Digital Library Users Research Articles

Metaliteracy advocacy: The need for libraries to engage users in the Metaverse

The emergence of the metaverse is a notable trend in the field of librarianship that comes with it the capability to facilitate virtual interactions, stimulate engagement, and offer participatory experiences for both librarians and library users. This article delves into the potential applications of the metaverse within libraries. To explore this subject, the researchers conducted a systematic literature review, collecting secondary data that aligns with the study’s objectives. The findings emphasize the significance of developing metaliteracy among librarians and library users in the context of the metaverse. Metaliteracy encompasses a diverse set of skills that are essential for thriving in the digital age. Nevertheless, it also presents challenges, such as rapid technological advancements and disparities in accessibility. In response to these challenges, libraries and librarians must adapt by harnessing the power of metaliteracy to unlock the metaverse's potential fully. The article proposes that libraries should provide ongoing training and support for digital librarians and library users to ensure the relevance of their metaliteracy skills. Furthermore, libraries should actively foster collaborative partnerships with entities within the metaverse, including virtual museums and galleries. This collaborative approach enriches the pool of information and resources available to library users, ultimately enhancing their overall experience.

Comparison of accessibility and usability of digital libraries in mobile platforms: blind and visually impaired users’ assessment

Introduction. This study compares 30 blind and visually impaired users’ assessment of accessibility and usability of the two mobile platforms (mobile app and mobile web) of a digital library. 
 Method. Triangulation of data collection was applied, including interviews, think-aloud protocols, transaction logs, post-platform interviews, and post-search interviews.
 Analysis. Two steps of analysis were used. First, quantitative analysis was applied to compare assessments of participants towards two mobile platforms’ accessibility and usability. Second, qualitative data were analysed to identify types of design factors.
 Results. Mobile app performs significantly better in all accessibility and usability variables except accessing information/objects. Most importantly, nine types of design factors are revealed in relation to blind and visually impaired users’ assessment of accessibility and usability for the two mobile platforms. Furthermore, the design problems of Mobile Web are associated with a responsive design that adjusts the digital library interface to a mobile device, the complexity of digital library structure and formats, and a sight-centred design that excludes blind and visually impaired users’ unique information-seeking behaviours. 
 Conclusion. Mobile platforms of digital libraries, especially mobile web, need to improve their designs. Design implications for mobile web are further discussed.

Libraries in the metaverse: the need for metaliteracy for digital librarians and digital age library users

PurposeAs the metaverse gains popularity, libraries have the potential to play a vital role in this virtual world. However, digital librarians and digital age library users need to develop metaliteracy skills to effectively navigate and evaluate digital information in the metaverse. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the link between libraries and the metaverse, define metaliteracy and highlight its importance for librarians and library users. The challenges of developing metaliteracy skills in the metaverse are discussed, as well as the need for ongoing training and support. This paper also explores the role of libraries and librarians in the metaverse and provides recommendations for enhancing metaliteracy skills.Design/methodology/approachThrough a review of the literature, this paper analyzes various library websites and consulting literature relating to the link between libraries and the metaverse, metaliteracy and its importance for librarians and library users and the challenges of developing metaliteracy skills in the metaverse.FindingsAs the metaverse continues to evolve, libraries and librarians must adapt and develop the necessary skills to continue providing valuable resources and services to their communities in virtual environments.Originality/valueTo the best of authors’ knowledge, this paper is the original idea that highlights the importance of metaliteracy for librarians and library users. The challenges of developing metaliteracy skills in the metaverse.

Determinants of overall user success in an academic digital library environment: validation of the integrated digital library user success (IDLUS) model

PurposeDigital Libraries are complex, and this complexity is a motive to study user success on the behalf of appropriate user success models. These models comprise the factors which play a part between people, technology and organizations. The purpose of this study was to specify and examine an integrated digital library user success (IDLUS) model within the context of digital library settings, Higher Education Commission National Digital Library (HEC-NDL) of Pakistan, by adopting and reusing the existing digital library and Web success models.Design/methodology/approachStratified random sampling technique was used to choose the sample from the University of the Punjab, a highly ranked public sector university in Pakistan. Participants were asked to complete an adapted survey questionnaire. A total of 355 completed and usable questionnaires were obtained. Data analyses through confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling produced the results that have supported the proposed IDLUS model. The proposed IDLUS model was tested and supported through model fit statistics in the academic computing environment of the HEC-NDL of Pakistan.FindingsFindings revealed that relationships between the latent variables hypothesized in the model were confirmed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has both theoretical and practical ramifications for academicians and information system designers and developers.Originality/valueThe IDLUS model is recommended first time in the history of librarianship in Pakistan as an overall user success model in the digital library information system computing environment. That made numerous recommendations for future research in the field of information management, particularly for digital library development at national and international levels.

