Research data management: a bibliometric and altmetric study based on Dimensions

Objective. This study aims to analyze the scientific production on research data management indexed in the Dimensions database. Design/Methodology/Approach. Using the term “research data management” in the Dimensions database, 677 articles were retrieved and analyzed employing bibliometric and altmetric indicators. The Altmetrics.com system was used to collect data from alternative virtual sources to measure the online attention received by the retrieved articles. Bibliometric networks from journals bibliographic coupling and keywords co-occurrence were generated using the VOSviewer software. Results/Discussion. Growth in scientific production over the period 1970-2021 was observed. The countries/regions with the highest rates of publications were the USA, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Among the most productive authors were Andrew Martin Cox, Stephen Pinfield, Marta Teperek, Mary Anne Kennan, and Amanda L. Whitmire. The most productive journals were the International Journal of Digital Curation, Journal of eScience Librarianship, and Data Science Journal, while the most representative research areas were Information and Computing Sciences, Information Systems, and Library and Information Studies. Conclusions. The multidisciplinarity in research data management was demonstrated by publications occurring in different fields of research, such as Information and Computing Sciences, Information Systems, Library and Information Studies, Medical and Health Sciences, and History and Archeology. About 60% of the publications had at least one citation, with a total of 3,598 citations found, featuring a growing academic impact. Originality/Value. This bibliometric and altmetric study allowed the analysis of the literature on research data management. The theme was investigated in the Dimensions database and analyzed using productivity, impact, and online attention indicators.

Students’ Perceptions on Cataloging Course

Cataloging and metadata description is one of the major competencies that a trainee cataloger must conquer. According to recent research results, library and information studies students experience difficulties understanding the theory, the terminology, and the tools necessary for cataloging. The experimental application of teaching models which derive from predominant learning theories, such as behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, may help in detecting the difficulties of a cataloging course and in suggesting efficient solutions. This paper presents in detail three teaching models applied for a cataloging course and investigates their effectiveness, based on a survey of 126 first-year students. The survey employed the Kirkpatrick model aiming to record undergraduate students’ perceptions and feelings about cataloging. The results revealed that, although a positive change in students’ behavior towards cataloging has been achieved, they still do not feel very confident about the skills they have acquired. Moreover, students felt that practicing cataloging more frequently will eliminate their difficulties. Finally, they emphasized the need for face to face courses, as the survey took place in the coronavirus pandemic, during which the courses were held via distance learning.

‘Informed’, ‘active’ and ‘engaged’? Understanding and enacting information literacy from a UK citizenship perspective

Information literacy (IL) has been considered by Library and Information Studies (LIS) research and praxis to be vital in helping citizens be ‘informed’, ‘active’ and ‘engaged’ within society. LIS discourse has explored different conceptions of citizenship and its relationship with IL within the paradigm of liberal democratic societies. Critical IL approaches have in turn promoted a citizenship of personal agency, empowerment, challenging the status quo and the pursuit of social justice, as well as focusing on what has been termed ‘political literacy’. However, critical information literacy has also problematised some of the approaches to citizenship found in LIS discourse. Despite the complexity of the subject, empirical study into these issues is still severely lacking. This research moves to start addressing this need by investigating how IL is understood and enacted from the perspective of UK citizenship. Using a qualitative approach of semi-structured interviews with five UK citizens based in Oxford, UK, in the summer of 2019, it set out to establish the relationship between IL and citizenship in a personal context. It was found to be understood and enacted through the development of socially-constructed personal citizenship information landscapes, oriented to a personal sense of citizenship, agency, motivation and empowerment. These personal landscapes challenge some of the established IL paradigms of ‘informed’, ‘active’ and ‘engaged’ citizens, as well as related concepts of information ‘wealth’ and ‘poverty’. They also raise questions of the role of personal ethics in decision making as citizens and potential tensions with ‘acceptable’ norms. These findings help to further problematise the dynamic between IL and citizenship, and challenge LIS research and praxis not just to promote specific values and goals, but also to work towards a greater understanding of the personal contexts shaping that dynamic.

Study into the use of applied library and information studies (LIS) research in New Zealand libraries

