Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Journal)
Not a member yet
1552 research outputs found
Sort by
Recommendations for Academic Health Libraries Outreach and Engagement Programs with Indigenous Peoples at Collaboration and Empowerment Levels: Striving for Empowerment
No full textA Review of:
Cruise, A., Ellsworth-Kopkowski, A., Villezcas, A. N., Eldredge, J., & Rethlefsen, M. L. (2023). Academic health sciences libraries’ outreach and engagement with North American Indigenous communities: A scoping review. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 111(3), 630–656. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2023.1616
Objective – To identify trends and themes in literature sources on interventions for engagement and outreach by academic health sciences libraries with Native Americans, Alaska Natives, First Nations, and Indigenous peoples in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, in order to identify and share effective practices.
Design – Scoping review.
Setting – Academic health sciences libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Subjects – Sixty-five reports of 45 engagement and outreach programs spanning 1982-2022.
Methods – Researchers conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework (2005) and the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. They first established inclusion and exclusion criteria then developed a search strategy and ran it across seven bibliographic databases and a library and information science repository. The research team also searched specific journals, conference proceedings, and websites, to find unpublished materials and grey literature; they used mailing lists and personal contacts to find further sources. The researchers used Covidence to screen sources from the bibliographic databases, with English language sources screened by two reviewers and non-English language sources screened by at least one reviewer who could read that language. Sources found via other search methods were screened using Google Sheets, which was also used for data extraction. The researchers analyzed the data using the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation, summarizing programs within the two highest levels to synthesize effective practice.
Main Results – The authors identified 45 programs with 27 types of interventions. Training was the most common intervention at 25.5%. They identified 130 different partners; government organizations, both federal and tribal, were the most common at 23.1%. Using the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation, a tool designed to assess the level of participation and role of the public in public participation processes, the research team found that five programes (11.1%) engaged with the community at the two highest and also most effective and meaningful levels of collaborate and empower. From these five programs the researchers identified the following areas of effective practice: 1) partnership building and building trust with tribal communities including respecting the knowledge and expertise of the community partners, 2) prioritising and understanding the needs of the tribal communities including developing awareness of cultural differences, 3) partnering with multiple organisations to increase infrastructure, resources, and funding, and, where possible, 4) building on preexisting partnerships and relationships.
Conclusion – The authors concluded that libraries are likely to struggle to reach the two highest levels of the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation, due to issues with infrastructure, resources, long-term funding, and previous troubled relationships between governments, organizations, and researchers with Native and Indigenous populations, leading to challenges with building and sustaining partnerships. They recommend that libraries initiate any engagement and outreach programs with a needs assessment, with the goal of involving the community partners as collaborators or empowering them as owners and decision makers. The researchers also recommend engaging programs with data sovereignty to increase IAP2 levels and give communities control over their own data
Public Libraries May Facilitate More Inclusive Programming with the Collaboration of Trained Partners for Patrons with Dementia
No full textA Review of:
Dai, J., Bartlett, J. C., & Moffatt, K. (2023). Library services enriching community engagement for dementia care: The Tales & Travels Program at a Canadian Public Library as a case study. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 55(1), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006211065170
Objective – To explore the potential of public libraries to contribute to community-based dementia care, and to examine the lived experiences of users partaking in the program.
Design – Case study.
Setting – A public library in Montreal, Canada.
Subjects – Public library patrons with dementia and their caregivers engaging in Tales & Travels, a program for participants with early- and middle-stage dementia who learn about a new country through multi-sensory experiences.
Methods – Semi-structured dyadic interviews with eleven people with dementia and their caregivers, as well as interviews with four program facilitators. Researchers implemented unobtrusive participant observation and thematically analyzed results.
