Journal articles on the topic 'Senior librarian'

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of mentoring of young librarians in South East Nigeria so as to improve their research and scholarly publications. Design/methodology/approach The study confined its scope to 135 librarians in the five different federal universities in South East Nigeria. In all, 100 (80 percent) of the librarians were sampled. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire which contained 30 items derived from the research questions. The descriptive survey research design was used as research method. Librarians were grouped into young librarians (assistant librarian and librarian II) and higher librarians (librarian I, senior librarian, principal librarian, deputy university librarian and university librarian); for a comprehensive analysis of the study. Findings The findings of the study among others reveals that young librarians are a bit knowledgeable and conversant about the term “mentoring” but not equitable when compared to that of other higher librarians in matters of scholarly publication. Also there is evidence of mentoring in place in these libraries for boosting the research prowess of librarians, but in an informal form. The librarians believed that most times the mentee’s inability to open up during interaction, and unconstructive criticisms from mentors to their mentees; are serious challenges to successful mentoring for improved scholarly publications. Originality/value Research studies focusing on mentoring young librarians on research and scholarly publications in Nigeria, are rare. Furthermore, librarians are not conversant with the concept of mentoring and which mentoring practices and programs are currently in place in their libraries to boost their research prowess. Also, adopting a mentor and what to expect from both mentors and mentees concerning research publications are salient areas explored in the work. This study will raise important issues that relate to research publications of both librarians and other academic researchers especially in this research impact-factor driven world of ours.

Objective – To examine the human resources environment in Canadian libraries in order to assess readiness to accommodate change and to identify opportunities for human resources planning. The “8Rs” of the study were defined as recruitment, retirement, retention, remuneration, repatriation, rejuvenation, re-accreditation, and restructuring. Design – This study was undertaken in three phases over nearly three years through the use a variety of methods including literature review, analyses of existing data (Statistics Canada and library school graduate data), telephone interviews (with senior library administrators), focus groups (with representatives from Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Canadian Urban Libraries Council and Alberta Association of Library Technicians), print surveys (library institutions) and web-based surveys (of professional librarians and paraprofessional library staff). Setting – Canadian libraries that are not component branches of a system, and that employ professional librarians. Subjects – Stage I: 17 senior library administrators participated in telephone interviews and three focus groups were conducted. Stage II: Surveyed library administrators representing institutions. A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to ensure geographical representation from each of Canada’s provinces and territories. Full census participation was conducted for members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council. The print survey instrument was distributed to 1,357 subjects; 461 completed surveys were returned (response rate of 34% with results for the total sample accurate within plus or minus 3.8 per centage points, 95 times out of 100). Stage III: Surveyed professional librarians and paraprofessional staff. Multi-stage random sampling was used to ensure representation of library staff from all library sectors and sufficient sub-sample sizes. Of the 12,472 individuals in the sampling frame, 8,626 were notified of their selection to participate in the web-based survey. Corrections were made to e-mail addresses and 7,569 e-mail invitations with the survey URL were sent successfully. Of the 8,626 potential respondents, 3,148 librarians and paraprofessionals participated (for a response rate of 37%). A non-random Canada-wide call for participation was distributed to library staff who had not been represented in the sampling frame via the listservs of 56 library associations. This provided an additional 1,545 respondents and the total sample size increased to 4,693 for a confidence interval of plus or minus 1.2%, 95 times out of 100. The non-random data from the Canada-wide call was kept in a separate dataset file. Methods – Stage I began with a literature review and analysis of existing Statistics Canada and library school graduate data. Three focus group sessions with representatives from Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Canadian Urban Libraries Council and Alberta Association of Library Technicians were held and in-depth telephone interviews were conducted in May 2003 with 17 senior library administrators. Transcripts were thematically coded and summarised. The interview guide is available as Appendix E of the report. The results of Stage I were used to inform the design of the two survey instruments (Stages II and III). Stage II was a 17-page print survey informed by insights gathered in Stage I and was sent to library directors in the summer of 2003. The print mail-out of the institutional survey was sent to libraries that employed at least one librarian and were not a component branch of another system. A copy of the institutional survey is available as Appendix C of the report. Stage III was a web-based survey of librarians and paraprofessional library staff undertaken in the summer of 2004 using random and non-random sampling methods. This survey was developed from insights gathered in Stages I and II. A copy of the individual survey is available as Appendix D of the report. Main results – The analytical focus of the 275-page report is on the broad Canadian library sector. Data and analysis are provided by type of library, type of staff, and by geographical regions where sufficient response rates have allowed reporting. Although the role of the paraprofessional is examined in many sections of the report, the principal focus is on the professional librarian. Nine sections of the report present results, analysis and strategic human resource planning implications. Highlights for the broad Canadian library environment are briefly described below. Each section of the report provides further breakdown by library sector, type of position, career stage and other variables that provide significant insight. Workplace Demographic Characteristics (Section C) This section provides demographic information about those in supervisory or management roles (62% of librarians), union density (67% of librarians and 79% of paraprofessional staff), longevity in career, part-time employment, and gender, along with other characteristics. Results conclude that visible minorities and Aboriginal staff are under-represented across all types of libraries and that few libraries recognise the credentials of immigrant librarians. Recruitment to the Profession and to the Organization (Section D) Positive exposure to libraries and librarians is the best predictor of librarianship as a career choice and there were no significant differences in the original motivations for choosing the professional librarian career between new professionals and senior librarians. In response to the open-ended question about motivation for choosing librarianship, none of the librarian respondents (n=1,823) indicated leadership, managing libraries or supervising others as their reason (p. 52). Many respondents indicated reasons for choosing the profession that are in alignment with the values of librarianship, but few indicated reasons that reflect the real nature of the librarians’ role. The average age of new librarian recruits is 37 (with little variation between sectors). Thirty per cent of paraprofessionals are interested in pursuing an MLIS degree; 29 per cent are not interested because they are satisfied with their current role. The major barriers for paraprofessionals wishing to pursue the MLIS degree are inadequate or unrecognised credentials (21% - although 45% of paraprofessionals have an undergraduate degree), geographic distance (33%), lack of money (48%), and lack of time (49%). Eighty per cent of libraries report that the major barrier to recruiting is budget constraints; other barriers include small size of library (60%), organizational hiring freeze (54%), inadequate librarian pay (54%), geographic location (52%), inadequate pool of qualified candidates (51%), and inadequate pool of interested candidates (50%). The ten most important and difficult-to-fill competencies when recruiting varied significantly for each sector: leadership potential, ability to respond flexibly to change, and ability to handle high-volume workload were the three