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The use of mobile technologies and learning devices has been increasing in every field of life, and library and information sciences are no exception. This study aims to explore the perceptions of library and information science (LIS) students regarding mobile learning (m-learning) along with their primary purposes, social media applications, advantages, disadvantages, barriers, impact and overall satisfaction with using these devices.

A survey method was used, and data was collected from the students of 12 library schools in Pakistan for a total sample of 250 students.

Their main purposes of usage, their needs, advantages, disadvantages, barriers, impacts and the level of overall satisfaction were also identified. The inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) also identified the difference of opinion on the basis of gender, programs, types and number of m-learning devices. Overall, the findings highlight the need for academic libraries to give mobile access (launching mobile applications) to better use library services. To ensure this, libraries must keep an eye on new advances in mobile technology, researchers’ needs and related electronic library services and observe how these services are being used.

Theoretical and practical implications have been highlighted to understand the perceptions of LIS students about m-learning devices.

The mobile library service providers and management need to improve their services by offering services that fit the diverse needs of their users and should know how to attract modern library users.

The library and information science (LIS) profession experienced drastic changes in its job requirements due to emerging digital scholarship trends, especially the growth of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). As a result, there is a discrepancy between the job market and the LIS curriculum. This study addresses this gap by looking into incorporating digital scholarship into the LIS school curricula in South Africa. This may have implications for other contexts as well, because digital scholarship is becoming pervasive.

The study adopted a constructivist paradigm using a qualitative approach and a multiple case study design. Primary data using semi-structured interviews were collected from 10 academics at LIS schools and 10 librarians from both academic and special research council libraries in South Africa.

The study revealed that LIS schools did not have content on digital scholarship such as research data management (RDM), digitisation, metadata standards, open access, institutional repositories and other related content. Stakeholders who needed to be consulted included librarians, information technology (IT) and information and communication technology (ICT) specialists, computer scientists, humanists, the South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and LIS professional bodies. There were gaps and redundancies in the curriculum as far as digital scholarship was concerned. Digital scholarship presented opportunities for librarians and academics to acquire emerging jobs and to collaborate more in the digital space.

The article advances knowledge on the importance of incorporating digital scholarship in the LIS curriculum in South Africa. Furthermore, it provides guidance regarding stakeholders to be consulted when incorporating content into the LIS curriculum with the intention of closing the gaps and curbing or removing discrepancies between job requirements and graduates’ skills and competencies.

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.

Internships are widely used as one of the best learning tools for professional practice. The purpose of this research paper is to comprehend to what extent the LIS interns become competent with practical tasks through this program, current facilities offered by the internship-offering institutions and their plan in this regard.

This study used a mixed-method approach. To examine LIS students’ practical experience, this study conducted a survey. Participants were 110 students having internship experience from the LIS bachelor’s degree offering universities of Bangladesh. For qualitative data, representatives of internship-offering institutions were interviewed.

Results indicate that there is a certain lack of coordination between theoretical knowledge with practical demonstrations. Some essential ICT-based tasks missed out from this program like library automation software (e.g. KOHA); online-based cataloging such as Machine Readable Cataloguing, Resource Description and Access; digital library software (Greenstone); Institutional Repository software (Dspace, EPrint, etc.); virtual library services; radio frequency identification, etc. which should be taken into consideration in internship modules. Including faculty members and practitioners is suggested for a model internship framework ensuring ever-advanced LIS education. There is no significant difference between interns’ gender with their satisfaction level.

The major limitation of this study is the absence of coverage of faculty perceptions regarding Internships. As in the higher education institution, the three stakeholder groups’ subsets, namely, faculty members, practitioners and students are parallelly important to take any initiative.

The input from interns will assist the industries in redesigning their modules in light of interns’ feedback to best prepare interns for the competitive job market.

Internship in LIS education is not a new research area; however, research attempts to show students’ experience along with organizations’ preparedness in offering internships is new in nature.

This study aims to investigate the status of library and information science (LIS) education in Pakistan, as well as LIS progress, level of employment and issues, infrastructure and facilities, challenges faced by LIS institutions and future prospects of the profession.

A total of 115 permanent/regular and visiting academic members from different Pakistani institutions/universities participated in the research. A mixed-method was used, and data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.

This study’s results showed that assistant, associate and associate professors have been very involved in producing high-quality research articles and producing quality graduates. This study also found that there are several problems with LIS education in Pakistan, such as a lack of qualified teachers, resources and facilities. This study provides all the answers to these problems. They are useful for LIS teachers and students in Pakistan because LIS education has been around for a long time, but there are still some problems that need to be fixed. The results could have an immediate effect on the direction, ability to survive and future of LIS education in Pakistan.

Previously, different studies have been conducted on evolution and challenges to the LIS profession, but to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has been reported based on the professional experiences in other Universities of Pakistan. According to the research, the findings are crucial for LIS professors and students in Pakistan. In addition, the research investigates the challenges faced by LIS teachers in Pakistan. It concludes with suggestions on how to address some of these problems. It is also said that Pakistan must develop universal standards for LIS to close the gap between what users want and what library workers can do.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate/review the skills required for library and information science (LIS) professionals in the 21st century and to propose an alternative approach as the suggested key skills.

