Ziming Liu

Reading behavior in the digital environment : Changes in reading behavior over the past ten years

Purpose – This study attempts to investigate reading behavior in the digital environment by analyzing how peoples reading behavior has changed over the past ten years.Design/methodology/approach – Survey and analysis methods are employed.Findings – With an increasing amount of time spent reading electronic documents, a screen‐based reading behavior is emerging. The screen‐based reading behavior is characterized by more time spent on browsing and scanning, keyword spotting, one‐time reading, non‐linear reading, and reading more selectively, while less time is spent on in‐depth reading, and concentrated reading. Decreasing sustained attention is also noted. Annotating and highlighting while reading is a common activity in the printed environment. However, this “traditional” pattern has not yet migrated to the digital environment when people read electronic documents.Originality/value – Implications for the changes in reading behavior are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

Print vs. electronic resources: a study of user perceptions, preferences, and use

The arrival and proliferation of electronic resources and digital libraries have a number of significant impacts on the use of print resources and traditional libraries. This study explores the extent to which graduate students in a metropolitan university setting use print and electronic resources. Reading preferences and use of print and electronic resources vary among different disciplines. Graduate students seem to expect a hybrid of print and electronic resources. They desire to meet their information needs through a mix of print and online resources, even though reasons for supplementing another type of resource differ. Circumstances that affect the selection of use between digital libraries and traditional libraries are also discussed.

Gender differences in the online reading environment

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore gender differences in the online reading environment.Design/methodology/approach – Survey and analysis methods are employed.Findings – Survey results reveal that female readers have a stronger preference for paper as a reading medium than male readers, whereas male readers exhibit a greater degree of satisfaction with online reading than females. Additionally, males and females differ significantly on the dimension of selective reading and sustained attention.Originality/value – Understanding gender differences would enable a better understanding of the changing reading behavior in the online environment, and to develop more effective digital reading devices. Factors affecting gender differences in the online reading environment are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

Trends in transforming scholarly communication and their implications

Scholarly communication is undergoing transformation under the confluence of many forces. The purpose of this article is to explore trends in transforming scholarly publishing and their implications. It examines how collaboration and volume of information production were changed over the past century. It also explores how older documents are used under todays network environment where new information is easily accessible. Understanding these trends would help us design more effective electronic scholarly publishing systems and digital libraries, and serve the needs of scholars more responsively.

Trust in the preservation of digital information

An institutional guarantee can help address the major hurdle of digital preservation---winning peoples trust.

The evolution of documents and its impacts

This article examines the evolution of documents and its impacts from the following aspects: information density, longevity, uniqueness, duplicability, mobility, connectivity, and integration. It focuses on the consequences of the shift from printed media to digital media. By looking back on their evolution, we are able to see how the notions and functions of documents change over time, and the resulting impacts on individuals, organizations, and society.

A comparative study of library and information science education: China and the United States

Abstract This paper delineates the historical retrospective and current status of library and information science education in China. Emphases are on analysing the similarities and differences in origin, evolution, scale, structure, curriculum, faculty and students in library and information science education between China and the United States. Possible causes are also explored. The golden age of Chinas library education in the 1980s and the disastrous Great Cultural Revolution, both clearly show that Chinas political situation has a greater influence on its library education than does the US political situation on American library education. On the other hand, it seems that the impact of financial resources and job market for librarians on American library education is more influential than on Chinas. It has become clear that Chinas substantial progress in the 1980s has reduced the gap between the two countries.

Changing Behaviour in the Transborder Information Flow under Different Political Circumstances.

Global communication cannot be understood without taking international relations into account, since both are so dynamically intertwined that it is impossible to explore international information flow without looking at the political realities. In this article, content and translation in Chinese library and information science literature in different political circumstances (1890‐1949; 1949‐1962; 1963‐1976; 1977‐1989) were used to examine the changing behaviour in trans‐ border information flow. It was found that transborder information flow is dynamic and the direction of flow is heavily influenced by the political realities.

A Comparative Study of Library and Information Science Education

AbstractThis paper delineates the historical retrospective and current status of library and information science education in China. Emphases are on analysing the similarities and differences in origin, evolution, scale, structure, curriculum, faculty and students in library and information science education between China and the United States. Possible causes are also explored. The golden age of China’s library education in the 1980s and the disastrous Great Cultural Revolution, both clearly show that China’s political situation has a greater influence on its library education than does the US political situation on American library education. On the other hand, it seems that the impact of financial resources and job market for librarians on American library education is more influential than on China’s. It has become clear that China’s substantial progress in the 1980s has reduced the gap between the two countries.