Library Awareness Research Articles

Indonesian LIS Professionals’ Understanding of Library 2.0: A Pilot Study

The literature around Library 2.0 remains largely theoretical with few empirical studies and is particularly limited in developing countries such as Indonesia. This study addresses this gap and aims to provide information about the current state of knowledge on Indonesian LIS professionals’ understanding of Library 2.0. The researchers used qualitative and quantitative approaches for this study, asking thirteen closed- and open-ended questions in an online survey. The researchers used descriptive and in vivo coding to analyze the responses. Through their analysis, they identified three themes: technology, interactivity, and awareness of Library 2.0. Respondents demonstrated awareness of Library 2.0 and a basic understanding of the roles of interactivity and technology in libraries. However, overreliance on technology used in libraries to conceptualize Library 2.0 without an emphasis on its core characteristics and principles could lead to the misalignment of limited resources. The study results will potentially strengthen the research base for Library 2.0 practice as well as inform LIS curriculum in Indonesia so as to develop practitioners who are able to adapt to users’ changing needs and expectations. It is expected that the preliminary data from this study could be used to design a much larger and more complex future research project in this area.

Library Awareness among Non-users of Public Libraries: A Study with Reference to the Hilly Areas of Darjeeling District, West Bengal

This paper is an attempt to assess the library awareness among the non-users of Government and Government sponsored Public libraries in the hilly areas of Darjeeling district of West Bengal with respect to their personal characteristics, library membership of their family members, reasons of not becoming the library members, their familiarity with nearest public library, preference of reading materials in the library, willingness and approach to become member of library, awareness of free reading facility in the library, sources of their information needs, difficulties in obtaining their information and their opinion about the library providing these information. Hence a survey of 61 non-users of public libraries across the hilly areas was conducted through a structured questionnaire. Finally it is concluded that there is need for improvement in the public library services so that the non-users may get attracted to visit the library.

Slam the Boards: Librarians’ Outreach into Social Q&A Sites

Slam the Boards (STB) is a grassroots activity in which librarians visit social Q&A sites on the tenth of each month and answer as many questions as possible. Through this activity, librarians hope to represent librarianship at a new venue; encounter users beyond the library and provide well-sourced, dependable answers to people's questions; and ultimately increase the public's awareness of libraries. Semistructured interviews were conducted with participating librarians, examining their motivation, experience, and reflection. Findings of the study can help develop an in-depth understanding of STB and yield insights on how to efficiently and effectively promote library resources and services beyond the library.

Changing Trends in Information-Seeking Behavior: A Review

In this article, an attempt has been made to highlight various studies about the information-seeking behavior and its related components at different institutions globally. An extensive literature survey was carried out to attain the purpose of the study. Various research articles, books and websites were consulted to give more authenticity to the work. Besides, subject experts, teachers and researchers have been consulted to seek the guidance for the work. Study divulges that information-seeking behavior of users varies from country to country and is influenced by different factors. Significant factors influencing students’ information-seeking behavior were found to be related to library awareness, information literacy, organizational and environmental issues, source characteristics, and demographics. Users consult variety of information sources to satisfy their information needs. Information needs are satisfied only when an information seeker has the skill of searching precise and relevant information. Educating the users about searching the accurate information and fulfilling their needs is possible only when Information literacy programs are applied in every institution. The paper finds great implications in this regard. The work can be highly obliging to the researchers and professionals to study information literacy and information-seeking behavior in depth. Further, it will be also accessed to know the current status of information-seeking behavior globally.

The RCS Library and Surgical Information Services current awareness service

In the 2009 review of the College's Library services, members called for a strong focus on supporting the needs of practising surgeons throughout their careers. A specific recommendation arising from the review was a specialty-based current awareness service, where bulletins on the latest evidence in a particular surgical field would be delivered by email to College members. Resource availability and existing commitments meant that we were not able to deliver this immediately, but over the last 18 months we have worked to develop such a service. This has been done with the help of a panel of clinical advisors from each of our pilot specialties, who have provided us with valuable guidance on the relevance and interest of topics and journal publications and steered us towards a suitable format.

