Current trends and issues affecting academic libraries and leadership skills

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 78-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Aslam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Effective Leadership ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
The World

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on major issues and trends of academic libraries and leadership in the changing nature of higher education. Changing environment of academic libraries has impacted significantly on the knowledge, skills requirement and role of the library leaders, and how organizations can maintain and manage the changing nature of academic libraries as well as leadership while effective leadership is extremely required for the library leaders and organizations are concern about future scenarios. The primary objective is to identify the key challenges in libraries, leadership skills and approaches of the leaders, their effective leadership traits and future perceptions are discussed. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this paper is to facilitate as how to develop effective and successful leadership for the academic libraries during the changing nature of higher education. The findings and recommendations in the paper are based on personal experience of leadership positions in an academic library as well as experience of library leaders across the world. Findings Academic libraries are facing similar challenges and issues across the world. This paper identifies that library leaders need to be effective communicators, strategic thinkers, visionary, and able to examine the new ways of working. Originality/value This paper discusses why academic library leaders need a set of new skills and how can they develop leadership skills and competencies in the changing nature of academic libraries.

Big data and academic libraries: is it big for something or big for nothing?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeyinka Tella ◽  
Kehinde Khadijat Kadri
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Review Analysis ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The paper examined big data and academic libraries and emphasized whether it is big for something or nothing. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual and review analysis of documents was adopted to determine the concept of big data, the sources, the features, the relevance to academic libraries, specific case studies from around the world that have made use of big data, uses of big data in academic libraries, a review of best practices in the use of big data in academic libraries and the challenges. Findings The paper reports that although big data is indeed very big in academic libraries because there are evidences of its adoption and best practices in its use in academic libraries across the world, available challenges can render it big for nothing. Research limitations/implications This study is limited in terms of using literature review approach to discuss big data and academic libraries. The study is also limited in terms of focusing academic libraries and not taken other types of libraries into consideration. Practical implications The study has created awareness on the part of academic libraries stakeholders including authorities, librarians and users on the relevance of big data in academic and how big indeed it is in academic library landscape. The study also implied future related studies can borrow ideas from the current studies, which will inform whether an empirical evaluation is possible on the subject matter. Originality/value The paper is the original idea by the author, and it is to emphasize the relevance of big data in academic libraries and to prepare academic libraries that have not been tapping the opportunities of big data to get ready.

Is the need for mediated reference service in academic libraries fading away in the digital environment?

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 596-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Bandyopadhyay ◽  
Mary Kate Boyd-Byrnes
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reference Services ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Reflective Questions

Purpose Academic libraries are experiencing numerous changes in their services due to high demands for digital resources and changes in users’ information needs and expectations. Many academic library users give preferences to Google, Google Scholar and other search engines on the internet when they search for information. As reference transactions are decreasing in many academic institutions, this paper aims to investigate the continuing need for mediated reference services in the technology-driven environment in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach The authors have conducted a literature review to document and analyze the current trends in reference services in academic libraries. They have examined the relevant published literature through a series of reflective questions to determine whether the demise of mediated reference services is imminent in academic libraries. While this literature review is by no means an exhaustive one, the authors have provided a fairly comprehensive representation of articles to synthesize an overview of the history, evolution, and current trends of reference services in academic libraries. Findings This paper clearly demonstrates the importance of human-mediated reference services in academic libraries. It reinforces the need for skilled, knowledgeable professional librarians to provide effective and efficient reference services in a digital environment. Practical implications This paper provides a comprehensive overview of current trends in reference services in academic libraries and analyzes the merits and demerits of these trends to establish the need for mediated reference services in academic libraries. The arguments used in this paper will be useful for library and informational professionals as validation for the need to hire skilled, knowledgeable reference librarians to provide reference services in a digital environment. Originality/value This paper critically looks at the current trends and practices in reference services through the published literature to determine the future need for mediated reference services in academic libraries. It offers important insights to demonstrate why professional librarians’ skills, knowledge and expertise are essential to provide efficient reference services in the digital age.

