University Library Management Research Articles

Research on the Innovation of Management and Service Models of University Libraries in the Information Age

With the advent of the information age, university libraries, as core institutions for knowledge management and information services, face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The rapid development of information technologies, such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, provides a broad space for the innovation of university library management and service models. This paper aims to explore the innovative paths of university library management and service models under the background of informatization, analyzing the profound impact of information technologies on library management, service efficiency, resource integration, and user experience. First, the article reviews the impact of the information age on university libraries, pointing out the limitations of traditional management and service models. It then analyzes the necessity of innovating management and service models through informatization, proposes directions for intelligent, personalized, and digitalized services, and discusses the practical applications of information technologies in resource management and services. Finally, the paper summarizes the potential challenges faced by university libraries in the informatization transformation process and proposes corresponding innovative paths and implementation strategies. The study shows that informatization can not only improve the management efficiency of libraries but also provide more personalized and efficient services to students and faculty, driving university libraries towards a more intelligent and modern direction.

Information Literacy Skills And Service Delivery Of Librarians In State Universities In South-West, Nigeria

Service delivery is the interaction between librarians and the users of the library in order to satisfy their academic objectives. Nevertheless, past studies have shown low library service delivery as revealed in the impatient and unwillingness of librarians to assist information seekers, harsh and unpleasant attitude of librarians, uncomfortable infrastructure and inadequate staff strength. Though studies have been done to examine information literacy skills) and service delivery, they are scanty. It is on this note that this study investigated the influence of information literacy skills on service delivery of librarians in state university libraries in South-West, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for this study. The population of the study was 90 librarians from six state universities in South-West Nigeria. Total enumeration was used for the study. Adopted questionnaire was used to obtain data. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for the constructs ranged from 0.72 to 0.86. A response rate of 89% was achieved. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential (simple and multiple regression) statistics at 5% level of significance. Findings revealed that information literacy skills had no significant influence on service delivery of librarians in state universities in South-West, Nigeria. The study concluded that information literacy skill did not enhance service delivery of librarians in state universities in South-West, Nigeria. The study recommended that the management of the state university libraries should explore other factors that could enhance service delivery other than information literacy skills

Transforming University Library Building Conservation: A Descriptive Study of Preservation Practices in Nigeria

The study examined the conservation of library building for effective information preservation among university libraries in Enugu State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey with population of 325 library staff made up the study. The instruments for collecting data is questionnaire, analysed and presented in mean score, standard deviation as well as percentage and t-test. Results: conservation criteria for library building are clearing and cleaning of the library building, repair of roof, windows and doors, installation of fire and smoke alarm system, and the provision of enough security personnel around the building. Library buildings are being conserved to protect resources against natural disasters like flooding, and earthquake, against man-made disaster like fire, making library resources accessible, promote an end to wasteful use of non-renewable information resources, to encourages best practices in records management, and it provides an extremely attractive environment for the use of books. Findings on the adequacy level of policy and regulatory framework shows that disaster management, storage capacity for documentary resources, appropriateness of environmental conditions are to be consider in the library. The study recommended that the university library management should provide monitoring system for environmental condition, storage capacity for digital resources and disaster preventive measure in the library.

Preservation of theses and dissertations in the era of digitization: a case study of selected universities in Oyo state, Nigeria

PurposeDigital preservation of theses and dissertations (TDs) is crucial for the archiving (long-term preservation) of intellectual content of undergraduate and postgraduate students in universities. This paper aims to investigate the digitization of TDs in three selected academic libraries in Oyo State, south-west Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive survey research design was used for this study. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. The study comprised 78 professionals and paraprofessional librarians in the three selected university libraries in Oyo State.FindingsThe study revealed that digital preservation of TDs in university libraries is at the developmental stage. Also, the study revealed that most participants strongly agreed that the main purpose for embarking on the digital preservation of TDs was to influence the web ranking of the institutions. Web archiving was the widely adopted method of digital preservation in university libraries. Poor information and communication technology infrastructure, absence of policy and poor funding were identified as major challenges militating against the effective digital preservation of theses in the libraries. Hence, it was recommended that the management of university libraries should be more committed to providing substantial funds to meet the financial obligation for digital preservation initiatives.Originality/valueThe study provides insight into a case study of digitization of theses and dissertation i academic libraries in three selected universities to serve as a basis for further research.

