Trends in Information Management

Library and Information Science

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 0973-4163

In this paper, the role of human errors in the field of information security is discussed. The latter has attracted much attention from information security researchers in the recent past. According to current statistics, human errors are a major component of problems in information security, with 68% of breaches involving a non-malicious human element (Verizon Business, 2024) and the global average cost of a data breach reaching $4.88 million (IBM, 2024). In spite of such alarming statistics, there has been comparatively little empirical research on the role of human errors in information security. This is particularly evident at organizational level, due in large part to the unwillingness of organizations to share information and statistics on security issues. In this paper, grounded theory has been employed as a research methodology to investigate the main causes of human errors in information security. Information security experts (103 in total) from around the globe were asked a series of open-ended questions and their responses were used to develop a detailed list of human errors. This paper represents an important contribution to our understanding of the causes of human error in information security.

This paper examines the role of library services in addressing digital exclusion through infrastructure provision, digital literacy initiatives, and community engagement. Using a descriptive and interpretative approach based on secondary sources, including policy documents, international reports, and scholarly literature, the study analyzes key dimensions of the digital divide, inequitable access to digital infrastructure, deficits in digital skills, and limited availability of relevant content. The findings demonstrate that libraries in India are evolving from traditional repositories into technology-enabled community hubs that provide free internet access, e-resources, digital skills training, and support for e-governance services. Initiatives such as the integration of Common Service Centres (CSCs), the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), and alignment with Digital India and the National Education Policy 2020 illustrate strategic institutional responses. Despite persistent challenges related to funding, infrastructure, and professional capacity, strengthened investment, policy integration, and inclusive service design can enhance libraries’ contribution to digital equity and inclusive national development.

The primary objective of this study is to assess library users’ perceptions and expectations of Remote Access Services (RAS) following COVID-19 at the A.C. Joshi Library, Panjab University, Chandigarh. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented crisis that severely affected the functions of academic institutions worldwide. During this period, RAS became an important part of how academic libraries deal with crises. The increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the enforcement of a statewide lockdown shifted the educational system to online learning. Moreover, all types of libraries were equally affected. This study discusses the continuity of remote access services that enable users to access academic library resources anywhere, anytime via Knimbus, MYLOFT, and RemoteXs, among others. It also explores their future expectations from such services, which offer them diverse electronic resources. The study employed a questionnaire method to get data from the research scholars at Panjab University, Chandigarh. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 100 respondents, out of which 72 responses were received. After analysing, the chi-square test and t-test were used to explore relationships among factors such as gender, age, education, users’ perceptions, and expectations. The findings revealed that most users were aware of RAS. The study is limited to users of the A.C. Joshi library, which provides a snapshot of remote access services.

The popularity of any government depends on the ability to communicate with the common people and that effectively conveys its policies, initiatives, and future goals. Political leaders around the nation employ a variety of communication techniques to engage with the public and inform them of their endeavours. Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi chooses radio podcasts as a medium to reach out to the common people through the programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ since it is a significant communication medium that transmits podcasts to remote areas - villages, districts, and cities. In order to connect with as many people as possible, the “Mann ki Baat” programme is also broadcasted on several social media sites, including YouTube. And, the present study deals with the contents of the videos of Mann ki Baat uploaded on the YouTube channel National Doordarshan and the analysis of the comments posted by the listeners. The analysis of all the comments revealed that Mann ki Baat is a direct radio programme thatfosters a link between the people and the PMhimself. A larger number of comments are heavily concentrated on PM Modi rather than the content of the programme. Numerous residents make use of this channel to express their joy, rage, and enthusiasm. This research offers recommendations to investigate the critical comments of ordinary men to improve the environment in which they dwell.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the sports sector has been profoundly challenged, with sportspersons’ physical and emotional health suffering the most. Sportspersons have been confronted with challenges of social isolation, career disruption and restricted access to training amenities that negatively impact their physical and mental well-being and result in sub-par performance. The need for coherent measures to resume sporting activities, prioritizing the well-being of sportspersons, is clear. Our research aims to understand how the spread of Coronavirus and its aftermath has affected themental health of sportspersons and howit can be improved with the help of appropriate psychological skills training.

Over the years, climate change has become the world’s largest environmental problem affecting every nation on a social and economic level. It has caused rise in sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events like hurricanes, droughts, and floods, which have lowered food production, interfered with ecosystems, impacted water supplies, and raised risks for various health related disorders. In terms of attaining the objectives of green buildings and sustainable development, India has been catching up to the western nations with persistent efforts at various policy development levels by creating plans for the construction and upkeep of green buildings. To address the environmental issues while planning and creating new facilities, buildings that utilise and consume energy efficiently while maintaining the comfort and productivity must be designed and developed, to be ecologically responsible. Green libraries or sustainable libraries are those that are built with environmental concerns in mind and use its resources, environmentally friendly and sustainable infrastructure, and public library services to educate the public about environmental issues. The goal of the current study was to examine the initiatives and current state of the green initiatives implemented by Panjab University in Chandigarh for both its departmental and central libraries (A.C. Joshi Library) with respect to its infrastructure as well as initiatives in the various sections. The study concluded that even though some attempts have been taken in this area, more efforts and further steps are required to achieve a completely functional green library to safeguard the interests of the patrons and planet Earth.

