Search results

1 – 10 of 20
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 June 2024

Sara Ahlryd and Fredrik Hanell

The challenges to healthcare caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced hospital librarians to develop their abilities to cope with change and crises, both on a social level and an…

Abstract

Purpose

The challenges to healthcare caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced hospital librarians to develop their abilities to cope with change and crises, both on a social level and an organisational level. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge about how hospital librarians developed library services during the pandemic and how these changes contributed to building information resilience in the healthcare organisation. This paper also seeks to explore how resilience theory, and specifically the concept information resilience, can be used within library and information science (in LIS) to investigate resilience in the library sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine semi-structured interviews with librarians were conducted at four different hospital libraries in four different regions in Sweden between March and May 2022. The empirical material was analysed through an interaction between the tzheoretical perspective and the empirical material through a thematic analysis. In each theme, specific resilience resources are identified and analysed as components of the information resilience developed by hospital librarians.

Findings

The results show that hospital librarians contribute to several different information resilience resources, which support information resilience in the healthcare organisation. Three aspects characterize the qualities of resilience resources: access, flexibility, and collaboration. The findings suggest that the framework for analysing information resilience used in this study is well suited for studying the resilience of libraries from both organisational and informational aspects.

Originality/value

The analysis of information resilience on an organisational level presents a novel way to study resilience in the library sector.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 January 2023

Kevin K.W. Ho, Ning Li and Kristina C. Sayama

This research uses a multifaceted approach to develop an MPA/MPP curriculum to support a data science track within the existing MPA/MPP programs by identifying the core and…

Abstract

Purpose

This research uses a multifaceted approach to develop an MPA/MPP curriculum to support a data science track within the existing MPA/MPP programs by identifying the core and elective areas needed.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach includes (1) identifying a suitable structure for MPA/MPP programs which can allow the program to develop its capacity to train students with the data science and general public administration skills to solve public policy problems and leave explicit space for local experimentation and modification; (2) defining bridging modules and required modules for the MPA/MPP programs; and (3) developing of data science track thought to make suggestions for the inclusion of suitable data science modules into the data science track and benchmarking the data science modules suggested with the best practices developed by other professional bodies. The authors review 46 NASPAA-accredited MPA/MPP programs from 40 (or 22.7%) schools to identify the suitable required modules and some potential data science and analytics courses that MPA/MPP programs currently provide as electives.

Findings

The proposal includes a three-course (six–nine credits, not counted in the program but as prerequisites) bridging module, a nine-course (27 credits) required module and a five-course (15 credits) data science track/concentration.

Originality/value

This work can provide a starting point for the public administration education community to develop graduate programs focusing on data science to cater to the needs of both public managers and society at large.

Article
Publication date: 3 September 2024

Madhusudhan Margam and Parbati Pandey

This study aims to investigate future trends evident in the literature. It systematically reviews continuing professional development (CPD) practices, covering a range of CPD…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate future trends evident in the literature. It systematically reviews continuing professional development (CPD) practices, covering a range of CPD channels, benefits and challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a systematic literature review approach following the PRISMA 20 framework. Literature published between 2017 and 2023 was sourced from Scopus and Web of Science databases and the researcher's prior collection. An extensive search strategy was devised, yielding 1,740 results for initial screening. Finally, 25 studies were thoroughly scrutinized, each fulfilling the criteria for inclusive and exclusive with descriptive and interrogative analysis.

Findings

The trend observed in literature over the years indicates a dynamic professional development of library and information science (LIS) professionals. This evolution encompasses foundational qualitative studies, expansive global assessments and technology-driven interventions, reflecting the field's adaptability to the evolving needs of LIS professionals. However, several impediments hinder professionals from actively participating, such as financial constraints, lack of institutional and senior support, difficulties in the workplace, the absence of well-defined CPD policies, personal commitments, family obligations and diverse staff attitudes. The study proposes seamless integration of information and communication technology, a global perspective and well-structured CPD programs focusing on lifelong learning that will shape the future of LIS professionals.

