Education for Information - Volume 31, issue 3

Authors: Howard, Katherine

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Conferences addressing emerging commonalities in the information professions were being held as far back as the early 1980s. At that time, there appeared to be two differing thoughts on the future of the information professions: one that saw the increasing diversification, the other favouring the professions' convergence. Nearly thirty-five years later, we are still discussing the various advantages and disadvantages that a convergence of the information professions and professionals may bring; yet there has been very little empirical evidence gathered to enable us to move forward in this discussion. This conceptual paper uses existing literature to argue that the …convergence of galleries, libraries, archives and museums is not a new concept to these institutions, but that they have been linked - philosophically and intellectually at least - for millennia. The intention of this paper is not to articulate what should be included in a GLAM curriculum, or to identify the skills and knowledge required of an information professional in a converged environment, but rather to demonstrate that this research is needed in order to provide an evidence base from which these may be developed. Show more

Keywords: Information professional, convergence, education, cultural heritage, Australia

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-150945

Citation: Education for Information, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 99-108, 2015

Authors: Fukuzawa, Ryoko | Joho, Hideo | Maeshiro, Tetsuya

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a survey that investigated the practice and experience of task management of university students. A total of 202 tasks identified by 24 university students were analyzed. The results suggest that participants had a reasonable sense of priority of tasks, that they tend to perceive a task as a big chunk, not a series of small chunks, that estimated time can be a good indicator of task completion, that time management and loss of coordination are the major factors for uncompleted or non-started tasks, and finally that their notion of task grouping was dominated by …task themes or topics. Show more

Keywords: Survey, task management, higher education

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-150953

Citation: Education for Information, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 109-124, 2015

Authors: Khan, Asad | Masrek, Mohamad Noorman | Nadzar, Fuziah Mohamad

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Like other disciplines, organizational and technological innovations have influenced the standard philosophies of librarianship. These innovations have changed the basics of information retrieval and delivery in libraries. As a result, library authorities are demanding competency-based job performance. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of research on the association between skills (current and needed) and job performance (job satisfaction and organizational commitment). Further, there is a dearth of research on the difference in skills of librarians. This research paper proposes a conceptual framework composed of two major parts. Part one denotes empirical analysis of the relationship of current competencies with JP aggregated …as JS and OC. This relationship section may signify librarians' perception of task performance; part two examines the difference between the current and needed competencies. These different sections explore the levels of deficit and surplus in competencies and job `best fit'. The findings of this conceptual framework may be significant for the implementation of a competency-based management system, in updating LIS curriculums, for designing librarians' training programs and for LIS professionals as a whole to perform more efficiently. Researchers from diverse settings can utilize the proposed model. Show more

Keywords: University libraries, librarians, competencies, job performance, current competencies, needed competencies, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, Pakistan

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-150954

Citation: Education for Information, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 125-141, 2015

Authors: Siddike, Md. Abul Kalam | Kiran, K.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The main objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of academic librarians towards the marketing of library services through social networking sites (SNSs) and their understanding of using electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) as a marketing tool in academic libraries. This study follows a qualitative data-gathering approach of structured interviews with ten academic librarians in Malaysia. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The academic librarians showed very positive perceptions for the implications of eWOM. Librarians expressed the view that academic libraries could use eWOM as a marketing and promotional tool for creating awareness of library services, promoting library services and …building relationships with user communities through SNSs. Academic librarians indicated that eWOM could be used as a very fast medium of communication and for instant responses; it could also be worked as a virus. This study is limited to the perceptions of only ten academic librarians, thus it cannot be generalized to all academic librarians in Malaysia. This paper will be helpful to academic libraries in the marketing of libraries through SNSs. This study also contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the marketing of library services in academic libraries. Show more

Keywords: Library marketing, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), social networking sites (SNSs), academic libraries

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-150955

Citation: Education for Information, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 143-159, 2015

Authors: Hamid, Siri Sena Baba | Nadzar, Fuziah Mohd | Dollah, Wan Ab. Kadir Wan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Our case study examined and assessed the quality and effectiveness of information literacy training employed by teacher trainees in their follow-on research process. A sample of teacher trainees enrolled in selected Malaysian Teacher Education Institutes located in the northern region of Malaysia was surveyed. These Institutes' mission is to produce trained teachers who will possess a comprehensive and accurate understanding of information literacy core principles and skills, and be able to apply those core principles and skills in their various follow-on research processes. Many recent observers have reported that many, perhaps even most, future Malaysian teachers, enter teaching practice without …having adequately learned the necessary core information literacy principles and skills which can then be implicitly employed in their follow-on research processes. The study recommends various reforms which are needed in official Malaysian teacher training policies, programs and curricula, based on the case study's findings, conclusions and recommendations. An Information Literacy Research Process Model was developed and employed by the authors in this case study, and then used to describe and explain trainee behaviors in searching for, retrieving, organizing, evaluating and applying the obtained information wisely and ethically, using learned information literacy core principles and skills. The researchers studied these behaviors in the context of the Malaysian teacher training curricula which is used by all Malaysian training institutes. A sample of teacher trainees was selected from several of these Institutes located in the northern region of the country. A ``mixed methods'' design was used for this purpose, consisting of (1) face-to-face interviews and (2) document analysis, in order to perform a sampling of the examined teacher trainees. The case study was strengthened by using two separate phases of data gathering. The study's findings, conclusions and recommendations will hopefully provide insights to the various Education Ministry stakeholder groups (government policy makers, teachers, parents, school administrators, etc.) so as to enable them to better move forward in terms of defining sharpened, modernized and strengthened teacher training reforms, then applying them, and finally realizing upgraded expected positive outcomes - all within the framework of the overall Malaysian National Information Literacy Agenda. Show more

Keywords: Information literacy competency, information seeking behavior, basic information seeking skills, research process model, undergraduate trainee teachers, teacher education, Teacher Education Institute, Information Literacy Research Process Model

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-150956

Citation: Education for Information, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 161-179, 2015