Got Ballot?: Encouraging Civic Engagement of Academic Library Users Through a Participatory Display

A review of:
 
 Curry, Ann and Deborah Copeman. “Reference Service to International Students: A Field Stimulation Research Study.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 31.5 (Sep. 2005): 409-20.
 
 Objective – To evaluate the quality of reference service provided to non-native, English-speaking international students in academic libraries.
 
 Design – Field stimulation (unobtrusive testing).
 
 Setting – Eleven college and university libraries in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada, in the fall of 2003.
 
 Subjects – Library staff offering reference service at one of the participating libraries.
 
 Methods – The study utilized field stimulation, whereby an individual, or “proxy,” posed as a library user and initiated a reference encounter with library staff at each institution. In each case the proxy asked the same question to the library staff member. After the interaction was completed the proxy recorded all observed behaviours. Data were collected using a checklist of actions; a narrative record written by the proxy; and several evaluative questions. Each library was visited by the same proxy on two separate occasions for a total of 22 visits, of which 20 instances resulted in usable data. The narrative recordings of the reference encounters were analyzed using an open coding process.
 
 Main results – In 75% of the cases, the proxy was “‘satisfied” or “very satisfied” with help received from the library staff member and was “likely to” or “definitely would return to the staff member” in the future. The reference encounters lasted between a few minutes to half an hour in length, with most lasting between 5 and 15 minutes. Encounters that were brief (less than 5 minutes) resulted in an evaluation of “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” and “not likely to” or “definitely would not return.” Encounters where the library staff member extended an invitation to the proxy to return in the future were all rated with “high satisfaction” and “willingness to return.” The following reference service actions were observed in at least half of the encounters:
 • Asked questions for clarification (20)
 • Avoided overwhelming the user with information (19)
 • Provided instruction on how to use information sources (18)
 • Explained what he / she was doing at every stage (17)
 • Demonstrated awareness of language barriers and modified his / her behaviour accordingly (16)
 • Had a respectful attitude toward the user and her question (16)
 • Looked approachable (15)
 • Used library jargon (12)
 
 The remaining reference service actions from the checklist were observed in less than half the encounters:
 • Accompanied the user to information sources (9)
 • Invited the user to return if she needed more help (6)
 • Asked the user if she had found what she needed (4)
 • Referred the user to someone else (2)
 
 The data collected from the narrative recordings of the reference encounters resulted in the identification of 17 themes. Most of these themes corresponded with the literature reviewed as important qualities for positive reference interactions. Nine of these themes were found to correlate with the proxy’s positive evaluation of the reference encounter: approachability, awareness of language barriers, asking questions, rephrasing, explanation, library jargon, instruction, early termination of interview, patience, and follow up.
 
 Conclusion – This preliminary study documents the actions of reference staff in academic libraries when answering a question from an international student. The researchers found a relationship between some library staff behaviours and the user’s level of satisfaction and likelihood to return to the staff member in the future. The research suggests that reference staff pay special attention to the needs of non-native English speakers in order to provide a positive reference encounter.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine leadership qualities and style as panacea for job productivity and effective service delivery among library staff members in academic libraries in Nigeria. This study will help to ascertain the leadership style that is mostly adopted by university library management staff members in university libraries in South South, Nigeria, ascertain the type of leadership style that can be adopted by library management to attain productivity and effective service delivery among staff members in university libraries in South South, Nigeria and identify the leadership qualities that allows for productivity and effectiveness of staff members in university libraries in South South, Nigeria among others.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The target population for this study comprises 672 library staff members from 23 university libraries across the South South region of Nigeria. Total enumeration sampling technique was used to sample the entire population. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire. A total of 672 copies of the questionnaire were administered and total of 623 were duly completed and found useable, therefore there was 93% response rate. The data collected for this study was analyzed using simple percentage/frequency counts and weighed mean.FindingsFinding from the study revealed that the leadership style mostly adopted and practiced by the staff members at the management level in academic libraries in South South, Nigeria is the autocratic type of leadership. Also, Almost all library staff members in academic libraries in South South, Nigeria upholds the view that democratic type of leadership, if practiced by staff members at the management level in academic libraries will allow for maximum job productivity and effectiveness among library staff members, that commitment and passion for their job, excellent communication skills, good decision-making skill, delegation of authority/subordinate empowerment among others are qualities a good leader.Originality/valueThis submission is a work by the researcher and to the best of the researcher's knowledge contains no materials previously published or written by another person.

