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The objective of this study was to identify common communication issues that arise during the electronic resource lifecycle and identify communication strategies academic libraries are using effectively to manage electronic resources. A survey of academic librarians and staff received 240 responses and included 5-point Likert scale ratings on communication surrounding acquisitions, access, administration, support, evaluation, and renewal​ at their institutions. The study found that the acquisitions, evaluation, and renewal stages of the lifecycle experienced the most issues in communication, while support had the most positive responses. This article provides further discussion on the communication mechanisms used by academic institutions across the electronic resources lifecycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing effective Electronic Resource Management Systems (ERMS) is a continuing challenge for library consortia. The E-Resources Cooperative Office of the University of Missouri System identified a need to implement an ERMS to manage its consortially-licensed electronic resources more effectively, transparently and cooperatively. The author details the experience of selecting and implementing an ERMS to better meet the current e-resource management needs of member libraries and the consortium office. Leveraging the capabilities of an ERMS will also allow the consortium to more proactively engage in special projects and additional e-resources endeavors to benefit its members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition of technology had evolved certain traditional services into digitalized service in library. As of today, the situation have taken into place of library which are normally operates with traditional services such as borrowing and returning books were physically visited by the patron. Hence, the quality of service pertain from the Digital Library would be address from the user‟s perspective how does this services performed in effective or efficient way towards their patron. In this study, the objective were about to measure the factors affecting user satisfaction on Digital Library use in MSU from perspective of ISSM and TTF model as well to identify factors that may influence user satisfaction and DL continuance usage intention in MSU. The approach of this study conducted is quantitative method which uses the questionnaire as to collecting data in one library for this study. As a result, the factors that influence Digital Library MSU is quality of system, information and technology suitability for patron that utilized the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This shidy investigates the challenges, for developing digital libraries in University Libraries of Lahore. Questionnaire based survey was administered to collect data from a purposive sample of university librarians having good knowledge of digital library and practically involved in digital library development projects in HEC recognized public and private sector university libraries of Pakistan. Results highlighted that selection and use of appropriate technological equipment; digital library software, use of standards and policies for digitization, applying OCR, assigning metadata and use of appropriate measures tor preservation and security of digital contents are the major technological challenges for LIS professionals when developing digital libraries. Findings also revealed that managing technological infrasfructure, hiring skillftil librarians, conducting trainings for library users, managing copyright issue and acquiring adequate finds to develop sustainable digital library are the challenges for managing digital libraries. Study concludes that librarians should acquire digital skills to address technological challenges for developing and managing digital libraries. It was recommended that Library Schools should offer compulsory courses and specialization in digital librarianship by offering practical trainings for librarians for developing and managing digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the University of Manitoba Libraries Outreach Services, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Virtual Library provides library services to hospitals, health centres, community health agencies, and personal care homes throughout the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. All services of the WRHA Virtual Library, including the collection, are entirely virtual, though staff are physically located in the university's health library. In March 2020, shortly after the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, libraries around the world started closing their doors and staff were required to work from home. The virtual infrastructure of our services and collections required no changes in how our patrons accessed the Virtual Library and a smooth transition was expected, but the sudden shift to working from home revealed gaps. This article discusses the unique experience of the WRHA Virtual Library transitioning to a completely virtual environment, the previous reliance on the university's physical infrastructure, and the inequities identified between librarians and library technicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video-Streaming ist weltweit auf dem Vormarsch. Die Covid-19-Pandemie wirkt wie ein Katalysator der bereits seit längerem virulenten Entwicklung hin zum Online-Zugang zu Filmen. Der Beitrag bietet eine erste Bestandsaufnahme wesentlicher Trends des Filmmarkts und untersucht die Auswirkungen auf die Bestandsentwicklung im Bereich audiovisuelle Medien für Öffentliche und wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken im deutschsprachigen Bereich mit Schwerpunkt Deutschland und der Schweiz. Wie wirken sich die umwälzenden Veränderungen des Marktes auf die Arbeitsfelder in Bibliotheken konkret aus und mit welchen Strategien können die Bibliotheken auf die Herausforderungen reagieren? Diskutiert werden Perspektiven wie Konsortienbildung, domänenübergreifende Kooperation mit anderen Kulturerbe-Einrichtungen zur Vernetzung von Daten und Inhalten, gemeinsame Lobbyarbeit für verbesserte rechtliche Regelungen sowie Vereinbarungen mit den Verwertungsgesellschaften. Video streaming is on the rise worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic acts like a catalyst in the rapid development towards online access to films. The article outlines key trends in the film market and examines the effects on collection development of audiovisual media for public and academic libraries in German-speaking countries, with a focus on Germany and Switzerland. How do the disruptive changes in the market impact work in libraries and what strategies can libraries pursue to react to