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Peter Lor’s contributions to library and information science and practice are myriad. This essay focusses on his contributions to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

The essay recalls Lor’s achievements and draws on the author’s experience of working with him during challenging times for IFLA.

Lor’s work and achievements illustrate how the global interconnectedness of the field emerges from and enlivens its local practice and that the global is in turn informed by the local.

As an international Federation of library associations and libraries together with practitioners, IFLA reaches into the majority of the world’s nations. This essay demonstrates how leadership within one nation and at a global level can have far reaching results.

The author was in a unique position as IFLA President-elect and then President when Lor was appointed Secretary General of the Federation. The author viewpoint is that of an insider and a colleague.

An attribute common throughout Lor’s distinguished career has been a passion for learning and continuous improvement in an approach that sets high standards, both for himself and others. Taking on the informal mantle of both mentor and mentee, these contributions have blended with no clear boundaries or timelines.

Lor has been active in the library and information sector (LIS) landscape since the 1960s. A stalwart of the library and information profession, the author is being honoured by International Federation of Library Associations and Institution (IFLA) with a prestigious festschrift in recognition of a librarian who has made a sustained contribution to the library and information profession over decades with significant impact on academia, scholarship, praxis, communities and individual librarians.

Lor is recognized as a lifelong mentee as evidenced by his unbounded forays into discovery driven by a natural curiosity that, in turn, shaped his approach to mentoring through teaching, instilling best practices in research methodology and significant contributions to international librarianship. Today this continues in a regular column for South African librarians, drawing from the international literature of books, libraries and information, his role as a key figure in the establishment of Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) in the 1990s, as well as experience from close involvement in developing LIS policies for post-apartheid South Africa, drafting guidelines for national library legislation and serving as IFLA Secretary-General in The Hague.

This viewpoint has been an attempt to share reflections on one individual’s lifetime of influence without borders or timelines. Without doubt, Lor’s global mentorship reach remains unbounded in his approach to critical thinking and desire for continuous improvement for himself and others.

This study aims to investigate the potential impact and passenger perceptions of integrating multimedia books within airline services, aiming to elucidate the evolving landscape of in-flight entertainment and reading experiences.

A quantitative research methodology was used, using a structured questionnaire distributed to presenters at the International Federation of Library Associations.

Analysis revealed varying passenger interest in multimedia books, with approximately 57.7% displaying engagement, while 40.4% demonstrated limited interest or none. However, a notable majority (60.6%) preferred multimedia books over traditional print books during flights. Furthermore, 90.4% perceived a positive impact of multimedia books on flight reading experiences, leading to increased satisfaction (81.7%) and a high likelihood of recommending airlines offering such content (91.3%).

The study's limitations include a specific focus on International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) presenters, potentially limiting broader generalisations. Further research might explore the preferences of a wider demographic range and incorporate qualitative aspects to deepen understanding. Airlines could leverage multimedia books to enhance passenger satisfaction, attract diverse audiences and foster cultural inclusivity within in-flight entertainment.

This study contributes insights into the evolving landscape of in-flight entertainment, emphasising the significant potential and positive impact of integrating multimedia books within airline services. It underscores the importance of catering to diverse passenger preferences and enhancing overall satisfaction during air travel.

The study aims to draw lessons from other countries and propose a framework for developing smart libraries in transformation in South Africa. The framework will be useful to policymakers and scholars in library and information science.

This study used a qualitative approach based on a systematic literature review and the researchers’ experience concerning the transformation of smart libraries in South Africa. The researchers selected databases to access full-text, abstract or full-text linking facilities. The researchers generated the study’s literature review using keywords derived from themes. The keywords used include “smart libraries,” “functions of smart libraries” and “smart library infrastructure,” based on the objectives of the study.

The findings reveal that developing smart libraries in South Africa is feasible, but all stakeholders must cooperate and collaborate to create smart libraries. The findings of this study show that South Africa can draw lessons from other countries on the way forward in developing smart libraries. The results indicate that lack of funding, digital infrastructure and technical skills are among the factors inhibiting the development of smart libraries.

