which was supposed to collect materials from libraries of Europe, was the goal of Consortium since the beginning of its foundation. The authors of the article write that today the activities of the Consortium is much broader, it turns into international research institute on the history of culture.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the level of transparency of the libraries of Catalan universities that are members of the Consortium of University Services of Catalonia (CSUC). Design/methodology/approach The analysis involved reviewing the information available on the websites of the ten libraries belonging to CSUC. For each library’s website, the presence of 18 indicators was explored. These indicators had been defined by the Commitment and Transparency Foundation (Spain). Findings There is a notable difference between the level of transparency of Catalan universities and their libraries. Moreover, the universities’ culture of transparency is not reflected in that of the libraries. Four of the libraries can be considered transparent because they have accomplished from 12 to 18 indicators; three can be considered “translucent”, due to their indicators ranging from 11 to 7 points; and three are considered opaque as a result of obtaining from 1 to 5 indicators. Practical implications There is a need to review the volume and quality of information that can be consulted on library websites, considering that all services and entities funded with public money must inform citizens of the principles that govern their management and the results obtained. Originality/value The information regarding transparency is incomplete and should be organised with parameters that make it easier to find. Libraries that occupy the lowest positions in the ranking all belong to private universities. Their poor results are due to the lack of information justifying their management or providing information on how the service is organised. Some conclusions of this study are very similar to those of the study on Madrid’s Madroño Consortium (Pacios Lozano, 2016) which has been taken into account in this paper.

The Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL) was formally constituted in 1994 with the aim of enabling European research libraries to collaborate on assembling the printed heritage of the hand press period in Europe and the wider world for the benefit of scholarship. On the tenth anniversary of its foundation, the Hand Press Book Database is now a substantial resource, and research libraries from all parts of Europe and beyond are investing in developing this important resource for early European printed material. The Consortium's original focus has extended to embrace other initiatives sought by scholars such as a multi-lingual thesaurus for place, author and imprint names in early printed material, a manuscripts and print search facility, and member services. Steps have been taken to determine the exact niche that the Consortium should seek to fill within a European ‘information landscape’, and in the wider sphere of international scholarship. A vital aspect of further development is to extend membership as widely as possible to research libraries, book historians, the antiquarian book trade, individual researchers and all those concerned with the early written heritage of Europe. An important step in this direction is widening membership to include libraries and important European historical collections in countries in the wider ‘diaspora’.

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the resources used in the citations of 156 postgraduate dissertations submitted to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) through the Acharya & BM Reddy College of Pharmacy (ABMRCP), and prepares the core journal list according to the Bradford’s law of scattering. For any research and academic institutional libraries, books and journals are considered as key resources. As the resources are more and diverse, collection building is a tough task for librarians. Citation analysis is one of the best methods to list the most used resources by the users. The paper highlights the extent use of in-house resources and open access journals in the citations. Design/methodology/approach – Citations of PG dissertations during 2010-2013 (four years) were compiled, the data about the resources cited in each were taken and the list of resources used in PG dissertations was prepared. The list of core journals obtained by citation analysis was matched with the list of online journals provided by Health Science Library & Information Network (HELINET) of RGUHS as well as print list of journals subscribed by ABMRCP Library, and evaluated the print and online consortia journals used by ABMRCP community. The list of core journals’ ranking in the SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) list-pharmaceutical sciences was identified to know the impact of the journals. Findings – The study gives the list of different information resources cited in the pharmacy dissertations. The core list obtained by applying the Bradford’s law of scattering in this study has 19 journals pertaining to pharmacy. After matching the core list with the Keogh’s list, it is found that 31 journals can be considered very useful in the field of pharmacy. Twelve journals listed in the core list have different positions in the SJR ranking 2013. The results indicate that open-access journals with online journals subscribed through HELINET and print holdings have been cited more in the PG dissertations. Originality/value – The topic of journal use in this case may be of greatest interest to those who purchase journals in the sciences and, very specifically, the pharmaceutical sciences.

Purpose The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) consists of 128 libraries. This paper aims to present an analysis of collection and open educational resources (OER) initiatives undertaken by CARLI over the past decade that contribute to improving college affordability. Design/methodology/approach After reviewing important literature pertaining to library consortia and college affordability, this paper presents a detailed case study of CARLI’s collection and OER initiatives. Findings Owing to their economies of scale, library consortia have the potential to make substantial contributions to improving college affordability. Originality/value Compared to the efforts of individual libraries to improve college affordability, library consortium efforts have received far less attention in the professional literature. The work of the CARLI consortium documented here can provide a template for other library consortia that are working to improve college affordability.