This exploratory and qualitative study examined the appraisal practices of archivists in university special collections, including how archivists define appraisal, decide what to keep and discard, apply a collection policy in their decision process, and contend with problematic aspects of the practice. The first part of this study examined the…

This research report, produced for National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa (National Library), focused on a Putoi Rito Communities of Readers project carried out in Dargaville in 2023-24. Putoi Rito is a National Library initiative that works with communities to design, develop, and deliver support for reading engagement…

The evolving role of academic libraries in fostering sustainable communities, particularly through climate change literacy, has gained prominence recently. A questionnaire study with 203 academic library staff in Jordan highlighted these libraries' significant role in advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings underline libraries…

Acquisition management is the kind of strategy that university libraries adopt to assist the information needs of the client population. This study attempted to understand the acquisition management in the university libraries in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. The study adopted a survey method and included all those well-established…

This case study explores how young adults (aged 18-24) taught and learned with and around technologies in a teen library space in Hartford, Connecticut. These young adults, called Legends by library staff, were technically not supposed to be present in the teens-only space. In this paper, I argue that Legends uniquely contributed to opportunities…

This paper provides a snapshot of United States academic libraries in 2020 and explores longitudinal trends in staffing and expenditures for 1996 to 2020. The authors merged and analyzed academic library data from the National Center for Education Statistics from over 4,000 postsecondary institutions. Characteristics are explored by region and…

Libraries in Nigeria have long struggled to adequately serve the information needs of visually impaired individuals, particularly those who are literate. Despite this, scholarly research addressing these issues in South-Eastern Nigeria is lacking, highlighting the urgency of investigating predictors of user satisfaction among visually impaired…

The problem undertaken in this study was the impact of the COVID-19 on academic-library directors at small, private, liberal-arts institutions in Wisconsin. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic closures on collection development and reference interviews. The participants were seven academic-library…

Public institutions of higher education have seen mandatory state budget cuts for more than 20years, with each year's cut being larger than the previous. These statewide education cuts have affected academic libraries in a major way, resulting in purchasing cutbacks, decreased subscription renewals and cancellations. These drastic cuts in library…

This article presents the results of an online survey of access services departments at academic libraries on the responses implemented during the initial stage of COVID-19 in March-May 2020. The 33-question survey was completed by 121 respondents. The article identifies policies and procedures adopted by access services departments during the…

Open records requests can be an important tool in obtaining valuable information to use in negotiations with content providers. This paper examines the opportunities libraries have in requesting public information through open records requests to better support their purchasing decisions. The case is made for investing time up front to better…

This is the second article in a two-part SWOT analysis of academic libraries. The purpose of this research is to guide strategy development, decision making and advancement of positioning by identifying and analyzing the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats impacting academic libraries. Its premise is that an understanding of these…

The University of Louisville's Ekstrom Library needed to remove 260,000 items from its shelves, and shift a further 95,000 within an extremely short deadline ahead of plans to redesign its third floor into an inviting, modern, student-friendly space for patrons to enjoy. The move faced three distinct challenges: space, item tracking, and…

This paper will use circulation data to explore usage trends for physical textbooks in an academic library over a sustained period of time. Conclusions will be drawn from the analysis to determine the usefulness of aging physical textbook collections in academic libraries and inform recommendations for efficient models of lending and management.

Academic libraries have been subjected to disruptive events throughout history. Academic literature primarily provides case study examples of incidents, guidance on developing an emergency management plan or advice on recovering or restoring items, particularly related to Special Collections, which require specific handling expertise.…