Library and Information Research (LIR)
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The Electronic Libraries programme: A progress report.
Get PDFTo give a progress report or a "snapshot" of the Electronic Libraries Programme is a challenging task. The programme, while still in its early stages, is progressing and expanding at a rapid rate. As libraries everywhere continue to grapple with and understand new information technologies,
the eLib programme also reacts and adjusts to new developments. This article will attempt to give
an overview of current eLib status by offering some examples and illustrations which, it must be remembered, form only a part of a much larger whole. Although the eLib programme consists of many projects, its strength is in the knowledge gathered and disseminated by the programme in its entirety. While individual projects have individual deliverables, the main deliverable of the eLib programme is knowledge - it seeks to provide answers to the important question of how UK academic libraries\u27 services can best support and progress their HE Institutions into the 21st century
Peer-led literacy: a prison library’s collaboration with the Shannon Trust
Get PDFThis case study interrogates the delivery of the Shannon Trust literacy programme in a men’s category B London prison (HMP Wandsworth). This includes an exploration of prison libraries’ collaboration with the Shannon Trust, and how prison library staff practically facilitate the programme; from selecting prisoners to become literacy mentors, finding prisoners willing to become learners, and collecting feedback. This study also looks at some of the challenges faced by prison-based Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals when delivering a programme such as this. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for other LIS professionals considering programme delivery in the prison context
Scotland\u27s public libraries are nothing but practical when it comes to deselection
Get PDFThis paper is based on results from qualitative research into Scotland’s public libraries collection development practices and the thoughts of library staff in regards to deselection (referred to in this paper as weeding). An open-text online survey promoted through professional newsletters, word of month, and social media, solicited rich, personal input from practicing library staff on the role, practice, and future of deselection in public libraries. From 36 responses, three main themes were developed: public perception, the role of governance, and continunity concerns. With pressure to provide the latest technology and published works for users, all in safe, usable spaces, Scotland’s libraries are weeding to remain relevant and responsive. Governance structures controlled policy and implementation of weeding practices, with respondents from Scottish public libraries overwhelming weeding via stock exchanges or with assistance from library headquarter teams/professional staff. The larger concern for collection development staff was having the budget, time and staff to make weeding a continuous, efficient process.
Blended professionals: the problem of legitimacy for UK librarians as teachers in Higher Education
Get PDFThe varied role of librarians in Higher Education increasingly includes a substantial amount of teaching, supported by expertise in learning design, pedagogy and technology enhanced delivery of learning. This role is demonstrably misunderstood or underestimated outside the profession, leading to difficulty for librarians achieving recognition for their expertise. This research analyses the job descriptions for 41 Higher Education librarian roles, advertised between Autumn 2016 and Summer 2017, cross-referencing them with the Higher Education Academy’s UK Professional Standards Framework, demonstrating the extent of librarian experience in learning and teaching. The job descriptions demonstrate that teaching forms a significant part of many librarian roles in HE and that Fellowship of the HEA is an attainable aim. It also indicates areas for development for librarians, in particular around assessing and providing feedback to learners. Potential further research is suggested to extend this project
Beyond the search process: Exploring the affective stages in developing a research proposal
Get PDFThis research aims to investigate the affective stages developed in the Information Search Process (ISP) model developed by Carol Kuhlthau. The purpose of this study was to understand how feelings relate to the six stages of conducting a research proposal. Feelings experienced by information seekers include optimism, clarity, confidence and satisfaction or uncertainty, confusion, frustration, and disappointment. This work specifies how feelings affect the various phases of the research process. A qualitative methodology was used for this study. Twenty Information Studies (IS) graduate students from the Social Science department at Kuwait University, who had taken the Research Methods course, were selected for the study using purposive sampling. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in order to collect feelings, perceptions, and views of the participants. Data collected were analysed using the narrative approach of the interviews. The results showed that the feelings of students changed during the different stages of Kuhlthau’s ISP model. The study indicates significant implications for research on information behaviour. It may help students and teachers to be aware of the affective role at different stages of their research proposal writing. It also assesses the possible contribution of intermediaries in helping students during the research writing process
A reach/significance cross-over: a strategy for demonstrating the impact of our research
Get PDFIt is expected in many different areas of professional and academic life that an individual can prove to others the impact of their research and, in recent years, the criteria of reach and significance have become common means of demonstrating the value of one’s work. In highlighting the former, there may be an inclination to concentrate on statistical measurement. Yet, as this paper reveals, another option lies in emphasising the variety of citing material that has come to light as part of the individual’s efforts to showcase the significance of their impact. The article outlines ten ways in which the diversity of the documents – and their authors – can be shown. Insights relating to separate criteria can be used in concert so as to strengthen an overall claim and thus provide a more compelling argument that one’s research has had a substantial effect on others
