Changes in the Field of Library and Information Science from Ancient Time to the Present Time: A Study

If we throw light on the history of the libraries in India, and then one main fact comes to light that the history of the libraries in India is a thousand of years old. The development of libraries in India can be divided in to Ancient Period, Middle Period, Mughal Period and Modern Period. Libraries existed those days when education was concentrated in Gurukul. Those days Guru was like a moving Library and they had unlimited store of knowledge. Over time, writing and ink began to be used and texts were also produced. In ancient times, handwritten texts were wrapped in cloth and leaf blisters because the art of printing was not invented at that time, But with the time the art of printing was invented and texts started to be printed and libraries came in to existence. The demolition of ancient cities which have been obtained by excavation is a proof that libraries existed in ancient times as well. Nalanda University established in ancient time had a three story Library Building called Ratnodadhi, Ratnasagar and Ratnaranjak. Similarly, temples and monasteries also had their own libraries which used to support religious and educational institutions. Father of Library Science Dr. S.R.Ranganathan who was presented the five laws of Library Science, his untiring efforts resulted in unlimited growth/development in the field of Library Science and the Library received a new direction and helped to give scientific form to the Library Service.

Intellectual freedom and alternative priorities in library and information science research: A longitudinal study

This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the library and information science literature to trace the emphasis that intellectual freedom and neutrality have received relative to an index of alternative and possibly competing topics. Emphasis is captured longitudinally by recording the number of results for various search terms associated with intellectual freedom, neutrality, diversity, equity, and inclusion in Web of Science from 1993 through 2020 and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts from 1970 through 2020. The results show that the number of works mentioning intellectual freedom and neutrality has increased only slightly over the study period, in sharp contrast to many entries on the diversity, equity, and inclusion index. With research interests being partially indicative of personal beliefs and professional activity, the impact of this relative change in emphasis on professional practice is discussed. Public controversies regarding library neutrality, intellectual freedom, and freedom of expression in libraries are summarized.

Future of information retrieval systems and the role of library and information science experts in their development

Many organizations and businesses are using futurology to keep pace with the ever-increasing changes in the world, as the businesses and organizations need to be updated to achieve organizational and business growth and development. A review of the previous studies has shown that no systematic research has been already conducted on the future of information retrieval systems and the role of library and information science experts in the future of such systems. Therefore, a qualitative study was conducted by reviewing resources, consulting experts, doing interaction analysis, and writing scenarios. The results demonstrated 13 key factors affecting the future of information retrieval systems in the form of two driving forces of social determinism and technological determinism, and four scenarios of Canopus star, Ursa major, Ursa minor, and single star. The results also showed the dominance of technology and social demand and its very important role in the future of information retrieval systems.

Systematic Review as a Research Method in Library and Information Science

The aim of this chapter is to assess the current state of application of systematic reviews (SRs) in library and information science (LIS) field and determine how information scientists can advance the SRs as a methodology. The literature shows that there is an increasing number of SRs in LIS although there are still knowledge gaps about the use of SRs as a methodology. The quality of reporting in primary studies in LIS is still poor, and hence, it becomes difficult to appraise the value of the study undertaken. In order to advance the use of SRs in LIS domain, it is important to introduce SRs in LIS education curricular, integrate SRs as part of the continuing scientist development programmes (CPD), use automated SR software to minimize workload, introduce SRs a formal role and service in the libraries, collaborate with research teams as co-authors to conduct SRs not only in the topics defined by research teams, but also in LIS topics, and create SR databases and tools in LIS.

Integration in Mixed Methods Research Designs by Graduate Students at the University of Science and Technology

This chapter reports on a study that investigated how graduate students in the Faculty of Communication and Information Science at NUST were approaching integration in their mixed-methods research dissertations. There has been a concern that lack of expertise of what mixed-methods research is restricts the integrative capacity. Using a research synthesis method, the study investigated three graduate programmes, namely Master's degrees in Library and Information Science, Records and Archives Management, and Journalism and Media Studies from 2016 up to 2018. A total of 95 dissertations were reviewed, and 40 employed mixed-methods research design. It was discovered that integration was commonly done at methods and interpretation levels. Integration of qualitative and quantitative data sets resulted in confirmation (83), expanding understanding (27), and discordance (31). Graduate students dealt with discordant findings by either ignoring the discordance (20), seek corroboration with existing literature (7), or give priority to the quantitative strand (4).

