Abstract Web resources are integral to modern e-learning, yet they are highly susceptible to "link rot," threatening the integrity, accessibility, and reproducibility of digital educational content. This study investigates the prevalence, persistence, and recovery of URL citations within... Web resources are integral to modern e-learning, yet they are highly susceptible to "link rot," threatening the integrity, accessibility, and reproducibility of digital educational content. This study investigates the prevalence, persistence, and recovery of URL citations within the Library and Information Science (LIS) elearning modules of the e-PG Pathshala platform, a national open access e-learning initiative by the Ministry of Education, India. By extracting and analyzing 2,155 unique URLs from 389 PDF e-text modules, the study assessed URL accessibility, HTTP error distributions, and the efficacy of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. The results show a severe decay rate: 54.66% of cited URLs were initially inactive, mostly returning HTTP 404 (Not Found) and 403 (Forbidden) errors. However, recovery efforts via the Internet Archive successfully restored 68.76% of these dead links, elevating the overall accessibility rate from 45.34% to 82.92%. Furthermore, multivariate analysis indicates that URL decay is not random but is significantly influenced by structural characteristics: URLs with deeper path depths, longer character lengths, PDF formats, and specific non-governmental domains exhibited higher vulnerability to decay and lower recovery rates. The study concludes that while web archiving serves as a highly effective safety net for rescuing lost digital resources, mitigating link rot requires proactive, systemic measures. These include adopting persistent identifiers, automated archiving APIs, and the deliberate selection of structurally resilient URL formats by econtent developers and platform administrators. Read More Read Less

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Abstract In today's knowledge driven economy, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are critical to safeguarding innovations and ensuring academic integrity. This study examines research scholars' awareness, understanding, and practices regarding IPR at Kuvempu University. Utilizing a descriptive survey design, data... In today's knowledge driven economy, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are critical to safeguarding innovations and ensuring academic integrity. This study examines research scholars' awareness, understanding, and practices regarding IPR at Kuvempu University. Utilizing a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 135 research scholars across various disciplines using a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal a significant "awareness competence disparity": while nominal awareness of IPR is exceptionally high (98.5%), deep conceptual mastery remains limited, with only 17.78% of scholars reporting substantive proficiency. A two-tier knowledge structure emerged; scholars demonstrated high awareness of academic ethics (Copyright: 74.8%, Plagiarism: 72.5%) but alarmingly low awareness of commercial and legal nuances (Fair Use: 24.4%, Trade Secrets: 26.6%). Furthermore, while university courses (35.5%) and online platforms (20%) are the primary sources of IPR knowledge, faculty mentorship (2.2%) and peer learning (1.4%) play a negligible role. Although 71.2% of scholars utilize plagiarism detection tools, nearly a third do not, indicating gaps in institutional consistency. The study concludes that while foundational IPR recognition is established, there is an urgent need for targeted interventions focusing on applied IP landscape analysis, commercialization, and legal exceptions. Recommendations include integrating advanced IPR modules into research curricula, training faculty to mentor scholars on IP commercialization, and enhancing library led workshops to bridge the gap between basic awareness and applied proficiency. Read More Read Less

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Abstract This study synthesizes the supplied analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital maturity in Asia-Pacific (APAC) higher education and reorganizes the findings into a coherent research framework. The analysis combines a conceptual map, keyword co-occurrence networks, a... This study synthesizes the supplied analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital maturity in Asia-Pacific (APAC) higher education and reorganizes the findings into a coherent research framework. The analysis combines a conceptual map, keyword co-occurrence networks, a co-occurrence strength matrix, a staged research agenda, an impact feasibility prioritization matrix, a gap to agenda mapping, thematic coverage assessment, and an illustrative latent growth model (LGM) framework for institutional AI-DMI trajectories. Across these outputs, AI and infrastructure emerge as central hubs, while teaching and learning, research, connectivity, high-performance computing (HPC), leadership, strategy, training, utilization, incentives, and curriculum form an interconnected maturity ecosystem. The analysis indicates that the most actionable challenges are not limited to technology availability; rather, utilization, incentives, shared capacity, and the alignment between institutional strategy and implementation represent major leverage points. The proposed research agenda therefore progresses from short-term longitudinal measurement and evaluation of existing pilots to medium-term studies of incentives, shared computing capacity, and curriculum effects, and finally to system-level maturity pathways, governance, ecosystem design, and inclusive AI transformation. The LGM framework extends the analysis from static benchmarking to longitudinal explanation by allowing institutions to differ in baseline maturity and rates of change and by testing predictors of those trajectories. Read More Read Less

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Abstract Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the usage trends, user preferences, and operational challenges associated with electronic resources (e-resources) in private engineering libraries across the Kanpur, Lucknow, and Agra divisions of Uttar Pradesh, India. Design/Methodology/Approach: Employing a quantitative... Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the usage trends, user preferences, and operational challenges associated with electronic resources (e-resources) in private engineering libraries across the Kanpur, Lucknow, and Agra divisions of Uttar Pradesh, India. Design/Methodology/Approach: Employing a quantitative survey design, the study utilized a multistage stratified random sampling technique. The study collected data from 317 valid respondents, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, doctoral scholars, faculty members, and library staff. Findings: The study reveals a high level of e-resource awareness (70.03%), though discovery relies heavily on physical library visits (49.21%) rather than digital channels like the library website (7.25%). Utilization is highly active, with 76.03% of users accessing e-resources at least weekly. Electronic journals (46.4%) and ebooks (27.1%) are the most preferred formats, with Elsevier and Springer Link as the dominant databases. While "richer content" (47.9%) and "convenience" (32.12%) are the primary drivers of adoption, poor internet connectivity (37.85%) and challenges in finding relevant information (34.7%) remain the most significant barriers. Despite these hurdles, overall user satisfaction remains high at 84.23%. Practical Implications: The findings highlight an urgent need for academic libraries to upgrade digital infrastructure, implement targeted information literacy programs, and enhance the digital promotion of library services to optimise e-resource utilisation. Originality/Value: This research provides region specific, empirical data on e-resource consumption in private engineering institutions, offering actionable insights for library administrators and educational policymakers to refine procurement strategies and user support systems. Read More Read Less

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