Search results

Assessing the research performance of researchers offers inducement toward excellence in research. This study aims to analyze the research productivity of the most prolific authors of Pakistan considering their trends toward publications, citations and collaboration.

Top 100 authors from the top 10 Pakistani universities from Web of Science over the 10 years with the rigorous data cleaning process were selected. Scientometric analysis techniques were carried out to evaluate the research profile of these authors.

The findings revealed that majority of the productive authors were male working in the position of Professor in the physical sciences area. The publications and citations gradually increase with time. They preferred to collaborate for their publications, while first authorship publications were found less in number. Moreover, the propensity to collaborate at the international level increases double-fold from the first five years to the next five years period. In addition, the position of the authors was explored among different performance metrics. The finding exhibits variation in the ranking of authors among them. The impact of numbers of authors, funding status, publication of articles, presence of collaboration and international collaboration on the dependent variable and citation count was insignificant. However, the publication of review papers has a significant impact on the citation counts.

Findings have significant implications for policymakers to make maximum opportunities for researchers to strengthen linkages for collaboration and increase the funding prospects.

Studies on this topic are scarce, and therefore, this study provides useful recommendations to researchers and institutes to improve research productivity.

The multitasking phenomenon has been prevailing in the technology-driven information environment. People are engaged in multitasking to process information and deal with personal and professional information tasks. This study aims to explore the external predictors of multitasking information behavior (MIB) of library and information science (LIS) professionals from Pakistan.

This is a quantitative study based on a questionnaire survey, and data was collected through Google Form; the link was shared via e-mail and WhatsApp to get maximum responses. The sampling includes the LIS professionals working in Higher Education Commission-recognized universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. A total of 126 responses were received from 41 universities of KPK.

Pearson correlation and regression were applied by using SPSS for data analysis. The findings revealed that time pressure (TP) is a good predictor of multitasking because when professionals got tasks with deadlines, they try to perform multiple activities at a time. Therefore, TP is a predictor of human MIB. This study also revealed that the work environment is a less significant predictor of MIB, and the use of multiple information resources is a weak predictor of MIB. It is noted that individual covariates were not predictors of the multitasking information. However, TP was the most significant predictor among all the contextual and individual factors predicting MIB.

This research line is significant because MIB is a new dimension of human information behavior among LIS professionals. The findings are beneficial for LIS professionals to increase their work productivity and performance by rationalizing the significant predictors.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such study is available that highlighted the MIB among LIS professionals. Therefore, this study will highlight external factors’ effects on LIS professionals’ MIB. This study will contribute to the literature on libraries and information management as this study describes the LIS professionals’ behavior.

Although, smartphones have facilitated users to keep their personal information, nonetheless, less has been investigated about factors affecting personal information management (PIM) practices. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how personal innovativeness, perceived ease of use (PEOU) and mobile self-efficacy affect PIM (e.g. finding/re-finding, keeping, organizing and maintaining) practices.

Quantitative research design was used in this study. The authors collected data from 222 students of information management from public sector universities using a questionnaire. PLS modeling technique was used to analyze data.

The authors noted that personal innovativeness significantly impacts finding/refinding information, whereas it insignificantly affects keeping, organizing and maintaining information practices. In addition, smartphone PEOU significantly influences information finding and refinding, information keeping and organizing information, whereas insignificantly influences information maintaining. Moreover, mobile self-efficacy was noted to be significantly associated with finding and refinding information, information keeping, information organizing and information maintaining.

This research is an important contribution to the body of existing literature, as it proposed an integrated model based on constructs extracted from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Social Cognitive Theory, personal innovativeness and PIM. This study also has practical significance because the findings of this study would be helpful for smartphone application developers and LIS school directors to design programs for information literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to measure the relationship of technology acceptance model (TAM) variables (PEOU and PU) with behavioral intention (BI) and attitude in mobile and digital libraries context. This study also examines the relationship of external variables (information quality and system quality) with TAM variables (PEOU and PU) in mobile and digital libraries context.

This meta-analysis was performed through PRISMA-P guidelines. Four databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus and LISTA) were used for searching, and the search was conducted according to defined criteria.

Findings of this study revealed a large effect size of PU and PEOU with BI. There was also a large effect size of PU and PEOU with attitude. A medium effect size was found between SysQ → PU, InfoQ → PU and SysQ → PEOU. However, there was a small effect size between InfoQ and PEOU.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there was no study published till the time of conducting this meta-analysis. Hence, this study fills the literature gap. This study also confirms that TAM is a valid model in the acceptance and use of technology in mobile and digital libraries context. Thus, the findings of the present study are helpful for developers and designers in designing and developing mobile library apps. It will also be beneficial for library authorities and system librarians in designing and developing digital libraries in academic settings.

This study aims to investigate the everyday life information seeking behavior of transgender people in Pakistan.

A quantitative study, based on a survey design, was conducted to explore the everyday information needs of transgender people along with the types and frequency of using information sources. This study further explored the barriers to seeking everyday life information. Data were collected from 378 transgender people from Pakistan.