The issue of smart libraries has become a key on the agenda on a global scale, and South Africa is no exception to such developments. This study proposes a framework for developing smart libraries based on lessons learned within and outside South Africa.

With the technological innovation dominating higher education, the university libraries, as physical spaces, continue to play a crucial role in connecting students with knowledge. The emergence of the “Learning Commons” serves as a catalyst in the design of library spaces, renewing libraries’ roles and missions and making them popular to Millennials for new reasons. This study aims to record Greek librarians' views on the current situation in Greek academic libraries regarding physical space design, services provided and the existence of the “Learning Commons” model characteristics.

This study was conducted through an online survey structured questionnaire (closed-ended, five-point Likert scale, multiple-choice and statements questions). This study population comprised librarians working in 37 academic institutions and colleges. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The research questions were answered using variables creation and the tests, t-test, ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis. The groups of questions were tested for their reliability using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

In total, 186 librarians responded to this study. The responses revealed that participants were willing and ready to accept and support a different approach to academic library physical spaces use, according to the shared learning spaces model. However, this requires changes in the organization's vision, further growth and evolution. Although recently most Greek academic libraries have made significant progress in developing their services to function as information and digital hubs, they do not function as learning collaborative hubs, since the “Learning Commons” model is not reflected in their buildings.

The creation of new academic libraries according to the “common” model is a rapidly evolving issue that affects Greek libraries. This paper highlights the characteristics of libraries that should be adopted in the modern era, the new roles of academic librarians and the importance of an appropriate design of the physical space to achieve optimal learning outcomes. At the same time, this paper is one of the few that illustrates librarians', and not users', perceptions of these changes. This paper is a good research example, and the methodology for measuring this type of context could be used by other future research approaches in other countries.

This study explored the different artificial intelligence (AI) applications used in academic libraries and the key factors and impediments related to their implementation.

The author applied quantitative research methods in the form of a questionnaire, using both open and closed questions. A total of 472 valid questionnaires were received from academic librarians.

The author sought responses from librarians who had implemented AI applications and those who had not, identifying the types of AI applications implemented, key factors relating to their implementation, and impediments to promoting AI. Gaps were identified between the level of support for AI applications and the negative effect of the impediments. Furthermore, the more extensive the individual and organizational knowledge activities performed by the librarians and libraries held, the more positive the attitude was librarians' attitude toward AI applications in their libraries. However, librarians recognized that AI applications are inevitable, but indicated that the difficulties of in execution have hampered the adoption of AI.

The sample data were collected in Taiwan; therefore, the data may only represent the views of Taiwanese academic librarians on AI applications. The results of this study may not apply to librarians worldwide; however, they may provide a useful reference.

The results revealed the top four AI applications that libraries would most likely implement in the near future. Therefore, AI application developers and suppliers can prioritize the promotion of these products for to academic libraries. This study revealed that funding and costs related to AI implementation were discovered to be key factors relating to implementing AI applications. Some impediments to the implementation of AI applications relate to technological problems. Several librarians suggested that managers should invest more resources at an early stage rather than reducing cutting back on human resources initially. Although worries regarding privacy and ethics were mentioned expressed by some respondents, most academic librarians did not regard these to be major concerns.

This study provides the perspectives of librarians who have implemented AI applications and of those who have not. In addition, it explores the advantages and disadvantages of AI applications, and the level of support for and impact of AI applications and promotions. This study also included a gap analysis. Moreover, individual and organizational knowledge activity scales were adopted to examine AI awareness and the perceptions of academic librarians.

The field of library and information sciences (LIS) is crucial to our educational system. Across the globe, the LIS systems operate at varying levels and rates of efficiency. One of the developing nations is Pakistan, which has LIS systems in all of its colleges, universities and schools. This multimethod study aims to identify and quantify elements that are detrimental to LIS progress as well as evaluate the faculty and infrastructure profiles of universities that offer LIS undergraduate and graduate level programmes.

Data was collected from the study's participants, who were mainly LIS professionals and faculty at 17 different universities, using survey questionnaires and in-person interviews. This study used a descriptive survey methodology, gathering information through a Google Survey and filling it out with a premade survey proforma. The survey responses were examined using content analysis. The development of LIS instructional and scholarly output is influenced by a variety of factors, which were investigated using a generalized linear model (GLM). To determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in opinion between faculty members and working professionals, as well as between men and women, the outcomes of an independent sample t-test were examined.

