Purpose – This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the specific roles information professionals have adopted in the past 14 years. It aims to identify the roles reported in the literature concerning developments in the Library and Information Science (LIS) profession. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted the method of systematic review. Searches were conducted in February and March 2014 on different LIS databases. From a total of 600 papers, 114 were selected, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A thorough full-text analysis of the papers revealed six roles that librarians have adopted: teachers, technology specialists, embedded librarians, information consultants, knowledge managers and subject librarians. Findings – New and evolving roles were identified, mainly in the context of academic libraries. Librarians’ educational responsibilities and their active involvement in the learning and research process were highlighted in all role categories identified. Collaboration among faculty and librarians was reported as a way of ensuring successful instruction. Librarians’ personal views of their new and emerging roles were more frequently reported; further research is needed to shed light on academics, students and other users’ perceptions of librarians’ engagement in the learning process. Research limitations – The study considered only peer-reviewed papers published between 2000 and 2014 in English. It focused on information professionals’ roles and not on librarians’ skills and their changing professional responsibilities. Originality/value – This review paper considers the development of the LIS profession in a changing environment and offers an understanding of the future direction of the LIS profession.

Purpose – This paper aims to review the literature on mobile information services. It considers only peer-reviewed papers published in English between 2004 and 2014. Design/methodology/approach – The method of systematic review was adopted to collect and analyse the relevant literature. The searches were conducted during the last week of July 2014 on different databases, and in total, 76 papers were considered after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings – Seven themes emerged: “introducing mobile libraries”, “reporting on current trends”, “exploring users’ perceptions of libraries’ mobile services”, “presenting libraries’ mobile services”, “presenting mobile technology use in libraries”, “reporting case studies” and “reporting on evaluation of libraries’ mobile services”. It is evident that research on mobile libraries is very recent and focuses mainly on raising the Library and Information Science profession’s awareness of providing mobile information services. Research limitations – This literature review focused only on peer-reviewed papers published between 2004 and 2014 in English. Originality/value – This paper summarises and critically presents the relevant literature on libraries offering mobile information services. It informs libraries and librarians’ understanding of recent developments in mobile technology for the successful provision of information services.

Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: (2015),"Reducing library space can promote the shift from storage of print-collections towards a learning-centre without limiting the access to information", Library Management, Vol. 36 Iss 8/9 pp. 685-689 http://dx.(2015),"Public library managers' descriptions of political attention", Library Management, Vol. 36 Iss 8/9 pp. 673-684 http://dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -Library and Information Science (LIS) has for a long time tried to gain legitimacy. In an ever changing environment due to technological and economic developments, the motivations behind choice of LIS are still of great interest. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of studies investigating the motivations that determine the choice of LIS. Design/methodology/approach -Different search terms were run on different but relevant databases. A number of inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied and in total 45 papers were judged as relevant to choice of LIS discipline. A thorough analysis of these papers' content revealed three main themes: choice of LIS, choice of LIS specialty and career change to LIS. Findings -A variety of different motivations for choosing LIS were identified. The same motivations were reported in all groups (high school students, students, professionals). Specifically, love of books and reading, nature of library work, desire to help people were among the most reported motivations. LIS was also chosen as a second career by different professionals mainly due to changes in their first career work environment, the nature of library work, the desire to use knowledge and the transferable skills in their new career. Research limitations/implications -This study considered only peer-reviewed research published between 2000 and 2014 in English. Specifically, it focussed on the motivations that specific groups chose to study LIS both as first and second career. Practical implications -Library schools could raise awareness among high school students regarding the value, role and importance of LIS. Originality/value -This paper examines the factors influencing the choice of LIS in a changing information environment, and sheds light on the individua...

