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Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as an innovative technology with the potential to revolutionize various industries including libraries and information science. Academic libraries are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance services, improve efficiency, and enhance user experience. This study utilizes a bibliometric approach to comprehensively analyze current research on AI in academic libraries (AI in ALs). This study employed bibliometric indicators to identify key trends, patterns, and research gaps in the existing literature. A comprehensive dataset of 373 research papers on AI in ALs published between 2002 and 2022 was collected and analyzed using the Scopus database. Various bibliometric tools, such as Biblioshiny, VOSviewer, and BibExcel, have enhanced this analysis. The findings of this study provide important insights. By 2022, there were 64 publications, constituting 17.16% of the total corpus, accompanied by 65 citations. In contrast, 2019 witnessed only 33 publications yet accumulated a substantial number of citations, amounting to 294, representing 8.85% of the overall citations. Conference papers exhibited the highest frequency among different publication types, with 165 publications, whereas journal articles had the highest citation count, accumulating 217 citations. Geographically, China emerged as the leading contributor with 119 publications, and Wuhan University stood out as the most prominent affiliation. Notably, the "Lecture Notes in Computer Science" series emerged as the most prolific source title, publishing 15 articles, of which eight were cited. The authors Wang J., Wang C., and Wang X. from China demonstrated significant contributions, consistently publishing four papers annually from 2010 to 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded librarianship is an inevitable outcome of the information era. Since the concept of embedded librarianship emerged in 2004, a flurry of papers have been published. In China, many related research papers have also been published, but few of them focus on the practice of embedded librarianship in libraries of Chinese universities. This article investigates the current progress and practice of embedded librarianship in China. A total of 84 Chinese university libraries were surveyed. This article demonstrates that a few university libraries have achieved promising embedded practices, but most remain in the initial stages. Most librarians do not clearly understand the concept of embedded librarianship. To date, the embedded model is still in the transforming stage, and incentive mechanisms and evaluation systems have not been perfected. Based on these results, some suggestions are proposed to accelerate the development of embedded librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of the big data internet era, the corresponding multimedia technology is also developing. At the same time, as an important place for students to improve their cognitive level and expand their knowledge coverage, the construction of knowledge and information in university libraries will have an important impact on the growth of students and the development of the library itself. Big data not only brings specific challenges to the intelligent information construction of libraries, but also provides opportunities for the further development of intelligent information construction. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the intelligent informatization construction of university libraries in the multimedia big data environment, make suggestions for the further development of library intelligent informatization construction, and provide reference materials for library intelligent informatization construction.

Introduction: Open access to digital research output is increasing, but academic library policies can place restrictions on public access to libraries. This paper reports on a preliminary study to investigate the correlation between academic library access policies and institutional positions of openness to knowledge. Method: This primarily qualitative study used document and data analysis to examine the content of library access or use policies of twelve academic institutions in eight countries. The outcomes were statistically correlated with institutional open access publication policies and practices. Analysis: We used an automated search tool together with manual searching to retrieve Web-based library access policies, then categorised and counted the levels and conditions of public access. We compared scores for institutional library access feature with open access features and percentages of open access publications. Results: Academic library policies may suggest open public access but multi-layered user categories, privileges and fees charged can inhibit such access, with disparities in openness emerging between library policies and institutional open access policies. Conclusion: As open access publishing options and mandates expand, physical entry and access to print and electronic resources in academic libraries is contracting. This conflicts with global library and information commitments to open access to knowledge.