highest-ranked competencies across all libraries. Retirement (Section E) Canadian libraries experienced librarian retirements (11% of total current workforce) and paraprofessional retirements (7% of total current workforce) between 1997 and 2002. During this period, 79 per cent of librarians retired before age 65. Forty per cent of librarians over age 50 estimate that they will retire between 55 and 60. Only 9 per cent of libraries have a succession plan. Staff Retention: Inter- and Intra-organizational Mobility (Section F) Librarians are satisfied with their work and stay in their organization because they like the job (85%), co-workers (84%), and workplace (79%). Seventy-seven per cent of senior librarians and 87% of senior paraprofessionals have been at their current library for more than 10 years. Sixty-nine per cent of librarians believe they are qualified to move to higher level positions, but 69% of institutions state that limited librarian turnover contributes to a lack of promotional opportunities. Education (Section G) Seventy-five per cent library administrators agree that MLIS programs equip graduates with needed competencies, but 58% recommended that the programs provide more management, business and leadership training. Seventy-six per cent of administrators believe that they have little or no input into curriculum content of MLIS programs. Overall evaluation of MLIS education by recent librarian entrants is not positive. Only forty-four per cent indicated that the program provided a realistic depiction of the job, while only 36% said the program provided a realistic expectation of work in their library sector. Recent librarian entrants (67%) were satisfied with the overall quality of their MLIS program, but few indicated that their program provided them with the necessary management skills (25%), leadership skills (20%), or business skills (12%) for their position. Recent library technician entrants were more satisfied (81%) with their programs’ success in providing general skills (87%), and providing a realistic depiction of the job (72%). Continuing Education (Section H) New librarians (72%) need a significant amount of ongoing training, but only 56% believe that their institution provides sufficient training opportunities. Only 30% of libraries have a routine method for determining training needs of librarians and fewer (13 %) have an evaluation method for training outcomes. In most cases, about half of those who received training reported that it improved their job performance. Quality of Work and Job Satisfaction (Section I) Librarians and paraprofessionals are satisfied with their jobs (79% for each) and librarians (72%) and paraprofessionals (61%) agree that their salary is fair. Most libraries offer a wide range of benefits to their employees, including life insurance (95%), pension plan (92%), and medical benefits (88%). Librarians (80%) and paraprofessionals (70%) are satisfied with their benefits. Although a low percentage of librarians agreed that they have little job stress (24%) and only 39% found their workload to be manageable, 62% of librarians agree that their work allows work, family and personal life balance. The statistics are slightly more positive for paraprofessionals. There is a gap between the desire to be treated with respect (98% for all workers) and the perception that respect is conveyed (77% of librarians and 75% of paraprofessionals). A similar gap exists between desire to be involved in decision-making and actual involvement. The two most important factors for job satisfaction for all library workers are respectful treatment and a job that allows them to learn new skills and grow. Numerical Librarian Demand-Supply Match (Section J) Libraries hired more librarians than they lost in 2002, for a net three per cent increase. Many library administrators believe that there will be a five-year increased demand for librarians (77%) and paraprofessionals (81%). The short-term supply (next 5 years) of new librarians to replace departures due to retirements is predicted to have the capacity to fill 98 per cent of the current librarian positions; the capacity to replace library technicians is 99 per cent. The long-term supply (next 10 years) of new librarians to replace departures due to retirements is predicted to have the capacity to fill 89 per cent of the current librarian positions; the capacity to fill technician positions is identical. These predictions are based on no growth in the number of positions in the future. Match Between Organizational Job Function Demand and Individual Staff Supply of Skills, Abilities, Talents, Interests (Section K) Libraries report that increased use of information technologies (87%) and re-engineering (61%) have contributed the greatest change in the roles of librarians. Libraries report that more librarians have been required to perform a wider variety of tasks in the past five years (93%) and that this trend will continue over the coming five years (94%). A high percentage of libraries (86%) reported that over the past five years librarians have been expected to perform more management functions and 56% of mid-career and senior librarians believed this had occurred. Libraries (88%) believe that this trend will continue; only 44% of librarians indicate interest in performing management functions. Mid-career and senior librarians report that job stress has increased over five years ago. Requirements to work harder (55%), perform more difficult tasks (56%), perform a wider variety of tasks (69%), and perform more managerial functions (56%) are the contributing factors. The performance of a wider variety of tasks and more difficult tasks was significantly related to the assessment by librarians that their jobs were more enjoyable, interesting, rewarding and challenging. Institutions (78%) reported the increased need for paraprofessionals to perform librarian tasks over the past five years and believe that this will continue (77%). Only 28% of paraprofessionals believe they are currently required to perform more librarian tasks. Conclusion – The need to confirm the existence and magnitude of the crisis that will be created by upcoming retirements in Canadian libraries was a primary motivator for this study. Conclusive results were obtained that should inform each sector and geographic area in Canada. The percentages of staff over the age of 55 (librarians: 25%; paraprofessionals: 21%) is much greater than that of the Canadian workforce (11%). If there is no growth in the number of positions needed, there will be no short-term supply-demand crisis to fill the gaps left by retirements. There will be a librarian and technician shortage in ten years (a shortfall of 11% of the current supply) and a more significant crisis if the predicted growth in staffing is factored in. Recruitment to the librarian and technician professions is critical and the paraprofessional staff may be a potential pool of future MLIS candidates if the accessibility issues associated with the programs are addressed. Only nine per cent of organizations have a succession plan in place. There is great opportunity for the development of strategic solutions. In response to the open-ended question about motivation for choosing librarianship, no respondent indicated leadership, managing libraries or supervising others as their reason. This is of concern when 62% of librarians today work in a managerial role. Management and leadership skills are a significant concern for recent graduates, administrators, and librarians, with all indicating that the workplace needs are greater than the current preparedness. More cooperation with MLIS programs and professional associations is essential to ensure that leadership and management skill development are supported through the curricula and continuing education planning. Organizations must also develop and support a culture where leadership is encouraged and expected, and recognised. There is a need for further development of continuing education opportunities, and training needs assessment and outcome assessment programs may be beneficial. Paraprofessionals and new librarians are less satisfied with the workplace training opportunities available to them than librarians in later stages of their careers. Role change will continue in libraries and planning will be essential to ensure that restructuring reflects the competencies that will be needed in the new mix. Workload and job stress appear to be rising and will require careful monitoring. There may be opportunity to define roles for “other” professionals in libraries. Library staff have a tendency to stay in their institution for much of their career, making decisions in the recruitment and hiring processes of critical importance. Loss of employees due to turnover is not a problem for most libraries, but the lack of turnover has affected the promotional opportunities for those who desire upward mobility. An interesting recommendation was made that two or more libraries may realise both cost savings and benefits through the sharing of staffing resources. If issues surrounding credentials can be addressed, there may be a potential pool of future immigrant librarians.

