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The purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis to discover the published information on the effects of e-learning technologies on innovative competency development of university librarians and smart library services.

This study is based on bibliometric research methodology. The data were retrieved from the leading database Web of Science to analyze the scholarly publications on the topic during 1965–2023. VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software were used to analyze the bibliometric data on the subject.

Results displayed that the topic of e-learning technologies in the domain of librarianship has been greatly used by several authors as a title to publish their research work. The dominance of countries such as the USA, China and the UK in research output reveals their leadership in advancing research and innovation in the field of e-learning technologies for university libraries.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first bibliometric study that has been conducted to measure the productivity of literature at the international level on the effects of e-learning technologies on innovative competency development of university librarians and smart library services.

This article explores how Norwegian public libraries negotiate neutrality and activism in response to national policy implementing the United Nations (UN) goals for sustainable development.

Informed by the ongoing academic debate on library neutrality and activism, this article presents an analysis of 30 qualitative interviews with librarians and directors in four public libraries. Through comparative case study design, the analysis explores the negotiations of neutrality and activism in the organisational response to the sustainable development goals (SDGs), in public events connected with environmental sustainability and in the engagement of librarians with various higher education backgrounds and competencies.

The neutrality of Norwegian public libraries is tied to the libraries’ function as a social meeting place and arena for public debate. While the agenda for sustainable development is perceived as neutral by many of the interview participants, there are ongoing negotiations on how politically charged initiatives should be and whether public conversations on environmental and climate issues need to represent a balance of opinions. The case libraries have developed different strategies, and while non-traditional collections and events centred on sustainability may provide a middle ground, the negotiations of neutrality and activism are influenced both by competencies and personal engagement.

This article shows how neutrality is negotiated in public libraries, with the strategies to build a sustainable society through both conventional means and activism.

This study aims to explore the pivotal role of libraries in combating misinformation and disinformation in the contemporary information landscape, emphasizing their significance as guardians of information integrity.

Drawing on a review of literature and surveying librarian perspectives, this study examines the multifaceted strategies used by libraries to address misinformation and disinformation. It delves into the roles of librarians in distinguishing between different forms of false information, promoting information literacy and fostering community engagement.

Libraries serve as bastions of knowledge, curating diverse and reliable resources while actively combating false information through educational initiatives, technological innovations and community outreach. Librarians play a crucial role in empowering users with the skills to critically evaluate information and navigate the complexities of the digital age.

This study contributes to the scholarly discourse by highlighting the evolving role of libraries as guardians of information integrity in the face of misinformation and disinformation. It underscores the importance of libraries in promoting a more informed and resilient society, enriching public discourse with the values of truth and understanding.

This study aims to identify the librarians’ readiness to leverage artificial intelligence for sustainable competence development and smart library services.

This study used a quantitative research design for addressing the objectives. The population consisted of librarians from the public and private sector universities of Pakistan. The data were analyzed by using Smart PLS software.

The analysis consisted of two major parts: first the assessment of measurement model and second the structural equation modeling analysis. A significant positive impact of AI adoption was found on the implementation smart library services. Findings revealed that behavioral intention motivated librarians to adopt AI tools in university libraries for the delivery of smart library services.

We applied quantitative method to carry out the study while future authors may conduct a systematic literature review on the same topic for offering a broader outlook.

It has provided practical contributions by providing a baseline for management bodies to construct policies for the successful adoption of AI in libraries for sustainable competence development of practicing librarians and implementation of smart library services.

The study has social implications too as AI integrated library services prove fruitful for society and digitally skilled librarians play a vital role for the promotion of reading and research culture in society.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on librarians’ readiness to leverage artificial intelligence for the enhancement of digital literacy skills, sustainable competence development and smart library services in the context of Pakistan.

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.

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.

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.

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

This study aims to identify the role of e-learning for the continuing professional development (CPD) of university librarians in Pakistan to deliver value-added library services.

Explanatory sequential design was applied to address this study’s objectives. First, quantitative data were gathered from 341 respondents working in 244 universities and then qualitative data were gathered through an interview guide from 27 subjects working in different university libraries of Pakistan.

