Journal articles: 'More-open public libraries' – Grafiati (2024)

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A Review of: Vega, Robert D. and Ruth S. Connell. “Librarians’ Attitudes Toward Conferences: A Study.” College & Research Libraries 68.6 (2007): 503-15. Objectives – To determine why professional librarians attend or do not attend conferences and to consider their attitudes toward the various conference offerings and whether conference attendance is important to their careers. Design – An electronic mail list survey designed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through closed and open-ended questions. Setting – Mainly academic and public libraries in the U.S.A. Subjects – A total of 794 librarians participated in the study. Methods – The quantitative and qualitative data gathered from the survey were analyzed using statistical software. The quantitative items on the questionnaire regarded the following: years working as a librarian, age, gender, average number of conferences attended each year, amount of financial support provided, and the importance of attending conferences. For qualitative analysis, the instrument included open-ended questions to gather comments about issues related to conferences. Electronic mail list subscriptions were used to reach approximately 17,000 potential respondents of whom 794 completed the survey. Main Results – The study found the main reason the respondents attended conferences was to achieve professional rejuvenation (56%), and that this finding was associated with age: the older the librarian, the higher he or she would rate the need to stay updated in librarianship. The study also found that men as compared to women ranked rejuvenation as less important. Respondents who visited more conferences tended to rate rejuvenation as more important. Networking was also highly valued (40%), although was not of significant importance among reference librarians. Exhibits were considered to be very useful among older respondents, particularly older public librarians and older administrators from all types of libraries, but were regarded as less valuable among younger academic librarians. . Invited speakers were rated highly by academic librarians, but less highly by public librarians. General sessions primarily attracted newer and younger librarians, and poster sessions primarily appealed to academic librarians. Being able to add conference participation to the curriculum vitae was primarily of interest to younger academic librarians. Academic librarians rated roundtables as important. Conclusion – Respondents primarily attended conferences for professional rejuvenation and networking, though felt these benefits were not necessarily related to conference content. Those who had worked longer as librarians valued exhibits more than those who were new in the field. Based on the results, further investigation is needed to answer the following questions: 1) Why do public librarians find poster sessions of low interest? 2) Why do men compared to women find professional rejuvenation less important? 3) Have more experienced librarians learned to navigate exhibits better? The findings of this study would be useful to conference organizers.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to identify essential resources that entrepreneurs need; to determine which resources and services are available at public libraries in two Florida counties; and to suggest additional ways for public libraries to increase their value and visibility among the business community. Design/methodology/approach – Information was gathered using structured and open-ended questions, using the Qualtrics survey technology provider, to obtain both quantitative and qualitative responses. Library administrators were contacted to identify relevant library staff to participate in the survey. Pasco County Library System administrators agreed to distribute the survey to their staff. Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative administrators provided email addresses of staff selected to participate. Web sites of the libraries, their counties, and their partners were also examined for additional information. Findings – The results suggest that the libraries are able to satisfy most of the requests of entrepreneurs. One exception was consulting, which was not consistently available, according to respondents, but could be offered at the library by business service organizations. Suggestions for promoting library business resources were proposed, based on survey responses and the websites of the libraries, their counties, and their business service organization partners. Research limitations/implications – This research studied key public librarians and staff employed at Pasco and Hillsborough counties in Florida. Some of the resources identified as useful for entrepreneurs in these counties may not be generalizable to communities outside the state of Florida, or outside the USA. Additionally, the survey did not explore what is not being done or what could be done if the libraries had more resources. Practical implications – This study provides information on the resources and services that public libraries provide entrepreneurs. It also offers suggestions for libraries to become more valuable and visible to their local business community. Social implications – As entrepreneurs and small businesses contribute substantially to economic development, public libraries that provide assistance to them help their communities prosper. Originality/value – This study is a collaboration between an academic reference librarian with a recent MBA degree, and an Entrepreneur Services Manager and Florida SBDC Center Director, who together provide a unique perspective and interpretive value toward promoting economic development.

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The maker movement has found a home in public libraries. Field leaders including public libraries in Chicago, Chattanooga, Houston, Louisville, and Toronto have built robust makerspaces, developed maker programming for a diverse range of patrons, connected community experts with library users for the purpose of sharing information, and fostered communities of practice. Characterized by open exploration, intrinsic interest, and creative ideation, the maker movement can be broadly defined as participation in the creative production of physical and digital artifacts in people’s day-to-day lives. The maker movement employs a do-it-yourself orientation toward a range of disciplines, including robotics, woodworking, textiles, and electronics. But the maker ethos also includes a do-it-with-others approach, valuing collaboration, distributed expertise, and open workspaces. To many in the library profession, the values ingrained in the maker movement seem to be shared with the aims and goals of public libraries. However, critiques of the maker movement raise questions about current iterations of makerspaces across settings. This article highlights critiques and responses regarding the “democratic” nature of the maker movement, and in particular, the article analyzes ways librarians involved in a prominent public library maker program discursively construct making and maker programming in relation to the maker movement more generally.

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Purpose - This selected annotated bibliography is designed to aid any user with access to the internet in performing legal research, without requiring access to expensive legal research databases and subscription services. Design/methodology/approach - These online resources are regularly referred to by those hoping to help self-represented litigants or those without access to paid legal resources. Findings - As traditional legal research databases, such as HeinOnline, Lexis, and Westlaw become more and more expensive, while at the same time legal services become more expensive, these free and open legal research resources are increasingly important, particularly for self-represented litigants. This selected bibliography contains resources that will be helpful to librarians in all types of libraries, from public to academic, from county law libraries to large, private law school libraries. Originality/value - This is an original annotated bibliography that may be valuable to those working in libraries, who are regularly asked questions about legal research or resources.

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This study was undertaken to learn about public librarians' attitudes and opinions concerning the sometimes conflicting issues of intellectual freedom, collection balance, and controversial materials, and whether those attitudes and opinions have changed over twenty years. The investigation focused on Holocaust denial literature, a body of work which ranges from minimizing the Holocaust to outright denying that it happened. Public librarians in Nassau County, New York, were surveyed, and the results were compared with a similar survey from 1992. The results indicate that librarians are even more open to Holocaust denial literature than they were twenty years ago and, regardless of outside pressures, would acquire and provide ready access to this material in their libraries.

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Abstract Objective – The objective of this study was to survey American public libraries about their collection and use of graphic novels and compare their use to similar data collected about video games. Methods – Public libraries were identified and contacted electronically for participation through an open US government database of public library systems. The libraries contacted were asked to participate voluntarily. Results – The results indicated that both graphic novels and video games have become a common part of library collections, and both media can have high levels of impact on circulation. Results indicated that while almost all libraries surveyed had some graphic novels in their collections, those serving larger populations were much more likely to use graphic novels in patron outreach. Similarly, video game collection was also more commonly found in libraries serving larger populations. Results also showed that young readers were the primary users of graphic novels. Conclusion – Responses provided a clear indicator that graphic novels are a near-ubiquitous part of public libraries today. The results on readership bolster the concept of graphic novels as a gateway to adult literacy. The results also highlight differences between larger and smaller libraries in terms of resource allocations towards new media. The patron demographics associated with comics show that library cooperation could be a potential marketing tool for comic book companies.

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In an uncharacteristic burst of rhetoric and emotion, the 1849 Select Committee on Public Libraries implored:Shall we therefore abandon the people to the influence of a low, enfeebling, and often pestilential literature, instead of enabling them to breathe a more pure, elevated, and congenial atmosphere? (viii)The means of bringing about such a literate atmosphere was the funding of a system of public libraries, institutions freely open to all, but especially aimed at working-class readers. These institutions would provide access to books unavailable to the working-class reading public. In providing such access, the libraries were also to ensure that books would be free of the “pestilential” influences of the “low” kinds of texts commonly available to the working class. The public library was thus to purify, elevate, and disinfect working-class reading.

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Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine public library staff attitudes towards an open-source library automation system in the state of Indiana. The researchers were interested in understanding the library staff’s perceptions of the value of the system in performing their job duties and improving library services. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers travelled to nine public libraries every three months to survey library staff from January to December 2010. The participants completed the surveys at the libraries and were given the option to remain anonymous. The survey consisted of six questions regarding the use of the Evergreen system for work processes and basic demographic information of the staff. There were a total of 323 survey respondents. Of the 323 respondents, 57 (17.65 per cent) used the Evergreen system in their daily work routines at the library. Findings – The primary benefits reported were: ability to check the availability of library materials at other Evergreen libraries via the shared catalogue, the Evergreen system provided more functionality than their previous library automation systems and the ability to reserve materials for patrons. Research limitations/implications – This was a convenience sample. All survey participants provided their responses voluntarily during the 12-month study period. A more comprehensive sampling procedure should be considered in the future. Originality/value – The study indicated the need for improvements in the Evergreen Indiana system. Those improvements were also relevant to other open-source integrated library systems.

