We analyze the perceptions of Social Sciences faculty about their own information and digital competence and that of their students, as well as the changes that have occurred as a consequence of the virtualization of learning caused by the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). The methodology used is qualitative, being based on the application of two techniques: discussion groups carried out with experienced faculty from three Spanish universities, and interviews carried out with the same sample after the suspension of face-to-face teaching. The results show that the faculty members participating in this study have a critical vision of the information and digital competence of the student body, indicating that they lack capacity for evaluation, critical use, and communication of information despite their mastery of technological tools and extensive use of mobile devices. In addition, they doubt their own ability to train students in this competence, and attribute the difficulty in achieving and promoting such learning to various factors of the university culture: a lack of coordination among teaching staff, who are sometimes in situations of job insecurity, or the way in which the European Higher Education Area has been applied in universities. Faculty recognize the basic and transversal nature of this competence and advocate its incorporation into the real work methodology of all subjects, not in a segregated way. Finally, the effort made towards the “virtual” development of teaching as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a shock for faculty, who declare a positive attitude towards reviewing their own digital-informative practices to adapt their teaching, but believe that this has hardly resulted in any improvement in the information and digital competence of their students so far.

This paper reports the use of solar heating by polyethylene mulching for decontamination of a silty clay-loam soil polluted with herbicides. Soil solarization, a natural and hydrothermal method commonly used for disinfesting soils, was tested during the summer season on a Hipercalcic Calcisol located in Murcia (southeast Spain) for dissipation of s-triazine (simazine and terbuthylazine) and phenylurea (isoproturon and methabenzthiazuron) herbicides using low-density (LD) and high-density (HD) polyethylene (PE) film as a cover. A well-established influence of the film was observed on the dissipation of all herbicides from the soil, although the density (0.92-0.95 g/cm(3)) of the film used (LDPE and HDPE) was not significant in terms of the rate of loss. In all cases, a quick depletion during the first 2 weeks was observed, mainly for terbuthylazine. The first-order model satisfactorily explained the dissipation process, but the Hoerl and biexponential equations were more appropriate, mainly for simazine, isoproturon, and methabenzthiazuron. In all cases, herbicides disappeared at faster rates in solarized soils (DT(50) = 4-29 days) than in nonmulched soils (DT(50) = 11-35 days), especially for terbuthylazine and isoproturon.

José-Antonio Gómez-Hernández, PhD in arts with honors and bachelor in contemporary history, has been a professor of librarianship since 1988 at the University of Murcia (UM), where he currently teaches on library management and on educational and cultural services. AbstractThis research is based on two qualitative techniques applied to further understand the levels of digital risk or empowerment of vulnerable users visiting Murcia Regional Library. Library users and staff, social workers, and the three most recent library managers were interviewed; participatory observation was applied. We studied the exclusion factors of users, their motivation for using library services, and their information and digital competencies. We conclude that these persons use the library primarily as a center for both leisure and media Internet purposes and also occasionally to study or job search. Nevertheless, and above all, they value the library as a comfortable, normalized, and inclusive space, in which they feel integrated and where, without limits, they can stay for leisure or practical purposes. KeywordsMurcia Regional Library; User studies; Public library; Vulnerable users; Digital divide; Digital literacy; Digital inclusion. ResumenPara conocer el grado de empoderamiento o riesgo de exclusión digital de los usuarios en situación vulnerable que acuden a la Biblioteca Regional de Murcia se diseñó una investigación cualitativa basada en dos técnicas: la entrevista (a usuarios, a personal bibliotecario, a técnicos de entidades sociales y a los tres últimos directores de la biblioteca) y la observación participante. Estudiamos los factores de exclusión de los sujetos, sus motivaciones para utilizar los servicios bibliotecarios y su valoración de los mismos, así como su nivel de acceso a las tecnologías y su competencia digital. Se concluye que estas personas, aunque utilizan la biblioteca primeramente como centro de conexión a Internet con fines tanto de ocio como de comunicación y de estudio o búsqueda de empleo, valoran también la socialización que logran en la biblioteca como espacio confortable, normalizado e inclusivo en el que se sienten integrados y donde se desenvuelven sin limitaciones para fines lúdicos o funcionales.

Spanish university libraries have had to adapt their services to the virtual environment after the classroom-based teaching lockdown in March 2020 due to Covid-19. Given the possibility of a greater virtual dimension of learning and teaching during the next academic year, these library services should be improved. This paper analyzes how university libraries are strengthening their support for online learning and are progressively being integrated into the virtual campus, as well as the actions that are necessary to enhance these services and the main difficulties perceived by their librarians. For this purpose, a sample of professionals from university libraries was interviewed, and the research literature on this subject was also reviewed to identify the main international experiences that can be considered as benchmarks for improving virtual library services. Both the research literature and the librarians interviewed agree on two aspects: the need to increase collaboration with other university departments and the wide scope for improvement in the integration of the library into online learning, which is currently limited. Resumen Las bibliotecas universitarias españolas se han visto obligadas a adaptar sus servicios al entorno virtual tras el cierre de las aulas en marzo de 2020 con motivo del estado de alarma decretado a causa de la Covid-19. Ante la perspectiva de un nuevo curso con un mayor componente digital en la docencia, estos servicios necesitarán fortalecerse. En este artículo se analiza qué acciones están desarrollando las bibliotecas universitarias para reforzar el apoyo a la enseñanza online y su integración en el campus virtual, así como las posibles mejoras y limitaciones que encuentran. Para ello se ha consultado a una selección de profesionales de bibliotecas universitarias y se ha revisado además la bibliografía en busca de experiencias en otros países que puedan servir como referente. Tanto la bibliografía como las personas consultadas coinciden en dos aspectos: la necesidad de colaboración con otros departamentos de la universidad y el amplio margen de mejora posible en la integración de la biblioteca en la enseñanza online, que en la actualidad es escasa.

This paper examines students' self-assessment of their information literacy, presenting a study involving 1,575 social science students at five Spanish universities. Data were collected and analyzed through a validated instrument that measures the variables of (1) the students' belief in the importance of information literacy skills; (2) self-efficacy, the students' faith in their ability to master those skills; and (3) the students' main source of learning information competencies. The groups of competencies studied were information search, information evaluation, information processing, and information communication. The results reveal an overall low perceived selfefficacy and provide a clear overview of the current state of information literacy among social science students in Spain.