Libraries have always been a backbone of a knowledgeable society. They have served as centres of learning and culture. Infact many libraries are custodians of rare manuscripts, historical documents and other significant records. Given their significance, libraries have tremendous potential to reach out to a wider audience both in physical as well in online mode. In the digital age, the scope widens. From being just physical repositories of resources, they have evolved into dynamic digital hubs of datasets, e-resources, achieves and many other services. High speed internet connectivity, digitization and AI have transformed the scope and significance of libraries. This has not only been in terms of their availability and accessibility, but it has improved their efficiency and made the services personalized. Libraries can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. Apart from e-books and online catalogs, they provide remote access to journals. Rare and fragile manuscripts and historical documents have been digitized ensuring their preservation and global access. Bridging digital divide, facilitating resource sharing and collaborations, ensuring realtime services, automating routine tasks, apart from offering spaces for debates and discussions, campaigns and deliberations, libraries today have repositioned themselves and expanded as centres of innovative and creative community hubs. Apart from invaluable benefits, libraries grapple with significant challenges such as budget constraints, professional training demands, digital infrastructure development and data security.

Disaster is a phenomenon or an unexpected happening, which can be both natural and man-made, that particularly disturbs & to some extent causes harm to humans, organizational infrastructure, and national heritage. In this context, the public library plays a crucial role in the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage, rare and other valuable resources, to not only protect it for the present generation but also to portray the rich culture of the nation to the upcoming generation. It becomes an utmost need of the hour, libraries emerge to safeguard their resources, capturing and digitizing cultural manuscripts of national importance, catering their services to potential communities, facilitating communication, and providing hassle-free reading rooms to their users. Important guidelines given by ALA and IFLA focus on retroconversion of library resources, an effective framework for disaster management plans, and various information services for users in times of emergency. Several libraries around the world started taking initiatives for disaster management and recovery preparedness in times of need. The National Library of Australia has been working on digital preservation for protecting cultural heritage manuscripts, while Kerala state central library, after the severe destruction caused by the Kerala flood 2018, started taking efforts for the restoration of documents to promote the dissemination of knowledge to their communities using those resources. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global scholarly output on the role of libraries in crisis management and disaster response. Data is extracted from the rich Scopus database by using an advanced search strategy. The extracted data were analysed, synthesized, and represented in the form of tables, figures, and charts with the help of bibliometrics performance indicators and science mapping tools like VOSviewer, Biblishiny, and the Microsoft Office package. The findings of the study will examine publication trends, prominent authors, institutions, countries, core sources, thematic evolution, and collaboration networks.

Purpose: The study aims to map and evaluate the research performance, publication trends, thematic focus, and collaboration patterns of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Kashmir over 40 years, highlighting its scholarly contributions and identifying growth opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data retrieved from Elsevier’s Scopus database for the period 1985–2025, as no indexed publications were available before 1985. The search query targeted the institutional affiliation (AF-ID 60016300) within the Social Sciences subject area, yielding 977 publications. Data were analysed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to examine indicators such as annual scientific production, document types, citation patterns, co-authorship networks, institutional collaborations, thematic mapping, and keyword co-occurrence. Findings: The School of Social Sciences accounts for 5.8% of the University’s total research output, with marked growth in productivity since 2010. Journal articles dominate (77.08%), but only 25.99% of publications are open access. A strong coauthorship network exists, led by a few highly prolific authors, though collaboration is largely national. Thematic analysis reveals a concentration on regional issues (e.g., Kashmir, conflict, climate change) alongside emerging interdisciplinary areas such as deep learning and sustainable development. Citation impact has increased notably post-2010, peaking in 2020. Originality/value: This is the first comprehensive bibliometric assessment of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Kashmir. By integrating performance indicators, collaboration mapping, and thematic evolution analysis, the study provides actionable insights to enhance research visibility, diversify thematic focus, and foster international partnerships.

