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This paper presents the findings of a seven-year longitudinal survey conducted from 2016 to 2022, examining e-book acceptance among first-year undergraduate students in the information management program. Targeting students who were new to their educational journey and had minimal exposure to academic contexts, the study used convenience sampling to gather data from 301 participants. Employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), we assessed four dimensions of e-book acceptance: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Attitude Towards Using, and Behavioral Intention to Use E -books. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) validated these dimensions, indicating a robust model applicable to a broader undergraduate student population. The results highlighted strong interrelations among these factors, with significant implications for academic librarians. Notably, from their initial exposure, students associated e-books primarily with a source of new information, rather than as a time-saving tool. Although e-books were perceived as easy to use, this aspect did not strongly influence students' attitudes and intentions to use them as much as their perceived usefulness did. The study reveals that students, particularly in social sciences, have long viewed e-books as a vital technology for exploratory knowledge acquisition. While they perceive e-books as easy to use, this perception likely stems from their habitual use for managing learning activities, rather than from recognizing any added value of the technology itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of library items are held in storage locations, but how well are libraries providing access to those materials? A survey of North American research libraries was conducted to examine the services that were available at library storage facilities for researchers and students before the global pandemic, during the pandemic, and as libraries adjust and plan for the new normal as the pandemic recedes. In addition, results of previous studies of storage facilities are compared to understand historical trends in access to library materials held in storage. A better understanding of user services as a component of library storage facilities will allow libraries to better serve the needs of scholars and researchers as well as provide insight to those who may be planning future library storage facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is a library worth? This question has implications for all libraries and the clientele they serve, especially in times of economic uncertainty when libraries often have to justify their existence and demonstrate their worth. One method of assessing this worth is through value propositions, which have been primarily associated with the business sector, wherein an exploratory process is used to discover what customers need from an organization. This article will show how libraries can utilize value proposition strategies to think differently about how their resources and services create value for their respective patron segments. This renewed perspective may encourage librarians to reimagine their purpose, reorganize their focus, and redefine their worth. • Value Propositions as practical solution for articulating a library's worth • Use Value Canvas mapping to align patrons' needs with library resources • Understand library users and what they value • Analyze patron defined needs to foster a strong user-centered learning environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries are tasked with upholding a code of ethics for patron privacy according to the Library Bill of Rights and the American Library Association's (ALA) Code of Ethics. However, patrons' personal identifiable information (PII) is being shared through various channels. As libraries move to more technical and digital based collections this creates more challenges to safeguarding patrons' privacy. This technical environment is where information now serves as a platform for library assessment analysis, access for patrons, and demonstration of impact. This study examines the values of e-resource librarians about privacy, the environmental factors influencing decisions, and if the e-resource librarian has a role in their organization's privacy standards. Data was collected through surveys, and the study found that there is a direct correlation between an organization having a policy on privacy and the e-resource librarians' values being represented in their role. There are also indications that the e-resource librarian believes their employer shares their values on privacy. Lastly, the study revealed two major external driving forces on privacy policy are vendors and US privacy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This survey of graduate students' and faculty's use and non-use of ebooks is a follow-up to the data captured in 2011 from the same mid-sized public university in southeast Texas. In addition to providing a change comparison of faculty and graduate students' ebooks usage over the past decade, the study also aims to contribute to the growing ebook literature examining faculty and graduate students' perception and use of ebooks for different academic activities. Survey results showed that while the proportion of respondents who are library ebook users had increased significantly over the past decade, both ebook users and non-users' attitude towards e- and print books remained consistent. Most ebook users appreciated features such as keyword searches and copy and pasting, but the majority also valued the option to print out pages and chapters. Respondents' format preferences also shifted based on their academic needs, although some of the feature limitations that prompted some users to switch from or avoid library ebooks were caused by DRM restrictions that could be removed by publishers. The findings have implications beyond the institution for academic library ebook acquisition and communication with local user populations. Other marketing and future research implications of the findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the impact of post-COVID-19 pandemic on library users' education course, specifically on examinations and survey practices upon the resumption of on-campus instruction. A descriptive survey research design was employed with 384 students from Adeleke University responding to the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The study found that library users' education was significantly impacted post-pandemic in terms of examinations, questionnaire administration, lectures, and orientation exercises. The majority