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The purpose of this study was to bring library practitioners and researchers together to develop two co-designed tools for helping library practitioners gain a more holistic understanding of families in underserved groups and identify their values with the goal of developing more relevant learning experiences for them. The co-designed tools were then tested with Master’s of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students at two universities, whose feedback yielded several valuable findings and informed revisions to the tools.

A participatory, design-based approach was used throughout the study, both with engaging library practitioners in the co-design of different tools and processes introduced in the Toolkit, and to help MLIS students and library practitioners test the tools and provide feedback on the tool revisions.

Students indicated that the tools helped them develop a deeper understanding of underserved groups and their values and gave the students the time and space to reflect on their understanding of the socio-cultural and value contexts of their communities and the values they hold.

This study can help libraries more effectively design strengths-based learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant to underserved groups and their values, particularly for children and families from underserved communities.

For the provision of smart library services to end users, tools of the Internet of Things (IoT) play a significant role. The study aims to discover the factors influencing the adoption of IoT in university libraries, investigate the impact of IoT on university library services and identify challenges to adopt IoT applications in university libraries.

A systematic literature review was carried out to address the objectives of the study. The 40 most relevant research papers published in the world’s leading digital databases were selected to conduct the study.

The findings illustrated that rapid growth in technology, perceived benefits, the networked world and the changing landscape of librarianship positively influenced the adoption of IoT in university libraries. The study also displayed that IoT supported library professionals to initiate smart library services, assisted in service efficiency, offered context-based library services, provided tracking facilities and delivered effective management of library systems. Results also revealed that a lack of technical infrastructure, security and privacy concerns, a lack of technological skills and unavailability of policy and strategic planning caused barriers to the successful adoption of IoT applications in university libraries.

The study has provided theoretical implications through a valuable addition to the current literature. It has also offered managerial implications for policymakers to construct productive policies for the implementation of IoT applications in university libraries for the attainment of fruitful outcomes. Finally, the study provides a baseline for understanding the adoption of IoT in academic libraries.

The purpose of this study Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the important emerging trends in information technology and is slowly being implemented in libraries. The researchers have presented a brief strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of the application of AI in Pakistani university libraries.

This study uses an ethnographic approach for data retrieval. Five chief librarians were interviewed by phone, during which they were asked to identify one key strength, weakness, opportunity and threat in terms of introducing AI technologies. The researchers have used a standard SWOT matrix to report the respondents’ comments.

AI is already slowly being introduced into Pakistani university libraries. While commenting on ways in which AI could help their libraries deliver more innovative services and better meet user needs, respondents expressed concern about the investment required in funding, time and staff.

Further study is indicated to identify existing AI implementations in Pakistani university libraries and to assess relevant library users’ perspectives. This study is limited to brief, qualitative data; its main purpose is to validate the use of a SWOT analysis.

Given that AI-based tools are already being used in libraries to some degree regardless of location, now is an opportune time to develop strategies for implementing AI technologies more widely. A SWOT analysis can be used to identify and categorize challenges and risks specific to AI in a logical way to support strategic decision-making.

To date, no SWOT analysis has been conducted in the context of AI applications in libraries, let alone specifically university libraries in Pakistan.

This study examines academic librarians' perceptions and attitudes toward Internet of Things (IoT) applications in Hong Kong academic libraries and the problems and possible improvements in using IoT technologies to strengthen library services.

This qualitative research used video conferencing software for semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. Participants were given introductory material about the IoT and asked to complete an interview. The data were analyzed using inductive theme clustering for this study.

The analysis identified three themes: perception about applying IoT technology to the library, problems and improvements in using IoT. Participants were generally optimistic about the potential benefits of IoT for improving library operations and providing personalized services. However, they also expressed concerns about privacy and security, errors and extra efforts for information literacy training. They suggested improvements such as incorporating facial recognition technology, advanced RFID technology and collections identification technology to enhance user experience.

Most studies examined users' views rather than librarians' on IoT applications, which few studies cover, especially in East Asia.

Researchers in information studies have examined fictional depictions of libraries in various mediums because these images can reflect and influence real-life experiences and attitudes. Video games, despite being relatively overlooked, are increasingly culturally relevant and can indicate library users' real needs and desires. This study investigates the ways in which video games depict characters using libraries to seek and use information.

A qualitative content analysis approach incorporating methods from information studies and game studies was applied. Tancheva's (2005) semiotic analysis of fictional libraries and Carr's (2019) textual approach provided the framing for the unique aspects of video games and their meanings. Carroll (2021)'s character analysis and Chatman (1996)'s theory on insiders–outsiders dynamic underpinned the data collection and analysis. The purposive sample included 15 video games released since 2010.

