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.
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...
The present study examines the impact of austerity measures on the academic community. The Technological Educational Institute of Athens served as our case study. It was selected because it is the second largest higher education institution in Greece, and has students of a diverse socio-economic background. Data were obtained through an analysis of institution financial statements and other documents depicting budgets, human resources, infrastructure, in an attempt to study their impact on the resulting quality of education. In addition, through the use of questionnaires we evaluated the impact of austerity measures and the economic crisis on both academic staff and students in relation to their performance, the quality of education, and their plans for educational and professional trajectories. Finally, and given the pending merging or even closure of some departments, faculties and/or institutions throughout the country, we examined the effects on people's attitudes towards educational and research activities.
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.
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