International Journal of Librarianship
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Breaking Boundaries: Cross-Training For Flexibility in Community College Libraries
Full text linkThis article explores the evolving role of librarians in small to medium-sized academic libraries, using the Everett I.L. Baker Library at Norwalk Campus, Connecticut State Community College, as a case study. As academic libraries transition from traditional, specialized roles to more versatile staffing models, the importance of cross-training among library staff becomes increasingly apparent. In environments dominated by electronic resources and constrained by limited budgets, libraries must adapt by developing a workforce capable of handling diverse tasks, from cataloging to providing research assistance. This article details the Norwalk campus library's implementation of a cross-training program designed to enhance staff flexibility, professional growth, and service delivery. Through comprehensive training in circulation, reference services, cataloging, and technical support, the library has successfully created a more cohesive and responsive team, better equipped to meet the dynamic needs of its academic community. The findings underscore the critical role of continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptability in modern academic librarianship, positioning cross-training as a key strategy for ensuring the sustainability and relevance of academic libraries in today's rapidly changing educational landscape
Museum Libraries in Germany: Ambassadors for Standardized Data, Building Bridges between Archives, Libraries and Museums
Full text linkThis article is going to give an overview of the continuously developing world of standardised data and its use in German cultural institutions. It will provide an introduction into Germany’s federated library system and explain how libraries developed standardised data more quickly than other cultural heritage institutions.
We argue that this head-start in using and creating standardised data means that museum librarians are best suited to support both their institutions and others, which want to implement standardised data. They can also take an ambassadorial role for standardised data produced from the museum environment, because museum librarians have the professional background to ensure the quality of such data
Art Museum Exhibitions in the Library
Full text linkTypically, museums are seen as the primary venue for exhibitions. However, an interest in library exhibitions has been growing as indicated by increased literature in the library field, albeit with a large focus on academic libraries. On a broader scale, library exhibitions continue to be under-researched as indicated by the continuing lack of library exhibition evaluation standards, library exhibition reviews, and exhibition-related professional training for librarians. In this 2021 study, interviews were conducted at eight Washington, DC-based art museum libraries: The National Gallery of Art, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The American Art and Portrait Gallery, The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The National Museum of African Art, The Phillips Collection, and the George Washington University Textile Museum. This paper is an examination of the current state of exhibitions in art museum libraries and aims to establish a set of best practices to help foster the production of art museum library exhibitions
The Impact of Transformative Agreements on Publication Patterns: An Analysis Based on Agreements from the ESAC Registry
Full text link"Transformative agreements" are agreements made between publishers and institutions that were intended to transform the traditional subscription-based scholarly publishing system to open access. Some publishers and institutions have argued that these are the best option, yet, they are increasingly being called into question. Not only does the transition remain incomplete, they create negative effects on researchers without access to an agreement or funding to pay an article processing charge. This research project sought to address the question of whether transformative agreements increase the number of open access publications. In April 2022, we retrieved 370 transformative agreements from the ESAC Transformative Agreement Registry, of which 72 met our inclusion criteria. At that time, agreements in the ESAC Registry were heavily weighted towards Europe. We retrieved publications from the Web of Science Core Collection, and screened these to ensure that they were authored by researchers at participating institutions and published in hybrid open access journals covered by the agreement. Using the Unpaywall API, we determined the open access status of each item. Through this process, we identified 156,053 publications that met inclusion criteria. In this article, we examine changes in publication patterns at an aggregate level and per agreement
The Potential of Library Publishing Services to Transform Scholarly Communication in Ireland
Full text linkLibraries need to move beyond traditional roles of purchasing and distributing scholarly literature, librarians need to strategically position themselves and take ownership of improving access. As a direct result of Covid-19, there is a new level of urgency to transform the scholarly communication process and there are enormous opportunities for an expanded and inclusive library publishing service which addresses access to knowledge and literature. This rich discussion will stimulate the drive to make library publishing a mainstream service within Irish libraries.
The purpose of this study is to provide a vision for how academic libraries can assume a more central role in a future where open access (OA) publishing has become the predominant model for disseminating scholarly research. This work will analyse existing trends related to Open Access policies and publishing with an emphasis on the development of repositories managed by libraries to publish and disseminate articles. These trends, coupled with emerging economic realities, will create an environment where libraries’ will assume a major role in the Open Access publishing environment. This paper will provide an insight for academic libraries and their institutions to consider a dramatic shift in the deployment of subscription financial resources from a largely closed scholarly communication system to one that provides open, unrestricted access to research.
Given the importance of scholarly publishing, a number of Irish Third level libraries have launched library publishing services including the establishment and management of high quality library published peer-reviewed open access journals and Open Educational Resources to support formal and informal scholarly communication. Librarians are also upskilling in the area of library publishing. A number of Irish Librarians have completed the Library Publishing Coalition's Library Publishing Curriculum. There is also the Library Publishing Group as part of the Library Association of Ireland. This work aims to identify and examine the factors of library publishing services that facilitate scholarly communication. The clear message from this discussion is that libraries need to include publishing in their services, advocate for open access and serve their communities and societies
Metadata Librarians for Open Access: A Path Towards Sustainable Discovery and Impact for Open Access Resources
Full text linkSupport by academic libraries for open access (OA) over the past three-plus decades has largely focused on the development of digital infrastructure, promotion of open access publishing, support of policy-driven access mandates, and more recently, adoption of transformative agreements. Libraries have correspondingly created a broad array of scholarly communication roles to support these varied approaches. Surprisingly, one area of open access support that has received less attention from libraries is the facilitation of description and discovery of open access resources through the creation of robust original metadata. Expertise in Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information represents a core competency of librarianship, yet the current academic library landscape shows few positions that specifically apply this expertise towards support for OA resources. Efforts to describe OA resources typically fall below those dedicated to licensed resources and pale in comparison to OA advocacy work, repository, publishing and other services. This case study offers an example of how one large academic library has introduced a metadata librarian position focused on description of open access resources into its activities supporting open access.
