This article presents an analysis of technological resources in makerspaces within academic libraries in the United States. This study aims to address the following research questions: How many academic libraries in the United States have makerspaces? What technological resources are available there? How many resources of each type are present in these makerspaces? What staffing models are employed, and what user support services are provided? To achieve this aim, academic libraries were selected as the units of analysis. The official websites of these libraries were reviewed. Data were collected in 2025. The identified technological resources were classified into the following categories: digital fabrication, electronics and embedded systems, emerging and specialized technologies, media and content production, and vocational tools. The findings indicate that the most common resources include textile tools, 3D printers, and cutting machines. The results also show a strong presence of hands-on fabrication and prototyping equipment across makerspaces. Furthermore, in terms of frequency across makerspaces, digital fabrication is the most widely represented category, followed by vocational tools. Academic libraries employ diverse makerspace staffing models, ranging from a single coordinator to larger teams supported by student assistants, while user support varies from independent equipment use to collaboration with faculty.
Academic libraries increasingly deploy AI-enabled services such as intelligent search, recommendation systems, and chat-based assistance to support scholarly resource discovery. However, some users remain reluctant to rely on these tools. This phenomenon, often described as algorithm aversion, has been widely examined in healthcare and finance but remains underexplored in library contexts. This study investigates the factors associated with algorithm aversion in academic digital libraries and examines how these factors relate to one another.A two-phase mixed-method design was adopted. First, 41 semi-structured interviews with users from Chinese university libraries were analyzed using grounded theory. This stage produced 58 initial concepts, which were grouped into 25 categories across seven dimensions: algorithmic, platform, individual, task, resource, algorithmic risk and bias, and social influence. Second, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to analyze the relationships among these factors.The results indicate that search-related factors, including result relevance, accuracy, intelligence, and complexity, are still in the most central positions. System functionality emerged as the most influential factor, suggesting that user resistance may often reflect broader platform conditions rather than algorithm performance. Resource coverage and update speed also showed important causal influence. By contrast, privacy and bias concerns were more likely to appear after users had already experienced dissatisfaction.The findings suggest that algorithm aversion in digital libraries develops through continuing interactions between users and the wider service environment. Efforts to reduce resistance should therefore address retrieval quality, platform usability, and collection support alongside algorithm design.
As international student enrolment continues to grow, academic libraries play a key role in shaping students' experiences of inclusion, belonging, and academic success. This study explores international students' experiences at an academic library in a mid-sized postsecondary institution in Canada using the framework of a pedagogy of care. In the 2022–23 academic year, 20 international students participated in a Photovoice study, combining photo-elicitation, captions, and focus group discussion. Through reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were constructed: The Library as Welcoming, The Library as Hostile, The Library as Foreign, and The Library as Necessary. The findings emphasize three key takeaways: (1) the critical role of front-facing staff practices, such as listening patiently and practicing cultural humility; (2) the need to intentionally promote library services to international students; and (3) the importance of providing the resources necessary for academic success, including required course resources, technology, and study spaces. This study contributes to library and information studies literature by illuminating ways to ensure academic library spaces are inclusive to a diverse range of learners.
The libraries have been a source of knowledge for years however with time the academic libraries have seen a downfall in student and faculty engagement. This study tries to understand the reasons and nuances of this dis-engagement. The study collects data through a semi-structured interview from 19 students and 5 faculty members of post-graduate colleges at Pune Metropolitan city at Maharashtra, India to understand the reason for gradual decline in student and faculty interaction with library and its resources. The study employs reflective thematic analysis and identifies six themes to understand the meaning, importance, reasons for low academic library engagement among students and faculty members. The study proposes practical solutions for increasing the engagement in academic library.
For over a decade now, there has been rising spate of insecurity in the North East and North Central Nigeria propelled by Boko-Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) activities which have resulted in the death and displacement of thousands of people, kidnapping and abduction of thousands others; and destruction of schools and libraries. This study examined the preparedness of the university libraries in South-East Nigeria in the current insecurity situation. Five specific objectives guided the study, and sought to examine the counter terrorism readiness of the libraries in the study area. The study adopted descriptive survey design using mix method approach. The population of the study was 124 librarians from 14 university libraries in South East Nigeria. Instruments used for data collection were questionnaire, observation checklist and structured interview. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to analyze the data generated from the questionnaire while frequency and percentage were used to analyze data from the observation checklist. Findings from the study revealed that the counter terrorism readiness of the libraries are inadequate and recommended the intervention of government, security agents and university administrators in improving the counter terrorism measures in the libraries.
Database lock-in is usually noticed when a price or access crisis arrives, but the dependence has normally been built much earlier. This column uses Chinese university sole-source procurement notices for China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as a public record of that earlier stage. Qualifying Chinese government procurements using the sole-source route must disclose the reasons for using that method and expert opinions on supplier uniqueness; these notices therefore make visible a justificatory logic that library negotiations in North America and Europe often keep private. Four CNKI notices are read as institutional documents rather than as a representative sample. They show three recurring mechanisms: exclusive or concentrated content, service bundling, and the conversion of prior renewal into evidence of present indispensability. Recent UK Elsevier opt-outs, the California Digital Library's temporary CNKI disruption, and Clarivate's, 2025 subscription strategy point in the same direction: libraries need a documentary record of substitutability before renewal becomes a crisis. The column ends with a renewal checklist and argues that collective bargaining works only when it is supported by shared evidence about exclusivity, portability, continuity, and tested alternatives.
