Daily Important LIS Questions January 2026

Daily LIS Quiz

Daily Important LIS Question - January 2026

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31 Jan 2026

Which type of metadata is most critical for long-term digital preservation?

A Descriptive metadata

B Structural metadata

C Administrative metadata

D Social metadata

✓Answer:(C) Administrative metadata

Administrative metadata, particularly preservation metadata, documents the technical environment, rights, authenticity, and migration history of digital objects, enabling their long-term accessibility, integrity, and trustworthiness despite technological obsolescence.

30 Jan 2026

Doomscrolling most precisely refers to:

A Compulsive consumption of negative online news and social media updates

B Selective reading of optimistic journalism

C Speed-reading through academic articles

D Archiving news stories for later reading

✓Answer:(B) Compulsive consumption of negative online news and social media updates

Doomscrolling is the compulsive or excessive consumption of negative news and distressing content via social media and news feeds (term rose during the COVID-19 pandemic)

29 Jan 2026

The “Second Brain” (as popularized by Tiago Forte) refers to:

A A neural implant that enhances memory

B A systematic external digital PKM (personal knowledge management) system to store, organize and retrieve notes, ideas, and resources

C A shared group memory for teams only

D A fiction genre about AI minds

✓Answer:(B) A systematic external digital PKM (personal knowledge management) system to store, organize and retrieve notes, ideas, and resources

The Second-Brain idea is a deliberate PKM system (using tools like Notion, Evernote, Obsidian) to offload and organize your knowledge so you can reuse it for creative work and decision-making. (See Tiago Forte’s book and practical guides.)

28 Jan 2026

Which reading practice is most closely associated with algorithmic curation?

A Deep reading of monographs

B Personalized content recommendations

C Serendipitous browsing in libraries

D Critical close reading

✓Answer:(B) Personalized content recommendations

Algorithms filter and recommend content based on prior behavior, shaping what users read.

27 Jan 2026

The paradox of modern reading culture can best be summarized as:

A Less access but more comprehension

B More reading with deeper understanding

C More access but less sustained attention

D Print dominance over digital

✓Answer:(C) More access but less sustained attention

Information overload increases access while reducing deep, focused reading.

26 Jan 2026

Which of the following best explains information obesity?

A Lack of access to reading materials

B Preference for print over digital reading

C Limited digital literacy

D Overconsumption of low-quality information

✓Answer:(D) Overconsumption of low-quality information

Information obesity refers to consuming excessive information without meaningful understanding.

25 Jan 2026

Which statement BEST reflects the role of AI in discovery systems?

A AI is mainly used for live query translation

B AI replaces metadata standards

C AI is not used due to licensing constraints

D AI supports ranking, recommendations, and personalization

✓Answer:(A) AI supports ranking, recommendations, and personalization

Discovery systems employ AI/ML techniques for relevance ranking, query expansion, recommendations, and analytics

24 Jan 2026

Which feature most clearly differentiates a federated search system from a web-scale discovery system?

A Live querying of multiple external databases

B Use of faceted navigation

C Integration with OPAC

D Support for link resolvers

✓Answer:(A) Live querying of multiple external databases

Federated search systems send the user’s query in real time to multiple external databases and then merge the results. Discovery systems, in contrast, search a pre-built centralized index, making them faster and more consistent.

23 Jan 2026

Which protocol is most critical for integrating an ILMS with discovery layers and mobile applications?

A MARC 21

B Z39.50

C RESTful APIs

D SMTP

✓Answer:(C) RESTful APIs

REST APIs allow flexible, real-time integration with external systems, making them essential for discovery tools, analytics dashboards, and mobile apps.

22 Jan 2026

Which protocol best supports the open access movement by enabling cross-platform metadata visibility?

A SIP2

B LDAP

C SMTP

D OAI-PMH

✓Answer:(D) OAI-PMH

OAI-PMH allows repositories and ILMS to share metadata openly, improving visibility of open-access resources.

21 Jan 2026

The “Crocodile Effect” in digital content refers to:

A Rapid increase in website revenue

B Growth in impressions but decline in clicks

C Decline in content quality

D Increase in spam content

✓Answer:(B) Growth in impressions but decline in clicks

The effect describes a widening gap between content visibility and actual user engagement.

20 Jan 2026

Which protocol plays a critical role in centralized user authentication for academic libraries using institutional credentials?

A SMTP

B SIP2

C LDAP

D FTP

✓Answer:(C) LDAP

LDAP enables centralized authentication by integrating the ILMS with institutional directories, ensuring controlled access to library services.

19 Jan 2026

In a fully RFID-enabled library, which combination of standards/protocols ensures both hardware interoperability and circulation communication with the ILMS?

A ISO 28560 + SIP2

B ISO 28560 + Z39.50

C MARC 21 + SIP2

D NCIP + OAI-PMH

✓Answer:(A) ISO 28560 + SIP2

ISO 28560 standardizes RFID tag data structure. SIP2 enables communication between RFID/self-check devices and ILMS. Together, they ensure seamless RFID-based circulation.

18 Jan 2026

Which protocol is considered a web-services–based successor to Z39.50 and is more compatible with modern discovery systems?

A SIP2

B SRU/SRW

C NCIP

D FTP

✓Answer:(B) SRU/SRW

SRU (Search/Retrieve via URL) and SRW (Search/Retrieve Web Service) are HTTP-based protocols using XML/JSON, making them lighter, firewall-friendly, and better suited to modern web environments than Z39.50.