Purpose – Asian Americans (AAs) are underrepresented in leadership roles in academic libraries in the USA. Instead of exploring the factors contributing to their under-representation, the purpose of this paper is to focus on exploring the major factors that have helped AA academic librarians, albeit small in number, to attain, maintain, and advance further into leadership positions in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted to garner responses from AAs who have held or currently hold senior leadership positions in American academic libraries. In total, 12 participants participated in the study: five women and seven men. The participants included three retired deans/directors/university librarians; seven deans/directors/university librarians; one associate dean/associate director/associate university librarian; and one assistant dean/assistant director/assistant university librarian. The participants represented a multiplicity of institutions, including community colleges, Ivy League institutions, and small as well as large private and public universities. Findings – The results of the survey revealed several important success characteristics of AA academic library leaders, including wanting to serve, willing to assume leadership roles, taking non-AA traditional career path, seeking visibility, and developing communication skills. Originality/value – This is the first and most comprehensive study on AA academic library leaders in the USA. Its goals are to: fill a gap in the literature on AAs and academic library leadership; raise awareness about the challenges facing AAs in their efforts to attain leadership positions in US academic libraries; and highlight some characteristics of successful AA academic library leaders that aspiring AA academic leaders will want to develop.

The problem faced by the Library of Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) is still 70.37%of librarians who have Diploma and Senior High School, so it is not in accordancewith the existing standards, that is the qualification of university librarians withminimum education of Bachelor (S1) in Library Science. The purpose of this study isto determine the effect of organizational culture on the competence of UII librariansin living their profession. The subject of this research is UII Librarian as many as 27people spread in several places, among others: in Directorate of UII Library, Faculty ofEconomics UII and Faculty of Law UII. During this time the librarian is still havingdifficulty in his career as a librarian, it is evident that almost every semester there aresome librarians who get warning letter from UII leaders related to their obligation toapply DUPAK (List of Proposal of Credit Rate Submission). The research is intendedto know the role of UII Library’s organizational culture towards the development oflibrarian competence of UII. The results showed that the level of organizational cultureUII Library and the level of competence Librarian UII perceived respondents in veryhigh category with the respective perceptions of 81.76 and 84.25. There is a positiveinfluence between organizational culture on the competence of Librarian UII withsignificance value 0.014 <0.05 (0.014) smaller than 0.05). While the level of correlationbetween variables X with variable Y there is influence of 47.8% (0.478), wherethe value is in the classification is.

This article is based on a case study. It covers a two-year period during which the principal authors, a social work faculty member and a senior librarian, collaborated to discover why undergraduate seniors were having difficulty locating fifteen required scholarly journal articles needed to begin to write their individual topic-specific senior thesis. The first part of this article discusses how the authors uncovered what the problem was and the second part describes how the authors redesigned the course in light of these findings. Implications for both social work education and the collaborative role of library information science are discussed.

This article describes a job exchange between April Yasamee, Senior Library Assistant, Design Subject Librarian, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK and Mary Mavroudis, School Liaison Librarian, Applied Communications, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. They exchanged jobs for three months between April and July 2007. April arrived in Melbourne just after the start of the academic year. Mary reached London at the beginning of the summer term and the exam period. The article takes the form of email correspondence between them, as they adapt to their new university libraries, noting the differences and similarities between the two institutions.

AbstractHester Swift, Foreign and International Law Librarian, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and Peter Clinch, Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University delivered this paper at the recent BIALL Annual Conference.

A Review of: Reinsfelder, T.L., & Anderson, J.A. (2013). Observations and perceptions of academic administrator influence on open access initiatives. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(6): 481-487. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2013.08.014 Abstract Objective – To better understand the roles and influence of senior-level academic administrators, such as provosts, on open access (OA) activities at the institutional level, including whether librarians perform these activities regardless of administrative interest. Design – Web-based survey questionnaire combined with multiple regression analysis. Settings – The research was conducted online using surveys emailed to potential participants at not-for-profit public and private academic institutions in the United States with a FTE of greater than 1000. Subjects – Academic library directors at selected colleges and universities. Methods – Using directory information from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and filtering institutions according to not-for-profit status, size, and special focus, a survey sample of 1135 colleges and universities was obtained. Library websites were used to acquire contact information for library directors. In summer 2012 the 43-item survey questionnaire was distributed to respondents online using Qualtrics. The four primary variables were each comprised of multiple questionnaire items and validated using factor analysis, and the data was explored using multiple regression. Main Results – The survey received 298 respondents for a 26% response rate, though the number of incomplete responses is not stated. Among four stakeholder groups (faculty, publishers, librarians, and senior academic administrators), library directors perceived librarians as having the greatest influence in regards to the adoption of open access (mean = .7056), followed by faculty (.3792), administrators (.1881), and publishers as having a negative impact (–.3684). A positive correlative relationship was determined between Administrator Attention to Open Access—a key variable operationalized by combining eight questionnaire items—and the variables Librarian Commitment to Open Access, Faculty Commitment to Open Access, and Faculty Proclivity Toward Open Access, with the latter especially the case at lower levels of administrator support. Regarding institution size, library directors perceived a higher likelihood of faculty adherence and librarian commitment to OA at large institutions (over 20,000). A given institution’s public or private status and geographic region were not significant predictors of faculty or librarian commitment or adherence to open access. Conclusions – The study finds that academic library directors perceive librarians to have the strongest influence upon adoption of open access, and senior academic administrator attention to open access is positively linked to the OA activities of faculty and librarians. Larger institutions are considered to have greater commitment to OA, potentially due to differing missions according to institution type. The authors recommend that open access advocates consider administrator roles and target administrator support when seeking to increase participation in OA.

Purpose Advancement in Information and communication technologies (ICTs) has revolutionised Library and Information Science (LIS) education and libraries. Both theory and practice have been transformed completely. LIS education programmes have become highly competitive and must be market-driven and technology-oriented. At the same time, academic libraries have been transformed and have become dynamic. Fostering a close collaboration between LIS educators and practitioners can multiply their strength and abilities by sharing educational resources and theoretical and practical knowledge. This paper aims to present the findings of a study carried out to investigate the current status of collaboration among LIS educators and library practitioners at the University of Botswana. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires from both LIS educators at the Department of Library and Information Studies (DLIS) and practicing librarians working at the University of Botswana Library (UBL). To follow-up some of the issues, an interview was carried out with a subject librarian and a focus group discussion method was used to discuss some of the challenges from the findings. Findings The major collaborative activities from the DLIS staff were identified as the following: creating awareness of library resources and promoting library usage among students, facilitating library material selection and inviting librarians as guest lecturers to teach in the classroom. The main collaborative activities from practicing librarians were found to be the following: delivering information literacy instruction, providing professional/practical experience to students and information sharing with the DLIS teaching staff. The major challenges were identified as the following: different cultures of educators and librarians, lack of need to collaborate and lack of formal policy at the department and the university level. Research limitations/implications The UBL has 51 library staff members. All the librarians were not included in this research study, only senior librarians and library management were involved in the study. No theoretical framework was used to carry out the study. The questionnaire was designed based on the general literature in the field of professional collaboration among faculty and educators in the information profession. The follow-up interview and focus group discussion were conducted to address the collaborative activities and challenges that were acknowledged by at least 50 per cent of the participants. Issues with less than 50 per cent responses were considered insignificant to follow-up. Follow-up interview was conducted only with one subject librarian. As all subject librarians have the same job profile and undertake the similar activities, it was assumed that one subject librarian can represent others. Originality/value This research paper contributes to the body of literature. It may be useful for other LIS schools and libraries that work in similar environments, and it also opens up avenues for further research on this topical issue.

PurposeThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya, with a view to determining whether they perform better as apomediaries or infomediaries. The specific objectives were to: examine the characteristics of the changing information universe in which academic librarians in Kenya currently operate; analyse the information-seeking behaviour of academic library users in the new information universe and examine the emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a descriptive research design and used an online survey research technique to collect data from practising academic librarians. This study targeted senior librarians from all the 67 private and public universities in Kenya. One senior librarian per university was purposefully selected to fill the questionnaire owing to their experience and expertise. 33 out of the 67 senior librarians responded to the survey. The collected data were descriptively analysed using SPSS, and as per the study objectives.FindingsThis study established that most library users are digital independent and access library resources remotely. Nonetheless, many users still borrow and utilize print books despite the ubiquity of digital platforms. The findings revealed that academic librarians to a great extent now play the role of apomediaries, going beyond information giving to empowering their users.Practical implicationsThere is need for academic librarians in Kenya to not only be aware of the characteristics of their current users but also to continuously develop professionally so as to be able to adequately cater for the needs of their clients.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the scholarship on librarians' roles in Kenya by demonstrating that most of them are transitioning to the apomediary roles.

AbstractPeter Clinch, retired Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University and Steven Whittle, Information Systems Manager at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies describe the developments relating to the FLARE Index to Treaties.