The findings of this study revealed that respondents realized the benefits of e-learning for continuing professional development positively. E-learning enabled university librarians to perform IT-based tasks through an adequate usage of digital technologies. The findings also manifested that the majority of the respondents faced the challenges of the lack of technical support, and inadequate organizational support to adopt e-learning for CPD. Results displayed e-learning courses should be conducted by local trainers.

This study has provided pertinent theoretical, practical and social contributions by identifying the role of e-learning for the CPD of university librarians of Pakistan to deliver value-added services.

The purpose is to investigate the professional identity of public library, archive and museum (LAM) professionals in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Norway and Sweden.

The data have been gathered through the administration of three questionnaires. A comprehensive analysis is conducted to explore the variations in the professionals’ perceptions of their professional proximities to the other LAM professions and other related professions, considering demographic factors such as age, education, gender and immigrant background of participants.

Through a lens of micro- and macro-professional identities, the findings underscore both clearly perceived role separation between the LAM professions and notable points of convergence, suggesting opportunities for collaborative efforts. The implications of these discoveries are discussed, offering a foundation for future research endeavors.

The study highlights the professions perceived to have the most and least similarity to LAMs based on questionnaire responses, providing valuable insights into the interplay between various professional domains.

This article explores the affective dimensions of academic librarians’ experiences during the forced pivot to emergency remote teaching because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through semi-structured interviews with librarians at 18 university libraries in Ontario, Canada, the researcher prompted study participants to reflect on how their work and that of other librarians in their organization changed during the period of focus, including the main challenges and opportunities experienced for information literacy instruction.

This study finds evidence of stress and anxiety among academic librarians teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic, including lack of confidence and skills with eLearning and work-life balance challenges. At the same time, the data show strengths and successes fueled by resilience, collaboration and a growing culture of care, which in many cases, resulted in strong expressions of pride by interviewees on what was achieved during this global health crisis.

This study is one of few adopting a qualitative research methodology to explore the affective dimensions of academic librarians’ experience of information literacy instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its implications are instructive for future pedagogical approaches and workplace culture among information literacy teams, including communication, collaboration, flexibility and leadership support.

This article describes an onboarding program created for liaison librarians at an academic library and details a replicable framework for effective implementation at other institutions.

This article outlines a month-long onboarding program that provides new-to-the-field and experienced librarians with support and structure as they learn the core competencies of liaison work, adjust to a new professional setting and grow in their practice as liaison librarians.

Information about onboarding practices across academic libraries, liaison librarianship within the library and information science (LIS) curriculum and the need for onboarding programs that provide a comprehensive overview of core liaison librarianship competencies is provided.

Onboarding programs specific to liaison librarians is an underexplored topic. This article emphasizes fostering community and skill development throughout the onboarding process to bolster confidence, engagement and retention.

The present study discusses the future of academic librarianship, emphasizing the essential aspects of embedded librarianship practice and implementation. In addition, it also explores the changing role of academic librarians, addressing challenges and opportunities in various contexts and highlighting the significance of embedded librarianship practice.

The study employs a literature review to understand the significance of embedded librarianship and its implementation in academic libraries. The researchers searched a range of electronic data sources, including Emerald Insight, Taylor and Francis, Science Direct, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, Scopus, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), etc. Moreover, only peer-reviewed articles were considered for the review.

The study identified five major competencies, i.e. communication and interpersonal skills, teaching, research, collaboration and coordination and technological expertise, that are essential for implementing embedded librarianship in the academic library. However, in developing countries, there are various challenges faced by academic librarians such as inadequate ICT infrastructure, resource accessibility, cooperations, cultural diversity and a lack of financial support from the authority were major barriers to the successful implementation of embedded librarianship.

The study findings are of considerable value to academic librarians, providing them with the opportunity to assess and evaluate their competencies and acquire the essential skills for implementing embedded librarianship. Further, the study also recommended some practical implications of embedded librarianship practices in the academic environment.

The findings and insights from this investigation provide a valuable perspective on the future of academic librarianship, shedding light on the critical role that embedded librarianship plays in shaping its direction.