Main Results – Researchers discovered two primary themes via thematic analysis of interview transcripts: “community platform” and “librarians’ roles” came out of the data most often when discussing the program. Participants and caregivers felt a sense of familiarity and normalcy in a public library and appreciated the de-emphasis on dementia as the focus of the programming. Librarians felt the partnership with the Alzheimer Society allowed them to push past their uncertainties in their capacity to provide quality programming for this user group and found that collaborative relationship integral to the program’s success.
Conclusion – With an intentional setting, collaborative partners with expertise in this user group, and person-centered programming, libraries can be a welcoming location to offer engaging and inclusive programs for patrons with dementia. However, these elements are of a high priority given the vulnerability of the population, and librarians who are willing to be trained in inclusivity, safety, and hospitality should handle programming. Replication of this study in other libraries would strengthen the conclusion of the case study
Organizational Readiness to Adopt Artificial Intelligence in the Library and Information Sector of Pakistan
No full textObjective – This study investigates the readiness for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in library and information centres of Pakistani universities. The projected outcomes of this study are expected to contribute to the development of best practices for effectively motivating university administrators and preparing librarians for adopting AI in library and information centres.
Methods – A theoretical framework combining the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework and the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) guided this qualitative study. Interviews were conducted with 27 senior representatives, including library managers and registrars, from 27 universities across four provinces and the capital city, Islamabad. A systematic approach was employed to analyze the data.
Results – The findings indicate that the concept of AI adoption in Pakistani university libraries is new. The library and information sector of Pakistan is slow in adopting AI, which could have implications for its future competitiveness, despite the push for AI adoption by university librarians and administrators. The readiness for AI adoption in this sector is influenced by factors such as organizational technological practices, financial resources, university size, and data management and protection concerns.
Conclusion – Library managers and researchers can implement the TOE framework and TRI scale to facilitate AI adoption in a manner that is relevant to library and information settings in Pakistan as well as other parts of the world. Our research indicates that most adoptions are still in their nascent phases, and numerous library managers feel uneasy due to either uncertainties about the precise benefits AI can bring to their libraries or a lack of knowledge and skills for its effective implementation. To manage the networks of internal and external stakeholders essential for successful AI adoption, universities should consider appointing individuals with a specialized knowledge of AI within their libraries
A Study on the Knowledge and Perception of Artificial Intelligence
No full textA Review of:
Subaveerapandiyan, A., Sunanthini, C., & Amees, M. (2023). A study on the knowledge and perception of artificial intelligence. IFLA Journal, 49(3), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352231180230
Objective – To assess the knowledge, perception, and skills of library and information science (LIS) professionals related to artificial intelligence (AI).
Design – 45 statements were distributed to 469 LIS professionals via Google Forms to collect primary data. 245 participants responded to the structured questionnaire.
Setting – University and college libraries in Zambia.
Subjects – Zambian library and information science professionals.Methods – A descriptive approach was employed for the study. Data was gathered via a questionnaire. “The objective was to assess the statistical relationship between the knowledge, perception, and skills of LIS professionals (the independent variables) and AI (the dependent variable)” (Subaveerapandiyan et al., p. 506). The survey used a 5-point Likert scale with (1) strongly disagree being the lowest score and (5) strongly agree the highest. Means and standard deviations are included in data display tables. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. SPSS was used for data analysis.Main Results – Survey results are presented in three tables. Table 1, “Awareness of AI among LIS professionals,” contains 21 statements related to AI use in various library environments and services, including reference (finding articles and citations, content summarization, detecting misinformation), circulation of library materials, security and surveillance, character recognition and document preservation, research data management, language translation, and others. The authors note that 44.1 percent of the respondents agreed that “AI is essential for the effectiveness and efficiency of library service delivery, enabling libraries to enhance and offer dynamic services for their users” (Subaveerapandiyan et al., 2023, p. 506).
