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This study aims to evaluate the readiness of library professionals in Pakistan for metaverse technology adoption. It assesses their familiarity with the metaverse, identifies potential applications within libraries, pinpoints skill gaps, and unravels challenges hindering integration.

Employing a quantitative survey design, a survey was conducted from November 15, 2023, to December 15, 2023, targeting library professionals in Pakistan. The survey gathered data on familiarity with the metaverse, perceived applications in libraries, self-assessed proficiency in metaverse-related skills, and perceived challenges to metaverse adoption.

Library professionals in Pakistan exhibit moderate familiarity with the metaverse, demonstrating higher proficiency in certain aspects such as virtual reality and digital assets but a lesser understanding of legal/regulatory challenges and societal impacts. Perceived highly impactful applications in libraries include virtual meetups, immersive learning programs, collaborative research spaces, and virtual librarian-led tutorials. Challenges hindering metaverse adoption include budget constraints, limited technical expertise, concerns about privacy/security, and resistance to change.

The study’s limitations include the sample size and the specific data collection timeframe, which might limit generalizability. The findings offer implications for training programs, resource allocation, and policy formulation to facilitate metaverse integration in Pakistani libraries.

This study contributes original insights into the metaverse readiness of library professionals in Pakistan, offering a comprehensive analysis of their familiarity, perceived applications, skill gaps, and challenges, enabling tailored strategies for metaverse integration in library services.

This study aims to determine college/university students’ mobile phone practices to understand key user preferences and set a baseline understanding for the development of prospective library informational mobile services.

This study is based on the results of an online-survey method. The authors recruited students majoring in the Information Science program in School of Information at Pratt Institute (USA) (74 participants) and in Kyiv National University of Cultural and Arts (Ukraine) (89 participants).

The general trends in the use of mobile technologies by American and Ukrainian students were identified. Key components of library mobile services are offered. Such services may include information and reference service via messengers; development of library mobile applications of audio and video content; access to educational, scientific, popular science literature and fiction; and supplementing online services with library chatbots.

This study was limited to only students majoring in information science at university; however, the data obtained helps outline several general trends common to student youth who are actively working with information.

The obtained results will be useful in the practical activities of libraries and other information institutions for the development of a comprehensive information service based on mobile technology.

This study contributes to understanding how to improve library informational service considering users habits and preferences. Libraries management and librarians can use the findings as a basis for prioritizing the improvement of library informational mobile service.

For the provision of smart library services to end users, tools of the Internet of Things (IoT) play a significant role. The study aims to discover the factors influencing the adoption of IoT in university libraries, investigate the impact of IoT on university library services and identify challenges to adopt IoT applications in university libraries.

A systematic literature review was carried out to address the objectives of the study. The 40 most relevant research papers published in the world’s leading digital databases were selected to conduct the study.

The findings illustrated that rapid growth in technology, perceived benefits, the networked world and the changing landscape of librarianship positively influenced the adoption of IoT in university libraries. The study also displayed that IoT supported library professionals to initiate smart library services, assisted in service efficiency, offered context-based library services, provided tracking facilities and delivered effective management of library systems. Results also revealed that a lack of technical infrastructure, security and privacy concerns, a lack of technological skills and unavailability of policy and strategic planning caused barriers to the successful adoption of IoT applications in university libraries.

The study has provided theoretical implications through a valuable addition to the current literature. It has also offered managerial implications for policymakers to construct productive policies for the implementation of IoT applications in university libraries for the attainment of fruitful outcomes. Finally, the study provides a baseline for understanding the adoption of IoT in academic libraries.

This article highlights the dynamic and evolving nature of libraries and the role of librarians within the changing landscape. It discusses how libraries have traditionally operated and how they have been impacted by 4IR and external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study employed a mixed methods research approach, combining an online questionnaire to derive quantitative data and interviews to provide qualitative data. The follow-up interviews provided a comprehensive understanding of how academic librarians at the DUT library use Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to adapt to the evolving environment.

This paper reports that there was consensus that CPD empowers the librarians to adapt seamlessly to the dynamic library landscape. It equips them with the knowledge and skills to stay updated on the latest trends, technologies and best practices in their field.

The findings carry implications for the planning and executing of ongoing CPD programmes and activities across all academic libraries.

This study provides an insight into the results of the importance of CPD for librarians within a developing country in southern Africa.

The purpose of this study is to examine approaches used by university libraries to enhance the visibility and utilization of research support services (RSSs) among doctoral students and to assess the competencies of library staff in delivering research support services.

This study used qualitative design approach, purposively sampled 40 librarians (8 university librarians and 32 librarians) in charge of RSSs and use of structured interview.

The findings of this study revealed three major themes: offline and online strategies, the need for upskilling and professional development programs and proactive empowerment.

This study focused on research support services in chartered public universities in Kenya; private universities were not included.