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Purpose This paper aims to examine how an open-source information management system was developed to manage a collection of more than 10,000 oral history interviews at the University of Kentucky Libraries’ Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. Design/methodology/approach Digital library architects at the University of Kentucky Libraries built an open-source information management system for oral history using the open-source tools Omeka and Blacklight. Additional open-source code was developed to facilitate interaction between these tools. Findings Information management systems that address needs of libraries and archives can be built by combining existing open-source tools in complementary ways. Originality/value This work at the University of Kentucky Libraries serves as a proof of concept for other institutions to examine as a potential model to follow or adapt for their own local needs. The SPOKEdb framework can be replicated elsewhere, as the major and minor components are open-source. SPOKEdb at its conceptual level is a unique information management system based on its tailored approach to serving the needs of oral history management at various user levels including both administrative and public.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature concerning interlending and document supply. Design/methodology/approach – The study included the review of over 130 journals and related material. Findings – The race to build and deliver a system for dealing with the vast increase in OA-deposited manuscripts in the USA continues. Public access to publishers’ e-content is being made available in UK public libraries as part of the Finch report agreement. More developments in Patron-Driven Acquisition are described and much else. Originality/value – Represents a useful resource for librarians and others concerned with interlending and document supply and such related matters as resource sharing and open access.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: to explore what kinds of social media content public libraries create to communicate with users online, and to examine the relationships between social media content types and corresponding levels of user engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises 4,637 Facebook posts collected from 151 public libraries across the USA. The authors identified ten types of Facebook posts based on the open coding, and calculated the degrees of user engagement for each type of Facebook post, represented by the numbers of likes, shares and comments. Also, The authors examined the effects of the inclusions of images or video clips on user engagement.FindingsThe authors observed that the most frequent type of post was related to announcing upcoming events held in libraries. This study also found that posts about community news or emotionally inspiring messages elicited much engagement from users. Posts having an image or images tend to receive more user engagement.Practical implicationsBased on the findings of this study, the authors discussed practical strategies for public libraries to effectively use social media to better facilitate user engagement.Originality/valueThis study is one of a few attempts that examine the relationships between the types of social media content and the degrees of user engagement in public library environments. Also, the authors have proposed a coding scheme useful to analyze social media content in the context of public libraries.

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A Review of: Albarillo, F. (2018). Super-diversity and foreign-born students in academic libraries: A survey study. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 18(1), 59-91. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2018.0004 Abstract Objective – To evaluate the relationship between academic and public library usage and various characteristics of foreign-born students. Design – Survey questionnaire. Setting – Medium-sized public liberal arts college in the northeastern United States. Subjects – 123 foreign-born students enrolled at the institution in fall 2014. Methods – The researcher emailed a five-part survey to participants who indicated on a screening survey that they were foreign-born students currently enrolled at the college. Of the participants emailed, 94 completed the survey. The survey used a super-diversity lens to assess academic and public library use by foreign-born students in relationship to multiple variables, including student status, race and ethnicity, immigration status, first-generation student status, gender, age, age of arrival in the United States (US), years living in the US, and ZIP Code (used to approximate median income based on the US Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey). Respondents reported frequency of use on a Likert-type scale of 1=Never to 6=Always. The author adapted items from the In Library Use Survey Instrument (University of Washington Libraries, 2011). Usage types included: computer, Wi-Fi, staff assistance, electronic resources, physical resources, printing/scanning/photocopying, program attendance, and physical space. Independent sample t-tests were used to evaluate mean differences in reported library usage based on demographic variables. The author used Somers’ d statistical tests to explore the relationship between library use and age, age on arrival in the US, years lived in the US, and median income. The survey asked participants to describe both academic and public libraries in five words. To show term frequency, the author used word clouds as a visualization technique. Main Results – The study reported on the results of the library use survey section. Overall, foreign-born students used college libraries more frequently than public libraries. The author reported on findings that were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.5), focusing on those with mean differences ≥ 0.5. Key findings included: undergraduate students used public libraries and Wi-Fi/e-resources onsite at college libraries more often than graduate students; first-generation students gathered at the library with friends more frequently; no significant difference was reported in library resource use by gender; and non-white students used the college library more frequently as a study space and for printing. The author was surprised no significant differences in usage were found between participants with permanent vs. temporary immigration status. Somers’ d associations showed an inverse relationship between age and Wi-Fi use and age of arrival in the United States and likelihood of eating in the library. Overall, both library types were positively described in open-ended responses as places with social and academic value. Conclusion – The author suggested the concept of super-diversity equips librarians with a more inclusive approach to studying library user perspectives and behaviors. The author used survey data and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Diversity Standards (2012) to highlight library service considerations for foreign-born students. Examples of suggested service improvements included supporting printing in Unicode non-English fonts, cultivating a diverse library staff, and providing culturally appropriate library orientations and outreach. The author recommended that more research with foreign-born students was needed to assess culturally appropriate areas for eating and socializing, unique information needs, and expectations and awareness of library services. The author suggested first-generation students’ use of the library for socializing and non-white students’ higher use of libraries for studying as two areas for further qualitative study. The author also suggested creating services and partnerships between public and academic libraries could support foreign-born students, even recommending cross-training of library staff.

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Purpose – Several recent library innovations seem to make professional and clerical staff superfluous such as automated loan and delivery equipment, staff-less libraries open in 80 hours a week, and virtual services, enabling users to search the library catalogue and make reservations of library materials from their home address. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether such developments will necessarily lead to a situation where public libraries become self-service institutions or to what extent self-service and innovative staff-intensive library services can develop and co-exist. Furthermore, the paper will examine what challenges library leaders face and what they can do, and actually have done, to handle staff resistance and other related problems to the benefit of both the users, the local communities, and also, the staff, in particular, when introducing new and innovative services. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the author's evaluations of two recent Danish library development projects. Both evaluations are based on empirical data and apply quantitative (questionnaires) as well as qualitative (interviews, observations) methods. Findings – The findings reveal that staff attitudes toward staff-less libraries, and – more surprising – also toward more staff-intensive practices have been somewhat reluctant and skeptical. The paper also presents leadership initiatives which have proved to handle such resistances constructively. Originality/value – The paper contains a first-hand report on the results of a recent (2011-2012) unique, full-scale, Danish public library development project, investigating the experiences with pro-active and guest-customer relationships within a public library setting.

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Abstract This article discusses the role of public libraries under the new political and social dynamics of democratic societies. It assumes that the continuity and expansion of the democratization process lead society to demand an increasingly larger and more active participation in the public arena and in decision-making. In the landscape of a world in crisis, seeking spaces of participation and new forms of coexistence and fellowship seem insufficient. Formal cultural institutions are urged to dialogue with new, proactive players, and with the new loci of production, circulation and appropriation of culture in democratic societies. Flexibility and openness to the new social dynamics are a challenge that they must address. This article is an exploratory reflection and, as such, the essayistic form was chosen as a strategy that allows one to understand, by means of subjective perceptions grounded on the bibliography of various fields of the human sciences, the emblematic situations of an emerging context presenting knowledge in a way that keeps it open, so that it includes its own rectification and originates new cogitations.

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A Review of: Davis, Kaetrena D. “The Academic Librarian as Instructor: A Study of Teacher Anxiety.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 14.2 (2007):77-101. Objective – To identify the types of librarian teaching anxiety and the coping mechanisms that often accompany it and to compare those findings with those described by Showalter in “Teaching Literature”; also, to examine whether perceptions of librarians from both inside and outside the profession influence teaching anxiety. Design – A 35-item online questionnaire created using Zoomerang; a link to the questionnaire was distributed through the Information Literacy Instruction Listserv (ILI-L). Subjects – Subscribers to ILI-L. There were approximately 3,700 subscribers to ILI-L at the time of the study. This electronic mailing list is sponsored by the Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries and is moderated. Methods – As previously mentioned, a link to the questionnaire was distributed via the ILI-L. Requests for participation were sent to the list three times during the six weeks the survey was open for responses. The questionnaire consisted primarily of multiple choice questions, several with the option to enter a free text “Other” response, as well as four Likert-type questions. After the survey closed, the collected data was analyzed using SPSS. The article did not indicate when the survey was completed. Main Results – 687 responses were collected. Of those, 657 were completed. Surveys were assessed for accuracy, during which 305 responses were eliminated, resulting in 382 “viable” responses (84). Accuracy assessments consisted of throwing out surveys in which respondents answered questions inappropriately, however, an explanation of what constituted an inappropriate response is not included. Nearly three quarters of respondents (74%) indicated they enjoyed teaching. This trend did not appear to be related to the number of years of experience as a librarian. The majority of respondents (58%) had never taught full semester or quarter courses, whereas “virtually all” (86) had taught one-shot instructional sessions. Sixty-three percent of respondents noted being nervous prior to teaching. Although 40% of respondents noted having no physical symptoms of anxiety, of those who did, the main symptoms included sweating and upset stomach. Sixty-five percent of respondents noted experiencing mental or emotional symptoms, mainly identified as worries about being sufficiently prepared and answering tough questions (40%) and fear of public speaking (27%). These mental and emotional symptoms were noted to occur often in the case of 29% of respondents, and at least some of the time in 41% of respondents. Nearly three quarters of the respondents reported using personal strategies for dealing with teaching anxiety, including over-preparation, joining groups where they were able to practice public speaking, and prayer. Most (84%) did not have routines or rituals that they followed prior to teaching. Some additional findings were presented regarding librarians’ perceptions of themselves as well as perceptions of librarians by other faculty. Eighty-four percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that there are many differences in the roles and duties of librarians and paraprofessionals, while 78% agreed or somewhat agreed that faculty do not understand the librarian’s teaching role. Thirty-five percent noted defending teaching roles to other librarians. Conclusion – The role of librarians in academic institutions continues to evolve and include more teaching. As an increasing number of librarians regularly teach and move to teaching semester-long credit courses, the subject of teaching anxiety will continue to grow in importance. This small study draws attention to the need for more research in this area.