Music related information was the most important daily life information need and television appeared as one of the primary information sources frequently consulted by the transgender people. The respondents revealed a variety of challenges in accessing information including lack of education, lack of understanding about available information sources, biased treatment by the public and lack of technological skills. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was found in everyday information needs and sources consulted on the basis of their age and education.

The findings provide a guideline to educate information providers, government agencies and other stakeholders about the information needs of this marginalized community in Pakistan. This study also suggests ways in which stakeholder may improve information systems and services to better assist transgender people.

The purpose of this study is to look into the concept of blockchain technology which stores data in a distributed, tamper-resistant setting and how this technology may affect the future library and information (LI) centers’ operations and policy. It explores the potential benefits and limitations of this technology, for LI centers are the core objectives of this paper.

A systematic review of both academic and practitioner literature was conducted. It followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (2020) standards.

The review shows that the decentralized nature of blockchain will transform the work in libraries and improve the inter-communication among communities. It can provide better privacy of user data thus increasing collaboration. However, there might be technological, financial, legal and social challenges that may act as hurdles to the realization of these goals in the true sense. The overall result shows that by keeping data updated, libraries can evaluate blockchain opportunities and make the best use of this technology.

Given the huge investments by industry, academic research that explores potential ramifications and supports libraries is required. The adoption of blockchain was investigated in this study from a variety of perspectives for LI center’s while also providing directions for future research.

It is evident that globally there is progress in blockchain technology development in terms of research and adoption in many industries, but the intention to adopt blockchain by libraries is still a fantasy. The lack of empirical evidence in the existing literature justifies the gap that needs to be filled. This systematic review attempts to fill the gaps in the existing knowledge which may serve as a reference for future initiatives in this field.

Providing equal opportunities in class as well as at home does not ensure equal promotion of leisure reading among girls and boys. Gender differences have wider impacts on their reading development. The purpose of this paper is to find out gender differences in leisure reading habits among children.

The search process was conducted during Aug.–Sept. 2019 using Scopus database. A total of 41 studies were selected for the review. The systematic review used Cochrane Methodologies reported as per preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for identification, evaluation and selection of studies. The studies that dealt with leisure reading, reported gender difference of reading, had age group of 4–18-year children, were in English language and were accessible to the researchers were selected for review.

The results were presented in terms of identified reading factors including reading frequency, reading choice, reading time, reading media, reading influence, reading value and library use. The girls were more frequent readers than boys. The girls were in favor of fiction, while boys were interested in reading nonfiction. Girls preferred online materials but boys were in favor of printed materials. The boys were influenced by their fathers and peer groups’ reading, while girls were influenced by their mothers’ reading habits.

The study provided better understanding of boys’ and girls’ reading differences and required the librarians, teachers and academic policymakers to deal with them accordingly.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first kind of systematic review reporting difference of reading on the basis of gender and inferred reading factors. It will be helpful for librarians, teachers and academic policymakers to consider these differences while dealing with boys’ and girls’ reading choices and interests.

Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) are the core values of librarianship. This study aims to examine the EDIA literature in the library and information science (LIS) profession, focusing on publishing trends, authorship patterns, thematic evolution, co-occurrence network, international collaboration network and three-factor analysis.

A scientometrics analysis was performed, and data were retrieved from the Web of Science database following a four-phase data extraction and filtration process. Data analysis was performed using specialized scientometrics tools.

Most of the published work comes from the developed world. The thematic evolution identified that the initial period (1971–2010) was dedicated to the diversity of library resources, services and users. The second phase (2011–2015) concentrated on accessibility and information literacy. The recent period (2016–2021) is linked with social inclusion, diversity and accessibility. Furthermore, the co-cluster citation and content analysis identified five major interconnected streams in the EDIA literature in LIS: disability and accessibility; diversity, inclusion and recruitment; social justice and libraries; libraries and immigrants; and libraries and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer community.

Theoretical, practical and implications for policy makers and curriculum developers were added to create awareness and better observe EDIA in LIS field.

The identification of research streams is one of the most important findings of this study, which shows that some areas of EDIA are maturing and others are emerging in the profession.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between the information system success model constructs including information quality (IQ), system quality (SysQ) and service quality (ServQ) with user satisfaction (US) and intention to use (IU).

A meta-analysis approach was used to achieve the objectives. For this purpose, the PRISMA-P guideline was used, and a search strategy was designed to search in three indexing databases including Google Scholar, Scopus and LISTA.

The findings of this research revealed that IQ, SysQ and ServQ are positively related to US and IU regarding library systems. The strength of the relationship between IQ and IU, IQ and US, ServQ and US and SysQ and US was high.

This study is a unique addition to the literature, as it provides a collective and comprehensive conclusion regarding different information systems’ (ISs) success in libraries. Therefore, it fills the literature gap. The findings also work as guidelines for system developers, designers and library high-ups to consider IQ, SysQ and ServQ while designing and developing ISs for libraries.