of students preferred computer-based tests (CBT) for exams and online methods for questionnaire administration, but the study also identified challenges such as rigid examination schedules, internet connectivity issues, and a limited number of computers available. The study, therefore, recommends that universities invest in technology infrastructure to improve internet connectivity, increase the number of computers available for students, and offer more flexible examination schedules to accommodate students who face internet connectivity issues. These measures would help ensure a smoother transition to online learning for library users in the case of a future pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We released a python library (MetaIBM) for individual-based modelling on GitHub. • The MetaIBM is suitable for a wide range of scenarios in metacommunity ecology. • The library is optimised and is adapted to high-performance computing devices. • The library can simulate a community with up to millions of unique individuals. • Four modelling examples were demonstrated to guide potential users. Individual-based modelling (IBM) is a powerful tool for simulating complex biological communities. By defining a population as comprising individuals that differ from one another, IBM can simulate the assembly and organisation of complex communities under various eco-evolutionary processes in a large spatial scale, with tremendous variables or parameters considered simultaneously. IBM disentangles a complex system into various sub-systems interacting with each other, allowing us to develop a unified library with a modular design for a wide range of complex scenarios in community assembly. In such a library, a number of parameters-controlled processes can be primitively coded as the sub-systems (or sub-models). Here, we released a Python-coded library as a framework for Metacommunity Individual-based Modelling (MetaIBM). As an open-source library, the MetaIBM has several merits, including: (a) it can be used to simulate a wide range of ecological problems of metacommunities. The metacommunity landscape and its environment gradients can be designed flexibly by users. Users can selectively turn off or on and set up parameters-controlled ecological processes according to their needs. (b) It adopts optimised algorithms and adapts to the high-performance computing devices, so that the users can explore a wide range of parameters space synchronously within a reasonable time. (c) It can be used to simulate a group of communities with up to millions of unique individuals, which is an originally plain portrayal of natural communities. To guide potential users, we provided the source codes of the library and a user manual. In the present article, we gave four examples to demonstrate how to design and model a metacommunity using the MetaIBM, simulating the community assembly in an islands-mainland model under the metacommunity framework with (a) neutral assumptions, (b) niche assumptions, (c) slow evolution scenarios, (d) rapid evolution scenarios. The examples showed that the MetaIBM can efficiently fit the community assembly, and reveal several intrigued species diversity patterns under the interaction of evolutionary processes and dispersal processes at multiple scales. The MetaIBM will be continuously maintained and updated to provide more functions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Library snackables are pedagogical strategies that allow library users to digest information content in short bites. The purpose of a snackable is to communicate useful and understandable information over a short time frame, an aspect that often appeals to Generation Z students. This study launched six one-minute videos informing students about library services and resources. A mixed methods survey instrument (206 respondents) and YouTube viewing data (820 views) were used to gauge student opinion, analyze audience engagement, and evaluate knowledge retention. The findings reveal that students have a positive perception of short library videos, which further help with information transfer and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of researchers from an academic library surveyed students to understand how and why the members of their community use course reserve services. Students were happy with the service and used it as a replacement for purchasing textbooks. Frequent users requested more textbook offerings, and both users and nonusers indicated a need for increased promotion of the service. Users provided specific suggestions for improvement that should be examined. Findings illustrated the value of course reserve services as a way to help students with college affordability and to support instruction and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries serve as important hubs for lifelong learning for older adults. Nevertheless, if library visits are perceived as discouraging and frustrating, they can be burdensome for this demographic. The perceptions of motivations influencing public library use among older adults was explored through 37 semi-structured interviews. Employing the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) motivation model, a qualitative approach was adopted. The analysis aims to shed light on the motivations and perceptions of elderly library users. The significance lies in being the pioneer in applying the ARCS motivation model to library use among older adults within the framework of public libraries, highlighting profound implications for library services catering to this demographic. The findings will contribute to new methodologies in library user research, increase knowledge and interest in public library use among older adults, and provide concrete suggestions for library administrators and policymakers. • Older adults' motivations for using public libraries are interconnected within the ARCS motivation model. • Older adults' attention emphasizes the variety and availability of library materials, programs, and services. • Older adults' relevance emphasizes the need for the educational and recreational value of public libraries. • Older adults' confidence emphasizes expectations, opportunities, and librarian support for library use. • Older adults' satisfaction emphasizes the convenience of library services, comfort of facilities, and feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop face.evoLVe —a comprehensive library that collects and implements a wide range of popular deep learning-based methods for face recognition. The motivation of the software is to lower the technical burdens in reproducing the existing methods for comparison, while users of our library