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Disciplinary practices utilized in public libraries in the United States carry echoes of the ways in which youth of color and/or LGBTQ and gender non- conforming youth are policed and incarcerated. This research includes interviews with librarians and staff engaging in relational disciplinary practices, namely restorative justice, to gain understanding of how altering approaches to discipline may create cultural shifts that lead to more culturally conscious services to youth made vulnerable by the state. Individual, open-ended interviews with librarians and staff at an urban library system in California addressed the implementation of restorative justice practices, individuals’ approaches and understandings of restorative justice, and the process of institutionalizing restorative justice throughout the library system. This research reveals that restorative justice offers one approach to creating social change through increased access to library services and resources.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe an academic library’s successful implementation of a WordPress-based learning object repository (LOR) that facilitates widespread sharing of learning objects, allowing librarians to save prep time and to scale up the library instruction program. Both practical and technical implications of using WordPress software as a repository platform are discussed. Design/methodology/approach WordPress is free, open-source software that may be used as a platform for an LOR. By using WordPress software to create a public index of content hosted on a server, the library created an LOR that features a record for each learning object which contains metadata about the object’s format, content and accessibility. The WordPress platform/repository is also expandable, through additional free and paid plug-ins, to function as a simple learning management system that may also issue badges. Findings As a result of implementing an LOR, librarians save time prepping for classes by reusing or adapting their colleagues’ work, librarians are able to offer tutorials to online students and the repository also serves as a showcase for the library instruction program. Originality/value Many academic libraries are feeling increased pressure to scale up library instruction and serve more online students. This paper illustrates a case study of how one library uses an easy-to-implement and low-budget LOR to make progress toward these goals.

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In this paper we describe our current efforts towards building a framework that extends the functionality of an Open Access Repository by implementing processes to incorporate the ongoing trends in social media into the context of a digital collection. We refer to these processes collectively as the Social Media Engine. The purpose of our framework is twofold: first, we propose to challenge some of the preconceived notions of digital libraries by making repositories more dynamic; and second, by challenging this notion we want to promote public engagement and open scholarship. As a work in progress, we believe that a real challenge lies in investigating the implications that these two points introduce within the context of the humanities.

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Purpose While universities are using more digital tools such as learning management systems (canvas, blackboard, etc). or massive open online courses (MOOCS) such as MIT, OpenCourseWare, edX, Coursera, digitalization has also influenced university libraries. Digital services of academic libraries need exploration on how they provide digital services and how they respond to COVID-19. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore and map digital services of academic libraries and their response to COVID-19 in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research approach is used in this study. Through a Web search, data was gathered from all 39 universities in Sweden through two means: visiting university and their respective library websites; examination of other documents provided by the university such as press releases, announcements. Evaluation of the content and digital services and libraries response to COVID-19 is conducted by thematic coding. Findings In response to the ongoing COVID-19 spread, a general trend seen among all is limited working hours, shutting down physical libraries for general public, unmanning operations. All 39 number of universities in Sweden have moved their offerings toward using online tools. The main themes that have been identified from our study are as follows: Availability of Information, Accessibility of resources, Collaboration with other actors, Increased use of existing services, motivation and support to practice social distancing. Research limitations/implications Owing to the limitations of COVID-19 conditions, time and other aspects, there was not any opportunity to visit the university libraries or book time to interview librarians or students, which led to limited level and imperfect research. There are many other activities that university libraries are offering to their employees and using their internal newsletters and email groups to reach their audience; as a result, some of digital services that are offered during COVID-19 might have not been noticed. Practical implications These findings can provide base to other universities on how to react to COVID-19 and bring more discussion. Social implications COVID-19 has big social impact on people. The findings present that libraries can go beyond their responsibilities and provide emotional and psychological support the community towards social distancing such as videos, social online meetings, live video workshops. Originality/value The findings from this study call for a review digital services of academic libraries and their response to COVID-19 in Sweden, so that best reactions and services could be understood.

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Museums have seen the universality of Wikipedia use and have started to open up their data to re-use on the Internet. This is an effort both to improve the information available to casual users and researchers and to make images and information from their holdings more accessible. In a paper originally delivered at the IFLA Art Libraries Section pre-conference in August 2014, Sylvain Machefert, a university systems librarian, describes some of his activities as a member of Wikimédia France. A project between the Centre Pompidou and Wikimédia designed to involve the art-loving public, as well as those with more expert art experience, serves as a case study. He assesses the project’s strengths and weaknesses on the basis of its outcomes. He touches on some other projects that have also contributed to the improvement of art information available through one of France’s and the world’s most popular general web services.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the training of college librarians, academic and management staff, IT managers and students on how to organise, manage and use a user-friendly library. In Uganda, as in many countries, the problem is that school and/or college libraries are managed by librarians who may have good cataloguing and management skills, but who do not have the pedagogic skills and knowledge of the school curricula that are necessary for librarians to be able to guide and mentor both teachers and students or organise curriculum-related activities or facilitate research. The development of user-friendly libraries contributes in improving education quality through nurturing the interest of students and teachers in literacy activities and active search for knowledge. Under the stewardship of the Belgium Technical Cooperation and the Ministry of Education in Uganda, library stakeholders were trained on how to put users – rather than themselves – in the centre of the library’s operations and introduced to active teaching and learning methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections. Several measures, short and long term were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. Given the disparities in the trainees’ education level and work experience, the training was delivered in seven modules divided into three units for over eight months in 2015. By the end of the training, trainees developed unique library strategic plan, library policies and procedures, capacity to use library systems, physical design and maintenance systems, partnerships, library structure and staff job descriptions. Design/methodology/approach To effectively engage the participants each topic was conducted using active teaching and learning (ATL) methodologies, including: lecture with slides and hands-on practice – each topic was introduced in a lecture form with slides and hands-on exercises. The main goal was to introduce the participants to the concepts discussed, offer opportunities to explore alternative approaches, as well define boundaries for discussion through brainstorming. The question-answer approach kept the participants alert and to start thinking critically on the topic discussed – brainstorming sessions allowed thinking beyond the presentation room, drawing from personal experiences to provide alternatives to anticipated challenges. The goal here was for the participants to provide individual choices and approaches for real life problems; group discussions: case study/ scenario and participant presentations – participants were provided with a scenario and asked to provide alternative approaches that could solve the problem based on their personal experience at their colleges. By the end of the group discussion, participants presented a draft of the deliverable as per the topic under discussion. More so, group discussions were an excellent approach to test participant’s teamwork skills and ability to compromise, as well as respecting team decisions. It was an opportunity to see how librarians will work with the library committees. Group discussions further initiated and cemented the much-needed librarian–academic staff – college management relationship. During the group discussion, librarians, teaching staff, ICT staff and college management staff, specifically the Principals and Deputy Principals interacted freely thus starting and cultivating a new era of work relationship between them. Individual presentation: prior to the workshop, participants were sent instructions to prepare a presentation on a topic. For example, participants were asked to provide their views of what a “user-friendly library” would look like or what would constitute a “user-friendly library”; the college library of HTC-Mulago was asked to talk about their experience working with book reserves, challenges faced and plans they have to address the challenges, while the college librarian from NTC-Kaliro was asked to describe a situation where they were able to assist a patron, the limitations they faced and how they addressed them. Doing so did not only assist to emotionally prepare the participants for the training but also helped to make them start thinking about the training in relation to their libraries and work. Take-home assignment: at the end of each session, participants were given home assignments to not only revise the training material but also prepare for the next day training. Further the take-home assignments provided time for the participants to discuss with their colleagues outside of the training room so as to have a common ground/ understanding on some of the very sensitive issues. Most interesting assignment was when participants were asked to review an article and to make a presentation in relation to their library experiences. Participant reports: participant reports resulted from the take-home assignments and participants were asked to make submission on a given topic. For example, participants were asked to review IFLA section on library management and write a two-page report on how such information provided supported their own work, as well as a participant report came from their own observation after a library visit. Invited talks with library expert: two invited talks by library experts from Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association with the goal to share their experience, motivate the participants to strive higher and achieve great things for their libraries. Library visitation: there were two library visits conducted on three separate days – International Hospital Kampala (IHK) Library, Makerere University Library and Aga Khan University Hospital Library. Each of these library visits provided unique opportunities for the participants to explore best practices and implement similar practices in their libraries. Visual aids – videos, building plans and still photos: these were visual learning aids to supplement text during the lectures because they carried lot of information while initiating different thoughts best on the participants’ past experience and expertise. The training advocated for the use of ATL methodologies and likewise similar methodologies were used to encourage participants do so in their classrooms. Findings Addressing Key Concerns: Several measures, both long and short term, were taken to address the gaps limiting the performance of the librarians. The measures taken included: selected representative sample of participants including all college stakeholders as discussed above; active teaching and learning methodologies applied in the training and blended in the content of the training materials; initiated and formulated approaches to collaborations, networks and partnerships; visited different libraries to benchmark library practices and encourage future job shadowing opportunities; and encouraged participants to relate freely, understand and value each other’s work to change their mindsets. College librarians were encouraged to ensure library priorities remain on the agenda through advocacy campaigns. Short-term measures: The UFL training was designed as a practical and hands-on training blended with individual and group tasks, discussions, take-home assignments and presentations by participants. This allowed participates to engage with the material and take responsibility for their own work. Further, the training material was prepared with a view that librarians support the academic life of teaching staff and students. Participants were tasked to develop and later fine-tune materials designed to support their work. For example, developing a subject bibliography and posting it on the library website designed using open source tools such as Google website, Wikis, blogs. The developed library manual includes user-friendly policies and procedures referred to as “dos and don’ts in the library” that promote equitable open access to information; drafting book selection memos; new book arrivals lists; subscribing to open access journals; current awareness services and selective dissemination of information service displays and electronic bulletins. Based on their library needs and semester calendar, participants developed action points and timelines to implement tasks in their libraries at the end of each unit training. Librarians were encouraged to share their experiences through library websites, Facebook page, group e-mail/listserv and Instagram; however, they were challenged with intimate internet access. College libraries were rewarded for their extraordinary job. Given their pivotal role in the management and administration of financial and material resources, on top of librarians, the participants in this training were college administrators/ management, teaching and ICT staff, researchers and student leadership. Participants were selected to address the current and future needs of the college library. These are individuals that are perceived to have a great impact towards furthering the college library agenda. The practical nature of this training warranted conducting the workshops from developed but similar library spaces, for example, Aga Khan University Library and Kampala Capital City, Makerere University Library, International Hospital Kampala Library and Uganda Christian University Library. Participants observed orientation sessions, reference desk management and interviews, collection management practices, preservation and conservation, secretarial bureau management, etc. Long-term measures: Changing the mindset of librarians, college administrators and teaching staff is a long-term commitment which continues to demand for innovative interventions. For example: job shadowing allowed college librarian short-term attachments to Makerere University Library, Uganda Christian University Library, Aga Khan Hospital University Library and International Hospital Kampala Library – these libraries were selected because of their comparable practices and size. The mentorship programme lasted between two-three weeks; on-spot supervision and follow-up visits to assess progress with the action plan by the librarians and college administration and college library committee; ensuring that all library documents – library strategic plan, library manual, library organogram, etc are approved by the College Governing Council and are part of the college wide governing documents; and establishing the library committee with a job description for each member – this has strengthened the library most especially as an advocacy tool, planning and budgeting mechanism, awareness channel for library practices, while bringing the library to the agenda – reemphasizing the library’s agenda. To bridge the widened gap between librarians and the rest of the stakeholders, i.e. teaching staff, ICT staff, college administration and students, a college library committee structure and its mandate were established comprising: Library Committee Chairperson – member of the teaching staff; Library Committee Secretary – College Librarian; Student Representative – must be a member of the student Guild with library work experience; and Representative from each college academic department. A library consortium was formed involving all the four project supported colleges to participate in resource sharing practices, shared work practices like shared cataloguing, information literacy training, reference interview and referral services as well a platform for sharing experiences. A library consortium further demanded for automating library functions to facilitate collaboration and shared work. Plans are in place to install Koha integrated library system that will cultivate a strong working relationship between librarians and students, academic staff, college administration and IT managers. This was achieved by ensuring that librarians innovatively implement library practices and skills acquired from the workshop as well as show their relevance to the academic life of the academic staff. Cultivating relationships takes a great deal of time, thus college librarians were coached on: creating inclusive library committees, timely response to user needs, design library programmes that address user needs, keeping with changing technology to suite changing user needs, seeking customer feedback and collecting user statistics to support their requests, strengthening the library’s financial based by starting a secretarial bureau and conducting user surveys to understand users’ information-seeking behaviour. To improve the awareness of new developments in the library world, college librarians were introduced to library networks at national, regional and international levels, as a result they participated in conferences, workshops, seminars at local, regional and international level. For example, for the first time and with funding from Belgium Technical Cooperation, college librarians attended 81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress in South African in 2015. College libraries are now members of the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and Uganda Library and Information Science Association and have attended meetings of these two very important library organisations in Uganda’s LIS profession. The college librarians have attended meetings and workshops organized by these two organisations. Originality/value At the end of the three units training, participants were able to develop: a strategic plan for their libraries; an organogram with staffing needs and job description matching staff functions; a Library Committee for each library and with a structure unifying all the four project-support Colleges; a library action plan with due dates including deliverables and responsibilities for implementation; workflow plan and organisation of key sections of the library such as reserved and public spaces; furniture and equipment inventory (assets); a library manual and collection development policy; partnerships with KCCA Library and Consortium of Uganda University Libraries; skills to use Koha ILMS for performing library functions including: cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, serials management, reporting and statistics; skills in searching library databases and information literacy skills; skills in designing simple and intuitive websites using Google Sites tools; and improved working relationship between the stakeholders was visible. To further the user-friendly libraries principle of putting users in the centre of the library’s operations, support ATL methodologies and activities with emphasis on getting engaged in transforming spaces, services, outreach to users and collections the following initiatives are currently implemented in the colleges: getting approval of all library policy documents by College Governing Council, initiating job shadowing opportunities, conducting on-spot supervision, guide libraries to set up college library committees and their job description, design library websites, develop dissemination sessions for all library policies, incorporate user-friendly language in all library documents, initiate income generation activities for libraries, set terms of reference for library staff and staffing as per college organogram, procurement of library tools like DDC and library of congress subject headings (LCSH), encourage attendance to webinars and space planning for the new libraries.

