Open access is a new scholarly publishing model that aims to provide free access to scholarly information to all members of society. This study analyzes the awareness, use and attitudes of Pakistani faculty members towards scholarly open access. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect data from the respondents by using an online survey tool, Google Forms. The population of the study was the faculty members of 21 universities and higher education institutions located in Islamabad. A sample of 3000 faculty members were invited, through email, to participate in the study; of which 616 completed the survey, with a response ratio of 20.53%. Descriptive statistics and (SPSS) version 21.0 were used for data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that, although majority of the Pakistani faculty members (71.5%) were aware of the scholarly open access before this survey, their awareness level about open access-related resources and initiatives was very low. The Pakistani faculty members used open access venues more frequently to access scholarly contents rather than to publish their own research works. A lack of awareness to publish in open access venues, and publication fees of open access journals were the key challenges faced by the Pakistani faculty members. The attitudes of faculty members towards open access were very positive in all contexts. Large readership, impact factor, free access to readers and no publication fee were the key motivational factors for the faculty members to publish in open access journals.

In today’s technology-enriched environment, online research databases have become an indispensable tool in learning and research activities. Libraries worldwide have incorporated them as an integral part of their current service delivery. This study intends to determine whether the technology satisfaction model (TSM) validly measures postgraduate students’ satisfaction of using online research databases in an academic library. It further explores the relationships among antecedents within the model. To measure the components of the TSM, the stratified random sampling strategy was used to conduct a survey with 300 postgraduate students from six faculties of COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) in Pakistan. The data were statistically analysed using the Rasch model and structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of the study illustrate direct and indirect associations among the exogenous, endogenous and mediating variables of the TSM, with the studied postgraduate students’ computer self-efficacy playing a crucial role in influencing their satisfaction. The TSM shows that 69% of the variance in the postgraduate students’ satisfaction can be explained by perceived usefulness, computer self-efficacy and perceived ease of use, which confirm that the TSM has a strong predictive power and is viable for measuring endogenous variable. The findings also make a significant contribution to the testing of databases for academics, service providers and researchers in higher education.

The COVID-19 epidemic has proved a nightmare for human beings living all across the globe. It has severely affected all segments of human life. Consequently, enormous research has been conducted to assess and counter this global pandemic. This study reports finding of a bibliometric analysis on COVID-19 related literature published in the Library and Information Science journals, to identify current research trends and to suggest future directions for further research. It reveals a substantial increase in LIS publications on COVID-19 in the year 2020. The findings of the study are presented in two sections: first, the research productivity analysis provides an overview of the prominent authors, sources, institutions, and countries that published about COVID-19 in the LIS field. The second section offers a co-word thematic analysis of the significant emerging themes that provide an insight into current challenges faced by libraries and suggest future trends for research and practice in post-COVID era. The study exposes 5 major research themes and 11 sub-themes.

Purpose This paper aims to identify the personality traits (agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism) of library and information science (LIS) students in Pakistan. The difference among the personality traits of LIS students toward their information needs and seeking behavior is also analyzed. Design/methodology/approach Two instruments, namely, BFI scale and a self-structured instrument were used to collect the data. Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to find out differences among the personality traits of LIS students toward their information needs and seeking behavior. Findings Findings of the study revealed that out of 320 respondents, 186 possessed openness to experience, while only 7 possessed extraversion personality trait. Moreover, the students having extraversion personality trait were, generally, more concerned toward information needs. On the other hand students having conscientious trait were increasingly more seekers of information. Overall, the conscientiousness was identified as the most suitable personality trait for LIS students. A significant difference was also observed among all the personality traits of LIS students. Practical implications The findings of this study will help in the identification of LIS individual’s personality. The library managers can use these personality traits for the selection of suitable library professionals for their libraries. Originality/value This study can be valuable for the induction of new library professionals and also help managers in assigning the duties based on these personality traits.