could focus on developing advanced approaches more efficiently. More specifically, Face.evoLVe is well designed with an extensible framework under vibrantly evolving, so that new face recognition approaches can be easily plugged into our framework. The library is available at https://github.com/ZhaoJ9014/face.evoLVe. Face.evoLVe has been widely used for face analytics, receiving 2,700 stars and 683 forks and we have used Face.evoLVe to participate in a number of face recognition competitions and secured the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries are currently experiencing a drastic change; this change has been necessitated with the introduction of the internet and the advancement of technology. Traditionally, academic libraries were the sole providers of information in the university environment. However, with the introduction of the internet, information access is scattered, and the academic library that previously used to enjoy the monopoly of being the only disseminator of information, now has competitors. The internet has changed the way information is accessed, packaged, shared and disseminated. Library users are changing the way they access information. Despite all these changes, academic libraries are yet to fully develop and embrace appropriate strategies to address these new realities. This paper highlights the significance of introducing innovative strategies in academic libraries for sustainability purposes, using business entrepreneurial theories, competing values framework and disruptive innovation theory in the transformation of academic libraries into a value addition organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores library users' perceptions and preferences of virtual reference services (VRS) in an academic library in Hong Kong and examines the impact of VRS on students' learning for the future improvement of the library's services. A qualitative semi-structured interview was conducted with ten students from different faculties of a comprehensive university in Hong Kong. Proceedings of the interviews were recorded using Zoom, transcribed, and analyzed into theme tables according to the 5E learning model. Results indicate that WhatsApp is the most preferred VRS due to its convenience, response immediacy, textual record, and minimal learning efforts. Phone, email, and Zoom are less preferred due to users' perceived embarrassment, formality, and time constraints. The findings demonstrate that VRS is vital in students' different learning stages. It arouses students' interest in learning and information search, allows the exploration of new learning resources, provides a good platform to solve learning problems, and offers efficient and instant help for learning. Unlike previous studies, this study identifies users' perceived impact of VRS on their learning process based on the 5E learning model. It provides important implications and suggestions to improve VRS and staff training to enhance the library's overall reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer, yet few Americans test their homes for radon, particularly in rural areas. The academic team and community partners engaged the public library systems in four rural counties to offer digital radon detectors for check-out as a means of increasing the public's access to free radon testing. The check-out procedures and instructional materials were created through an iterative process, and library personnel were educated on radon and home radon testing prior to launching the lending program. Library patrons reported high usability, feasibility, and acceptability of the program. Library patron-staff interactions mainly included discussions about the logistics of radon testing. Given that public libraries are invested in making communities thrive and promoting health, providing library lending programs for radon detectors is a novel, feasible, and acceptable way to reduce the risk of lung cancer in the community. • The radon detector library loan program was designed and evaluated using citizen science methods. • The radon detector library loan program was usable, feasible and acceptable to library patrons. • Library patrons were appreciative of having access to radon detector kits at no cost. • Public libraries can serve as partners to promote the health of communities. • Radon detector loan programs are innovative and attract community members who may not have otherwise utilized the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many public libraries provide makerspace services, where people can share tools and knowledge to create tangible items, yet the audience for these spaces is sometimes challenging to identify or maintain. Sometimes the spaces are less inclusive than intended or desired. This comparative case study examines user and library staff experiences in three makerspaces to determine the types of leisure the makerspaces support, and the types of makerspaces community members want. The study found that these spaces serve two audiences: those committed to a serious leisure use of the space, and those interested in casual leisure. These audiences each need different support, programs, and policies. Neither type of leisure was well supported in all three cases. This study situates the benefits of library makerspaces in the lives of the users and asks a series of questions orienting LIS toward a research agenda concerning serious and casual leisure. • The Serious Leisure Perspective was applied to grounded theory analysis of public library makerspaces. • Library staff often idealize serious leisure making, but such making is not always possible in these spaces. • Many users prefer to attend programs and are more interested in casual leisure, as a social alternative to work. • Casual leisure did not develop into serious leisure; audiences require different programs, staffing, outreach. • A research agenda with orienting questions is offered for public library-oriented scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Cognitive mapping is a method typically adopted in ethnographical research to learn about library user behavior and experience in a cross-cultural context. Through reporting practical findings from a case study, where it served as a key method, the usefulness of cognitive mapping in revealing cognitive style and perceptions of the library and in understanding cultural users' behaviors and experiences is explored. Cognitive mapping offers an open exploratory way to help self-reflection of personal contexts regardless of language constraints. As such, it provides for the study of multiple cultural communities. In addition, its potential of usage in a virtual environment is presented. One