The purpose of this study is to classify library users’ behavior through analysis of location information acquired using observation methods adapting Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology and to examine the advantage of this method and data acquired. The author conducted a user study to track traveling paths of users using the RFID system and questionnaire survey to acquire information on users’ attributes at the Chiyoda Public Library in 2012. Location information for 209 users was analyzed. Two perspectives were analyzed: 1) the extent and concentration of points visited by users and 2) the similarities of users’ traveling paths. The following results were obtained: 1) a high percentage of users who borrowed materials stayed in the library for a short time and visited particular bookshelves; users who did not borrow materials performed diversified behaviors and 2) Cluster one included a high percentage of users who wandered about the library looking for library materials; Cluster two included a high percentage of users who read materials in the library. These results indicate that this location information provides the most objective data available on library users’ behavior and that it is suitable for statistical analysis.

This research aims to clarify school librarians’ formulation of role sharing with teachers with regard to the use of school libraries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teacher librarians and school library staff who took on instructional role, and the results were analyzed using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA). A model that showed the formulation of role sharing was developed based on the analysis and the main factors influencing role sharing were identified. School librarians, when asked by teachers to take part in a class, first attempted to “identify their role,” followed by assessing the disposition of the students to understand the “need for instruction,” and next “designated instructional areas” within the library and the subject matter. School librarians had “confidence in their ability to support the class” but a certain “confusion” as well about what “their standing really was” in the class, and the strength of these feelings influenced their “relationship with the teachers.” Interacting with the teachers resulted in the librarians finding “a way to relate to the class on their own terms” and formulating role-sharing practices with the teachers.

This article explores the current status of presentations in academic conferences for research activities. We conducted a case study on academic conference Web sites as well as a questionnaire survey by e-mail. From the survey of 54 Web sites of academic societies, we found that they held academic conferences regularly and that the management of conferences by local executive committees tended to follow that of previous conferences. The questionnaire survey targeted the secretariats of academic societies; we analyzed the responses from 285 academic societies and obtained the following results. (1) A poster presentation was made at many conferences in the natural and medical sciences. (2) Most academic conferences employed a peer-review system. (3) Oral presentations only or oral presentation with handout were permitted in the humanities and social sciences. (4) A few academic societies recorded presentations in digital format and subsequently offered access to those recordings. Academic conferences have been regarded as an area of informal communication. Because presentations are included in academic conferences, they have not been formal research results. And then they should not be archived and made available in open access.