Public Libraries as Enablers of Sustainable Development

Stakeholders of development are engaging in the United Nations' call for global sustainable development. Consequently, this chapter examines how public libraries as development agents are enabling or powering sustainable development through the three dimensions of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Based on these three factors of sustainable development, objectives were raised to guide the study. The study, which is a conceptual review of literature, employed three major databases in library and information science (Emerald Insights, Taylor & Francis Online, and Library & Information Science Source) to search for literature complimented by Google Scholar. Results of the search were filtered by year (2011 to 2021), language (English), and source types (peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, short communications, and reports). The study therefore showed strong nexus between public libraries and the dimensions of sustainable development, which are economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Emerging Issues in the Internationalization of Librarianship in the Era of Digital Competitive Advantage

This chapter discusses the importance of the concept of internationalization for library and information science education in the growing atmosphere of digital competitive advantage. It has significantly reflected that the rising of transnational corporations and the transformation of knowledge in higher education buzz in various perspectives. Further, it has shown it consists of international and intercultural knowledge, skills, and abilities to interact and share opportunities and unique insights with multi-cultural and international settings. Also, it has shown the importance of engaging in multi-cultural environments to ensure increasing of knowledge and abilities to working in the competitive advantage. However, the results have revealed that education in library and information science has not yet fully understood ways in which to employ the concept of internationalization in the development journey of its progress in establishing the competitive advantage.

The Movement of Mixed Methods Research and the Role of Information Science Professionals

Mixed methods research integrates qualitative and quantitative research approaches in many or all phases of a study to comprehensively address a research problem by collecting quantitative and qualitative data concurrently or in phases with the aim to maximizing their inherent advantages while minimizing their disadvantages. Many disciplines are embracing mixed methods research. Library and information science research is lagging behind in the adoption and use of mixed methods research. That might be due to limited access to the literature on the subject or difficulties in dealing with the relative lack of consistency and incomplete coherence among mixed methods researchers. This chapter traces the common characteristics and designs of mixed methods research, its growth, and application in research. It provides a framework to design, execute, and evaluate mixed methods research studies so that library and information science researchers and researchers from other fields may play a role in its development and application.

Big data e Organização do Conhecimento: reflexões iniciais a partir de uma proposta classificatória da produção científica

Considerando os impactos e as complexidades existentes no contexto big data e observados na Organização do Conhecimento, tornam-se necessárias reflexões que destaquem as possíveis contribuições dessa área para o desenvolvimento informacional da sociedade. Tendo isso em vista, a presente pesquisa busca compreender o fenômeno big data e seus impactos na Organização do Conhecimento por meio de uma proposta classificatória da produção científica. Para tanto, foram coletados artigos relacionados aos temas big data e Organização do Conhecimento nas bases de dados Scopus, Web of Science, Library and Information Science Abstracts e Base de Dados Referencial de Artigos de Periódicos em Ciência da Informação. Os artigos foram classificados por meio da leitura dos títulos, resumos, palavras-chave e textos dos artigos. Os resultados demonstram a predominância de um perfil mais aplicado, tecnológico e orientado a processos relacionados à coleta, curadoria e utilização de dados. Concluiu-se ser necessária a ampliação do número de pesquisas relacionadas às questões sociais, cognitivas, epistemológicas e metodológicas, bem como a elaboração de mais estudos voltados à ética neste intenso contexto de dados. Isso contribui para compreender e ampliar os cenários de pesquisa sobre big data na Organização do Conhecimento.

Libraries, Digitized Cultural Heritage, and Social Cohesion of Smart Cities

Creating the complex service system of smart cities provides a new opportunity for the proportion and composition of available digital services to serve the satisfaction and the optimal functioning of society. Shaping the network services provided by LAM institutions is just as important in the social life of smart cities as defining the roles of public institutions. The authors of this chapter seek to identify how digital repositories can be effectively interpreted as modules of a complex service system. Five different module models are introduced based on the projects conducted by the Institute of Library and Information Science of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. These modules, focusing on different aspects of user interest and activity, are suitable for strengthening social cohesion in the everyday life of smart cities by involving cultural heritage.