This study examines the future of libraries in Nigeria during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), when advanced technologies will change the way people live and work. It explores the outlook from the perspective of six academic librarians drawn from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The survey findings reveal that the Fourth Industrial…

This paper reviews recent literature on massive open online courses (MOOCs) and their impact on Library and Information Science (LIS) education, describing the features and types of MOOCs, as well as their disruptive nature, pedagogical impact and use in traditional classroom settings. Concerns with high dropout rates and the lack of a business…

Governments around the world propose to improve urban life by creating smart cities filled with sensors and other digital technologies that would collect large amounts of data about citizens and their activities. Ideally, smart cities would use the information they gather to enhance the urban environment and improve the quality of life of their…

The e-book is raising fundamental questions around the dynamics and habits of reading; the role of books in the academic library; and the role of librarians in addressing new realities of reading and learning. Print and digital texts foster different styles of reading and different ways of thinking and doing research. This paper examines…

The mission of school librarians in the digital age of information gathering and messaging has not undergone any real change of focus. Even though the tools and methods available for accessing information have significantly altered the way people now use library services, school libraries remain a constant place to make valuable discoveries. The…

Information anxiety is a serious issue that has the potential to hinder the success of a large percentage of the population in both education and professional settings. It has become more prevalent as societies begin to focus more on the value of technology, multitasking, and instant information access. The majority of the population has felt, to…

This article presents the findings of a small study that examined the relationship between academic librarians and their academic colleagues in a number of institutions in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There is an abundance of literature outlining how librarians should collaborate with their academic colleagues but less emphasis on…

In the last two decades, fundamental changes in information distribution, in the general economy, and in the behaviors of faculty, students, and library staff have problematized the question of an academic library's value and how it can be measured. This article reviews those changes and, drawing on research linked to the Collegiate Learning…

Although it is pretty easy to find colleagues who will express fatigue or frustration about the constant need for libraries to prove their value proposition, there is also an upside to the exercise of crafting a message that justifies librarians' mission. The catch is that however good their crafted message may be, they must forget about ever…

The core mission of libraries has always centered on making content and related services available to patrons. The form in which that content is delivered has changed continually. The most ancient libraries or archives organized clay tablets or cylinders written in cuneiform. Centuries ago, the transition from scrolls to codices must have been…

Introduction: This paper concerns the ontological position of library and informations science in the networked society. The aim of the study is to understand library use and library functions in the age of Internet and artificial intelligent programmed search engines. Theoretical approach: The approach discusses so called sociocognitive tools in…

At the time of writing the original paper my viewpoint was a personal one, one that focussed on the status within the profession of equally qualified librarians based purely on the perceived status conferred by the type of libraries in which they worked. However, it must now be observed that the world in which public librarians operated then was…

Society's view of the library has changed with each passing generation. What was once a quiet building full of books intended for the studious researcher is now becoming a place that combines print and technology, to encourage both the interactive and visual learners. Today's kids have access to both hardbound books as well as online resources,…

In 2008, we started by pulling a sample of 483 public libraries from across the country, using 2007 public library annual report data. Because small libraries have different needs and resources than larger libraries, we stratified the sample to make comparisons by size, according to the following population groups: fewer than 10,000 served;…

Public libraries have traditionally provided key inputs to support lifelong learning. More recently, significant social and technological changes have challenged this sector to redefine their role in this field. For most public libraries in Europe this has meant continuing their role as providers of information and advice while increasing services…