Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the monographic literature related to developments in research libraries within recent years and the strategies that they are adopting to deal with change. The main aim is to identify any visibly established directions along which research libraries adapt to their social and organizational environments. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative content analysis was applied to identify topics emerging from the texts. The chosen texts were read and topics signifying directions of change in the immediate environment of research libraries were mapped. This initial topic map was used for ascertaining the reactions of research libraries to identified changes. The activities of libraries directed to future anticipated changes were noted separately. Findings – The review shows the surprising resilience of research libraries and their ability to change within a short period of time. This ability signifies that research and academic libraries as organizations perfectly adapt to the incessant transformations of current times, contrary to the widely spread stereotypical image of them as conservative institutions. At the same time, they seem to be keeping true to their core of mediating services to researchers and to their place in the chain of scholarly communication. Originality/value – The article identifies the main directions of transformation of research libraries and outlines their potential roles in the future of digital scholarly communication.
Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to identify the possibilities for reducing the second and third levels of the digital divide (or inequality) through conscious application of digital technologies, especially through the promotion of digital means for information, enlightenment, and entertainment. Background: This article reviews studies carried out between 2000 and 2017, which investigate the social benefits of digital technology use for disadvantaged user groups and, especially, of their outcomes in terms of increasing digital skills and motivation to use information and communication technologies. Methodology: The literature review of the selected texts was carried out using thematic content analysis. The coding scheme was open but based on the theory of three levels of digital divide by van Dijk. Contribution: The results of the analysis show the difficulties related to the attempts of reducing the digital divide on the second and third level using only digital interventions, but also reveal the potential of these interventions. Findings: The literature review confirms the connection of different levels of digital divide with other relational and structural inequalities. It provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of digital interventions aimed at the reduction of digital inequalities. Their success depends on the consideration of the context and participants needs as well as on carefully planned strategies. The paper summarizes and demonstrates the shortcomings and limitations of poorly designed interventions in reducing the digital divide but emphasizes the possibilities of raising the motivation and benefits for the participants of strategically planned and implemented projects. Recommendations for Practitioners: While planning a digital intervention with the aim of reducing digital inequalities, it is necessary to assess carefully the context and the needs of participants. Educational interventions should be based on suitable didactic and learning strategies. Recommendation for Researchers: More research is needed into the factors that increase the effectiveness of digital interventions aimed at reducing the digital divide. Future Research: We will apply the findings of this literature review in an intervention in the context of Lithuanian towns of different sizes.
At present, as previously, there is much talk about new roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for information professionals: about the necessity to educate and train a new generation of information specialists, and about the imperative of change in the library and information studies (LIS) field for survival in the competitive environment of universities and information society. Information management (IM) is one of the directions of education that LIS schools follow in many countries as a response to the perceived requirements for change. In fact, study programmes and courses in information management have been present in these schools since the late 1970s. The universities of the Baltic States have started similar programmes since 1990, although there were attempts to follow this trend earlier. There is a range of concepts underlying these programmes and courses in different countries and schools as well as different experience and practice. Furthermore, the information management track is also common for business, economics, management, and computer schools.The European Union (EU) support to international co-operation of higher education institutions has resulted in increased exchanges of students and teachers according to TEMPUS, ERASMUS, SOCRATES and other programmes. LIS schools of the Baltic States are taking part in these exchanges rather actively. Naturally, the problem of comparability of courses and programmes becomes urgent.The aim of this paper is to analyse information management study programmes and courses given at the Nordic, Baltic, and UK LIS schools, and to highlight the differences that depend on different backgrounds, traditions and experiences as well as common features. This work is a part of the wider context of the author's research in the field of information for education, including changing requirements of the labour market for information professionals at large (Augustinaitis and Maceviciute, 1996;Maceviciute, 1999). However, I will not go beyond general review of the programmes and analysis of the contents of various curricula. I
We report on research in progress on the e-book phenomenon in Sweden, the aim of which is to explore the impact of the e-book at every stage, from authorship, through publishing, library lending and bookselling to readership. Here two aspects of the research are covered, the attitudes of authors and publishers towards e-books, to demonstrate the ‘early adoption’ stage of the e-book in the Swedish market. Interviews with authors reveal that most regard e-books favourably, although most of those who have a contract with publishers see it as a by-product of print publishing. Most authors do not have much experience in e-book publishing or self-publishing. The survey of publishers reveals ambivalence towards e-books and in their relationships with libraries and booksellers. The main ‘drivers’ in the uptake of e-books are consumers’ demands for portable, convenient formats and the search for more economic solutions to the provision of textbooks.
This article reports on an exploratory analysis of existing data obtained through a national survey carried out in Sweden. The survey questionnaire seeks information on a wide range of issues, including healthcare, library use and Internet use. The analysis presented here explores the relationship among these variables and the concept of trust in healthcare institutions. The results indicate that most of the correlations theoretically suggested were very small and that trust in health institutions in general is high but not strongly related to standard demographic variables found in a general survey of a large population. This exploratory study suggests that more specific indicators of health, experience from health institutions and health-related media exposure are needed to test, in greater depth, the relationships between information exposure, health and attitudes towards health institutions.
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