Data literacy and research data management (RDM) are essential competencies for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate students. Laboratory courses provide authentic contexts for undergraduate students to learn data curation skills. We evaluated a curriculum-integrated, librarian-led module in a senior biomedical engineering laboratory course that demonstrated strategies for using generative AI for RDM tasks and included practice exercises that guided students through using AI to assist with data cleaning and data processing. Students completed identical pre/post surveys, which included four open-response questions and three Likert-scale questions. Open responses were analyzed inductively using grounded theory, and Likert responses were analyzed using Welch's t-test. Post-test responses reflected more detailed strategies for RDM and a shift toward using AI for cleaning and processing data rather than turning the data analysis process over to AI tools. We found no difference in students' confidence in managing research data, but significant increases in students' confidence in using AI tools for data management and using AI ethically within research. These findings suggest that curriculum-integrated, hands-on, librarian-led data literacy instruction can strengthen students' knowledge of and confidence in using AI responsibly for data management and data curation.
Purpose This article addresses the strategic evolution of academic libraries into agents of active citizenship and the actualization of European policy to bridge the systemic gap between Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (VET). It validates an innovative, librarian-led framework designed to operationalize these goals through cross-sectoral collaboration. Design/methodology/approach Using an insider longitudinal multiphase mixed-methods case study, the paper analyzes the Erasmus+ project EUsolis in Croatia. The intervention follows a three-phase pedagogical model: Theory, Dialogue, and Co-creation. Data was triangulated from participant questionnaires (N = 337; 71.8% VET teachers, 23.7% school librarians, 4.5% experts) and qualitative reflective observations. Findings The study confirms academic libraries function as a “Legitimate Convener”, serving as a neutral civic bridge between HE and VET. A significant resource gap among educators catalyzed the library's transformation from a passive provider into a proactive “Civic Facilitator” and content co-author. Additionally, the “Outreach-Intensity Effect” reveals that immersive, high-commitment collaboration yields deeper engagement than passive formats. Originality/value The model's sustainability is evidenced by a follow-up grant, EUsolis 2.0. Ultimately, this paper provides a replicable blueprint, structured around the Theory-Dialogue-Co-creation progression, for libraries globally to leverage embedded expertise in designing grant proposals, implementing transnational policies, and building resilient community partnerships.
This study investigates the relationship between asynchronous library video tutorial engagement and information literacy mastery among 707 first-year university students. Adopting a quantitative methodological approach, this study utilizes Springshare's LibWizard for formative assessments and Yuja's Lumina Video Platform to track granular viewing behavior. Moving beyond superficial completion metrics, this study introduces a dual-axis framework, the Mastery-Engagement Matrix, grounded in Expectancy-Value Theory and the Demands-Capacity Model. This matrix compares each participant's calculated Content Mastery score (quiz performance) and Engagement Index (mean viewing percentage) to identify four learner quadrants: Ideal (44%), Passive (26%), Gamers (24%), and Struggling (6%). Analysis revealed a significant moderate positive correlation (r = 0.526) between video engagement and content mastery. Gender identity, secondary school background, and research terminology familiarity (e.g., “peer-reviewed”) significantly influenced outcomes, whereas broader prior library experience did not.
This article presents a case study of a green open access initiative undertaken by the University of Hong Kong Libraries in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering. The project aimed to increase the availability of journal articles in HKU Scholars Hub, the institutional repository, by collecting and depositing accepted manuscripts. Publication records from 2020 to 2024 were identified and matched with external open access versions using the Unpaywall API. Publisher self-archiving policies and embargo periods were identified using the Sherpa API. Current Faculty members were then invited to submit accepted manuscripts for eligible publications.Of the 1491 publications targeted for manuscript collection, 840 accepted manuscripts were successfully collected, representing 56.34% of the target set. Among these, 738 manuscripts had passed their embargo periods and were uploaded to HKU Scholars Hub, while 102 were scheduled for later release. After deposit, the shared articles recorded an average of 10.73 downloads.The project demonstrates that Faculty–Library collaboration, supported by practical tools for policy checking and open access versions identification, can improve green open access coverage at scale. It also highlights challenges, including author uncertainty about open access concepts, copyright concerns, and difficulties in locating post-prints after publication.
