PurposeThis conceptual paper aims to stimulate discussion on the growing influence of digital technologies on the success of learners in tertiary institutions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is grounded in a synthesis of the professional literature showing how learners entering tertiary institutions have been influenced by their pervasive use of digital technologies. This evidence suggests that a more integrated use of libraries is needed, and more collaboration among librarians, educators and learners will be fundamental to responding to the changing learning landscape.FindingsThe findings indicate that today's “new learners” expect more control of their learning situations, prefer active learning and they engage in networked communities for their social and professional lives. Research also shows that, while these learners are committed users of a wide range of digital technologies, they require support in developing their information and critical literacies. The paper also identified the tendency for educators to limit their uses of digital technologies for course management and the addition of online resources to their teaching, while resisting any fundamental change in the structure and delivery of courses. Academic libraries are responding to these challenges by creating more social learning spaces, integrating services for instructors and students and becoming more active partners in the educational community.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations identified here include the widening gap between those living and learning with digital technologies and the majority of the world youth still struggling to gain full access.Originality/valueThe research is one of the few position papers to begin its argument with a description of today's digital learners and then to connect their learning needs with the many changes in libraries at the tertiary level. The paper attempts to conceptualize how libraries can take a leadership role in bridging the gap between the learning styles and needs of today's students and the challenges of building new learning landscapes in tertiary institutions.

<p>As international research collaborations increase, the ethics of doing research involving children and their families has emerged as a significant and challenging aspect of the process. Potential issues include procedures around gaining consent, assumptions about children and their families, and the use of qualitative and participatory-based research methods. This paper poses some of the difficulties faced by scholars working in international contexts, describes what these issues look like within four current approaches to research with children, and offers recommendations for researching in diverse contexts.</p>

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