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The purpose of this study is to revisit the conventional wisdom about a key contribution [i.e. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis] in the field of strategic management. The societal context and the role of academics, consultants and executives is taken into account in the emergence of SWOT analysis during the 1960–1980 period as a pivotal development within the broader context of the satisfactory, opportunities, faults, threats (SOFT) approach. The authors report on both the content and the approach, so that other scholars seeking to invigorate indigenous theories and/or underreported strategy practices will thrive.

Applying a historiographic approach, the authors introduce an evidence-based methodology for interpreting historical sources. This methodology incorporates source criticism, triangulation and hermeneutical interpretation, drawing upon insights from robust evidence through three iterative stages.

The underreporting of the SOFT approach/SWOT analysis can be attributed to several factors, including strategy tools being integrated into planning frameworks rather than being published as standalone materials; restricted circulation of crucial long-range planning service/theory and practice of planning reports due to copyright limitations; restricted access to the Stanford Research Institute Planning Library in California; and the enduring popularity of SOFT and SWOT variations, driven in part by their memorable acronyms.

In the spirit of a renaissance in strategic planning research, the authors unveil novel theoretical and social connections in the emergence of SWOT analysis by combining evidence from both theory and practice and delving into previously unexplored areas.

Caution is advised for scholars who examine the discrete time frame of 1960–1980 through mere bibliometric techniques. This study underscores the risks associated with gathering incomplete and/or inaccurate data, emphasizing the importance of triangulating evidence beyond scholarly databases. The paradigm shift of strategic management research due to the advent of large language models poses new challenges and the risk of conserving and perpetuating academic urban legends, myths and lies if training data is not adequately curated.

This study examines the preparedness and responsiveness of Malaysian academic librarians in handling disruptions in library services during a disaster.

This qualitative approach involved semi-structured interviews with decision-makers, chief librarians and library managers from five selected public universities.

Thematic and qualitative data analysis produced several key themes based on (1) disaster preparedness involving policies, plans, asset protection, risk management, coordination of disaster management and preparative measures; and (2) disaster response involving strategies for information and communication access, community engagement, emergency response teams and procedures, and resource availability.

The findings are expected to be useful for policymakers in formulating policies and guidelines for library disaster management plans.

The interruptions of academic library services during a disaster may result in the disruption of the information sources and social information networks of students, academics and researchers alike. Effective disaster management is also the library’s responsibility to protect collections that belong to society at large.

This is one of the first attempts in disaster management research to focus on the preparedness and responses of academic libraries in Malaysia in the face of disasters. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as a baseline for policymakers to prepare policies, guidelines and manuals for management in the event of a disaster.

This exploratory study illustrated an integrated academic library supply chain (IALSC) model to design the strategic planning management tool of the academic library. The supply chain (SC) model has been widely used in manufacturing industries and has also been applied in many service industries with the same objectives. However, very few studies for academic libraries, particularly the implementation of the integrated SC model, are being executed, although it has been proven that SC management in practice can enhance stakeholder satisfaction, increase revenues and decrease total costs. The academic library also needs to be successful in providing quality products, services and information to fulfil the library users’ needs within the library budget. This research aims to develop a verified model of the integrated SC for the academic library.

This research used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to achieve its objectives. The proposed conceptual SC model, named as IALSC, for the academic library has been developed using the system thinking method; eventually, it has been validated through the fuzzy Delphi method, an expert judgement technique.

The research findings could contribute to academic library management in planning and formulating a roadmap for the library to increase its quality services for all stakeholders.

The conceptual model would have a high potential to be proposed as the strategic decision-making tool for an academic library, i.e. the flow of funds through the operations of the library, the library stakeholders’ satisfaction measurement, the decision process currently made by the library management team on the purchase of new library resources, the library resource suppliers, etc.

The purpose of this study is to offer a checklist that can be used for both creating and evaluating digital collections, which are also sometimes referred to as data sets as part of the collections as data movement, suitable for computational use.