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Objective – Libraries have had to temporarily shut their doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the provision of online and remote services. This review analyzed services offered by libraries, the technological tools used, and the challenges facing libraries during the pandemic. Methods – This study employed a systematic literature review, following the PRISMA checklist (Moher at al., 2009). The Building Blocks search strategy was employed to search for keywords of concepts in Library and Information Science Abstract (LISA), Library and Information Science Technology Abstract (LISTA), Library Science Database, Web of Science (WoS) core collections, and Google Scholar. A set of inclusion and exclusion criteria was pre-determined by the authors prior to database searching. Quality assessment of included studies was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (Hong et al., 2018). A tabular approach was used to provide a summary of each article allowing the synthesis of results, which led to the identification of eight broad categories of services provided by libraries in included studies. Results – The first set of searches from the 5 databases produced 3,499 results. After we removed duplicates and applied the inclusion and exclusion criteria based on titles and abstracts, 37 potentially relevant articles were identified. Further screening of the full-text led to the final inclusion of 23 articles used for the qualitative synthesis. The majority of the studies were conducted in the United States of America (n= 6, 26.1%), followed by India (n=4, 17%), and China (n=2, 8.7%). The remaining studies were carried out in United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Romania, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. The most common method used in selected studies was the case study (n= 11, 48%), followed by survey (n=7, 30.4%), content analysis (n=4, 17.4%), and mixed methods (n=1, 4.3%). The majority of the studies were carried out in academic libraries (74%), while the rest were based on medical, public, and special libraries. Findings show that the majority of academic libraries in the included studies are providing and expanding access to electronic resources (n=16, 69.6%) and increasing open access resources and services (n=11, 47.8%). More so, most academic libraries are assisting in virtual education and teaching endeavors of faculty and students (n=13, 56.5%). In addition, some medical and public libraries are bolstering public health safety through health literacy (n=12, 52.2%), supporting research efforts, and engaging in virtual reference services, among others. In order to carry out these services, libraries are harnessing several educational, social networking, communication, and makerspaces technologies. Most of the libraries in the included studies reported budgetary challenges, and the need for new ICT infrastructure and Internet service as they move their services online. Conclusion – This review found that libraries are adapting in a number of ways to continue their roles in meeting patrons’ needs in spite of the growing challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown. For libraries to thrive in these trying times, there must be a well-structured approach to ensuring continuity of services. Libraries should prioritize the acquisition of electronic resources as well as increase their efforts to digitize resources that are only available in printed copies. As library services have predominantly shifted online, there should be concerted effort and support from government and funding agencies to equip libraries with the technological facilities needed to provide cutting-edge services. The quality assessment of the included studies shows that there is need for rigor and transparency in the methodological description of studies investigating library services provision in a pandemic. This review provides an overview of the ways libraries have responded to the challenges posed by a global pandemic, and hence will be of use and interest to all librarians especially those in health and academic sectors.

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Purpose Academic libraries’ response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic might be an opportunity to reassert and reemphasise their roles in the national disaster management matrix. The purpose of this study is to review the responses of academic libraries in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has precipitated a challenge amongst all institutions, communities and libraries as evidenced by the growing lockdowns, deaths and shocking statistics of infections. This has triggered a fundamental need to rethink how libraries can establish innovative ways to continue providing services to users. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted the interpretive research paradigm to review the situation in South Africa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used an analysis of secondary sources, the activities that took place and personal experience to answer the research questions. Findings The analysis showed that academic libraries and publishers have risen to the occasion, offering more free content and curating personalised collections so that citizens can have uninterrupted access to content and learning. The digital libraries in South Africa are considered vital alleyways to high-quality e-books, journals and educational content, including open educational resources. Digital library services have enabled academic libraries in South Africa to excel in providing online services, therefore ensuring that learning, research and teaching continued. Originality/value This study, using Habermas’s idea of the public sphere as a fundamental theoretical framework, notes that when the physical space is closed, it is necessary for academic libraries in South Africa to make use of the digital space. This study will contribute to the corpus of knowledge relating to South African digital libraries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The author analyzes the new concept of “truly modern libraries” being developed by Vadim Stepanov who suggests to review the library functions and to re-orient the libraries toward providing socio-cultural and leisure services. The author analyzes these methodological and practical recommendations within the concept while demonstrating the practical “misery” of the concept itself and the recommendations which, to one degree or another, have been being developed in the national library studies. Thus, the open access to library collections is a common place since 1930s; every large library has got special room for public events, etc. The author discusses the experience of Helsinki city library (“Oodi”) that has switched to sociocultural and leisure services. Today, “Oodi” – is a cultural and entertaining center, comprising the library oriented toward leisure activities; in fact, it franchises the title of a library. The author demonstrates that accommodating libraries within cultural, leisure and entertaining complexes has been the common practice since the Soviet period. He emphasizes that changes in the national librarianship are of the multifactor character, while automation and computerization of library processes and online access lead to decreasing the library staff number and the volume of library collections. Thus, these changes may not be regarded as the manifestation of a crisis. The author suggests the projects must be being developed more responsibly.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a study concerning what emotional intelligence (EI) leadership attributes branch managers in the public library service in Northern Ireland (Libraries NI) consider to be most important.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology in the study involved a survey of all branch managers in Libraries NI – an online questionnaire containing quantitative and qualitative questions was sent to 104 branch managers. Goleman's Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) was used to examine what attributes and skills were considered to be more important.FindingsThe study found that while EI was a new concept to the majority of respondents, they were valuing and demonstrating EI attributes and traits in their work. The top five leadership attributes were: communication; teamwork and collaboration; adaptability; integrity/trustworthiness; and organisational awareness. Likert‐scale questions showed that being able to empathise with staff was considered to be important, and open‐ended questions demonstrated that the branch managers recognised the importance of self‐awareness and that recognising emotions in staff was an important management trait.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides insight into the perceptions and practices of EI leadership within a public library setting and contributes to the research literature on the relevance of EI leadership for library management. It provides valuable comparative data for similar research undertaken elsewhere. Specific recommendations for further research into EI leadership and public libraries are also made.Practical implicationsThe paper shows how the findings can be used to improve practice. Three specific frameworks are proposed which can be applied in the workplace: an Emotional Intelligence Leadership Skills Competency Framework for Branch Managers, which lists the personal and social competencies for branch managers in public libraries; suggestions for applying EI to leadership/management and staff development; and suggestions for applying EI to customer relations.Originality/valueThis study analyses for the first time EI leadership in a public library setting in Northern Ireland, and contributes to the emergent literature on EI and library leadership. The EI Leadership Skills Competency Framework for Branch Managers that is developed from this study can be applied, tested and used within and beyond the Northern Ireland public library setting in which it was conceived.

