Library and Information Research (LIR)
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Implementing Koha at Regent University College, Ghana: A case study of options, opportunities and challenges
Get PDFThis paper shares the automation experience of Regent University College in relation to the selection and implementation of Koha library management system. It is a first time automation project which looked at the options available to Regent, a private university in Ghana. The background information and the literature review provide the context for the decision to choose the ‘independent’ route of a wholly in-house solution. Koha as an open source system meets the systems requirements and financial needs of Regent. In addition, it provided the Project team with the ‘sandbox’ in which to try its hands at offering the Koha solution to Regent. Examples from earlier adopters of Koha guided the selection and adoption and the ten-month account gives the detail of events leading to the selection and adoption. Lessons learnt include the development of staff expertise, working strengths of library and IT staff, and project management skills. The benefits are cost savings made for the parent institution and service improvement for the Regent Ghana Library. The major challenge was staff time and commitment to the full implementation of the project. Also, as the first reported case study on Koha in Ghana, it serves as guide to would be adopters of the library syste
Research support for academics: Case studies of two Vietnamese Universities
Get PDFWith the introduction of quality assurance and accreditation requirements for Vietnamese universities, academics are under increasing pressure with regard to teaching workloads and improved research outcomes, for example, in the number and quality of research publications produced (Ninh, 2013; MoET, 2017a). Using two prominent Vietnamese universities as case studies, this paper explores the ways in which the libraries in the two universities currently provide support for research, the gaps in service provision, and the issues that impact on the ability of libraries to provide a high standard of service. The findings provided some insights into the type of strategies that could be adopted in the future, emphasising the need to involve collaboration with other university services, improvements in library staff research skills and knowledge, and ways of overcoming the barriers of organisational, cultural and social attitudes
Worley, L., & Spells, S. (2014). BIALL handbook of legal information management (2nd ed.). Farnham: Ashgate.
Get PDFThe development and use of a research self-efficacy scale to assess the effectiveness of a research training program for academic librarians
Get PDFResearch self-efficacy – or research confidence – has been shown to be a predictor of research productivity. There is also some evidence that it is a mediating factor between the research training environment and research productivity. To explore the connection between research training and research self-efficacy, the authors developed, validated, and later expanded a scale to measure research self-efficacy among academic librarians. They used the expanded 38-item scale to measure the research self-efficacy of participants from a three-year research training workshop for academic librarians, comparing results before and after the workshop. Participants experienced significant increases in research self-efficacy across all 38-questions, within the annual cohorts and across all three years. The question-level results were used to make changes to the summer workshops in Years 2 and 3, in order to improve the effectiveness of the summer workshop to increase research self-efficacy. This study confirms that a measurement of research self-efficacy can be a useful tool in assessing the effectiveness of research training and improving that training
DE SAULLES, Martin. Information 2.0: New models of information production, distribution and consumption. 2nd Edition. London: Facet Publishing. 2015.
No full textCLOONAN, Michèle Valerie. Preserving our heritage: perspectives from antiquity to the digital age. London: Facet. 2015.
Get PDFBetween digital inclusion and social equality: The role of public libraries in Newcastle upon Tyne
Get PDFThis paper is based on findings obtained from a qualitative research on the role of public library service in reducing digital inequalities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Newcastle upon Tyne. Semi-structured interviews with four libraries’ staff members, direct observation during ordinary activities and events organised by libraries aimed to explore both the role played by public libraries in reducing digital inequalities and the current challenges that these actors face to promote digital and social equality. On the one hand, it identifies positive impacts produced by the public libraries through digital education and digital infrastructures on disadvantaged neighbourhoods; on the other, it identifies some barriers experienced by public library authorities in providing such services
Information literacy as a tool to support political participation
Get PDFRecent political events have raised the profile of information literacy as a potential tool for supporting informed political participation. This article emphasises the importance of supporting political engagement through information provision and information literacy development, drawing on findings from two research projects to discuss what information needs young people have in relation to political engagement and identify some examples of work taking place in Scottish school libraries to help young people develop political knowledge and feel able to participate meaningfully in democratic processes. Some of the main barriers to libraries engaging with this work are also discussed