The study assesses the current status and growth of the library and information science (LIS) doctoral-level theses deposited in Shodhganga, India’s national digital repository for theses and dissertations. A quantitative metadata-based approach was adopted. Bibliographic records of LIS theses covering the period 2010-2025 were manually extracted from Shodhganga. Initially, bibliographic records of 4,400 LIS doctoral theses from 166 universities were collected. After data cleaning and organizing them in excel sheets, a final dataset of 4,027 LIS theses from 156 universities was analyzed. The analysis reveals that Bharathiar University emerged as the most productive institution by depositing 153 LIS theses, followed by Karnatak University (126) and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (125). State universities contributed more than 3/4th of the total LIS doctoral output, while Central universities contributed 11.62%, Private universities 6.98%, and Deemed-to-be universities 4.77%. The annual distribution of doctoral theses shows fluctuations, with a sharp growth after 2015, peaking in the year 2022 with 532 theses, followed by a marginal decline in 2025, which may reflect incomplete reporting for that year. Tamil Nadu dominates at the regional level with 814 theses, ahead of Maharashtra (506) and Karnataka (452). The geospatial mapping highlights a strong concentration of LIS research in southern and western India, with comparatively lower representation in several northern and central regions. This study provides a significant foundation for policy makers, academic planners and LIS educators to identify leading research universities, address regional imbalances, strengthen doctoral programmes and promote awareness regarding the deposition of doctoral research output in the national repository.

Digital inequalities still exist in the digital era, and these inequalities impede the fair and equal access to education, job opportunities, civic services, and health-related information. Libraries have increasingly been taking a leading role in addressing these disparities, by facilitating access to digital infrastructure, digital skill development, and the mediating support that align with community needs. In addition to the informational role, libraries are also public service institutions whose value is determined by the perception, trust, and subsequent interaction of the users. This paper offers a descriptive and analytical synthesis that reframes digital inclusion as a strategic framework for enhancing library brand equity. This study is theoretically grounded in Aaker Brand Equity Modelwhich conceptualizes brand equity through key dimensions such as brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations, and brand loyalty. The paper will present the impact of digital divide bridging initiatives on these dimensions in the library context based on interdisciplinary literature on the topic, including library and information science, communication studies, and branding research. The paper suggests that digital inclusion strategies help to develop enhanced perception of service quality, positive institutional association linked with social responsibility and trust, increased visibility among diverse user groups, and promote consistent, long-term term library usage behaviours. It also emphasizes managerial and policy application of digital inclusion for strengthening libraries as credible, inclusive and socially responsive institutions in an ever more digital society

The rapid digitization of contemporary society has transformed civic participation, knowledge production, and global interconnectedness, situating citizenship within algorithmically mediated digital environments. In this context, libraries must be reconceptualized not merely as information service providers but as civic-epistemic institutions that sustain democratic participation while safeguarding the integrity of knowledge. Drawing on scholarship in information literacy, digital citizenship, algorithmic literacy, artificial intelligence ethics, and global citizenship education, this conceptual study proposes an integrated framework linking digital literacy, digital citizenship, and global citizenship as interconnected dimensions of contemporary civic development. It argues that through equitable access, critical literacy pedagogy, ethical engagement with emerging technologies, and facilitation of intercultural dialogue, libraries shape the structural conditions underwhich informed, responsible, and globally aware citizenship emerges. By bridging technical competence with ethical reflection and global responsibility, libraries play a foundational role in cultivating reflective digital participants and globally engaged citizens within the networked knowledge society.

Purpose: The current study is an attempt to quantify the global scientific literature on digital marketing in libraries. Further, the study analysed the research productivity in terms of growth and impact of digital marketing research in the context of library and information centres. Design/Methodology/Approach: To adequately cover the scientific output on library digital marketing research, Web of Science (WoS) was used to extract the bibliographic data using 345 keywords. A total of 344 documents from 79 sources were retrieved from 1989 to 2021. R-bibliomterix software and MS Excelwere used for data analysis and cleaning. Findings: The findings indicate a gradual increasing shift in research output from 2011 to 2015, followed by a decline after 2016. Citation impact varied across years, with 2007 achieving the highest citations per article and per year. The United States emerged as themost productive,most cited, andmost collaborative country, followed by China. Network analysis showcased the prominence of the keyword social media. Author Joo S, and the Journal of Academic Librarianship emerged as central contributing author and Source respectively. Practical Implications: The study traces trends in digital marketing research in libraries and underlines how digital marketing tools enhances library visibility, user engagement, and service outreach. Originality/value: The study offers comprehensive bibliometric analysis for librarians and policymakers to adopt data-driven marketing strategies that improve resource utilization and institutional impact.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the research trends and patterns in eservices in libraries by examining the literature published over three decades. Design/Methodology/Approach: Web of Science (WoS) was used to obtain the scientific publications on e-services of libraries. The data was extracted on 31- December-2021. The search query applied to get the desired results is (((TS= (DIGITAL LIBRAR*)) AND TS= (ELECTRONIC SERVIC*)) OR TI= (DIGITAL LIBRARY SERVIC*)) ANDTI=(E-SERVIC*) and Articles Afterrefinements and removal of duplicates the total of 2300 articles were retrieved within a specific time. R software was used for data visualization and analysis. Findings: The study revealed that the highest number of articles were published in 2015 and the highest mean total citation count per article belongs to 2011. It is revealed that the Academic of Librarianship had published the highest number of records. The most occurred keywords are “Information” and “Model”. It is also revealed that the word “Information” has the highest growth rate. It was determined that the USA has the highest productivity and citations followed by the UK and China. Cook C, and Thompson B are the most Prolific authors revealed in the study. It was also revealed that the University of Illinois, Chicago was the most prolific institution. Practical Implications: The findings can help libraries in developing e-services by highlighting current research trends and identifying leading institutions and authors in the field. This can help in formulating policies and strategies that meet the evolving needs of the digital age. Originality/Value: The study is confined to articles indexed in the Web of Science database, which may not reflect the scope of research on e-services in libraries. This study provides valuable insights into the research landscape of library e-services

