The innovation of digital libraries is often understood as digital innovation and interpreted merely as the application of digital technologies. Consequently, a librarian’s or information professional’s readiness to adopt technology becomes the primary descriptor of their innovativeness. However, technology alone is insufficient. True innovation in the digital library context requires placing people at the center and fundamentally redefining workflows and service models.
Studies on digitization and on the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the library profession primarily utilized Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 1962). This initial approach aimed to categorize professionals into distinct adoption groups – Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority and Laggards – to understand the different rates of readiness to adopt technology and patterns of digitization integration.
While this sociological perspective provided a basic understanding of how digitization spreads within the field, it often presented a somewhat simplified analysis of the complex factors influencing individual librarians’ perceptions and adoption behaviors. Acknowledging the limitations of this technological innovation diffusion-centric approach, later research expanded to include more detailed technology adoption models, specifically the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). These models offer complementary frameworks that explore the specific drivers of digitization adoption, focusing on individual perceptions and intentions.
While the theory of technological innovation diffusion offers a helpful initial framework, a deeper analysis reveals the multifaceted landscape of digitization adoption within libraries. A more nuanced understanding is required, one that encompasses the perceptions, challenges and opportunities inherent in digitization integration. This necessitates not only addressing training needs, budget allocations and ethical considerations, but also, crucially, adopting a human-centered approach that fundamentally redesigns workflows and service models to fully realize the potential of digital environments.
Furthermore, the participatory dimension of digital libraries demands a redefinition of the information professional’s role. This involves cultivating a participatory approach with the community, actively engaging users in shaping digital services and resources. Moreover, fostering transdisciplinarity through collaborations with stakeholders and experts from diverse backgrounds is essential. By embracing this collaborative and inclusive ethos, digital libraries can move beyond simply implementing technology to creating dynamic and responsive ecosystems that truly serve their communities.
Highlights from this issue
This issue of Digital Library Perspectives features several articles covering diverse themes related to digital libraries, ranging from technical infrastructure and data management to user services and research trends. Here are the descriptions of the included articles.
Data management and reuse
This theme includes topics such as tracking data reuse in social sciences, automated data management practices and metadata for archival discoverability:
Challenges in tracking archive’s data reuse in social sciences.
Authors: Filippo Accordino, Daniela Luzi, Fabrizio Pecoraro, Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, Roma, Italy, and Data Archive for Social Sciences in Italy, Rome, Italy.
This paper addresses the challenges in identifying data reuse in social sciences, primarily due to technical issues and incorrect citation practices. It presents an automatic procedure to investigate and measure data reuse, offering insights into how data is reused, which is often lacking in social science literature and archives that typically rely on inaccurate metrics. The study focuses on data deposited in archives affiliated with the CESSDA (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives) infrastructure:
Metadata and Archival Discoverability: Driving Use of the Philip Mackie Collection at Southampton Solent University.
Authors: Getaneh Alemu and James T. Clark, Southampton Solent University, UK.
This descriptive article focuses on the role of metadata in archival discoverability. It highlights a project completed in 2023 at Southampton Solent University Library to describe the Philip Mackie Collection, which previously lacked proper archival description. The authors discuss the project’s motivation, the rationale behind key decisions such as system selection and description creation, and their experience as bibliographic cataloguers adapting to archival standards (ISAD (G) and EAD). The project led to a noticeable increase in the use of the Mackie Collection:
Automated data management practices in university libraries of Jammu and Kashmir: a study in India.
Authors: Diksha Dhar, Abhi Sharma, Meghna Dhar, University of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
This study investigates the status of automated data management in university libraries across Jammu and Kashmir, India. It reveals varying levels of knowledge regarding automated data management practices and significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure and limited ICT access. Despite these obstacles, there is a strong interest in adopting automated data management practices among the libraries.
Digital library services and applications
This theme encompasses virtual reference services, big data applications, intellectual property information platforms and digital library tours using mixed reality:
Big data applications and management for digital library services in selected academic libraries in Kwara state, Nigeria.