the challenges? Perspectives such as the formation of consortia, cross-domain cooperation with other cultural heritage institutions in the field of linking data and content as well as lobbying for improved legal regulations and agreements with collecting societies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Themenschwerpunkt Video-Streaming reagiert auf die nachhaltige Bedeutung des Online-Zugangs zu audiovisuellen Ressourcen für den Zugang zu Information, Bildung und Wissen. Er gibt Einblick in eine überaus dynamische laufende Entwicklung in Bibliotheken, Filmarchiven, öffentlich-rechtlichen Fernsehanstalten sowie in der medien- und informationswissenschaftlichen Forschung und Lehre. Der regionale Schwerpunkt liegt auf den Ländern Deutschland, Österreich und der deutschsprachigen Schweiz, der inhaltliche Schwerpunkt auf dem Zugang zu Filmen des internationalen Filmschaffens mit internationaler Distribution. Die Beiträge sind in fünf Abschnitte gegliedert: I. Video-Streaming in Bibliotheken und Zugang zum audiovisuellen Erbe; II. Kooperation mit externen Anbietern von Video-Streaming-Dienstleistungen für Bibliotheken; III. Filmarchive und Zugang zum Filmerbe; IV. Mediatheken öffentlich-rechtlicher Fernsehanstalten und Archivöffnung sowie V. Video-Streaming in Lehre, Forschung und Entwicklung. The special issue on streaming video reacts to the long-term importance of online access to audiovisual resources for access to information, education and knowledge. It provides an insight into an extremely dynamic ongoing development in libraries, film archives, and public service broadcasters and in the film, media and information science research and teaching. The regional focus is on Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, the content focus on access to films of international filmmaking with international distribution. The articles are divided into five parts: (1) I. video streaming in libraries and access to audiovisual heritage; (2) II. cooperation with external providers of video streaming services for libraries; (3) III. film archives and access to film heritage; (4) IV. media libraries of public broadcasters and opening of archives as well as (5) V. video streaming in teaching, research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses issues related to search engine optimization management which can be of help to library administrators. It explores the advantages of emphasizing Internet search engines over libraries' own web sites as a means of encouraging users to adopt digital libraries. It also provides an overview of driving search engine optimization strategically to ensure its success.

Accurate documentation is important in all library areas, especially as workflows change quickly to adapt to new technologies, policies, and practices. Many library faculty and staff use online tools and in 2019, the author conducted a survey to learn if and how colleagues use internal LibGuides to maintain accurate internal documentation. This article presents the survey results and analysis, covering both internal LibGuide use and current library documentation practices more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and DeLone and McLean information system success model (IS success model) on facets of system use for digital library systems. These facets include lean measures (e.g. frequency, duration, and intensity) and rich measures of system use (e.g. deep structure use and cognitive absorption use). The study overcomes the general description for some constructs, for instance facilitating conditions and quality, and assesses the effects of sub-constructs on system use facets, such as smart and traditional facilitating conditions. Data was collected through a cross-sectional survey in three universities. Component-based structural equation modeling software was used to analyze the data and assess the research model. The findings indicate that there is variance and consistency in the antecedents that influence the facets of system use. The lean measure was predicted by performance expectancy, traditional facilitating conditions, system quality, and behavioral intention, while the rich measure, particularly deep structure use, was influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, traditional facilitating conditions, system quality, and behavioral intention. Furthermore, cognitive absorption use, a rich measure, was impacted by performance expectancy, service quality, system quality, and intention. This study provides a theoretical contribution and practical implications relevant to academics and practitioners in areas related to digital library systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rather than create a collection solely to support distance learners, libraries should consider the needs of all customers when developing a digital library. The acceptance of digital libraries is dependant upon the conversion of resources to an electronic format that is easy to use and is fully searchable. While electronic journals are widely accepted by most academic library customers, the delivery of online books has had a very different acceptance rate. Rather than support the sequential reading of books, electronic books are commonly used to find information and can be particularly well-suited for reference purposes. This article will provide insight into the history of e-book models and evaluate the usage statistics of a large electronic book collection in an academic library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of information and communication technology has paved the way to the development of electronic devices and has changed the traditional libraries to digital libraries. In which digitization of library collection has become a common activity. Digitization has opened up new audiences and services for libraries, that needs to be integrated into the plans and policies of any institution to maximize its effectiveness. With the help of digital technology institutions can share their research output globally by access and disseminate research information. This paper aims to explore and identify the role of digitized collection of the top 20 universities in the world according to the "Times Higher Education" World Rankings 2015-16. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential growth in data generation and subsequent transformation into knowledge has created huge repositories of knowledge in the libraries. This has revolutionalised the methods and techniques to retrieve the relevant and useful information for the users. The growth of Information and communication technology (ICT) has facilitated into achieving this. In this paper, a study of three open-source digital library management software has been presented which collects and disseminates information for library-users. This analysis involves the study and comparison of related software documents and respective technical manuals. Based on the results of the comparison, the implementation of Digtial Library Management Software at DESIDOC has also been dealt in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land resource inventory for site-specific planning and development of watersheds on scientific basis under Sujala-III project sponsored by the Watershed Development Department of Karnataka and funded by the World Bank is being implemented in 11 districts covering 9.66 lakh ha across 2531 microwatersheds benefiting 7.02 lakh households in the state. The analysis and interpretation of the spatial and non-spatial database generated so far in 1600 microwatersheds covering 5 lakh ha has revealed that most of the watersheds suffer from major problems. In many watersheds, soil erosion and alkalinity affected even up to 75% of the watershed area, thus reducing the production potential and crop choices. The soils are either moderately or highly suited for growing most of the agricultural and horticultural crops. By interfacing land resource data with RS, GIS and GPS, different management scenarios were analysed to arrive at the best management alternatives (optimum land use plans) that would be most suitable. This data handling system will be useful for making land use decisions and providing proactive advice to farmers on a real time basis protecting the health of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the leading objectives of the libraries is to provide the latest and timely information to its clientele and keep them updated with the new arrivals related to their subject areas. However, a limited storage capacity of libraries is throwing a challenge before librarians from the beginning of libraries. The latest developments in the libraries for information management, preservation, and dissemination involve a high rate of computer technologies. Institutional Repository (IR) is a new breed which has the potential to store any amount of information in little space and preserve it for a long-term perspective. Therefore, many of the academic libraries are enforced to develop their Institutional Repositories (IRs). One of the leading objectives of the libraries is to provide the latest and timely information to its clientele and keep them updated with the new arrivals related to their subject areas. However, a limited storage capacity of libraries is throwing a challenge before librarians from the beginning of libraries. The latest developments in the libraries for information management, preservation, and dissemination involve a high rate of computer technologies. Institutional Repository (IR) is a new breed which has the potential to store any amount of information in little space and preserve it for a long-term perspective. Therefore, many of the academic libraries are enforced to develop their Institutional Repositories (IRs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper offers a case study in creating capacity for digital initiatives at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee through an exploration of the Crossroads to Freedom program, a decade-long digital public history initiative. At present, digital scholarship and preservation work falls under the purview of information services (IS), a merged information technology (IT) and library division and home to the digital preservation and scholarship (DPS) team. DPS is a multidisciplinary group of undergraduate students, IS staff and various internal and external partners.Design/methodology/approach By exploring the evolution of digital projects at a small, liberal arts college, this paper will introduce readers to one dynamic path to cultivating capacity and support for digital initiatives within the confines of limited staffing and monetary resources.Findings Topics and strategies include working effectively with community partners, leveraging existing strengths, building and sustaining a community of practice (CoP), integrating undergraduates as full staff members and navigating cultural change within the library and higher education more broadly.Originality/value This paper demonstrates a decade of successful innovation and adaptation to the changing landscape of digital initiatives and the library’s role in higher education that is rooted in community-centric commitment to social justice. Discussion of these strategies and theoretical frameworks should prove helpful to institutions looking to reimagine traditional approaches to digital archives and scholarship programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Digital library managers are faced with growing pressure to digitize materials efficiently on a larger scale. This paper aims to address the staffing and other resources needed to evolve smaller scope operations into teams capable of outputting larger-scale production.Design/methodology/approach Much of the current literature focuses on philosophy of these projects and issues of metadata and user access. In contrast, this article seeks to supply the much-needed practical information for digital library managers who need to take immediate action to meet new mandates and reach higher target goals within the constraints of limited resources.Findings The author will provide an overview of resources needed to increase digitization output and provide an analysis of three key resources that can be targeted by digital library managers in a range of environments. These resources will be examined with practical advice given on how new staffing configurations, outsourcing of materials and high-efficiency equipment can be implemented in phases.Originality/value This paper examines the gap between smaller-scale digitization and successful large-scale projects, and offers several possible scenarios for organizations to consider as they choose to move forward in a way that suits their goals. The focus of this study is neither on the rationale for large-scale digitization nor on the detailed specifications for large-scale digitization workflows. Rather, it will outline the types of resources (internal and external), decision points and specific practical strategies for digital library managers seeking to start ramping up the production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the study of communication in learning and scholarship through institutional repositories at Ghana. Topics discussed include assessment of policies for the creation and management of institutional repositories; research methodology; and barriers to institutional repositories in Africa that involves high cost of Information and communication technologies, connectivity and poor telecommunication, and lack of broadband services.

