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Needs for information literacy, disparities in society, bridging digital divides, richness of information sources in electronic (e-)environments and the value of dictionaries have often been propagated. To improve information sources and information literacy training, information behaviour must be understood (i.e. all information activities). This paper conceptualises new opportunities for information sources (e.g. electronic dictionaries) to all society sectors, dictionary literacy and research lenses such as lexicography to supplement information literacy and behaviour research.

A scoping review of information literacy and behaviour, lexicography and dictionary literature grounds the conceptualisation of dictionary literacy, its alignment with information literacy, information activities and information behaviour and lexicography as additional research lens.

Research lenses must acknowledge dictionary use in e-environments, information activities and skills, meanings of information and dictionary literacy, the value of e-dictionaries, alignment with information behaviour research that guides the development of information sources and interdisciplinary research from, e.g. lexicography – thus contextualisation.

Research implications – information behaviour and information literacy research can be enriched by lexicography as research lens. Further conceptualisation could align information behaviour, information literacy and dictionary literacy.

Dictionary training, aligned with information literacy training, can be informed by this paper.

The value of dictionary literacy for all sectors of societies can be improved.

Large bodies of literature on information behaviour and lexicography individually do not cover combined insights from both.

Competitive intelligence failures have devastating effects in marketplaces. They are attributed to various factors but seldom explicitly to information behaviour. This paper addresses causes of competitive intelligence failures from an information behaviour lens focussing on problems with key intelligence and information needs. The exploratory study was conducted in 2016/2017. Managers (end-users) identify key intelligence needs on which information is needed, and often other staff members seek the information (proxy information seeking). The purpose of this paper is to analyse problems related to key intelligence and information needs, and make recommendations to address the problems.

The study is placed in a post-positivism research paradigm, using qualitative and limited quantitative research approaches. In total, 15 participants (competitive intelligence professionals and educators/trainers originating from South Africa and the USA) contributed rich data through in-depth individual interviews.

Problems associated with articulation of information needs (key intelligence needs is the competitive intelligence term – with a broader scope) include inadequate communication between the person in need of information and the proxy information searcher; awareness and recognition of information needs; difficulty in articulation, incomplete and partial sharing of details of needs.

Participant recruitment was difficult, representing mostly from South Africa. The findings from this exploratory study can, however, direct further studies with a very understudied group.

However, revealed valuable findings that can guide research.

Little has been published on competitive intelligence from an information behaviour perspective. Frameworks guiding the study (a combination of Leckie et al.’s 1996 and Wilson’s, 1981 models and a competitive intelligence life cycle), however, revealed valuable findings that can guide research.

The purpose of this paper is to report on an exploratory study of third-year architecture students’ information behaviour. It focusses on information activities, personal experience, resource usage, preferences in working individually or collaboratively, preferences for information resources inspiring creativity and physical spaces to be creative.

It was a mixed methods study with a strongly qualitative component and limited descriptive quantitative data. Data were collected in October 2016 at a South African university using individual self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured individual interviews; 19 out of 60 (response rate 32 per cent) third-year architecture students doing a design project participated.

Creativity is important in architecture projects, as is information resources in stimulating creativity. Students preferred to work individually during their design projects; at times collaboration was needed for idea generation. Information activities included: information gathering, encountering, use and sharing. A range of theoretical, technical, artistic and practical skills and knowledge must be integrated to produce creative outcomes, in addition, to information searching and information usage. Factual information is also required. Students can benefit from a supportive information rich creative space (physical or virtual).

The study was conducted at only one institution with a small number of participants. Although generalisation of findings is not possible, issues for further research can be noted.

Designers of physical and virtual creative spaces must take into account different facets of information behaviour and the information resources and services required during creative information-seeking activities.

Although there is literature on information behaviour and creativity, the authors could not find any that explores architecture students’ information behaviour in academic spaces of creativity.

Libraries of all types have often been called on to take on challenges ranging from information literacy and developing a reading culture to promoting social justice. In recent literature they have been challenged to contribute to the development of informed and educated nations – a big issue in developing countries. Sometimes even to empower people. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness for this call as important for developing as well as developed nations and the numerous issues, role players and lenses they need to bear in mind. As an opinion piece it can merely scratch the surface of raising awareness.

This contribution builds on the literature of library and information science, education and politics to present an exploratory viewpoint and a nascent model to support further work. It intentionally touches on a diversity of issues that may seem at odds with each other, but that in the opinion reflect the enormous scope to address and diversity of individual, institutional and global input and lenses that can make a difference.