In an era where knowledge is a critical asset, effective management of knowledge resources is vital to enhancing service delivery in academic institutions. Service delivery in the university library aims to meet the diverse information needs of users, thereby supporting the core objectives of fostering learning, teaching, and research. However, the extent to which knowledge acquisition practices, utilization, sharing practices, and knowledge preservation enhance service delivery has not been established. This study explored the impact of knowledge utilization practices on service delivery in university libraries in Meru County, Kenya. The research used the SERVQUAL theoretical framework. Using the descriptive survey research design with a cross-sectional approach, the census technique allowed the collection of qualitative data from 25 library staff members and 2 library heads working in Kenya Methodist University and Meru University of Science and Technology. The research instrumentation involved the administration of open-ended questionnaires among the library staff members while library heads were interviewed. The qualitative data collected were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed limited use of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, data mining, and the semantic web, for enhancing knowledge utilization practices and service delivery in university libraries in Meru County. The study concluded that adopted knowledge utilization practices positively impacted service delivery in the university libraries in Meru County. The findings also highlighted the integration of emerging technological tools to promote efficient knowledge utilization in the university libraries. The study recommends that university libraries leverage emerging technologies for efficient knowledge utilization practices as a strategy to enhance service delivery. Policy makers should enact policies that advocate library management to develop clear standards that support tacit knowledge management and integration of emerging technologies to enhance knowledge utilization and service delivery in university libraries.

PurposeThis study assessed students' intrinsic motivation (basic psychological needs) as predictor of their usage of library facilities in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted the quantitative case study approach. The population of this study consisted of all undergraduate students in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. The systematic random sampling was used in selecting a sample of 129 students. A research question and four hypotheses were raised in the study. Two instruments were adapted and used for data collection: the “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory” (IMI) and “Students' Usage of Library Facilities Scale,” with Cronbach’s alpha reliability indexes of 0.87 and 0.78, respectively. The collected data were analysed using descriptive (frequency counts and percentages) and inferential statistics (linear regression and correlation) at 0.05 alpha level.FindingsFindings of this study revealed that the extent of usage of library facilities in the university is low; the three basic psychological needs—perceived competence, autonomy and relatedness—significantly predict students' usage of library facilities; significant relationship exist among gender, perceived autonomy and usage of library facilities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to undergraduate usage of library facilities in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti. The quantitative case study research type was adopted, with a sample of 129 students. Data were collected using adapted questionnaires and analysed quantitatively using the SPSS.Practical implicationsThe results of this study have implied that the three basic psychological needs influence students' usage of library facilities. Therefore, it is paramount that management of universities and university librarians foster students' intrinsic motivational variables for their enhanced academic performances. Also, faculties and academics by the outcome of this study are to maintain and sustain a functional social network, social interactions and collaborative works among students, while inculcating and improving the levels of students' competences, autonomy and relatedness. Further, the study has hinted the need for university management, librarians and academics to be professionally trained on promoting and sustaining students' competences, autonomy and relatedness. The universities are to continuously organise orientation and enlightenment programmes for both the old and the newly admitted students on the import, impact and usage of university libraries amidst its facilities.Originality/valueFew studies have been carried out on students' usage of academic libraries especially with regard to their attitudes; however, the challenge of underutilisation of library facilities by students are yet unresolved. There is a dearth of literature regarding the influence of intrinsic motivation (the basic psychological needs) on usage of library facilities among tertiary learners, especially in Nigeria.

Library and information services in corporations, schools, universities and communities capture information about their users, circulation history, resources in the collection and search patterns (Koenig, 1985). Unfortunately, few libraries have taken advantage of these data as a way to improve customer service, manage acquisition budgets or influence strategic decision making about uses of information in their organizations. In this chapter, we present a global view of the data generated in libraries, and the variety of decisions that those data can inform. We describe ways in which library and information managers can use data mining in their libraries, i.e., bibliomining, to understand patterns of behavior among library users and staff members and patterns of information resource use throughout the institution. The chapter examines data sources and possible applications of data mining techniques in the library.

Library and information services in corporations, schools, universities and communities capture information about their users, circulation history, resources in the collection and search patterns (Koenig, 1985). Unfortunately, few libraries have taken advantage of these data as a way to improve customer service, manage acquisition budgets or influence strategic decision making about uses of information in their organizations. In this chapter, we present a global view of the data generated in libraries, and the variety of decisions that those data can inform. We describe ways in which library and information managers can use data mining in their libraries, i.e., bibliomining, to understand patterns of behavior among library users and staff members and patterns of information resource use throughout the institution. The chapter examines data sources and possible applications of data mining techniques in the library.

This study seeks to determine how users of the university libraries perceive the services rendered to them. Department of Mechanical Engineering was chosen as the population of this study. It is heavily populated with students seeking for information. 600 copies of questionnaire were made, only 450 copies were returned, well-filled, that is 75% of the questionnaire. Results were gathered and findings were made. The result showed that University Libraries are underfunded, they lack qualified personnel and also the university libraries do not have a general standard that guild them to access if actually users of the libraries are satisfied with the library or not.