Table 2, “Perception of AI among LIS professionals,” contains 10 statements. Over 85 percent of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that AI “makes library staff lazy” while 58.1 percent either strongly agreed or agreed that AI is a “threat to librarians’ employment” (Subaveerapandiyan et al., 2023, p. 506). The authors note that the “respondents also indicated barriers to the adoption of AI in libraries, such as the lack of LIS professionals’ skills and budgetary constraints” (Subaveerapandiyan et al., 2023, p. 506).
Table 3 lists 13 competencies required by library professionals in the AI era. The majority of the respondents (an average of 65 percent) were in strong agreement that “electronic communication, hardware and software, Internet applications, computing and networking, cyber security and network management, data quality control, data curation, database management … are necessary competencies required by LIS professionals for them to be proficient in AI” (Subaveerapandiyan et al., 2023, p. 506)
Storytime Librarians Are Striving to Deliver Effective Storytime Programming to Children with Disabilities and Developmental Delays
No full textA Review of:
Daskalakes, D. T. M., & Cahill, M. (2023). “We’re all pretty welcoming”: Inclusion of children with disabilities in library storytime programs. Journal of Early Intervention. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538151231176193
Objective – To identify and characterize public librarians’ inclusion of children with disabilities and developmental delays (and their caregivers) in storytime programming, and to characterize how librarians determine if inclusion was successful.
Design – Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.
Setting – Public library settings across Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana (United States).
Subjects – 34 public librarians offering storytime programming.
Methods – The researchers invited all public libraries in the geographic area of interest to complete an internet survey expressing their interest in participating, and from the responses a stratified random sample of libraries was chosen. From each of these libraries, researchers randomly selected one storytime librarian to participate in the study. An experienced research team member conducted interviews using video conferencing software, and the other team member reviewed all transcripts to ensure accuracy. The researchers first analyzed the data using an inductive approach to generate descriptive codes. They then assigned these codes to the data that matched the study’s research questions. Finally, they conducted a third round of coding to describe some topics in greater detail.
Main Results – Librarians are making attempts to be inclusive, and their attitudes toward children with disabilities and developmental delays (and their caregivers) are welcoming and flexible. However, they expressed limited experience in offering accommodations, and they perceived their positive attitude as being an accommodation in and of itself. Librarians are largely relying on the child’s experience to gauge how successful they are at being inclusive, and engaging in collaborative conversations with caregivers is also common.
Conclusion – Overall, librarians are interested in offering programs that are accessible to children with disabilities and developmental delays but struggle to engage with meaningful accommodations that promote better educational outcomes. The authors emphasize that it is important for libraries to be welcoming of everyone, but more should be done to actually meet the needs of these patrons. This study has implications for public libraries and librarians, who should review their practices to ensure they are addressing the needs of children with disabilities and developmental delays and their caregivers. It also has implications for the profession, as it supports the idea that librarians should be better prepared to support these patrons in storytime programming and that institutions should facilitate librarian efforts through information exchanges. Finally, this study establishes that there is a need for further exploration of inclusivity for children with disabilities and developmental delays in storytime programming
“Wellbeing Through Reading”: The Impact of a Public Library and Healthcare Library Partnership Initiative in England
No full textObjective – This project sought to build upon a reader development tool, Many Roads to Wellbeing, developed by a health librarian in a mental health NHS Trust in Birmingham, England, by piloting reading group sessions in the main public library in the city using wellbeing-themed stories and poems. The aim was to establish whether a “wellbeing through reading” program can help reading group participants to experience key facets of wellbeing as defined by the Five Ways to Wellbeing.
Methods – The program developers ran 15 monthly sessions at the Library of Birmingham. These were advertised using the Meetup social media tool to reach a wider client base than existing library users; members of the public who had self-prescribed to the group and were actively seeking wellbeing. A health librarian selected wellbeing-themed short stories and poems and facilitated read aloud sessions. The Library of Birmingham provided facilities and a member of staff to help support each session.
