Welcome to this penultimate issue of Australian Academic & Research Libraries. Most of you will be aware that the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has decided to merge this journal with the Australian Library Journal and from 2017 the Association’s single journal will be the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA). The volume numbering and ISSN of JALIA will continue on from the Australian Library Journal, the elder of ALIA’s journals. We are looking forward to continuing our editorial role with JALIA and the opportunities that a broader scope and combined copy brings, and hope that you, our authors, readers and reviewers will continue on with us too. Look out for the final issue of AARL in December when we will be celebrating the journal’s long history with papers that are both retrospective and reflections on the future.
All the articles published in this September issue are concerned with university students. The first, by Hilary Hughes and others, describes a project for international students based on the flipped learning pedagogical approach. Developed to support a Queensland university’s First Year Experience program, Passport to Study was first trialled in 2015 with nearly 100 international students. It is another great example of how academic libraries are collaborating with academics and teaching and learning units to support the student community. In particular, this paper will inform academic librarians with recommendations for developing a similar approach; one that can enhance the transition to university of first year students from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Makerspaces are finding their way into public and academic libraries across Australia. They are places where people can meet, share skills and knowledge, collaborate and ‘make’. Anne Wong and Helen Partridge have conducted a qualitative review of university libraries’ websites to explore this new phenomenon and to describe the progress of makerspaces in the university sector and how they are staffed and resourced. The authors found just over a quarter of Australia’s university libraries mentioned a makerspace and suggest further research with key stakeholders is the best way forward to appreciate factors that contribute to developing an effective makerspace.
The final paper in this issue is by Gemma Walsh, who has reviewed the literature about screen and paper reading. Motivated by the increasing amount of online resources and information that students are encouraged/expected to read, the review identifies the advantages and disadvantages of electronic and paper media for academic reading. Drawing from theoretical and empirical research the article reports on three broad themes relating to screen and paper reading: reading and comprehension theory; the effect of platforms, design and tools on reading; and screen versus paper studies. The paper concludes with practical advice for academic librarians that will inform their collection management and library service decision-making.
Thanks to David Wells for the selection of book reviews that close the issue.
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