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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.

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.

The service environment is becoming increasingly turbulent, leading to calls for a systemic understanding of it as a set of dynamic service ecosystems. This paper advances this understanding by developing a typology of service ecosystem dynamics that explains the varying interplay between change and stability within the service environment through distinct behavioral patterns exhibited by service ecosystems over time.

This study builds upon a systematic literature review of service ecosystems literature and uses system dynamics as a method theory to abductively analyze extant literature and develop a typology of service ecosystem dynamics.

The paper identifies three types of service ecosystem dynamics—behavioral patterns of service ecosystems—and explains how they unfold through self-adjustment processes and changes within different systemic leverage points. The typology of service ecosystem dynamics consists of (1) reproduction (i.e. stable behavioral pattern), (2) reconfiguration (i.e. unstable behavioral pattern) and (3) transition (i.e. disrupting, shifting behavioral pattern).

The typology enables practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of their service environment by discerning the behavioral patterns exhibited by the constituent service ecosystems. This, in turn, supports them in devising more effective strategies for navigating through it.

The paper provides a precise definition of service ecosystem dynamics and shows how the identified three types of dynamics can be used as a lens to empirically examine change and stability in the service environment. It also offers a set of research directions for tackling service research challenges.

The study aims to promote the use of qualitative methods in service research by investigating how these methods are reported in service journals, how the level of reporting has evolved and whether methodological reporting influences the downloads or citations received by qualitative articles.

Methodological reporting practices were identified through content analysis of 318 qualitative articles published in three major service research journals and comparison with prior methodological literature. Regression analysis was used to test how the level of methodological reporting influences article downloads and citations.

The study identifies 29 reporting practices related to 9 key methodological reporting areas. The overall level of methodological reporting in published qualitative articles has increased over time. While differences in the level of reporting between service journals persist, they are narrowing. The level of methodological reporting did not influence downloads or citations of qualitative articles.

Service scholars using qualitative methods should pay attention to methodological reporting as it can improve the chances of being published. Factors such as theoretical contributions are likely to have a greater influence on article impact than methodological reporting.

No prior study has explored methodological reporting practices across different qualitative methodologies or how reporting influences article impact. For authors, reviewers and editors, the study provides an inventory of reporting practices relevant for evaluating qualitative articles, which should lower barriers for qualitative methods in service research by providing practical guidelines on what to focus on when reporting and assessing qualitative research.

The purpose of this paper is to report on bibliometric research on the activities and services offered by distance libraries that serve distance learning institutions.

The analysis of scholarly communication has always been a valuable tool for researchers and policymakers in order to understand trends, gaps and patterns in a specific field. In this paper, a bibliometric analysis has been applied based on a well-known bibliometric tool called “VOSviewer.” The articles that constitute the dataset of current research were drawn from two journals: the Journal of Library Administration and the Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning.

The bibliometric analysis applied in distance libraries showed that the researchers in this domain are mainly introverts and need to prioritize engaging in the scientific research process over merely publishing good practices. Although there are a lot of libraries serving distance learning institutions (formal and non-formal), there is a notable lack of activity in the scientific publication field.

Distance libraries have played a significant role in supporting distance learning, and since distance education has become more important in the educational ecosystem, the analysis of its scholarly production would provide administrators, researchers and policymakers with insights for the next era of conventional libraries.

Library quality assurance systems are collaborative governances that facilitate the presentation of data on international accreditation of departments, which contains data on services, human resources, library facilities and infrastructure. This research analyzes the supporting and inhibiting factors and the advantages of the library quality assurance system in supporting international accreditation of departments at Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Surakarta, Indonesia using Talcott Persons' theory of structural functionalism.

Primary data in exploratory research and action research obtained from the Quality Assurance Team at the university level under the Educational Quality Assurance and Development Institute (LPPMP), the Quality Assurance Unit (UPM) at the faculty level and the Quality Control Group (GKM) at the department, librarian and academic community levels. Supporting informants are international assessor practitioners. Data validation using source triangulation, namely information obtained through different sources, and method triangulation through different methods. Data obtained from library studies, observations, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), documentation and interviews with staff, library leaders, lecturers from departments that have and will carry out international accreditation and UNS students and analyzed interactive analysis models, namely data reduction, data presentation and concluding.

