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Information centers aim at meeting the information requirements of the society they serve, while they become active parts of all kinds of experiences within the society in this process. However, it is more important for information centers (which can become social institutions of culture in that way) to show their adaptation skills in extraordinary times. Thus, they contribute to the normalization of life within the identity of a public institution. In their quality as active and integral contributors of formal education provided in our country, the university libraries are among the most important information centers that are expected to turn this responsibility into a priority reflex. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to cause severe trauma and chaos globally has introduced an atmosphere in which university libraries are expected to show such a reaction. The present study aims to show how the university libraries in our country have been affected by the pandemic and the new conditions, and to what extent their services will adapt to the new normal, as will be exemplified by the case study of Izmir Katip Celebi University (IKCU) Library. To that effect, a comparison has been made between 2019 (the former "normal" for the libraries) and 2020 (when the pandemic broke out in March also in Turkey). As a result, an analysis based on specific
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Objective. In any given country, the national language and education not only help to impart knowledge but also broaden the horizons of students, teaching them to be more tolerant of different cultures. Today, the Ukrainian language as an important component of national identity and state building is one of the main goals of Russia in its war against Ukraine. That is why one of the main challenges for higher education in Ukraine during wartime is to create modern and high-quality educational materials in the national language as quickly as possible, in order to facilitate remote teaching, learning and research processes at universities. The mechanism for responding to this challenge is to turn to the experience of creating, adapting and using Open Educational Resources (OER) in Europe and the rest of the world. The aim of the study is to consider the practices of creating, adapting and using OER in European universities and libraries in the context of their benefits, including the possibilities of overcoming language barriers in times of crisis. Methods. This article is based on the analysis of the literature on OER practices in facilitating the overcoming of language barriers, on the activities of ENOEL, on the practices of librarians and educationalists of several European universities, as well as on self-reflection and direct experience of the circumstances of the war by Ukrainian librarians, who continue information support of the educational process. Results. The theoretical aspects and implemented practical solutions demonstrate that OER can be an effective solution in times of crisis (whether a pandemic or a war) to the issue of quality information support of distance education with materials in the national language in any country in Europe and the world. In the context of higher education in Ukraine, OER is a means and one of the methods of overcoming linguocide by the Russian Federation – the purposeful destruction of the Ukrainian language as the main feature of the ethnic group. The experience of working with OER of the USUST Scientific Library (Dnipro, Ukraine) is the story of a library that was looking for opportunities to answer its local challenges and resolve problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, and found solutions that became necessary during the war with Russia. Conclusions. The authors hope that Ukrainian-language OER will soon become a mandatory element in the cultural environment of Ukrainian universities. And it is OER that can help overcome Ukrainian linguocide in educational resources. The experience of librarians of the European Network of Open Education Librarians (ENOEL) proves that one of the most important roles in this is played by university librarians. © T. O. Kolesnykova, P. Corti, M. Buist-Zhuk, 2022.
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Objective. The research is aimed at revealing the repository as an important tool for storing and promoting open access resources and open educational resources (OER) as a component of open access resources, and the role of the library in these processes. Methods. To achieve the purpose of the research, a complex of scientific methods was applied, including analysis and synthesis, comparison, statistical method and direct study of practical experience through the analysis of library reports. Results. During the research it was summarized the information about open access resources, in particular OER;examples of the national policy of forming repositories were considered;the experience of the formation and use of institutional repositories in the technical universities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv was studied;the foreign experience of creating and functioning of repositories of the information-library profile was considered. Conclusions. The further direction of the university library in the promotion of the OER initiative is substantiated, namely, convergence of library activities with educational activities in the aspect of creating, planning, and organizing access to open educational electronic resources. © H. V. Shemaieva, T. M. Kostyrko, 2022.
