Social network services for academic libraries: A study based on social capital and social proof

Despite the potential of social networking services (SNS) as a tool for communication between academic libraries and users, many academic libraries are yet to successfully optimize their SNS. As a result, their social proof and social capital of various SNS do not perform well. This research aims to evaluate the SNS effectiveness of the University of Hong Kong Libraries (HKUL) based on social capital and social proof concepts. We hope that our recommendations according to our findings will be applicable to other academic library contexts. We have found that: (i) there are no major differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students in their attitudes and behaviors regarding the SNS of HKUL on various platforms; (ii) low social proof is related to a lack of user interaction and promotion; (iii) low satisfaction with SNS contents may lead to low social capital. As such, understanding user information need, setting goals and metrics for each SNS, and formulating a formal SNS policy are the keys to further develop library SNS.     

Everything you need to know about technology

Technological change in publishing comes in three forms: (1) software applications intended to increase efficiency of existing processes; (2) entirely new publishing opportunities, and (3) pressures exerted on the system of publishing. For educators and publishers, this poses a challenge. Teaching computer applications is often indistinguishable from mere skills-training, and may be inappropriate for most professional publishing education programs. The study of possible business opportunities may be impractically abstract, and consequently may be viewed with indifference by professional publishers. The study of systemic change requires a more inclusive definition of scope than is enjoyed by most academic and in-house education programs. In every case, fostering an understanding of the context and process of change itself is crucial for meaningful education. The author uses examples based in traditional scholarly publishing as illustrations. Czeslaw Jan Grycz was previously design and production manager of the University of California Press. This article is adapted from a paper presented at the founding meeting of the International Association for Publishing Education, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, B.C., May 1991.     

Utilizing Text Messages for Effective Outreach

ABSTRACT

As librarians strive to reach students and share reference content, text messages are a new avenue to explore. Although many libraries receive reference questions through text, few initiate the conversation. Sending text messages with video tutorials relevant to class assignments has been an effective and innovative outreach at Bethel University’s College of Professional Studies (CPS). Over three years, we have sent 1,099 text messages and 38% of the video links included were clicked. Students saw the message and clicked the link at a significantly higher rate than links inside e-mail campaigns, as compared to industry standards and CPS’s statistics. Text messages are an effective form of communication because they are prevalent, have a high likelihood of being read, and their content can be easily tailored. Students and the broader academic community do not expect a text from the library and it builds social capital with them. This social capital is a valuable benefit to librarians seeking to demonstrate their relevancy in a competitive information environment. A similar initiative could benefit several areas in an academic library. Personal librarians, first year experience librarians, distance education librarians, or librarians supporting student success could build relationships through this level of individualized contact.     

“Tightening the Knots” of the International Drugs Trade in Brazil

Much academic analysis of media representations of drugs-related violence in Brazil has focused on their role in perpetuating violence and societal divisions. There is less research on how the country’s traditional news media can shape information in order to foster dialogue between people and potentially resolve conflict. This article aims to address this gap by exploring the possibilities and challenges for printed news media to acquire “mediated” social capital. The concept is understood here as a specific resource of power that has the potential to connect people from diverse social, cultural and economic backgrounds. In order to do so, we analyse how a popular Rio newspaper has used its symbolic power to produce social capital with an investigative series about Brazil’s involvement in the international drugs trade. It is argued here that the series paints a complex picture of its causes and consequences and is an important step towards a deliberative process about possible solutions to drugs-related violence in Rio and beyond.     

学术社交网站用户社交不足的影响机理：基于质性方法的探索

[目的/意义]探析用户在学术社交网站中社交不足的影响机理,为用户优化学术社交行为提供理论指引,同时也为学术社交网站探索和开发社交功能提供一定借鉴与参考。[方法/过程]借助NVivo 11质性分析软件,对获取的41篇研究文献进行内容分析,梳理出学术社交网站用户社交不足的9个关键影响因素并聚焦为3个主要影响因素,在此基础上构建学术社交网站用户社交不足影响因素理论模型。[结果/结论]通过文献梳理表明,个体意向因素是学术社交网站用户社交不足的直接影响因素和内部驱动因素,平台客观条件与信息因素是间接影响因素和外部情境因素。其中,个体意向因素包括学术资本、主观规范、分享意识以及时间精力;平台客观条件包括学术声誉机制和后发劣势;信息因素包括信息效益、隐私信息和专业知识。     