The checklist was built by synthesising and analysing the results of relevant research literature, articles and studies and the issues and needs obtained in an observational study. The checklist was tested and applied both as a tool for assessing a selection of digital collections made available by galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) institutions as proof of concept and as a supporting tool for creating collections as data.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in making available digital collections published by GLAM organisations for computational use. Based on previous work, the authors defined a methodology to build a checklist for the publication of Collections as data. The authors’ evaluation showed several examples of applications that can be useful to encourage other institutions to publish their digital collections for computational use.

While some work on making available digital collections suitable for computational use exists, giving particular attention to data quality, planning and experimentation, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the work to date provides an easy-to-follow and robust checklist to publish collection data sets in GLAM institutions. This checklist intends to encourage small- and medium-sized institutions to adopt the collection as data principles in daily workflows following best practices and guidelines.

This article details the process used at the Florida Gulf Coast University library to plan and implement a collection deaccessioning project as part of a larger building master plan.

The authors conducted a brief literature review, a historic usage analysis of the collection and the multi-phase deaccessioning project. The phases included a standard inclusion query, manual list inspection and department feedback. Discard rate was measured at each phase.

Different challenges were found at each phase. Although teaching faculty were skeptical, the authors involved them early to their benefit. Each collection presented interesting challenges; notable was that although the reference collection was almost completely deaccessioned, the retained items presented unique accessibility challenges. The main stacks required a new deaccessioning workflow due to the volume of materials. The findings include final retention rates per call number range. Although the authors were able to meet the plan’s goal, they discovered the need for further collection curation: there is no substitute for traversing the stacks in person.

We present a successful methodology with a high efficacy, high community engagement and low controversy, which can function as a model at other regional academic institutions.

This paper is a comprehensive review of one successful rightsizing effort set in the context of a new strategic plan and can function as a model at other regional academic institutions.

Fast obstacle avoidance path planning is a challenging task for multijoint robots navigating through cluttered workspaces. This paper aims to address this issue by proposing an improved path-planning method based on the distorted space (DS) method, specifically designed for high-dimensional complex environments.

The proposed method, termed topology-preserved distorted space (TP-DS) method, mitigates the limitations of the original DS method by preserving space topology through elastic deformation. By applying distinct spring constants, the TP-DS autonomously shrinks obstacles to microscopic areas within the configuration space, maintaining consistent topology. This enhancement extends the application scope of the DS method to handle complex environments effectively.

Comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed TP-DS method outperforms traditional methods regarding planning efficiency. Successful obstacle avoidance tasks in the cluttered workspace validate its applicability on a physical 6-DOF manipulator, highlighting its potential for industrial implementations.

The novel TP-DS method generates a topology-preserved collision-free space by leveraging elastic deformation and shows significant capability and efficiency in planning obstacle-avoidance paths in complex application scenarios.

In response to observed changes in the evolving needs of our community, and a call for proactive, strategic planning from campus administration, library and key learning commons partners gathered for a retreat in June 2023 to focus on rightsizing to answer six key questions: What is the right mix of collections to support the teaching, research and learning goals of the Seattle University community? What is the right variety of spaces to support the teaching, research and learning goals of the Seattle University community? What are the right mix of on ground and virtual services to support the teaching, research and learning goals of the Seattle University community? What technologies are needed to support the teaching, research and learning goals of the Seattle University community? What is the right staffing (model, levels+) to support the teaching, research and learning goals of the Seattle University community? What type of library and learning commons do we want to be in five years?

The article discusses and provides review of literature on concepts like rightsizing and appreciative inquiry/ strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results (SOAR) analysis. It will describe how note-taking, and qualitative analysis of feedback gathered during an in-person exercise can be used to identify actionable goals and activities as a follow-up to an in-person retreat.

To focus this conversation, an appreciative inquiry approach using a SOAR analysis was used, instead of a traditional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis, to utilize a constructivist approach to future thinking. This case study will explore rightsizing as it pertains to academic libraries, and the use of SOAR as a framework for capturing feedback and discussion.

As the article is a case study, it represents feedback collected specifically from one university library and learning commons. However, the questions asked, and the consolidated feedback are broad enough to be applicable to similar library systems.