AbstractThis is the latest report analysing the results of the survey conducted on behalf of the Society of Legal Scholars and BIALL. It has been written by Peter Clinch, formerly Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives and viewpoints of professional staff of the Sam Jonah Library in as much as the ethical aspects of their profession are concerned. The paper also seeks to determine the common ethical issues that confront these professionals and their default courses of action in dealing with these issues. Design/methodology/approach The descriptive survey design was used as the research methodology with the population of the study being all professional (post-graduate diploma and above) and para-professional (certificate, diploma and first degree) staff of the library. Due to the small number of professional staff (43) in the library, the census sampling technique was used. Findings Results indicated the existence of ethical dilemmas in the working lives of these professionals with guidance for dealing with these dilemmas emanating mostly from consultation of senior colleagues. Although the findings showed that the Ghana Library Association (GLA) had an ethics handbook, it was revealed that majority of the staff were not aware of its existence. It was also discovered that one of the major challenges of these professionals is the absence of a specific library code of ethics handbook to guide staff in case they are confronted with these ethical dilemmas. The study recommends a strong awareness creation initiative from the GLA to bring to the notice of members, the existence of a formal code of ethics document. Originality/value The paper provides information on specific ethical issues confronting staff of the library and their current modes of dealing with the dilemmas they encounter.

The education sector is one of the most crucial sectors in the world. The very remarkable growth of academic institution has created massive employment opportunities for our educated men and women of our nation. These men and women play a vital role in the Kenyan economy, both socially and economically. However, most of these men and women employees face a lot of challenges at work, especially in career progression related issues. The overall purpose of this study was to examine gender representation and career progression disparities in the management levels of public academic libraries in Kenya. To achieve this, the study sought to find out gender representation in the management levels of the Kenyan public academic universities, determine the barriers hindering career progression of men and women managers, and examine the challenges affecting career progression of men and women at management levels in public academic libraries in Kenya. The study was carried out in selected public academic libraries in Kenya. These included four public universities within Nairobi county, Kiambu county and Uasin-Gishu county. The respondents included university librarians, deputy university librarians, senior librarians, librarians, librarian assistants and senior library assistants. The target population was 85 participants who were expected to participate in the study, and eventually only a sample size of 42 respondents was obtained. Relevant data was collected from the participants using structured interviews and questionnaires. A descriptive case-study research design was used. The collected data was coded into relevant themes, analyzed, interpreted and presented using qualitative methods for enabling to draw the findings and conclusions. Data was presented using tables, graphs and charts. The findings revealed that gender representation in public academic libraries was not balanced, and persons of female gender were more than persons of male gender. Disparities were also noted within their distribution in various departments, more women had attained higher levels of education than their fellow men colleagues, and women had also worked for more number of years within the libraries and in previous positions. It was also observed that, there was a supportive work environment within the organizations, though there were a few instances where the culture within did not encourage a fair job promotion practices. Selection process, networking, policies, rules and regulations in place, in the organizations were a great barrier to career progression. The study came up with several recommendations on gender representation in the management ranks, fair job promotion practices, education and training.

This article throws light to the Skills which should be acquired by the Library Staff in the Future Library Environment. The functional areas of library is diversified to vast service areas including Research, Educational Support, Social Activities, Women Empowerment, Cultural and heritage protection, Information Technology support to clientele, Effective administration of library Resources, Utilization Staff Man Power, Preservation of national Integrity, Support to senior citizens etc. In such a situation there arise the skill sharpening process in a modern and technology based context. Librarians are the connecting point between the actual user and the information sources. In order to satisfy the user’s information thrust for knowledge, the librarian should cope with new innovations in the technology and work.

Dear GODORT Members,I am excited to serve as the chair of GODORT for this year. And what a year to serve! For those unfamiliar with me, I am the senior data librarian at the Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research, where I’ve been since July 2019. Before that, I was the data and government information librarian at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) for fourteen years. At UNCG I was the Federal Library Depository Program selective depository coordinator and, while I no longer work directly with documents, I remain committed to the use, preservation, and continuity of access to government information.

This article summarizes a panel presentation given at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington D.C. (June 22, 2019). The panel consisted of Sabrina Thomas, research and instruction librarian at Marshall University; Leah Tolliver, director of wellness programs and the Women’s and Gender Center at Marshall University; C. Michelle Alford, senior library IT consultant at Marshall University; and Kacy Lovelace, research and student success librarian at Marshall University. Tenikka Phillips, EAP coordinator at Cabell Huntington Hospital, worked extensively on the project but was unable to take part in the panel presentation. The following is a conversation between Sabrina Thomas and Kacy Lovelace discussing how their own personal experiences with mental health challenges and trauma served to enhance the mental health initiative in their academic library.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to determine the collection evaluation process carried out in the Senior High School of Muhammadiyah 4 Yogyakarta library with the benefits of research, that is as a matter of consideration in conducting evaluations in the development of collections carried out at the library so that the collections are in accordance with user needs. The research method used is the method of observation, interviews, and documentation. Based on observations, interviews, and documentation with librarian at Senior High School of Muhammadiyah 4 Yogyakarta, we can conclude the following results: Library evaluation in the Senior High School of Muhammadiyah 4 Yogyakarta includes 4 processes that is collecting all collections of data, check the list of standards such as catalogs and bibliographies, gathering opinions from users who normally come to the library, and direct collection checks.

AbstractThis article by Dr Peter Clinch, Senior Subject Librarian for Law, Cardiff University, provides a brief background to, and reprints a part of, the latest revision of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) document: A Library for the Modern Law School: the Statement of Standards for University Law Library Provision in the United Kingdom. Dr Clinch was a member of the Working Party responsible for revising the standards and he adds comments describing current practices relating to the standards.

AbstractThe Advocates Library provides a library and information service to around 470 members of the Faculty of Advocates, the Scottish Bar. The library also acts as the national law library for Scotland, having the privilege of claiming law materials on legal deposit. The Senior Librarian, Andrea Longson (the author of this article), and the library's management group work closely with staff at the National Library of Scotland and have been involved in strategic discussions about the drafting and implementation of legal deposit legislation for over ten years.

A science librarian and a microbiology professor collaborated to assess information-seeking, evaluating, and usage abilities before, during, and at the end of a senior-level geomicrobiology course. ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education was used as a guide in designing a survey and checklists to measure literacy levels. Following an initial survey of the students’ information literacy level, two instruction sessions were provided in the use of bibliographic finding tools available from the University of Oklahoma Libraries. During each subsequent class meeting, students presented, critiqued, and discussed a referred article. The cycle was repeated, and the survey was administered again at the end of the semester. The survey results indicated an 11 percent increase in information literacy, but no significant improvement in the students’ ability to present, critique, and discuss information. A model for incorporating information literacy into upper-level undergraduate science courses and an instrument for measuring information literacy are proposed.

Purpose The research project assessed information literacy skill changes in college students at two points in time, as entering first-year students in 2012 and as seniors in their senior seminar capstone courses in the 2015–2016 academic year. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) individual test was the selected instrument. Version 1 of the test was used for first-year students and Version 2 was used for seniors. All testing was done in person in computer labs with a librarian or library staff member present to proctor the test. This resulted in obtaining 330 student results as first years and 307 as seniors, with 161 exact matches for both administrations of the test. Exact matching of student scores to demographic details pulled from the college’s student information systems were used in the analysis. Findings The analysis shows that overall first-year students tested below the 70 percent proficiency benchmark in all eight skill sets, but by the time they were seniors they scored above 70 percent in three skill sets. Male students and students of color performed lower than their counterparts, but these groups did demonstrate significant improvement in four skill sets by the time they were seniors. Students in the Honors program, those who took longer to complete the test as seniors, those with higher GPAs, those in Humanities majors, and those who had upper level course exposures to librarian information literacy instruction had higher performance on the test. There were no statistically significant results for students who were first generation, Pell Grant eligible, or were in-state or out-of-state residents. Originality/value There are few published studies that utilized the SAILS test for longitudinal institution-wide assessment. The majority of institutions that utilized the individual version of SAILS did so to determine change within a selected course, or set of courses, in the same semester and very few are published.

