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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]

In this paper, we introduce pySimFrac , an open-source python library for generating 3-D synthetic fracture realizations, integrating with fluid simulators, and performing analysis. pySimFrac allows the user to specify one of three fracture generation techniques (Box, Gaussian, or Spectral) and perform statistical analysis including the autocorrelation, moments, and probability density functions of the fracture surfaces and aperture. This analysis and accessibility of a python library allows the user to create realistic fracture realizations and vary properties of interest. In addition, pySimFrac includes integration examples to two different pore-scale simulators and the discrete fracture network simulator, dfnWorks. The capabilities developed in this work provides opportunity for quick and smooth adoption and implementation by the wider scientific community for accurate characterization of fluid transport in geologic media. We present pySimFrac along with integration examples and discuss the ability to extend pySimFrac from a single complex fracture to complex fracture networks. • A python library to develop synthetic complex fractures. • Fractures can be passed to single- and multiphase simulations for analysis. • Examples of fracture generation and analysis is provided in Jupyter notebooks. • The code-base and user-documentation are made available on GitHub and dfnWorks websites, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the conditions for using libraries in South Korea are improving in terms of the concept of a 15-min city, such as the expansion of public library functions and an increase in the number of libraries, the number of users per library is declining. This phenomenon represents the necessity of advancing the understanding of library use behavior from the policy aspects of facility planning, maintenance, and management. Hence, this study analyzes the effect of library services and distance on choices regarding library use and predicted changes in library use behavior through a choice experiment and a discrete choice model. The results reveal that library services, distance, and library-use status influenced library users' and non-users' decisions regarding library use. Through predictions of library use behavior, administrative districts that provide relatively low utility are identified, and the number of library users is estimated. Considering the impact of the interaction between library services and spatial patterns on potential users, it is possible to predict different library use patterns that can help make policy decisions regarding facility planning and management. • Preferences for libraries that apply the concept of a 15-minute city are analyzed. • Potential users' choice behavior of library is economically modeled and explored. • We divided the regular library user into single, transfer, and multiple user. • Library services and spatial patterns influence decision-making on library use. • Demand is estimated considering the differences across districts in the utility provided by libraries. [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]

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]

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]