<p>The purpose of this research project was to determine the perceptions of information professionals in New Zealand regarding applied LIS (Library and Information Studies) research. To achieve this aim, a purposive sample of 130 tertiary and non-profit government libraries / information centres was selected from the New Zealand Contacts in Libraries directory. The chief librarians or library managers from these institutions were invited to offer their opinions using a brief questionnaire that included Likert and Verbal Frequency scales (Appendix A). Alternatively, the questionnaire could be distributed to another information professional from the organisation. Practitioners' reasons for and against consulting research, their tendency towards conducting it themselves and encouraging others in their employ to produce it, and ways by which the relationship between LIS research and practice might be improved were assessed using the survey instrument. The amount of research consultation undertaken by survey participants was analysed according to the following variables: * Highest library / information qualification, whether it contained a research methods / project component, and how recently it was completed; * Major subject area (other than library / information studies) of tertiary-level study; * Experience in current position; * Level of management responsibility; * Specialty area of responsibility; * Library / information centre size; * Organisational context of the library / information centre; * Participation in conferences / professional meetings. The study found that the amount of research consultation by information professionals comprising the sample was low, and levels of research production and encouragement for employees to conduct research were even lower. Participants most often consult the research to stay current with trends and developments in the field of LIS, and to support workplace activities such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning and evaluation. The research is most often not consulted due to time constraints. Despite small data sets that necessitated some caution in the interpretation of results, associational relationships were apparent between the amount of research consultation and all of the participant variables listed above, with one exception (level of management responsibility). Information professionals responding to this study also indicated that the most effective strategy for improving the current relationship between the LIS research and practice communities is the encouragement of research productions that include practical guidelines for the application of results in a workplace context.</p>

Study into the use of applied library and information studies (LIS) research in New Zealand libraries

<p>The purpose of this research project was to determine the perceptions of information professionals in New Zealand regarding applied LIS (Library and Information Studies) research. To achieve this aim, a purposive sample of 130 tertiary and non-profit government libraries / information centres was selected from the New Zealand Contacts in Libraries directory. The chief librarians or library managers from these institutions were invited to offer their opinions using a brief questionnaire that included Likert and Verbal Frequency scales (Appendix A). Alternatively, the questionnaire could be distributed to another information professional from the organisation. Practitioners' reasons for and against consulting research, their tendency towards conducting it themselves and encouraging others in their employ to produce it, and ways by which the relationship between LIS research and practice might be improved were assessed using the survey instrument. The amount of research consultation undertaken by survey participants was analysed according to the following variables: * Highest library / information qualification, whether it contained a research methods / project component, and how recently it was completed; * Major subject area (other than library / information studies) of tertiary-level study; * Experience in current position; * Level of management responsibility; * Specialty area of responsibility; * Library / information centre size; * Organisational context of the library / information centre; * Participation in conferences / professional meetings. The study found that the amount of research consultation by information professionals comprising the sample was low, and levels of research production and encouragement for employees to conduct research were even lower. Participants most often consult the research to stay current with trends and developments in the field of LIS, and to support workplace activities such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning and evaluation. The research is most often not consulted due to time constraints. Despite small data sets that necessitated some caution in the interpretation of results, associational relationships were apparent between the amount of research consultation and all of the participant variables listed above, with one exception (level of management responsibility). Information professionals responding to this study also indicated that the most effective strategy for improving the current relationship between the LIS research and practice communities is the encouragement of research productions that include practical guidelines for the application of results in a workplace context.</p>

The Same, but Different: An Exploratory Study of English as Second Language Learners in the Context of their Information Behaviour Related to Recreational Reading

<p>Research problem: This research was a localised (Wellington-based) exploration of the information behaviour of adult immigrant English as Second Language (ESL) Learners in relation to their recreational reading. It explored the context of their everyday lives and the individual experiences of ESL Learners. It contributes to the development of our understanding of immigrant information behaviour in the Library and Information Studies field. Methodology: A qualitative methodology was used. This was in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with each of the five participants and qualitative data analysis techniques. A purposive sample was drawn from adult, immigrant members of the Wellington ESL community. Results: The information behaviour of the participants interviewed was found to be wide ranging and often specific to the individual's needs. Some similarities in the participant's experiences were found. The participant's information behaviour was found to be influenced by a number of social and cultural factors. Language was found to significantly impact the participant's information behavior. Implications: This research implies that there is a continuing need for ongoing investigation into the information behaviour of ESL learners and immigrants within the Library and Information Studies community. This will have ongoing implication for public libraries as they continue to find new and better ways to meet the needs of this group.</p>

The Same, but Different: An Exploratory Study of English as Second Language Learners in the Context of their Information Behaviour Related to Recreational Reading

<p>Research problem: This research was a localised (Wellington-based) exploration of the information behaviour of adult immigrant English as Second Language (ESL) Learners in relation to their recreational reading. It explored the context of their everyday lives and the individual experiences of ESL Learners. It contributes to the development of our understanding of immigrant information behaviour in the Library and Information Studies field. Methodology: A qualitative methodology was used. This was in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with each of the five participants and qualitative data analysis techniques. A purposive sample was drawn from adult, immigrant members of the Wellington ESL community. Results: The information behaviour of the participants interviewed was found to be wide ranging and often specific to the individual's needs. Some similarities in the participant's experiences were found. The participant's information behaviour was found to be influenced by a number of social and cultural factors. Language was found to significantly impact the participant's information behavior. Implications: This research implies that there is a continuing need for ongoing investigation into the information behaviour of ESL learners and immigrants within the Library and Information Studies community. This will have ongoing implication for public libraries as they continue to find new and better ways to meet the needs of this group.</p>