Editorial Note

Abstract

In this issue of IJISL, several quality papers have been carefully selected in line with the trends in Library & Information Science (LIS) research and publications. Content development and dissemination is the core of library services. As such investigation into the successful availability of e-content is crucial for effective service delivery. Manuscripts on the use of Social Media by a selected age group and information gathering patterns in public libraries, emphasize that a focus on users of information services is still in the forefront as changing services to suit the technologically advanced user is of utmost importance for library services to remain relevant. Closely related is the issue of professionalism of the service providers. Exploring the interpersonal skills of librarians clearly reveal the importance of not only effective service delivery, but also the need for librarian to remain satisfied with their jobs and performance. This issue also publishes three manuscripts on bibliometrics and performance measurement as the LIS discipline matures in measurement methodologies. Having a vast audience to service is of utmost importance to the IJISL. As the discipline of LIS expands, an area which as caught my attention is Digital Scholarship. The higher education landscape has in the past few decades envisioned itself to be moving towards a technologically driven ubiquitous environment. We witnessed a large disparity in the movement as some countries lagged in this reform, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic managed to throw everyone into an emergency digitally enabled environment. What was being threaded upon with caution is suddenly a norm. In this new (to some) landscape, how can university libraries move ahead to secure an important role in the Digital Scholarship activities within their universities? Firstly, it is important to define Digital Scholarship within the academic/university institution, as it is considered to be multifaceted in nature needing a multitude of skills. The term ‘digital’ undoubtedly indicates use of electronic technology, while ‘scholarship’ indicates learning or knowledge acquired by study. Thus, Digital Scholarship is often described as activities that make use of digital tools and media to advance knowledge and research, and platforms to share, all of which are made possible via collaborative connections within the community. Once defined, the activities relating to institutional practices can be identified. This may include, among others, digital data management, digital information resources provision and use, providing digital tools to improve sharing and publishing. These activities can be successfully practiced with expected outcomes when librarians can form effective collaborative partnerships with the academia and researchers. Research on Digital Scholarship focussing on how these partnerships and supporting relationships need to be intensified to heighten the potential of Digital Scholarship for librarians’ professional stand.

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