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This study examined how automation systems enhanced the operations of university libraries in Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK) during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviewed literature on the extent of automation, effectiveness of the use of automation technology and ascertained the challenges of automation in the operations of university libraries during COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Findings revealed that most university libraries in the UK are fully automated while university libraries in Nigeria are either partially automated or not automated. During the COVID-19 lockdown, university libraries in the UK were able to provide services, while Nigerian libraries were unable to render services. UK and Nigeria were both faced with challenges during the lockdown. Some UK libraries could not optimally provide services due to insufficient licenses for digital content. In Nigeria, there were several socio-technical issues such as inadequate staff access to computers and the internet, poor power supply, and a lack of ICT skills. The study concluded that university libraries in Nigeria should embrace more technology if they want to be effective in their operations and be able to compete favourably in the global space. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing masks in public spaces has become a protective strategy. Field tests and questionnaire surveys were carried out at a university library in Guangzhou, China, during June 2021 and January 2022. The indoor environmental parameters were observed, thermal sensation votes of students on various environmental parameters were collected, symptoms of students wearing masks were quantified, and the appropriate amount of time to wear masks was established. To identify acceptable and comfortable temperature ranges, the relationship between thermal sensation and thermal index was investigated. During summer and winter, people wearing masks are symptomatic for a certain duration. The most frequently voted symptom was facial heat (62.7 % and 54.6 % during summer and winter, respectively), followed by dyspnea. During summer, more than 80 % of the participants subjects were uncomfortable and showed some symptoms after wearing masks for more than 2 h (3 h during winter). In the summer air conditioning environment in Guangzhou, the neutral Top was 26.4 °C, and the comfortable Top range was 25.1–27.7 °C. Under the natural ventilation environment in winter, the neutral Top was 20.5 °C, and the comfortable Top range was 18.5–22.5 °C. This study may provide guidance for indoor office work and learning to wear masks in Guangzhou. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
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Purpose: This study determines the information dissemination during the Covid-19 pandemic and examine the impact on the educational activity of postgraduate students in Allied Health Sciences institute in Pakistan. Methodology: Present quantitative study is based on survey method that was carried out to assess the effectiveness of information dissemination during Covid-19 pandemic among postgraduate allied health science students in different universities in Lahore Pakistan. Finding(s): The response rate of the study remained 80%. Majority of users, about 69.5% (n=66) students responded that they did not have challenges in information dissemination during Covid-19, while 30.5% (n=29) students respond that the information was poor. Respondents of the study found highly satisfied with the efficiency of library on providing e-services during Covid-19 (P-Value = 0.487). usability of libraries in information dissemination in which 74 (78%) responded that libraries provide access to reliable and trustworthy Covid-19 pandemic information via different media. 75(79%) students are agreed on providing awareness sensitization on how to restrain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, online and offline services provided by libraries to allied health science students, challenges faced by libraries in the dissemination of information 77 (81%) Students respond that there is inadequate skills and knowledge of utilizing the Internet resources and services. The recommendations of the study might be beneficial to enhance the effectiveness of resources and services of universities libraries. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
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Purpose: This study analyses the impact on postgraduate students' educational activity at an Allied Health Sciences institute in Pakistan as well as the information distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: The current quantitative analysis is based on a survey that was conducted among postgraduate allied health science students in various universities in Lahore, Pakistan, to evaluate the efficacy of information distribution during the Covid- 19 pandemic. Finding(s): The response rate of the study remained 80%. Majority of users, Approximately 69.5% (n=66) of students said they had no trouble getting information during COVID-19, whereas 30.5% (n=29) of students said the information was subpar. Respondents of the study found highly satisfied with the efficiency of library on providing e-services during Covid-19 (P-Value = 0.487). usability of libraries in information dissemination which 74 (78%) respondents said that libraries offer access to trustworthy and reliable Covid-19 pandemic information through a variety of media There is consensus among 75 (or 79%) of the students on the importance of raising awareness and educating people on how to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, as well as the difficulties libraries face in disseminating information. 77 (81%) students said they lack the knowledge and abilities necessary to effectively use the tools and services available on the Internet. The recommendations of the study might be beneficial to enhance the effectiveness of resources and services of universities libraries. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
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This article attempts to evaluate the library services and facilities during the pandemic situations in Pakistan. This study is fashioned in positivistic tradition of quantitative research design, and a cross-sectional research method was employed. The objective of the study was to examine the library services available to students and faculty members in two public sector academic libraries in Pakistan. A complete list of students and faculty members was collected from the concerned offices along with their WhatsApp numbers and email address. A total of 1736 students and faculty members sampled through proportionate random sampling technique and filled the questionnaire out of 7835. The inclusion criteria to participate was based on enrolled students of public and private sector university, passed at least one semester of BS (4 years) and MA/MSc (2 years) programme in Pakistan, and faculty members using library resources. A structured questionnaire to measure the response of library patrons and consisted of exogenous and endogenous variables and pretested. The study findings showed that COVID-19 pandemic situations affected educational institutions at a large scale. The social distancing rule was opted to minimise the risk of infection and university libraries were also closed down. However, due to online learning transformation, library materials were digitalized and online library services were provided to students and faculty members.
