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Most studies on library ethics are theoretical. No scale has been developed with a valid and reliable psychometric property to measure library staff and users' ethical perceptions or behaviors. This paper describes the development of a brief measure of the Library Ethics Scale (LES) conducted in two consecutive studies. In the first study, based on the literature review and opinions of expert groups, 47 items were developed for the item pool. These items were administered to 521 university library users in Turkey. An explanatory factor analysis indicated a strong two-factor solution. In the second study conducted on 259 participants, these two-factor structures showed good psychometric properties, with 18 items explaining the total variance of 59.074. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was 0.903, and the two sub-dimensions were found to be 0.91, and 0.888, respectively. The LES shows good validity and reliability properties and has potential application in library ethics settings, including library professionals' perceptions and users' perceptions and behaviors. • Most studies on library ethics are theoretical. • No scale has been developed to measure library ethics perceptions and behaviors. • This study is the first attempt to develop a reliable and valid scale to measure the ethical perceptions of library users. • Results indicated strong evidence of a two-factor solution with good psychometric properties for 18 items. • The Library Ethics Scale (LES) is a brief scale, easy to use and has potential application in many library ethics settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Public librarians in South Korea assist users in obtaining information on a variety of topics. However, health-related information and services have a lower profile than other services due to a perceived lack of librarian expertise in searching and evaluating health resources. Although public library users are actively seeking health information, it has become critical for both public librarians and users to develop skills for using and evaluating Internet health resources. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify a set of useful criteria to evaluate online health web sites for both librarians and library users. From a comprehensive literature review, 33 criteria related to health website evaluation were identified. Using this set of criteria, South Korean public librarians and users were asked to rate the importance of each criterion in surveys. A strong consensus was found between the two groups. The top 10 most highly rated criteria from both groups were identified and compared. The results led to the development of an initial set of 12 evaluation criteria for health websites. It is expected that the final set of criteria will be used by public librarians to recommend the best health websites to their users. Although the study was conducted in South Korean public libraries, the findings are applicable in providing evaluation services of health websites to libraries worldwide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Focus group interviews were conducted to investigate how teen library users perceive and use text reference service. Findings indicate that teens have a mixed attitude toward the service, and they anticipate using it primarily for imposed queries. Teens'' perception of three aspects of the service is also discussed: response time, librarians'' use of texting abbreviations, and the impact of texting constraints. Strategies are provided to increase awareness, motivate use, and meet expectations. Findings will help inform libraries'' text reference practice, providing them with a clear understanding of how teens can benefit from the service, and how their information needs can be fulfilled to their satisfaction. Such an understanding will then lead libraries to develop more effective strategies to promote and deliver library services to teens, strengthen the role libraries play in teens'' information-seeking process, and establish a positive and sustaining relationship between teens and libraries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The focus of this study is to investigate the perception of librarians towards user privacy in libraries. This study measures the change in perception after providing education related to the privacy of library users. The change in perception regarding privacy issues in libraries in the past 5 years by comparing its results with those of a 2013 study was also examined. The results show that librarians' level of interest and awareness of the privacy of library users in 2019 is significantly higher than that of 2013; awareness of the danger in collection of user data increased significantly after education; and finally, after education, there was greater receptivity to the education courses and willingness to recommend them to their colleagues. In order to increase awareness of privacy violations and for greater protection of library user privacy libraries and professional associations must strive to provide standardized and regular privacy education for librarians and library staff. • Many librarians have a low level of awareness about how and when user data is collected and the impact on user privacy. • Librarians' level of interest and awareness about library users' privacy in 2019 is significantly higher than that of 2013. • Librarians' awareness of library privacy issues was higher after participating in privacy education. • Librarians became more aware of the necessity of privacy education for librarians after receiving education themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]