While the open access (OA) movement is growing throughout academia and has gained traction in some disciplines, there is still skepticism on the part of researchers who question the quality of OA publishing and may associate OA journals with “predatory” journals.

This qualitative research study examines librarians’ research data management (RDM) experiences, specifically the factors that influence their ability to support researchers’ needs.

This article examines the movement toward sophisticated library services, which requires amending the current practice of subject librarian specialisation, which has for decades been the mainstay of academic librarianship in South Africa and many other countries in both the global south and north.

Investigators of this study found that changing the educational model may lead to improvements in future library data services.

The author discusses the rise of an open ethos in LIS and makes the case for shifting to an open peer review process for LIS journals.