Video games depict game characters visiting libraries to solve short-term problems, to gain knowledge to improve themselves or to bond with others. Protagonists are often depicted as adventurers or outsiders who must adapt to unfamiliar places and situations to achieve their wider objectives. In these games, libraries provide useful documents, spaces or helpful guides and intellectuals who assist the protagonists. As outsiders, the protagonists seek information in libraries to help them learn about their environments and to immerse themselves in the local histories and cultures in their worlds. Overall, these depictions highlight both short- and long-term benefits of library use.

As with existing studies, the ways in which fictional library use appear in video games can suggest real needs and desires among library users. The findings from this study emphasise the importance of library services and spaces that help users both address short-term problems and immerse themselves in local concerns, with longer-term goals. Applying different research methods or lenses to analysing video games could deepen our understanding of what library users think and feel when they seek and use information in libraries.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between customer relationship management (CRM)-based library services and head librarians' personal and academic variables. The status of CRM-based library services in the university libraries of Pakistan was also assessed.

A cross-sectional survey research design and quantitative research approach were applied. A structured questionnaire was emailed to the heads librarians of all university libraries recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and the response rate was 74 percent.

The analysis showed that a relationship to CRM-based library services was confirmed by the head librarians' age, academic qualification, professional experience, CRM awareness and training. Moreover, several CRM-based library services such as face-to-face interaction, current awareness services, orientation for new users, coordination through e-mail services, special goodwill to regular users, make telephone calls, complaints/suggestions boxes, online services, provision of a conducive learning environment, user education, selective dissemination of information services, users' participation in the collection and service development, ask a librarian services and users' help desk services were currently being practiced by the university libraries.

This study is a valuable resource for developing user-centered library services and culture. Findings are helpful in enhancing CRM applications in libraries and making their users satisfied and loyal. This study makes a significant contribution to the body of literature and knowledge on library CRM.

This study aims to examine the use of social media by academic librarians at universities in Zimbabwe with particular focus on the application of the four key constructs of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model. This study assesses the degree to which academic librarians in Zimbabwe believe that using social media enhances service delivery, the extent to which academic librarians perceive social media as easy to use, the influence of peers on social media use among academic librarians and the extent to which facilitating conditions influence social media use.

A pragmatist worldview in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted, this multiple case study used face-to-face interviews, self-administered questionnaires and content analysis for collecting data.

Academic librarians in Zimbabwe perceive social media tools to be useful and easy to use in the provision of services. Social influence had a moderate effect on academic librarians’ use of social media for service delivery at universities in Zimbabwe, but they feel that their supervisors do not provide enough help for them to use social media.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no similar study has been done previously in Zimbabwe. This multiple case study presents useful findings on the acceptance and use of social media by academic librarians in Zimbabwe.

The paper aims to systematically collect and review the literature on work from home (WFH) and libraries. Another objective of the review is to identify the services professionals offered while WFH, tools used, challenges and opportunities in this connection.

The study consulted four databases, namely, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts, to collect and review the literature on the topic. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline was used to select the eligible studies for this review. A total of 27 studies out of 1,571 were considered eligible for the study. The authors also consulted Boynton and Greenhalgh (2004) guide for assessing the quality of the reviewed research. All types of studies and except books were selected for the review. However, the researchers did not apply the time limitation.

The research identified that libraries provided various services, including Mystery Box, live chat and 24-hour service, using different tools, including MS Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, while WFH. The study shared different challenges and opportunities identified from the reviewed literature, for libraries.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review conducted to systematically collect and review the literature produced on WFH in terms of libraries regarding offered services, tools used to serve the users, challenges and opportunities. The review filled the literature gap and shared implications for library professionals and related stakeholders.

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 study aims to examine Big Data and the management of libraries in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its implications for policymakers in Nigeria.

A qualitative methodology was used, involving the administration of open-ended questionnaires to librarians from six selected federal universities located in Southwest Nigeria.

The findings of this research highlight that a significant proportion of librarians are well-acquainted with the relevance of big data and its potential to positively revolutionize library services. Librarians generally express favorable opinions concerning the relevance of big data, acknowledging its capacity to enhance decision-making, optimize services and deliver personalized user experiences.

This study exclusively focuses on the Nigerian context, overlooking insights from other African countries. As a result, it may not be possible to generalize the study’s findings to the broader African library community.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is unique because the paper reported that librarians generally express favorable opinions concerning the relevance of big data, acknowledging its capacity to enhance decision-making, optimize services and deliver personalized user experiences.