Management and Construction of University Books and Materials Under the Background of the Internet

The rapid development and popularization of Internet technology has provided important support for the informatization reform of various industries. University books and materials have the characteristics of large quantities and difficult storage and management. Its digital storage and management platform construction can effectively realize the digital storage and real-time retrieval of books and materials, and help students and teachers to find and use books and materials more quickly. Especially in recent years, with the update of intelligent platforms and other technologies, the resource-sharing platform of university books and materials can realize more convenient book information retrieval without the limitation of time and space. This paper mainly explores the optimization path and platform construction scheme of university libraries and information management under the background of the Internet, hoping to provide some theoretical references for university library managers.

Research on the Application of BIM in the Operation and Maintenance Management of University Libraries

With the rapid development of information technology, university libraries, as important carriers and service providers of academic resources, are facing more and more challenges in the digital age. The traditional library operation and maintenance management model can no longer meet the growing demand. However, there is currently relatively little research on BIM based operation and maintenance management of university libraries. Although BIM technology has achieved significant results in the construction industry, its application in the library field has not yet been fully developed and explored. Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by utilizing the advantages and characteristics of BIM technology to propose an operation and maintenance management model suitable for university libraries, in order to achieve more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable operation and maintenance management.

Data-driven innovation in university library management and service models

Abstract With the rapid development of the data and information age, the digital-driven library has become an inevitable trend of library development. In this paper, through the Apriori association rule algorithm, the digital-driven library model for the influence factors of information mining, combined with data mining influence factor information to build a data-driven library management system, through the data library lending system optimization and book scheduling optimization to optimize and improve the overall optimization. Finally, it is verified through empirical analysis of association rule analysis and the scheduling effects of data-driven libraries. Through empirical analysis, it can be seen that the staff management efficiency of the management system lending system, and library circulation scheduling enhancement degree are 5.103 and 6.103, both greater than 1. The length of the reader queue and the percentage of reader loss of the data-driven library are between 5~15 and 0%~17%, respectively, and the efficiency of the data-driven library is superior to that of traditional libraries. Combined with the above, this paper based on the data-driven university library management service model can effectively solve the book scheduling problem, improve the management and service efficiency, so that readers have a better experience, and provide a guarantee for the innovative development path of the data-driven library management service model.

Utilization of library statistical records for management of university libraries in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

The study investigated utilization of library statistical records for management of university libraries in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted in this study. The population of the study comprised of 169 library staff of the three (3) university libraries under study. Total enumeration sampling was adopted in the study. Therefore, the 169 library staff constituted the sample. However, a total of 158(90%) of the entire population of 169 to whom copies of questionnaire were administered returned completely filled questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using frequency and percentages to answer the research questions while chi square was used to test the hypothesis.. Findings revealed that library statistical records were utilized for management of university libraries in Nasarawa State. It was concluded that library statistical records were existence and used in the libraries. Based on the findings, it was recommended that university libraries management should be encouraging for sustaining the utilization of generated library statistical records for short term and long term planning in university libraries.

Shared Leadership as the Foundation of University Library Management in Crisis Conditions of Martial Law

Objective. The aim of this publication is to determine an effective approach to managing a university library in crisis conditions of martial law and to identify factors that affect the quality of implementing this approach. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, critical changes have taken place in the real working conditions in the front-line areas of Ukraine. The resumption of work at the university and all its departments required the implementation of new management approaches. The main available mode of work, which ensured the safety of all participants in the educational and scientific process, was remote work. Methods. An analysis of scientific publications on the research topic was conducted. The report examines an approach based on the concept of shared leadership for organizing the virtual work of the university library. The optimality of this approach in organizing the work of employees in a virtual environment was determined and justified based on empirical methods. Results. The use of the shared leadership concept demonstrated the highest effectiveness. Conditions for the effective application of this approach to management using shared leadership are described. Conclusions. Therefore, we believe that shared leadership can become the optimal approach to organizing the virtual work of the library in the crisis conditions of martial law. Based on practical experience, two main groups of factors for the successful implementation of shared leadership have been identified.

