Academic Library Users Research Articles

Information Seeking Behaviour of the Users of Academic Libraries

This study offers a critical review of selected studies. A point of departure is the focus on the methodology used and the related issue of whether the inferences drawn are justified by the methodologies used. This is thus meant to be potentially useful for researchers in the broad area of information –seeking behaviour of the users in a digital environment. Eleven studies were selected for a deeper understanding of their users’ information needs and information-seeking behaviour and to make suggestions on how to enhance the effectiveness of library services and their efficient utilisation. The libraries selected for the present study are diverse–college libraries, university libraries, public libraries and a Government Department library. Our review is based on the results obtained through critical study and examination of the literature with the main focus on the Information Seeking Behaviour of the users. There is a diverse range of libraries and users covered by these studies, and several interesting hypotheses could be statistically validated. Without statistical validation of hypotheses, the inferences lack robustness. This is a striking weakness of the extant literature-including the sample examined here. However, some constructive suggestions are made. These include a focus on special libraries, methodological extensions and refinements, and a broadening of the hypotheses and validation of inferences. We believe our review fulfils an important gap as scant attention is given to analytical rigour.

Knowledge of students of the exceptions and limitations clause in copyright administration in academic libraries in Ghana

Copyright exceptions and limitations, which allow information consumers the right to use copyrighted materials without necessarily obtaining permission from or payment to the rightsholder, promote advances in the arts and sciences. Poor knowledge of copyright laws results in improper use of copyrighted materials. However, the extent to which academic library users in Ghana know about the exceptions and limitations, as well as their understanding of permissible use of information in the Copyright Act 690, 2005 of Ghana are not known. The sequential mixed methods approach was employed to collect data from 530 postgraduate students from two public and two private universities in Ghana to assess their knowledge of copyright exceptions and limitations, as well as their understanding of permissible use of information in Copyright Act 690, 2005 whilst using the services of their libraries. The study shows that students were poorly knowledgeable about the various applications of the exceptions and limitations clause in the copyright laws of Ghana: students were either indifferent (i.e. ‘neutral’), or ‘disagree’, and ‘strongly disagree’ on whether the Copyright Act 690, 2005 had clauses on exceptions and limitations on various uses of information such as for ‘Private copying’, for ‘Quotations’ or ‘For the benefit of persons with disability’. Over 50% of respondents were not sure that the copyright laws of Ghana had provisions for permissible use of information. Age and gender of respondent significantly influenced these responses: older students 46 years and above, and females, were more knowledgeable compared to younger students and males respectively about exceptions and limitations for ‘Private copying’, and ‘For the benefit of people with disability’ in the copyright laws of Ghana. Policymakers in Ghana should therefore adopt youth- and gender-focus strategies in copyright education for efficient administration of copyright laws in academic libraries.

Understandings the Reading Habit and Reading Attitudes Among Students in Research University Library in Malaysia

Reading is one of the activities known to give a lot of benefits to readers. In the context of university students, reading can improve their academic performance. However, literature indicated that students read-only to pass their examination and not for pleasure and acquiring knowledge. The study reported in this paper investigated the reading habit and reading attitudes among students in the research university library in Malaysia. It is believed that positive reading attitudes towards education materials or non-education materials lead to positive reading experiences, which also lead to higher academic performance. A descriptive study used questionnaires as an instrument of a quantitative method. Convenience sampling was employed and 400 respondents from four research university status libraries were selected. Moderate levels of reading attitude were obtained from the result of the study, in which several variables produced a significant relationship in the reading attitude (education background and favorite activities during leisure time). The findings of this study have shown the behavior of academic library users in terms of reading habits, reading attitudes, and selection of reading materials. Several suggestions such as providing a variety of reading material (sense of humor and humanities, public figures and tv personalities) and reading encouragement activities have been suggested. This study provides useful inputs to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in constructing effective strategies to cultivate reading habits among reluctant readers in public universities.

A Mediated Approach to the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

This paper examines the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in relation to its implication for academic libraries in the 21st century. It sheds light on how technological development has had major impacts in the academic library, with regards to how information is being constructed, transmitted and accessed by library users. In the course of this discourse it was deduced that students constitute a significant percentage of the academic library users. The technological development in the academic sphere has enabled ubiquitous interactions between students and teachers, in which students are enabled to learn and communicate with their teachers from remote locations, thus inducing the notion of VLE. The VLE is regarded as technological-based environment where learners are enabled to access learning outside the classroom. With the aid of VLE students are granted ownership of their learning process, thus ensuring positive learning outcomes. Finally, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was employed to serve as the theoretical basis of this discourse.