Measuring social capital through network analysis and its influence on individual performance

Studies of social networks highlight the importance of network structure or structural properties of a given network and its impact on performance outcome. One of the important properties of this network structure is referred to as social capital, which is the network of contacts and the associated values attached to these networks of contacts. This study provides empirical evidence of the influence of social capital and performance within the context of academic collaboration (coauthorship) and suggests that the collaborative process involves social capital embedded within relationships and network structures among direct coauthors. Association between scholars' social capital and their citation-based performance measures is examined. To overcome the limitations of traditional social network metrics for measuring the influence of scholars' social capital within coauthorship networks, the traditional social network metrics is extended by proposing two new measures, of which one is non-weighted (the power–diversity index) and the other (power–tie–diversity index) is weighted by the number of collaboration instances. The Spearman's correlation rank test is used to examine the association between scholars' social capital measures and their citation-based performance. Results suggest that research performance of authors is positively correlated with their social capital measures. The power–diversity index and power–tie–diversity index serve as indicators of power and influence of an individual's ability to control communication and information.     

Supporting and engaging students through academic library programming

This article explores how the academic library can help foster conditions for both academic and social engagement on the college campus, with the ultimate goal of increasing student satisfaction, success, and retention. The background and varied definitions of student engagement are reviewed and the importance of engagement for student success is discussed. Finn's participation-identification model (1989) is adapted to show how the academic library can provide opportunities through library programming for meaningful engagement to take place. The model holds promise for documenting positive outcomes for library programming in light of already defined ways engagement is known to help with overall success and retention. Examples of successful programs are provided showing how this model can be put into practice.     

Social capital and public libraries: The need for research

Empirical research on public libraries and social capital has primarily been oriented toward discovering how libraries contribute to social capital in local contexts, rather than contributing to solving the theoretical puzzles of the social capital literature. In spite of this, it has produced interesting findings that align with new developments in social capital research. These findings emphasize the significance of institutions in generating social capital. By outlining and applying the main theoretical perspectives on generating social capital, this paper analyzes the findings of the literature on public libraries and how social capital is created. Theoretical perspectives on social capital will undoubtedly benefit the study of social capital's creation in and by the library. Including library-specific social capital research within the wider social capital research community can benefit social capital research in general.     

美国大学图书馆领导层妇女发展状况述评

美国大学图书馆领导层的妇女在经济收入和事业同等性两方面取得了令人瞩目的成就。促使她们成功的环境因素可以归纳为法律支持、反歧视行动、女性组织网络、职业联盟的指导与培训、行业的特点及其对女性领导的认识等.     

Gender and Leadership in Academic Libraries

This study considers academic library personnel perceptions of gender and leadership associated with three obstacles – family, “double binds”, social capital – identified by Alice Eagly and Linda Carli in 2007. A survey was created that provides prompts to measure perception of these obstacles as they apply to both genders. Ninety-two library personnel from a random sample completed the survey. Findings from a t-test that describe and interpret the results are presented, along with themes coded from survey comments. Suggestions Eagly and Carli offer to improve leadership equity are adapted specifically to academic libraries.     

How to know what you want them to know: Rediscovering objectives by reviewing evaluative materials

Upon reviewing a midterm quiz in a one-credit library course, it was found that, although it fairly evaluated what was actually taught in class, question content, question type, and question weight did not reflect the desired objectives of the class. Further analysis revealed that the objectives themselves were not well defined. Objectives for the second half of the course were reviewed more carefully, and the exercises and the final quiz were designed to reflect the priority of the objectives. The revised objectives improved the second half of the class, and the second and final quiz was a better evaluative tool. A framework for developing well-defined objectives by reviewing evaluative materials based on those objectives is proposed.     

The study of the success indicators for pre-implementation activities of Iran's E-Government development projects

E-Government and E-Government development project studies have been conducted in most industrialized societies, as well as in Iran. Due to their nature and structure, E-Government development projects have numerous political, social, and economic impacts on society. Given the incorporation of significant capital, human resources, information, and political commitments, these projects are considered quite vital to society. Following the systematic pre-implementation activities of E-Government development projects is critical for the success of such projects; ignoring such issues leads to various problems during E-Government project implementation. This research aims to explore and detect the success indicators for pre-implementation activities of E-Government development projects, evaluate the validity of these indicators, and investigate the indicators' status in the Fuel Smart Card Project. The researcher has also provided some suggestions on the successful implementation of E-Government development projects.     