Use of Mobile Technology-Based Library Services and Information Needs Satisfaction of Undergraduates in Universities in South-West Nigeria

Aim: Users’ satisfaction has been a subject of research since the establishment of the first university library in 1984, which signalled the commencement of the provision of information services to academic library users in Nigeria. However, empirical studies on the use of mobile technology-based library services in relation to students’ information needs satisfaction are rare. Thus, there is a knowledge gap, and this study, therefore, sets out to fill this gap by investigating the use of mobile technology-based library services and information needs satisfaction among undergraduates in universities in South-West Nigeria. Methods: The research design for the study was a survey, involving a multistage sampling technique. Two questionnaires (on the level of use of mobile technology-based library services and information needs satisfaction of undergraduates) were used to sample 1,086 undergraduates across three faculties at six universities in South-West Nigeria. 1,045 responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The study found that some mobile technology-based library services were frequently used by undergraduates, while others were not. Most of the students expressed satisfaction with the services provided by their university libraries. The results of this study also showed that there is a highly positive relationship (Pearson r = 0.53) between the use of mobile technology-based library services and the information needs satisfaction of undergraduates in South-West Nigeria. Conclusion: This study concluded that with a good deployment of infrastructure, the provision of mobile technology-based library services will encourage their effective use by undergraduates and, consequently, a higher level of information needs satisfaction. The study recommended, among other things, that university library management should subscribe regularly to mobile technology-based library services to overcome some of the challenges posed by COVID-19.

Readiness of Ghanaian University Libraries Towards the Adoption and Implementation of Resource Description and Access

This research paper, which is part of a broader study, seeks to contribute to knowledge on the Resource Description and Access standard by exploring the state of readiness of Ghanaian university libraries to implement the standard, as well as highlighting the myriad of activities and initiatives that libraries should undertake in preparation for RDA implementation. This convergent parallel mixed methods study engaged 62 cataloguing practitioners, across nine university libraries, through questionnaires and interviews as data collection instruments. The analysis of data revealed the importance of planning and an overwhelming state of unpreparedness among Ghanaian university libraries to implement the standard. The study also contributes various appropriate activities and initiatives for readying libraries for RDA implementation to RDA literature. It is recommended among others, that university library management and leaders of professional library organisations designate RDA preparatory periods and forge collaborations and partnerships with libraries that have implemented the RDA standard.

Library management and reader service on students’ psychological well-being

BackgroundThe library, as a quiet and warm learning place, provides a good reading environment and learning resources for college students. Study the impact of library management and reader service improvement on readers’ mental health and personality improvement, in order to further provide a good learning environment and services for college students.Subjects and MethodsThe study selected two freshmen from the same class with different majors in a certain university for an experiment. Class A adopted traditional library management and reader service models and served as the control group; Class B adopts the upgraded library management and reader service model as the experimental group, with an experimental period of one semester. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the psychological health and personality improvement of two groups of students before and after the experiment, and Excel and SPSS22.0 were used as analysis and statistical tools.ResultsThe research results indicate that there is a significant difference in the level of mental health and personality improvement between the experimental group and the control group after the experiment. The average mental health level and personality improvement level of the experimental group students were higher than those of the control group, with results of (93.27 ± 0.25) and (80.24 ± 1.63), respectively.ConclusionsThe management and reader service improvement of university libraries have a positive impact on the psychological health and personality improvement of college students’ readers.Acknowledgement2016 Tianjin Education Planning Project, Research on the co construction and sharing of library resources of Higher Vocational Colleges in Tianjin Education Park (No.vesp3003).

Research on the Application of Cloud Computing in University Library Management System

At present, most libraries have to build their own library management system, which is undoubtedly a high-input work for large libraries or small and medium-sized libraries in developed areas. As a newly emerging technology in recent years, the huge advantages of cloud computing are incomparable to many traditional technologies. The biggest feature of cloud computing is that it can transfer the computing power of the computer to the corresponding software, from which customers can access the computer's storage system to obtain the information they need, so that resources can be shared and users can get it in time. Therefore, the traditional library management system architecture will also be challenged, and it is urgent to develop a library management system based on cloud computing. This paper studies the architecture of university library management system based on cloud computing.