The history of Kyiv university library of the educational experiments period (from 1920 to beginning 1930th) is presented in this article. The research is based on archived materials. The author described structures, the main directions of work and ways of library funds refill. The basic obstacles of the normal functioning of library are found out in an indicated period. Information about the chief librarians of the 1920s – 1930s was specified. The term of work of V. Kordt in the Kiev Institute of Public Education was specified, his successors are indicated. Main attention is paid to the difficult period of 1925-1929, related to the library reorganization, allocation of a significant part of funds and transfer of them to the National Library of Ukraine and other educational and scientific institutions of Ukraine. The activity of О. Nazarevskyi on the post of library director has been analyzed. It was accentuated the efforts that had been made by the administration of institute and Nazarevskyi as a senior librarian for the purpose of decreasing the negative consequences of library funds distribution during the second half of 1920th.

Knowledge Building provides a model of education for a knowledge age—a model of collective responsibility for idea improvement. This article provides two examples of getting started with the pedagogy and the technology, one from Senior Kindergarten, with students working together to understand why leaves change color in the fall, and the other from Grade 1, featuring explorations of the water cycle. In addition to the classroom work that is reported, commentary on school practices from a Librarian-Technology coordinator and Vice Principal are included to provide a broader school perspective on the work presented in this article.

Businesses and higher education leaders are looking for students with the ability to evaluate and analyze information and to use this information to solve real-world problems. These are the information literacy skills students need for the 21st century. However, several recent studies on the ability of college freshmen to handle the rigor of college courses and research indicate that high school students are not being adequately prepared to apply these skills. The authors provide a case study of a collaborative effort between an English teacher and the high school librarian to better prepare high school seniors on how to locate reliable information, analyze the information and then determine how it can be applied to solving a real world issue or problem.

The purpose of the study is the presentation and introduction into scientific usage of archive-investigating case of the senior librarian, the head of the newspaper fund of the National Library of Ukraine, later the library of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR Pavlovskyy Petro Fedorovich (1889–1937). The case is now in the Branch State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine. The article provides an analysis of the materials found and the systematization of information in an attempt to recreate the biography of one of the library staff repressed by the Soviet government. The research methodology consists in the application of research methods of sources to search and analyze the documentary historical sources, as well as in use of a problem-chronological approach to historical research, which allows not only to highlight certain biographical moments, but also to highlight events that were associated with the history of one of the largest libraries of Ukraine, while pointing to the activities of the Soviet punitive and repressive system in relation to the cultural heritage of the past. The scientific novelty is a practical significance in expanding the biography of P. F. Pavlovskyy with previously unknown data, as well as the enrichment of the personalistic history of Ukrainian librarianship in Kiev and in the whole Ukraine. In conclusion, this course of a biographical study can attract not only a wider range of archival documents, including those which are currently stored in the Branch State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine, but also the return of a forgotten national history; can supplement and fill in some gaps in past studies particulary in biographical studies. Thus, the article reconstructs the biography of librarian P. F. Pavlovsky based on the archive-investigation case.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a case study on virtual reality (VR) learning environments, focused on the development and integration of multi-user reference support. Design/methodology/approach This paper used a case study methodology to understand applied software development incorporating textual browsing experiences within the HTC Vive virtual reality headset. An open corpus of text from the HathiTrust Digital Library accessed via the API was used as a data source. Findings In collaboration with students from a senior undergraduate Computer Science project course, the project team developed software to pilot a multi-user VR experience, with functionality for users to search, discover and select e-books and other digitized content from the HathiTrust digital library. Originality/value Overall, the system has been developed as a prototype e-book experiment to model several VR affordances for browsing, user support and educational endeavors within libraries. Within the VR reading room pilot, users are able collaboratively explore digital collections. Aspects of reference librarian user support were modeled in the VR system including communication in real-time using chat features and text highlighting and manipulation tools that are unique to learning in VR environments.

This study measured student competence in using PsycLIT, related attitudes toward PsycLIT to level of skill, and examined student preferences for various methods of PsycLIT instruction. The data analyzed were from the PsycLIT subtest of The Library Skills Test for Psychology Majors, which was administered to 145 senior psychology majors. Of the students who took the test, 88.8% reported that they had used PsycLIT, and 83% made competent or exceptionally competent scores. When asked to rate the usefulness of six different methods of PsycLIT instruction, students rated a workshop taught by a librarian as the most useful. These data also show a clear relation between better PsycLIT performance and attitudes of lower anxiety and greater confidence about using PsycLIT.

The following were the Chair’s remarks at the GODORT General Membership Meeting on January 14:Welcome GODORT members, guests, and hopefully some future members. My name is Lynda Kellam. I am the Chair of GODORT and in my daily life the Senior Data Librarian at the Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research. I begin this meeting by acknowledging that Cornell and Ithaca, NY are located on the indigenous lands of the Cayuga Nation and we recognize the indigenous peoples who have and continue to live here. I have a few prepared remarks and I know this might be unprecedented in GODORT, but I hope you will have patience with me as I believe this is necessary.

The aim of the article is to reveal the social and cultural relations between the professional librarian groups, which have existed from the seventies to the present day, through the prism of practiced rituals and celebrations. During the research, from 2019 to 2020, 30 librarians living and working in different parts of Lithuania were interviewed. In total, 23 currently working and 7 retired librarians were interviewed. Material from ethnographic works, yearbooks, chronicles, photo archives, and library histories found in the libraries was also analysed. The study revealed that events, celebrations, gatherings of the work cycle, and staff evaluations were popular in libraries and strongly encouraged by various government agencies. After Lithuania regained its independence and the Lithuanian Librarians’ Association was restored, new and more varied celebrations began to emerge, but some of the previous traditions, such as staff awards, interaction with seniors, and visiting the graves of former colleagues, remained. After the restoration of independence, librarians began celebrating Christmas and professional celebrations such as National Library Week and Culture Day. Features of urban carnival culture can also be found in the events of the librarian community. Some of these events are closed and intended only for members of this community, while others are for the public, and there are more directed and demonstrative elements for a mass audience. After analysing the research data, it can be seen that Lithuanian librarians create and maintain relations of the community at the personal, institutional, and interregional levels.

Subject area Human resource management, strategic management, organisational behaviour. Study level/applicability Graduate and post graduate students of management, organisational behaviour and strategic HRM. Case overview This case is about a small company named Pointsoft Pvt. Ltd, which is a 25-year-old software company situated in Pune, India. Thanks to the IT boom, the company grew well under the leadership of Aravind, who is the managing director. Aravind took care of all matters related to human resources (HR) directly. So far, the company never had any HR manager, but now Aravind thought about handing over HR matters to an HR manager. After much scrutiny Meenaxi was appointed as HR manager. The case then proceeds narrating a series of incidents after the arrival of the new HR manager and how there began a clash between the new HR manager and the senior management team of the firm. A situation then arose where the HR manager, after one year of service, submitted her resignation quoting that she was being harassed by the senior management team. The core issues in this case are whether Pointsoft's decision of having an HR manager was right and whether the decision of having appointed Meenaxi was right. Expected learning outcomes The case brings out the necessary characteristics of an HR manager by showing the undesirable characteristics of an HR manager. The case also highlights typical issues of working in a small Indian firm which is trying to rise to a globalised setting. The case will also help the students understand about organisational culture and the importance of gelling with the same. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access.