The research results show that the UNS Library quality assurance system facilitates higher education organizations, such as bachelor's, master's and doctoral departments at UNS; search and presentation of international accreditation data. Supporting factors include the availability of digital library systems, online catalogs (UNSLA), e-journal and e-book databases, library websites and library data links for accreditation; facilities and infrastructure consist of indoor-outdoor study rooms; library social media; Self Access Terminal room; facilities for international students; involvement of librarians in international internships/conferences, librarians who have had competency tests and certification; librarians pursuing doctoral degree and support for student interns in system development. Inhibiting factors include the unavailability of programmers and dependence on UNS Information and Communication of Technology Unit. The benefits of the department quality assurance system include accelerating and improving the organization's quality and presentation of international accreditation data for departments at UNS.

This type of qualitative research with an exploratory approach takes library study data, observations and in-depth interviews with library staff and quality assurance of departments. The informants were selected using purposive sampling, which was adjusted to the needs and interests of the research. It also uses the action research method, a collaboration between the quality assurance unit, librarians and academics. Action research is a form of collective self-reflection that involves a series of daily activities, which include the processes of research, diagnosis, planning, implementation, monitoring and establishing the necessary relationships between evaluation and self-development. The research object is something that will be subject to conclusions resulting from something that will be discussed in the research. The object of this research is the quality assurance of the UNS Library. Primary data was obtained from the Quality Assurance Team at the university level under the LPPMP, the Quality Assurance Unit (UPM) at the faculty level and the Quality Control Group (GKM) at the department, librarian and academic community levels. Supporting informants are international assessor practitioners. Data will be collected using observation, in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and documentation. To ensure the validity of the data, source triangulation is used, namely, information obtained through different sources, as well as method triangulation through different methods, for example, interviews with observation or FGD. Data analysis using an interactive analysis model, namely data reduction, data presentation and concluding. This research was conducted at the UNS Library, with the research object being all departments at Sebelas Maret University, which have and will undergo international accreditation.

Smart libraries are the result of the application of smart technologies in the era of digital intelligence. The establishment and improvement of its service evaluation system serve as indicators for evaluating the growth of smart libraries.

This study introduces and improves the capability maturity model (CMM), creatively constructs a service maturity model specifically designed for smart libraries and combines the Delphi method with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to establish a service maturity evaluation system for smart libraries while calculating indicator weights. Finally, two representative smart libraries are selected as case studies, and an empirical application is conducted using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method.

The empirical study shows that the developed smart libraries service maturity evaluation system holds significant theoretical and practical value in evaluating smart libraries.

Enhances the CMM and creatively constructs a service maturity model for smart libraries. Combines the Delphi method with AHP to establish a service maturity evaluation system while calculating indicator weights. Uses a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate two representative smart libraries. Demonstrates that the smart library services maturity evaluation system holds significant theoretical and practical value.

The banking sector is more revolutionized than ever, with advanced technologies driving a seismic change in the financial industry. This study aims to understand how digital technologies influence banking sector employees and their perception of working in an era of Banking 4.0.

This study incorporated qualitative analysis to gain different insights from diverse respondents from banking industries. A purposive sampling method was adopted, and semistructured interviews were conducted, taking a sample of 72 respondents. All the transcripts were then analyzed using NVivo.

The findings focus on challenges related to understanding technology phenomena, managing changes, infrastructure, skills, competitiveness and regulatory mechanisms. This is further followed by the favorable impact of Banking 4.0 on employees and future avenues, such as innovation in financial services, work productivity, career opportunities and change management, banking 4.0 and banking 5.0, and banking 4.0 management strategies identified as the significant findings.

This study provides guidelines for Banking 4.0 provision strategy and conceptual reference toward the development of Banking 4.0. It also supports the Enhanced Access and Service Excellence 4.0 program, driven by the Indian Bank’s Association, to focus more on digitization, automation and data analytics.

The novelty of this research provides a qualitative hierarchy of significant challenges, favorable impacts and future research avenues of Banking 4.0 in the Indian banking sector.

This study examines the construction of essential labour during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Research questions include: (1) How have government policies shaped designations of essential versus non-essential labour? (2) What are the consequences of these designations for essential workers? To address these questions, the author employs a case study of custodial services employees at Prairie University, a large public university in a major Texas city (Prairietown). The author begins with an examination of federal, state, and municipal guidelines about COVID-19 safety and critical infrastructure in order to understand the policy landscape within which custodial employees at Prairie University were formally deemed essential. Drawing on theories of non-nurturant care work, the author shows how government guidelines for essential work released during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic discursively invisibilized cleaning labourers. The author then demonstrates how this invisibilization contributed to Prairie University custodial services staff members’ exposure to COVID-19. The author concludes by considering the implications of the findings for future research on care work and the construction of essential labour.

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.