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The paper presents a study of library and information science students’ perceptions and experiences related to the use of telepresence robots (TPRs) in libraries, with a specific focus on students assuming the role of library consultants. The study explores the innovative application of TPRs, such as Double, Ohmni and Temi, within library settings. The findings of the research reveal a positive perception of TPRs, emphasising their potential for fostering innovation, increasing engagement, providing flexibility and overcoming geographical constraints. The study also identifies distinct advantages of TPRs, including remote accessibility, enhanced communication, flexibility, a personalised user experience and cost savings. However, concurrent challenges, such as limitations in nonverbal communication, pointing accuracy, connectivity issues, space requirements, costs, safety, security concerns and varying levels of user acceptance emerge as crucial areas for refinement. While the results may not be generalisable due to the limited sample size, the study underscores the transformative potential of TPRs in libraries and the necessity of addressing these challenges to optimise their application. Further research, technological advancements and user feedback can help refine and optimise the use of TPRs in libraries to provide innovative and accessible assistance.

Introduction: This paper focuses on the information culture of higher education institutions in Estonia. The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between information culture, information management and job satisfaction, leadership style, and self-reported individual performance. Method: A total of 160 faculty members from twelve institutions of higher education completed an online survey. The aim of the online survey was to identify the behaviour and values that characterise the information culture of Estonian higher education institutions. Analysis: Factor analysis and multivariate analysis were performed to analyse online survey data. Results: Taking into account six components of information culture identified by earlier researchers, analysis revealed three types of information culture characterised by their dominant components: integrated, proactive, and informal. A significant correlation was found between information culture with integrated information culture and job satisfaction, leadership style, and self-reported individual performance. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the construct of information culture is valuable in analysing information environments and their relations with job satisfaction, leadership style, and self-reported individual performance. In addition, integrated information culture seems to be (at least in the sample of academic staff) the most sensitive one, having significant correlations with several indicators of subjective well-being within the academic staff.

This paper discusses the planning and implementation of Open Badges in library and information science education at Tallinn University in order to foster and personalise student learning. The first part of the paper gives an overview of the concept and nature of Open Badges through a review of literature, the second describes the use of Open Badges in the Study Area of Information Sciences of the School of Digital Technologies at Tallinn University. The course used four types of open badges in the assessment process: basic knowledge badges, advanced knowledge badges, skill based badges and level based badges. Open Badges were directly linked to the learning outcomes and formal grading system of the course. Based on recent experience, it can be said that Open Badges are valuable tools in the assessment process which will give a more holistic picture of educational achievement of the learner. Multiple learning pathways within the course provided learners opportunities to choose their personal learning path according to their personal learning goals, learning style, interests and other preferences. Open Badges also allowed to recognize 'soft skills' or literacies. Open Badges could be also a useful tool to assess students' information literacies in different contexts.

Despite the proven effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe illness, many individuals, including older adults who are most susceptible to the virus, have opted against vaccination. Various factors could shape vaccination decisions, including seeking health information (HI). The internet is the primary source of HI today; however, older adults are often referred to as those missing out on digital benefits. The study explores the correlations between information and communication technology (ICT) use, online HI seeking, socioeconomic factors, and COVID-19 vaccination readiness among individuals aged 50 and above in Estonia. The survey data were gathered from 501 people aged 50 and older after the first lockdown in 2020. The outcomes revealed that vaccination readiness positively correlated with factors such as higher educational attainment, greater income, male gender, access to ICT, a readiness to employ digital technologies for health-related purposes, a greater demand for HI, and a higher frequency of seeking it online. There was some discrepancy in the preference of HI sources; for example, vaccination consenters preferred online versions of professional press publications and specific health portals. Based on the findings, it is advisable to encourage older adults to utilize the internet and new technology for health-related purposes. This practice expands the range of information sources available to them, ultimately enabling better decision-making regarding their health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Telepresence robotics is an emerging technology for remote communication in education, telehealth, and business in general. Understanding the benefits and limitations of this technology is important in a world where travel is outdated while there is a growing need for remote services that require robot-mediated physical and social presence. In this paper, we are examining the aspects of telepresence robot-mediated vision, a key component of human communication. The COVID-19 outbreak demonstrated the viability of various remote working solutions, telepresence robots (TPRs) being one of them. High-quality video transmission is one of the cornerstones of using such solutions, as most of the information about the environment is acquired through vision. This study aims to compare the camera capabilities of four models of popular telepresence robots using compact reduced LogMAR and Snellen optometry charts as well as text displayed on a projector screen. The symbols from the images are extracted using the Google Vision OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, and the results of the recognition are compared with the symbols on the charts. Double 3 TPR provides the best quality images of optometric charts, but the OCR results of measurements of the image on the projector do not show the clear advantage of one single model over the others. The results demonstrated by Temi 2 and Double 3 TPRs are generally better than the others, suggesting that these TPRs are more feasible to be used in teaching and learning scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education 4.0 is a recently introduced concept focused on innovation, novelty, use of technology and connections with employment and industry. In particular, in engineering disciplines like computer science (CS) it is essential that educators keep up to date with industry developments. Indeed, how CS educators effectively design and implement innovative teaching and learning deserves more systematic attention. This study aims to catalogue and synthesise learning design approaches to teaching and learning within CS: (1) Which innovative pedagogic approaches are used in teaching of CS? (2) Which approaches align with Education 4.0? (3) What skills and competences do educators require to align CS teaching with Education 4.0? Our systematic literature review (SLR) included CS papers published between 2016 and 2020. Two hundred and thirty‐one studies were identified of which 66 were included in the final phase, which were coded by a multidisciplinary team. The findings indicated that many CS educators included Education 4.0 learning design elements. We found a clear distinctive three‐cluster solution: (1) EDU4 light, (2) project‐based/hands‐on learning and (3) full EDU4 (refer to Reference [7] conceptualisation, while Education 4.0 refers to our own definition [Reference 71]. These findings suggest three broad flavours when designing innovative CS practices, which might help educators align their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences of the Institute of Information Studies of Tallinn University in introducing ICT, including Web 2.0 technologies, in library and information science education, and to explore the role that these can play in new models of learning and teaching. Design/methodology/approach: Web 2.0 applications are reviewed in this paper and the role that these can play in new models of learning and teaching. The introduction of new technologies into library and information science (LIS) education is examined through a case study at the Tallinn University. Findings: Web 2.0 is influencing the way in which people learn, access information and communicate with one another. The Institute of Information Studies of Tallinn University has a long history in using ICT in its teaching and learning. Experiences with open and distance learning and e-learning have transformed teaching and learning, provided new alternative delivery modes, and helped to reach new target groups. Recently the staff have been experimenting with Web 2.0 technologies and a few have successfully adopted them in teaching and learning. Practical implications: The paper suggests that in order to be successful in our modern society LIS educators should take advantage of new ICT and consider the learning preferences of digital natives as well as digital immigrants. Web 2.0 supports constructivist approaches to learning and has great potential to socialise online learning to a greater extent than we have previously seen. Web 2.0 technologies should be implemented taking into account pedagogical perspectives. Originality/value: This paper supports the idea that integration of information and communication technologies, including Web 2.0 technologies, into LIS education is an important challenge for LIS educators.