Awareness of Library 2.0 Applications among Library and Information Science Professionals at Annamalai University, India

With the widespread embracement of Web 2.0 technologies, pervasiveness of handheld devices, and the advent of Library 2.0, libraries have to grapple and manage the changing use patterns and expectations of its varied clientele. How do librarians, new and old be trained and be prepared for the new age libraries, where the demarcations between the physical and digital library spaces and services are not as clear as before, where library customers demand for services that they can get using their handheld gadgets round the clock, from anywhere in the world, and where the roles of librarians and libraries, customers of libraries, internet and internet content producers and service providers are becoming less clear than ever before? The paper has investigated the level of awareness of Library 2.0 applications among library and Information science professionals at Annamalai University, India. The paper also identified perceived factors and problems that could influence successful implementation of Library 2.0. The findings showed that there was moderate awareness among the LIS professionals with Library 2.0 applications. The findings also indicated that there was high level of computer expertise among the respondents in terms of web browsers and search engines, in addition to high level of utilization in some of the Web 2.0 applications. In addition, the study observed high rates of using blogs and Wikipedia among the librarians.

Using Distance Patron Data to Improve Library Services and Cross-Campus Collaboration

This article discusses the data-driven activities of Kansas State University Libraries in response to documented lack of awareness and usage of library resources within our distance community. It presents data from a survey distributed to our distance education students and faculty, and concludes that because distance patrons are largely unaware of library services, targeted promotional efforts must be implemented and systematically reviewed. These efforts, and several new resources, are discussed in detail. While developed and targeted to distance patrons, each initiative also allowed for increased library awareness and usage by an ever-growing on-campus population wishing to utilize library resources remotely.

Modelling information‐seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University

PurposeThis paper seeks to report the results of research conducted to model the information‐seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University and the factors influencing that behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe research employed a number of different approaches: a questionnaire survey to 800 graduate students studying at Kuwait University; a questionnaire survey to 180 academics at the university; semi‐structured interviews with eight academics; face‐to‐face and online interviews with 11 university library staff, four focus groups with 24 students and three focus groups with ten faculty staff.FindingsSignificant factors influencing students' information‐seeking behaviour were found to be related to library awareness, information literacy, organisational and environmental issues, source characteristics, and demographics (specifically gender and nationality).Research limitations/implicationsThe research focused on graduate students at a Kuwait University which is affiliated to the government sector, however, the information seeking model is more widely applicable, particularly to other developing countries.Originality/valueProposed is an information‐seeking model that extended two other relevant and influential models of information‐seeking behaviour. The extended model shows promise for its intended utility in identifying factors that influence the information behaviour of graduate students.

대학도서관의 포털서비스에 대한 원격대학생의 인식도 연구

이 연구는 원격대학생 집단을 대상으로 디지털도서관의 포털서비스에 대한 인식도를 조사하였다. 원격대학생들의 특성을 파악하고자 인구통계학적 특성과 도서관 이용행태를 조사하였다. 또한 이용자 특성에 따른 도서관 포털서비스 인식도를 다음과 같이 분석하였다. 원격대학생이 가장 필요한 도서관 포털서비스는 간략/상세검색서비스이며, 동시에 가장 높은 사용률을 보였다. 연계서비스에 대한 원격 학생들의 만족도가 가장 높았다. 응답자의 연령, 직업에 따른 일부 도서관 포털서비스 인식도에서 통계적으로 유의한 결과를 발견하였다. 이상의 분석결과를 토대로 원격대학생들의 도서관 포털에 대한 이용률을 높이기 위한 방안으로 도서관 서비스에 대한 적극적인 홍보, 도서관이용자교육의 강화를 제안하였다. This research has investigated the cyber university students' awareness of the portal service of the digital library. In order to identify characteristics of the cyber university students, the research examined demographic characteristics of the students and library usage status. Awareness on the portal service was also analyzed in accordance with the characteristics of the users. The analysis showed that the most needed service was concise/full search service, which was the most frequently used service. The students were most satisfied with the liaison service; service awareness of several libraries showed statistically significant results depending on age, occupation. Based on the analysis, the research proposed the following measures to increase the use of the digital library of cyber university students: active PR on library service, and intensifying the library user education.

