Yiming Zhao , He Huang , Qian Li , Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao
{"title":"How user information search patterns impact learning outcomes across different stages of learning-related search tasks","authors":"Yiming Zhao , He Huang , Qian Li , Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101354","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101354","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As information search increasingly becomes a means of knowledge acquisition, improving user learning outcomes has become critical for users and search engines. To identify search patterns that lead to high learning outcomes, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to analyze data collected from a lab experiment. Six search patterns that optimize learning were proposed: active engagement, time-intensive exploration, sophisticated and efficient, simple and efficient, extensive querying, and comprehensive browsing. Users dynamically adopt these search patterns depending on their task cognitive level (receptive and critical) and search stage (early, middle, and late). By examining how interactions among variables affect learning outcomes, the limitations of traditional variance- and regression-based methods that examine the independent effects of single factors were overcome. This research pioneers the use of fsQCA in search as learning (SAL) studies, provides novel insights into the interplay of search behaviors and uncovers multiple configurational pathways to learning success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 2","pages":"Article 101354"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144105954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna-Maija Multas , Anna Suorsa , Teija Keränen , Heidi Enwald
{"title":"From collaboration to co-creation: Investigating information creation as mediated action in a research group workshop","authors":"Anna-Maija Multas , Anna Suorsa , Teija Keränen , Heidi Enwald","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Investigating information creation as mediated action offers a novel perspective to study information co-creation in groups and communities. This perspective considers all action to occur at the intersection of social practices and mediational means, the semiotic and material tools used. By employing nexus analysis as the methodological framework, the information creation practices, and mediational means used were investigated in a research group workshop. The primary data consists of video observation data from three teams. The findings show how information co-creation is shaped not only by immediate workshop interactions but also by long-term social and institutional structures. The materially mediated information creation practices involved rapid negotiation and adaptation to different semiotic and material tools. Specifically, previous experiences and hierarchical structures influenced how and by whom information was created. Practical implications underscore the importance of developing working conditions considering diverse backgrounds and complex leadership dynamics alongside the challenges posed by using varied material tools for information co-creation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 2","pages":"Article 101355"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144071093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gender differences in research topic and method convergence among collaborating scholars in library and information science","authors":"Chengzhi Zhang, Linlei Xie, Siqi Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gender differences in research topic choice and methodology among collaborating scholars were explored. Previous studies have focused on gender differences in research topics or methods at the individual level of scholars, without considering collaborating groups. Employing the Top2Vec method for topic identification and the CogFT model for research method classification, collaborative scholarship in library and information science was studied. A total of 25,204 papers published between 1990 and 2022 were systematically analyzed to investigate gender differences in the convergence of research topics and method choices among collaborating scholars in this field. Results of the study found that female scholars showed lower convergence in their research methods and topic choices compared to male scholars. Findings may serve as a reference for other disciplines and research questions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 2","pages":"Article 101353"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144105953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fernando Sánchez-Pita PhD, Álvaro Cabezas-Clavijo PhD
{"title":"Who cares about rural libraries? Tracking a neglected research topic in library and information science","authors":"Fernando Sánchez-Pita PhD, Álvaro Cabezas-Clavijo PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101356","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rural libraries have historically received minimal attention from the academic community despite their critical role in providing access to information, education, and recreational resources in rural areas. The state of research on rural libraries was examined. Drawing on a corpus of 159 publications from the Web of Science database covering the period from 1970 to 2023, research on rural libraries remains limited in both volume and influence. The field demonstrates low interconnectivity with other disciplines, with approximately 70 % of publications appearing in Library and Information Science (LIS) journals. Additionally, the visibility of this research is low, with merely 8.6 % of articles published in top-tier journals based on their impact factor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 2","pages":"Article 101356"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144105955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Virtual reality as a tool to alleviate library anxiety and promote service knowledge acquisition among visually impaired students","authors":"Yakannut Yensathit , Natchaya Wongwan , Pakinee Ariya , Kannikar Intawong , Kitti Puritat","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Visually impaired students often face significant anxiety when navigating library services, which can hinder their academic success. This study examines the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality application, Virtual Reality for Impaired Students in Library Services (VR-ISLS), designed to reduce library anxiety and enhance the acquisition of knowledge about library services for visually impaired students at a university in Thailand. Using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, the study integrates both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the application's impact. The findings indicate that VR-ISLS significantly increased students' knowledge of library services and reduced library anxiety, particularly by improving familiarity with library resources. However, challenges remain regarding interactions with library staff and overcoming emotional barriers. Recommendations for improvement include customizable features such as audio cues, adjustable text sizes, enhanced contrast settings, and customizable audio speeds. This study highlights the potential of using VR technology to create inclusive, accessible learning environments and offers practical insights into utilizing assistive technologies to reduce barriers for visually impaired students.