Mobile library and staff preparedness

The provision of access to information and effective delivery of information services is central to the role of librarians. Mobile technologies have added another dimension to this role – one that requires new knowledge, skills and competencies to ensure the needs and expectations of users are met. If libraries are to be successful in developing services for mobile technologies, their managers will have to consider two significant staffing issues. Firstly, it is important to understand what knowledge, skills and competencies are needed by staff to enable them to deliver services through mobile technologies, and secondly, to use that understanding to provide support and training for staff in the use of mobile technologies. In order to explore these issues and to contribute to the planning and professional development in the mobile library environment, a survey was undertaken of librarians working in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia and New Zealand

Focusing on Health Information: How to Assess Information Quality on the Internet

The quality of information on the Internet is extremely variable. For health information, where quality can mean the difference between effective management of a health problem and potentially dangerous treatments, tools to assess quality are imperative. Quality, as a characteristic of information, is discussed in the context of librarianship and health science. The criteria included in quality assessment tools are discussed. An overview of a study using one of these tools is provided to illustrate the importance for library practitioners to have an awareness of quality issues and, more significantly, ways in which Internet users can identify quality health information

Communicating research to practice: The role of professional association publications

Effective communication of research to practice should facilitate evidence based decision-making by library and information professionals. One way this may be achieved is through the publications distributed by library associations to their members. This paper reports on a study that explored the role of library associations' publications in communicating research information. Firstly, the reading habits of practitioners from a range of disciplines are discussed, finding support for making research information accessible through library associations? publications. Using content analysis, the extent and subject of research information published in two associations' publications were examined. Research information comprised a small proportion of the publications' content and much of the research information is presented as a brief mention only. The largest proportion of research information in both publications focuses on content about 'information behaviour, user needs/services'. The paper concludes by suggesting initiatives to improve practitioner access to research information in association publications

Research support in a research assessment environment: The experience of 'new' universities

The role of libraries in research support has attracted increasing notice in the past decade. This paper contributes another perspective on the topic by reporting on a study that used qualitative research methods to examine research support at six ‘new’ universities, all of which had significantly improved their ranked position after the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. The study found that the influence of individuals and institution-wide initiatives are important in gaining a place in the discussions and activities surrounding research support, and a range of approaches to collection management are being implemented to maximize resources and information access. In the future, libraries will have to consider how best to develop expertise and skills in areas that add value to the services provided to researchers. They will also need to develop strategies for engaging and meeting the needs of new researchers

Communicating Marketing and Advocacy Research to Practice

This paper reports on a study that explored the role of library associations in the communication of marketing and advocacy research to practice. Support for making research information accessible to practitioners through library associations’ publications can be found in previous studies which examined the relationship between LIS practitioners and research. Using content analysis and literature searches, the current study expands on these findings to determine the extent and nature of marketing and advocacy research available to practitioners. The results indicate that marketing and advocacy research is rarely communicated to practitioners through two associations’ publications. However, marketing research information for nonprofit service organisations, generally, is not widely available. Drawing on the study’s findings and research communication strategies used in other contexts, the paper concludes by making recommendations for future initiatives to improve practitioner access to advocacy and marketing research information

Australian Research Libraries and the Research Quality Framework

The Federal Government is introducing a new funding model for research in Australian higher education institutions, the Research Quality Framework (RQF). It will require university research groups to submit evidence of research quality and impact in order to receive funding. This paper will look at the likely impact of the RQF on libraries in Australia, based on experience gained through an RQF trial and from reports and research from the United Kingdom, where a similar funding model, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), has been operating for a decade.When Curtin University participated in an RQF trial in 2005 library staff provided extensive support to academics seeking information about their publications. Workshops were delivered to demonstrate important sources of information and individual assistance was given as requested. Indicators of research impact, such as journal impact factors, and the importance of 'quality' publications, has resulted in heightened interest in publishing generally, and citation indexes in particular, among many academics. The UK's RAE experience suggests a range of issues will emerge as the RQF model is implemented. For example, an increase in articles submitted for publication by academics has led to concerns about the quality and number of journals, and the effects on subscription prices. Research examining the relationship between RAE ratings and academic library funding and discussion about methods for evaluating journal use in libraries illustrate how the RAE is being considered in the UK. The paper will conclude by bringing these issues together with suggestions for planning library services in the context of RQF implementation in Australia

International Research Collaboration: A Working Model

Research collaboration has the potential to increase the productivity of researchers and the exposure of their work. International collaboration also develops personal networks across diverse cultures and contributes to an appreciation of different approaches to issues experienced by those in the field. In the current higher education environment, where productivity is an imperative and the expectations of academics are rising, effective research collaboration enables researchers to share the workload while enhancing their own research skills and performance. This paper discusses the nature of research collaboration, focusing on international collaboration. It reviews the literature about the drivers and motivations behind collaboration, as well as the key benefits. Research and commentary about international research collaboration and measures for assessing successful collaboration,is discussed. In addition, the main findings relating to barriers and other considerations in collaborative activities are reviewed. The paper concludes by describing a working model of international research collaboration in the library and information science field. Based on the author’s involvement in two international research collaborations, links are drawn between research findings and a lived experience

Research classification and the social sciences and humanities in Australia: (Mis)Matching organisational unit contribution and the impact of collaboration

The capacity to recognize the contribution of individual researchers and their organizational unit is likely to be at odds with the purpose of a national research assessment, due to the broader approach to identifying research strengths and its classification at disciplinary levels. The Australian research assessment exercise, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), is devised to determine research quality in this wider context. To explore the impact of research classification on the visibility of research contribution, this study analysed articles published by authors affiliated with two social sciences and humanities (SSH) fields—‘education’ and ‘language, communication and culture’. Article classification was examined for agreement with the authors’ affiliated organizational unit’s field. The influence of national and international co-authorship on article classification was also examined. Articles were distributed across different classification categories and a substantial proportion did not match with the authors’ organizational unit’s field. National and international co-authorship by education-affiliated authors was found to be significantly associated with publishing outside their organizational unit’s field. As the first investigation to focus on how research is distributed by the ERA’s classification scheme when applied to journal articles by SSH authors, the study provides empirical evidence of the challenges involved in recognizing the contribution of organizational units. This work builds on the existing literature relating to classification and research evaluation and has the potential to inform research managers of the complexities in setting strategic research priorities based on ERA outcomes