Embedded librarianship service describes the practice of librarians integrating actively into the user's environment, rather than remaining in the library to await requests for service. This paper examines the concept of embedded service in the recent literature, within the past 5 years. It reports on a survey of embedded service in Chinese academic libraries conducted mainly in the "985 Project" universities. The paper focuses on some incipient embedded librarian programs, as well as the obstacles to achieving embedded practice, and identifies some best practices in China. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on users' information behaviour in China, a topic which has not been researched extensively. The aim is to help producers and providers collect and develop more electronic resources. Design/methodology/approach: The study investigates users' information behaviour at seven "211 Project" universities in Wuhan, a city in central China. These universities all have access to the resources of the National Science and Technology Library (NSTL). The questionnaire includes questions about respondents' basic identifying information (educational level, job, etc.) and their information service requirements. Correlations among users' education level, users' jobs, users' retrieval methods, literature use, etc. were analysed. Findings: The results show that most NSTL users are graduate students and young staff members. and the number of male users surpasses female ones slightly. The purpose of the utilisation of electronic resources for customers is scientific research, teaching and the need for self-development. During a year, the demand of users is the highest in March and the lowest in August. The users' knowledge service types include learning the progress of science and technology, citation retrieval and analysis, statistical analysis, intelligent retrieval and knowledge aggregation. Practical implications: The findings suggest that electronic resource producers should offer more foreign literature and providers should improve the quality of services. Originality/value: The paper provides suggestions for the further improvement of NSTL to fulfill the information needs and requirements of users. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the current situation and the social and economic benefits from the consortia acquisitions of electronic resources by the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) South China Regional Centre and to recommend improvements for consortia acquisitions. Design/methodology/approach: Analyses of price and usage made within the CALIS South China region of databases from a range of suppliers including EBSCO, LexisNexis and Springer are presented. Findings; The electronic resource acquisitions by the CALIS South China Regional Centre have yielded remarkable social and economic benefits as the range of electronic collections has been expanded and enriched, benefits have accrued, money has been saved and it has proved to be of benefit to users; however, there is room for improvement. During the last three years, the total usage of the South China Consortia has increased but the usage of the member libraries in the consortia is unbalanced and there are big gaps among the member libraries. The single download/search cost of the e-resources has been gradually decreasing but the cost of the e-resources purchased by the South China region consortia is higher than that of the national consortia; hence, there is a need for further reductions. Originality/value: The study is the first of its kind ever conducted in China. The findings of this paper will be helpful in improving electronic resource consortia acquisitions in the South China region. (Contains 5 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory survey as part of a presentation for the Bridging Worlds 2008 conference. It seeks to understand how library institutions in the South East Asia (SEA) region have implemented Web 2.0 technologies--blogs, RSS feeds, wikis, or the use of services like Flickr, YouTube, de.lici.ous. Design/methodology/approach: Libraries surveyed were in: Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, People's Republic of China, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. The survey relied on references in published papers, internet searches and personal contacts. Findings: The survey found that more academic libraries than public libraries were using Web 2.0. technologies. Blogs and RSS feeds were the most common. Blogs were used mainly as web publishing tools rather than as a means to engage library users. Research limitations/implications: The survey is not comprehensive. The search relied mainly on English publications and keywords, while the native language of most countries surveyed was non-English. Future research could comprehensively cover each country, by the type of library or language. Practical implications: The paper contends that Web 2.0 does not rely on technology, but more on practice and participation. The emphasis should be on relationships rather than transactions. Suggestions are offered on how libraries can adopt a Library 2.0 mindset without focusing on technology. A call is made to establish an East Asian Librarians 2.0 directory. Originality/value: The paper offers a non-technological perspective to institutions and practising professionals who are reviewing their Web 2.0 implementation.

The low prioritizing of user service is a longstanding problem in Chinese academic libraries. While acknowledging various external and internal obstacles for this problem, this article argues that traditional library culture, as demonstrated throughout the article, constitutes the root cause for the underdevelopment of user services on information accessibility in Chinese academic libraries.