Twenty nine European ministers have signed the Bologna declaration in June 1999 and committed their governments and their countries to create the European Higher Education Area by 2010. The European Commission is actively supporting the Bologna Process and has set out their own Action plan "From Prague to Berlin--the European contribution." In Europe interest in accreditation is a direct consequence of the increased interest in accountability of those people who are employed in the public sector. Globalization and the increased internationalization of the higher education market has led to attempts to compare the systems in place in different countries. For many European universities, however, accreditation is mainly seen as an opportunity to strengthen their image by demonstrating their quality. Therefore, it is also an opportunity to improve their market position internationally. The idea for this paper came from the authors' recent experiences of accreditation and quality assurance. Both their Departments have recently been through extensive external assessments so they have both experienced the process from the perspective of the assessed and one of them was one of the assessors of the Department in Tallinn Pedagogical University. Aware of the burgeoning interest in compatibility between the higher education systems within Europe, these experiences led them to attempt a comparison of the processes used in the two countries (Estonia and United Kingdom) and to seek to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches. For the purposes of this paper they take quality assurance to include any processes which are adopted to ensure and to continuously improve the quality of the educational provision which is offered. Therefore accreditation/validation is seen as a part of the quality assurance process which can also include mechanisms internal to a university. In order to share with the readers their views of the strengths and weaknesses of the differing approaches adopted by their countries it is necessary for them to outline the processes which are in use in each country. Having done that firstly for the United Kingdom and secondly for Estonia, the authors have then set out the strengths and weaknesses which the two approaches have in common and the specific strengths and weaknesses of the approaches adopted by their countries. (Contains 1 footnote.)

This paper describes the development of library and information science education (LIS) in the Baltic and Nordic countries and gives a brief overview of the historical and present connections of these countries. The similarities and differences between the Baltic countries as well as the Nordic and Baltic higher education systems are described. The emphasis is on the internationalisation of Baltic LIS education in cooperation with Nordic partners.

This review article examines current trends and developments in higher education and considers how library and information science institutions have responded to these. The contribution of LIS institutions to innovation and change in Europe is examined through institutional case studies in the following institutions: the Institute of Information Science and Information Systems, University of Graz, Austria; the Institute of Information Studies of Tallinn University, Estonia; the Department of Library Science and Information Systems, the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece; the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University, Lithuania; and the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, University of Borås, Sweden. This paper follows up the study conducted in 2003 by Virkus and Wood (2004, 2005), who analyzed trends and developments in higher education and the responses to these by LIS institutions. The findings of the study are used to identify the main challenges for LIS education.

L'objectiu principal d'aquest article és oferir una perspectiva de les tendències i avenços actuals en l'àmbit de l'ensenyament superior, així com il·lustrar algunes de les respostes que les institucions de Biblioteconomia i Documentació (BiD) han donat davant d'aquests canvis. S'analitza la contribució que fan les institucions de BiD a la innovació i el canvi a Europa, mitjançant cinc estudis de cas duts a terme a les institucions següents: l'Institute of Information Science and Information Systems de la University of Graz (Àustria); l'Institute of Information Studies de la Tallinn University (Estònia); el Department of Library Science and Information Systems de l'Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki (Grècia); la Faculty of Communication de la Vilnius University (Lituània); i la Swedish School of Library and Information Science de la University of Borås (Suècia). Aquest treball complementa l'estudi de Virkus i Wood (2004, 2005), en el qual s'analitzaven les tendències i avenços registrats en l'ensenyament superior i les respostes que les institucions de BiD van donar davant d'aquests canvis. Es presenten els reptes més importants a què ha de fer front l'ensenyament de BiD sobre la base dels resultats de l'estudi. This review article examines current trends and developments in higher education and considers how library and information science institutions have responded to these. The contribution of LIS institutions to innovation and change in Europe is examined through institutional case studies in the following institutions: the Institute of Information Science and Information Systems, University of Graz, Austria; the Institute of Information Studies of Tallinn University, Estonia; the Department of Library Science and Information Systems, the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece; the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University, Lithuania; and the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, University of Borås, Sweden. This paper follows up the study conducted in 2003 by Virkus and Wood (2004, 2005), who analyzed trends and developments in higher education and the responses to these by LIS institutions. The findings of the study are used to identify the main challenges for LIS education.