Authors: Ismail Olatunji Adeyemi, Ridwan Muhammed-Jamiu, Isiwat Opeyemi Muhammed, Roqeebat Temiloluwa Mustapha, Mahbuba Oyindamola Mustapha, Zainab Musa, Abdusalam Salman, Department of Library and Information Science, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria.
This study examines librarians’ perceptions of big data applications (BDAs) and their management for digital library services in selected academic libraries in Kwara State, Nigeria. It addresses the challenges and gaps in using BDAs for digital library services, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, where processing and extracting relevant information from large, complex data sources can be difficult:
Uncovering future directions in virtual reference service: a bibliometric and topic modeling analysis.
Author: Manendra Kumar Singh, Department of Library and Information Science, Mizoram University, Aizawl, India.
This study analyzes the evolution of virtual reference service (VRS) research in the 21st century. It aims to identify emerging trends, research hotspots, prolific scholars, and knowledge structures, providing insights into global research patterns and collaborations within the field. The analysis covers the period from 2000 to 2023, highlighting trends and collaboration patterns in VRS research:
Evaluation of the operational efficiency of China’s intellectual property public information service platform.
Authors: Dengdeng Wanyan, Chenyu Liu, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, China and Foshan Xiangtan University Green Intelligent Manufacturing Research Institute, Foshan, China.
This paper measures the operational efficiency of China’s intellectual property public information service (IPPIS) platform. It discusses current problems and proposes suggestions for improvement. The study finds that the overall operational efficiency is low with large geographic differences. Some platforms have low scale efficiency, and many experience high input redundancy and output insufficiency:
Designing and engaging students in library tours using mixed reality: a study on library anxiety, knowledge acquisition, and student engagement.
Authors: Pakinee Ariya, Songpon Khanchai, Kannikar Intawong, Kitti Puritat, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
This study explores the effectiveness of mixed reality (MR) technology in enhancing library tours for first-year students. It investigates whether MR tours can reduce library anxiety, improve knowledge acquisition, and increase motivation compared to traditional tours. The study highlights MR’s potential to enhance library tours by balancing immersive experiences with ease of use. While MR applications can be developed at a relatively lower cost, the high cost of MR equipment remains a limitation.
Research and trends in digital libraries
This theme covers bibliometric and topic modeling analysis, trends in sustainable e-library research, and gender in academic authorship:
Exploring Trends and Gaps in Sustainable E-Library Research: A Text Mining Analysis.
Authors: Shrawan Kumar Trivedi, Pradeep Verma, Susham Biswas, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, UP India.
This study uses topic modeling to identify research gaps in sustainable e-library research. It analyzes abstracts from a large set of scholarly articles to identify emerging topics and trends, guiding future research efforts. The study distinguishes between well-researched topics and those requiring further investigation in the field of electronic libraries:
Determining Gender in Academic Authorship: A Comprehensive and Methodical Approach.
Authors: Juan-José Boté-Vericad, Miquel Centelles, Núria Ferran-Ferrer, Facultat d’Informació i Mitjans Audiovisuals and Centre de Recerca en Informació, Comunicació i Cultura, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
This study introduces an advanced method for ascertaining the gender identity of scientific authors of academic papers indexed in Web of Science or Scopus. It aims to improve gender information retrieval, benefiting gender-based bibliometric studies. The study emphasizes the need for more accessible data, including linked open data, to refine author gender identification within the scientific domain:
Bridging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Open Science: an interview with Elena Giglia.
Authors: Elena Giglia and Anna Maria Tammaro, University of Turin and University of Parma
As a member of the EOSC Association and a key contributor to several Horizon Europe Open Science projects, Elena Giglia is at the forefront of shaping the future of research in Europe. Her extensive involvement in international conferences, workshops on FAIR data, and her dedication to training and promoting Open Science principles make her a leading authority on the subject. This interview explores Giglia’s perspective on how AI is transforming knowledge creation and dissemination within the Open Science paradigm.