Originality/value

This study offers valuable insights into the present state of professional development among LIS professionals toward global collaboration and a dedication to lifelong learning, aiming to aid stakeholders in formulating suitable strategies and policies.

Details

Information Discovery and Delivery, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-6247

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2024

Grace Omondi

This paper presents a 10-year systematic review of research on the visual framing of crises to identify the priorities, theories applied and trends in the scholarship of visual…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper presents a 10-year systematic review of research on the visual framing of crises to identify the priorities, theories applied and trends in the scholarship of visual framing during crises. The gaps are analyzed to provide evidence-based recommendations for advancing future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 269 articles published in 156 peer-reviewed communication journals between January 2014 to December 2023 were reviewed. Data were analyzed using open and axial qualitative coding. A codebook was developed for the quantitative coding and data were analyzed in SPSS descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to answer the research questions.

Findings

The proportion of visual framing of crises has remained the same in the last 10 years – there is significantly more research on the visual framing of non-crises. Overall, research on the visual framing of crises is largely exploratory/descriptive and could benefit from a research agenda that is more theory driven. Additionally, there is a skewed focus for research on North America compared to other regions, and for political communication and climate compared to other themes. Environmental sciences and engineering are the most widely investigated journal fields, while disaster is the most common typology studied when looking at the visual framing of crises.

Research limitations/implications

The systematic literature review has some limitations – most particularly that the sample was drawn from a single publisher, which may not be exhaustive enough to represent the full population of articles in the field of visual communication. However, it is a systematic review of the publications that are officially aligned with three of the major communication organizations – the International Communication Association, National Communication Association and World Communication Association. However, future research considering the inclusion of an additional publishers, like Emerald, would further enrich scholarship in visual framing during crises. Second, manual coding of the articles could present potential differences in analysis and interpretation by other researchers. Despite the limitations, the study also provides some important insights into the present and future of the visual framing of crises.

Practical implications

Addressing gaps in the internationalization of visual crisis communication would expand studies for visual framing among underrepresented communities such as populations with low reading literacy, gender minorities and displaced communities and inform visual framing strategies for government and relevant institutions as primary information disseminators during crises.

Social implications

Addressing the gaps identified in this systematic literature review on the visual framing of crises is important for extending theory in this relatively nascent field and guiding crisis visual framing strategies to mitigate uncertainty and panic, threats to stakeholder relationships, social vulnerabilities and the visual framing of stakeholder-centric crisis responses.

Originality/value

Based on available literature, this is the first systematic literature review investigating the use of all types of visuals used during all crisis typologies, reflecting the ubiquity of crises and the increased focus on the use of visuals in crisis communication in the last decade.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2024

Marine Mateus Costa, Antônio Alves Filho and Ana Katarina Pessoa-de-Oliveira

This article aims to investigate teleworking in public institutions, specifically focussing on the perspectives of technical-administrative employees at a Brazilian federal…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to investigate teleworking in public institutions, specifically focussing on the perspectives of technical-administrative employees at a Brazilian federal educational institution.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology involved the use of guided semi-structured interviews with public servants. The analysis applied a prior set of categories derived from the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking, as well as the favourable and unfavourable aspects of the interaction between teleworking and family relationships.

Findings

The findings reveal a range of benefits associated with teleworking, primarily an improved quality of life for workers. However, the study also identified significant challenges, including excessive workload, social isolation and difficulties in separating personal and professional life, corroborating with previous studies.

Research limitations/implications

It is crucial to note that the majority of participants in the study have children or dependants, which could potentially influence their teleworking strategies and experiences. This demographic factor may play a significant role in how participants navigate their work-from-home routines and manage their responsibilities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Practical implications

Working from home presents two sides of the same coin according to the vision of those involved in this type of work. Public organisations should know in depth the challenges faced by their workers to prioritise planning that monitors their workforce and achieve success with teleworking.

Originality/value

The insights from this study provide valuable guidance for the development of evidence-based teleworking policies and practices in public educational institutions.