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors affecting college users' willingness to participate in smart services of academic library. The paper analyzes the factors affecting college users' willingness to participate in library smart services, and constructs a conceptual model with 17 hypotheses proposed, based on the theory of Uses and Gratifications, Social Cognition Theory, Innovation Diffusion Theory, and Information Systems Success Model. The conceptual model was empirically tested using structural equation modeling technique through questionnaire survey data. The questionnaire was distributed online to college students and teachers in different provinces of China by using random sampling technique. College users' willingness to participate in smart services of academic library is directly and positively affected by information need of users, innovative consciousness of users, service platform performance, user satisfaction, library publicity and guidance, and extrinsic incentives. Information quality, service platform performance, service quality, and service value have significant and positive impact on user satisfaction, and they all indirectly affect users' willingness to participate in smart services of academic library through user satisfaction. The survey results also show that the purpose of college students and teachers' participation in smart services is mainly to meet their information needs. And users' participation willingness is not affected by self-efficacy of users and others' influence, which is different from the participation motivation of users on social Q & A and short video platforms. Understanding of factors affecting users' willingness to participate in smart services of academic library will likely demand rethink into a number of issues ignored by studies on smart library and smart services. Few studies focus on users' participation behavior in smart services of library. This study focused on the factors affecting users' willingness to participate in smart services of academic library, which would expand the understanding of users' participation behavior in smart services and enrich the scope of studies on smart library and smart services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the further promotion of "Double First-Class" construction of universities in China, the new goal of all universities is building the first-class discipline. Academic library is the literature center of university, subject services of library should follow the pace of discipline development. In this paper, the citation frequency, which is considered as one of the important indicators of scientific research evaluation and academic evaluation, is taken as the breakthrough point. We take pharmacology as an example, take Web of Science as the platform, analyze the journal articles of this discipline in 2006–2016, reveal the characteristics of highly cited articles and the causes of zero cited articles. From publishing journals, publication year, research direction, fund and scientific research institutions to reveal academic library how to optimize journal navigation and collection structure and how to help researchers select periodicals, propagate research productions, explore the potential themes, control discipline trends, track disciplinary hot spots, obtain funding, strengthen research cooperation, etc. in order to make the subject services of library further expand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at describing and analyzing WeChat services at the libraries of the top 50 universities in China. It first describes the services offered by WeChat and then provides an analysis of the WeChat services through three pathways--menu service, real-time reference, and message sending--and provides suggestions for improvement, meaning that library services can be better and more conveniently accessed via WeChat. This paper may be helpful to librarians interested in WeChat as a library service tool.

Discussion of the role and status of academic libraries in China focuses on automation efforts. Microcomputer-based applications are described; problems are discussed; and technological advances are considered. It is concluded that CD-ROMs in conjunction with microcomputers should be used in the majority of Chinese academic libraries. (10 references) (LRW)

Two articles discuss Chinese libraries and materials: one reviews the role of bibliographic utilities in the bibliographic control of Chinese language materials in U.S. libraries, and one examines characteristics of administration in academic libraries in China from both historical perspective and current practice. (64 references) (LRW)

Copyright of Journal of Academic Library & Information Science is the property of Anhui University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper reports on the developmental strategies, challenges and directions of the institutional repositories of the higher educational institutions in Hong Kong. The study integrates the size, content, full text and public accessibility of these repositories. The paper also compares archived output with research output as registered by the Hong Kong University Grants Committee. Percentages of archived work are low for journal and conference papers, but moderate for graduate theses. These deposit rates reflect the differing institutional policies. In recognizing these challenges, the Hong Kong Open Access Committee has been formed to address regional issues in knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growth of international student enrollment in Chinese universities, user perception has become an area of developing research in academic libraries. China's policy of opening up has led to the education and economic reforms allowing major universities to enroll international students. These changes have created an increasing need for libraries to be responsive to the information needs of these students. In order to serve these students better, universities will be expected to further understand how academic library services are currently perceived by international students. This is particularly the case at Wuhan University, which has experienced significant growth in international student enrollment. This study aims to discover the met and unmet needs as well as barriers encountered in library use by international students. Based on the information gathered, recommendations and future strategies will be formulated to improve the understanding of the information needs of non-native Chinese speakers in both the provision of services and the building of collections. The findings of this study reveal that Chinese academic libraries are considerably well perceived by international students. It also indicates that they have differing purposes, and differing needs for library services and information resources. This paper acknowledges that the study is limited to Wuhan University; however, there is a need for further studies on non-Chinese speakers, particularly, international students to obtain important information on their perception of library services and information resources. (Contains 5 tables and 7 figures.)

While there is a considerable body of literature that presents the results of citation analysis studies, most researchers do not provide enough detail in their methodology to reproduce the study, nor do they provide rationale for methodological decisions. In this paper, we review the methodologies used in 34 recent articles that present a "user study" citation analysis with a goal of informing collection management. We describe major themes and outliers in the methodologies and discuss factors that require careful thought and analysis. We also provide a guide to considerations for citation analysis studies, so that researchers can make informed decisions.

