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The present study aims to determine the impact of perceived information literacy (IL) skills on the research productivity of mathematics faculty members in Pakistan. The study explores their opinion of their ability to identify information needs and information sources. It also examines their perceived capability of constructing effective and efficient strategies for locating, accessing, evaluating, and applying the needed information legally and ethically. A structured questionnaire was developed based on the SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy. Questionnaires were sent to 300 academicians from 36 public sector universities in the Punjab province of Pakistan through personal visits, e-mail, and postal service. After repeated follow-up calls, 185 filled questionnaires were received. The major findings of the study showed that the mathematics faculty members believed they had reasonable IL skills. The majority of them had published research articles in learned journals. The study revealed a positive impact of perceived IL skills on the research productivity of mathematics faculty members. IL instruction sessions designed for faculty may improve the research output of mathematics scholars in their respective universities.

This paper examines the issue of quality assurance (QA) in library and information science (LIS) education in Pakistan. It identifies the practices of quality assessment prevalent in Pakistani LIS schools and examines the perceptions of faculty members concerning the accreditation of LIS programs. A questionnaire sent to heads of departments and semi-structured interviews with faculty were employed to collect data. The findings of the study identify human, physical, procedural, and behavioral hindrances to imparting quality education. The study revealed a need for developing and implementing robust internal and external quality assurance mechanisms. The findings may lead to the development of policy guidelines for quality assurance in Pakistan and other countries with a similar context.