The role of dyadic social capital in enhancing collaborative knowledge creation

Despite general agreement on the importance of social capital in individual knowledge creation, little is known concerning the role of dyadic social capital in collaborative knowledge creation. This study proposes a classification of dyadic social capital using two-dimensional matrix and investigates their roles in enhancing collaborative knowledge creation. It is found that the dyads who have strong dyadic tie strength while taking advantage of their dyadic bridging social capitals both in the ego network and global network come up with more high-impact knowledge. This study also challenges the statement that an inverted U-shaped relationship between dyadic tie strength and knowledge creation found in previous literatures, and indicates dyadic structure hole serving as effective moderating effect makes the quadratic effect disappear and catalyzes the strength of strong tie.     

The academic and the everyday: Investigating the overlap in mature undergraduates' information–seeking behaviors

This study uses in-depth qualitative interviews to explore the information seeking behavior of 25 mature undergraduates at one Canadian university. It explores the complex interweaving of these students’ everyday and academic information needs in light of Reijo Savolainen’s framework for the study of everyday life information seeking. Findings include the role of social and cultural capital in these students’ information seeking, the diverse ways that everyday and academic contexts inform one another, and the importance of not separating the everyday from other life situations in studies of individuals’ information behaviors.     

社会资本与科技期刊

将近年来兴起的社会资本的概念引进到科技期刊的办刊实践中,并研究科技期刊的社会属性以及社会资本对科技期刊的影响。研究表明：社会资本普遍存在于科技期刊之中,并对科技期刊的发展具有积极的影响和消极的影响。科技期刊人应充分利用社会资本对科技期刊的促进作用,并消除社会资本的不利影响,合力办好科技期刊。     

Media Freedom and Social Capital

This article examines the relationship between media freedom and social capital by using cross-country panel data. The hypothesis of the current study is the U-shaped relationship between media freedom and social capital, which is based on the claims that media freedom has a negative impact on bonding social capital and a positive effect on bridging social capital. To test the hypothesis, this study uses OLS and 2SLS regression methods, as well as panel data random effects regression. The empirical ?ndings support the hypothesis of the U-shaped relationship.     

中国近代社会思潮对图书馆学术思想的巨大影响

中国近代图书馆学理论创建出了诸如体用说、要素说、动静说等,文中阐述了中国近代社会思潮对图书馆学术思想所产生的巨大影响,意在对当今图书馆界,创新出具有时代意义的图书馆学理论给出历史的启示。     

Effect of Internet Literacy in Understanding Older Adults’ Social Capital and Expected Internet Support

This article investigates whether knowledge of Internet usage among older adults is related to social capital as well as their expectations to obtain social support online. A U.S. national survey of adults aged 60 and older (n = 1,101) found that Internet literacy is significantly associated with their expected Internet support and bridging and bonding social capital even after controlling for age, Internet use, and other factors.     

基于社会资本理论的社交问答用户健康信息行为研究

[目的/意义]社交问答用户的社会资本受多种因素影响，本文旨在探究社交问答用户不同的健康信息行为对其社会资本积累的影响。[方法/过程]以知乎网上糖尿病话题下2 537个问题帖子，3 567个回答的1 650名用户为研究对象，依据L.Nan的社会资本理论和N.Uphoff对社会资本的分类，将社交问答用户的社会资本分为认知性和结构性两类，用多元线性回归的方法分析社会问答用户的健康信息行为与社会资本之间的关系。[结果/结论]用户的健康知识贡献行为和自我信息披露行为在不同程度上正向促进社会资本的累积，而不同的健康知识获取行为对认知性社会资本和结构性社会资本的影响有差异。这些结果有助于社交问答用户提高社会资本，平台完善用户服务和激励机制。     

我国政府部门期刊评价历程及得失分析

我国政府部门主持的期刊评估可分为三个阶段。由于社会政治、经济、文化环境的变化,政府管理部门对期刊评价预期的导向作用、依据的评价指标和评价方法等在不同阶段侧重点不同,呈现以下特征:由注重质量导向转为注重市场导向,评价体系展现出逐步建设的进步历程,经历了不断总结、纠错、调整的过程,对消费类期刊的重视大于学术类期刊、对科技类期刊的重视大于社科类学术期刊、现有期刊评价不能发现和解决学术期刊的根本问题,期刊评奖的负面效应在学术期刊中体现较为明显。