Column description.Special Libraries, Special Challengesis a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine, business, and so forth. In each column, the author will discuss public service dilemmas and opportunities that arise in special libraries. Special or subject-matter librarians interested in authoring a piece for this column are invited to contact Ilana Stonebraker atstonebraker@purdue.edu. This column is written by J. J. Pionke. J. J. Pionke is Applied Health Science Librarian and Assistant Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his MSI from the University of Michigan. His column focuses on a brief introduction to Universal Design for Learning and incorporates practical tips to make instruction sessions more accessible for all learners regardless of (dis)ability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents an innovative textbook reserve program at a mid-sized academic library. Research conducted subsequent to the program’s launch showed a positive correlation between students’ use of the program and their perceived academic success. In addition, the program has proved effective at helping students with college affordability. The outlines of the program and the results of the survey are presented and contextualized in the framework of the local institution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Column description.TheMarketingcolumn features essays about a variety of creative and innovative marketing strategies used to highlight collections or promote services in all types of libraries. Its purpose is to provide real examples of how libraries are using marketing and outreach techniques in interesting ways. The column offers practical insight from libraries engaged with marketing. In addition to marketing, the column also features essays on successful programs and events that promote the library. Readers are invited to suggest topics or projects by contacting the column editor, Katy Kelly. In the Research and Instruction Services department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries, a culture of yes drives our outreach efforts. This inclination to support non-traditional library services and events has allowed us to forge valued partnerships with student support services and learning communities, expanding the reach of the library into the university as a whole. In this column, we offer insight into how we have sustained a culture of yes as it relates to our student-focused outreach program. At the administrative level, defining the role of outreach for our organization and tying our outreach plan to the library’s mission and strategic plan laid the groundwork for success. At the program level, we learned to articulate our intended outcomes and understand what success looks like. Our culture of yes embraces these successes along with any failures we have along the way. Moving forward, we continue to track and assess outreach and use each event or partnership to learn more about our students so that we may redesign our program according to lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many academic librarians have ideas or opportunities for teaching information literacy courses for the library, outside the scope of their regular positions. Some additional librarians are asked to consider teaching credit-bearing courses for other departments at their institutions, based on graduate degrees they hold in fields besides library science. Academic librarians who face either option are often asked to provide detailed information on how colleagues at other institutions handle arrangements: payment, coverage of library services while they are teaching, and proving their suitability for teaching in a given subject area. Unfortunately, the data available on their work is both scant and scattered. The authors surveyed librarians at 350 academic libraries across the United States to gather and analyze data on these and numerous related aspects of librarians’ teaching for departments outside the library. They also collected and analyzed comprehensive background information on these “professor-librarians.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors analyzed a set of virtual reference transactions from a cooperative chat service, comprising transcripts from 2014 and 2006. Chats were categorized by type of library, length of time, type of question, and type of resolution. The article looks at the changes seen over time and how a change in the type of questions asked may be causing further changes in average length of time and resolution. The authors discuss what these changes imply for the future of librarianship and how accuracy can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to identify: (a) Non-accessible library and information science journals from HEC National Digital Library (DL) Subscribed databases, (b) Approaches adopted by the LIS researchers to acquire non-accessible articles, and (c) The impact of non-accessible articles on their research endeavor. A sequential exploratory strategy of mixed method research was applied to identify the impact of non-accessible LIS journals on research. This study was completed in two phases. In the first phase, an online surfing of all HEC subscribed databases was conducted and a list of openly accessible, partially accessible and non-accessible LIS journals was prepared. Impact factor of journals was checked from the list of Journal Citation Report by Thomson Reuter, 2013. In the second phase, a structured questionnaire was prepared to identify the approaches adopted by the researchers to acquire non-accessible articles and their impact on research productivity. Findings of the study show that (a) Emerald, (b) Science Direct, (c) JSTOR, (d) Project Muse, (e) Taylor & Francis, (f) Wiley-Blackwell Journals, and (g) University of Chicago Press, are the HEC subscribed databases which have LIS journals. Study reveals that there are 18 % non-accessible and 37 % partially accessible LIS journals on the HEC subscribed databases. Researchers tried to acquire non-accessible articles through friends, social networking sites (SNS) Groups, BDD and by requesting to authors etc. Respondents agreed that no-naccessible journals do impact on research