Many obvious approaches to achieve the object of an informed and educated nation with empowered individuals can be noted such as focusing on information literacy, digital literacy and information fluency. However more awareness is required of the need to take a holistic view of issues to focus on such as tolerance and ethics, and the information behaviour and information practices of people in various contexts, and how changes in the awareness of needs to address and the need to seek information and support from diverse sources, can contribute. A first step would be to note the diversity that might contribute towards a holistic view of a global problem to which libraries can contribute.

There are limited publications on the topic in the library and information science literature although “developing an informed and educated nation” features in the mission and vision plans of some countries, and empowerment is sometimes specifically noted in publications on user education and information literacy. This paper offers an exploratory viewpoint to raise awareness to consider various approaches and threads to the topic and to not think only in terms of education and information literacy, but to recognise the full role libraries and librarians can play – also in reaching out to other role players such as users, governments and grant providers.

To cope with changes in user information behaviour and needs, libraries and information services (LIS) must find manageable ways for ongoing research and improvement. The purpose of this paper is to report on a model for a manageable research cycle which was piloted at the Central Cancer Library, The Netherlands Cancer Institute (Amsterdam).

Institute employees (24) (users and non-users of the Central Cancer Library; mostly clinicians and researchers) were interviewed using an interview schedule (individually, pairs of two and small groups). Demographic details were collected through a short questionnaire. It was intended as a small scale project to demonstrate the value of the model.

Although setup as a pilot study (small scale and a limited time period) and not representative of the Institute, cancer libraries or other library types, a good idea was gained on LIS needs. Opportunities for improvement of LIS and further research are noted, as well as the need for LIS to then consider their internal structure and support systems before making further decisions.

Findings from small scale projects need to be assessed against the theory of information behaviour to work towards a theoretical model.

LIS need to find ways for manageable, ongoing research, e.g. according to a manageable research life cycle model.

Research on cancer library services is limited; the originality of the paper, however, is in showing how small scale and manageable research can add value in practice.

The implications of disintermediation for librarians and information specialists (intermediaries) can be experienced as either a threat of a challenge, depending on how the issue is viewed. The different ways in which information specialists can react to disintermediation are discussed. Although most of these are viable, none addresses all implications of disintermediation. A holistic approach to disintermediation is therefore proposed, in which the situation of the intermediary is viewed within the wider society. The following aspects should be analysed with regard to their effect on disintermediation: changes in the society at large, the availability of information sources, the process of information searching, the specific organisations in which intermediaries operate, and the availability of information services. The specific end‐users and the information specialists involved should also be analysed. With this approach it will be found that the effects of disintermediation will vary according to the particular situations. To prepare information specialists for the effects of disintermediation, their training should also be adapted accordingly.

The purpose of this contribution is to set the scenario for pursuing options to find a balance between information communication technology (ICT), information retrieval systems (IRS) such as databases, library catalogues, repositories, Google Scholar, digital libraries, portals, search engines and the users of these systems. Whose needs are served: the real users' with contemporary needs or the perceived users and their research tasks whom we intensely studied in the early years of databases and computerised information services?

The contribution is written against the background of research from information retrieval and information behaviour.

Although developments in ICT open a wealth of opportunities to study and serve the needs of a wide spectrum of information users, IRS are often on the surface level still very traditional in the needs they service: analytical information seeking according to planned search strategies, browsing, monitoring trends and changes through alerting services and RSS, and encouragement and support for authors to publish. Some are offering a bit more, but little aimed at the under-graduate soon to enter professional workplace.

Although there are many publications on databases and other IRS and their users, and numerous ones on information behaviour I am not aware of other reports on the latest services aimed at specific user groups, and which focus on the need to consider the totality of their work and everyday life worlds.

This paper presents a comprehensive study using bibliometric and social network analysis (SNA) to depict the academic community, research hotspots and the correlation between research performance and social network measurements within Library Hi Tech.

Publications from Library Hi Tech between 2010 and 2022 are reviewed and analysed through coauthorship analysis, co-occurrence analysis, SNA and the Spearman rank correlation test.

The annual number of publications in Library Hi Tech increased from 2016 to 2022, indicating that this research has gradually gained global attention. The USA and China are the most significant contributors to the relevant publications. Scholars in this field mainly engage in small-scale cooperation. Academic libraries, digital libraries, libraries, information technology and COVID-19 were hot topics during the study period. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a marked increase in research on healthcare. Academic interest in the internet of Things and social media has proliferated recently and may soon attract more attention. Spearman rank correlation analysis shows that research performance (i.e. publication count and citation count) is significantly and positively correlated with social network measurements (i.e. degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality and eigenvector centrality) in studies of Library Hi Tech.

This paper reveals a systematic picture of the research landscape of Library Hi Tech and provides a potential guide for future research. The relationship between scientific research performance and social network measurements can be objectively identified based on statistical knowledge.