How to get deeper knowledge from the grey literature and other numerous resources is more and more important. To support the scholars or scientists efficiently, new knowledge service appears in the ranks of library services with a new look, and highlights its increasingly important role. Despite an emerging picture worldwide, a lack of published research or library practices has made it difficult to gain an accurate overview of new knowledge services to support researching on grey literature in China. This paper aims to introduce new knowledge services for grey literature in China, and finally show a comprehensive framework of new knowledge services in China for librarians around the world. This paper introduces the knowledge services for grey literature in Chinese literature and the homepages of Chinese University libraries by using the method of document analysis and homepage research. This paper points out that research data services, knowledge sharing services, academic publishing consulting services, knowledge service librarians, information literacy services are important themes of knowledge services. We find that all of these types of services are provided by the Peking University library. All these prove that the Peking University library can be regarded as an excellent knowledge service provider. Our findings highlight a range of creative library programs that will assist librarians in improving knowledge services for grey literature. This paper will be of interest to public and school libraries around the world. The paper will also provide systematic review that is readily available for professionals and academician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a library-space information model (LSIM) based on a geographical information system (GIS) was built to visually show the bookshelf location of each book through the display interface of various terminals. Taking Shanghai Jiao Tong University library as an example, both spatial information and attribute information were integrated into the model. In the spatial information, the reading room layout, bookshelves, reference desks, and so on were constructed with different attributes. The bookshelf layer was the key attribute of the bookshelves, and each book was linked to one bookshelf layer. Through the field of bookshelf layer, the book in the query system can be connected with the bookshelf-layer information of the LSIM. With the help of this model, readers can search books visually in the query system and find the books' positions accurately. It can also be used in the inquiry of special-collection resources. Additionally, librarians can use this model to analyze books' circulation status, and books with similar subjects that are frequently circulated can be recommended to readers. The library's permanent assets (chairs, tables, etc.) could be managed visually in the model. This paper used GIS as a tool to solve the problem of accurate positioning, simultaneously providing better services for readers and realizing visual management of books for librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Academic Library & Information Science is the property of Anhui University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Describes an exchange program between academic libraries in Sichuan Province and Washington State University, and discusses the Chinese approach to academic librarianship in the areas of management and personnel, access and circulation, automation, reference services, collection development and censorship, and library facilities. (CLB)

Attempts to define the unique characteristics of the political, social, and economic obstacles to the modernization of academic libraries in China. The historical development of librarianship in China is described, and a scenario is used to illustrate the organization of academic libraries and the resulting problems. (18 references) (CLB)

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the supply-and-demand dynamics in the library and information science (LIS) academic market in China. This analysis is based on a broad concept of academic market and large-scale labor-market data. The authors find a shift in faculty positions, in which traditional positions in universities and research institutions have been replaced with relatively new, temporary academic positions, such as contract-based positions, research librarians, and army lecturers. In addition, they speculate that institutional prestige contributes to a structural mismatch in the Chinese LIS market. Confronted with a changing academic job market, LIS institutions and associations need to strengthen the training of doctoral students' transferable skills to improve their entry into the academic market. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first attempt to investigate the supply and demand of the LIS academic market in China, which can provide a reference for the global LIS academic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of information culture in Mainland China and apply the information culture framework to an organizational setting. Design/methodology/approach: The foundation for the research is provided by a review of Chinese and English language literature and a case study of a university library was conducted, involving semi-structured interviews. Findings: The information culture framework facilitated identification of factors not recognized in previous information culture research, including uniquely Chinese factors of egocentrism, guanxi (relationships), mianzi (face), hexie (harmony) and renqing (mutual benefit). A further finding highlighted the profound differences between archives and library institutions in China. Originality/value: The paper provides the first step toward further exploring features of Chinese organizational culture which will not only influence information management practices but also highlight the issues relating to collaboration between libraries and archives in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines through a systematic review, the reference services rendered in academic libraries using artificial intelligence (AI) and by collecting data through environmental scanning. The objective of this systematic literature review is to provide a synthesis of empirical studies exploring the application of artificial intelligence for reference services in academic libraries. Data were collected from Web of Science, Scopus, and LISA databases. Following the rigorous/established selection process, a total of thirty five articles were finally selected, reviewed and analyzed. Thirty five papers were