Website quality and users' intention to use digital libraries: Examining users’ attitudes, online co-creation experiences, and eWOM

This research aims to examine how the website quality affects the intention of digital library users to use the website by considering factors of user's attitudes, online co-creation experiences, and electronic word-of-mouth. The statistical population of the research is composed of the users of Astan Qods Razavi digital library, which is one of the oldest digital libraries in Iran. Data was collected from 402 participants who use the library and analyzed in SPSS and PLS softwares. Construct validity was assessed and confirmed using convergent validity and divergent validity. Data reliability was assessed and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability. The research confirms that website quality affects the attitudes of users towards the website and their intention to participate in online co-creation and eWOM. The effects of user's attitudes to the online co-creation experience, eWOM, and intention to use the library, as well as the effects of the online co-creation experience and eWOM on the intention to use the digital library were also confirmed. Considering the results of the research, it is recommended to digital libraries to provide an efficient user-friendly website designed to increase user participation and establish close contact with them and in this way increase their intention to use digital library services.

Psychometric analysis of Integrated Digital Library User Success (IDLUS) Scale in academic digital library environment

Purpose The purpose of this study is to execute the application of confirmatory factor analysis in structural equation modeling, to investigate the reliability and validity of the proposed integrated digital library user success (IDLUS) scale in academic digital library computing information system in the area of information management and systems. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzed 355 valid responses (MPhil and PhD) from the largest and oldest public sector university in Pakistan. Sample selection was calculated through a stratified random sampling technique from the four faculties of the University of the Punjab. The instrument was constructed based on the available two digital library and information system success models. The first model is Jung’s (1997) digital library user success model that is further composed of flow model (1977), end user computing satisfaction model (1987) and Joshi’s overall user satisfaction model (1990). Similarly, the second model is DeLone and McLean’s reformulated information system success (2003) theory. The question items used a five-point Likert scale and executed regression weights, standardized regression weights, convergent validity, variance extracted, construct reliability and discriminant validity to infer results. Findings Findings show that the IDLUS scale has excellent validity and reliability estimates. Research limitations/implications The study has theoretical implications for researchers and practical implications for information system developers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this scale is the first-ever effort to measure the digital library user success in the context of Higher Education Commission-National Digital Library of Pakistan. Therefore, there was a dire need to conduct the psychometric analysis of the scale to examine the model fit statistics on the current sample in the particular cultural norms. Scale is based upon human factors taken from various Web success and information system success models from the fields of human–computer interaction information systems and computer-mediated communication.

Personalized Recommendation System Design for Library Resources through Deep Belief Networks

In recent years, with the continuous development of science and Internet technology, people’s lifestyles are changing dramatically, especially with the development of information technology, which has contributed to the transformation of digital libraries. As an essential information infrastructure and a new source of knowledge, digital libraries have brought great convenience to users. To be specific, with the widespread use of smart devices and internet of things technology, users are eager to be intelligent in their information needs while enjoying services, which makes the resource recommendation service of digital libraries increasingly important. In addition, as a provider of knowledge and information services, libraries should organically combine advanced information technology with existing resources to promote the construction of libraries in the information age. However, in the era of big data, users can only passively receive a large amount of information and services in the face of the ever-expanding mass of resources in digital libraries. In this context, libraries might only provide a single set of information resources and services, which cannot meet the individual needs of users and ultimately leads to inefficient allocation of resources and information. After all, users of digital libraries want to be better able to receive personalized recommendations for library resources through relevant technologies. At the same time, libraries are increasing their research and development efforts on algorithms and technologies for personalized recommendations. Also, with the explosive growth of the total amount of information worldwide, people are entering the information age. Massive amounts of data are constantly being generated, and the problem of information overload is becoming more and more serious. The sheer volume of this data and information increases the degree of difficulty in accessing the information people need. In this situation, it is necessary for digital libraries to dynamically analyze user behavior and interests while responding to user requests in a timely manner and accordingly take the initiative to recommend information resources and knowledge services that meet users’ individual needs. As a result, this study uses a deep belief network model for multimodal feature learning and designs a personalized recommendation system for library resources by fusing features from multiple modalities. Furthermore, this research implements the construction of a semantic user interest model and the design of a personalized recommendation algorithm to achieve an accurate description of user interest preferences and semantic personalized recommendation functions.

