SKILLS FOR FUTURE AND CURRENT LIBRARY AND INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS – PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN NEW DELHI

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Sara Dreyfuss ◽  
Marianne Ryan

Academic librarians are expected to contribute to the profession through scholarship, service, and creativity. Many are specifically encouraged to publish, but they frequently are unsure where to begin. In this column, two editors with decades of experience at the editor’s desk offer guidance to help librarians and other information professionals get their work published. Good management of both time and the scarce resources for library research requires that the hard work of writing an article not be wasted. A few simple steps will help aspiring authors create a finished product that will be accepted for publication in a leading journal and thus enable them to share new knowledge with others in the profession.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 354-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Morrison ◽  
Jane Secker

Purpose Librarians and information professionals increasingly need to deal with copyright issues in their work, however evidence suggests that they can lack confidence and often refer queries to a dedicated copyright specialist. The purpose of this paper is to explore the professional experiences of copyright of a group of academic librarians in the UK, with a view to devising appropriate copyright education strategies. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted using phenomenography, which is a qualitative approach from education. Data were collected though group interviews to explore the variation of experience. Four categories of description were devised which are placed in an outcome space. Findings There were four qualitatively distinct ways that librarians experience copyright in their professional lives, including viewing it as a problem, as complicated, as a known entity and as an opportunity. The variations in experience relate to a variety of factors such as the librarians’ role, ideology, level of experience, context and with whom they might be dealing. Originality/value This is the first study of this nature, building on quantitative findings from a multinational survey. It concludes that librarians need to be taught about copyright in a way that acknowledges and addresses the challenges so that they can view it as empowering and as part of wider information literacy initiatives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 172-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro ◽  
Onyedikachi G. Obaro ◽  
Emetarom Doris Aduba

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess digital literacy skills possessed by library and information professionals working in university libraries in Africa. Design/methodology/approach Online questionnaire was developed to collect data from 214 librarians working in various university libraries in English-speaking countries in Africa. Findings The study found that librarians working in university libraries in Africa rated their database search skills, uploading documents to online platforms, skills in using different social media, sending and receiving e-mails skill, digital library development skills, skills in applying new technologies into library services, ability to create different file formats and ability to use open source software as very high. While, metadata development skills, and library website development skills were rated to be moderate and low. Overall, the librarians rated their level of digital literacy skills possessed to be moderate, and differences emerged between librarians in Nigeria and South Africa with regard to digital literacy skills possessed. Practical implications This study attempts to identify skills that are central to librarians working in university libraries. The study will be useful for trainers who want to arrange training for academic librarians in Africa and other developing countries. For some library schools, it may help them to review their curriculum in accordance with the required skills and competencies for academic librarians in the market. Originality/value Findings will be helpful to explore the skills and competencies needed by information professionals and to act as a guideline for competency development and curriculum update in library schools in developing countries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Tattersall

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities altmetrics offer to library and information professionals as part of their research support provision. This paper examines what altmetrics are and how they can offer another useful metric to help academics engage with a variety of interested parties over the web. Design/methodology/approach The paper considers the emergence of altmetrics as a research measurement and scholarly communication tool and the impact on academic libraries. It also identifies existing metrics and explores their shortcomings as well as how these can be bridged by altmetrics. Findings Altmetrics offer a wealth of opportunities for library and information professionals to make better strategic decisions, explore their own institution’s research output and provide scholarly communications intelligence to their research community. Originality/value The value in this paper lies in encouraging academic librarians and information professionals to explore altmetrics for themselves and align any new knowledge with existing services and skills, in particular around metrics and digital media.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana K. Wakimoto ◽  
Christine Susan Bruce

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the varying ways in which academic archivists in the USA experience archives, how these experiences compare to those of academic librarians and how we can use these findings to improve communication and collaboration. Design/methodology/approach – Using a phenomenographic research approach, academic archivists were interviewed and the transcripts were examined to develop categories reflecting varying experiences. Findings – There are three different ways of experiencing archives: as organizational records, as archival enterprise and as connection. The connection category is a more complex way of experiencing archives as it incorporates the aspects of the other two categories as well as the awareness of archives connecting people to their histories. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to academic archivists in the USA. Practical implications – Understanding that there are different ways of experiencing archives means that information professionals should clarify their definitions of before beginning collaborative projects. Also, by understanding these varying experiences, information professions should be able to communicate and engage more fully with each other and their users in projects and programs that leverage archival collections. Originality/value – This is the first study to use phenomenography to investigate archivists’ experiences of archives. This understanding of the lived experience of archivists, combined with understanding how librarians experience archives, should enable better communication and ultimately collaboration between the two professions.


Author(s):  
Harimohan Garg ◽  
Haritej Anand Khirawari ◽  
Sona Priyadarshi

Background: Pancytopenia is diagnosed when there is a reduction in all three hematopoietic cell lines. Till date there is limited number of studies on the frequency of various causes of pancytopenia. Of these some have been reported from the Indian subcontinent. There appears to be a changing spectrum of pancytopenia over the past two decades. The objective was to study the etiopathological spectrum of adult patients with pancytopenia over a period of one and half year. Methods: The Prospective and retrospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Family Medicine, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, New Delhi.  A total of 120 Patients were included in the study. All patients gave their consent to take part in the study and were subjected to a questionnaire regarding symptoms, past relevant history, lifestyle and detailed clinical examination and investigations as mentioned in materials and methods. Results: Six broad diagnostic groups could be identified in adults with pancytopenia. Megaloblastic anemia (D1) was the largest group comprising 57.5% of all patients. 11.7% of patients with pancytopenia were diagnosed as Aplastic anemia (D2).11.7% of patients with pancytopenia were diagnosed as leukemia/lymphoma (D3) such as lymphoma (1), metastatic anaplastic carcinoma (1), acute leukemia (11), and metastatic gastric carcinoma (1). 15% of patients with pancytopenia were diagnosed with infections (D4) such as complicated malaria cases (7), HIV (5), disseminated tuberculosis (4), viral (2). We also encountered (D5) 0.8% was Myelophthisis/Storage disorder as myelodysplastic syndrome (1) and 3.3% were other (D6) as reactive marrow (4). Conclusion: Pancytopenia is not a disease itself. It is a hematological feature of varying etiology with slight male preponderance. Megaloblastic anemia along with mixed nutritional anemia is leading cause of pancytopenia in India followed by infections being second and aplastic anemia and acute leukemia being third common causes. Keyword: Pancytopenia, Megaloblastic anemia, Nutritional anemia.


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