Details

International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3558

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 February 2024

Pertti Vakkari

The purpose of this paper is to characterize library and information science (LIS) as fragmenting discipline both historically and by applying Whitley’s (1984) theory about the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to characterize library and information science (LIS) as fragmenting discipline both historically and by applying Whitley’s (1984) theory about the organization of sciences and Fuchs’ (1993) theory about scientific change.

Design/methodology/approach

The study combines historical source analysis with conceptual and theoretical analysis for characterizing LIS. An attempt is made to empirically validate the distinction between LIS context, L&I services and information seeking as fragmented adhocracies and information retrieval and scientific communication (scientometrics) as technologically integrated bureaucracies.

Findings

The origin of fragmentation in LIS due the contributions of other disciplines can be traced in the 1960s and 1970s for solving the problems produced by the growth of scientific literature. Computer science and business established academic programs and started research relevant to LIS community focusing on information retrieval and bibliometrics. This has led to differing research interests between LIS and other disciplines concerning research topics and methods. LIS has been characterized as fragmented adhocracy as a whole, but we make a distinction between research topics LIS context, L&I services and information seeking as fragmented adhocracies and information retrieval and scientific communication (scientometrics) as technologically integrated bureaucracies.

Originality/value

The paper provides an elaborated historical perspective on the fragmentation of LIS in the pressure of other disciplines. It also characterizes LIS as discipline in a fresh way by applying Whitley’s (1984) theory.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 February 2024

Miller Williams Appau, Elvis Attakora-Amaniampong and Iruka Chijindu Anugwo

Providing student housing designed to support students living with a disability is a global challenge. This study assesses buildings' physical health condition systems and drivers…

Abstract

Purpose

Providing student housing designed to support students living with a disability is a global challenge. This study assesses buildings' physical health condition systems and drivers of physical health condition effects on students living with disability (SWD) in purpose-built university housing in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used quantitative design and methods based on the theory of supportive design premises. Using the partial least square structural equation model, a survey of 301 students living with a physical disability, mild visual disability and mild hearing disability was collected in 225 student housings.

Findings

The study found that insect control and cleaning services are a priority in off-campus building design and management and directly positively affected the sense of control and physical health of SWD. The nature of lightning systems, noise and thermal comfort directly negatively affected SWD disability learning and discomfort.

Practical implications

Reviewing and enforcing student housing design drawings at the preliminary development stage by university management is critical. More broadly, physical health systems that control cleaning, noise and thermal comfort are essential for SWD health in student housing.

Originality/value

Studies on all-inclusive building designs have consistently focused on lecture theaters and libraries with limited attention on the physical health condition systems in student housing that support the quality healthcare of university campuses. Research on physical health condition systems in student housing is significant for all-inclusiveness and student housing management.

Details

Property Management, vol. 42 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2024

Birger Hjørland

The narrow purpose of this article is to review de Fremery’s (2024) book about the bibliographic foundations of information science. The broader purpose is to consider the actual…

Abstract

Purpose

The narrow purpose of this article is to review de Fremery’s (2024) book about the bibliographic foundations of information science. The broader purpose is to consider the actual as well as the potential relevance of the field(s) of bibliography for information science besides the book under review.

Design/methodology/approach

This review essay examines the arguments put forward by de Fremery (2024), introduces concepts and traditional lore from the study of bibliography and presents internal conflicts or paradigms in the field of bibliography. It relates this information to foundational issues in information science.

Findings

De Fremery’s basic ambition of basing information science in the field of bibliography is important, and so is the attempt to consider bibliography in relation to contemporary information technologies such as machine learning and data science. The book under review fails, however, to describe the relations between different positions in bibliography, such as enumerative, analytical, descriptive, critical and historical bibliography in relation to information science. It rather tends to make problematic claims, for example, that scientific experiments are based on bibliographical methods, and to describe the relation of bibliography to information science on the basis of such interpretations. Nonetheless, the book is a serious attempt to consider the field of bibliography and thereby support the focus on documents in information science.