17 Jan 2026

Which protocol is most appropriate for enabling real-time copy cataloguing from a remote library catalog into an ILMS?

A OAI-PMH

B SIP2

C Z39.50

D FTP

✓Answer:(C) Z39.50

Z39.50 is designed for searching and retrieving bibliographic records in real time from remote library databases. It supports copy cataloguing directly into an ILMS, unlike OAI-PMH which is meant for metadata harvesting and not real-time search.

16 Jan 2026

The World Digital Library (WDL) is jointly developed by:

A Google and Microsoft

B OCLC and IFLA

C European Union and Europeana Foundation

D UNESCO and the Library of Congress

✓Answer:(D) UNESCO and the Library of Congress

The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library originally administered by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress. It is now maintained by the Library of Congress.

15 Jan 2026

AZW3 and KFX formats are improvements over MOBI because they support:

A Better typography and formatting

B Audio playback

C Video content

D Image editing

✓Answer:(A) Better typography and formatting

AZW3 and KFX offer enhanced layout, fonts, and reading features.

14 Jan 2026

Which e-book format is proprietary to Amazon Kindle devices?

A EPUB

B AZW

C PDF

D TXT

✓Answer:(B) AZW

AZW (and AZW3, KFX) are Amazon’s proprietary Kindle formats.

13 Jan 2026

Which OSI layer is responsible for routing decisions?

A Physical Layer

B Data Link Layer

C Network Layer

D Transport Layer

✓Answer:(C)Network Layer

Routing means selecting the best path for data packets to travel from the source network to the destination network. The Network Layer is responsible for logical addressing, path determination (Routing), packet forwarding, Inter-network communication.

12 Jan 2026

Which metadata schema is specifically designed for long-term preservation of digital objects?

A Dublin Core

B MARC21

C PREMIS (Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies)

D METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard)

✓Answer:(C)PREMIS (Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies)

PREMIS is the international standard for preservation metadata in digital archiving. MARC21 is for bibliographic data, Dublin Core for general resource description, and METS for structuring metadata.

11 Jan 2026

What does the term “bibliographic coupling” refer to in informetrics?

A When two documents cite the same third document

B When two documents are cited together by a third document

C When two documents share common references

D When two authors co-write multiple papers

✓Answer:(C)When two documents share common references

Bibliographic coupling occurs when two documents reference a common third document, indicating thematic similarity. Co-citation is when two documents are cited together by another.

10 Jan 2026

Which standard is used for exchanging digital rights information between libraries and publishers?

A ONIX for Books

B COUNTER

C SUSHI

D MARC21

✓Answer:(A)ONIX for Books

ONIX for Books is used for communicating rich metadata and digital rights information. COUNTER and SUSHI are for usage statistics, and MARC21 is for bibliographic data.

09 Jan 2026

Which protocol is used for real-time communication between library systems and self-checkout machines?

A Z39.50

B SIP2 (Standard Interchange Protocol)

C OAI-PMH

D SRU/SRW

✓Answer:(B)SIP2 (Standard Interchange Protocol)

SIP2 is a proprietary protocol widely used for communication between library management systems and self-service circulation devices like kiosks and checkout stations.

08 Jan 2026

What is the primary goal of a "Digital Detox"?

A To permanently delete all social media accounts.

B To intentionally reduce or take a break from using digital devices to improve well-being.

C To switch from using smartphones to using only desktop computers.

D To learn advanced digital skills.

✓Answer:(B)To intentionally reduce or take a break from using digital devices to improve well-being.

A digital detox is a period when a person voluntarily refrains from using digital devices like smartphones, computers, and social media to reduce stress, improve focus, and reconnect with the physical world.

07 Jan 2026

In Open Access publishing, what does the "Subscribe to Open (S2O)" model aim to achieve?

A Convert subscription journals to open access by using existing library subscription fees as the funding mechanism.

B Force authors to pay higher APCs for faster publication.

C Create a paywall that charges readers per article view.

D Allow publishers to double-dip by charging for both subscriptions and APCs.

✓Answer:(A) Convert subscription journals to open access by using existing library subscription fees as the funding mechanism.

Under S2O, if a critical mass of subscribing libraries renews, the journal's new volume is made OA for everyone. If not, it remains behind a paywall. It flips the business model without requiring authors to pay APCs.

06 Jan 2026

In digital preservation, what is the primary purpose of conducting a "LOCKSS Audit"?

A To check the copyright status of archived content.

B To verify the integrity and completeness of content across the distributed LOCKSS network.

C To calculate the cost of long-term storage.

D To improve the search engine ranking of preserved items.

✓Answer:(B) To verify the integrity and completeness of content across the distributed LOCKSS network.

LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) networks perform regular peer-to-peer audits to ensure that each participating node's preserved content matches the original, detecting and repairing corruption or loss automatically.

05 Jan 2026

Which e-book format is known for its reflowable text and adaptability to different screen sizes?

A PDF

B EPUB

C DJVU

D MOBI

✓Answer:(B) EPUB

EPUB is the standard, reflowable format for e-books, allowing text to adapt to various devices, unlike fixed-layout PDFs.

04 Jan 2026

Ethernet technology is mainly used for:

A Satellite communication

B Telephone-based Internet