limitation of this method is the extent to which it can reveal the holistic picture of library experience in isolation. As such, it works well when applied with other data collection techniques to form a flexible yet robust methodological framework to learning about library cultural groups. • Cognitive mapping helps explore international students' library engagement and personalization of their library journey. • Mapping techniques are an accessible way to develop narratives without language barriers or textual mechanisms. • Cognitive mapping is beneficial in revealing the complexity of cognition, perception, experience and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of mixed methods in library and information science research is more effective in generating insightful results when the methods are fully integrated with each other. A novel sequential mixed methods approach was developed to more holistically study user search behavior within a library discovery system. Customized semi-structured interview protocols, using the critical incident technique, were based on each participant's search logs. Findings from the interviews informed statistical log analysis, which identified features of search sessions that made accessing resources more likely. Individual interviews provide more precise data when protocols are created using the participants' logs. Similarly, statistical log analyses are enhanced with users' descriptions of their behaviors in library discovery systems. While prior studies have employed both interviews and log analysis, using the methods to inform one another reduces the limitations and enhances the benefits of each. • A novel sequential mixed methods approach provides a more holistic view of user behavior in library discovery systems. • Individual interviews provide more precise data when protocols are created using participants' logs. • Statistical log analyses are enhanced with users' descriptions of their behaviors in library discovery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public library systems' websites were often the sole means for older patrons to access library services and programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study integrated Pauwels' (2012) framework to analyze 25 Ontario public library systems' websites for evidence of their available programming for older adults during the early months of COVID-19. The 640 identified programs for older adults revealed a number of patterns, including issues regarding visibility and representation of older patrons on library websites as well as assumptions surrounding older adults' access to technologies. Discussions consider three implications for public libraries as they reopen and create new virtual spaces "postpandemic": questioning (re)distributions of resources that support both virtual and in-person services, questioning implicit assumptions that digital connection will foster social connection, and questioning the effects of the library as a virtual space on feelings of social connectedness. • Connections to public libraries can help older patrons maintain a sense of identity, facilitating adjustments in older age. • Pauwels' (2012) framework can help scholars analyze websites with enhanced depth and nuance. • Public library post-pandemic efforts must consider the virtual/in-person split in services, programs, and collections. • Virtual public library programs will not necessarily foster social connection and may exacerbate digital exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries must respond to the needs of the communities they serve in order to remain relevant, but assessing these needs is especially challenging in the midst of the rapid development of information technology. This study examines needs assessments to understand the user community, library services, and expected sources to determine user needs regarding space and services. The research employed a mixed-method approach including semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire assessment, and Social Network Site (SNS) big data analysis. The study assessed the needs and characteristics of users and non-users at Yongsan-gu Public Library, South Korea. Data collected were used to examine how the library was affected by COVID-19, the steps it taken to adjust and provide services, and how users have adapted to library use during the pandemic. The research results provide direction for building a future public library in regions that lack cultural infrastructure. The results also demonstrate that it is necessary to construct infrastructure linked to cultural projects by creating complex cultural and user-oriented spaces. • Triangulation methods were used to assess public library users and non-users service needs. • The study examined how library users and non-users adapted to library closures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. • The research findings provide direction for public libraries by emphasizing infrastructure development. • Library users and non-users have similar expectations and want libraries to be more interdisciplinary cultural spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel use of the incidence relation as the basic concept leads to a flexible, powerful, and concise representation of finite element meshes. • The topological relationships of mesh data bases described in recent literature can be produced systematically. • The decision as to which relations between mesh entities to store is left up to the user, granting a large amount of flexibility to designers of finite element programs. • The mesh data structure is not stored using pointers to memory objects, which produces a small memory footprint. • Implementation in the Julia programming language is of general interest. It is an up-and-coming language for numerical computing in the HPC arena. A simple, lightweight, and flexible, package in the programming language Julia for managing finite element mesh data structures is presented. The key role in the design of the data structures is granted to the incidence relation. This concept has some interesting implications for the simplicity and efficiency of the implementation. The entire library has less than 500 executable lines. The low memory requirements are also notable. The design of the data structures is not fixed a priori. The user of the library is given the power over the decisions which mesh entities should be represented explicitly in the data structures, and which of the topological relationships should be computed and stored. This enables a small memory footprint, yet affords a sufficiently rich topology description capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]