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The author critically examines the evolution of open access libraries from the TULIP project (1991) to more recent developments. At the same time, he emphasises the role of libraries as key agents of national book policies through Public Lending Rights. After having shown the difference between the scholarly communication and the book chains, both in printed and digital form, the author points to the position that libraries hold on the distribution segment of the chains and how they are unable to turn power relations among actors to their own advantage. If content if king, organisations distributing content are normally king-makers, as the example of STM publishers clearly shows. Nevertheless, fragmentation and the assumption that what is good for libraries is also good for users do not allow libraries to understand the needs of the different stakeholders present in the value chain and provide appropriate services to them. This aspect is emphasised further in the book trade, where libraries have been hesitant in realising the economic foundation of copyright regulations which consists of trading off “the costs of limiting access to a work against the benefits of providing incentives to create the work in the first place” (Landes & Posner). After having examined library copyright strategies both in the book trade and in scholarly communication with a thorough discussion on (e-)lending and controlled digital lending, the author claims that copyright regulations are not written in the sky but on a solid foundation of economic forces which shape the book and information chains. Libraries’ strategies should aim to reinforce their relevance in the distribution segment and demonstrate their ability to provide services to all actors in the value chain. This role should also impact on the normalisation of library-publisher relations.

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Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the impact of the open access movement on the document supply of grey literature. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a comparative survey of five major scientific and technical information centres: The British Library (UK), KM (Canada), INIST-CNRS (France), KISTI (South Korea) and TIB Hannover (Germany). Findings – The five institutions supplied less than 1.8 million supplied items in 2014, i.e. half of the activity in 2004 (−55 per cent). There were 85,000 grey documents, mainly conference proceedings and reports, i.e. 5 per cent of the overall activity, a historically low level compared to 2004 (−72 per cent). At the same time, they continue to expand their open access strategies. Just as in 2004 and 2008, these strategies are specific, and they reflect institutional and national choices rather than global approaches, with two or three common or comparable projects (PubMed Central, national repositories, attribution of DOIs to datasets, dissertations and other objects). In spite of all differences, their development reveals some common features, like budget cuts, legal barriers (copyright), focus on domestic needs and open access policies to foster dissemination and impact of research results. Document supply for corporate customers tends to become a business-to-business service, while the delivery for the public sector relies more, than before, on resource sharing and networking with academic and public libraries. Except perhaps for the TIB Hannover, the declining importance of grey literature points towards their changing role – less intermediation, less acquisition and collection development and more high-value services, more dissemination and preservation capacities designed for the scientific community needs (research excellence, open access, data management, etc.). Originality/value – The paper is a follow-up study of two surveys published in 2006 and 2009.

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Recent industry–academic partnerships involve collaboration among disciplines, locations, and organizations using publicly funded “open-access” and proprietary commercial data sources. These require the effective integration of chemical and biological information from diverse data sources, which presents key informatics, personnel, and organizational challenges. The BioAssay Research Database (BARD) was conceived to address these challenges and serve as a community-wide resource and intuitive web portal for public-sector chemical-biology data. Its initial focus is to enable scientists to more effectively use the National Institutes of Health Roadmap Molecular Libraries Program (MLP) data generated from the 3-year pilot and 6-year production phases of the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN), which is currently in its final year. BARD evolves the current data standards through structured assay and result annotations that leverage BioAssay Ontology and other industry-standard ontologies, and a core hierarchy of assay definition terms and data standards defined specifically for small-molecule assay data. We initially focused on migrating the highest-value MLP data into BARD and bringing it up to this new standard. We review the technical and organizational challenges overcome by the interdisciplinary BARD team, veterans of public- and private-sector data-integration projects, who are collaborating to describe (functional specifications), design (technical specifications), and implement this next-generation software solution.

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Purpose – India occupies second position among the countries that have adopted DSpace open source software for institutional repositories (IRs)/digital libraries (DLs). The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons for DSpace being preferred over other software. It inspects various instances of Indian web-based DSpace systems including the nature and growth of collection, the geographical distribution of DSpace systems and the types of institutions that adopt and maintain DSpace. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from the official website of DSpace, Google search and from online discussion forums during July 2013 to January 2014. The 132 Indian DSpace links provided in the official DSpace website were examined. Further search was carried out on Google to identify Indian IRs and DLs that are not listed by the official website. A list of Indian DSpace websites prepared by the authors was sent to the online discussion forums for further updating. An online directory of Indian DSpace websites was created using WordPress which provided for the adding of comments. The study is limited to the web-based DSpace IRs and DLs in India. Findings – The majority of the Indian IRs and DLs listed on the official website of DSpace are not visible on the internet. Many links lead to institution websites, commercial websites and personal pages of authors. Out of 132 DSpace links, only 55 are visible on the internet to search and use. Indian libraries prefer DSpace over EPrints, Fedora and Greenstone. Many institutions could not maintain continuity of their DSpace systems in the online environment. Institutions having more funding are maintaining web-based DSpace systems. The size, economic conditions, rate of literacy and number of universities in an Indian state do not influence the maintenance of digital systems. Academic institutions involving universities, technical institutions and colleges lead in the adoption and maintenance of web-based DSpace in India. Private universities and colleges have adopted DSpace for IR/DL. Public libraries constitute a minimum percentage of web-based DSpace instances. Indian courts and Parliament have adopted DSpace. Shodhganga, the Indian ETD project, is running on DSpace. Originality/value – This is the first paper examining the adoption of DSpace by Indian libraries with a focus on online visibility and the strength of collection. It can be used to understand the pattern of technology adoption by Indian libraries over the years.