Academic library leadership in the digital age

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 300-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binh P. Le
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Leadership ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Web

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on academic library leadership in the digital age. Primarily, the goals are to identify: first, the top five major challenges facing academic library leadership; second, the top five most important leadership skills required for effective academic library leadership; and finally, the top five best ways to develop these academic library leadership skills. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted to elicit responses from individuals who hold senior library leadership positions in American academic libraries throughout the USA. The participants were identified through several means: the web sites of the ALA and its divisions; the web sites of American universities; referrals; and the author’s professional contacts. To simplify the survey research process, e-mails including the survey research questions were sent to potential participants. In all, 38 invitations (n=38) were sent out to large and medium-size academic libraries throughout the USA. Over 36.8 percent (n=14) of the participants returned the survey. The participants represent a wide spectrum of libraries. Findings – The top five major challenges are how to: demonstrate the library values to the university community, operate the library under fiscal uncertainty, retrofit outdated library facilities to accommodate new services, strike a balance between digital and print materials, and keep the library staff trained and current. The top five essential academic library leadership attributes are: vision, integrity, management skills, collaboration skills, and communication skills. The top five best ways to acquire these skills include the need to have mentors, to attend leadership development programs, to gain practical library leadership experience, to seek leadership roles, and to know oneself. Originality/value – Research in this area is rather limited. As a result, this study will contribute to the academic library leadership literature and help current and aspiring academic library leaders worldwide with insightful leadership lessons needed to lead academic libraries successfully in this transformational era.

Changing behavior of academic libraries and role of library professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Aslam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Library Professionals

Purpose This paper aims to discover the key challenges and identifies reasons for the changing behavior of academic libraries and the role of library professionals, and how can they manage those challenges in a time of change. The paper reveals the most important competencies in a reshaping environment of libraries and the best ways of dealing with change. Library professionals are struggling to reform their traditional ways of working and trying to boost their knowledge and skills as current demand for higher education. Organizations can play an important role to develop willingness for accepting change and reduce stress among employees and prepare them to accept new systems and reality by creating collaborative and supporting environments that provide opportunities for growth and improvement. All library professionals must have the eagerness to keep up with the emerging trends and prepare themselves to accept changes that would have a direct impact on the libraries and the role of library professionals. Academic libraries have similar issues and challenges around the world, those are outcomes of technological advancement, digital resources, innovative services and diversity in higher education; therefore, the role of library professionals is changing. Design/methodology/approach The research method is built on literature reviews from offline and online. The systematic literature review method is used to review full-text databases such as EBSCO, ProQuest, Library Literature and Information Science databases. Basic search options for keyword searching and advanced searching options have been used to retrieve the relevant papers on the right topic. A total of 113 papers were collected at the initial stage, but after their analysis in detail, they were reduced to 52 scholarly and peer-reviewed papers because the rest of the papers did not exactly express relevant content on the topic. Findings Library professionals are struggling to keep up with the new competencies and adopt the innovative system and reality because diversity is rapidly changing. The best ways of dealing with change include reform the traditional ways to new ways of working and create collaboration at all levels. Librarians are under pressure to develop new skills to deal with the current scenarios that are affecting the role of library professionals. Academic libraries have similar challenges in a rapidly reshaping environment that are needed to address by researchers and library professionals for the present and future of academic libraries. Research limitations/implications This paper is a piece of opinion, 52 appropriate papers on the topic have been reviewed from the peer-reviewed journals, not all publications were included. The existing literature described that there is a need for growth and improvement of academic libraries and workforce in financial crises because they play fundamental roles in society by offering services and information resources, so library professionals need to be very aware of these implications. Originality/value The literature on this particular topic is relatively limited. Therefore, this paper is the first to offer a systematic literature review on the changing behavior of academic libraries and the role of library professionals. This paper provides insights into the concept of adopting change and dealing with challenges in a time of change. It adds value to the library and information sciences literature and delivers outlines for the library professionals.

SWOT analysis of Jamaican academic libraries in higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 246-278
Author(s):  
Sasekea Yoneka Harris
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Academic Librarianship ◽  
Latin America And Caribbean ◽  
Analytical Tools

Purpose Academic libraries do not operate in a vacuum; they must co-exist with change and competition on all levels. In order to succeed, they must know their internal strengths in order to take advantage of opportunities, whilst avoiding threats and addressing weaknesses. A SWOT analysis of Jamaican academic libraries can yield strategic insights for academic library praxis in Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the globe. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Survey and discussion group were engaged for the five local academic libraries in higher education in Jamaica. Findings Human resources and support are the most recurrent themes in the reported strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Research limitations/implications This paper focused on local academic libraries in higher education (university level) in Jamaica. A survey of academic libraries at all levels, and using more detailed strategic analytical tools, would be a useful follow up. Practical implications This paper provides academic library managers and the national/regional library associations with a situational analysis of Jamaican academic librarianship, which can be used to inform future planning and management of library and information services. Additionally, the findings can inform the Latin America and Caribbean section of international library documents on trends, issues and future position of academic libraries globally. Originality/value This paper is of value as it is the first published scholarly documentation on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in academic librarianship in Jamaica. In this regard, it makes a useful contribution to the dearth of literature on SWOT analyses of academic libraries per country. It may also represent a starting point for looking at solutions and emerging challenges in a Caribbean academic library environment and should help to focus on the need for continuing innovation.