The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of female employees regarding workplace empowerment. The study also emphasized the alleged advantages of employee empowerment in the workplace and pinpointed the barriers to empowerment. This paper is based on qualitative data collected, through the semi-structured interview with female library professionals working in the higher education commission's recognized universities of Punjab- Pakistan, as a part of doctoral studies. According to the study, respondents most frequently defined "workplace empowerment" as having the freedom to do duties as they see fit. They also emphasized the benefits of workplace empowerment on both the personal and professional levels. Three categories—managerial, organizational, and individual factors—are used to categorize the obstacles cited by the participants. Although there is no study of this kind on the topic of workplace empowerment of female employees in the local context of Pakistan, this work adds significantly to the paucity of literature on the subject. This study is extracted from the Ph.D. thesis of the researcher. This study is limited in terms of its population as the data was collected from female library professionals in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The results may aid stakeholders and higher authorities in eradicating workplace empowerment concerns and in formulating evidence-based strategies or policies to enable women to execute their jobs more effectively. This qualitative study adds value to the literature by showing the actual situation of female employee empowerment in a developing country like Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information science profession is concerned with information user and every development in this field has been designed to make it easier for the user to access documents or information. The current study examined user studies to provide understanding about the users, growth in user studies, topics, and methods of user studies. A content analysis method has been adopted and empirical research articles produced by Pakistani authors during the period 2001–2016 have been examined. Out of 518 empirical articles, 185 user studies were selected for examining users, subject and methods. Growth in user studies research was lower from the period 2001 to 2008 but number of studies increased significantly after 2008. Dominant majority of user studies collected data from educational institutions. Academicians and students were the most frequently studied users. Bureaucrats, judges, and other officials have not been examined for elicitation of their needs in spite of the fact that libraries have been established with government departments and courts. In respect of research areas of user studies, information needs and seeking behavior, use and skills of internet and social media, use of electronic resources and satisfaction of users with library services constitute 90% of user studies research. With respect to use of research methodology, quantitative approach (78%) is popular in user studies followed by mixed methods (10%), qualitative (8%), and multimethod (4%). More than one method is used in 14% user studies research. In case of frequency of research methods, questionnaire (72%) is the dominant method followed by interview (14%). The current study is unique because it identified popular topics and methods in user studies research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the influence of demographic characteristics, research productivity, Internet use, and digital literacy skills on academics' e-journals use behavior. Design: The design of the study was quantitative, and a survey method was used to achieve the objectives of the study. The University of the Punjab was chosen as a setting of the study because of its high ranking in academic and research output among public sector universities of Pakistan. The targeted population of the study was academics working on contractual and regular basis in Lahore based campuses of University of the Punjab. The questionnaire was distributed to 949 academics, out of which 108 academics were on leave and 457 questionnaires were returned back with a response rate of 54 %. Findings: The findings of the study indicated that demographic characteristics, research productivity, and digital literacy skills significantly affect academics e-journals use behavior. Originality: Previous researchers mostly focused on investigating academic scientists' scholarly information seeking behavior and their relationship with demographic variables. This is a unique study and fills the gap in literature by examining influence of demographic factors, Internet use, research productivity and digital literacy skills on academics' ejournals use behavior. Implications: The findings might be helpful for University of the Punjab departmental librarians to make strategies to improve academics digital literacy skills in relation to the use of advanced searching techniques and evaluation of the quality of e-journals. The results could also be beneficial for public universities with similar population, disciplines and academic programs of University of the Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uncovers the reading trends of Millennials living in Pakistan by investigating their reading behavior within the digital paradigm. A cross-sectional survey-based quantitative research design was adopted. Masters students (16 years education) from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized universities of Lahore, Pakistan was the study population. A total of 515 masters' level students from 7 universities participated in the survey. The participants were recruited by employing a two-stage stratified purposive total population sampling technique. The study findings confirmed that despite their preferences for print material, Millennials were using electronic material for reading more frequently. However, the study showed that the reading purpose influences the choice of the reading format. Furthermore, the availability of electronic reading content in the public domain and open access contents may be a reason for increased use of e-content, as free websites were the preferred method of millennials for obtaining reading material. Social networking websites and intelligent search engines like "Google" were also in use and play a role in finding the relevant information and reading e-content. The study shows that the digital environment has a significant impact on the reading behavior of individuals, a fact which needs to be considered by academics, practitioners, and the individuals themselves. It is considered a baseline study that opens various potential directions and avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate university library directors' perceived importance of antiplagiarism practices through plagiarism software and guidance-based programs. The study also qualitatively explores the barriers faced by university librarians in combating plagiarism practices. The authors used a mixed-method research design to examine their research questions. The findings showed that the library directors placed equal importance on both types of antiplagiarism practices, that is, software-based and guidance-based antiplagiarism practices and that libraries should provide both of these services effectively. The library directors indicated a lack of awareness regarding plagiarism issues, lack of motivation among librarians, lack of information literacy training programs, and administrative issues as the key barriers. This study fills the gap in the existing literature by exploring university library directors' perceptions of antiplagiarism practices and barriers in combating plagiarism practices, particularly in the South Asian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the information services provided by public libraries to information-poor in the most populous province of Punjab. In addition, the challenges faced by public libraries in providing desired information services to information-poor were reviewed. The study was quantitative in nature. The survey research method was used. The data was collected through a structured questionnaire. The results indicated that public libraries were struggling to provide the required information services to information poor. Lack of government funding was one of the biggest challenges in providing required services, as reported by public libraries. Further lack of information policy and inadequate information and communication technology infrastructure were identified as key challenges in providing required information services to information poor. The present study addressed the information services of public libraries to information-poor which is unique in its nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the perceptions of Library and Information Science (LIS) graduates about their learning outcomes in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programme at the University of the Punjab and their employment outcomes in the marketplace. Why do LIS graduates choose librarianship as a profession in Pakistan? What is their level of learning in coursework after completion of the MLIS; and what is their level of satisfaction regarding different aspects of the MLIS programme? Is the MLIS degree market oriented? An electronic questionnaire survey was conducted by the Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS) University of the Punjab (PU) to the graduates of the last three sessions (from 2008 to 2010). From the sample (N = 80), fifty-eight (72.5%) responded. Based on the analysis of 58 responses, LIS graduates joined the profession of librarianship due to the referral of their family members, better job prospects and love for books and reading. The respondents were highly satisfied with the following courses: marketing of Library services, IT knowledge and Library automation, but they were least satisfied with their cataloguing and classification skills. As for as their employment outcomes are concerned, almost two third (67%) got job on the basis of their MLIS. More than the half (53%) got jobs within two months of their graduation. They suggested that MLIS programme should more focus on practice as compared to theory. (Contains 7 tables.)

The study aims to explore the professional activities, needed competencies and education/training needs of medical librarians in Pakistan. The following questions guided the study: what are the current professional activities of medical librarians in Pakistan? What is their perception of the competencies needed of medical librarians? And what are their training and education needs? Twenty medical librarians were identified through purposive sampling. An interview guide was prepared after expert review and pilot testing. Personal and telephone interviews were conducted to collect the data. Data were analysed using content analysis methods. Sixteen (80%) out of 20 medical librarians could be approached. The findings reveal that the medical librarians were generally involved in traditional kinds of professional activities. They were unaware of the latest trends in medical librarianship. Out of ten competencies mentioned by the respondents "ability to use ICT and integrated library software", "verbal and written communication skills" and "extensive knowledge of Pub Med and other medical databases" were ranked first, second and third respectively. The opportunities of specialized education and training are also limited for medical librarians. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that formal training programs should be initiated for medical librarians in Pakistan by MELAP, CPSP and library schools. (Contains 3 tables.)