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The communication interaction of Ukrainian academic libraries with the target audience regarding the formation and use of information space is an actual scientific problem. It gained particular importance in remote work conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study aims to develop a methodology for analyzing the communication interaction of academic libraries and the target audience in social media. Achieving the set goal involves the implementation of tasks: to identify the dominant social platforms used by the analyzed university libraries;to determine the quantitative indicators of posting of the dominant social platforms used by the analyzed university libraries;to identify adaptive changes in the information presentation of university libraries to meet the situational information needs of the academic community in social media. The research methodology includes methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, content analysis, grouping, generalization, stratification, and visualization. Results. The dominant social media in the information presentation of Ukrainian university libraries are Facebook and Instagram. The proposed methodology makes it possible to carry out a diachronic analysis of the functioning of the dominant social media of Ukrainian academic libraries. Quantitative indicators of coverage, posting, feedback and topics were chosen as criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of identified social media libraries. The use of coverage coefficient (CC), number of posts per day (NPD) and feedback coefficient (FC) is proposed to stratify the social media of academic libraries by levels. The remote work format in quarantine conditions led to the formation of a multi-platform information presentation of Ukrainian university libraries on social networks. The analysis of the posts' subject dynamics shows adaptation to the new conditions of communication interaction with the library's target audience. Activation of the communication interaction of the target audience and university libraries should provide for the actualization of information presentation, taking into account the features of meeting users' basic and situational information needs. © 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing masks in public spaces has become a protective strategy. Field tests and questionnaire surveys were carried out at a university library in Guangzhou, China, during June 2021 and January 2022. The indoor environmental parameters were observed, thermal sensation votes of students on various environmental parameters were collected, symptoms of students wearing masks were quantified, and the appropriate amount of time to wear masks was established. To identify acceptable and comfortable temperature ranges, the relationship between thermal sensation and thermal index was investigated. During summer and winter, people wearing masks are symptomatic for a certain duration. The most frequently voted symptom was facial heat (62.7% and 54.6% during summer and winter, respectively), followed by dyspnea. During summer, more than 80% of the participants subjects were uncomfortable and showed some symptoms after wearing masks for more than 2 h (3 h during winter). In the summer air conditioning environment in Guangzhou, the neutral Top was 26.4 °C, and the comfortable Top range was 25.1–27.7 °C. Under the natural ventilation environment in winter, the neutral Top was 20.5 °C, and the comfortable Top range was 18.5–22.5 °C. This study may provide guidance for indoor office work and learning to wear masks in Guangzhou.
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The findings of this literature review are applicable to university libraries globally, as students accessing libraries are now more culturally diverse than was the case historically. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this diversity was due to increased numbers of international students attending selected universities in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. The literature suggests that the different information seeking, cultural transition, information disruption, English-language challenges and learning styles of Asian international students are not fully understood by western university libraries. Consequently, university libraries may not have strategically aligned to their university's internationalisation objectives. Lack of understanding of the experiences of Asian international students potentially attenuates their well-being and academic success. Furthermore, this lack of adaption could place universities, such as those in Australia, at risk of not meeting national regulatory compliance expectations. This review examines the literature about the context of Asian international students' use of Australian university libraries and introduces a research project that explores the lived experience of using Australian university libraries. The review identifies literature regarding the changing profile of Asian international students enrolled in Australian universities, their information-seeking behaviour, cross-cultural dimensions, their communication skills, and the expectations of an Australian university library. The review of this literature also seeks to explore who is studying international students, which methods are being used to do so, and which topics are of particular interest to the researchers. Finally, the review considers new post-COVID-19 pandemic opportunities for both libraries and other service areas to understand the needs of Asian international students as universities competitively recruit for their return.