Capacity-building practices for librarians' effective service delivery in federal university libraries in Nigeria

PurposeThe study examined capacity-building practices for librarians' effective library service delivery in Federal University Libraries in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe design for this paper was a descriptive survey research design. Data was collected using a questionnaire from a total number of 178 respondents. Collected data were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation.FindingsThe findings reveal that learning capacity-building practices such as rotating members of staff for wider experience exist in these libraries. Learning capacity-building practices contributes to effective service delivery by enhancing various library services. Results also show that there are challenges confronting learning capacity-building practices which include inadequate funding. For these libraries to perform to their highest potentials, their learning capacity needs to be built and developed.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this study is the tendency of the respondents to fake their responses which may arise from their personal biases.Practical implicationsTherefore, university library management and university administrators should as a matter of urgency develop policies that will ensure that capacities are built for better service delivery or risk users losing interest in the library.Originality/valueThe study examined a vital dimension of capacity build, which is learning capacity building. The findings will help university administrators and library management to know the different learning capacity-building practices that exist in the various libraries and the extent to which these practices are important and relevant for effective service delivery. This will assist them in adopting relevant and adequate learning capacity-building strategies and guiding them in formulating effective capacity-building policies.

Understanding occupancy patterns of university libraries in the post-pandemic era

Understanding occupancy patterns in buildings is crucial for energy system planning, energy model calibration, and occupant-centric operations for health and comfort. In this study, we detected and analyzed the occupancy patterns of university libraries, a building type that is largely overlooked in existing studies but can provide a unique opportunity to understand the human-building interactions given that occupants are free to choose their seats from hundreds of possible options in built environments. In libraries, occupants usually do not have fixed seats and pick seats within the built environment that they like, which provides a non-intrusive opportunity to carry out post-occupancy evaluations. We used the publicly available seat reservation data to analyze the occupancy patterns over one semester in four libraries, and proposed four metrics to capture important mobility parameters and behaviors at multiple spatial–temporal scales. We constructed two sets of databases consisting of around 70 million records of nearly 3,000 seats in 4 libraries, with seat-level resolution and sampling frequency of every 10 s. The informative data set depicts not only the overall spatial–temporal occupancy patterns, but also nuances associated with seats and visits. The daily flow of the main library exceeded two visits per seat. Half of the visitors stayed at the libraries for 3–6 h during a single occupancy. Semester schedules and campus accessibility together influence students’ decisions on when and to which library to go to, while even within the same zone, some seats were always more popular than their neighbors. We found that influential factors included privacy, distance to neighboring users, access to the outdoor environment (window), etc. besides the well-studied conventional Indoor Environment Quality factors whose importance might have been over-emphasized, and we summarize the balance of these attractive features as “semi-isolation”. This work provides fresh data for library occupancy modeling. Our findings can inform the design, operation and management of university libraries, emphasizing the importance of human-centric, sensory and biophilic designs.

DMAIC Model’s Relative Efficiency Analysis of Input and Output in Cultural Construction of University Library and Mental Health Education of College Students

Abstract To solve the problems in the construction of the internal quality assurance system in some colleges and universities, such as the difficulty in forming the quality culture, the imperfection of the system construction, and the insufficiency of the information platform construction, etc. By analyzing the five stages of the DMAIC model, the process of diagnosis and improvement is proposed, and from the definition stage, measurement stage, analysis stage, improvement stage, control stage, the improvement strategy of diagnosis, and improvement of internal quality assurance system is described. Through the application of the DMAIC model in actual cases, it can provide ide reference for the construction of internal quality assurance systems in colleges and universities. According to the BCC model in the DEA model, the author studies the relative effectiveness of the input and output of 12 university libraries in China. The results show that university libraries with effective technology accounted for 66.67%, while those without effective technology accounted for 33.33%, it also analyzes the investment changes of non-technical effective university libraries. This has an important reference and inspiration to improve the management of university libraries.