With advancement in today’s digital age, screens have become an integral part of our daily life, and children are exposed to digital media from an early age. There are growing concerns about the potential negative impacts of excessive screen time on the development of children in various spheres of life. The impact of screen time among children between 06-12 years stems from the rapid increase in digital media consumption in this age group. Children aged 06-12 years are in a critical developmental stage where excessive screen time can potentially influence their cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional growth. This study explores the impact of screen time on children aged 06-12 years by examining its effects on physical health and eating habits through comprehensive statistical analyses. Data was collected from 100 children (48 boys, 52 girls) from urban and rural areas using purposive sampling. Advanced statistical methods including chi-square tests, correlation analysis, odds ratios, effect size calculations, and multivariate regression were employed. Results revealed mean daily screen time of 2.34 ± 1.52 hours, with 32% exceeding recommended limits. Excessive screen time (>2 hours/day) showed significant associations with vision problems (OR = 3.21, p <.01), eating disturbances (OR = 2.84, p <.01), and sedentary behavior (OR = 4.12, p <.001). Correlation analysis demonstrated strong positive relationships between screen time and overall health impact (r = .58, p <.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that screen time duration, urban residence, and age collectively explained 42.3% of variance in health outcomes (R² = .423, p <.001). The study provides robust evidence for the detrimental effects of excessive screen time and recommends comprehensive interventions including time limits, screen-free zones, and parental education.

This study examines the perceptions of tour guides towards heritage tourism in Rajasthan (India), with a specific focus on three dimensions: the role of tour guides in heritage promotion, their perspectives on conservation and preservation of heritage sites, and their professional satisfaction. Using a qualitative, interpretivist approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 respondents across Jaipur, Ajmer, and Pushkar. Thematic analysis revealed that tour guides perceive themselves as cultural ambassadors and storytellers who transform monuments into living experiences. Guides actively function as informal conservation advocates, though structural barriers limit their formal input into heritage management. Professional satisfaction is high intrinsically but tempered by economic instability and, for female guides, significant gender-based challenges, including harassment, unequal access to work, and social stigma. The study concludes with policy recommendations for government tourism authorities, heritage management bodies, and tourism institutions to better support the guiding profession and leverage guides’ knowledge for sustainable heritage tourism

Purpose: The study attempts to explore, identify and document the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir valley with a focus on preserving and safeguarding cultural assets and enabling accessible digital collections for enhanced visibility, accessibility, sharing and Consultation through the implementation of an integrated digital repository framework. Design/methodology/approach: A multi-phase methodology was adopted involving the identification, documentation, digitization, organization, and representation of cultural heritage resources. Data were collected through site visits, consultations with historians, artisans, manuscript custodians, and cultural institutions. Digital content were created using scanning, photography, and audio-visual recording technologies. Metadata standards and customized descriptive elements were applied to organize resources, while Greenstone open-source software was used for repository development and management. Findings: The study reveals that diverse cultural heritage resources, including manuscripts, folklore, inscriptions, monuments, traditional music, arts and crafts, indigenous knowledge systems, and historical records, etc., can effectively integrate, within a single access platform. Metadata-driven organization and interoperable digital library technologies enhance discoverability, accessibility, and long term preservation. The study also highlights practical challenges related to resource identification, stakeholder cooperation, metadata customization, and digitization of rare and dispersed cultural materials. Research limitations/implications: The repository testbeds represent selected cultural resources and may not fully represent the entire Kashmir’s heritage. Challenges associated with access restrictions, ownership issues, and the absence of universally applicable metadata standards needs to be addressed for large-scale implementation. The study provides provisions for detailed assessment of important considerations and persistent issues concerning successful implementation of such efforts. Originality/value: The study is an original effort towards preservation of cultural heritage items of Kashmir valley through the implementation of digital preservation technologies within a digital repository framework. It highlights practical approaches to digitization, metadata management, and interoperability that can support such implementations.