E-Library Management System

Internet and Distributed Network System created scope for research in the area of information systems and its related fields. Digital Library, one of the most recent developments in Library and Information Science, helps its user to seek information through a web browser. Digital Library is an organized assortment of information, with its supported services and a place where the information is kept in digital format and can be retrieved over a network. For the last decade, researchers are focusing on the users of Digital Library to develop a more efficient and effective system to provide quality service to users. This paper aims to provide literature on Digital Library for its users that may be helpful for future research. The paper discusses the users-centric approach in the context of Digital Library. Researchers are working on system up-gradation by using wireless technology to connect with end-users directly with libraries. Further, other areas such as user Perception, Attitude, Adoption, and Satisfaction with the digital library are also discussed. Keywords — Digital Library, Users centric approach, Users satisfaction strategic planning Users perception; Digital library literature.

New approach to computer-aided learning based on digital library user behavior

The author introduces the mathematical model of recurrent neural network with external memory. It is intended for predicting efficient education trajectory in digital information environments, e. g. digital libraries. The goal of computer-aided learning based on neural networks is to personalize user trajectories. In the study, user behavior is modeled for the more precise personalization in various aspects using recurrent neural networks. The method is designed for two types of recurrent neural networks, i. e. the classic one with sigmoidal activation function and that with LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory). The experiments demonstrated serious advantages of recurrent neural networks over analogous methods in predicting education trajectory. Thus, the proposed model is the more efficient in predictive accuracy (by 15–20% higher than analogous methods). Its prime application area is prediction of optimum user education trajectory in the digital information environment, and digital library, in particul

Usability Analysis of a Health Sciences Digital Library by Medical Residents: Cross-sectional Survey.

BackgroundThe usability of a digital library depends on a myriad of factors ranging from the end users’ ability to website complexity. Although digital libraries provide instant access to online content, offering an efficient reference platform, their usability is highly variable.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to measure users’ perspectives and usability of the digital library of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS).MethodsA web-based questionnaire survey was conducted using a validated System Usability Scale (SUS) containing 5 positive and 5 negative items on the usability of the digital library. The SUS standard cut-off score of 68 was considered for interpretation.ResultsThe overall mean SUS score of digital library usability was 52.9 (SD 15.2) with a grade “D” categorization, indicating low usability. The perceived measures of attributes of the 10 SUS items of findability, complexity, consistency, and confidence obtained below average scores. Only item 1 relating to perceived willingness to use the digital library frequently obtained a score above the targeted benchmark score (mean score 3.6). Higher SUS scores were associated with training (P=.02). Men felt the digital library to be more complex (P=.04) and board-certified physicians perceived a greater need for training on digital library use (P=.05). Only the UpToDate database was widely used (72/90, 80%).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate the low usability of the extensive facilities offered by the SCFHS digital library. It is pivotal to improve awareness of the availability of the digital library and popularize the databases. There is also a need for improved user training to enhance the accessibility and usability of the multiple databases.

Toward the e-loyalty of digital library users: investigating the role of e-service quality and e-trust in digital economy

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the role of e-service quality and e-trust for achieving e-loyalty among digital library users in the digital economy. The current study examined the mediation effect of e-trust in the connection between e-service quality and e-loyalty.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional design was applied for the purpose of data collection and empirical findings of the study. Survey method was used for the purpose of data collection from 783 online digital libraries users.FindingsResults reveal that e-service quality positively predicts e-trust in digital economy. Moreover, in digital economy e-trust predicts the e-loyalty. The findings also reveal that e-trust mediates the relationship between e-service quality and e-loyalty links.Originality/valueThe finding of study suggested that individual level e-trust have a strong effect on e-loyalty in digital economy. Individual level aspects in term of e-service quality have a direct effect on e-trust to improve their e-loyalty. The finding indicated that digital libraries users in future will be more loyal toward e-service quality providers. The results are useful for the management of digital libraries and academia for future. This is the first study that includes e-service quality, e-trust and e-loyalty in the context of digital economy.