The way library services are delivered has changed dramatically as a result of the integration of information and communication technology into academic libraries' daily operations. However, this is referred to as cloud computing. The majority of library services relating to information resources, dissemination, and delivery that are currently provided by libraries are either reproduced or replicated by ICT and mostly facilitated by the internet. This study looks into how ICT literacy affects the adoption of cloud computing in South-West, Nigeria's private university libraries. In this study, the survey research design was used. 262 librarians from 35 private university libraries in South-West Nigeria make up the study's population. All 35 private university libraries' library staff members were sampled using total enumeration. To collect data, a verified structured questionnaire was employed as the instrument. The constructions' Cronbach-alpha scores varied from 0.82 to 0.96. 95.8% of respondents responded. Both descriptive and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The data were examined using SPSS version 24.0, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The findings demonstrated that library staff in South-West Nigeria's utilization of cloud computing was strongly influenced by ICT literacy levels. To improve the use of cloud computing by library staff in private universities in South-West, Nigeria, the study found that ICT literacy skills indicators, particularly proficiency in using hardware, proficiency in word processing, proficiency in web-based functions, and proficiency in data processing, should be improved. The study suggested implementing the required ICT literacy programs and training to improve their staff for efficient library service delivery.

This study examines the influence of library service quality dimensions (i.e. service affect, information access, library as place, and personal control) on user satisfaction, as well as user satisfaction on user loyalty. Data were drawn from 349 library users from a public university library in Ghana. The hypothesized relationships were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The study revealed that with the exception of library as place all the service quality dimensions had a positive significant relationship with library user satisfaction. The study further established a positive significant relationship between user satisfaction and user loyalty. The practical implication is that the attainment of library user loyalty is possible when the management of libraries improve the level of user satisfaction with services. This study is one of the few on assessing library service quality, customer satisfaction, and user loyalty in a developing country context.

Today, information has become the least needed in everyday life. For anything and everything, information is required. Information can be gathered from a variety of sources. Libraries serve as a center for always providing the right information to the right people. User studies are to be recognized as an important part of the information packages. Information providers such as libraries need to be aware of their information-seeking methods so that they might be able to provide better library services. This paper studies the information-seeking behavior of university and college library users in the university libraries and College libraries in Maharashtra state. The respondents are postgraduate students, research scholars, and staff members. Data has been collected from a sample of 900 respondents. The major objectives of the present study are to identify the library users, their need for information, their frequency of visits, the amount of time they spent in the library, their usage of formal information sources, and their usage of e-resources. The significance of the study is to analyze and evaluate facts and facets pertaining to the Information Seeking Behavior of iwomen students, scholars, andfaculty members in the university libraries in Maharashtra. The study reveals that the majority of PG students and research scholars refer to e-resources to update their general knowledge as well as current information about their subjects.

Accompanying the successful and exciting high tech revolution in libraries has been the occurence of a number of physical, psychological and social problems among staff and patrons. This paper reports on technostress in libraries, examining some of the fears, frustrations and misconceptions which hamper the effective use of computers. Technostress among library staff members may result from poorly designed workstations, inadequate training and inept planning and implementation on the part of management. Library users often have false expectations and a lack of understanding of the system, resulting, at least in part, from inappropriate training. Both staff and users may suffer from fear, insecurity and general apprehension of new technology. Managers can take a variety of approaches to alleviate technostress in staff and patrons.

Summary Library personnel encounter angry library users regularly at various service points. Unpleasant incidents are detrimental to library staff attitudes and morale, and may have a lasting effect on the library staff member. This article describes techniques to lessen the impact of an emotional outburst of a library user and decrease the library staff member's recovery time from the incident.

Most organizations, such as University Libraries focus on enhancing their capability of knowledge processes to create new knowledge. The aim of this paper is to revealed empirically levels and types of KM practices applied at Malaysian university libraries. Based on 300 questionnaires through online, a survey was administered to a Lead User group of libraries (PhD candidates) in Malaysia. This is to elicit opinion of the prime users on the linkage between Knowledge Management Practice (KMP) and Library Users’ Satisfaction (LUS). SPSS software and AMOS 18 were utilized to analyze research data. Furthermore, a meaningful linkage was observed between Knowledge Management Practice (KMP) and Library Users’ Satisfaction (LUS) based on the empirical findings. Major contribution of the paper is to provide groundwork empirical evidence about the linkage between Knowledge Management Practice (KMP) and Library Users’ Satisfaction (LUS) at Malaysian university libraries.