The current influential factors in adoption of innovations in university libraries of Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sania Awais ◽  
Kanwal Ameen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Local Context ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adoption Of Innovations ◽  
Library Staff

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the salient factors in adoption of innovations in university libraries of Pakistan. The topic is important because academic libraries need to be innovative for meeting the new vision/mission of higher education. A previous study conducted by the same researchers concluded an inappreciable state of a large majority of university libraries in Pakistan (Awais and Ameen, 2018). It is, therefore, necessary to examine and investigate the ground realities and important factors influencing in the local context.Design/methodology/approachQualitative design is used to explore the important influencing factors. Data are collected through conducting a series of semi-structured interviews from 15 academic library leaders belonging to traditional and 15 with a better status of innovations.FindingsMajor factors like behavioral issues of library staff, lack of trainings, lack of budget and leadership skills are causing hindrance in leading to adopt new trends and innovations. Vision of higher authorities, library team with new skillsets, funding by the Higher Education Commission, etc. favor adoption of innovations. All leaders of the academic libraries need to have a positive strong attitude, vision and planning to overcome the barriers in the path of adoption of innovations to survive and thrive.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted in local context of Pakistan. Only viewpoints of librarians at top level are taken. Viewpoints of higher authorities, library staff and users are not taken for this study. Similarly, viewpoints of only 30 library leaders are taken, which is also a limitation of this study.Practical implicationsTraditional-type library leaders can overcome the barriers by going through the findings and conclusion. They can get ideas from the discussion of innovative-type library leaders.Social implicationsUniversity libraries can be improved by the help of policy makers and higher authorities. Eventually, users would get better learning, teaching and social environment.Originality/valueThe study is conducted in a local context of Pakistan. It may provide a guideline for some future planning and development of university libraries. The research will be also useful in creating awareness among professionals of other developing countries.

scholarly journals User agreements and makerspaces: a content analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 358-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Michele Moorefield-Lang
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
The Body ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Abstract – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the user agreements of makerspaces in public and academic libraries. User agreements, also known as maker agreements, user forms and liability forms, can be very important documents between library patrons, staff and faculty. User agreements are similar to the earlier creation of acceptable use policies for technology use in libraries. The author of this study will delve into the user agreements created for public and academic libraries across the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The researcher used content analysis to investigate 24 different user agreements written for public and academic library makerspaces. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was integrated into this research to aid in the breakdown of commonalities across terms, themes and purpose within the user agreements. Findings – Although makerspaces are a very exciting topic in the field of library science at this time, the implementation of a maker learning space is still new to many libraries. Creating a user agreement for a makerspace is newer still. Most user agreements in this study were six months to a year old. Some consistencies found across makerspace user agreements include liability waivers, permissions for minors, safety, copyright and technology replacement costs. Originality/value – At this time, most publications on makerspaces are held in the realm of popular publications (blogs, magazines, zines, etc.). The body of peer-reviewed and scholarly research on makerspaces is growing. Makerspace user agreements are new to this growing field of interest, and a content analysis of these documents will pave the way for the writing of future forms.

Accreditation and ranking of higher education institutions (HEIs): review, observations and recommendations for the Indian higher education system

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerald Ozee Fernandes ◽  
Balgopal Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education System ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Ranking ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
The World ◽  
Indian Higher Education