Towards a Sustainable Infrastructure for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Digital Scholarship

The digital lifecycle encompasses definitive processes for data curation and management, long-term preservation, and dissemination, all of which are key building blocks in the development of a digital library. Maintaining a complete digital lifecycle workflow is vital to the preservation of digital cultural heritage and digital scholarship. This paper considers digital lifecycle programs for digital libraries, noting similarities between the digital and print lifecycles and referring to the example of the Digital Dunhuang project. Only through a systematic and sustainable digital lifecycle program can platforms for cross-disciplinary research and repositories for large aggregations of digital content be built. Moreover, advancing digital lifecycle development will ensure that knowledge and scholarship created in the digital age will have the same chances for survival that print-and-paper scholarship has had for centuries. It will also ensure that digital library users will have effective access to aggregated content across different domains and platforms.

Personalization of Search Results Representation of a Digital Library

The process of discovering appropriate resources in digital libraries within universities is important, as it can have a big effect on whether retrieved works are useful to the requester. The improvement of the user experience with the digital library of the University of Novi Sad dissertations (PHD UNS) through the personalization of search results representation is the aim of the research presented in this paper. There are three groups of PHD UNS digital library users: users from the academic community, users outside the academic community, and librarians who are in charge of entering dissertation data. Different types of textual and visual representations were analyzed, and representations which needed to be implemented for the groups of users of PHD UNS digital library were selected. After implementing these representations and putting them into operation in April 2017, the user interface was extended with functionality that allows users to select their desired style for representing search results using an additional module for storing message logs. The stored messages represent an explicit change in the results representation by individual users. Using these message logs and ELK technology stack, we analyzed user behavior patterns depending on the type of query, type of device, and search mode. The analysis has shown that the majority of users of the PHD UNS system prefer using the textual style of representation rather than the visual. Some users have changed the style of results representation several times and it is assumed that different types of information require a different representation style. Also, it has been established that the most frequent change to the visual results representation occurs after users perform a query which shows all the dissertations from a certain time period and which is taken from the advanced search mode; however, there is no correlation between this change and the client’s device used.

Information search behavior and utilization of digital library of innovative consumers

This study was undertaken to examine digital library usage and to identify innovative users of digital libraries using data collected in four universities in Taiwan. The Domain Specific Innovativeness (DSI) scales were used in the study to segment respondents into various cluster of innovativeness in digital library usage. On average, college students spent 3.5 hours on digital libraries per week. The findings in this study indicated that 8.31% of digital library users could be classified as innovative users. They were frequent users and were familiar with services provided by digital libraries. Innovative users searched and downloaded more materials from digital libraries than respondents in other clusters. In general, journal/magazine articles were the most frequently used services for digital library users, while e-books were used much less often.

SIKAP GENERASI Z TERHADAP PROGRAM PERPUSTAKAAN DIGITAL i-BAGENDIT

This study aims to determine the knowledge, feelings, and actions of Generation Z about the i-Bagendit Digital Library. The scope of this study includes the attitudes of Generation Z using three indicators of Cognitive, Affective, and conative . The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative. The population in this study are members of the i-Bagendit Digital Library, amounting to 198 people, with a sample of 50 respondents including Generation Z active users of the i-Bagendit Digital Library. The data collection technique uses a digital questionnaire distributed online. The results of this study prove the existence of a positive attitude given by Generation Z users of the i-Bagendit Digital Library. In the cognitive aspect, the percentage figure is 61.7%, proving that Generation Z has sufficient knowledge about the i-Bagendit Digital Library. In the affective aspect, the percentage figure is 78%, proving that Generation Z has positive feelings about the i-Bagendit Digital Library. In the conative aspect, the percentage figure is 71.4%, proving that Generation Z has positive actions about the i-Bagendit Digital Library. In the future, it is hoped that the management of the i-Bagendit Digital Library can increase the quantity of digital collections, design displays, and interesting features.

Hybrid Recommender for Research Papers and Articles

In digital libraries and other e-commerce sites, recommender system is the solution that supports the users in information search and decision making. Some of these recommender systems will make predictions by matching the content of an item against the user profile otherwise known as Content-Based recommendation approach. Other recommenders will provide recommendation based on ratings of items from current user and other users and then use it to recommend similar items the current user has not seen, this is known as Collaborative-Based recommender approach. There exist several other approaches that are used in recommending articles and other items to users of different search engines. Over the years several researchers have tried combining these approaches in an attempt to design more efficient recommendations in search engines. This research proposed and designed a prototype of a Hybrid recommender called Zira, which is a model that combines both the Collaborative filtering, Content-based filtering, attribute-based approach to look at contextual information as well as an item-based approach that will solve the issues associated with cold-start problems all working concurrently to complement one another. The proposed system supports multi-criteria ratings, provide more flexible and less intrusive types of recommendations to ensure the improvement in recommendations of e-learning materials to users of digital libraries.