productivity. As a result, citations of non-accessible articles decreases, which negatively impact the quality and quantity of both authors and researchers' work. The outcomes of this study are significant for LIS researchers to become aware of the current situation of non-accessible journals and its impact on their research endeavors. It will also guide the HEC and research institutions to redesign their policy for the subscription of relevant databases that will enable complete access to journals on LIS discipline. It will also help to increase the quality of researchers' work and citation rate of authors' articles. This study may then be replicated in other fields and countries also. There is not enough work analyzing the impact of non-accessible journals on research productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practitioners can draw upon a body of literature on various aspects of managing digital archives. However, one area where guidance is lacking is cataloguing. The characteristics of digital material have brought into question basic cataloguing practices. This article considers the treatment of the cataloguing of digital material in the archival literature. It focuses on discussions of the implications for descriptive standards of digital records, and considers the solutions proposed in the literature or adopted by practitioners. Through tracing discussions of cataloguing through the literature, this article surveys how current descriptive practice has been applied to digital material. Locating these discussions within a wider context of technological change, affecting not only archival material but also the environment within which it is used, the article explores the profession’s response to the demands of digital material and identifies areas for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Digital preservation has been an ongoing issue for the archival profession for many years, with research primarily being focused on long-term preservation and user access. Attention is now turning to the important middle stage: processing born-digital archives, which encompasses several key tasks such as appraisal, arrangement, description and sensitivity review. The Wellcome Library is developing scalable workflows for born-digital archival processing that deal effectively both with hybrid and purely born-digital archives. These workflows are being devised and tested using two hard drives deposited within the archives of two genomic researchers, Ian Dunham and Michael Ashburner. This paper examines two specific and interconnected stages of archival processing: appraisal and sensitivity review. It sets out the Wellcome Library’s approach to appraisal using a combination of several appraisal methods, namely functional, technical and ‘bottom-up’ appraisal. It also demonstrates how tools such as DROID can be used to streamline the process. The paper then goes on to explore the Wellcome Library’s risk management-based approach to the sensitivity review of born-digital material, suggesting there is a viable balance to be struck between closing large record series as a precaution and sensitivity reviewing at a very granular level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the past year, the Digital Archives unit at Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library has been keen to develop workflows for processing born digital material that can flex in response to a collection’s limitations without obscuring its salient characteristics. In order to achieve this, we have developed two sets of criteria by which to assess unprocessed material. The first determines the level of researcher access (for example, use of emulation, access to migrated files, online access, etc.) best suited to the collection, while a second and directly related set uses a tiered approach to determine the collection’s processing level. The impetus for this work was a need for policies that adapt to born digital collections that vary widely in size, scope and technical requirements, and that deliver accessible born digital collections arranged and described according to their own significant properties. This article focuses on the integration of these policies into our processing workflows and the resulting processed collections. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Author name disambiguation has been one of the hardest problems faced by digital libraries since their early days. Historically, supervised solutions have empirically outperformed those based on heuristics, but with the burden of having to rely on manually labeled training sets for the learning process. Moreover, most supervised solutions just apply some type of generic machine learning solution and do not exploit specific knowledge about the problem. In this article, we follow a similar reasoning, but in the opposite direction. Instead of extending an existing supervised solution, we propose a set of carefully designed heuristics and similarity functions, and apply supervision only to optimize such parameters for each particular dataset. As our experiments show, the result is a very effective, efficient and practical author name disambiguation method that can be used in many different scenarios. In fact, we show that our method can beat state-of-the-art supervised methods in terms of effectiveness in many situations while being orders of magnitude faster. It can also run without any training information, using only default parameters, and still be very competitive when compared to these supervised methods (beating several of them) and better than most existing unsupervised author name disambiguation solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details a case study using Reverse Image Lookup (RIL) tools to analyze the reuse value of the digitized University Photographs collection at Loyola University New Orleans. A sample of 63 images from the digitized collection was searched using three different RIL tools. The results were then analyzed to see which RIL tool was the most effective, whether RIL is an effective and time-efficient method for determining reuse, and whether reuse is an effective measure of success for this type of collection. Existing literature on using RIL tools on digital libraries focuses on popular, well-known collections. This study is the first known published example of using RIL tools on a smaller, lesser-known collection and can help enable other institutions to determine if reuse is an effective measurement of success for their digital collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of electronic resource management (ERM) interoperability at libraries. Topics covered include a definition of interoperability according to Webopedia, the interoperability offering between EBSCONET and the EBSCO ERM and A-to-Z, and the benefits and disadvantages of EBSCONET's E-package Renewal system.