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 2","pages":"Article 101357"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144071094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Setting out a methodological framework for undertaking effective reviews of national prison library services: Design of an inclusive methodology for the Irish Prison Library Review","authors":"Jessica Bates , Jayne Finlay , Susannah Hanlon","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prison library services in Ireland are inconsistent nationally and provision varies across sites, with a limited number of professional library staff working in the prison sector located primarily within only one geographic area. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA, Ireland) commissioned a review of prison library services in Ireland to examine how library services should operate. A challenge within prison librarianship involves closing the gap between international standards and policies, and the state of provision on the ground. By providing a detailed description of the review methodology, other researchers, policy makers, and practitioners can learn from the experiences and approach taken by this research team. This process of knowledge exchange is intended to assist anyone undertaking a review of library services and will also be of interest to those working in the field of prison librarianship. The review methodology sits within a broader context of change management and critical librarianship.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 2","pages":"Article 101358"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144115590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Travis L. Wagner , Kaitlin Montague , Vanessa L. Kitzie , Marie Radford , Bradley Wade Bishop
{"title":"Learning from digital disorientations: Navigating virtual and physical spaces in library and information science research during lockdowns and beyond","authors":"Travis L. Wagner , Kaitlin Montague , Vanessa L. Kitzie , Marie Radford , Bradley Wade Bishop","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101340","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101340","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The forced shift to virtual-first data collection resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic consequentially impacted Library and Information Science (LIS)-based qualitative and mixed methods researchers. Further, the ongoing presence of the COVID-19 pandemic forever altered the perceived norms and values of conducting research within virtual, as opposed to, physical environments. To understand the unique impacts of COVID-19 on virtually mediated LIS research this paper conducted four comparative case studies regarding the challenges and success of forced virtual research. Findings reveal that although a sudden shift from physical to virtual methods may not occur again, pandemic period research resulted in innovations related to accessibility and inclusivity using existing technologies. The pandemic also reinforced the unique role that LIS scholarship and praxis played in ensuring ethical and sustained research protocols from the planning stages through distributing and curating data for writing and publishing findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 1","pages":"Article 101340"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using a serial multiple-mediator SEM model to demonstrate the effect of program preparation, professional development opportunities, and comfort with technology on retention of BIPOC librarians","authors":"Kawanna Bright , Sunha Kim , Mónica Colón-Aguirre , Amy VanScoy , Ayiana Crabtree","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101342","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To explain the mechanisms that influence Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) librarians' intent to leave the profession, a serial multiple-mediator structural equation model (SEM) analysis was applied to an existing dataset (Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science 2). According to the results, both professional development opportunities and comfort with technology demonstrated significant negative direct and indirect associations with their intent to leave via an indirect path of job satisfaction. Also, combined with the perceived benefits of the graduate program via indirect paths, both professional development opportunities and comfort with technology contributed to the significant negative total effects on the intent to leave. This study provides empirical support to promote professional development opportunities and encourage comfort with technology as ways to improve the retention of BIPOC librarians.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 1","pages":"Article 101342"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143549741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiajing Liu , Honglei Lia Sun , Li Kuang , Jianming Zheng
{"title":"A longitudinal study of user continuance intention to use public digital cultural services","authors":"Jiajing Liu , Honglei Lia Sun , Li Kuang , Jianming Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101343","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101343","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Public digital cultural services (PDCS) have significant potential to address the public's fundamental digital cultural needs. The factors affecting PDCS user continuance intention and the longitudinal effects of these factors were explored. A conceptual model was developed and validated using structural equation modeling to analyze two waves of panel data collected from 277 PDCS users. The results suggest that the antecedent factors affecting PDCS user continuance intention include information quality and service quality, while mediating factors include satisfaction, perceived usefulness, flow experience, and expectation confirmation. In the early stage, the direct positive effect of service quality on perceived usefulness was stronger than that of information quality. In the later stage, the direct positive effects of flow experience on continuance intention, expectation confirmation on satisfaction, and information quality on expectation confirmation became statistically significant. This longitudinal study proposed a theoretical model that enhances the understanding of PDCS user continuance intention and provides practical implications for PDCS practitioners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 1","pages":"Article 101343"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decoding virtual chats: NLP insights into academic library services.","authors":"Jiebei Luo, Alyssa Brissett","doi":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.lisr.2025.101344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assessing unstructured data from virtual reference chats is complex. Full-text reveals nuances but is time-consuming, while transcript metadata gives an overview but may miss important details in the conversation. This research applies a machine learning (ML) tool to the complete set of transcripts from a research university's chat reference service (2017–2022) to examine evolving trends and patron needs in the library reference service. The study has two key objectives: 1) demonstrating ML's effectiveness in the academic library setting, and 2) assessing the impact of COVID-19 on chat reference needs. A text classification model, trained on 1.5 % of the sample, achieves a 75 % accuracy match with human annotations. Findings indicate a marked rise in circulation-related inquiries as libraries transitioned to fully online services during the pandemic. Notably, user behaviors remain consistent even after the pandemic. This study highlights ML's potential to analyze large-scale unstructured data effectively in the academic library setting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47618,"journal":{"name":"Library & Information Science Research","volume":"47 1","pages":"Article 101344"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143534746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}