Developing a model to identify the antecedents and consequences of user satisfaction with digital libraries

PurposeThe primary objective of the present study was to design and develop a model to identify the antecedents and consequences of user satisfaction with digital libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framework of this study was based on information system success theory, technology acceptance model (TAM), media affinity theory, satisfaction-loyalty theory and engagement theory. In so doing, eight hypothesized relationships were formulated to develop the conceptual model. The study approach was quantitative. Using simple random sampling technique, a total of 409 Iranian students participated in the study and responded to the survey. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was also performed using SPSS and SmartPLS3 software.FindingsThe results showed that the generic usability of digital library and the quality of digital resources could be used as a functional theoretical framework to predict and understand the factors contributing to user satisfaction in the domain of digital library. Increasing user satisfaction with digital library may have implications including recommending the digital library to others, the digital library reusing as well as the digital library engaging and integrating with them. It should be noted that system quality, service quality, and information quality are important factors in the formation of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and digital libraries' affinity.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to empirically evaluate the antecedents and consequences of the user satisfaction with digital library presenting a new model. The model presented in this study can be used in future research as well. Also, this study has eloquently expanded the theories of user satisfaction with digital libraries.

Analysis of digital transformation of services in a research library

Purpose The Moravian Library has noted a long-term decline in the total number of visitors and the number of books either lent or used for reference, a phenomenon, which is generally explained by the increased availability of digitised books and a wider selection of electronic services in general. This paper aims to examine whether this is indeed the case, comparing the usage of the physical and digital libraries. The study also examines whether all the elements of library usage change accordingly with the digital transformation of the library’s services, what are the actual implications of this trend for research libraries in general, determining an ideal model for such a library; it proposes possible solutions to the challenges digital transformation brings about. At the same time, the study attempts to answer the question whether the overall number of library users is actually decreasing or increasing and what impact digital transformation has on the reach of library services. Design/methodology/approach Comparative analysis of data with offline usage statistics on one hand and data obtained via backend logging and Google analytics on the other, and an evaluation of a questionnaire survey among digital library users. Findings The data analysis demonstrates that it is not only possible but also even desirable, to gradually replace traditional library services with a digital infrastructure without major complications. Originality/value The case study provides statistically substantiated examples of a successful partial digital transformation in a research library in the Czech Republic.

The User Acceptance Behavior to Mobile Digital Libraries

The rapid development of mobile digital libraries is an inevitable trend in online library services in recent years. The effect of the new digital service is closely related to the continuous improvements and innovation of online library, as well as users' experiences and acceptance behaviors. Based on the UTAUT model, we conducted a standardized questionnaire survey and collected a dataset with a sample of digital library users. Then, we use SPSS to analyze the dataset and demonstrate the reliability and validity of the sample. Besides, we also use AMOS to conduct structural equation model, examine the fitting degree, and provide theoretical contributions and practical implications for both academia and practice. The results show that the factors influencing a user's behavior include social influence, user innovation, payment value, performance expectancy, facilitating condition, and intention to use, which are all positive. However, effort expectancy and service mobility had no effect on reception behavior.

An Effective Approach for the Protection of User Privacy in a Digital Library

Abstract In a digital library, an increasingly important problem is how to prevent the exposure of user privacy in an untrusted network. This study aims to design an effective approach for the protection of user privacy in a digital library, by consulting the basic ideas of encryption and anonymization. In our proposed approach, any privacy data, which can identify user’s real identity, should be encrypted first before being submitted to the library server, to achieve anonymization of user identity. Then, to solve the problem of querying encrypted privacy data, additional feature data are constructed for the encrypted data, such that much of the query processing can be completed at the server-side, without decrypting the data, thereby improving the efficiency of each kind of user query operation. Both theoretical analysis and experimental evaluation demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, which can improve the security of users’ data privacy and behavior privacy on the untrusted server-side, without compromising the availability (i. e. accuracy, efficiency, and usability) of digital library services. This paper provides a valuable study attempt at the protection of digital library users’ privacy, which has a positive influence on the development of a privacy-preserving library in an untrusted network environment.