Features and Limitations of Ontologies for Coronavirus Data Management in Libraries

The purpose of this chapter is to follow the evolution of what has occurred over time in the ontologies published in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Correctness and completeness of ontologies on the schema and instance level are important quality criteria in their selection for an application. To help both the librarians and the users, there is a need of a framework for the comparison of different semantic data sources in the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, online services and/or applications based on ontologies or SKOS-based COVID-19 thesauri are still rare. As an emerging technology in libraries, an all-integrating ontology for coronavirus disease knowledge and data refers to the continuing development of an existing technology. In spite of using ontologies in the Semantic Web, meanings of concepts and relationships are still largely unrealized in terms of obtaining accurate and timely information about COVID-19. But the nature of causal relationships on this disease is made accessible through ontologies as the material in which its main concepts are supported.

The Role of Information Professionals in South Africa in the Provision of Information During COVID-19

The study sought to assess the role of information professionals in the provision information about the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa with the views of recommending best practices of disseminating public information. The qualitative approach was utilized to collect data from information officers. The researcher found that the majority of the public were not utilizing the information centre because of lack of awareness of information resource centre preserved by an information resource centre. The review found that information resources were not providing access to information centre effectively due to staff who lack appropriate skills and knowledge on public health awareness. It also appears that inadequate budget allocation to conduct public health awareness was lacking. Public awareness should be conducted in the Mpumalanga Provincial government. The research findings shed new lights on the perspective that information professional plays an essential role in promoting public health awareness.

Leading Through a Crisis

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lamar Soutter Library was faced with moving off campus and into a remote work environment. As the crisis unfolded, it was critical for staff to experience a unified leadership team that was dedicated to their well-being, empathetic to the unprecedented situation, and committed to providing exceptional service. At that time, library leaders made a conscious decision to apply the principles of servant leadership as the framework for how, as a team, the library would see its way through the pandemic. What follows is a case study in the application of servant leadership in an academic health sciences library during the COVID-19 crisis.

Automated Detection of SQL Injection Attack on Blockchain-Based Database

In the era of computing, where the data are stored in a cloud or distributed environment, the privacy of data is one of the challenging tasks. The attacks like denial of service attacks (DoS), insider attack compromised the security of the system. In this chapter, the authors discussed a blockchain-based database, where data are encrypted and stored. The Web API is used as an interface for the storage and sharing of data in the blockchain system. There are several types of attacks that are performed by the adversary on the database to destroy the vulnerability of the system. Here, the authors are mainly focused on the SQL injection attack which is performed by the adversary on Web API. To cope with this problem, they present the case study based on the Snort and Moloch for automated detection of SQL attack, network analysis, and testing of the system.

Opportunities and Challenges Offered by the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Academic Libraries

A study was conducted to examine the opportunities and challenges offered by COVID-19 on academic libraries during closure. Telephone interviews were conducted with 75 academic librarians to understand their reaction to library closure. The opportunities and challenges experienced were unpacked to show how academic librarians took advantage of imminent closure to continue offering services. It was discovered that physical buildings were closed, and some librarians were visiting the library to assist patrons virtually. The major opportunity was the introduction or enhancement of virtual services. The major drawback was the non-circulation of print resources and unavailability of seating space for patrons. The author recommended that institutions should provide internet connectivity for librarians to assist patrons from home.

Using Diffusion of Innovations Theory to Modify Library OER Interventions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The high cost of commercial textbooks has been well documented. To help alleviate the impact of those costs, the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Library identified exploration and support of open educational resources (OER) as a priority in their strategic plan. The OSU Library OER Librarian used human performance technology analysis findings to select and design interventions for inclusion in the library's support of OER. When OSU abruptly switched mid-Spring 2020 to emergency remote teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the library was faced with the need to modify interventions designed for face-to-face interaction to engage and support faculty instructors in online spaces. This chapter uses diffusions of innovations theory to describe how the library made meaning of and anticipated challenges and to share how the library designed and implemented modified interventions.

A Study on Evolutionary Technique to Predict the Sales During COVID-19

COVID-19 has affected the growth of every industry; in the meantime, an enormous amount of demand is present in the field of telecom and automobiles. In this chapter, the authors present case studies based on sales prediction for the Indian market. The analysis of the study is based on the various traditional methods like growth rate (GR), percentage growth rate (PGR), and the evolutionary techniques like genetic algorithms (GA). The data are collected for the report of telecommunication and heavy industry ministry (Republic of India). The results are used to analyze the sale of automobiles and telecommunication devices and to predict the growth at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prediction is used to identify the upcoming sale and counterparts with demand.

Challenges to Libraries During a Health Crisis and a Way Forward to Deal With These Challenges

COVID-19 put approximately all countries on lockdown. Libraries, whether they are public or private, also face closure. Through these closings, libraries remain to deliver facilities to their people in this perplexing period. So, this chapter discussed the challenges that libraries faced during this global health crisis and also discussed the possible applications that are helpful in these challenges. Data will be primary data used for empirical investigations and collected from public libraries of Pakistan. The chapter gives the empirical results or finding on the challenges (libraries closure, social distancing, handling material, and lack of research) and helpful applications like digital service, delivery services, exerted personnel, and online article requests for libraries. This chapter suggested applying quarantine strategies on returned books policy and implementing plans to offer remote services for example e-lending, e-learning, or support to remote teaching.

The Leadership Role of Scholarly Communications in the COVID-19 Crisis

The staff at the Systems and Scholarly Communications (SASS) unit at Gumberg Library provided leadership during the COVID-19 crisis both within the library itself, and throughout the university. Their efforts are described to include the leadership disposition of the department, the preparations made for a plan to work at home, and the ongoing guidance that occurred during the first several months of the pandemic. The authors provide recommendations about how the processes introduced might evolve and be improved upon as a new model emerges for scholarly communications.

Using Canvas Commons to Transform Information Literacy Instruction

As more courses are offered online, many academic librarians need to determine how to teach information literacy in a virtual environment. Starting in the Summer of 2019, a team of five librarians embarked on transforming their instruction offerings through the use of Canvas Commons. The librarians wanted to deliver online information literacy content by creating downloadable library instructional modules based on curriculum mapping at the programmatic level. The need to reconsider these practices was further exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 on higher education. When the university moved all courses online in the Spring of 2020 due to COVID-19, the team was able to quickly pivot and offer library instruction through Canvas Commons modules, replacing face-to-face instruction. In this chapter, the authors describe the implementation of information literacy modules on campus, lessons learned, and future plans for the project in light of the pandemic.