Results – A total of 131 participants attended the 15 sessions that were hosted. There was a 95% response rate to the questionnaire survey. Of the respondents, 91% felt that sessions had helped them to engage with all of the Five Ways to Wellbeing. The three elements of Five Ways to Wellbeing that participants particularly engaged with were Connect (n=125), Take Notice (n=123), and Keep Learning (n=124).
Conclusion – The reading program proved to be successful in helping participants to experience multiple dimensions of wellbeing. This project presents a new way of evaluating a bibliotherapy scheme for impact on wellbeing, as well as being an example of effective partnership working between the healthcare sector and a public library.
Academic Librarian Search Committee Members Identify Inclusivity Concerns with On-Campus Interview Practices
No full textA Review of:
Houk, K. & Neilson, J. (2023). Inclusive hiring in academic libraries: A qualitative analysis of attitudes and reflections of search committee members. College and Research Libraries, 84(4), 568-588. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.84.4.568
Objective – To understand how academic librarian search committee members’ perceptions and attitudes affect the equitability and inclusiveness of the on-campus interview process.
Design – Thematic text analysis of open-ended responses to short-answer questions from an online survey.
Setting – Online survey conducted between February and March of 2021.
Subjects – 166 academic librarians who had served on hiring committees for academic librarians in North America between 2016 and 2020.
Methods – Participants for the 33-question survey were recruited through several academic library listservs and social media postings on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The researchers first individually reviewed and coded all responses for short answer survey questions, then reviewed the codes together. Finally, a thematic map was developed after the researchers reached a consensus on their shared approach to coding and generating clusters of meanings.
Main Results – Six major clusters were identified through thematic coding of participants’ text responses concerning their experiences of on-campus interview practices as hiring committee members. These themes represented challenges to the inclusiveness of academic librarian searches, and included search committees’ treatment of the interview process as either intentional or situational tests (1), reliance on the ambiguously defined selection criteria of fit (2), experience with varying levels of commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and accessibility (DEIAA) values (3), frustration with prevalence of institutional bureaucracy throughout the hiring process (4), and uneven adoptions of inclusive hiring (5) or reflective practices (6). The researchers also noted a common respondent mistake of misinterpreting equal (i.e., identical) treatment of candidates as evidence of equitable interview practices.
Conclusion – Findings from this study highlighted the importance of academic institutions and hiring committees adopting reflective practices to critically and intentionally incorporate DEIAA-informed practices in planning and conducting academic librarian searches. The authors also stressed the need to reduce possible biases in hiring practices favoring candidates who conforms to White, ableist, and heteronormative culture and values. Examples of these efforts included considering the necessity of each interview element for assessing candidate performances, proactively ensuring full accessibility of the interview itinerary, and operationalizing the definition of “fit” in assessing candidates’ abilities.
A Survey on Student Use of Generative AI Chatbots for Academic Research
No full textObjectives – To understand how many undergraduate and graduate students use generative AI as part of their academic work, how often they use it, and for what tasks they use it. We also sought to identify how trustworthy students find generative AI and how they would feel about a locally maintained generative AI tool. Finally, we explored student interest in trainings related to using generative AI in academic work. This survey will help librarians better understand the rate at which generative AI is being adopted by university students and the need for librarians to incorporate generative AI into their work.
Methods – A team of three library staff members and one student intern created, executed, and analyzed a survey of 360 undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard University. The survey was distributed via email lists and at cafes and libraries throughout campus. Data were collected and analyzed using Qualtrics.
Results – We found that nearly 65% of respondents have used or plan to use generative AI chatbots for academic work, even though most respondents (65%) do not find their outputs trustworthy enough for academic work. The findings show that students actively use these tools but desire guidance around effectively using them.
Conclusion – This research shows students are engaging with generative AI for academic work but do not fully trust the information that it produces. Librarians must be at the forefront of understanding the significant impact this technology will have on information-seeking behaviors and research habits. To effectively support students, librarians must know how to use these tools to advise students on how to critically evaluate AI output and effectively incorporate it into their research
