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For decades, standards on library statistics have provided a solid knowledge base for collecting, reporting and comparing statistical data and therefore been widely respected by libraries nation‐ and world‐wide as an extremely useful and important framework. As electronic resources have established their place besides traditional media, the statistics of library collections and their use have become increasingly complex, partially incomplete and even inconsistent. In this environment, many libraries are facing difficulties in collecting and making use of the data for management decisions and planning. By analysing the environment and its practical, formal and technical obstructions, this contribution tries to identify issues and perspectives for future standardization of library statistics.

Changes and additions to ISO 2789, the international standard Information and Documentation – International Library Statistics, are outlined, along with commentary and explanation of their purpose. Many of these changes relate to new components of libraries’ electronic collections and to their networked services. Some statistics are cited of the present position of electronic serials. Other related work, recently published, is described briefly.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of a workshop held to discover the performance measurement requirements deemed to be necessary by the management of higher education establishments and state authorities in Germany.

A workshop is held with representatives of university directorates and their libraries, members of the ministries for research and higher education at state level, experts on performance measurement for libraries, and representatives of the German Library association and BIX management.

The workshop provides answers regarding which issues a benchmarking system should cover, and what functional requirements the system should meet.

An agreed set of new performance measures is defined and agreed to be put into practice in the near future.

The workshop allows collaboration between the libraries who helped develop the BIX Library Index, and the HE authorities whose needs were fundamentally different, to reach common ground and understanding for data sets and metrics required for the future.

This study aims to develop a research agenda for the advancement of theory application in practical contexts by presenting a case study of the Engagement in Plastic-free Innovation for Change (EPIC) programme delivered by Plastic Oceans Australasia (POA).

EPIC is a behaviour change programme by POA that aims to reduce single-use plastic (SUP) consumption in workplaces. The study evaluates the programme’s impact on employee perceptions and actual behaviour through pre- and post-programme data collection in two Australian workplaces. Data was gathered via online surveys and waste audits and analysed using SPSS statistics and Excel.

The case study highlights the need for theory application in programme evaluation instruments. Theory was not used in the programme evaluation tool, and theory could not be mapped onto the tool retroactively. The data from the present study showed mixed results. Data from Workplaces 1 and 2 indicated that EPIC successfully improved three out of seven employee perceptions of SUP reduction efforts. However, individual workplace data showed that EPIC only improved one out of seven perceptions in Workplace 1 and three out of seven perceptions in Workplace 2. Surprisingly, Workplace 1 observed a decrease in plastic waste after the programme, while Workplace 2 saw an increase. Without the clear integration of theory, it is difficult to pinpoint areas for improvement. It is, however, posited that COVID-19 restrictions on people attending their workplaces and low survey response rates may have contributed to these unexpected results.

The present study highlights key improvements that can be made to evaluations of voluntary behaviour change programmes. Careful evaluation of behaviour change programmes is key to improving programme effectiveness. Practitioners will find the suggested improvements from this study helpful in developing and refining voluntary behaviour change programme evaluations.

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the impacts of a voluntary behaviour change programme aimed at reducing SUPs in the workplace. It also adds to the limited literature on voluntary behaviour change interventions overall and adds to the movement towards better application of theory in behaviour change interventions.

Young prisoners are one of the most vulnerable groups in society for mental health problems and ill-being. Therefore, there is a crucial need to understand their physical, psychological and social situations. This study aims to explore young Cambodian prisoners’ experiences and perceptions of mental health and well-being, their determinants and their coping strategies.

Six focus group discussions were carried out in three prisons with a total of 48 young prisoners between the ages of 15 and 24 years (50% women, 50% men). Semi-structured questions guided the discussions, and thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data.

Young prisoners reported multifaceted experiences of mental health and well-being. The majority described adverse mental health experiences, while some revealed better well-being, partly influenced by the socio-economic support from outside the prisons and previous involvement or not in drug abuse. The experience of physical overcrowding without emotional attachment among the fellow prisoners was perceived as the overarching determinant of loneliness and mental health problems, while socio-emotional support and rituals were described as the most important coping mechanisms.

This pioneering study from Cambodia gives young prisoners an opportunity to voice their experiences and perceptions of mental health and well-being in the prison setting. The findings in this study underline the importance of prison authorities tackling overcrowding to promote well-being and reduce mental health problems. Also, the coping mechanisms outlined by the participants should be considered when planning psychosocial interventions.