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Technological advancement has forced academic libraries to change their traditional services and routines by adopting emerging technologies to respond to the changing information needs of their users who are now more technologically inclined and prefer to access information remotely and in a timely manner. Smart technologies are the recent trends in academic libraries. This research aims to investigate the level of smart information service implementation at academic libraries in Jordan. It also aimed to investigate the correlation between the level of smart information services offered by the libraries and the level of digital competencies among the library staff.

This research is designed using survey design to collect comprehensive information from the study participants. A questionnaire was disseminated to 340 respondents, and 246 questionnaires were returned and were suitable for analysis with a response rate of 72.4%.

The results indicated a moderate level of smart information service offered by academic libraries, as well as a moderate level of digital skills associated with the advocacy of smart information services. The results also indicated a strong and positive relationship between the level of smart information services at the investigated libraries and the level of digital competencies among the librarians.

The findings will help other academic libraries understand how to respond to the emergent change in users’ information-seeking behavior by understanding their available human resources competencies and the requirement to undergo this emergent change.

This paper provides insights and practical solutions for academic libraries in response to global information trends based on users’ behaviors. This research was conducted in Jordan as one of the developing countries and hence it provides insights of the situation there. It will help academic libraries in Jordan and the region to handle and cope with the challenges associated with technology acceptance based on its staff level of digital competencies. The contribution of this research that it was done in a developing country where progress in the filed can be considered slow because of many factors, mainly economics, where institutions focus on essential library objectives, which are information resources development and databases subscriptions.

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.

The purpose of this research is to provide insights into the daily search strategies of users, which can inform the enhancement of search experiences across multiple applications. By understanding how users navigate and interact with different apps during their search processes, the study seeks to contribute to the design of more intuitive and user-friendly app systems.

This study employs a mixed-methods approach to analyze users' daily search strategies in a natural cross-app interactive environment. Data collection was conducted using the Critical Incident Technique and the Micro-Moment Time Line, involving 204 participants to capture their real-time search experiences. Open coding techniques were utilized to categorize sequential search tactics, while the PrefixSpan algorithm was applied to identify patterns in frequently applied search strategies.

The study findings unveil a comprehensive framework that includes a variety of intra-app search tactics and inter-app switching tactics. Five predominant search strategies were identified: Iterative querying, Selective results adoption, Share-related, Recommended browsing, and Organizational results strategies. These strategies reflect the nuanced ways in which users engage with apps to fulfill their information needs.

This research represents a pioneering effort in systematically identifying and categorizing daily search strategies within a natural cross-app interaction context. It offers original contributions to the field by combining intra-app and inter-app tactics, providing a holistic view of user behavior. The implications of these findings are significant for app developers and designers, as they can leverage this knowledge to improve app functionality and user manuals, ultimately enhancing the overall search experience for users.

This study aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the marginalization of county-level public libraries.

The research surveyed 25 counties in central China, including Hubei, Chongqing, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with library directors and deputy directors, focusing on main and branch library construction, cultural inclusivity, library assessment, and digital services.

Contributing factors to library marginalization were identified as economic pressure, institutional domain, longstanding issues, organizational entity, and societal misconceptions. Building on this, the study introduces the HBAC model to explain county-level public library marginalization. Considering the actual social context of these libraries, the article proposes a “3 + 1” approach to mitigate their marginalization.

The research methodology, analysis process, theoretical model, and recommendations provided could shed light on academic research and practical exploration in the field of public libraries globally.

Industries throughout the world have gone through four phases of the industrial revolution. Today, the authors are encountering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0 or 4IR), which is characterized by the application of information and communication technologies in the industry. This study aims to evaluate the growth of literature in the context of libraries and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and then identify the active research actors, countries, affiliations and sources and the status of collaboration across various geographical locations.

A systematic literature review was conducted. The data were extracted from the Scopus database incorporating scientometric and altmetric indicators. The search terms were TITLE-ABS-KEY “Industry 4.0” OR “4IR” OR “Fourth Industrial Revolution” AND “Library 4.0” OR “librarian 4.0” OR “libraries” OR “library” OR “library service” without any limitation. The results identified 218 documents out of which 67 core documents are related to libraries. Analysis was performed using MS Excel and VOSviewer.

South Africa, Nigeria and South Korea were the three most productive countries in the field. Library Hi Tech News is the most productive journal. Collaboration among African countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Zimbabwe seems to be good and they constituted the largest share of documents. The research on the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the context of libraries still lacks social media attention.

This study is the first systematic review in this area using a combination of scientometrics and altmetrics. The results will serve as a valuable reference for future researchers and policymakers.

This paper explores emerging technologies in higher education libraries indexed in the Web of Science core collection and Scopus for the periods between 1994 and 2024 (January 18, 2024).