Research on the innovation path of university library management and service under the background of big data

Abstract The college library is one of the three pillars of school operation, shouldering the important task of teaching and research services, and is the center of auxiliary teaching, information sharing, academic activities, and cultural inheritance in colleges and universities. The strengths and weaknesses of library construction reflect the level of education and research of the school from one side, and its role in the school construction is self-evident. Therefore, to improve the quality of borrowing by school teachers and students and enhance the utilization rate of library resources. This paper designs a hybrid optimization recommendation algorithm based on the UserCF algorithm and Doc2Vec algorithm in big data to improve the library management and recommendation service. Finally, by summarizing the experimental results, it is concluded that the system running based on this hybrid optimization recommendation algorithm can accurately mine the data of library users’ behavioral preferences, and at the same time can efficiently and precisely recommend the information for readers’ needs. The citation of this optimization algorithm is further demonstrated to achieve the expected results.

Work motivation, job satisfaction, work-family balance, and job commitment of library personnel in Universities in North-Central Nigeria

Increasingly, organizations are facing turbulent and competitive times. Hence, the need for universities to capitalize on the robustness and diversity of their employees to maximize their success by attracting and developing an engaged, healthy, and high-performing workforce through the provision of stimulating work environments that will promote work-family balance, work motivation, job satisfaction and overall job commitment. This study was designed to investigate the effects of work motivation, job satisfaction, and work-family balance on job commitment as well as work motivation and work-family balance as they affect job satisfaction of library personnel in universities in North-central Nigeria. The total enumeration technique was used to cover all the 926 library personnel in the universities in North-central Nigeria. The validated questionnaire was used to collect data on 926 library personnel out of which 842 responded. The response rate achieved was 91 %. The study found that work-family balance, work motivation and job satisfaction had significant effect on the job commitment of the respondents. Job satisfaction has the most significant effect (41 %) on job commitment. It is therefore, recommended that university administrators, library managers and most especially policy makers in the education sector should give adequate attention to work-family balance, work motivation, and job satisfaction when planning to improve job commitment of their employees. In addition, they should consider work motivation and work-family balance to improve job satisfaction of the library employees.

Extent of Accessibility and Utilization of Reference Materials by Nigerian University Undergraduates

The reference section of every library remains an important arm of such library. It contains materials needed for teaching, learning, community development and research. However, studies have shown that most of these materials are rarely consulted by library users, hence, the rationale of the present study which investigated the extent to which reference materials are accessed and utilized by the undergraduates of library and information science (LIS), Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo. Six research objectives with corresponding research questions were considered and answered. The descriptive survey method was adopted using a total population of 133 final year undergraduates of LIS, TSU, Jalingo. Furthermore, the complete census technique was employed to study the entire population. A fifty-eight (58) items questionnaire was used for data collection. 133 copies were distributed, but 127 (95.5%) copies were returned and found suitable for data analysis. The data analysis was done using descriptive statistics of mean scores and frequency counts. Findings revealed a high extent of accessibility of a good number of reference materials. Few of these materials were reported to be utilized to a high extent leading to a relationship between the extent of accessibility and utilization. However, numerous challenges were identified to be facing the accessibility and utilization of reference materials by the undergraduates. The study concludes that the extent of accessibility determines the extent of utilization which all proved to be high in the library studied. It was, however, among other things, recommended that the management of university libraries should intensify efforts to improve the number and quality of reference materials provided and make them accessible to their users.

Antiplagiarism Practices of University Libraries in Pakistan: Perceptions of Library Directors

This study aims to investigate university library directors’ perceived importance of antiplagiarism practices through plagiarism software and guidance-based programs. The study also qualitatively explores the barriers faced by university librarians in combating plagiarism practices. The authors used a mixed-method research design to examine their research questions. The findings showed that the library directors placed equal importance on both types of antiplagiarism practices, that is, software-based and guidance-based antiplagiarism practices and that libraries should provide both of these services effectively. The library directors indicated a lack of awareness regarding plagiarism issues, lack of motivation among librarians, lack of information literacy training programs, and administrative issues as the key barriers. This study fills the gap in the existing literature by exploring university library directors’ perceptions of antiplagiarism practices and barriers in combating plagiarism practices, particularly in the South Asian context.