Evgenia Vassilakaki

A systematic literature review informing library and information professionals’ emerging roles

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. Collaborati...

The impact of Facebook on libraries and librarians: a review of the literature

Purpose – 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 lib...

The impact of Twitter on libraries: a critical review of the literature

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 libr...

Identifying the prevailing images in library and information science profession: is the landscape changing?

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 st...

Library Facebook practices for creating and promoting a professional profile

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth insight on librarians’ use of the social networking site Facebook as a way to connect and promote interaction with library users. A series of common practices for building and maintaining a Facebook page for information professionals are thoroughly and critically presented. Design/methodology/approach – Two methods were employed for the purposes of this study. Specifically, a systematic review was adopted to identify all the relevant literature concerning librarian’s use of Facebook, and a content analysis of the literature to identify the specific Facebook features used, the way these were employed by librarians, and the reasons these specific features were chosen. Findings – In total, 12 Facebook features used by librarians in the literature were identified through content analysis. The creation of the librarian’s Facebook Profile was the most important featured employed followed by Groups Messages, Wall Posts, Events and Friends. Research li...

How public library users perceive the information professional: is the image transforming?

Purpose This study aims to investigate public library users’ perceptions of information professionals. Specifically, it focuses on exploring users’ perceptions regarding librarians’ status, work duties, performed work and educational background. Design/methodology/approach The method of questionnaire was used to enquire on the users’ perceptions of six different public libraries in the wide area of Attica, Greece. Between November 2014 and February 2015, 320 questionnaires were distributed, and, in total, 291 users participated in the study with response rate 90.9 per cent. Findings This research revealed that public library users have a positive image of the librarians’ status, duties and work performed. Users acknowledge that it is important for librarians to obtain a bachelor’s degree in library and information science (LIS) education and specialized LIS knowledge, as well as general, pedagogical and new technologies knowledge to perform their tasks. Overall, “serving of people” predominates as a task and a series of collection-oriented tasks. Research limitations/implications Perceptions of non-users of public libraries and public librarians themselves were not examined in this study. In addition, some user groups based on level of education (e.g. doctoral degree) had a low level of participation. Originality/value It is one of the few studies that examined public library users’ perceptions of information professionals.

Identifying the uses of mobile technology among Library and Information Science undergraduate students

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.

An Exploration of Users’ Needs for Multilingual Information Retrieval and Access

The need for promoting Multilingual Information Retrieval (MLIR) and Access (MLIA) has become evident, now more than ever, given the increase of the online information produced daily in languages other than English. This study aims to explore users’ information needs when searching for information across languages. Specifically, the method of questionnaire was employed to shed light on the Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduate students’ use of search engines, databases, digital libraries when searching as well as their needs for multilingual access. This study contributes in informing the design of MLIR systems by focusing on the reasons and situations under which users would search and use information in multiple languages.

Greek public libraries in economic crisis: the past, the present and the future

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges that the current economic crisis has posed for Greek public and municipal libraries. Design/methodology/approach – This is a viewpoint paper discussing the past, present and future directions that Greek public and municipal libraries have adopted or should adopt in the context of the present economic crisis. Findings – Greek public and municipal libraries ought to see the economic crisis as a challenge for development, improvement and the promotion of their presence and role in the community which they serve. Originality/value – The paper discusses the factors affecting the past and present situation relating to public and municipal libraries in Greece and addresses the future challenges for promoting development and innovation.

Users’ Information Search Behavior in a Professional Search Environment:

Searching and retrieving information, especially in the context of a professional search environment, can be an arduous task. Professional search is defined as “interactive information retrieval performed by professionals in a specific domain” [1]. These searchers have competencies and skills in searching and as such demand high quality information retrieved and are willing to spend time to find the required information. This chapter aims to analyse research into users’ search behaviors in professional search enviroments. The method of systematic review was adopted and two types of studies were identified “system-centered” and “user-centered” studies. An emphasis was placed on the methods each type of study adopted to meet its purposes. It was found that system-centered studies employed mainly quantitative methods (Log analysis) to evaluate system’s performance and retrieval techniques whereas user-centered studies adopted mainly qualitative methods to provide an insight into users’ behaviors. In addition, system-centered studies examined users’ behavior as a series of clicks, search terms employed and features used to develop systems that satisfy user’s information needs. In contrast, user-centered studies explored users’ behavior with the view to identify the specific search processes, thoughts and decisions made while searching as well as the factors affecting their search behaviors. This chapter contributes to providing an understanding of both the methods and approaches adopted to study users’ behavior in a professional search environment.