According to our data, the factors that have the biggest impact on the caliber and output of LIS research are “poor writing skills” (3.43), “lack of journal publication fees” (3.51) and “lack of research skills” (3.78). The top GLM model identified poor writing skills, a lack of publication fees and a lack of research expertise as bottleneck characteristics for producing high-quality LIS research. The aforementioned factors were 3.62, 2.41 and 2.19 times more significant than the average factor, respectively, to put it another way.

This study’s analysis revealed that there is no real distinction between the two groups' viewpoints. The results of this study can be applied to problems and challenges associated with LIS education in Pakistani educational institutions.

This paper aims to study the after-effects of the crises hit by the Lebanese population and the solutions implemented to alleviate the ensuing problems on resource sharing in Lebanese libraries.

Questionnaire to academic libraries. Nine libraries in Lebanon offer resource sharing services; all nine are academic. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to these nine libraries; eight responded. A semi-quantitative approach was used to analyze the responses. The questionnaire was administered through Microsoft Forms. The form was designed to include dichotomous questions for the sake of quantitative analysis and a short answer format that allowed responders to provide additional details. American University of Beirut Data. The access services department at the American University of Beirut Jafet Library compiles on a daily basis interlibrary loan statistics. The compiled data were divided into two groups: duration of two fiscal years prior to June 2020; and from June 2020 to June 2022. June 2020 was used as a cutoff date after which the interlibrary loan initiatives in response to COVID-19 were implemented. The services that were analyzed were RSCVD, OCLC WorldShare ILL profiled groups, Emergency Temporary Access Service for HathiTrust members and Open Access Services from vendors.

Libraries in Lebanon were able to continue providing resource-sharing services with a minimal budget due to four major initiatives and through the help of the international resource-sharing community.

Limited publication about inter library loan in Lebanese Libraries. The pandemic hit economies worldwide; however, Lebanon got hit by three synergetic crises, and the initiatives were instrumental in drastically reducing resource sharing expenditure without affecting the interlibrary loan fill rate.

The main purpose of the paper is to offer a personal view on the development of documentation/information and documentation (IuD) in Germany, while pointing out the need to further investigate the specific features of its development paths. The methodology is based on critical review of the available literature sources in the German language.

The paper uses the method of critical review of published documents in journals (especially in Nachrichten für Dokumentation), books and reports of state and provincial administrations that are directly related to monitoring and/or encouraging the development of the young field of documentation.

The paper offers a review and interpretation of the most significant development phases, the contributions of individuals and the influence of the official state and information policy based on the consulted sources.

This research is limited to the literature written in German language.

The paper could be of interest to researchers and professionals who are interested in the development of documentation.

The paper covers the period after the World War II until the end of 1980s that is especially interesting from the social point of view in divided Germany.

To the author’s knowledge, there is no comprehensive history of documentation in German-speaking countries written in English. This paper is the result of a research project started three years ago with colleagues from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, that aims to cover all phases of the appearance and development of information science in German-speaking countries and could be understood as a kind of introduction to papers planned to follow.

This paper investigates school library services in the digital age for students with dyslexia and explores the impact of current library services on students’ learning.

A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was designed according to the LAFE (Look and listen, Assistance and accessibility, Format and fit, and Environment) framework for learners with dyslexia and the 5E instructional model and conducted with 11 school librarians.

Results indicated that participants lacked knowledge of dyslexia for appropriate library services. Awareness, IT skills, school administration, funding and parental attitudes would influence the library’s tailored services to dyslexic children, despite the rich resources in these participants’ libraries, including paperbacks, digital resources and electronic devices. Adaptations are necessary to provide accessible services, especially by applying digital technologies, and school libraries can positively impact students’ reading interests, promote knowledge inquiry and strengthen information literacy skills.

While students with dyslexia spend significant time in schools, limited studies focus on school library services in the digital age, especially in Asia. This study fills the gap by systematically exploring the issue with the 5E instructional model.