identified, analyzed and summarized on the subject relating to the application of AI and the methods which are most often used. The findings demonstrate that university libraries in Canada and China are leading in the deployment of AI for reference services. The AI techniques used mostly in the scanned university libraries are self-directed learning and natural language processing techniques; while the challenges of using AI for reference services are the problem of quality intelligence, linguistic style, privacy, a threat to intellectual freedom, bias, and cost; inadequate experts, poor network, poor training and lack of innovation, and limited knowledge about the technology. The study indicates university libraries take into account implementing AI for reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a form of education, distance learning currently shows great promise and the role of online libraries in delivering off-campus information services increases. This paper presents a comparative analysis of measures undertaken by traditional academic libraries in China and Italy in response to pandemic restrictions on educational operations during the lockdown period. The study utilized a specially developed questionnaire, carried out through an online survey, as a means of collecting data from library users (students and teachers). The study population includes 102 random library patrons, including 64 students and 38 teachers who were using services of academic libraries in China at the time. Through comparison with other studies, the quarantine responses of Chinese libraries were identified. The results of the study show that COVID-19 responses of libraries in China went in a direction similar to those in Italy, but the final decisions varied because of different levels of technological development. This knowledge may be used by libraries to identify areas for improvement. The results show that Chinese libraries were more effective in overcoming quarantine restrictions than those in Italy. The overwhelming majority of respondents reported that they had positive experience learning remotely and would not mind if distance learning programs continue to function after the pandemic is over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the main research question of what the critical roles and competencies of data curation are in supporting research data life cycle management, this paper adopts a multi-case study method, with data governance frameworks, to analyze stakeholders and data curators, and their competencies, based on different contexts from cases from enterprises and academic libraries in mainland China. Via the context and business analysis on different cases, critical roles such as data supervisor, data steward, and data custodian in guaranteeing data quality and efficiency of data reuse are put forward. Based on the general factor framework summarized via existing literature, suggestions for empowering data curators' competencies are raised according to the cases. The findings of this paper are as follows: besides digital archiving and preservation, more emphasis should be placed on data governance in the field of data curation. Data curators are closely related but not equivalent to stakeholders of data governance. The different roles of data curators would play their own part in the process of data curation and can be specified as data supervisor, data steward, and data custodian according to given contexts. The roles, competencies, and empowerment strategies presented in this paper might have both theoretical and practical significance for the fields of both data curation and data governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to describe inter-library access services in Hong Kong academic libraries and to discuss means of improving the services. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper takes the form of a narrative with suggestions for further development. Findings -- The introduction of the EasyRegister service has been a success. Originality/value -- The paper presents a detailed description of how the physical access of users can be facilitated between universities. This will be useful for all librarians concerned with this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to describe and analyse the interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) in university libraries in Jiangsu Province, China, and to evaluate the service quality of one library as an example of how to improve. Design/methodology/approach – This paper first describes the ILL/DD of the Jiangsu Academic Library & Information System (JALIS). It then provides an analysis of the problems in JALIS ILL/DD and gives some suggestions for improvement. Finally, it evaluates the service quality of one library’s ILL/DD based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Findings – It is found that JALIS ILL/DD can be done better via small consortia and discipline centres, and that AHP can be used to evaluate the service quality of a library’s ILL/DD. Social implications – More patrons can access better service, and the work effectiveness of librarians can be improved. Originality/value – This paper is helpful to librarians interested in ILL/DD or resource sharing in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of reference and information service has been redefined in some Chinese university libraries. In these libraries the focus of reference and information service has transformed into information analysis. University libraries have been a participant in the management and evaluation in scientific research, technological innovation, and discipline construction. The information analysis service of Zhejiang University Library is a typical case. Zhejiang University library established an information analysis group in 2009 in reference and information service division. To further guarantee the professionalism of service, the information analysis service center was set up in 2018 as a separate division. Over the past decade, information analysis service has played the potential of library in supporting decision-making, scientific research and innovation, discipline construction, research performance evaluation, etc. Information analysis service makes the popularity and status of the university library improve continuously. The evolution of information analysis service of Zhejiang University Library is reviewed in this paper, from the initial stage to the expansion stage, and then to the establishment of professional division. Approaches to promote the progress of information analysis service are summarized. The future goals