Preliminary Conference Agenda

The integration of theory and practice is the basic guarantee for the harmonious development of librarianship. Library Society of China (LSC) is an important force to promote the integration of research and practice in China, but the research-practice gap in Chinese library science still remain. This pilot study employed an inductive case study approach. 5 core members of LSC were interviewed using a semi-structured question script designed based on the theoretical framework of Community of Practice (CoP). According to the theory of CoP, this paper carried out the analysis procedure and summarized the development experience of LSC in bridging the research-practice gap from three perspectives: micro-level of identity, meso-level of practice and macro-level of cooperation. And this research puts forward some suggestions to improve LSC’s work on strengthening the integration of theory and practice. The result of this study provides solutions for the research-practice gap in other countries and other applied disciplines.

Access to information plays an important role in supporting sustainable development goals. In marginalised communities where people have limited access to information, preservation of information previously accessed can play a crucial role in supporting economic, social and personal activities and fostering sustainable development. However, little is known about how marginalised rural communities in developing countries preserve information and how digital technologies have impacted on their practices. In order to investigate how individuals in remote rural communities access and preserve the information that they need to support their work and daily activities, the author organised two focus group discussions and ten individual interviews with village men and women in the district of Satkhira in Bangladesh. The findings from the research show that villagers, who have limited access to smartphones and to the internet, are conscious of the fragility of digital technologies and digital data and use paper notebooks as a form of backup for information found on the internet, and that some of them also use digital backups to preserve important information. These findings highlight the importance of ensuring the sustainability of information and of encouraging the use of methods to access and preserve information that are appropriate to the cultural and technological contexts and that meet the needs of the marginalised communities.

This study examined how automation system enhanced the operations of university Libraries in Nigeria and United Kingdom (UK) during the Covid-19 pandemic. It reviewed literature on the extent of automation, effectiveness of the use of automation technology and ascertained the challenges of automation in the operations of university libraries during covid-19 lockdown in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The study found out that university libraries automation in Nigeria is more than 3decades behind the UK. Also, University libraries in the UK were able to appreciably leverage automation to provide services during the lockdown while libraries in Nigeria shut down operations. University library operations in the UK and Nigeria were faced with challenges during the covid-19 lockdown such as obsolesce in ICT infrastructure, inadequate staff access to computer and internet, poor power supply, inadequate ICT skills and expertise. The study concluded that University Libraries in the UK and Nigeria should embrace more technology if they want to be effective in their operations and be able to compete favorable in the global space.