Libraries in the age of Fourth Industrial Revolution: a systematic review based on scientometric and altmetric tools

Abstract

Purpose Industries throughout the world have gone through four phases of the industrial revolution. Today, the authors are encountering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0 or 4IR), which is characterized by the application of information and communication technologies in the industry. This study aims to evaluate the growth of literature in the context of libraries and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and then identify the active research actors, countries, affiliations and sources and the status of collaboration across various geographical locations. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted. The data were extracted from the Scopus database incorporating scientometric and altmetric indicators. The search terms were TITLE-ABS-KEY “Industry 4.0” OR “4IR” OR “Fourth Industrial Revolution” AND “Library 4.0” OR “librarian 4.0” OR “libraries” OR “library” OR “library service” without any limitation. The results identified 218 documents out of which 67 core documents are related to libraries. Analysis was performed using MS Excel and VOSviewer. Findings South Africa, Nigeria and South Korea were the three most productive countries in the field. Library Hi Tech News is the most productive journal. Collaboration among African countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Zimbabwe seems to be good and they constituted the largest share of documents. The research on the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the context of libraries still lacks social media attention. Originality/value This study is the first systematic review in this area using a combination of scientometrics and altmetrics. The results will serve as a valuable reference for future researchers and policymakers.