Library as place: Understanding contradicting user expectations

In the 21st century, academic libraries continue their transition from warehouses of information to laboratories of knowledge creation. This case study examines the disconnect between the assessment by academic library users of what library resources and services are important and their lack of use of those resources and services. Focus group interviews with selected target populations explore differences based on level of study and discipline. The key finding is the importance of the library as place and what resources and services contribute to a library's sense of place.

Reaching academic library users during the COVID-19 pandemic: New and adapted approaches in access services

The COVID-19 pandemic, which hit academic libraries in the United States during the spring semester of 2020, forced librarians and staff to redouble their efforts to reach out to users in light of newly enforced safety measures such as building closures, quarantine periods, enforced social distancing, etc. This article describes three services—one adapted, one newly developed, and one a collaboration across several units on campus—to allow users to continue receiving the assistance and the materials they needed despite the obstacles inherent to the pandemic. Unexpectedly, these changes also helped streamline processes in a post-pandemic academic library environment.

Contemporary academic library users in Kenya: their needs and preferences in access and use of information resources

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess the influence of generations on information behavior and needs to access and use of library resources and how well academic libraries in Kenya are simultaneously serving both generations. From literature reviewed, a study on the Kenyan scenario on generational behavior and needs was not identified and this study sought to fill that gap.Design/methodology/approachData collected were done through mixed-methods research using observation, structured interviews and questionnaires. The sample included 143 students and faculty within different generations, and three library staffs at The United States International University-Africa’s Library. Quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS and Excel, while qualitative data were analyzed according to the theme of this study. Likert-scale responses were used to measure information behavior of users’ needs and preferences.FindingsFindings showed that the library is serving two distinct generations with different needs: out of a mean score of 5.00 of sample surveyed; digital immigrants need information resources mainly for research at an aggregate 3.93 while digital natives need information resources mainly for examinations at an aggregate 4.01. Both generations need to use technology to access and use information resources at 94% of digital immigrants and an aggregate 81.5% of digital natives surveyed. The library is training both user groups accordingly. This answered the research problem this study sought to assess.Research limitations/implicationsThe generation of users was known only after administering the questionnaires. Consequently, the researcher targeted them using the status of respondents, faculty or student, to maximize sampling for each generation. Undergraduate and master’s students were used to target digital natives, while the faculty was used to target digital immigrants. PhD students were used to target both digital immigrants and digital natives. This study was done only in one location, USIU-Africa’s Library.Originality/valueThis study assessed how different generations within academic libraries in Kenya could be guided to effectively and efficiently adapt to global changes. This study assessed generational influence on needs and preferences in access and use of information resources, and assessed how academic libraries are concurrently and successfully serving variant user needs in Kenya,

Covid-19 impact on the Caribbean academic library: Jamaica's preliminary response to people, place, product and services

PurposeThis paper examined the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on people, place, product and services in Jamaican academic libraries. It also compares the Jamaican academic library’s COVID-19 experience with US academic library’s COVID-19 preliminary experience.Design/methodology/approachThe local academic libraries in higher education in Jamaica (also referred to in this paper as university libraries) were surveyed.FindingsGovernment mandates, university mandates and the absence of a vaccine influenced academic library response. The measures implemented, though unplanned and developed on-the-go, constituted a behavioural change model (BCM). COVID-19 has had a positive-negative impact on library people, place, product and services and has created a new normal for Jamaican academic libraries.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper captures the preliminary response of Jamaican academic libraries to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on library people, place, product and services. As such, a follow-up survey on changes, challenges, strengths, impact, lessons and plans would be a useful complement to this paper. As COVID-19 information is rapidly evolving, this preliminary response of Jamaica is neither the final nor complete response to the pandemic.Practical implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a gap in the literature on disaster management generally and pandemic management in particular, and on the management of health disasters in academic libraries; this paper seeks to fill this gap, albeit incrementally, through Jamaica's preliminary response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThis paper gives voice to the Caribbean academic library’s COVID-19 experience, through the voice of Jamaica. It is the first scholarly paper on the impact of COVID-19 on university libraries in the Jamaican / English-speaking Caribbean, and so presents the elements of the BCM implemented by Jamaica, which provides an important guide to Caribbean academic library leaders. The findings can also inform the Latin American and Caribbean section of international library papers on COVID-19 impact on academic libraries globally.

