K P Singh

Role and users’ approach to social networking sites (SNSs): a study of universities of North India

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and assess the awareness and extent of the use of social networking sites (SNSs) by the students and research scholars of universities of North India. Design/methodology/approach – The study is a questionnaire-based survey on the usage of SNSs among the students and research scholars of the universities of North India. The data of the study were collected through questionnaires, which were personally distributed to the identified population, i.e. undergraduate students, postgraduate students and research scholars, by the authors. The survey was based on a sample of 610 questionnaires; of which, 486 questionnaires were received, having a response rate of 79.67 per cent. Findings – The study showed that all the respondents were found to be aware of and making use of such applications in their academic affairs. It was revealed from the study that Facebook is the most popular SNS by all categories of respondents. To determine the purpose of SNSs, it emerged that SNSs are mostly used for entertainment and communication. The study also found that the majority of respondents were aware about the security aspects of SNSs. It signifies that excessive time consumption and fear of misusing personal information were the major hurdles in the way of accessing SNSs. Research limitations/implications – The study covers the students and research scholars of select universities of North India. It also signifies the use of SNSs in their research and academic environment. Originality/value – The paper provides reliable and authentic data. The study is worth, justifiable and enlightens the salient findings on the topic, which will be very useful for researchers in this area.

Web 2.0 technologies in libraries: a survey of periodical literature published by Emerald

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the growth and development of periodical literature on Web 2.0 technologies and their other fields.Design/methodology/approach – Bibliographic data of the articles published in the 13 leading peer‐reviewed journals are obtained from the Emerald database (www.emeraldinsight.com) directly using such keywords as “Web 2.0”, “blogs”, “wikis”, “RSS”, “social networking sites”, “podcasts”, “Mashup”, and multimedia sharing tools, i.e. YouTube and Flickr. The bibliographical surrogates such as author, title, subtitle, source, issue, volume, pages, etc. were recorded in MS‐Excel (2010) sheet for the analysis and interpretation of data. A bibliography of selected articles is provided.Findings – The study found 206 research articles on the subject published in 13 leading library and information science journals of Emerald for period 2007‐2011. Further, the study found that 2009 was the most productive year with 69 articles. The study observed Online Information Review...

Publication trends in library and information science: A bibliometric analysis of Library Management journal

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to explore the publication trends of the scholarly journal Library Management, and highlight its various important aspects. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents results of bibliometric analysis of 336 articles which were published during the period 2006-2012, in the Library Management journal of Emerald. Findings – The results indicate that the majority of the contributions by single authors and most cited documents are journal articles. The study highlights the chronological distribution of articles, authorship pattern, geographical distribution of authors, institutions wise distribution, citation pattern and length of articles. Originality/value – As yet there have been no such studies conducted that investigate the various aspects of Library Management journal. It evaluates the publication trends of the journal and has important implications for scholars and researchers.

Professional Inclination of Library and Information Science (LIS) Students of India: A Study of Socioeconomic Background and Career Choice Factors

The purpose of the study is to assess the professional inclination, academic and social background, family status and their occupation, gender distribution, choice of work, and their perceptions of aspirant LIS students. The study examined the various career choice factors and sources of motivation that influence the students of LIS profession. The data has been collected from the 251 LIS students’ enrolled five prominent universities of North India. The results indicate that majority of female students join the LIS profession because of employment opportunities. Most of the respondents are from rural areas, hails to middle class families and their educational background in Arts/Humanities and Social Science subjects. Majority of the respondents choose the LIS profession as primary career because for the better employment possibilities. The study recommends the public awareness about the LIS profession in India.

Books Published in Punjabi: A Case Study of Bhasha Vibhag, Punjab

The study presents the contribution of Bhasha Vibhag, Punjab in publication of Punjabi books. The study shows bibliometric analysis of 1278 books published during the period 1953–2014 by the Bhasha Vibhag, Punjab. The study examines various bibliometric parameters such as authorship pattern, year/decade wise distribution, format and language wise analysis, subject distribution and pagination pattern. The results indicate that majority of the books produced by single authors and large amount of books were published on Punjabi literature.

Publication Output of Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge: A Bibliometric Analysis

The study highlights results of bibliometric analysis of 671 articles published during the period 2009–2014 (six years) in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge published by CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR). The study examines various bibliometric parameters such as authorship pattern, geographical distribution, reference pattern, types of publications cited, subject distribution and length of articles. The results indicate that majority of the articles produced by universities and majority of the papers were contributed by two authors.

Information Needs and Information Seeking Behavior of Foreign Students in University of Delhi: A Survey

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information needs and information seeking behavior of foreign students. A survey method was used for the undertaken study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire, self-administered to 120 foreign students (60 males & 60 females) with 88 (47 males & 41 females) returns. The research is limited to post-graduate, M.Phil. and Ph.D. foreign students in University of Delhi. It was found that post-graduate students need information regarding their program of study while research scholars need information for writing research articles and for doing their research work. Most of them seek information through the internet. Research scholars used electronic resources such as databases, e-journals and e-theses and dissertations. 88.6% of the respondents also use books for seeking information. Their use of the library is limited with complaints about library staff and too few computer terminals. The present study will be helpful in designing new systems and services for the foreign students so that their information needs can be fulfilled easily. Further, findings of the study indicate that how the library professionals should assist foreign students to accomplish their information needs.

Characteristics and Characterization of literature used by the researchers in geography: A citation analysis of Ph.D. theses

This paper analyzes the citations of 24 Ph.D. theses submitted to the University of Delhi in the discipline of geography during 1995-2008. The study covers 4125 citations. Citation analysis have been carried out to find the types of cited documents, authorship pattern and collaborative coefficient, the chronological distribution of citations, geographical distribution of citations, to know the Indian and foreign information sources and highly cited authors journals. The study finds that highest numbers of citations 40.2% were from books, Single authorship was dominant with 62%. The country-wise scattering of citations reveals that 60.7% citations were from India and it was followed by USA and UK. ‘Economic & Political Weekly’ occupies 1st rank among the 109 journals.

Agricultural Associations in India: A Study

Agriculture is a vital component to the Indian economy and is necessary to all our daily needs. The professional associations are committed to accelerate the growth and development of agricultural education, research and extension in the country. The present study explores the quantitative and qualitative growth of the agricultural associations in India and their nomenclature. Study also highlights the various activities undertaken by the agricultural associations in promotion of agricultural publications, organisation of conferences/seminars, fellowships/scholarships/awards. A list of agricultural associations in the country is also provided.