Facebook as a Library Tool: Perceived vs. Actual Use

As Facebook has come to dominate the social networking site arena, more libraries have created their own library pages on Facebook to create library awareness and to function as a marketing tool. This paper examines reported versus actual use of Facebook in libraries to identify discrepancies between intended goals and actual use. The results of a 2009 study about the use of Facebook in libraries are used as a guide to gauge the perceived and actual uses for Facebook in this study. Results of the test reveal that the two ranks are not statistically different, but that there is a noticeable difference when looking at the perceived and actual rankings qualitatively.

Awareness and Use of Evidence-based Medicine Databases and Cochrane Library Among Physicians in Croatia

To assess awareness and use of evidence-based medicine (EBM) databases and The Cochrane Library among physicians in Croatia. A cross-sectional study with a telephone survey was performed among 573 physicians (88.6% response rate from 647 contacted physicians) from family practice and 4 major university hospital centers in Croatia. The main outcome measures were physicians' awareness of The Cochrane Collaboration, awareness and use of The Cochrane Library, access to EBM databases, and access to internet at work. Overall, 54% of respondents said they had access to EBM databases, but when asked which databases they used, they named mostly non-EBM databases. The question on the highest level of evidence in EBM was correctly answered by 53% respondents, 30% heard of The Cochrane Collaboration, and 34% heard about The Cochrane Library. They obtained information about The Cochrane Library mostly from colleagues and research articles, whereas the information about EBM was gained mainly during continuous medical education. There were more respondents who thought The Cochrane Library could help them in practice (58%) than those who heard about The Cochrane Library (30%). Only 20% of the respondents heard about the initiative for the establishment of the Croatian branch of The Cochrane Collaboration. Family physicians had significantly lower level of awareness, knowledge, and use of EBM and The Cochrane Library than physicians from university hospitals. There is low awareness about EBM and The Cochrane Library among physicians in Croatia, which creates a need for educational interventions about EBM for the benefit of health care in Croatia.

정보활용 교육이 도서관과 정보활용능력 자가인식에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 정보활용 교육의 일환으로 대학에서 실행되고 있는 교육 프로그램이 정보활용능력에 대한 자가인식과 도서관에 대한 인식 변화에 어떤 영향을 주었는지를 조사 분석한 것이다. 본 연구의 목적을 수행하기 위해 D 대학의 한 학기 교양과목으로 개설되고 있는 정보활용 교육 프로그램을 대상으로 해당과목 수강생 47명의 정보활용능력에 대한 자가 인식과 도서관에 대한 인식을 교육전과 교육후의 질문지법을 통해 조사하였다. 정보활용능력에 대한 자가 인식을 측정하기 위한 문항들은 ACRL의 고등 교육자를 위한 정보활용능력 평가기준을 참조하였고 사용된 분석도구는 Excel과 SPSS 17.0이다. This study investigated whether information literacy education contributes to change and improvement in university students' self awareness of information literacy and libraries. The pre-test and the post-test which comprised the same questions on information literacy and libraries were executed on 47 students in an information literacy-related regular course at D University. The information literacy-related questions in the questionnaire were based on ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. The collected data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS.

Awareness of Public Library and Utilization of its HIV/AIDS Information Resources and Services by Secondary School Adolescents

Public libraries have become become common ground for providing proactive prevention-focused AIDS information services. The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of presence of public librariesand low utilization of their AIDS information services. Librarians still have daunting work to do in Nigeria. Secondary school students were recruited from Osogbo and Ile-Ife and were asked through a paper questionnaire to respond to whether they were aware of the public library in their city; positive respondents were then implored to provide answers to enquiries about their utilization of AIDS information resources and services. 420 students participated in the study, 52.9% of them were aware of public library in their city; prevalently found among females, senior students and respondents from Osogbo. About half of the respondents who were aware of public libraries actually visited one before. Library based services were used more by the males while the females used more of the outreach services.This study revealed moderate awareness of public libraries and low utilization of their AIDS information services. Librarians still have daunting work to do in Nigeria.Key words: Awareness, utilization, public libraries, students, adolescents

Information professionals in a globalized world: Kosova libraries: Where practical steps are most needed