The shift from closed scholarship to open science has sparked the importance of Research Data Management (RDM) in supporting Open Access (OA) in academic institutions. While RDM has received significant attention in developed countries, its implementation in many developing contexts, including South African universities, remains uneven despite the existence of institutional policies and open science initiatives. This paper explores the perceptions of academic librarians on RDM practices for promoting OA in South African universities. The study was underpinned by constructs from the Digital Curation Centre (DCC) Lifecycle Model to understand RDM practices. Through an interpretive paradigm, utilising a qualitative research approach purposively selected librarians responsible RDM services provided their perceptions on using RDM as a tool to support OA in their libraries. The findings revealed that academic libraries have implemented RDM practices, including data management plans, metadata creation, repository services, and researcher support initiatives. However, challenges such as policy implementation, inadequate infrastructure, limited funding, insufficient awareness, and lack of training continue to hinder the use of RDM to support OA. The study concludes that although librarians recognise the importance of RDM in advancing OA, institutional support, skills development, and effective implementation strategies are required. The study underscores the need for increased awareness programmes, regular RDM training for librarians, adequate infrastructure, and institutional commitment towards RDM adoption in universities.
In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and for the academic libraries that support them, social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (SJ-EDI) issues have been slowly addressed. This is despite significant scholarly, statistical, and lived experience evidence that these issues are critical barriers and obstacles for the participation and success of those studying or working in science who come from a multitude of marginalized communities and identities. One way STEM librarians can illuminate and elevate SJ-EDI issues is through the dissemination of SJ-EDI information and resources on their subject guides, LibGuides being the most prominent tool for this purpose in the library market. This exploratory study reviewed 340 LibGuides covering the science subjects of chemistry, mathematics, and physics at 119 academic institutions (4-year public/private institutions with over a thousand students) in the United States using text-based content analysis to assess the presence of SJ-EDI concepts and resources. The vast majority of the Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics LibGuides contained little to no SJ-EDI concepts and resources. For those that did address SJ-EDI issues, the Mathematics guides lead the way with the Chemistry guides following, and the Physics guides at the rear. A cross-characteristic analysis of the institutional demographics and the presence of SJ-EDI concepts found no significant correlation between these factors, suggesting that librarian guide creators are the principal drivers of integration and not the institutions they work at. As such, the article concludes with a call-to-action and recommendations for STEM librarians on how to integrate SJ-EDI concepts and resources into their science subject guides to improve patron knowledge of systemic inequities in STEM fields.
Students' reading strategies are an overlooked aspect in information literacy research. A large body of research in multiple document literacy demonstrates that searching, reading, evaluating, and making meaning from information are integrated processes, but this research has not been applied to the specific context of university students searching for scholarly information. This study was designed to describe the integrated processes of reading, searching, evaluating, and meaning making for undergraduates searching for scholarly articles, using multiple document literacy as a theoretical lens. In this study, undergraduate students searched for and then selected sources they determined relevant to a given question, thinking aloud about their process. The transcripts were coded based on both inductive and deductive codes, documenting patterns of evaluation, monitoring, reading comprehension, searching, reading navigation, and meaning making. Researchers compared differences between those participants who were successful at choosing relevant sources to those who had one or more irrelevant selections. Findings indicated several ways unsuccessful participants differed from those who were successful: their reading strategies were less purposeful and strategic, they were more likely to approach sources transactionally, and they demonstrated less sophisticated epistemological thinking and understanding of scholarly conventions. Implications for information literacy instruction, limitations, and directions for future research are given.
This article proposes a conceptual information literacy framework titled “The Descent into AI Dictation” to integrate generative AI within the broader ecosystem of information organization alongside traditional library discovery systems. The proposed framework addresses the need for a more grounded understanding of generative AI's position within the organization of information. By positioning AI at the bottom of a descending funnel of information organization, the framework effectively contrasts the exploratory nature of traditional library discovery systems with the dictatorial nature of generative AI.The author argues that while traditional library systems prioritize serendipity and user-driven exploration, AI's probabilistic design risks unintentionally dictating users down narrow research paths, limiting the autonomy of the individual over their research and stifling creativity in the research process. The author conveys this concept through a visualization of the framework created via Google Gemini, helping students recognize the trade-offs between relevance and discovery while illustrating how over-reliance on AI tools can erode creative problem-solving. Ultimately, this framework serves as a tool for information literacy instructors to emphasize the enduring value of fundamental research skills and creativity, ensuring students maintain research autonomy while engaging with rapidly evolving AI technologies.
In the twenty years following the publication of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (Standards), academic librarians have created an extensive body of literature on information literacy. This study seeks to describe how the literature on information literacy, the Standards, the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework), and information literacy instruction has been addressed within the disciplinary literature outside of library and information science. The study utilized mixed methods to 1) determine the number of articles within the disciplinary peer-reviewed literature on pedagogy to estimate the available space for potential information literacy journal scholarship; 2) determine the number of articles within the disciplinary peer-reviewed literature on information literacy, the Standards, and the Framework to approximate the primary disciplines and determine journal titles represented in this literature; 3) compare those estimates to estimates of articles within the library and information science literature; and, 4) thematically describe how information literacy has been discussed within these publications. If information literacy, as academic librarians have stated within the Standards and the Framework is central to the curricular mission of the university students' academic and lifelong learning success and the educational mission of academic libraries, its presence should be as abundant and robust as other teaching and learning and curricular literature within disciplinary journals.