PurposeThe higher education system has been entrusted globally to provide quality education, especially to the youth, and equip them with required skills and capabilities. The visionaries and policymakers of the countries around the world have been working relentlessly to improve the standard of the higher education system by establishing national and global accreditation and ranking bodies and expecting measuring performance through setting up accreditation and ranking parameters. This paper focuses on the review of Indian university accreditation and ranking system and determining its efficacy in improving academic quality for achieving good position in global quality accreditation and ranking.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed exploratory research approach to know about the accreditation and ranking issues of Indian higher education institutions to overcome the challenges for being globally competitive. The accreditation and ranking parameters and score of leading Indian universities was collected from secondary data sources. Similarly, the global ranking parameters and scores of these Indian universities with top global universities was explored. The performance gaps of Indian university in global academic quality parameter is assessed by comparing it with scores of global top universities. Further, each domestic and global accreditation and ranking parameters have been taken up for discussion.FindingsThe study identified teaching and learning, research and industry collaboration as common parameter in the accreditation and ranking by Indian and global accreditation and ranking body. Furthermore, the study revealed that Indian accreditation and ranking body assess leniently on parameters and award high scores as compared to rigorous global accreditation and ranking practice. The study revealed that “research” and “citations” are important parameters for securing prestigious position in global ranking, this is the reason Indian universities are trailing. The study exposed that Indian academic fraternity lack prominence in research, publication and citations as per need of global accreditation and ranking standards.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study is that it focused only on few Indian and global accreditation and ranking bodies. The future implication of this study will be the use of methodology designed in this study for comparing accreditation and ranking bodies’ parameters of different continents and countries in different economic development stages i.e. emerging and developed economies to know the disparity and shortcomings in their higher education system.Practical implicationsThe article is a review and comparison of national and global accreditation and ranking parameters. The article explored the important criteria and key indicators of accreditation and ranking that would provide an important and meaningful insight to academic institutions of the emerging economies of the world to develop its competitiveness. The study contributed to the literature on identifying benchmark for improving academic and higher education institution quality. This study would be further helpful in fostering new ideas toward setting up of contemporary globally viable and acceptable academic quality standard.Originality/valueThis is possibly the first study conducted with novel methodology of comparing the Indian and global accreditation and ranking parameters to identify the academic quality performance gap and suggesting ways to attain academic benchmark through continuous improvement activity and process for global competitiveness.

scholarly journals Extending McKinsey’s 7S model to understand strategic alignment in academic libraries

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 313-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Martin Cox ◽  
Stephen Pinfield ◽  
Sophie Rutter
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Influences ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Strategic Position ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise the issues of alignment for changing academic libraries by using and extending McKinsey’s 7S model. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical work was conducted to consider and extend the 7S model for the situation of academic libraries. Empirical data were then used to confirm the value of these extensions and suggest further changes. The data to support the analysis were drawn from 33 interviews with librarians, library and non-library academics and experts, and a survey of UK library staff. Findings In the academic library context, the 7S model can be usefully extended to include three library functions (stuff, space and services) and users. It can also include institutional influences and stakeholders, and aspects of the external environment or situation, including suppliers and allies. The revised model then provides a useful framework within which data about library change can be analysed. Perceived barriers to successful performance fit the model and enable the identification of seven challenges of alignment. Research limitations/implications The resulting model has potential applications such as in the structuring analysis of academic library performance, mapping future directions of development and for exploring variations across the sector and internationally. Practical implications The revised model can be used by practitioners to think through their own strategic position and to act to shape their future, in the light of seven major areas of alignment. Originality/value The paper extends a well-known model used in strategy, to produce a more comprehensive, sector-specific analytic tool.

Assessment committees: good practices from ARL libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle H. Brannen ◽  
Sojourna J. Cunningham ◽  
Regina Mays
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
Library Assessment ◽  
Current State ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Assessment Activities

Purpose Assessment activities in academic libraries continue to grow as libraries explore assessment endeavors. Ranging from basic stats gathering and reporting to surveys, focus groups, and usability studies and beyond. Many practitioners are finding it necessary to create new processes and programs, with little guidance. The purpose of this paper is to paint a broad picture of assessment activities in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) university libraries with the goal of creating a resource for libraries developing or improving their assessment programs. Design/methodology/approach A survey was developed that asked questions about assessment personnel, activities, mission, and website. A total of 113 surveys were sent to academic library members of ARL. Survey results were analyzed to compile a list of recommended good practices for assessment and working with assessment committees in academic libraries. Findings The investigators had a response rate of 43 percent. The open-ended nature of the survey questions allowed for the respondents to specifically narrow down the problems and opportunities inherent in library assessment committees. Originality/value This study takes the temperature of the current state of assessment programs in ARL libraries, demonstrating the growth of assessment programs. It begins to document the practices of these libraries, particularly in regards to the sometimes informal and hard to track use of committees and other in-house collaborations, as a first step toward developing best practices for the field. The results illuminate productive areas for further study, including investigating how to measure a culture of assessment and maximizing impact of assessment information presented on assessment websites.

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