Back in 1993, as senior librarian at the Vernadsky Library in Kiev, Ukraine, in charge of cataloguing a newly uncovered Judaica collection, I came across an enigmatic manuscript entitled Sefer ha-ḥeshek. It did not match the bulk of the Judaica holdings. Nor did it fit in Abraham Harkavy's collection of medieval manuscripts. It was too Ashkenazic for Abraham Firkovich's Karaite papers, and too early for most of S. Ansky's nineteenth-century folkloric materials. The manuscript had a wooden cover, separate from the text, with a copper monogram Sefer ha-ḥeshek in Hebrew (hereafter—SH). SH's title appears randomly as a running head; the author occasionally refers to the title of the manuscript. Primarily because of its size—411 folios, 23 of them blank, some 760 filled pages altogether—and due to its magical contents, I discarded any attempts to identify the manuscript as a version of the well-known Sefer ha-ḥeshek, a twenty-or-so-page kabbalistic treatise on the names of the archangel Metatron attributed to Isaac Luria. Also, since the manuscript is not a commentary on the book of Isaiah or Proverbs, it could neither be Solomon Duran's nor Solomon ha-Levi's Ḥ eshek shelomoh.

Subject area Business management, corporate ethics and management of change. Study level/applicability The case study is relevant for undergraduate and post-graduate management degrees. It includes courses such as Business Management, Corporate Ethics and Management of Change. Case overview AMARA, a leading parts dealer and a subsidiary company of MTD Holdings has been hit by allegations of corruption which involved a ring of senior employees who are said to have swindled the company out of spare parts worth millions of US dollars with the help of a few security guards who were authorising illegal movements at check points. The workers' committee who blew the whistle on the scandal were now impatient that the investigations ordered in December last year 2011 have not taken off as management appears not keen on them. Management was dragging its feet when it comes to dealing effectively with the allegations. There was no proper strategy on how the allegations were going to be dealt with. There was also victimisation of workers. Senior managers who have been tasked to investigate the issue were suspected to be involved in the scandal thus that is why they were dragging their feet in the investigation. Expected learning outcomes Students can focus on the importance of good corporate governance as a cornerstone of good business practice. The importance of an active board of directors is also vital for the smooth running of a business. Students will also appreciate the importance of making quality decisions by top management as an important ingredient for the success of an organisation. The issue of an effective control system in an organisation is also important to avoid leakages which will cost an organisation millions of dollars. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available, please contact your librarian to access.

Binghamton University Libraries’ mentoring program has been in place since 2006. The goals of this program are to orient new librarians to the organizational culture by building relationships with more senior librarians, and to help new librarians achieve tenure by providing support and advice on job performance, service, and scholarship throughout the six years leading to tenure review.

A Review of: Ducas, A., Michaud-Oystryk, N., & Speare, M. (2020). Reinventing ourselves: New and emerging roles of academic librarians in Canadian research-intensive universities. College & Research Libraries, 81(1), 43–65. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.1.43 Abstract Objective – To identify new and emerging roles for librarians and understand how those new roles impact their confidence, training needs, and job satisfaction. To understand how librarians conceptualize the impact of these new roles on the academic enterprise. Design – Electronic survey. Setting – Academic research libraries at Canadian research-intensive universities. Subjects – 205 academic librarians. Methods – An electronic survey was distributed to all librarians working at the 15 research-intensive universities in Canada. Archivists were included in this population, but senior administrators, such as university librarians, deans, and associate administrators, were not included. The 38-question survey was produced in English and French. Five focus areas for emerging skills were drawn from the literature and a review of job postings. Librarians were asked about their participation in particular activities associated with the different focus areas and about their training and confidence in those areas. The survey was sent to 743 librarians and had a 27% response rate with a total of 205 complete responses. Librarians participated from each of the 15 research universities and institutional response rates ranged from 14% to 51%. Survey Monkey was used to distribute the online survey. Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure reliability for each section of the survey and ranged from .735 in the confidence area to .934 in the job satisfaction area, indicating sufficient internal consistency. The data were analyzed using SPSS and RStudio. Main Results – In the general area of research support, a majority (75%) of participants reported that they provided information discovery services like consultations and literature reviews, 28% engaged in grant application support, 27% provided assistance with systematic reviews, 26% provided bibliometric services, and 23% provided data management services. In the teaching and learning area, 78% of participants provided classroom teaching to students, 75% provided one-on-one instruction, 48% created tutorials, 47% taught workshops for faculty, and 43% conducted copyright consultations. Only around half of participants offered digital scholarship services, and copyright consultations were the most frequently offered service in this area, with 36% of participants indicating that they offered this service. The area of user experience had the highest number of respondents, and the top services offered in this area included liaison services for staff and faculty (87%), library services assessment (46%), and student engagement initiatives (41%). In the scholarly communication area, 49% of respondents indicated that they provided consultation on alternative publishing models, including open access, and 41% provided copyright and intellectual property services. The majority of librarians were confident that they could perform their duties in the five focus areas. Teaching and learning had the highest confidence rate, with 75% of respondents indicating that they felt confident or very confident in their roles. Digital scholarship had the lowest confidence rating, with only 50% indicating that they felt confident or very confident about these roles. The survey also asked participants about their training and skills acquisition in the five areas. Most participants indicated that they acquired these skills through professional work experience and self-teaching. Based on the calculations from the survey focusing on participation in new and traditional roles, 13% of librarian participants performed only new roles, 44% performed only traditional roles, and 44% performed some new and some traditional roles. Additionally, 45% of librarians spent the majority of their time delivering traditional services, 19% delivering new services, and 36% dividing their time between new and traditional services. Job satisfaction and new or traditional roles were also examined, and statistically significant results indicated that librarians performing new roles were more satisfied with assigned duties (p = 0.009084), more satisfied with opportunities for challenge (p = 0.02499), and less satisfied with opportunities for independent action (p = 0.02904). Librarians performing new roles perceived a higher impact on scholarly communication (p = 0.02621) and supporting researchers (p = 0.0002126) than those performing traditional roles. Librarians performing new roles perceived a lower impact on contributing to student success (p = 0.003686) and supporting teaching and learning at the classroom level (p = 0.01473) than librarians performing traditional roles. Conclusion – Results demonstrate that librarians are still engaged in traditional roles, but new roles are emerging particularly in the areas of copyright and publishing, bibliometrics, online learning initiatives, and new communication strategies. Job satisfaction and confidence in these roles are similar between traditional and emerging roles. Overall, participants felt that they had a significant impact on the academic enterprise when performing new or traditional roles but that the roles had different areas of impact. This study is meant to be a baseline for future investigations in the trends and developments of roles for Canadian librarians. The survey and data are available from the University of Manitoba’s Dataverse repository: https://doi.org/10.5203/FK2/RHOFFU