Δημοσιεύσεις μελών--ΣΔΟ--Τμήμα Βιβλιοθηκονομίας και Συστημάτων Πληροφόρησης, 2014Purpose – Social networking sites are becoming more and more popular triggering an increase in published research and impacting different aspects of daily life. One such aspect concerns libraries and librarians and the way they have adopted social networking sites. The purpose of this paper is to present a selective review on libraries’ adoption and use of a specific social networking site such as Facebook in order to promote their services. Design/methodology/approach – The method of selective review is employed to identify, document and present the relevant literature in a structured and annotated way. More specifically, all types of documents published between 2006 and 2012 are considered. In addition, the papers are assigned based on their expressed aim/s to emerged themes and sub-themes. Findings – It was found that the main body of the reported literature focused on reporting experiences, problems and lessons learned from building a presence on Facebook. A few studies aimed to explore users’ and librarians’ perspectives towards social networking sites whereas there is a strong need for specific guidelines to assist libraries and librarians in adopting Facebook. Research limitations/implications – This systematic literature review consists of articles published between 2006 and 2012. Originality/value – This paper contributes to identifying, collecting and presenting research regarding the use of Facebook in the field of library science. In addition, it identifies and summarises the main problems and challenges libraries and librarians are faced with when employing Facebook

Purpose – The paper aims to present a critical review on the adoption and use of Twitter in libraries. Twitter, a microblogging service, is becoming more and more popular among libraries as a means of reaching users and as a marketing tool for their services. Design/methodology/approach – The method of systematic review is used to identify, collect and critically present all relevant literature. Papers’ aims were analyzed to identify the emergent themes and sub-themes in an effort to gain a better understanding of libraries’ use of Twitter. Findings – A systematic and critical analysis of the literature revealed the specific reasons why a library should adopt Twitter; the specific examples and thoughts on how Twitter could be used to promote libraries’ interests; the different ways Twitter had affected diverse aspects and functionalities of libraries; and the attempts to provide guidelines for librarians. Research limitations/implications – This literature review has implications for research in that libraries could explore the way public view their presence on social networking sites such as Twitter to better gain from it. In addition, it indicates what libraries should expect when they adopt Twitter. This study reviews only papers published between 2007 and 2013 in the English language. Originality/value – This paper contributes in identifying, collecting, analyzing and critically presenting published research referring to the adoption of Twitter in the field of Library Science. In addition, it identifies and discusses the main issues librarians and libraries need to consider, when faced with the challenge of adopting Twitter.

Purpose Mobile technology has redefined the way people communicate and interact. In education, the number of academic institutions developing and offering mobile information services is growing steadily. The purpose of this paper is to identify the use of mobile technology by the Library Science and Information Systems undergraduate students in Greece. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was developed drawing from the relevant literature and sent to undergraduate students studying Library and Information Science during the 2014-2015 academic year. Findings It was found that students employed mobile phones for entertainment purposes whereas laptops and desktop computers for performing education-related tasks. Laptops and desktop computers were again mostly used to access library services, namely the OPAC, reference books, journals. Research limitations/implications Academic institutions need to offer services and adopt online learning platforms supported in mobile devices. Students from other disciplines and their acceptance of mobile technology should be explored. Originality/value This study identifies the specific mobile devices that students use to perform a variety of activities, educational and social, as well as the reasons for doing so.

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a systematic review on library and information science (LIS) profession’s image and stereotypes from 1999 to 2013. In particular, it aims to identify and analyze the prevailing images of librarians in various contexts and explore possible changes occurring over time. Design/methodology/approach – The method of systematic review is adopted to identify the prevailing images in LIS profession. Specifically, 60 papers were selected and five main themes emerged such as “public’s perceptions”, “librarians’ perceptions”, “students’ perceptions”, “mass media” and “image as an issue” after a thorough analysis of papers’ aim. Findings – It was found that librarians were negatively perceived by both the wider public and the students. In terms of mass media, the image of “the old maid” was dominant, whereas newspapers focused on the male librarian who was perceived as glamorous. Positive stereotypes were also found in children books. On the whole, librarian’s image and relevant stereotypes have not changed considerably over time. Research limitations/implications – This literature review considered only papers published between 2000 and 2013 and only in English mainly due to language restrictions. Originality/value – This review identifies, critically analyzes and discusses the literature on the prevailing images and stereotypes associated with LIS profession in the past 13 years. In addition, it attempts to identify and discuss any changes that occurred in this time frame.

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