Impact of Electronic Publishing in Higher Education Library Services in Nigeria

In this fast-changing world, Academic library users seem to have less time for accumulating reading and learning materials. Reading the whole book, articles, and sourcing information traditionally has become a problem. It has become essential for library professionals to provide information to the users within the shortest possible time through electronic resources using the appropriate information and communication technologies [ICTs]. Electronic publishing has become common in knowledge acquisition and it is complimenting printed versions. Besides the web-based resources, there is also much non-network electronic publishing such as Encyclopedias/ Dictionaries/ Directories in CD Rom and DVD, technical and reference publications accessible through mobile phones and other electronic devices. This paper discusses the impact of electronic publishing on academic library services to its users. It conceptualizes the term electronic publishing, identifies the impact of electronic publishing on library services as user satisfaction, mobility and flexibility of information sources, encouraging collaborative work, maintenance and accuracy of publishing works, increased information sources in the library collection, adds value to library services, etc. The paper outlined some benefits and problems of electronic publishing in today's library services. It also discussed the findings observed. The paper is an opinion paper; it investigates the topic using observation research method and available library resources. The significance of this study shows that electronic publishing has come to stay. It will continue to complement the traditional method of library services even become more preferred and relevant in information resources and services rendered in academic libraries.

Awareness of cloud-based library management software (LMS) in VTU engineering college libraries

Evolution of Information Communication Technology (ICT) trigger the development of many new technologies. Internet and cloud computing are few among them. Invasion of ICT and its applications inspired the librarians to automate libraries and provide good services to their stakeholders. Library automation is a giant leap in the library science filed. It speedup the process of in-house activities and increase the effectivity in library services. Cloud computing is the recent development in communication field. Latest development is entire world is embracing cloud computing and libraries are not exceptional. Cloud-based library management software is a cost effective, work effective to provide good services to the library users in academic libraries. Keywords: Cloud computing, Library Management Software, Cloud-based ILMS.

Diversity, Inclusivity, Social Responsibility Aspects, and Outcomes of a Mobile Digital Library and Information Service Model for a Developing Country

The provision of library services through rigid compartmentalisation of academic, public, school, and special libraries operating in one country can be cost-effective if a country has strong socio-economic, cultural, educational, and political structures. This arrangement is apparently a fallacy for countries that lack such structures, as is the case with Lesotho. This study examined the outcomes and the impact of the UNESCO-funded project titled Distance and Rural Learner-Teacher Support through a Mobile Digital Library (DRULETSMODIL) in Lesotho. The National University of Lesotho (NUL) Library proposed DRULETSMODIL whose objective was to reach out to NUL’s de jure distant teachers and learners. Additionally, the project expanded its scope to include library services to rural and poor communities. This paper outlines how use of the descriptive method, called the corporate social responsibility (CSR) principle, utilised the case study approach to interrogate DRULETSMODIL’s performance. The findings reveal that the project embodied various levels of diversity, inclusivity, and (mainly) social responsibility aspects of providing information for free, to the marginalized communities. From DRULETSMODIL’s three phases covering all the ten districts of Lesotho, positive outcomes were recorded. Through Information, Communication, and Technology apparatuses, DRULETSMODIL’s offerings, and the support of Participatory Initiative for Social Accountability (PISA), diverse information was easily and cost-effectively accessible. The project attracted various partners; beneficiaries included academic library users, secondary schools, and male and female youth and adults in the villages. The study recommends advocacy on CSR for all types of businesses and consideration of this model for developing countries.

Makerspace as Emerging Technology and Innovation in Academic Libraries: A Call for Adoption in Abubakar Tafawa University Library Bauchi

This study was conducted to examine makerspace as emerging technology and innovation in academic libraries: a call for adoption in ATBU library, Bauchi. Bauchi state, Nigeria. The population of the study comprised of 26 ATBU academic librarians.Survey research method was adopted for the study. Questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. Frequency counts and simple percentages were used in analysing the data collected. The study revealed that academic librarians of ATBU are unaware of makerspace as a new emerging technology and as such a call for its adoption is paramount. Highlight of some benefits for adoption of makerspace in libraries were made which includes, Increased motivation of academic librarians and students, enhanced learning activity among academic librarians and users, and create interdisciplinary teamwork among the academic librarians and library users. The study recommended among others, Academic librarians should embrace the new emerging technology and participate fully through training on the new technology and bring about the development of Makerspace in their libraries. This will also go a long way in creating and sharing of new ideas among themselves

Business intelligence in academic libraries in Jordan: Opportunities and challenges

