Recent articles in the news media have triggered interest in how virtual reality technologies can be applied to academic libraries. Specifically, virtual reality technologies have the potential to be applied to triage reference, reference services, and archives. It is discussed how library users can use virtual reality headsets as well as how…

Many librarians work in public libraries to make a difference for children, families, and communities and identify family and community engagement as a cornerstone of their responsibilities. For librarians to be successful they must be afforded strong foundations in family and community engagement that begin early in their preparation. Yet little…

Critical information literacy is a way of thinking and teaching that examines the social construction and political dimensions of libraries and information, problematizing information's production and use so that library users may think critically about such forces. Being an educational approach that acknowledges and emboldens learners' agency,…

Current school librarian standards highlight the need for school librarians to be technology leaders in their schools, and current research supports the ability of the school librarian to be a strong technology leader. However, there is a lack of research on how preservice schools are preparing their students to become these leaders. The following…

Using citation analysis, this study identifies the most relevant journals in communication studies. The study analyzes citations from a representative list of 116 journals from subject areas within communication studies over a 30-year period and addresses research interests throughout the discipline. Results indicate that most journals cited in…

This paper presents aspects of a space planning project assigned to Library and Information Studies postgraduate students and reflects on six themes that cropped up repeatedly in their design of a 24/7 postgraduate library space, namely: lighting, space and colour; tools and technology; defined zones; re-bootable spaces; furnishings; and respite.…

What is the future of urban school libraries? The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards" offer a framework for school librarians to reflect on how they can tailor their professional practice to serve their specific school communities. Through the lens of the standards, school librarians can…

This article identifies variations that are within the credit-bearing information literacy (IL) programs of a group of similar libraries: Idaho State University's peer institutions that have been formally designated by the Idaho State Board of Education. This group of institutions shares two common characteristics, i.e., they are public and are…

Many libraries have expanded their opening hours to a 24/5 or 24/7 model. But does this reflect when students actually study? Little evidence about when medical or professional students study is available. By mounting a prominently placed poster with a graphical timeline that students could affix self-adhesive dots upon, the Flower-Sprecher…

A deeper understanding of reading as more than a set of word-attack and decoding skills may help to guide public librarians seeking to fully implement the ethical professional standard of equitable access to information for everyone, including marginalized patrons such as adults experiencing homelessness. As public libraries respond to questions…

Information literacy and metacognition have long histories of addressing the same concerns: how people think about and evaluate what they have learned. By exploring research from the library science and cognitive psychology fields, this article highlights how these two concepts are related and how that relationship can be made more explicit in the…

Many academic libraries have implemented personal librarian programs, seeking to improve relationships with students and reduce library anxiety. This pilot study, in which a personal librarian was assigned to sections of a general education course, aimed to expand upon the personal librarianship literature by assessing whether a personal librarian…

Banned Books Week is a hallmark tradition among US-based librarians and the American Library Association. Yet, the ALA and librarians across the profession are excluding the most significant and egregious violations of intellectual freedom and access to literature and information in our so-called free society -- the US prison system. In this…

This study investigates instruction librarians' perceptions of their relationships with teaching faculty. Respondents to a survey of U.S. instruction librarians indicated that they tended to agree that their teaching was valued and they had autonomy in what they taught. However, the often one-time nature of library instruction limited their…

Purpose: At present, humankind is facing rapid and profound changes in society, science, technology, economy and environment. The 21st century has witnessed extraordinary scientific and technological progressions. Improvement of technology has generated new educational technique known as e-learning. Nowadays, popularity of e-learning is growing…