Proposing an information value chain to improve information services to disabled library patrons using assistive technologies

Abstract

Information services offered by academic libraries increasingly rely on assistive technologies (AT) to facilitate disabled patrons’ retrieval and use of information for learning and teaching. However, disabled patrons’ access to AT might not always lead to their use, resulting in the underutilization of information services offered by academic libraries. We adopt an inward-looking, service innovation perspective to improve information services for disabled patrons using AT. The open coding of qualitative responses collected from administrators and librarians in 186 academic libraries in public universities in the United States, reveals 10 mechanisms (i.e. modified work practices), which involve searching, compiling, mixing, framing, sharing, or reusing information, and learning from it. Based on this information-centric reorganisation of work practices, we propose an ‘information value chain’, like Porter’s value chain, for improving information services to disabled patrons using AT in academic libraries, which is the major theoretical contribution of our study.

Role of gatekeeping on Facebook in creating information benefits for vulnerable, pregnant women in the rural United States

“…the "Why" dimension) and (b) a set of activities (i.e. the "How" dimension) (Porter, 2011;Potnis and Mallary, 2021), but the 16 information benefits, which respond to the "What" question, help our study add benefits as the third dimension to the value chain conceptualization. Findings also show that online communities with controlled information and interactions have the potential to make a positive change in the lives of vulnerable populations.…”

“…Libraries creating value for their patrons by reproducing, exchanging, transferring, refining, analyzing, interpreting and regenerating information (Fattahi and Afshar, 2006) exemplify "information as a resource" in a value chain. Potnis and Mallary (2021) propose an "information value chain" for improving information services to disabled patrons using assistive technologies in academic libraries. Their information value chain consists of ten mechanisms that involve searching, compiling, mixing, framing, sharing and reusing information and learning from it.…”

“…Past studies (e.g. Kleinschmidt et al, 2016;Potnis and Mallary, 2021) show that information can be a resource or a value in an information value chain (see 2.2). Characteristics and types of information given further show that information acts as a resource in the case of the VBAC group on Facebook.…”

Familiarity and understanding of assistive technology among visually impaired users of libraries of special institutes of Haryana, India

“…In the context of libraries, the literature review found that most VIUs face a lot of challenges in accessing library premises and especially information resources due to a lack of the necessary AT, so libraries must provide an accessible environment for VIUs and deploy adequate AT facilities to provide equitable access to the library resources (Tripathi and Shukla, 2014;Dodamani and Dodamani, 2019). A study confirmed that AT is essential for academic libraries to provide the required information services to VIUs, and it helps them retrieve and apply information for their educational needs (Potnis and Mallary, 2021). Sanaman and Kumar (2014) also supported that AT is urgently needed in academic libraries to enhance and improve information accessibility for DAPs.…”

Cloud Data Resources and Library Subject Information Services

“…With the in-depth development of subject service in university libraries, subject service was first proposed by developed countries such as Europe and the United States, and in 1981, the library of Carnegie Mellon University in the United States took the lead in proposing the tracking service [1][2]. Domestic theoretical research began in 1996, and so far, there have been nearly 20 years of development.…”