The article describes contribution to the library science and scientific activity of the Russian State Library (RSL) of the famous librarian Maria Ivanovna Akilina (April 13, 1953 — June 04, 2021).Since 1989, first as senior research scientist in the departments of the Russian State Library, and then in the scientific research department of library science, she worked her way up from leading researcher to the head of the department. Together with her colleagues — library scientists, she made the great contribution to the development of problems of the general theory of library science, the organization of practical activities of libraries, scientific and methodological assistance to libraries of the country.In the scientific research department of library science, there was created the all-Russian system for monitoring library collections; there were studied the issues of standardization of library science; and the work was carried out to create the Electronic Library of the RSL. The department developed and implemented the methodology for preparing the first fundamental unique reference publication on library science in our country — the “Library Encyclopaedia”, which was published in 2007 by the “Pashkov Dom” publisher. M.I. Akilina was a member of the editorial board of this publication; she also made a great contribution to the work as an editor and author of the articles. Together with the staff of the department from 2002 through 2013, she actively participated in the publication of the scientific-practical collection “Librarianship — the 21st Century” — the supplement to the journal “Bibliotekovedenie” [Russian Journal of Library Science], and also became one of the compilers of the collection “Library Research in the System of Postnonclassical Science”.M.I. Akilina managed to create an atmosphere of creativity and scientific research in the department, which became a significant factor in the development of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of librarianship, its various aspects and research practices. Since 2015, M.I. Akilina worked as a leading research scientist in the Centre for the study of problems of library development in the information society. She is the author of more than 100 scientific papers, major part of which is devoted to the scientific and methodological activities of libraries and general theoretical problems of library science; these are the publications about national, central, mass rural and other libraries. When communicating with colleagues, she always took into account not only their achievements, but also the ability to be honest both in scientific work and in human relations. Her contribution to the library scientific research will undoubtedly become part of the research heritage of library science.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to stress the importance of including visible minority librarians in the process of succession planning in academic libraries. In Canada visible minorities is the accepted term used for librarians of color. This paper identifies the challenges faced by these librarians in putting their names forward for administrative/leadership positions and proposes ideas on how to include these librarians in the succession planning processes so the leadership/administrative pool can also reflect the multicultural student demographics. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an extensive study of the literature on succession planning and visible minority or ethnic librarians in the academic libraries. Literature shows that the senior administration of academic libraries does not reflect the population demographic it serves. Findings – This paper shows that visible minority librarians are not proactively found, recruited, retained. They are certainly not being included in succession planning processes. It suggests that academic libraries follow certain processes and strategies to include these librarians in their succession planning. Research limitations/implications – The paper focusses widely on North American visible minorities, but this information is applicable to any community with visible minorities. Practical implications – Libraries can start thinking about creating strategies for including visible minority libraries in their succession planning processes. Originality/value – This paper addresses a gap in the literature. Literature review showed that there are no papers that speak to the importance of including minority librarians in the succession planning processes.

This issue contains the papers given at a special conference held at Leo Baeck College (22 May 2019), ‘Albert Friedlander: Comprehension, Compassion and Conciliation’, reflecting on his life and achievements. Among his many activities and achievements, Rabbi Dr Albert Friedlander z’l (1927–2004) was editor of this journal (1982–2004) and we marked his passing with many personal tributes (European Judaism 37, no. 2 [Autumn 2004], 103–122). However, this conference provides an opportunity to explore different aspects of his life and work. Originally conceived by Rabbi Dr Frank Dabba Smith in conversations with Evelyn Friedlander, he organised it together with Professor Michael Berkowitz, UCL, Rabbi Dr Deborah Kahn-Harris, Principal of Leo Baeck College, and Cassy Sachar, the Senior Librarian of the College, who developed an exhibition based on following traces of Rabbi Friedlander’s activities to be found in the library. As well as the papers included here, there was a panel chaired by Rabbi Dr Charles H. Middleburgh, Dean and Director of Studies of the College, including memories from Rabbi Colin Eimer, Rabbi Ariel Friedlander (via video link) and Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp. Evelyn Friedlander was interviewed by Frank Dabba Smith; it was fortunate that she could participate as she was frail due to ill health. Concluding remarks were given by Professor Lord John Alderdice (Director, Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict, Harris-Manchester College, Oxford University). Plans are underway for a further conference, broadening the theme.

Purpose This paper uses the GB/T20984-2007 multiplicative method to assess the information security risk of a typical digital library in compliance with the principle and thought of ISO 27000. The purpose of this paper is to testify the feasibility of this method and provide suggestions for improving information security of the digital library. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts convenience sampling to select respondents. The assessment of assets is through analyzing digital library-related business and function through a questionnaire which collects data to determine asset types and the importance of asset attributes. The five-point Likert scale questionnaire method is used to identify the threat possibility and its influence on the assets. The 12 respondents include directors and senior network technicians from the editorial department, comic library, children’s library, counseling department and the learning promotion centre. Three different Guttman scale questionnaires, tool testing and on-site inspection are combined to identify and assess vulnerabilities. There were different Guttman scale questionnaires for management personnel, technical personnel and general librarian. In all, 15 management librarians, 7 technical librarians and 72 ordinary librarians answered the vulnerability questionnaire. On-site inspection was conducted on the basis of 11 control domains of ISO 27002. Vulnerabilities were scanned using remote security evaluation system NSFOCUS. The scanning covered ten IP sections and a total of 81 hosts. Findings Overall, 2,792 risk scores were obtained. Among them, 282 items (accounting for 10.1 per cent of the total) reached the high risk level; 2 (0.1 per cent) reached the very high risk level. High-risk items involved 26 threat types (accounting for 44.1 per cent of all threat types) and 13 vulnerability types (accounting for 22.1 per cent of all vulnerability types). The evaluation revealed that this digital library faces seven major hidden dangers in information security. The assessment results were well accepted by staff members of this digital library, which testified to the applicability of this method to a Chinese digital library. Research limitations/implications This paper is only a case study of a typical Chinese digital library using a digital library information security assessment method. More case-based explorations are necessary to prove the feasibility of the assessing strategy proposed in this study. Originality/value Based on the findings of recent literature, the authors found that very few researchers have made efforts to develop methods for calculating the indicators for digital library information security risk assessment. On the basis of ISO 27000 and other related information security standards, this case study proposed an operable method of digital library information security risk assessment and used it to assess a the information security of a typical Chinese digital library. This study can offer insights for formulating a digital library information security risk assessment scale.

