scholarly journals Serving Transgender Patrons in Academic Libraries

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gustav Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Federal Legislation ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Library Staff

This essay explores library service to transgender patrons looking first at relevant federal legislation and library policies that support services and then discussing steps library staff can take to provide meaningful support for transgender patrons.

scholarly journals Library Support for Indigenous University Students: Moving from the Periphery to the Mainstream

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Joanna Hare ◽  
Wendy Abbott
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Cultural Sensitivity ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Support Programs ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Library Staff

Abstract Objective – This research project explored the models of Indigenous support programs in Australian academic libraries, and how they align with the needs of the students they support. The research objective was to gather feedback from Indigenous students and obtain evidence of good practice models from Australian academic libraries to inform the development and enhancement of Indigenous support programs. The research presents the viewpoints of both Indigenous students and librarians. Methods – The research methods comprised an online survey using SurveyMonkey and a focus group. The survey was conducted nationally in Australia to gather evidence on the different models of Indigenous support provided by academic libraries. The survey explored the nature of support services such as specialized study spaces and resources, information literacy education, and liaison services for Indigenous students. The survey also asked respondents to comment on the challenges they encountered and improvements they would recommend in providing Indigenous student support. To provide a student perspective, a small cohort of Indigenous students at a small university in South East Queensland was interviewed in a focus group about their library experiences. The focus group explored Indigenous students’ perceptions of the library, their frequency of use and where they go for help with their studies. Results – The survey found that 84% of academic libraries provide some specific support for Indigenous students with 89% of those support services being conducted in a place other than the library. Across the sector, Australian academic libraries have a strong commitment to the success of Indigenous students and considerable engagement with Indigenous issues. The focus group found that Indigenous students’ needs and concerns about using the library were not differentiated by their cultural background. Rather their concerns were similar to issues being raised in the broader student population. Conclusion – The survey results indicated that the main areas in which support for Indigenous students might be improved are greater inter-departmental communication and collaboration within the university, increased training of library staff in Indigenous cultural sensitivity, and the employment of Indigenous library staff members. The focus group was valuable in opening the communication channels between Indigenous students and library staff and highlighted the importance of engaging with students using both formal and informal channels.

Management of e-resources in academic libraries in Ghana: Copyright implications

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110271
Author(s):  
Theresa L Adu ◽  
Thomas B van der Walt
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Library Staff

This study investigated the copyright issues surrounding the management of e-resources in academic libraries in Ghana. Forty-seven library staff and head librarians from four academic libraries were engaged using questionnaires and qualitative interviews in a sequential mixed-methods approach to generate data for this study. The findings indicate that in all four institutions copyright issues arose with the provision of distance learning, online courses and e-reserves services. All the respondents stated that they or their colleagues had had faculty ask questions on copyright issues. However, the professional librarians indicated that the library was not consulted and the instructors for online courses or distance education programmes did not cooperate with librarians; rather, the department posting the materials made the decisions on copyright regarding the usage of digital resources for distance learning, online courses or e-reserves. This does not augur well for the management of copyright of e-resources in academic libraries in Ghana.

scholarly journals Assessing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in academic libraries

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110055
Author(s):  
Clare Thorpe ◽  
Lyndelle Gunton
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Stretch Targets ◽  
The University ◽  
Mapping Exercise

The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies 17 goals as a shared blueprint for peace, prosperity, people and the planet. Australian academic libraries have started documenting and planning how academic libraries contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the identification of assessment frameworks and key performance indicators. In 2019, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Library stepped through an exercise of understanding how our day-to-day work and annual planning targets mapped to the SDGs. The article is a case study. The authors outline how an academic library’s services, projects and action plans were mapped to the SDGs and how the mapping exercise was communicated to the community. The article will situate this activity among the broader approaches being taken by the Australian library community, including the 2030 stretch targets for Australian libraries. USQ Library staff found that existing services, collections and projects correlated to eight of the 17 SDGs. Activities were mapped to these eight goals and reported to senior executive of the University. The mapping exercise increased the awareness of library staff about the broader cultural and societal implications of their roles. The communication strategy led to conversations that increased university leaders’ awareness of the SDGs and the value and impact of USQ Library in improving access to information as well as the library’s role in transforming the lives of USQ students and community. By undertaking an exercise to map collections, services and projects to the SDGs, USQ Library has been able to demonstrate how their knowledge and information infrastructures which enable student achievement and research excellence. The SDGs can be used by university libraries as a benchmarking tool and as a challenge to set stretch targets aligned with the United Nation’s 2030 agenda.