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A review of: Taylor, Robert S. "Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking in Libraries." College & Research Libraries 29.3 (1968): 178-94. Objective – To better understand the question negotiation process in libraries both in intermediated and in self-help situations. To achieve a richer understanding of the relationship between library users and library systems in order to establish a research agenda and inform librarian education. Design – The first part consisted of qualitative research involving interviews. The second part consisted of a diary study. Setting – Special engineering libraries in the United States and a university campus (Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania). Subjects – The participants in the interviews were special librarians. Special librarians were selected because they have more specialized knowledge and respond to more substantive questions in greater depth than do public and academic librarians who emphasize instruction and who encounter staffing restrictions that prevent them from spending too much time on each inquiry. Detailed information on the selection of the individual participants is not provided. The participants in the diary study were twenty undergraduate students who were enrolled in an information science course. Methods – The interviews were open-ended and unstructured. The interviews lasted sixty to ninety minutes and were taped. No information is provided on transcription or analysis methods or paradigms. In the second part, the students were given a reading assignment on information seeking. They then had to select a search topic and document the steps they took, decisions they made, and resources they used to answer the question. The participants were asked to analyze their original question, the type of answer required, and decisions they made in the process. No details are provided on the analysis of the diaries. Main results – Taylor found five filters required for search definition: 1. Determination of subject; 2. Objective and motivation; 3. Personal characteristics of the inquirer; 4. Relationship of inquiry description to file organization; 5. Anticipated or acceptable answers (183) These five filters provide general information necessary for the for the search definition. These types are not mutually exclusive and may occur simultaneously. In the diary portion he found: 1. All participants consulted other people including librarians and fellow students; 2. None considered the library as a whole; 3. All inquiries required multiple sources; all answers were synthesized from multiple sources; 4. Participants were familiar with library research: they used the classification schedule to search, used subject headings, and used indexes or tables of contents. 5. Question or research problems changed as a result of information found Conclusion – Question negotiation is a dynamic process which requires feedback and iteration to come to a conclusion. The librarian’s job is to work with the inquirer to understand the information need and then to translate the negotiated need into appropriate search strategies. The author suggests that library school reference courses be updated to include instruction related to communication and negotiation in addition to the instruction on resources. He suggests more emphasis on questions instead of commands; that is, a cooperative process to determine what information is needed and how to best fulfill the need instead of assuming the inquirer “knows exactly what he wants, can describe its form (book, paper, etc.) and its label (author and title)” (191). To aid self-help situations, the author recommends better subject description of resources and inquiry-oriented instead of object-oriented systems. He suggests building better query negotiation into self-help systems. At minimum the system should request the user state his objective, if for no other reason than to force the user to reflect on or analyze his question. Help should be available at the time of need, and this can be offered through technology instead of through staffing.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential role of South Valley University (SVU) libraries’ manpower, collections, and services in the fight against terrorism in Upper Egypt. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research methodology was used in the form of a survey, which was undertaken from June to July 2015. The survey instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. The target population comprised the academic library staff (n=127) working in SVU libraries who were contacted to answer the structured questionnaire, of whom 93 library staff responded and returned their valid questionnaires, representing 73.2 percent of the whole library staff in the SVU. Findings Demographically, two-thirds of the SVU library staff were males and a large number of them are aged between 26 and 40 years, and 79.6 percent have a bachelor’s degree. The speciality of two-thirds of SVU library staff was library science, of whom a large number were librarians with lengthy work experience. This study showed that printed materials were the most adequate collections in the SVU libraries. Other materials, such as CDs/DVDs, audiovisual materials, microfilm and microfiche, online resources and electronic materials, respectively, were inadequate at SVU libraries. Few of the services provided by SVU libraries were characterized as adequate services; some are inadequate and other services do not exist. The average of the facilities provided by SVU libraries was somewhat adequate. A large number of the library staff showed that facilities, such as the availability of the learning labs were, at least, adequate for their needs. Activities, such as holding social field trips, holding training workshops, and holding academic field trips were, at least, somewhat adequate to SVU libraries. Other activities were also described to be either inadequate, such as holding lectures, seminars, conferences, etc. and library orientation, or not applicable such as activities related to bibliographic instruction. This study revealed that SVU libraries had no significant role in fighting the phenomenon of terrorism in Upper Egypt. There is no a reliable relationship between the professional characteristics of the SVU library staff and the potential role that their libraries may play in the fight against this phenomenon. Because of the lack of SVU libraries’ collections, services, facilities, and activities, this study concluded that such a role could not be achieved. Almost all the library staff admitted that this severe lack has affected the provision of library patrons and members of the library community to use these collections and services, which help in countering the threat of terrorism. Despite the significance of all these problems faced by SVU libraries in the fight against terrorism, it was found that the inadequacy of the librarys’ open hours is significantly correlated with the professional characteristics of the library staff, particularly their job title and work experience. Research limitations/implications This study investigates the potential role of SVU libraries’ manpower, collections, and services in the fight against terrorism in Upper Egypt. It covers none of the other universities or any type of other library. Any findings and conclusions resulting from this study are limited in scope to only the libraries of this university. The size, convenience and hom*ogeneity of the sample may limit the generalizability of this study. The study was conducted with a survey approach, which was the most suitable research method technique to reach the community of the study. However, for further research, investigating more specific information about such or related topics, other methods/approaches should be used to investigate the potential role of the university library, as well as the other kinds of libraries, such as public and special libraries to combat terrorism. Practical implications This study provides valuable insight into the potential role the university library can have in the fight against terrorism in one of the most important countries hit recently by this brutal phenomenon. The study focuses on libraries of one of the regional universities called the SVU, located in the Southern part of Egypt that is called the Upper Egypt. This deep part of Egypt is one of the places most affected by barbaric terrorism. The study tries to explore how much these libraries are ready to combat this terrorism in terms of sizable, suitable, accessible, qualified, and relevant collections, as well as services, facilities and activities provided by these libraries. Originality/value This study is to be the first one of its kind conducted in the Arab world where Egypt is located and one of the very few studies conducted on this topic in the world. The importance of this study strongly emanates from its subject that has dominated the obsession of all Egyptians living inside and outside Egypt over the past five years.

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A Review of: Dawson, D. (2018). Effective practices and strategies for open access outreach: A qualitative study. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 6(1), eP2216. https://doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.2216 Abstract Objective – To discover effective outreach methods used by academic libraries to promote open access (OA) publishing to researchers. Design – Semi-structured interviews Setting – 7 large research universities in the United Kingdom (UK) Subjects – 14 individuals responsible for OA outreach at their institution, including librarians and other OA practitioners Methods – Purposive sampling was used to select universities based on their membership in the UK’s Russell Group, designation in the top 20 of the Research Council UK’s OA grant-size ranking, and suggestions from other professionals. The author contacted individuals responsible for OA at these institutions by email to inform them of the study and solicit their participation. The subsequent semi-structured interviews occurred in person. Areas of focus in the interview included: job responsibilities and overview of offered scholarly communications services; sources of OA services at the institution; evolution and effectiveness of OA outreach activities; support and scholarly communication knowledge needed by researchers; and advice for fellow practitioners conducting OA outreach. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using the qualitative software NVivo. Inductive analysis was conducted to identify key themes. Main Results – The author identifies four primary themes in the coded interviews: “The Message”; “Key Contacts and Relationships”; “Qualities of the OA Practitioner”; and “Advocacy versus Compliance” (p. 1). Participants advocated for straightforward, frequent messaging tailored to the audience. The author identifies relationships as important to outreach – especially support from influential administrators and buy-in from key researchers – highlighting that face-to-face interaction is helpful when cultivating these types of relationships. Participants emphasized important qualities for OA practitioners to possess, including expertise, diplomacy, and perseverance. Establishing credibility as an expert was identified as important to generating buy-in from researchers. Finally, the author discusses the library’s role in OA advocacy vs. compliance. Some participants suggested an overemphasis on compliance to meet funder requirements may overshadow promotion of the inherent value of OA in academic publishing. Conclusions – The author suggests that because UK open access efforts are robust and have been in progress for many years, OA practitioners from the UK may possess useful insights for North American librarians with growing initiatives. The study highlights implications for practice including the identification of effective outreach strategies, evidence of the need for balanced messaging, and observations on why faculty may be resistant to outreach from librarians. The author recommends further research to determine what type of messaging is most valuable and when, suggesting less complex policies in North America may allow for more focus on the public good of OA. Successful outreach is predicated upon having enough time to gain the necessary depth of knowledge, and the study acknowledges that librarians with diverse job responsibilities may have less time to invest in this way. The author also suggests more research is needed to evaluate the impact of the dynamics between librarians and classroom faculty. The article posits that librarians who participate in research and tenure processes may find communication easier and have opportunities to promote OA through participation in university governance. Finally, the author observes that librarians are poised to have a positive impact on the scholarly publishing system through outreach to researchers who can drive systemic change.

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Abstract India's flagship program on sanitation and hygiene – the Swachh Bharat Mission – aims to eliminate open defecation and to manage urban waste for a ‘Clean India’. The emptying of toilet pits and the transport of waste are as critical as more toilets are for sustainable sanitation. In unsewered cities of the global South, these services are mainly provided by privately run cleaning trucks. We find that the physical and social mechanisms through which these services are organized are virtually invisible in national fecal sludge and waste management policies. Based on a rich ethnography of cleaning trucks in Bangalore, India, we show that trucking operations dispose of sludge in ways that harm both public health and the environment, and that the caste composition of sanitation work helps to keep it invisible from officials and the public. We draw on the concept of the social role of disgust to explain the seen-and-unseen nature of these trucks. ‘Seeing’ sludge management as it is practiced is essential for understanding how the sanitary city is being produced and for the success of future sanitation reforms. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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Several academic disciplines have begun to understand the benefits of open access to scholarship, both for scholars and for the general public. Scientific disciplines have led the way, partially due to the nature of scholarship in those areas and partially because they have felt the crisis in serials pricing more acutely than others. Theological studies, however, have largely been insulated from the push for open access; considering the reasons for that is the first task of this article. It is also the case, however, that the missionary impulse that stands behind much theological scholarship is a strong incentive to embrace the opportunities afforded by digital, online dissemination of research and writing. After discussing this imperative for global distribution, the bulk of the article focuses on how theological institutions, and especially their libraries, can encourage and support scholars in making their work freely accessible. Copyright issues, including the elements of a successful copyright management program, are discussed, as are some of the technological elements necessary for an efficient and discoverable open access repository. Options for licensing, both at ingestion of content and at dissemination to users are also considered. Finally, it is argued that the role of consortia and professional organizations in supporting these initiatives is especially important because of the relatively small size of so many theological institutions.

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The transformation from print to digital media for scientific communication, driven in part by the growth of the Internet and the tremendous explosion in the amount of information now available to everybody, is creating fundamental changes in institutions such as publishers, libraries, and universities that primarily exist for the creation, management, and distribution of information and knowledge. Scientific, technological, and medical journals are the first publications to be completely transformed from print to digital format but monographs are beginning to appear in digital format as well and soon all communication and publishing of scientific information will be entirely electronic. In fact, this change is affecting all components of the scientific enterprise, from personal correspondence and laboratory methods to peer reviewing and the quality assessment of scientific research. Along with these radical and rapid changes in information presentation and distribution are coincident changes in the expectations of both the public and other scientists, with both groups demanding ever more rapid, open, and global access to scientific information than has been available in the past. The consequence of this revolution in the mechanics of communications technology is threatening the very existence of a number of highly regarded institutions such as intellectual property, commercial publishers, scientific societies, and academic libraries and might soon begin to threaten even the traditional university.

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This study focuses on two little-known mid-nineteenth-century pamphlets which proposed radical changes to the ways in which large public and administrative buildings were planned. Although one author went to some lengths to remain anonymous, the other was soon to become recognized and respected as a major critic and historian of architecture. These ideas were thus by no means the fantasies of peripheral dreamers. Indeed, they were possible, practical solutions to current problems which used both proven and emerging technologies. Both authors advocated deep, top-lit, single-storey, ‘universal’, undifferentiated and continuous space as the best way to plan museums, libraries and offices, supported by clearly articulated reasoning. In so doing, they advanced arguments more usually associated with the open planning and ‘free’ plans of twentieth-century Modern architecture; they anticipated ideas put forward independently over three-quarters of a century later. The authors appropriated strategies already rehearsed in contemporary buildings that had been conceived for commercial, horticultural and industrial uses. They also understood how new technologies of construction and servicing developed outside the fields of public and representational buildings could help make the spaces in these types comfortable and environmentally acceptable.