The authors aim to demonstrate how appreciative inquiry and strength-based discussions using SOAR can lead to meaningful future-thinking conversations that might otherwise feel threatening. As rightsizing is often connected to downsizing, or conversations about reductions, using techniques like SWOT analysis which focus on weaknesses and threats can lead to anxiety and fear for participants. It can limit conversation, when members of a focus group or retreat feel unwilling to participate. By using constructivist approaches, it invites introspection and participation in a positive way, and focuses on forward thinking – and not just thinking of the present.

Rightsizing discussions are not particularly new or unique to libraries but are most seen in articles discussing collections. The scope of this project was to assess not only collections, but services, technology, staffing and spaces – in addition to our collections. Similarly, SOAR analyses are not the most common form of strategic analysis, and an appreciative inquiry approach to a rightsizing conversation in academic libraries is a relatively timely and new topic.

This study examines the digital accessibility of information services for students with disabilities at the University of Jordan. Despite advancements in disability rights and technology, academic libraries often lag in providing fully accessible digital services.

The mixed-methods research involved quantitative surveys from 173 students with disabilities and a qualitative interview with the head of the information application department, in addition to a focus group interview with 10 students with disabilities. Quantitative analysis included means, standard deviations and four-way ANOVA to identify significant differences in perceptions. Qualitative insights highlighted specific issues and recurring themes, revealing significant gaps in digital accessibility.

The results revealed a weak level of digital accessibility of students with disabilities to information services in academic libraries in Jordan is very low. The findings indicate a need for improvements in library infrastructure, staff training and policy development. The study also offers insights into challenges in a developing country context and provides recommendations for enhancing library inclusivity and support structures, emphasizing the importance of aligning services with international accessibility standards.

The findings will primarily be beneficial for library managers to understand their library’s deficiencies and responsibility towards the local community and the enhancement of digital inclusion. This understanding will aid in planning training programs and workshops for employees on supporting students with disabilities. Additionally, it serves as a valuable resource for collaboration between libraries and educators to organize educational sessions for academic librarians in Jordan and other developing nations.

It serves as a valuable resource for collaboration between libraries and educators to organize educational sessions for academic librarians in Jordan and other developing nations. This research adds value to existing literature by highlighting the context in one developing country.

This study aims to understand the research data management (RDM) services offered by academic libraries in South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. This study aims to evaluate the library and information science professionals’ required RDM skills and the challenges faced with providing RDM services.

The research methodology for this study used a survey method with purposive sampling. Data were collected through online structured questionnaires, which were used to examine the current state of RDM services offered in academic libraries in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

South Asian and Southeast Asian region major types of RDM services provided were data repository, data management training, maintaining Web resources, data study and analysis, and promoting awareness of reusable data sources. Little attention was given to advisory services on data analysis/mining/visualization and supporting reproducibility and workflow transparency. The results indicated that most respondents agreed that metadata standards and data management planning skills were required for RDM services in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

This study is significant because it offers a comprehensive assessment of ongoing RDM services in academic libraries of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Most current literature focuses on best practices in developed nations. This study highlights the need for more competent and dedicated academic staff for effective RDM services. Library professionals can use this study to identify the gaps in RDM services and suggest formative measures to overcome such challenges.

This study aims to identify the status of virtual library system development in university libraries. It also attempted to examine the availability of virtual library services and reveal the challenges being faced by university librarians of Punjab province, Pakistan in providing virtual library services.

The study used a quantitative research method by using a questionnaire to address the study’s objectives. In total, 62 university libraries in Punjab province, Pakistan were the population of the study. A purposive sampling technique was applied to gather the required data from the respondents.

Results showed that most of the study’s respondents are well aware of the potential benefits of virtual library systems in universities for the delivery of innovative smart services to library patrons. The libraries delivered different virtual library services to meet the diverse needs of the library patrons. The respondents faced the challenges of funding, expertise, technical support, leadership, strategic planning and training to adopt virtual library systems and services in university libraries.

The study has provided a framework based on empirical findings of the study to efficiently adopt virtual library systems and services in university libraries for the delivery of smart services to end users. It has provided pertinent theoretical and practical implications.