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This research aims to understand new virtual services developed by Islamic university libraries viewed from the perceptions of library and information science students. The concepts of services and functions of libraries, social media, and virtual technology, are used to understand this objective. This research employs a qualitative method with data collection techniques covering online observation and interviews. Before determining the object of research, observations were made daily on local and national online newspapers, to get an overview of the phenomena of library services during the COVID-19 time. Online interviews employed Google forms reinforced by direct communication via WhatsApp and Phone Calls with several informants, to obtain and validate data through triangulation techniques. The data analysis employed Miles and Huberman analysis techniques, including data reduction, data display, and verification or conclusions. The results of this study show three main issues: firstly, general phenomena around educational issues of students, indicating various social practices from internal to the external environment. Secondly, library usage becomes based on access development to information resources, service innovation, library response, and intensity of library use. Finally, newly identified service developments cover innovations in social media, librarians before virtual cameras, virtual recreation functions, and library collaboration. © 2021, University of the Punjab. All rights reserved.
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Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the latest digital transformation (DT) technological trends the university library can use to provide library users with alternative educational services. AI can foster intelligent decisions for retrieving and sharing information for learning and research. However, extant literature confirms a low adoption rate by the university libraries in using AI to provide innovative alternative services, as this is missing in their strategic plan. The research develops (AI-LSICF) an artificial intelligence library services innovative conceptual framework to provide new insight into how AI technology can be used to deliver value-added innovative library services to achieve digital transformation. It will also encourage library and information professionals to adopt AI to complement effective service delivery. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative content analysis to investigate extant literature on how AI adoption fosters innovative services in various organisations. The study also used content analysis to generate possible solutions to aid AI service innovation and delivery in university libraries. Findings: This study uses its findings to develop an Artificial Intelligence Library Services Innovative Conceptual Framework (AI-LSICF) by integrating AI applications and functions into the digital transformation framework elements and discussed using a service innovation framework. Research limitations/implications: In research, AI-LSICF helps increase an understanding of AI by presenting new insights into how the university library can leverage technology to actualise innovation in service provision to foster DT. This trail will be valuable to scholars and academics interested in addressing the application pathways of AI library service innovation, which is still under-explored in digital transformation. Practical implications: In practice, AI-LSICF could reform the information industry from its traditional brands into a more applied and resolutely customer-driven organisation. This reformation will awaken awareness of how librarians and information professionals can leverage technology to catch up with digital transformation in this age of the fourth industrial revolution. Social implications: The enlightenment of AI-LSICF will motivate library professionals to take advantage of AI's potential to enhance their current business model and achieve a unique competitive advantage within their community. Originality/value: AI-LSICF development serves as a revelation, motivating university libraries and information professionals to consider AI in their strategic plan to enable technology to support university education. This act will enable alternative service delivery in the face of unforeseen circumstances like technological disruption and the present global COVID-19 pandemic that requires non-physical interaction. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The global scenario of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how quickly university libraries can respond to changes in the educational and research ecosystems of their institutions. The new (6th) issue of the journal “University Library at a New Stage of Social Communications Development. Conference Proceedings” is exactly about this. The papers discuss new behaviours / work of library staff based on digital communication technologies, our projects, our goals, our hopes, as well as our doubts and concerns for the maximum contribution of libraries to the development of university communities in a constantly changing world. Full-length articles about the most interesting world library and information practices and ideas were selected, reviewed and recommended by members of the international editorial board of the similarly-named conference (UniLibNSD-2021), which was held in a hybrid format on October 7-8, 2021 in Dnipro, Ukraine. The title “University Library at a New Stage of Social Communications Development. Conference Proceedings” has been accepted in Scopus (2021). © T. O. Kolesnykova, 2021.
