The chief learning officer

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 380-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Farrell

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to put forward the position of chief learning officer (CLO) as a potential new role or models for new roles in libraries wishing to integrate human resources, strategic planning, and budgeting. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the history and present functions of the CLO role in the corporate world, correlating work within the library field with key aspects of the position as way by which to conceptualize the integration of disparate library operations. Findings The position of CLO has not yet entered the library and information science (LIS) discourse. Practical implications Libraries that do not have CLO-like positions in their organizations may benefit from adopting or adapting the position to their libraries. Originality/value The paper introduces the CLO position to the field of LIS.

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 843-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Hill ◽  
Jen J.L. Pecoskie

Purpose Fanfiction communities are actively engaged in creating cultural products. These large online communities have created and developed conventions that guide their solutions to gathering and presenting their work. The purpose of this paper is to investigate those conventions looking for evidence of information-related pursuits as serious leisure (SL) (Stebbins, 2007). Design/methodology/approach A diverse collection of fanfiction publishing platforms, blogs, and associated websites were subject to a qualitative inductive analysis (Lincoln and Guba, 1985). Platforms included both generalist sites like Archive of Our Own and more focused sites such as Teen Wolf Fic Finder. Findings Findings show significant information-related activities around collecting, wayfinding, and organizing. Collecting centers on platform policies focused on scope. Wayfinding relates to peer review as well as various reference-like work including reader’s advisory, reference questioning, and the creation of pathfinders. Organizing looks to the unique organizational schema created and used by the fanfiction communities. Research limitations/implications The authors explore implications of these activities in reference to the fanfiction community and the library and information science (LIS) discipline. The fanfiction community is shifting out of an ephemeral existence and into one of a more permanent digital heritage. Fanfiction is an SL pursuit that also has much to offer for consideration to the LIS discipline. Practical implications With respect to the wayfinding and organizing conventions of fanfiction communities, these activities provide librarianship with the opportunity to consider traditional activities in new ways. Originality/value Fanfiction is a little studied phenomenon in SL and in LIS. This research provides connections to both areas.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-150
Author(s):  
Philip Bradley White

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the value of the Master of Library and Information Science degree from the perspective of a recent graduate and practicing academic librarian. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a viewpoint supported by current literature and practical experience. Findings The author presents ideas for integrating theory into skills-based education and advocates for greater emphasis on technical skill development in Library and Information Science (LIS) education. Practical implications LIS educators may benefit from a recent graduate’s evaluation of LIS education because it relates to hireability and job performance. Originality/value The paper represents the author’s points of view.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marietjie De Beer ◽  
Marieta Van der Merwe ◽  
Liezl Ball ◽  
Ina Fourie

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by national libraries regarding the legal deposit of electronic books, and to make recommendations for issues to consider – especially with regard to developing, planning and implementing. Design/methodology/approach – Literature published from 2000 to 2014 on legal deposit of electronic publications was examined. Key databases covering library and information science were searched, and case studies, general reviews, research papers/reports and view point articles were considered. Findings – National libraries embarking on projects on legal deposit of electronic books need to consider the collection, preservation and accessibility of the legal deposit collection. They face challenges regarding legal deposit legislation and institutional policy, legal considerations such as copyright, environmental factors, established mechanisms for deposit, information retrieval and access, preservation, human resources, financial implications and trust. Further research and continued monitoring of issues of concern and changes are required due to technological developments and the obsolescence of technology. Practical implications – The review raises awareness of issues that need to be considered by national libraries and other repositories to manage the legal deposit of electronic books in their institutions. Originality/value – The review can serve as a guide for nations (particularly in developing countries) to embark on the legal deposit of electronic publications, specifically electronic books.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Ray

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a perspective on the development of digital curation education and practice in museums in the USA. Design/methodology/approach Methods used include: a historical overview of the development of digital curation, originally as a field of practice – primarily in the sciences – and then as a field of study; a case study of the adaptation of a digital curation curriculum (DigCCurr) framework developed in schools of library and information science (LIS) to a museum studies program; and a discussion of trends in digital curation practices in museums. Findings The case study (the digital curation certificate program of Johns Hopkins University’s museum studies program) describes a successful adaptation of the LIS DigCCurr framework in a museum studies program. Practical implications Findings could help to advance the museum field through the integration of digital curation education, practice and research. Social implications By adopting and supporting digital curation practices, education and research, museums can reach and engage more online users seeking information about museum collections. More online users may also become onsite visitors. Originality/value There is little existing literature on digital curation education in museum studies programs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liangzhi Yu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to redefine information and other associated library and information science (LIS) concepts and to reformulate the mission of the library and information profession and the problem of LIS using these concepts. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts a deductive approach to conceptualization, starting from one given, a priori concept. Findings – This paper develops a constellation of concepts which offer mutual clarification for each other. Having defined data by drawing on its existing denotations, it defines “information” as the combined product of data and meaning, and “document” as the combined product of information and media; it defines “knowledge” as one type of meaning and “work” as one type of information. It shows that the mission of the library and information profession is to ensure maximum discoverability and accessibility of information, and that LIS is structured into two fields correspondingly, each consisting of three tiers of knowledge: philosophical foundations, theories, and technologies. Practical implications – The redefinition of basic LIS concepts may have practical implications for LIS curriculum design and for the cultivation of professional identity among LIS students in the all-encompassing I-Schools. Originality/value – This study has formed a coherent conceptual framework for LIS and has clarified the hitherto rather confusing relationship between data, information, and knowledge, and the rather nebulous structure of LIS problems; it sheds some light on the source of conflicts between the subjective and objective conceptualization of information and questions the prevailing understanding of work as ideas or meanings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-14