The article covers issues on electronic trials (e-trials) at academic libraries in the U.S. Topics discussed include several stages of electronic resources (e-resources) lifecycle, a brief background on the establishment of the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) library, and the library's success in establishing and following e-trial ground rules.

The article highlights the issues on resource sharing and implementing a tool for tracking electronic resource outages at libraries discussed at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Topics include the key distinctions between the print and digital worlds discussed by Interest Group chair George Stachokas of Purdue University, the challenges and opportunities in the library ecosystem, and how resource sharing should be organized at academic libraries.

The central role that technology centers play in strengthening the digital humanities (DH) is highlighted. For library and information sciences, and particularly for academic and research libraries, working with DH is a strategic opportunity to enhance their cyberinfrastructure. It is argued that the development of DH in Spain will require providing technology centers specific to the humanities and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians are increasingly being called upon to help academics justify their existence and bring in research income, with the digital repository. Librarians are being asked to do manage digital repositories of academic research and are best placed to do this. Managers of repositories are using tools available to them to visualise various activities relating to the repository to make it more visible and a better promotion for the activities of the institution whose research is being displayed. Repositories are being used in research assessment exercises like the UK Research Excellence Framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this review is to look at some of the common mistakes made related to communication within a project and how those mistakes can be avoided. Communication in projects is a critical factor in a project’s success. Many times, project teams forget some basic rules for communicating with their stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The approach of this paper is to provide a general overview of common themes in the project management literature related to communication within projects. Findings – While communication failures in projects are caused by many factors, the project team ultimately bears the burden for ensuring successful communication within a project. There are several common causes of communication failures. Thankfully, there are also some simple things that project teams can do to lessen the likelihood of miscommunication. Research limitations/implications – As this is a general overview, this article only explores the more commonly experienced issues related to project miscommunication. Originality/value – By observing some relatively easy to remember questions and concerns related to communication, a project team can be more effective in communicating with their project stakeholders. Effective communication will generally lead to better outcomes and, therefore, a higher likelihood for overall project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies and electronic collections in changing times and on a limited budget with limited personnel. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses real world observations and experiences, data collected from an informal survey, insights gleaned from the professional literature and anecdotal evidence to provide commentary on the questionable methods many libraries employ in providing access to electronic resources. Findings – Libraries spend large sums of money and significant percentages of overall budgets on electronic resources, yet many fail to take the extra step to provide access to the content in these disparate resources via a web scale discovery search service. What is worse is that a large number of libraries still employ the flawed “Databases A-Z” list as a primary means of providing access. Originality/value – This paper is a light-hearted piece on one librarian’s observations regarding the inherent flaws in the traditional “Databases A-Z” list. It includes data from an informal survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of a model for the management of Cuban agricultural digital information is presented. Different methods such as the descriptive method, the empiric level method to collect information, mathematical methods for statistical processing, observation method to directly learn the facts of the operation of agricultural activity in Cuba, as well as interviews with experts were applied. Greenstone 2.82 version, internationally acknowledged, was used as the main software. The outputs of this work showed that the integration of advanced technological and scientific information services with the new technologies demand adequate planning, organization, management, coordination and control by the administrations of science and technological innovation bodies from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Higher Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of academic libraries in the management of digital libraries and the development of job roles, training, and titles to serve digital aspects of library management. Topics discussed include changes in technology related to digital libraries, changes in reference strategies, and the digital dissemination of information.