For decades, commercially licensed resources have benefitted from metadata enhanced layer by layer by commercial and library professionals alike. With increased focus and funding being devoted to open access driven by governmental, institutional, and private funders, attention is critically needed to ensure that these new resources obtain the description necessary to allow them to be useful. Metadata librarians focused on open access resources can work with array of positions, such as repository managers and other digital asset management professionals, to ensure that open access resources are properly ingested and managed, and that metadata practices are aligned with best practices for preservation and long-term access. OA metadata librarians could be responsible for developing and implementing metadata standards and practices for open access resources like scholarly articles, data sets, and other digital objects. These standards would help ensure that open access resources are accurately described and discoverable alongside purchased resources, making them more accessible to researchers and other users.
In addition to their technical responsibilities, OA metadata librarians can also play key roles in advocating for open access resources and educating library staff and users about the importance of metadata in supporting discoverability and accessibility. Through participation in professional organizations and initiatives focused on open access and metadata, OA metadata librarians can help raise awareness of the importance of metadata in supporting open access resources, their sustainability, and ultimately, their impact
Extending the Conversation: Art Gallery of Ontario Artists in Residence and the Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives
Full text linkOver the dozen or so years of its existence the Artist in Residence (AiR) program at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has brought numerous emerging and established artists into the daily workings of the museum, inviting resident artists to explore and engage with the AGO’s collections, staff and public programs as they develop their projects. Support for a process of research-creation is fundamental to the opportunity offered by the residency. As a foundational component of the museum’s research infrastructure, the AGO’s Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives has played a key role in the residency program, allowing strategies of reading, citation and documentation to emerge as central themes in the cumulative body of residency projects, and allowing in turn for the possibility of project documentation to enter the archival record of the museum. Drawing on interviews with selected past artists in residence, this paper will provide an account of how the involvement of librarians and archivists, and the availability of library and archival resources in the museum have shaped the trajectory of the AiR program at the AGO
Co-designing an Institutional Repository in Kosovo: Soliciting Student Feedback in a Repository Launch
Full text linkAn institutional repository (IR) launched at the University for Business and Technology in Pristina, Kosovo in 2019. Students from 2018 and 2019 enrolled in an Information Systems course at the University provided ideas and feedback on the repository development. Their suggestions are captured here by focus group sessions held in mid-2019 in Kosovo and subsequently shared with University Administration and the IR platform company. This case study from the field advocates for continuous feedback from stakeholder groups and an expansion of the underlying data collection methods at other institutions
Information Seeking Behavior Of The Clergy: A Study Of Parish Pastors In Redeemed Christian Church Of God In Agbarho, Delta State, Nigeria
Full text linkThis study examines the information-seeking behavior of the clergy using parish pastors in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Agbarho community in Delta State as a case study. The study seeks to identify the information needs, the sources of information, the purpose of the use of information, and the challenges to information seeking among RCCG parish pastors in Agbarho. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The total population for the study comprises 44 parish pastors of the RCCG in two Zones of RCCG Delta Province 4 in Agbarho Community. The entire population was used as a sample using the total enumeration sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The data collected for this study were analyzed using simple percentage/frequency counts. The study found that RCCG pastors in Agbarho need and use the information for several issues such as sermon preparation, personal and church growth, church administration, evangelism, conflict resolution, meetings/programs, and personal/members’ welfare among others. They get the information they need from formal sources such as the Bible, books including all RCCG publications such as Open Heavens and Sunday school manuals, magazines (RCCG Bulletins), etc. Also, RCCG pastors in Agbarho community, Delta State, Nigeria also gets information from informal sources such as senior pastors, colleagues, friends in the ministry, church members, and family among others. In their effort to seek information, RCCG pastors in Agbarho community, Delta State, Nigeria faces some challenges such as limited financial resources, lack of access to ICT facilities, language barriers, information overload, time factor, and poor awareness of information sources. The study recommends that the RCCG authorities in conjunction with other churches and community leaders should establish and equip a library in every community where they are present as a way of advancing their Christian Social Responsibilities (CSR) as this will allow their pastors to have access to free and timely information among others
Impact of Information Media on Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Tricycle Riders in Osubi Axis, Delta State, Nigeria
Full text linkThis study assessed the impact of information media on information needs and seeking behavior of tricycle riders in Osubi Axis, Delta State, Nigeria. It employed the use of descriptive survey design. The total population for this study is 87 comprising the commercial tricycle riders in Osubi Axis. The entire 87 commercial tricycle riders were selected using the total enumeration sampling technique due to the small size of the population A questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents, and simple percentage and frequency counts used to analyze data generated. The findings reveal that the major information sought by tricycle riders in Osubi Axis include information about more lucrative and safe routes; spare parts and repairs and, traffic regulations using majorly phones, radio, and social media. They also sought information to avoid harassment from policemen, keep abreast with lucrative routes/opportunities, be conversant with traffic situations and road safety practices. Through the use of information media, tricycle riders get authentic and cheaper mechanical parts, keeping abreast with current information among others. The study identifies inadequate knowledge of computers/internet, inability to access newspapers/magazines as major challenges encountered by tricycle riders in the course of using different information media in meeting their information needs. It is imperative that tricycle riders make use of the different information media available to keep them abreast with the necessary information needed to function effectively in their business, and keep them out of trouble with the authorities. This study, therefore, recommends that government should collaborate with tricycle riders' associations to provide them with timely and accurate information on government policies, traffic regulations, and road safety practices