The Term “Library Service” in the Conceptual Framework of Library Science

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-363
Author(s):  
Yuri N. Stolyarov
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Service Information ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Different Content

The article considers the contradiction in concepts connected with key content of the library activity. Some fundamental documents use the term “library service”, others use “information and library service”, “library and information service” terms. The different content is also given to these concepts. The inconsistency is increased by the fact that since Soviet times the library services have often been understood as library activity in general. There is given the brief review of primarily positions on the conceptual framework of library service: library activity, work with readers, guidance of reading, library service, library and information service, information and library service. In violation of the Federal Law № 78-FZ “On Librarianship”, the term “library and information service” is enshrined in the names of textbooks, GOST R 7.0.103—2018 “Library and information service. Terms and definitions” and GOST R 7.0.104—2019 “Library and information services of scientific library. Types, forms and modes of delivery”. While library science is striving hard to integrate itself into information science, information science itself is far from recognising library and bibliographic science as an integral part of it. “Library service” is considered both as specific and general library science concept. The definition of “work” in relation to library science is given: it is the function of library staff to create values, provide benefits or meet the informational, cultural, educational needs of readers. The author proposes to intensify the concept of “library readers study”, to develop thoroughly its theory and methodology. The paper provides additional arguments in favour of the concept of “library readers study” in addition to the well-known ones. It is argued that in addition to revealing the links between the readers’ contingent and the library staff, it is necessary to reveal the links of the “readers’ contingent” subsystem with other subsystems of the first and second circuits of the library as a system.

scholarly journals News from the Field

2018 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 406
Author(s):  
David Free
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion

ACRL Signature Initiative on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion poll resultsThe Librarian Parlor builds a community of researchersFour libraries sign GPO preservation steward agreementsLYRASIS announces six Catalyst Fund winning projects2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service nominationsOCLC awarded Mellon Foundation grant to register library retention commitments for print serials in WorldCatRevised Guidelines for Media Resources in Academic Libraries

Factors affecting the implementation of Web 2.0 applications in Omani academic libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahma Al-Kharousi ◽  
Naeema H Jabur ◽  
Abdelmajed Bouazza ◽  
Nabhan Al-Harrasi
Keyword(s):  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
External Factors ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Policy Shift ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the different factors that affect using Web 2.0 applications in Omani academic libraries (OALs). Design/methodology/approach – In all, 29 interviews with directors and library staff of five OALs were conducted for the purpose of collecting data for the current research. Findings – The results indicated that there are nine internal factors and four external factors that affect using Web 2.0 applications in OALs. Internal factors include the low motivation of directors and library staff regarding using of Web 2.0 applications, lack of training and constant changes in the management structure. Meanwhile, the external factors are related to lack of policy and regulations and weakness and low speed of the internet. Practical implications – Most academic libraries in Oman have not yet adopted Web 2.0 applications to enhance their services. Therefore, this study intends to open insight into the state of Web 2.0 adoption in academic libraries and will help library managers to understand factors facing the use of Web 2.0 applications in their libraries, and this could signal a basis for policy shift in the internet infrastructure especially in the institutions of the higher education. Originality/value – This research is the first study in the field of Web 2.0 applications in OALs that investigates the factors affecting the use of Web 2.0 applications in academic libraries in general and in OALs specifically.

scholarly journals Impact of Electronic Course Materials on Short Loan Libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Namrata Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Library Staff

<p>The advent of Electronic Course Materials (ECM‟s) services in academic libraries has had a remarkable impact on academic libraries, since they provide new prospects for libraries, library staff and various new methods for accessing library services for its users. With the challenge for the librarians growing in multiple scope due to Information Communication Technologies (ICT) applications. This study will look at how and to what degree has the implementation of ECM‟s made an impact on staff‟s work in academic libraries. The purpose of this proposed research study is to explore how Electronic Course Materials (ECM‟s) have affected the work of librarians in academic short loan collection in New Zealand tertiary institutions. This study adopted a mixed-method approach and utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods. An online survey was applied for this study where questionnaires were sent to the respondents via a URL. This study sought to find out whether ECM‟s have made any impact on staff‟s work. The resulted indicated that ECM‟s setting is in a state of transformation. This transformation has enabled the library staff to learn new technology to work with ECM‟s effectively and this has encouraged them to learn new skills in order to achieve the required results. There is very limited research in this area; this makes it beneficial to investigate this area. Research findings will prove beneficial to the librarians as they could look at the research findings and compare their services with the result. Academic libraries could use new technologies to improve their services, which may help them to support the teaching and learning process.</p>

scholarly journals Designed to Inspire: A One-Year International Exchange of Academic Librarians

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Eichenlaub ◽  
Trina Grover ◽  
Jennifer Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Exchange Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
International Exchange ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Continuum

This paper, based on an exchange of librarians between academic libraries in Canada and Australia, describes the process of planning for and participating in an international job exchange. It highlights the benefits of the exchange and lessons learned from it and reflects on the opportunities for career development and renewal afforded by such a swap. This experience will be contextualized within the continuum of literature on library exchanges. By describing our successful exchange process, the authors aim to encourage more library staff exchanges.

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