Undergraduates' perceptions and use of the university libraries Web portal: Can information literacy instruction make a difference?

Abstract

There is a common concern among academic libraries that their library Web portals are being underutilized. Literature pertaining to technology acceptance and information systems success indicates that user training plays a pivotal role in fostering favorable attitudes, and facilitating information systems usage among users. However, no study had been conducted to investigate the effect of user education on the acceptance and use of academic library Web portals. To address this gap in the literature, the researcher took the initiative to explore the impact of a semester-long credit-bearing information literacy course on undergraduate students' perceptions and use of the University at Albany Libraries Web portal. Data were collected through two rounds of survey over a period of an academic semester. Results showed that the information literacy course positively influenced participants' perceptions of the Libraries Web portal in terms of perceived ease of use, information quality, system quality, and user satisfaction. Yet, the course did not have an impact on their perceptions of service quality. In addition, statistically significant differences were not found in the overall frequency and duration of use, but in other dimensions of use, namely purpose and task.