Data from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were collected and combined using RStudio software. Once this was completed using RStudio, the combined Scopus and Web of Science Excel file was uploaded into Biblioshiny, an interactive web interface. The data was then categorized to illustrate contributions from authors, journals, countries and academic institutions across the globe.

Results and findings related to publication growth trends, annual growth, core journals, impact and productivity of authors, most cited documents, collaborations, network mapping and country contributions on emerging technologies and higher education libraries are presented.

This topic requires further exploration as academic librarians are fast becoming integrated into the teaching and learning agenda of institutions globally.

Higher education libraries and library schools to promote the teaching identity of academic librarians by helping them improve their pedagogical and digital skills for online teaching.

Library and information science schools need to fast track the integration of emerging technologies into the curriculum. Higher education libraries should consider the training of staff in order to keep abreast of emerging technologies. Library management must frame their policies and strategies in order to promote the use of emerging technologies in higher education libraries.

The current study is novel in that it explores emerging technologies and higher education libraries using combined data from Scopus and Web of Science. The topic of emerging technologies and higher education libraries is still developing and therefore is in its infancy. The research is useful for researchers, library management and library schools in the higher education sector globally.

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.

This research uses a multifaceted approach to develop an MPA/MPP curriculum to support a data science track within the existing MPA/MPP programs by identifying the core and elective areas needed.

The approach includes (1) identifying a suitable structure for MPA/MPP programs which can allow the program to develop its capacity to train students with the data science and general public administration skills to solve public policy problems and leave explicit space for local experimentation and modification; (2) defining bridging modules and required modules for the MPA/MPP programs; and (3) developing of data science track thought to make suggestions for the inclusion of suitable data science modules into the data science track and benchmarking the data science modules suggested with the best practices developed by other professional bodies. The authors review 46 NASPAA-accredited MPA/MPP programs from 40 (or 22.7%) schools to identify the suitable required modules and some potential data science and analytics courses that MPA/MPP programs currently provide as electives.

The proposal includes a three-course (six–nine credits, not counted in the program but as prerequisites) bridging module, a nine-course (27 credits) required module and a five-course (15 credits) data science track/concentration.

This work can provide a starting point for the public administration education community to develop graduate programs focusing on data science to cater to the needs of both public managers and society at large.

Social media marketing (SMM) denotes attaining website traffic or attention through social media platforms. The paper aims to focus on examining the viewpoint of library professionals from different universities along with the user respondents from different disciplines and universities on the role of social media tools to market university libraries.

It is a survey-based study that used the questionnaire as its chief data collection instrument designed to be administered to library professionals (n = 100) and users (n = 1,189) from eight universities. The study also adopted the general observation and interview methods to supplement the data. The data was analyzed using SPSS software, and Chi-square test and ANOVA were applied to ascertain the significant variations in viewpoints of the library professionals and the users.

The research study showed that library professionals (from different universities) and users (from different disciplines and universities) felt that social media could be an appropriate marketing tool for libraries in the future. Observations during data collection highlighted a lack of confidence and unwillingness among library professionals to implement any changes in the present time.

The present study provides some significant insights for improving the current situation of the libraries under study in terms of increasing awareness among the students and adopt social media tools for marketing of library facilities and services in future. It is important to note that a few issues that came into light during data collection were a marked lack of willingness and prevalence of less confidence among the library professionals to execute or implement the social media tools to market library resources and services among the users.

SMM programs focus on creating content that attracts attention and encourages readers to use it. This study attempts to fill the gap in of marketing in libraries through social media. The paper offers insights into the use of marketing tools for promoting library resources and services as per the needs of library users. The research work differs from other studies undertaken on library marketing related to social media as it has included both library professionals and users together to obtain a better picture in this regard.

This study aims to provide insight into the usage of metaverse technologies in libraries, examining their impact on library service user engagement and assisting in unique promotion and marketing techniques for the metaverse setting.

This study used a literature review approach to synthesize current scholarly material on metaverse technologies and their practical applicability in the library context. It gathered academic literature from Emerald, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar databases to construct a strong foundation for the study from journal articles, which were retrieved using the researcher’s “search string.”

Metaverse technologies are reshaping the idea of smart libraries, offering innovative approaches to interact with information resources and delivering users progressively immersive and dynamic learning experiences. This in-depth investigation adds to a better understanding of the emerging link between metaverse technology and library professionals. It bridges the gap between libraries and users, transcending geographical boundaries and enabling libraries to serve a global audience. It anticipates metaverse-infused academic libraries welcoming new methods of engaging with their users with interactive capabilities to create a unique environment to explore library resources in an interactive marketing approach.

The metaverse is not only the future but also the future of libraries. This research fills the gap by advancing the literature on cutting-edge library technologies and empowers users to become reflective and well-informed information producers. It also helps library stakeholders engage with their audience in new and impactful ways and explore innovative marketing strategies tailored to the metaverse environment.