Objectives – To explore how students use the school library in their daily activities, who visits the school library, what activities occur during these visits, and how students value the school library. Design – Comparative, multi-case study. Setting – Two Norwegian senior high schools in two different counties. Subjects – Students in year one, two, and three at two high schools; and teachers, principals, and school librarians at each of the two schools. Methods – Data was collected from interviews, observations, documents, and questionnaires during the first five months of 1998. Most data was gathered from 25 observations in the school library (each observation was 3-4 hours in length). Observations were made in three specific areas of each library: work tables, the computer site, and a reading hall quiet area. In addition, seventeen 45-minute observations were made in various classrooms. To gain student perspectives and to learn how and why students valued the school library, in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 students, consisting of 2 boys and 2 girls from each of years 1, 2, and 3 at each school, plus 2 boys and 2 girls from the International Baccalaureate classes at one school. Four teachers from each school, the school librarians, and the principals from each school were also interviewed to explore attitudes about the school library, how they valued it and what instructional role they believed the library played in students’ daily lives. Sixty students completed questionnaires that asked when and for what reason students used the library, what locations in the library they used, and what the library meant to them in both their schoolwork and free time. Documents such as class schedules and curricula, and school policies and rules were also considered. Main Results – Data analysis indicated students had a lot of appreciation for the school library, but mainly for its role as a “social meeting place,” rather than as resource center for information. Students were aware of the function, purpose, and importance of the school library, but rarely used it for projects or research. The library was most appreciated for the fact that users went there to meet friends and talk. One observed group did not borrow books or bring work to do, clearly demonstrating that their purpose in the library was strictly social. There were students who used the library for research and information retrieval, but these students were the minority. Most of the students who did instruction-related activities in the library did homework from textbooks they brought to the library. There was no indication that teachers or the school librarians made any efforts to alter the attitudes of students or their use of the library as a social club. Based on observations, the researcher offered several possible reasons for her findings: weak rules and few sanctions, invisibility of the school librarians, failure of teachers to use the library or make assignments that required information seeking, and lack of a cafeteria in School A (which may have also contributed to the value of the library as a “meeting place”). Leisure-related activities in the quiet reading hall were highest among the girls, and highest among the boys at the work tables and computer sites. Daily users (occupants) of the library at School A were second and third year boys and girls. Only boys from first, second and third year vocational classes were “occupants” at School B. The occupants at both schools influenced the activities of new users. Conclusion – The findings of this study reveal a “gap between the rhetoric on instruction and school library use and actual practice” (pg.12). Students were rarely given assignments that required use of the library and there was no collaboration between the classroom teachers and the school librarian. The library was not perceived as a resource center and was not viewed as an integral part of daily instruction. Weak rules, few sanctions, misperceptions, and inadequate instructional leadership by the school librarian appeared to contribute to the observed behaviors related to library use in the two schools. The author suggests the need for organization, leadership, and the proper training of students on the use of the library. She mentions the need for principals, teachers, librarians, students, and teacher preparatory colleges to work hand-in-hand to bring about a change of attitude about – and usage of – the school library.

Objective – This review of the literature provides a framework for understanding the professional experiences of women library directors in academic libraries. It focuses upon career advancement and writing about women librarians in the United States and Canada from the 1930s to 2012. Methods – Databases from the disciplines of library science and business and management, including the larger social sciences, were searched for references to sources that dealt with career advancement and progression of women, specifically women librarians, from the 1930s to 2012. Similarly, these databases were also searched for sources pertaining to writing about women, especially women in libraries. Sources were also culled from major bibliographies on women in libraries. Articles and monographs were selected for inclusion in the review if they reported research findings related to these broad topics. In some cases sources from the professional literature were included if they offered a unique perspective on lived experience. Results – Evidence shows the number of women in senior leadership roles has increased over the years. From the 1930s to the 1950s it was the natural order for men to be heads of academic libraries, particularly major research libraries. Research studies of the decades from the 1960s to the 1980s provide evidence of a shift from the assumption that various personal and professional characteristics could be identified to account for differences in the number of men and of women recruited into senior positions in academic libraries. Despite this, women remained vastly under-represented in director positions in academic libraries. From the 1990s to the present, the evidence shows the number of women in senior leadership roles increased, despite factors such as mobility, career interruptions, or lack of advanced degrees that were traditionally identified as limitations to career growth. While women have gained in terms of the number of senior positions in academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada they are still not proportionately represented. The results section concludes with a review of sources that pertain to writing about women library leaders. This emphasizes that the professional lives of women librarians are largely unknown, as is the importance of their contribution to the development of libraries and librarianship. These sources were included to highlight the critical importance, but lack of material that speaks to writing about women and their professional lives and experiences. Conclusions – Research into the lives of women library leaders is important because women traditionally represent 75-80% of library professionals, yet the story of their career advancement and leadership within librarianship is bounded by characteristics – real or perceived – that affect their career progression. Future research focusing on collecting current data about career advancement of women in Canadian academic libraries as well as the contributions of women to development of libraries is suggested.

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to review the five emotional intelligence (EI) competencies as originally outlined by Daniel Goleman but within the context of academic libraries. EI skills can be more important to have than intellectual ability in creating effective organizations. Academic librarians, particularly those in leadership positions, need to be mindful of EI competencies to avoid miscommunication when working with colleagues. Used skillfully, EI has the ability to build more cohesive and stronger collaborations inside and outside the library. EI is just as important for early career librarians as it is for those in senior management positions. Design/methodology/approach – This article reviews the five EI competencies as originally outlined by Daniel Goleman but within the context of academic libraries. It focuses on empathy to demonstrate how its application in libraries can facilitate teamwork, engender better cooperation and strengthen an organization’s culture. Findings – Most library literature focuses on EI skills as related to senior-level positions. There is a need for researchers to explore the understanding of EI skills throughout the entire library structure, including how to screen for EI during the hiring process and develop EI skills among existing staff. Practical implications – Librarians will learn how hiring for EI competencies at all levels will benefit the work environment within academic libraries, as well as how to develop and improve their own EI skills using complementary techniques. Originality/value – Readers will increase their awareness of how EI can benefit them and their colleagues regardless of whether they have structural (formal) or informal leadership roles in academic libraries, as well as how it leads to professional and personal growth.

IntroductionVaccination has become a central part of public health prevention. Vaccines are introduced after licensure by national regulatory authorities, whereas recommendations for use of licensed vaccines are made by national or international advisory committees and may include off-label use. The methodological and decision-making processes that are used to assess novel initial off-label vaccine use are unclear. This review aims to examine the off-label assessment processes to map evidence and concepts used in the decision-making process and present a common approach between all recommendations and specifics of each decision.Methods and analysisThe methodological framework described at the Joanna Briggs Institute will be applied to this scoping review. A search strategy was developed, in collaboration with an experienced senior health research librarian, by combining Mesgarpour’s highly sensitive search strategies. Peer-reviewed and grey literature will be systematically identified using PubMed, Medline and EMBASE; governmental agency and pharmaceutical websites; and search engines, such as Google Scholar. Reports and studies on off-label vaccine use in public health will be included. Screening will be independently undertaken by two reviewers. Data will be extracted using a standard form. Results will be narratively summarised to highlight relevant findings and guide the development of an analytical framework for off-label vaccination recommendations.Ethics and disseminationThis research does not require ethical approval. This scoping review will provide decision-making elements and a synthesis of knowledge on vaccines off-label use. Findings will be relevant to decision-makers/advisory committees and public health. These will be disseminated through peer-reviewed articles and conferences.

Subject area Marketing, entrepreneurship, operations management, and transportation/logistics. Study level/applicability The case is suitable for junior, senior undergraduate and first-year graduate business classes. It can be used entirely in business classes in marketing, entrepreneurship, operations management, and transportation/logistics, and parts of it can be used for discussions in classes related to emerging economies/markets, environmental management, sustainability, and technology management. Case overview The case builds on the expansion plan considered by a young software company, called Hangzhou Omnipay located in the city of Hangzhou, China. Mr Chao, Vice President (VP) of Omnipay, is the main character of the case. He was aware of the current car-sharing industry leader – Zipcar headquartered in Boston and also identified multiple stakeholders in the city for decision making. By collaborating with a global student project team, Mr Chao collected a great deal of information and data. This teaching case provides students and educators ample opportunities to examine, from a multitude of aspects, the viability of a car-sharing service in Hangzhou. Expected learning outcomes The central goal is to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of the role of car-sharing service in a country's development in sustainability, socio-economy, environmental commitment, and new urban life style, as well as in a technological company's active pursuit of business expansion opportunity. In addition, students will not only understand the social, cultural, technological and strategic perspectives of car-sharing service implementation, but also develop and enhance analytic skills needed to conduct fundamental cost analysis, determine a base-line pricing scheme, and service location network design. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available, please contact your librarian for access.