Information professionals in a globalized world: Kosova libraries: Where practical steps are most needed

The use of library and information services by Ghanaian nuclear scientists

The use of library and information services by nuclear scientists in Ghana was explored with the aim of making suggestions that would help to improve nuclear information service delivery in the country. Among the variables analysed were the background characteristics of respondents, reasons for use and non-use of library services, awareness and frequency of use of existing library and information services. The methodology employed was the cross-sectional survey involving 100 nuclear scientists drawn from some research institutions, universities and government ministries in the country. The results indicate that majority of them are young, male, well-educated, affiliated to research institutions and currently engaged in the agricultural sector of the economy. The nuclear scientists use libraries mainly to fulfil their research, publication and teaching needs. Some of the nuclear scientists were found to use their organisational libraries, but the frequency of use of the libraries and other local information services were found to be low. The awareness of all library services by the scientists was not universal. The study suggests the need for a deliberate campaign by information workers in the nuclear sector to encourage the use of their resources and services.

Evaluating the impact of a project promoting library and information services to primary care in Nottingham, UK

Evaluating the impact of a project promoting library and information services to primary care in Nottingham, UK

Matching Media to Audience Equals Marketing Success

Academic libraries tend to differentiate the medium of their marketing messages but not the messages themselves. Of paramount importance is the identification and description of the library's target audiences and the selection of media most likely to generate a positive response to the library and increase use of its resources. This article identifies target audiences desirable for undergraduate academic libraries and describes how to develop mutually beneficial relationships with these audiences. The positive impact that results from audience and media segmentation in the areas of library funding, awareness, use, and attitude are noted. Examples are given from successful public relations initiatives at Milner Library at Illinois State University.

Science and Technology Libraries Partnering with Knovel

ABSTRACTThe engineering library plays a critical role in initiating and maintaining the conduit between vendors of engineering information and the users of that information-faculty, students, and researchers. Likewise, vendors play a key role in supporting library, and faculty efforts, to promote science and engineering information resources, beyond just supplying content and interface. Science and engineering libraries, and vendors, can effectively work together to get the most from electronic resources for both large and small institutions. The case studies here show how Knovel Corporation, a sci-tech e-book vendor, has worked with librarians at large and small institutions, and with faculty members to promote awareness and usage of Knovel's interactive library of electronic books for science and engineering education.

The Internet in island communities in Croatia: between government strategies and reality

The question of integrating Internet into the every day life of people living in isolated areas (e.g. islands and remote rural areas) has been of particular interest to the Croatian Government. It has addressed this issue in its basic strategic and action-plan documents which aimed to improve state economy and living conditions of Croatia's citizens. Also, adopted LIS professional statements have been aiming to increase library awareness, as one of the focal points to the equal access to information for all citizens regardless of their educational, social or economic background. The paper will discuss Government initiatives related to the e-community building issues on islands and in other rural areas in Croatia. Related awareness raising initiatives of LIS professionals, aimed at professionals, governing bodies and citizens, will also be discussed.

Professional associations and ethical issues in LIS

Presents a literature review covering the ethical principles of librarianship and codes of ethics or conduct in the context of professional associations in the field of librarianship and information science. Describes and compares the history of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Library Association (LA) with particular reference to selected, recent ethical issues. Reports results of a questionnaire survey, to examine the attitudes and actions of the ALA, LA and Institute of Information Scientists (IIS). One questionnaire survey was sent to the chief executives of the three associations, while another was sent to certain elected Council members of each body. Three main areas were investigated: ethical issues of current concern to the library associations; level of help provided by the library associations to their members; and level of help given to those members of the associations experiencing specific ethical problems. Other questions concerned self-regulation, discipline and future ethical considerations. Results indicate that the ALA has been noticeably more active than the LA in ethical matters and has defended both librarians and users through its battles over loyalty oaths, the Library Awareness Programme and the social responsibilities of librarians. The Library Association only started addressing ethical issues after its centenary, possibly due to the LA having had less cause to fight for major intellectual freedom causes but more likely because it has chosen a less combative role for itself, due partly to the different political and social environment in the UK and partly to its status as a charity. Sets out recommendations for the ALA and LA for the future.