The need to enhance library staff's ongoing professional development programs, increasing funding to university libraries and proactivity by the libraries to improve the provision and promotion of RSSs to doctoral students in Kenya.

There are limited existing literature in the Kenyan context. This study will fill a knowledge gap and contribute to the literature on academic libraries support and doctoral students experience in Kenyan context.

Globally, mobile technology is a significant factor influencing how libraries are changing the ways of delivering services to today’s users. This paper aims to explore academic librarians’ perceptions of the usefulness of mobile technology in delivering library services and the efforts required for its successful adoption.

The study was conducted within an interpretive paradigm. The research objectives were underpinned by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology as a theoretical framework. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyses using NVIVO for thematic analysis.

Results show that, in general, academic librarians support the use of mobile technology to provide services such as access to eBooks and Journals, Online Public Access Catalogue, Bookmyne application, information literacy consultations and training. Library managers, fellow librarians and users were identified as encouraging the adoption of mobile technology to enhance library services. The paper further confirms that the successful adoption of mobile technology requires some effort. However, due to some of the challenges presented in the study, a majority of respondents felt that their libraries are not yet ready to fully embrace mobile technology the way it is envisioned in today’s world.

The study endeavours to address the divergence between students and academic librarians’ viewpoints regarding the application of mobile technology in the provision of library services.

This paper highlights numerous ways that academic librarians could adopt and embrace mobile technology, which can benefit both academic libraries and other institutions of higher learning. The knowledge presented in this paper could assist academic librarians in assessing their institutions’ vulnerabilities, challenges and strengths in using mobile technologies to provide library services.

This research explored how COVID-19 affects Shenzhen high school students' reading behavior and preference and their parents' attitudes toward reading during the lockdown.

This research adopted a qualitative approach to conduct one-on-one semi-structured interviews with parents of a boarding high school in Shenzhen, China. Thirteen parents were recruited through a purposeful sampling method, and NVivo12 software was used to analyze the results with a theme-based approach guided by the 5E instructional model.

The results revealed the effectiveness and problems of high school students' use of electronic resources and discovered changes in the reading behavior of high school students and their parents' attitudes during COVID-19.

There are few studies specifically on the reading behavior of boarding students from a parental view, especially in Asia. This research can fill the gaps in related research during COVID-19.

Growing recognition of the metaverse has implied its far-reaching impacts on the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper sets out to detail the status of metaverse-related research in tourism and hospitality, propose intriguing directions for future studies and highlight multiple areas that call for immediate attention from practitioners in navigating the metaverse phenomenon.

This viewpoint paper referenced the extant academic discussion on the metaverse, based on which timely suggestions for academia and practices are proposed.

This viewpoint paper presents an account of the metaverse and discusses the status of metaverse-related research in hospitality and tourism. It then proposes intriguing avenues for future research around the topics of marketing, reconceptualizing service quality, attitude and behaviors, electronic customer-to-customer interactions, transformative impacts on the society well-being and research methodology. Multiple areas that call for immediate attention from practitioners in navigating the metaverse phenomenon are also highlighted. Both scholars and industry organizations are called upon to assume some responsibility for mapping out protocols to guide the appropriate development, use and governance of metaverse worlds. Governments and policymakers are further encouraged to consider the ramifications of metaverse development for individuals and society and to devise proactive mitigation strategies.

This viewpoint paper proposes several directions for future business practices in the areas of co-creation, experiential consumption, and emerging critical issues in healthcare, human resources, and social media services. It expects to inspire more discussion about the potential impacts of metaverse on the wider society. Its practical significance will further expand the theoretical foundation of the metaverse research and makes this viewpoint paper an intriguing prospect.

The nascent stage of academic discussion intended to guide the development of metaverse is noteworthy, which forms a notable contrast with the growing recognition of its potential of co-creating transformational experiences in hospitality and tourism. This viewpoint paper joins the current academic conversations acknowledging this phenomenon in hospitality and tourism. Provided the notable topicality and empirical relevance, the expanded scope and rich content the present viewpoint paper provides for metaverse will offer a fruitful ground for future research to tap further into currently underrepresented areas.

In order to encourage customers to try experience virtual tourism, researchers and practitioners pay more attention on how to improve customers' perception of authenticity.

Using the theory of cross-sensory compensation, through 4 experiments, this study examines the impact of social interaction and cross-sensory strategies on the relationship between virtual reality (VR) and improving customers' perception of authenticity and customer experience.

Through experimental research, this paper finds that (1) VR immersion has a significant positive impact on perception of authenticity, which in turn acts on customers' virtual tourism experience. (2) In addition, social interaction strengthens the relationship between VR immersion and customers' perception of authenticity. (3) The cross-sensory compensation has a positive effect on VR immersion to enhance customers' perception of authenticity.

The research conclusion provides a direction for further discussion on how to improve customers' perception of authenticity and provides theoretical guidance and reference for the virtual tourism industry.