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Objective. This study aims 1) to acquire new information on alternative conference formats, including in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS), which have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on physical communication;2) to clarify the role of such a communication channel as Conference proceedings within the scientific ecosystem, as well as the concepts "proceedings paper" and "conference paper". Methods. Examining the new conference formats and special features of the Conference proceedings involved the content from the web-sites of international conferences in the field of LIS and related sciences, the analysis of subject-specific papers and data from the bibliographic and databases such as Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS). Results. It has been proven that over the year 2020 the online and hybrid events have become an alternative format of physical conferences. It has been confirmed that the Conference proceedings from the influential international conferences refer to the types of publications categorized as "high-quality papers". The peculiarity of LIS university researchers is that, in addition to studying problems focused only on the library activities, there is a need to conduct research into various subjects that are major for their institutions. Conference proceedings can be published as a book (a series of books), in a journal, or as a serial publication. Papers from them may be indexed by WoS (as "proceedings paper") and/or by Scopus (as "conference paper");however, the impact factors of the publications themselves are not available in these databases. Conclusions. In the year 2020, the new pandemic reality, representing a circumstance of irresistible force, stimulated the flourishing of creative and technological solutions for online conferences. For international conferences, it is mandatory to publish the materials presented by their participants. Proceedings paper (conference paper) in journals are similar to standard journal articles in their structure but they have a less rigorous review process, they are published faster at a lower scientific impact (citation level). © T. O. Kolesnykova, 2020.
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Objective. Research of the experience of mass implementation of the remote format of work in Ukrainian university libraries during the period of isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, analysis of work in various communication systems and programs. Evaluation of the possibility of the most optimal choice of software for remote working. Methods. We used the analysis and interpretation of the data of the work of six applications used in organizing remote work in the university library: Hangouts, Zoom, Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Viber. The combination of analytical and practical research methods made it possible to optimize the choice of software for the remote format of work of university libraries during the isolation period. Results. The study of the use efficiency of Hangouts, Zoom, Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Viber, as well as a survey conducted during the pandemic of the opinions of employees of the scientific and technical library of the Dnipro National University of Railway Transport (DNURT) on the experience of remote work, made it possible to identify the main difficulties in organizing remote work of the library. The practice of applying and mastering application programs of digital communication revealed the potential of remote work of the university library and played the role of a catalyst in the development of a remote work format. Conclusions. To conduct a high-quality online webinar for free, you need to decide on a service that is time-tested and has a good reputation among users. It will be reliable, provide all the necessary functionality for the implementation of high-quality online content. It is important to read as many feedbacks as possible. © O. A. Savelieva, O. P. Sanina, V. M. Romanko, O. V. Voitovych. 2020.
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Wearing masks to study and work places has become a daily protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2021, environmental parameters were monitored, and students in a university library in Guangzhou, China, were surveyed to analyze the possible symptoms of wearing masks for a long time, and to assess the sensitivity of various body parts to the environmental parameters. Concurrently, the preference of subjects wearing masks for various environmental parameters was also analyzed. Additionally, the relationship between thermal sensation and thermal index was analyzed to identify acceptable and comfortable temperature ranges. The expected duration of wearing masks was counted. Subjects wearing masks had greater requirements for environmental comfort, and reported increased thermal discomfort of the face and head, compared to those without masks. More than 70% of the subjects wearing masks reported that they experienced discomfort on their faces. Among the subjects who experienced discomfort, 62.7% reported that facial fever was the main symptom; while some reported symptoms of dyspnea (25.4%) and rapid heartbeat (9.1%). More than 75% of the subjects were expected to wear masks for 2.0 h or less. Evaluation of environmental thermal sensation, including overall, facial, and head thermal sensation, differed among subjects who wore and did not wear masks. The indexes of neutral Operative temperature/Standard Effective Temperature (T op /SET*) and preferred T op /SET* were lower among subjects with masks than among those without masks. The neutral T op /SET* deviation was 0.3 °C, and the preferred T op /SET* deviation was 0.5 °C. Additionally, the acceptable and comfortable temperature zones differed between the two cases. The subjects who wore masks preferred colder temperatures. These findings indicated that the environmental parameters should be adjusted to improve the thermal comfort of the human body while wearing masks in work or study places.
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Libraries are encountering certain challenges derived from changes on their business environment. With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, digital and online functions of university libraries in Korea is suggested as an alternative for the future. Thus, it is significant to assess libraries’ business efficiency focusing on digital function while it is able to acquire valuable factors for future strategy. Therefore, the study adopts DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis), a widely accepted analysis model for measuring efficiency. Moreover, the study derived appropriate factors for efficiency assessment in digital service of university library by literature review. Through this, factors regarding efficiency in university libraries can be measured. We hope this study could contribute to identify inefficient factors in university libraries as well as gaining basic data for developing improvement strategy for future. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.