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Objective – To investigate the reasons behind the cessation of 9 virtual (chat) reference services. Design – Multiple case-study investigation Setting – Academic, public, and special libraries in the United States. Subjects – Five academic libraries, 1 public library, and 3 library consortia. Methods – The initial method used to identify discontinued chat reference services was via a posting to DIG_REF, the digital reference services listserv. From this initial posting, librarians on the list also suggested other cases, for a total of 7. Two cases later came to the authors’ attention and were added. The 9 cases included academic libraries, a public library, and consortia who used tools provided by four major software vendors, giving a good cross-section of the types of libraries participating in VR and the major software packages available at the time. A contact person for each discontinued service was invited to participate. The participants were geographically scattered, so data were collected via e-mail questionnaires, telephone interviews, and examination of available documents describing the services, audiences, demographics, operations, and any decision-making processes either for starting or discontinuing the service. The authors then compared and contrasted results obtained from the 9 services. The authors analysed reasons for discontinuation of services, the decision making processes, volume of questions, service hours, marketing, evaluation, and whether the service might be restarted at some time in the future. Main Results – Although the VR services discussed were being delivered by diverse organizations, some commonalities emerged. All 9 services used existing staff and added chat reference to their duties. In all but one case, the hours of service offered when VR began were within the hours that the libraries were already open to the public. In the exception (Case E), there were hours of service after the libraries were closed, from 7-10 p.m. These shifts were covered by librarians working from home. Decisions to either begin or suspend services were generally made by small informal groups or committees. Some cases began with pilot studies and received positive responses. Other than these pilot studies, little pre-planning appeared to have been done. For example, there were no extensive advance surveys or studies to determine potential demand or markets for the service, or projected costs and benefits. Only one service had a strong, multi-stage evaluation plan. In future launches of virtual reference services, both extensive pre-planning and detailed measures for evaluation could be helpful in avoiding some problems. Major reasons for discontinuation fell into 6 categories: funding problems, staffing problems, technical problems, institutional culture conflicts, low usage overall or low usage by target populations. A table (Table 1) was included that actually listed 7 categories of reasons for discontinuation, but the last one listed, “Software Change,” is discussed as part of “Technical Problems” in the text, though it is separated in the table (527). This is not immediately clear in the article, and thus the table is slightly confusing. Four cases reported funding problems as the major reason for discontinuation. Low volume or low volume for target population were primary reasons for discontinuation by 4 cases, and secondary reasons for discontinuation by 4 cases. If one combines primary and secondary categories in this table, low volume is the most frequently cited reason for discontinuation. Low volume was determined to be “driven by a complex combination of variables including marketing strategies, insufficient hours of operation, and [failure to provide] an ample amount of time for a service to gain momentum” (527-528). Funding was cited as the primary reason for cancellation in 4 cases. Technical problems were listed as primary or secondary factors for suspension of service in 2 cases, and software change was the secondary factor behind the suspension of service in 2 cases; one service reported that up to one third of chat sessions were ‘lost” (527). In many cases, these sites were early adopters of VR, or even beta test sites, so technical issues are perhaps not surprising. Staffing was the primary or secondary reason for discontinuation in a total of 3 cases. Staffing problems included insufficient questions to keep staff interested; however, concerns about extending service hours and thereby putting additional pressure on existing staff were also raised. Clashes in institutional cultures were reported as secondary reasons for discontinuation of the service in 2 consortia. It should be noted that the sample size is small; as the authors point out, the literature on unsuccessful or discontinued virtual reference services is quite limited. Pop-up surveys were used by some cases to evaluate service success and user satisfaction. User satisfaction was reported as being high, but return rates for the surveys were very low, as can be expected since pop-ups are often blocked or ignored. The authors recommend alternative means of evaluation, such as focus groups and more detailed surveys. The authors also discuss alternative technologies and user expectations for services such as IM or SMS text messaging, and suggest evaluation of user expectations and desires in these areas. One question which arose was what constituted success in chat reference – was it usage/volume, or some other measure, such as whether chat reference queries were answered correctly more frequently than reference questions asked in other ways, such as by telephone or in person. Other key concerns identified include the importance of strong marketing, service usability, and the importance in a consortial environment of having someone responsible on a full-time basis for directing and spearheading the project. Many of the suspended services reported that they could potentially become re-interested in VR service, as issues are resolved and the technologies available mature. Finally, the authors provide detailed recommendations for single and consortial VR services, and offer directions for future research. Some suggestions for future research include ways to bridge the apparent gulf between expectations and technological preferences of users versus those of librarians and others staffing these services, as they often appear to have marked differences. Other areas of interest could include causes for low question volume, and possible relationships among various factors contributing to such poor usage along with an investigation of what makes successful services work well. Research on IM or SMS reference services as compared to those using other chat technologies and cost-effectiveness studies or evaluations based on goals and measured outcomes are also needed. Conclusion – VR services have had erratic success rates and bumpy beginnings, but many libraries report continued interest The libraries in this study all indicated that they would consider, or are considering, re-starting such services. Issues of staffing, technological usability and reliability, institutional culture, funding, marketing, and volume are key. As services and technologies mature, interest in offering VR services in one form or another continues to grow.

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A Review of: Bierman, J., Ortega, L., & Rupp-Serrano, K. (2010). E-book usage in pure and applied sciences. Science & technology libraries, 29(1-2), 69-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942620903579393 Abstract Objective – To determine the usage of and attitudes toward e-books among faculty in the applied and pure sciences. Design – Online survey and in-person interviews. Setting – A large public university in the United States. Subjects – 11 faculty members. Methods – Participants completed an 11-item survey covering demographic data and questions about electronic book experience and preferences. This was followed up by an in-person interview with the researchers. The interviews were structured into three sections: opening questions about e-book usage, an interactive demonstration and discussion of two preselected e-books, and final follow-up questions. Interviews followed a general script of prepared questions, but also encouraged open discussion and dialogue. Main Results – Most participants in the study reported limited experience with e-books and only 3 of the 11 participants reported using library-purchased e-books in their research and instruction. Participants noted ease of access and searchability as key advantages of e-books. Concerns included the belief that reading and learning is more difficult on a desktop computer, as well as concerns about the stability and reliability of e-book access. Participants also felt negatively about the necessity to create a new login profile and password to access e-books. The study found no difference in the way faculty in pure and applied sciences approached e-books. Conclusion – The authors determine that e-books will likely become more commonly used in academia. Users want e-books that are easy to use and customizable. In addition, the authors conclude that librarians need to understand their patrons’ needs as e-book users and proactively promote and market their e-book collections.

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The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has been presenting a series of public policies to promote its Sharing City Initiative (SCI) since 2012. The initiative promotes many sharing programs that are aimed at providing opportunities to those who are in need of cars and public facilities such as parking facilities, convention facilities, and public libraries. This study examines the potential contribution of information and communication technology (ICT) to sustainable development and investigates the government’s role in the sharing economy based on the SCI undertaken by the SMG. Based on selected cases, this study suggests that the sharing economy is not necessarily purely market driven but can often be promoted and utilized by governments as a policy instrument for both economic and social goals. The findings of this study demonstrate that the underprivileged could be a target beneficiary group of a sharing economy if a government specifically designs a sharing economy project like the SCI. It is also important for governments to use government funding such as subsidies to initially promote the sharing economy project as well as to establish a supportive legal framework to overcome existing laws which often constrain sharing economy activities. Governments need to establish partnerships with various stakeholders including private enterprises, social enterprises, and NGOs as well as other local governments to take advantage of the economy of scale of a sharing economy. Lastly, this study shows that a government-driven sharing economy project can help to make governments more transparent and accountable if governments actively open their data to promote a sharing economy.

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AbstractA sudden subsidence under a footpath which led to the tragic death of a pedestrian was followed by a series of further subsidences over a period of several years, all incidents apparently located within an area no more than approximately 1 km square. The area is one of high density housing of the terraced style which was largely developed in the period 1900-1940. Further housing estates have been added in the period since the 1950s.Increasing public concern over the incidents led to the commissioning of a preliminary study by the Rochester-upon-Medway City Council to collate and assess relevant archival information to determine whether the subsidence occurrences in the area could be related to some common cause. The study included reference to local museums, libraries and societies, visits to the British Library Map Department, a review of the geological literature and a collation of the industrial history of the area. Several potential causes of subsidence were discovered; these included the existence of old water wells and dene holes and, more significantly, extensive excavations associated with brick production at the turn of the century. In addition, a canal had been tunnelled under the area in 1823, subsequently partly infilled and converted to railway use.The probable cause of the incidents at Frindsbury has been attributed to the existence of chalk mines associated with the brickfields and further investigation is now taking place to locate these.Clues to all of the features discussed above were available as open file information in public records. This paper describes how the information was acquired and assimilated and emphasizes the importance of the role of desk study in the initial stages of any development project.