Twenty-two LIS professionals from Pakistan were interviewed, and 10 LIS professionals were from abroad, including two from the USA; six respondents were from Saudi Arabia; one from Canada; and one from Malaysia. In-depth interviews with faculty members were conducted to ascertain their perceptions of the knowledge and skills necessary to be competent in delivering quality education to the future information breed.

The findings emphasise the importance of a variety of competencies for librarians and information educators, including subject knowledge and skills; information technology knowledge and skills; instructional skills; research skills; and managerial, leadership and social skills. Additionally, it was noted that LIS professionals require a diverse set of skills that should be fostered by educators and employers. By promoting these in the broader community, the author can encourage the next generation of LIS professionals to consider LIS as a viable career option.

The findings presented in this paper provide a unique window into the country’s workforce needs. Though the study was conducted from a Pakistani perspective, the findings may have implications for other countries with comparable circumstances, including social impact. It also provides a new analysis of the selected generic and LIS skills that can be communicated in an innovative manner to prospective LIS employees, employers and educators.

This paper aims to familiarize students and instructors in the field of library and information science (LIS) with some features and benefits of mnemonics in the context of learning artificial intelligence (AI).

A narrative review among literature exists on mnemonics, AI and library services.

In the field of LIS, the use of mnemonics can be highly beneficial for both students and instructors. Mnemonics can aid in the retention and recall of complex concepts, classification systems, information retrieval strategies, jargon learning and library memory that are fundamental to the field. In the field of AI, mnemonics can be a valuable tool for students learning complex algorithms, concepts and techniques. Mnemonics can help students remember key components of AI models, understand the underlying principles and apply them effectively in problem-solving.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is among the first ones exploring the use of mnemonics for learning subject areas related to artificial intelligence in LIS.

This study aims to explore the status of collaborative research productivity, major library and information sciences (LIS) research trends and the level of research among the LIS academicians as principal authors in Pakistan during 1975–2021 (47 years).

A quantitative research method was adopted to collect the required data using bibliometric patterns. The data of all faculty members working in LIS schools of Pakistan was collected from the official website of their employers/institutions. Different strategies were used to acquire respondents’ bibliographic/publication records such as faculty members’/employers’ official websites and faculty members’ Google Scholar profiles; advanced searching techniques were also used to retrieve their bibliographic records.

The results revealed that a total of 74 regular faculty members comprising 78.38% males and 21.62% females are working in 12 LIS Pakistani schools. A total of 1,787 papers were produced by LIS faculty, among which 702 were written by Pakistani LIS faculty as principal authors during the selected period. The results revealed that 60.72% of the principal authors’ work was produced in collaboration. The collaboration between faculty members and other faculty was 81%, while two authors' work productivity was on the top. No attention has been given to produce research in collaboration with international/foreign LIS experts, especially from developed countries.

The findings of this study are useful for faculties to have a richer understanding of the various elements of collaboration at national as well as international levels, and then discover the ways to begin and maintain effective partnerships to research emerging trends in LIS.

This study is a unique bibliometric study that systematically and quantitatively combined the research productivity of LIS academicians in Pakistan and provided a holistic sketch of the literature produced on various themes of LIS during 1975–2021.

Data storytelling courses position students as agents in creating stories interpreted from data about a social problem or social justice issue. The purpose of this study is to explore two research questions: What themes characterized students’ iterative development of data story topics? Looking back at six years of iterative feedback, what categories of data literacy pedagogy did instructors engage for these themes?.

This project examines six years of data storytelling final projects using thematic analysis and three years of instructor feedback. Ten themes in final projects align with patterns in feedback. Reflections on pedagogical approaches to students’ topic development suggest extending data literacy pedagogy categories – formal, personal and folk (Pangrazio and Sefton-Green, 2020).

Data storytelling can develop students’ abilities to move from being consumers to creators of data and interpretations. The specific topic of personal data exposure or risk has presented some challenges for data literacy instruction (Bowler et al., 2017). What “personal” means in terms of data should be defined more broadly. Extending the data literacy pedagogy categories of formal, personal and folk (Pangrazio and Sefton-Green, 2020) could more effectively center social justice in data literacy instruction.

Implications for practice include positioning students as producers of data interpretation, such as role-playing data analysis or decision-making scenarios.

Data storytelling has the potential to address current challenges in data literacy pedagogy and in teaching critical data literacy.

Course descriptions provide a template for future data literacy pedagogy involving data storytelling, and findings suggest implications for expanding definitions and applications of personal and folk data literacies.

Celebrate Michael Buckland's impressive legacy to LIS by showing his humanity, generosity and versatility.

This article is walk through a scientific career in LIS. Through personal anecdotes and life history and building upon Michael Buckland's legacy, it summarises the author’s own work seen through the prism of her interactions with Buckland, leading to scholarly contributions articulating significant statements about the field of LIS as well as pointers to past relevant publications.

Michael Buckland has a unique way of putting an end to thorny LIS issues as well as being a documentator extraordinaire.

It is a personal account, as such cannot be evaluated through the classical norms of empirical research as there is no ground truth. This account shows how chance encounters with fellow scholars can have a lasting influence on one's academic career as well as wider impact in a field.