A Review of: Adetayo, A. J. (2023). ChatGPT and librarians for reference consultations. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 27(3), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875301.2023.2203681 Objective – To investigate students’ use of ChatGPT and its potential advantages and disadvantages compared to reference librarians at a university library. Design – Survey research. Setting – A university library in Nigeria. Subjects – Students familiar with ChatGPT (n=54) who were enrolled in a library users’ education course. Methods – A survey was conducted in a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in a library users’ education course, who had previously used ChatGPT. Participants were asked questions based on six categories that reflected frequency of use, types of inquiries, frequency of reference consultations, desire to consult reference librarians despite the availability of ChatGPT, and potential advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT compared to reference librarians. A 4-point Likert scale was used to measure the responses from often to never, strongly agree to strongly disagree, and rarely to frequently. Main Results – The sample of students who participated (n=54) were a diverse group whose age varied from below 20 (35.2%) to above 30 years (31.5%) and represented a variety of fields of study, such as engineering, business and social sciences, arts, law, sciences, basic and medical sciences. Regarding frequency of use, the author reported that 40.7% of participants occasionally used ChatGPT, and 26.1% and 16.7% used it frequently or very frequently, respectively. Of the five options that represented types of inquiries (religious, political, academic, entertainment, and work), academic and work-related inquiries were topics most often searched in ChatGPT. Participants indicated that they consulted reference librarians occasionally (40.8%), frequently (37%), or rarely (22.2%). Most students (87%) would continue to consult reference librarians despite the availability of ChatGPT. For questions that compared ChatGPT to reference librarians, four options were provided to describe potential advantages and four options were provided to describe potential disadvantages. Most students agreed or strongly agreed that ChatGPT is more user friendly (83.4%), that it includes a broad knowledge base (90.7%), is easily accessible (83.3%), and saves time by responding to questions quickly (98%) compared to reference librarians. Fewer than half of the students agreed or strongly agreed that ChatGPT’s knowledge base is not up to date (47.2%). Most agreed or strongly agreed that it cannot comprehend some questions (72.3%), that it cannot read emotions as a librarian would (74.1%), and that responses to questions may be incorrect (66.6%). The potential advantage with the strongest response score was that ChatGPT saves time by responding to questions quickly (mean 3.52). The potential disadvantage with the strongest response score was ChatGPT could not read emotions as a librarian would (mean 2.91). Conclusion – Students from an academic institution acknowledged the potential advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT over reference librarians, yet the majority of students would continue to utilize reference librarian services. The author suggests that ChatGPT is a versatile and useful tool as a supplement rather than a replacement for knowledgeable and personable reference librarians. Based on the results of the study, the author emphasizes the importance of interpersonal skills and enhanced accessibility of reference librarians outside of typical work hours.

Primarily, academic libraries and librarians’ objective is to satisfy library users. Customer satisfaction in business seeks to maintain and enhance the relationship between customers and organizations to win loyalty and ensure survival in the competitive world of information explosion. Customer satisfaction, therefore, implies customers’ perception that his or her expectations have been met or surpassed. The purpose of this study was to assess the customer service provision for enhanced user satisfaction in academic libraries with a focus on St Paul’s University Library. The objectives of the study were to establish the quality of information resources/services offered at the library; to determine the level of awareness and accessibility of the existing information resources; to establish strategies/methods used to ensure effective customer satisfaction; and to determine challenges encountered by library users while seeking information services at St. Paul’s university library. The study was both quantitative and qualitative in nature and descriptive survey method was used. The study was carried out at St Paul’s university library main campus, which is located in Kiambu County, along Limuru Road, about 32 Kms from the City of Nairobi. The target population included144 full time second, 159 third year full time students, 65 full time lecturers, 31library staff and the Chief University Librarian. The researcher used stratified random sampling to select the respondents and a sample size of 161 respondents was selected from the target population. Data was collected using different questionnaires administered to the students, lecturers and library staff while the interview schedule was used on the University librarian. Data was analyzed, interpreted and presented using descriptive statistics. The findings showed that the library is well equipped with quality information materials both in written and electronic formats and that generally, the services offered at the library were of good standards and library users were treated with respect and courtesy while seeking library services. The findings showed that it is important for librarians to increase communication between library users and library staff, conduct regular staff training on customer care to enhance customer service practices. The findings further showed that a large number of the users visit the library to be able to access and retrieve information materials from online sources; library users get to know about new information materials acquired by the library through: library visits, current awareness service (CAS), Own initiative or visits and notice boards. In conclusion, this research will be used to improve services in the library and also better the library profession as well as contribute majorly to the body of knowledge in the area of library customer service provision and user satisfaction. This study recommended that there is need to transform, re-engineer and improve library services to conform to changing user’s academic needs in the University.