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Abstract We use data collected as part of a baseline survey in 2012 and a survey 5 months post-intervention in 2014 to assess the short-term outcomes of a water supply intervention in Ribáuè, Mozambique. This intervention included the rehabilitation and expansion of a piped water system, revitalization of water committees, and creation of and capacity building for small-scale private water enterprises. Quantitative results suggest that the intervention led to an immediate significant increase in the use of piped water supply at the expense of unprotected wells and other non-revenue generating forms of unimproved water supply with more than a 2.5-fold increase in the usage of yard taps and water kiosks/standpipes and a two-fold decrease in the use of unprotected wells. Family water consumption also increased by approximately 40 L/d, and the point-of-use treatment of water nearly tripled. Economic opportunities were generated for business and small enterprise owners due to the new water supply infrastructure, and piped water infrastructure had additional positive effects for both public and private sanitation facilities. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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Abstract. The System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) is an open source geographic information system (GIS), mainly licensed under the GNU General Public License. Since its first release in 2004, SAGA has rapidly developed from a specialized tool for digital terrain analysis to a comprehensive and globally established GIS platform for scientific analysis and modeling. SAGA is coded in C++ in an object oriented design and runs under several operating systems including Windows and Linux. Key functional features of the modular software architecture comprise an application programming interface for the development and implementation of new geoscientific methods, a user friendly graphical user interface with many visualization options, a command line interpreter, and interfaces to interpreted languages like R and Python. The current version 2.1.4 offers more than 600 tools, which are implemented in dynamically loadable libraries or shared objects and represent the broad scopes of SAGA in numerous fields of geoscientific endeavor and beyond. In this paper, we inform about the system's architecture, functionality, and its current state of development and implementation. Furthermore, we highlight the wide spectrum of scientific applications of SAGA in a review of published studies, with special emphasis on the core application areas digital terrain analysis, geomorphology, soil science, climatology and meteorology, as well as remote sensing.

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Abstract Contamination in drinking water from heavy metals like Pb2+ has severe effects on health. In this study, potato peel (PP) was used as the substrate and magnetic iron nanoparticles (MI) were deposited on PP using a co-precipitated method. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the deposition of MI on PP. The L16 (4^4) method of Taguchi design of experiment (DOE) was used for the optimization of adsorption condition, i.e., at 6 pH, 10 min of contact time, and a dose of 15 g/L can give more than 90% removal efficiency of Pb2+ using PP-MI. Contour maps, Taguchi response analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) suggested that pH has a dominant contribution in the removal of Pb2+. The adsorption process was favorable, spontaneous, and exothermic in nature and was followed by pseudo second order kinetics. A comparison of the sorption capacity of PP-MI for Pb2+ with literature values suggested that PP-MI has good potential for the removal of Pb2+. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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Abstract. The System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) is an open-source Geographic Information System (GIS), mainly licensed under the GNU General Public License. Since its first release in 2004, SAGA has rapidly developed from a specialized tool for digital terrain analysis to a comprehensive and globally established GIS platform for scientific analysis and modeling. SAGA is coded in C++ in an object oriented design and runs under several operating systems including Windows and Linux. Key functional features of the modular organized software architecture comprise an application programming interface for the development and implementation of new geoscientific methods, an easily approachable graphical user interface with many visualization options, a command line interpreter, and interfaces to scripting and low level programming languages like R and Python. The current version 2.1.4 offers more than 700 tools, which are implemented in dynamically loadable libraries or shared objects and represent the broad scopes of SAGA in numerous fields of geoscientific endeavor and beyond. In this paper, we inform about the system's architecture, functionality, and its current state of development and implementation. Further, we highlight the wide spectrum of scientific applications of SAGA in a review of published studies with special emphasis on the core application areas digital terrain analysis, geomorphology, soil science, climatology and meteorology, as well as remote sensing.

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High mobility group box B (HMGB) proteins are pivotal in the development of cancer. Although the proteomics of prostate cancer (PCa) cells has been reported, the involvement of HMGB proteins and their interactome in PCa is an unexplored field of considerable interest. We describe herein the results of the first HMGB1/HMGB2 interactome approach to PCa. Libraries constructed from the PCa cell line, PC-3, and from patients’ PCa primary tumor have been screened by the yeast 2-hybrid approach (Y2H) using HMGB1 and HMGB2 baits. Functional significance of this PCa HMGB interactome has been validated through expression and prognosis data available on public databases. Copy number alterations (CNA) affecting these newly described HMGB interactome components are more frequent in the most aggressive forms of PCa: those of neuroendocrine origin or castration-resistant PCa. Concordantly, adenocarcinoma PCa samples showing CNA in these genes are also associated with the worse prognosis. These findings open the way to their potential use as discriminatory biomarkers between high and low risk patients. Gene expression of a selected set of these interactome components has been analyzed by qPCR after HMGB1 and HMGB2 silencing. The data show that HMGB1 and HMGB2 control the expression of several of their interactome partners, which might contribute to the orchestrated action of these proteins in PCa

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Abstract This study presents a novel methodology for estimating the concentration of environmental pollutants in water, such as pathogens, based on environmental parameters. The scientific uniqueness of this study is the prevention of excess conformity in the model fitting by applying domain knowledge, which is the accumulated scientific knowledge regarding the correlations between response and explanatory variables. Sign constraints were used to express domain knowledge, and the effect of the sign constraints on the prediction performance using censored datasets was investigated. As a result, we confirmed that sign constraints made prediction more accurate compared to conventional sign-free approaches. The most remarkable technical contribution of this study is the finding that the sign constraints can be incorporated in the estimation of the correlation coefficient in Tobit analysis. We developed effective and numerically stable algorithms for fitting a model to datasets under the sign constraints. This novel algorithm is applicable to a wide variety of the prediction of pollutant contamination level, including the pathogen concentrations in water. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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Abstract Floods are the most common type of natural disaster and they impact human health and well-being. In cities such as Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, it is the poorest residents who experience the worst impacts from flooding. Yet although the negative effects of floods on drinking water quality are known, there is little empirical evidence on how they affect water access more broadly. This paper uses interviews from Dar es Salaam's Kigogo Ward to understand perceptions of drinking water source changes during floods. It frames these perceptions in the Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to achieve universal and equitable access to water. Results show that households experience flooding both inside and outside the house and that these episodes impact water quality, accessibility, and availability. In particular, floods can increase contamination, force residents to wait to fetch water, and require them to walk through floodwater to reach water sources. Floods also cause them to discard stored drinking water. These results demonstrate the need for additional research on the impacts of floods on water access. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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Abstract Successful implementation of chlorination for disinfecting community water systems in developing countries faces obstacles, with rejection of chlorinous flavor as a significant factor. Determining consumers' abilities to accurately detect chlorine in treated water is important to identifying acceptable chlorination levels that are also effective for water disinfection. Chlorine detection sensitivity was tested in untrained Ecuadorian consumers with limited prior experience with chlorinated water and US consumers with extensive prior experience with chlorinated water. Water samples with free chlorine concentrations up to 3.0 mg/L were presented for flavor testing. Ecuadorian consumers showed higher sensitivity, being able to detect chlorination at 2.0 and 3.0 mg/L, while US consumers did not reliably detect chlorine presence for any concentration levels. Additionally, Ecuadorian consumers' rejection of water samples depended on chlorination, showing a statistically significant increase in rejections of samples with chlorine concentrations above 1.0 mg/L. On the other hand, although US consumers rejected more samples overall, their tendency to reject did not vary as a function of chlorination levels. This study demonstrated that limited experience with chlorination is a critical factor for accurate chlorine flavor detection in drinking water. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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Abstract Clean water provision remains a serious problem in low- and middle-income countries. In 2017, about 30% of the world population relied on unimproved water sources located outside of the dwellings. Often women and children are occupied in fetching water. This situation increases the prevalence of water-related diseases such as diarrhoea and reduces children's study time. School attendance may decrease due to the combined effects of diarrhoea and time spent on fetching water. We investigate the effects on school absenteeism and primary school enrolment in Indonesia, using a panel data set for 295 districts over the period 1994–2014. Districts with higher diarrhoea prevalence are found to have lower school enrolment (B: −0.202, sig p < 0.01) and higher school absenteeism (B: 2.334, sig p < 0.001). Districts where more households have access to private water facilities have higher school enrolment (B: 0.025, sig p < 0.01) and lower school absenteeism (B: −0.027, sig p < 0.01). More use of piped and bottled water in a district is associated with a lower diarrhoea prevalence (B: −0.004, sig p < 0.05). Policy-makers should take the benefits of improved water supply into account when making cost–benefit analyses regarding investments in water infrastructure. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

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A Review of: Soria, K. M., Fransen, J., & Nackerud, S. (2017). The impact of academic library resources on undergraduates’ degree completion. College & Research Libraries, 78(6), 812–823. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.6.812 Abstract Objective – The researchers sought to measure the effect of accessing library resources on academic retention and graduation after four years while accounting for external factors that may influence academic outcomes. Design – Quasi-experimental observational study. Setting – A large public university in the Midwestern United States of America. Subjects – 5,368 first-year, non-transfer undergraduates; an entire freshman class. Methods – Using already collected student and library records data, the researchers grouped the population into those that had accessed one of five library resources at least once (treatment) and those who had not (control). The five treatment variables studied were circulation use, electronic resource or website access, library computer workstation logins, enrollment in open registration or course-embedded library instruction, and use of two reference services (online chat and peer research consultations). The researchers then performed a series of propensity score matching and regression analyses to compare the treatment and control groups’ outcome measures—graduation or continued enrollment after four years. These statistical models controlled for ten covariate measures that included SAT scores, first generation status, on campus residency, college of enrollment (e.g., business, engineering, education, biological sciences, design, or food, agriculture, and natural sciences), and demographic profiles. The regressions included subset analyses of the treatment group to determine if some treatment variables were associated with better outcomes than others. Main Results – The researchers found that students in the treatment group (n = 4,415) were 1.441 times more likely to graduate and 1.389 times more likely to still be enrolled after four years than those in the control group (n = 953). Both results were statistically significant at p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 respectively. The subset regression analyses revealed that accessing an electronic resource at least once was associated with the best graduation odds at 1.924 times (p < 0.001) and the best continued enrollment odds at 1.450 times (p < 0.001). Students who had accessed computer workstations and either of the two reference services studied were no more likely to have graduated or still been enrolled after four years than those who had not (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05). Conclusion – Accessing library services during the first year of university is associated with improved academic outcomes after four years. More research is needed to accurately measure this impact for methodological reasons. Libraries should document contact with students as much as possible for later assessment.