Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on major issues and trends of academic libraries and leadership in the changing nature of higher education. Changing environment of academic libraries has impacted significantly on the knowledge, skills requirement and role of the library leaders, and how organizations can maintain and manage the changing nature of academic libraries as well as leadership while effective leadership is extremely required for the library leaders and organizations are concern about future scenarios. The primary objective is to identify the key challenges in libraries, leadership skills and approaches of the leaders, their effective leadership traits and future perceptions are discussed. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this paper is to facilitate as how to develop effective and successful leadership for the academic libraries during the changing nature of higher education. The findings and recommendations in the paper are based on personal experience of leadership positions in an academic library as well as experience of library leaders across the world. Findings Academic libraries are facing similar challenges and issues across the world. This paper identifies that library leaders need to be effective communicators, strategic thinkers, visionary, and able to examine the new ways of working. Originality/value This paper discusses why academic library leaders need a set of new skills and how can they develop leadership skills and competencies in the changing nature of academic libraries.

Abstract-Pronunciation is an area of L2 learning that has long been relegated to the status of secondary skill. However, it is a mistaken belief or wrong notion that correct pronunciation plays little role in communication.It is observed that in many cases, mispronunciation leads to unintelligibility of speech and/or misinterpretation of the message/information: a barrier to communication. This premise prompted the researchers to study the difficulty in pronunciation experienced by Saudi students. This paper is also an attempt at exploring the pronunciation problems faced by the Saudi students of English and aims to propound possible remedial measures. The researchers have included students enrolled in the English departments and their teachers at two universities in Saudi Arabia. Primary data was collected from the students and their teachers using surveys, interviews, and classroom observation of students' presentations. The study made some suggestions regarding materials that can help rectify the pronunciation of English among Saudi learners of English.

The recent abrupt shift to a total e-learning modality has been a fresh yet daunting experience for educational institutions due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift has also raised the questions of relevance of educational modalities given the special times we are living in, as well as the happy possibility of universities gearing up for internationalization to prepare students for online learning. Before implementing these changes, however, in-depth study of the opinions and experiences of teachers and students at Saudi universities, among other parameters, is imperative. With this focus, the current study employs a mixed-methods research design from two universities in Saudi Arabia, namely Qassim University (QU) and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU). A purposive sample of 22 teachers and 54 students were the respondents, who were administered a questionnaire and interviewed at a later stage. Results showed that both teachers and students find the online teaching–learning experience challenging due to teacher-related, student-related and technology-related factors. The teachers rate themselves as being moderately competent in the use of technology tools for online learning, while students assess themselves as competent. Initiatives are offered by both students and teachers to improve the transition of universities to online education as well as to promote the quality of universities towards internationalization, particularly with living in the midst of a health crisis. The study has implications for curriculum implementers and designers committed to educational revolution. The outcomes of this proposed research can be the basis for relevance and internationalization initiatives of the selected universities in Saudi Arabia.

ICP in Saudi institutions of higher education is a university preparation course based on an academic curriculum aimed to hone the school leavers’ intellectual skills to succeed in the challenge of higher education. Universities all over the world, and especially in the west, offer similar programs, rather they mandate prospective international students whose mother tongue is other than English to opt for such programmes. These are popularly known as ESL (English as Second Language) intensive courses. In the KSA these are limited to the period at the very start of the academic session. However, in the west, students can opt for longer and more frequent programmes with the choice of sitting for these during the vacation periods. In this sense, they are more flexible to suit student needs. The aim is similar as that in KSA: To set the non-English speaking student at a language pedestal where he/she has a fair a chance to pursue higher education as the English-speaking one. Seen from this vantage, this is a bridge course to select incumbents for the English courses offered by the universities. Pilot studies in the KSA on the success of ICP failed to yield conclusive results amidst rising agreement to scrap the programme as tangible learning outcomes were not visible. However, before doing so it would have been worthwhile to find correlations. If any, between attrition rates and course shortcomings. This aim motivated the current study across three campuses in the departments of English at Qassim University Colleges of Sciences and Arts in Methnab, Al-Asyah, and Buraidah. The study collected all enrolment and follow up data for the three departments and interviewed fifteen subjects each from among those who completed the course but decided against pursuing higher education, those who dropped out before course completion, and those who enrolled for higher education after undertaking the ICP. Our greater concern was with those who dropped out during the course as they neither pursued higher education nor benefitted as they would have on completing the programme.

The present paper aims to highlight the linguistic tools and techniques used in the language of advertisements. The study becomes significant as the language used in the advertisements is purposely and deliberately created. The deliberate use of language makes the advertisements eye-catching and gets the attention of its viewers. This study investigates 75 different Indian TV advertisements and does linguistic analysis at phonological, morphological, and stylistic levels. At these three levels, the study reveals the use of phonological devices; such as rhyme, alliteration, and assonance; morphological devices; code-mixing; the degree of comparison, hybridization, and reduplication; and stylistic devices; antithesis, apostrophe, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and personification. Besides these devices, the study also focuses on graphological and national aspects that play an essential role in the advertising language.