Originality/value

Information science often suffers because of ambiguities in the concept of information. When information science is understood as the study of literature-based answering, much else falls into place. The field of bibliography is a core concept for this understanding and re-orientation of information science, for example, by establishing the core relation between bibliography, information searching and knowledge organization.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2023

Abeeku Sam Edu

This study investigates the pathways for adopting IoTs and BDA technologies to improve healthcare management.

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the pathways for adopting IoTs and BDA technologies to improve healthcare management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relied on 445 healthcare professionals' perspectives to explore different causal pathways to IoTs and BDA adoption and usage for daily healthcare management. The Fussy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis was adopted to explore the underlying pathways for healthcare management.

Findings

The empirical analysis revealed six different configural paths influencing the acceptance and use of IoTs and BDA for healthcare improvement. Two key user topologies from the six configural paths, digital literacy and ease of use and social influence and behavioural intentions, mostly affect the paths for using digital health technologies by healthcare physicians.

Research limitations/implications

Despite this study's novel contributions, limitations include the fsQCA methodology, perceptual data and the context of the study. The fsQCA methodology is still evolving with different interpretations, although it reveals new insights and as such further studies are required to explain the configural paths of social phenomena. Additionally, future research should consider other constructs beyond the UTAUT and digital literacy to illustrate configural paths to healthcare technology acceptance and usage. Again, the views of healthcare professionals are perceptual data. Hence future research on operational data will support significant contributions towards pathways to accept and use emerging technologies for healthcare improvement. Lastly, this study is from a developing country perspective where emerging digital healthcare technology is still emerging to support healthcare management. Hence, more investigation from other cross-country analyses of configural paths for digital technology deployment in healthcare will enhance the conversation with IoTs and BDA for healthcare management.

Practical implications

Holistically, the acceptance and use of healthcare technologies and platforms is not solely on their capabilities, but a combination of distinct factors driven by users' perspectives. This offers healthcare administrators and institutions to essentially reflect on the distinct combinations of conditions favourable to health professionals who can use IoTs and BDA for healthcare improvement.

Originality/value

This study is among the few scholarly works to empirically investigate the configural paths to support healthcare improvement with emerging technologies. Using fsQCA is a unique contribution to existing information system literature for configural paths for healthcare improvement with emerging digital technologies.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. 76 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 August 2024

Paula R. Dempsey, Glenda M. Insua, Annie R. Armstrong, Holly Joy Hudson, Kristyn Caragher and Mariah McGregor

This analysis of chat reference transcripts assesses differences in how librarians and graduate assistants (GAs) incorporate teaching strategies in responding to chat reference…

Abstract

Purpose

This analysis of chat reference transcripts assesses differences in how librarians and graduate assistants (GAs) incorporate teaching strategies in responding to chat reference inquiries in social sciences, health sciences, humanities, STEM and business/economics at a large, public R1 university in the United States.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers with disciplinary assignments in five different subject domains conducted qualitative analysis of a purposive sample of 982 transcripts of chat interactions during four semesters in 2021 and 2022.

Findings

Some form of information literacy instruction (ILI) occurred in 58% of the transcripts, with slightly less teaching occurring in social sciences inquiries than in other subject areas. Of transcripts that included teaching strategies, search procedures predominated, followed by a mix of concepts and procedures, and the least with concepts only. Chat providers taught concepts specific to social sciences, health sciences and humanities, but not to STEM or business.

Research limitations/implications

The study compares transcripts at one institution; findings may be most applicable to large, research institutions that seek to incorporate ILI in online reference services.

Practical implications

Chat reference training should include best practices for ILI relevant to specific subject domains for providers without background in those disciplines and recommendations for referrals to subject specialists.

Originality/value

Existing ILI literature does not address the question of how chat providers teach concepts rooted in a specific subject domain or offer a comparison of teaching strategies employed in different disciplines, by librarians versus GAs or staff.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

1 – 10 of 20