Data plays a major role in helping to understand clearly the changing needs of academic library users, and in helping libraries to innovate their services and procedures accordingly. Data needs to be transformed into information for decision-making and strategic planning. Business intelligence offers powerful analytical tools, such as visualization and data-mining tools, which lead to informed decisions and hence transform the user’s experience, bringing it to a more advanced level. This research investigates the concept of business intelligence from the perceptions of information department staff at academic libraries in Jordan. The opportunities and challenges associated with it are also discussed and explored. As indicated by the results, information department staff agree that business intelligence improves decision-making, helping decision-makers to make the most accurate and timely decisions for the library. The results also indicate that an appropriate infrastructure is important for the successful implementation of business intelligence in academic libraries in Jordan.

The emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya: apomediaries or infomediaries?

PurposeThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya, with a view to determining whether they perform better as apomediaries or infomediaries. The specific objectives were to: examine the characteristics of the changing information universe in which academic librarians in Kenya currently operate; analyse the information-seeking behaviour of academic library users in the new information universe and examine the emerging roles of academic librarians in Kenya.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a descriptive research design and used an online survey research technique to collect data from practising academic librarians. This study targeted senior librarians from all the 67 private and public universities in Kenya. One senior librarian per university was purposefully selected to fill the questionnaire owing to their experience and expertise. 33 out of the 67 senior librarians responded to the survey. The collected data were descriptively analysed using SPSS, and as per the study objectives.FindingsThis study established that most library users are digital independent and access library resources remotely. Nonetheless, many users still borrow and utilize print books despite the ubiquity of digital platforms. The findings revealed that academic librarians to a great extent now play the role of apomediaries, going beyond information giving to empowering their users.Practical implicationsThere is need for academic librarians in Kenya to not only be aware of the characteristics of their current users but also to continuously develop professionally so as to be able to adequately cater for the needs of their clients.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the scholarship on librarians' roles in Kenya by demonstrating that most of them are transitioning to the apomediary roles.

US academic libraries' staffing and expenditure trends (1996–2016)

PurposeThis paper explores trends over time in library staffing and staffing expenditures among two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States.Design/methodology/approachResearchers merged and analyzed data from 1996 to 2016 from the National Center for Education Statistics for over 3,500 libraries at postsecondary institutions. This study is primarily descriptive in nature and addresses the research questions: How do staffing trends in academic libraries over this period of time relate to Carnegie classification and institution size? How do trends in library staffing expenditures over this period of time correspond to these same variables?FindingsAcross all institutions, on average, total library staff decreased from 1998 to 2012. Numbers of librarians declined at master’s and doctoral institutions between 1998 and 2016. Numbers of students per librarian increased over time in each Carnegie and size category. Average inflation-adjusted staffing expenditures have remained steady for master's, baccalaureate and associate's institutions. Salaries as a percent of library budget decreased only among doctoral institutions and institutions with 20,000 or more students.Originality/valueThis is a valuable study of trends over time, which has been difficult without downloading and merging separate data sets from multiple government sources. As a result, few studies have taken such an approach to this data. Consequently, institutions and libraries are making decisions about resource allocation based on only a fraction of the available data. Academic libraries can use this study and the resulting data set to benchmark key staffing characteristics.

Library eArchiving with ZONTAL Space and the Allotrope Data Format

PurposeThe purpose of this technical paper is to evaluate the emerging standard “Allotrope Data Format (ADF)” in the context of digital preservation at a major US academic library hosted at Brigham Young University. In combination with the new information management system ZONTAL Space (ZS), archiving with the ADF is compared with currently used systems CONTENTdm and ROSETTA.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is a workflow-based comparison in terms of usability, functionality and reliability of the systems. Current workflows are replaced by optimized target processes, which limit the number of involved parties and process steps. The connectors or manual solutions between the current workflow steps are replaced with automatic functions inside of ZS. Reporting functionalities inside of ZS are used to track system and file lifecycle to ensure stability and data preservation.FindingsThe authors find that the target processes leveraging ZS drastically reduce complexity compared to current workflows. Archiving with the ADF is found to decrease integration complexity and provide a more robust data migration path for the future. The possibility to enrich data automatically with metadata and to store this information alongside the content in the same information package increases reusability of the data.Research limitations/implicationsThe practical implications of this work suggest the arrival of a new information management system that can potentially revolutionize the archiving landscape within libraries. Beyond the scope of the initial proof of concept, the potential for the system can be seen to replace existing data management tools and provide access to new data analytics applications, like smart recommender systems.Originality/valueThe value of this study is a systematic introduction of ZS and the ADF, two emerging solutions from the Pharmaceutical Industry, to the broader audience of digital preservation experts within US libraries. The authors consider the exchange of best practices and solutions between industries to be of high value to the communities.