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings How cynical are large organizations? The charge often laid at their door is that, in fact, they are very cynical indeed, and human resources (HRs) house some of the most conceited maneuvers known in the corporate world. Surely not, you might say – is not modern HR practice employee-focused with huge attention to well-being? Well, that is what many observers would point out makes it so cynical, as some claim operations are purposefully created to appear to be the epitome of a caring, sharing organization when, in fact, they are simply an attempt to deflect attention from the cold, hard facts of their operation. Practical implications This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value This briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Stephen Flynn

Purpose – Dissects “partnership” and “strategy” in the context of the work of HR. Design/methodology/approach – Shows that it is not that HR is unclear about its role in the corporate world but that the exhortations of commentators are too simplistic. Findings – Reveals that the continuing and continual debate over HR's role is a product of the role conflict inherent in the HR profession itself. Emphasizes the importance of balancing the needs of employees with those of managers, which is at the heart of HR. Practical implications – Contends that divorcing the operational from the strategic denies the strategic the field intelligence that informs and proves strategy. The disparate, mundane operational tasks associated with HR specialists aggregate into the field intelligence that feeds their strategic perspective. Severing the connection between HR strategy and HR operations impoverishes any kind of strategic input available to HR. Social implications – Advances the view that managers and employees see their day-to-day requests as important and that these apparently mundane matters are the nuggets that inform HR's strategic input. Originality/value – Emphasizes that there is an organizational and employee aspect to every element of HR and that the HR specialist should accept both of these.


2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-397
Author(s):  
Louise Spiteri ◽  
Jen Pecoskie

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an examination of emotional experiences, particularly how they are situated in the readers’ advisory (RA) literature and the literatures from a variety of outside disciplines in order to create taxonomies of affect from this context. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this study is twofold. First, this work reviews the literature on affect in Library and Information Science (LIS) and ancillary disciplines in order to understand the definition of affect. Second, using extant taxonomies and resources noted from the literature review, taxonomies are created for three aspects of affect: emotions, tones, and associations. Findings This paper contextualises and defines affect for the LIS discipline. Further, a result of the work is the creation of three taxonomies through an RA lens by which affective experiences can be classified. The resulting three taxonomies focus on emotion, tone, and associations. Practical implications The taxonomies of emotion, tone, and associations can be applied to the practical work of bibliographic description, helping to expand access and organisation through an affective lens. These taxonomies of affect could be used by readers’ advisors to help readers describe their desired reading experiences. As the taxonomies have been constructed from an RA perspective, and can be applied to the RA literature, they could expand the understanding of RA theory, especially that of appeal. Originality/value This study furthers the exploration of affect in LIS and provides tangible taxonomies of affect for the LIS discipline in an RA context, which have not been previously produced.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Macdonald ◽  
Briony Birdi

Purpose Neutrality is a much debated value in library and information science (LIS). The “neutrality debate” is characterised by opinionated discussions in contrasting contexts. The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature by bringing these conceptions together holistically, with potential to deepen understanding of LIS neutrality. Design/methodology/approach First, a literature review identified conceptions of neutrality reported in the LIS literature. Second, seven phenomenographic interviews with LIS professionals were conducted across three professional sectors. To maximise variation, each sector comprised at least one interview with a professional of five or fewer years’ experience and one with ten or more years’ experience. Third, conceptions from the literature and interviews were compared for similarities and disparities. Findings In four conceptions, each were found in the literature and interviews. In the literature, these were labelled: “favourable”, “tacit value”, “social institutions” and “value-laden profession”, whilst in interviews they were labelled: “core value”, “subservient”, “ambivalent”, and “hidden values”. The study’s main finding notes the “ambivalent” conception in interviews is not captured by a largely polarised literature, which oversimplifies neutrality’s complexity. To accommodate this complexity, it is suggested that future research should look to reconcile perceptions from either side of the “neutral non-neutral divide” through an inclusive normative framework. Originality/value This study’s value lies in its descriptive methodology, which brings LIS neutrality together in a holistic framework. This framework brings a contextual awareness to LIS neutrality lacking in previous research. This awareness has the potential to change the tone of the LIS neutrality debate.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Maghrebi ◽  
Claude Sammut ◽  
S. Travis Waller

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the implementation of machine learning (ML) techniques in order to automatically measure the feasibility of performing ready mixed concrete (RMC) dispatching jobs. Design/methodology/approach – Six ML techniques were selected and tested on data that was extracted from a developed simulation model and answered by a human expert. Findings – The results show that the performance of most of selected algorithms were the same and achieved an accuracy of around 80 per cent in terms of accuracy for the examined cases. Practical implications – This approach can be applied in practice to match experts’ decisions. Originality/value – In this paper the feasibility of handling complex concrete delivery problems by ML techniques is studied. Currently, most of the concrete mixing process is done by machines. However, RMC dispatching still relies on human resources to complete many tasks. In this paper the authors are addressing to reconstruct experts’ decisions as only practical solution.


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