Are Librarians Ready for Space Transformation? A Systematic Review of Spatial Literacy for Librarians
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
see attached review
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
This paper offers new information that will be very useful for many types of libraries involved in space planning and construction. As many library spaces are undergoing renovation, this article is timely and provides a well-researched foundation for future research and practice.
line 20 - repeats the word librarians (and librarians) - edit this typo
line 50 Literacy definition is unclear, "what one can do" is repeated in the definition
line 63 Delete "Expertise in thinking and reasoning" - or complete the sentence
line 71 - clean up bottom of figure to make it more clear where arrows are overlapping with words
line 80 "graphology field" - define this new term
line 112 - this Sentence "Secondly.." is a bit confusing, please re-word
line 263 - Explain why vertical paradigm is insufficient
line 313 -"laws of reader's experience" Choose another word for "laws"
1. What is the main question addressed by the research? This research provides evidence about librarians knowledge of spatial literacy as derived from a systematic review of the literature. Systematic reviews seek to uncover patterns in large amounts of published literature through carefully constructed search queries, analysis of the articles by experts in the discipline and clustering of the topics and themes. This paper reveals three main areas of spatial literacy from the literature and compares each to uncover current gaps and areas for future research. The evidence will assist librarians in building greater capacity in spatial literacy to support library space transformations that meet evolving user needs.
2. Do you consider the topic original or relevant in the field? Does it
address a specific gap in the field? Yes, this is an original and relevant topic and I do not know of any other systematic review of the literature in this research area. Space projects are being undertaken by libraries of all types, sizes, and geographic regions in attempts to communicate library value and meet user needs for life-long learning and community development.
3. What does it add to the subject area compared with other published
material? The article points to specific areas that need more research and reveal overarching themes in librarian knowledge of this topic. The paper would be relevant for space planners in libraries and for spatial literacy development in general.
4. What specific improvements should the authors consider regarding the
methodology? What further controls should be considered? None
5. Are the conclusions consistent with the evidence and arguments presented
and do they address the main question posed? Yes, the conclusions are sound and based on the data shared in the article. The methods used are appropriate and the themes are explained in detail and are well-organized for readers.
6. Are the references appropriate? Yes
7. Please include any additional comments on the tables and figures. Aside from minor formatting, as mentioned in my review, the figures are good quality and communicate the main points of the research.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
First, I sincerely commend the authors for their thoughtful and thorough response to reviewer's comments - the manuscript is significantly improved as a result. Most of the ambiguities and issues have now been resolved and I do believe this is ready for publication. The purpose and audience for the paper and the conclusion are much stronger now, and the issues with the methodology and analyses are resolved. Great work! I have only two very minor points:
1. the National Geographic definition of spatial literacy (reference 5) goes to a generic NG page, not the definition - can the authors find a better definition that has a clear and direct reference?
2. "reading carriers" is not clear either, I'm not sure what the authors mean by this. Do they mean digital reading aps devices such as Kindles? It's a really minor point but please do clarify (again, this may be simply a case of different terminology used in China vs the US - and here is an opportunity to explain that - we do tend to be US-centric here!)
kudos again on very responsive edit.
Author Response
Dear reviewer:
Thank you for your concerning our manuscript. Your comments are valuable for improving our paper.We have revised each point carefully. Attached please find our response and the revised version.
We would like to express our great appreciation to you for comments on our paper.
Point 1
1.the National Geographic definition of spatial literacy (reference 5) goes to a generic NG page, not the definition - can the authors find a better definition that has a clear and direct reference?
Response 1
We have adapted the definition of spatial literacy, citing ideas from Dr. Jinrong Han's thesis(line 44):"Geographers consider spatial literacy to be the inherent ability to make sound use of geospatial knowledge and geospatial skills to solve geospatial problem.
Point 2
2."reading carriers" is not clear either, I'm not sure what the authors mean by this. Do they mean digital reading aps devices such as Kindles? It's a really minor point but please do clarify (again, this may be simply a case of different terminology used in China vs the US - and here is an opportunity to explain that - we do tend to be US-centric here!)
Response 2
When we refer to reading vehicles (or carriers) ，we mean a reading device such as a kindle.In order to avoid confusion and to express more clearly the increasing demand for libraries, we have revised the first sentence（line 11）: "In recent years, public demand for cultural consumption has been rising,and people's demand for libraries has gradually shifted from the initial demand for simple reading to the pursuit of public space and cultural experience. "