Information and analytical support: Current goals and pathways

User information support is among the functions of academic libraries. The authors attempt to reveal the potential of this activity vector. They characterize in brief the academic libraries’ performance in the external environment, reveal the changes in digital environment and social demands due to advancing IT: using Open Access, Semantic Web, Big Data and Data Analytics technologies in handling science data, the most recent phenomenon of Data Science, etc. The authors argue that the origins of further transformations will be the migration of communications, including scientific ones, toward the cyberspace, preferential generation and use of e-documents, supercomputer technologies, cloud computing, end-to-end technologies, multimodal interaction, science IT-services, etc. These transformations have been changing primarily the academic library users – who are high-end professionals with increasingly complex and unique information needs which the libraries are supposed to satisfy. This purpose can be fulfilled through prompt knowledge update, processing enormous flows of fast-aging information, delivery of resulting knowledge, comparative analytical data, range of solutions, etc. The current trends in the information support in academic libraries are discussed based on the information tail content analysis and observations: support of grant management, support of expert examination of academic papers, generation of analytical bibliographies, and organization of scientific communications, researchers, papers and ideas promotion in the global information space. In the professional literature, the information needs to determine the user services vectors for scientific libraries and their bibliographers are revealed, namely, IT-services support, virtual learning laboratory, e-science, knowledge and learning commons, library involvement in scientific data curation, expert analysis of generated information and preliminary quality appraisal, recommending publications and publishers to researchers, related administration and mediation, visual analytics, etc. The primary role of bibliographers in the libraries of the future is emphasized.

Evaluating the Effect of Academic Library users’ Experience towards Library Patronage in State Universities in Sri Lanka: Development of a Conceptual Framework

Libraries and information centers are service units held with the responsibility of providing varied information services based on a number of resources. It covers tangible assets, namely library building, equipment, furniture, information resources and staff. The intangible element has been the information services provided by the libraries. The tangible assets and intangible services of libraries are changing greatly due to the development and changes in the area of information technology. Libraries may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about great design. It’s easy to assume the user experience of a library is limited to navigating a maze of bookshelves in reality; there has been a recent push among librarians and library professionals to apply user experience best practices to the design of their services. Library UX professionals include librarians and library staff members who specialize in improving the user experience of their libraries through research and design.

Academic Library Users Are Not “Customers”: A Response to Steven Bell

Steven Bell’s “Academic Librarians’ C-Word Problem” recommends that to improve customer service academic librarians like public librarians call their users “customers.” This column argues that academic library users should not be called customers for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the goals of public and academic libraries differ. Public libraries seek to discover their users’ wants and meet them. Academic libraries, in contrast, aim to teach and support their users’ educational growth. Calling an academic library patron a customer implies that individual wants can take precedence over educational needs and that students should have influence over classroom instruction and curricular content. Steven Bell and I agree on the importance of customer service, but I believe that it is defined differently in public and academic libraries.

Contextual Factors Influencing the Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification Technology in Academic Libraries in Ghana

The implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in libraries is common across the globe, and many academic libraries, especially in technologically advanced countries, are using it. The use of RFID increases the efficiency of collection management and security in academic libraries. In Ghana, academic libraries, especially those at major tertiary institutions, are the most vibrant in the library system; they provide access to subscription-based online resources, including research databases and ebook collections, in addition to physical books and journals. The fast-increasing enrolment numbers in Ghanaian tertiary institutions translates into an increased number of academic library users, making it difficult for library staff to manage libraries effectively. The amount of work carried out by librarians in these academic libraries has created a need for implementing technology, for example RFID, that can promote efficiency and effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine the contextual factors influencing the implementation of RFID technology in academic libraries in Ghana’s tertiary institutions. A qualitative approach was used following a single-case study method, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. We conducted interviews with 18 senior academic librarians, covering six academic libraries comprising three traditional university libraries, two technical university libraries and one college of education library in Ghana. We found that no academic library in Ghana had implemented RFID at the time of this study. Several challenges, including a low budget, lack of skilled personnel, weak coordination between user departments and procurement units, were identified. The study suggested that if these challenges were handled effectively and efficiently, implementing RFID in Ghana’s academic libraries could be successful and beneficial.