are also discussed from the perspectives of strengthening the innovation mind-set, librarian development, and information analysis literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study identified and compared the organization, services, challenges of and motivations for makerspaces in public, academic, and school libraries in China. Although there is a significant body of literature on makerspaces in libraries, this study is one of the first ones that provides a comparison of library makerspace organization and operation by library type. Data was collected using paper and online surveys from 158 librarians. Supporting learning was the most frequently identified motivation for establishing a makerspace by all three categories of librarians. While makerspaces in academic libraries were mostly operated by library staff, school libraries more evenly relied on teaching staff, volunteers, library staff members, and paid instructors to operate their makerspaces. Makerspaces in public and academic libraries were funded mostly from the libraries' budget, while school libraries were funded more by other units on the campus and institutional or individual investments. The most frequently selected technologies were 3D printing and modeling technologies, and makerspaces in academic libraries were better equipped than makerspaces in the other two types of libraries. Group study rooms and learning commons centers were the most frequently occurring physical spaces in academic and public library makerspaces. School library makerspaces differentiated themselves by offering wooden crafts centers more often than other library makerspaces. While participants selecting budget limitation and inadequate equipment as barriers to implementing makerspaces was not surprising, public and academic librarians also often cited the lack of professional instructors. Based on the findings, several suggestions were offered to the practice of planning and operating a makerspace in libraries such as bringing together internal and external funding to support makerspaces, consolidating the required physical space of makerspaces and the existing space arrangement of libraries, and developing additional training programs to address the problem of a lack of professional instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Chinese gazetteers are one of the most important primary sources for the study of history of Chinese economy, politics, culture, military, and science and technology. Since the very beginning, the Yale East Asia Library has been keen on collecting Chinese gazetteers. However, unlike its peer research libraries in the USA, the Yale East Asia Library had never compiled a catalog or written an article about its gazetteer collection. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review, for the first time, original editions of Chinese gazetteers held in the Yale East Asia Library to reveal the holdings and research value. Design/methodology/approach – The author conducted a survey of original editions of Chinese gazetteers in the Yale East Asia Library by searching the Yale online library catalog and comparing with existing catalogs of Chinese local gazetteers compiled by other research libraries in the USA. The paper focuses on the edition, coverage, rarity and variety of Yale's holdings. Findings – According to the author's findings and preliminary research, Yale holds approximately 337 original Chinese gazetteers. The majority of them is rarely found in other North American research libraries and thus has high research value. They cover almost all provinces and municipalities in China and have a great variety of types. Research limitations/implications – Although the author tried to use various search strategies to look up in the Yale online library catalog to ensure high retrieval, the results here may not be accurate. Also it is likely that a number of Chinese gazetteers are not recorded in the Yale online library catalog because of backlogs. A physical survey of Chinese gazetteer holdings at Yale and more research need to be done in the future. Originality/value – This paper is the first of its kind to provide a systematic review of original editions of Chinese gazetteers held in the Yale East Asia Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a new local interlibrary loan (ILL) system between universities in Beijing, China. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a descriptive analysis of the BALIS ILL system. Findings – The paper finds that BALIS ILL has developed rapidly in the past two years but there are still some problems to solve. Originality/value – This paper will be relevant to librarians interested in resource sharing in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to report on users' information behaviour in China, a topic which has not been researched extensively. The aim is to help producers and providers collect and develop more electronic resources. Design/methodology/approach - The study investigates users' information behaviour at seven "211 Project" universities in Wuhan, a city in central China. These universities all have access to the resources of the National Science and Technology Library (NSTL). The questionnaire includes questions about respondents' basic identifying information (educational level, job, etc.) and their information service requirements. Correlations among users' education level, users' jobs, users' retrieval methods, literature use, etc. were analysed. Findings - The results show that most NSTL users are graduate students and young staff members. and the number of male users surpasses female ones slightly. The purpose of the utilisation of electronic resources for customers is scientific research, teaching and the need for self-development. During a year, the demand of users is the highest in March and the lowest in August. The users' knowledge service types include learning the progress of science and technology, citation retrieval and analysis, statistical analysis, intelligent retrieval and knowledge aggregation. Practical implications - The findings suggest that electronic resource producers should offer more foreign literature and providers should improve the quality of services. Originality/value - The paper provides suggestions for the further improvement of NSTL to fulfill the information needs and requirements of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to offer a comprehensive description and analysis of electronic reserve services in academic libraries in China. It also seeks to describe possible solutions for libraries to build multi-functional e-reserve services in order to face the challenge of the vast expansion in both academia and the economy in modern China. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper reviews the recent literature on the practices of e-reserve services, and analyses the results of the online surveys conducted in the 112 key university libraries in the China 211 Project, especially the top 15 university libraries. Findings -- The paper reveals that three-level (national, regional, and campus-wide) e-reserve resource systems have been developed jointly or individually by Chinese academic libraries. Their development, implementation and implications are discussed; existing problems and possible solutions are identified. Originality value -- The paper provides insights into the recent development of e-reserving services in Chinese academic libraries, offers useful information about e-reserving resources for students and faculty, and recommends solutions to libraries for e-reserve services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper aims to provide an overview of the e-resources and services in Tsinghua University Library, Beijing, and describe five campus-wide user surveys. It states how these user surveys play an important role in service quality enhancement. Design/methodology/approach - Following a brief history of Tsinghua University Library, a summary of the collections and services developed in recent years is given. The library has made a great effort to learn about users' needs and to improve service delivery through a series of user surveys. The paper describes these surveys, including the conclusions and the improvement measures adopted. Findings - Feedback gathered from user surveys provides vital information for improving library services. Through these user surveys, the library received a large amount of data to be analysed and a lot of valuable information, it promoted communication with our users, and the librarian's service literacy has also improved. Practical implications - An overview of user surveys, including methodology, content, organisation, and implementation process, as well as data analysis, might offer reference and practical experience for other university libraries. Originality/value - User surveys play an important role in the library's service quality enhancement. The paper provides a useful overview and practical experience of the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Library & Information Science Research is the property of Library Association of the Republic of China and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Media4u Magazine is the property of Ing. Jan Chromy, Ph.D. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Embedded librarianship service describes the practice of librarians integrating actively into the user's environment, rather than remaining in the library to await requests for service. This paper examines the concept of embedded service in the recent literature, within the past 5 years. It reports on a survey of embedded service in Chinese academic libraries conducted mainly in the “985 Project” universities. The paper focuses on some incipient embedded librarian programs, as well as the obstacles to achieving embedded practice, and identifies some best practices in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper examines the current literature of RDM implementation status, then follows a three-level model to revisit the implementation status of RDM in Chinese academia by reviewing the governmental documents, funding agencies' policies, and institutional efforts. The findings suggest that the macro-environment of RDM in China is interrupted at the agency level caused by the inactions of strategies and lack of policies. The results also suggest that national universities varied in RDM services and repositories, and the macro-environment of RDM in China is problematic. The paper then identifies the problems, discusses the fundamental issues, and proposes solutions from three principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the rapid growth of international students in China's universities, it is important for university libraries to extend their existing services, which were mainly designed for native Chinese students. This paper reports on a research study aimed at extending library services for international students by identifying and understanding their requirements. An exploratory case study research design was adopted. Specifically, the Wuhan University Library was selected as the case study, at which 23 international students were approached and interviewed using semi-structured questions. The analysis of interview data pointed to 14 library service requirements in four main themes: feeling welcomed, convenient accessibility, comfortable learning environment and diverse learning resources. On this basis, five practical strategies were formulated. This study focused on China's university libraries, however, the research findings provide useful implications and insights that can be shared across international borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the professional opinion of LIS with reference to open source software (OSS) adoption, status, problems and future measures in research and academic libraries of Beijing, China.Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted among 20 academic and 20 research libraries in Beijing, China. The convenient sampling technique was used to collect data. The data collected were interpreted using descriptive statistics and independent t-test.Findings The results reveal that Chinese research and academics libraries depend mostly upon commercial software and place a great deal of trust on locally produced free software. This situation may be caused due to the lack of professional knowledge in OSS and lack of appropriate technical expertise. Although there were a sufficient number of librarians who have shown interest in OSS, they did not enthusiastically agree to implement it in their libraries. Furthermore, the interviews highlighted the professionals’ opinion that most librarians are reluctant to adopt OSS due to the risk factor, lack of professional expertise, insufficient interest of the Chinese Government and lack of professional training.Originality/value The findings are useful for the Chinese LIS community, software developers, technology administrators and library administrators. In particular, it is beneficial for research and academic libraries of China to adapt OSS for library management and provide better library services and sources to their library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]