Abstract
Library anxiety is a phenomenon that occurs among university students worldwide, and it is most often measured using different library anxiety scales. This paper describes the process of development, validation and use of the Croatian-Library Anxiety Scale (CRO-LAS) in examining the presence and degree of library anxiety among students at the University of Zadar, Croatia. CRO-LAS consists of 32 items divided into 6 categories, namely; staff barriers, affective barriers, technological barriers, IT equipment barriers, library comfort barriers and resources barriers. The average score on CRO-LAS showed that the overall library anxiety level among students at the University of Zadar is low and varies depending on the category. According to the findings, students tend to experience higher levels of library anxiety concerning IT equipment and resources barriers, whilst the lowest levels of library anxiety are reported on staff and library comfort. Also, it is proven that undergraduate students experience a higher level of library anxiety than graduate students. Furthermore, considering its psychometric properties, CRO-LAS has proven to be a reliable tool for measuring library anxiety among Croatian university students. Results of this study can be practically applied by librarians while creating library orientation programs and other, librarian-led courses. Also, CRO-LAS can be used as a reliable tool in conducting future studies of library anxiety phenomena.
Published Version
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