The German project Open Access Statistics aims to increase the acceptance of Open Access among authors and readers of scholarly publications by gathering internationally comparable usage statistics, and by providing a lasting infrastructure for the collection and processing of usage data. Usage statistics reflect the level of interest in accessing the content of an individual article and thereby enable item-level, usage-based assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic Web is designed to enable computer programs to enrich semantically big data solutions, as well as to connect, share and understand structured and semi-structured information easily by different user agents. The Linked Data movement is an effort of Semantic Web to develop best practices for publishing and connecting structured data on the Web. How could libraries take advantage of these opportunities and how can they handle the challenges of the semantic future of the bibliographic universe? How to guarantee that Linked Data and Open Data won't be a temporary hype but that they will gain ground in the scenery of future digital library infrastructures? The main objective of this paper is to survey some theory and practical issues used in Semantic Web environment and summarize some of their advantages and drawbacks in dealing with the bibliographic universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article intends to critically discuss the opinions expressed by Steve Coffman in The decline and fall of the library empire, published in the April 2012 issue of the online magazine <>. Coffman's paper examines the numerous attempts libraries have undertaken to assume a role in the digital revolution which has completely changed the information and knowledge environment: web directories, Library 2.0, virtual reference, intermediate searching, Internet public access and ebooks. Coffman concludes that libraries, which were the starters of many ideas now in place to access knowledge on the Web, cannot compete with private companies - richer in resources and organisational skills - in managing and implementing the digital library. Consequently, the author wonders if libraries shouldn't rather bet on their physical assets: collections, buildings and people, as this offer has no comparable service on the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – In part one of this article, the project plan aspects related to purpose, goals, and objectives as well as scope and risk assessment were explored. In this second part, the aim is to investigate the second two aspects: project products and deliverables and assumptions and constraints that will affect the project. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of this article is based on a review of the literature as well as best practice in the field. Findings – Project products and deliverables must be accurately defined and described to ensure a successful project plan. Additionally, an often overlooked aspect of project management is defining the assumptions and constraints (both internal and external) that will affect the environment of the project implementation. Originality/value – Project managers who follow the recommendations and practices outlined in this article will help ensure the ultimate success of their project plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This, the first of a two-part article, aims to provide an overview of the elements necessary to develop an effective project plan for digital library projects. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a review and summarization of the literature and thinking in project management applied to the digital library context. Findings – It is found that there are many different approaches to creating a digital library project plan, but five basic elements are essential for developing an effective digital library project plan. Originality/value – This article provides a succinct synopsis and checklist for creating a digital library project plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the growth and development of the architectural engineering college libraries in Haryana, India. It evaluates the available resources, library services provided, library hours, collection of practices and policies, issues on space and related facilities and document technical processing. Study shows that majority of these libraries start to operate in three years already. It demonstrates the significance of improvement in their staff strength and their collection. It suggests to create digital libraries, provide quality services in technical colleges, and establish well-qualified staff.

The Digital Library for Volunteers and Associations (Biv@) is sponsored by the Volunteers' Andalusian Agency and Third Sector associations, such as the Liga Giennense. It is a specialized information source that can facilitate access to pertinent knowledge from and by the third sector, associations and volunteers. After six years the Biv@ has established itself as an informative, educational and participatory resource. Volunteers are growing, men and women in a similar proportion, and mainly beteween 20 and 30 years old and professionally active or studying [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the opportunities and challenges to the University of Botswana Library, Botswana, to create institutional repositories (IR). Topics include organization of an IR team, communication between Subject Librarians, archivists, and publishers, and adequate planning and advocacy. Special attention is paid to metadata creation and quality control.

The article looks at access, digitalization and preservation of African Studies Scholarship on and outside the African continent. The author discusses challenges to libraries concerning the preservation and dissemination of the digital content of the African Studies collection including information management strategies, users' information retrieval literacy, and financial support.