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This paper is a study of the current trends and conditions of electronic resources for Chinese studies, based on a recent survey on the Internet of 29 Chinese libraries in North America and eight Chinese libraries in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The survey discussed current electronic resources for Chinese studies, with a union list of major Chinese language databases currently used in libraries in Asia and the US. Current views on the use and development of electronic resources for Chinese studies were summarised.

This paper aims to explore the status and construction pattern of Web 2.0 technologies employed in top Chinese university libraries, their functionalities and features.

A combination of online survey and content analysis methodology is applied to a sample of 38 top Chinese university libraries' web sites. The Web 2.0 tools are categorized by generally accepted standards with some adjustment for library practices. Data were collected by accessing these university library web sites on two separate occasions during the period of February 10‐20, 2009 by utilizing a checklist of 52 questions.

More than two‐thirds of the 38 top Chinese university libraries apply one or more kinds of Web 2.0 tools through the basic functions of their web sites. Among six types of tools, Catalog 2.0 and RSS are the most common, while IM, Blog, SNS and Wiki are less frequent.

Internal applications that are not publicly accessible contain hidden information that may not be gathered through content analysis since these links usually cannot be found on library web sites. It is difficult to get exact information as to the applications of Web 2.0 in these libraries without an interview method in combination to observation.

This study provides an overall picture of Web 2.0 tools developed in top Chinese university libraries, allowing for future evaluation and planning. The implementation of Web 2.0 applications and their constructing pattern is not only indicative of the development of the Chinese digital libraries, but also to their development of digital libraries in the world at large.

The purpose of this paper is to examine behavior intention of Chinese university students toward mobile library (m-library) applications (apps) and to explore the determinants of their perceptions of m-library apps.

Based on previous research, this study first proposed an integrated model and hypothesized the relationships between constructs while exploring the significance of the effects of education level and discipline. In all, 466 undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines participated in a survey for this study. A structural equation modeling approach was applied for analysis.

Attitude is the main predictor of behavior intention toward m-library apps, and it is significantly affected by perceived usefulness, self-efficacy, and subjective norm. The quality of m-library apps determines students’ perception of usefulness. In addition, education level and discipline have significant effects on behavior intention toward m-library apps, which may reflect students’ different focuses and purposes of use.

This study deepens understanding of the continuance usage of m-library apps and has practical implications on related developments and services.

This paper aims to provide an overall picture of the application of Web 2.0 technologies in Chinese university libraries. The focus of the research is what types of Web 2.0 technologies were applied in such libraries as well as their function and user interface.

The top 30 Chinese university libraries were selected to investigate the application of Web 2.0 technologies. Content analysis was used in terms of quantitative approach. Data were collected by accessing these 30 university libraries web sites within five weeks.

Two‐thirds of Chinese university libraries deployed one or more Web 2.0 technologies. Only one‐tenth of libraries adopted more than four Web 2.0 technologies. RSS was the most widely applied, while Wiki was the least. The application of Web 2.0 technologies among Chinese university libraries was not extensive and profound enough.

The findings can be utilized to evaluate the status of Web 2.0 technology applications. The statistical data are very useful and authentic sources for improving the level of Web 2.0 technology application. It may enable future research to analyze other aspects (e.g. the application of RSS or Blogs for services).

This unique study explores the application of Web 2.0 mainly in Chinese university libraries that deployed any types of Web 2.0 technologies. This study is very useful for Chinese university libraries in evaluating/deploying Web 2.0. Library managers, librarians, and other libraries may also find this helpful, once they decide to implement such technologies in their libraries.

The purpose of this study is to examine and compare Chinese electronic resources and English electronic resources in terms of ease of use, usefulness and usage in the context of a Chinese university library, so as to facilitate the effective use of English electronic resources in China.

Data collection was conducted through a large scale survey. A total of 378 valid data coming from the users of a Chinese university library were used for data analysis.

There are more users in Chinese university library who perceived that Chinese electronic resources are both easy to use and useful while English electronic resources are neither easy to use nor useful. Meanwhile, there are more users who used Chinese electronic resources more frequently while used English electronic resources less frequently.

This study could advance our knowledge about the current status of the use of Chinese electronic resources and English electronic resources as well as the digital divide at the second‐level and the third‐level, facilitating the effective use of English electronic resources.

Building on three levels of the digital divide, this study examines and compares Chinese electronic resources and English electronic resources in terms of ease of use, usefulness and usage in the context of Chinese university library, providing a new view for library electronic resources management research and practice alike.

This study investigates the characteristics of US users and their document request patterns at the Gateway Service Center of the Chinese Academic Journal Publications at a research university library and evaluates the effectiveness of the service. The study shows that the center’s primary users are faculty, graduate students, and researchers in the areas of Chinese history, literature, language, philosophy, and politics. Their requests generally link to research‐related projects and focus on articles in the arts and humanities and social sciences, published in 1980s in Mainland Chinese publications. The center has significantly higher average fill rate and faster turnaround time compared with the ordinary ILL services.

This study aims to analyse the basic status of application of social networking sites (SNSs) in Chinese university libraries and explore the relationship between microblog and the output of scientific research achievements in universities. This study suggests methods for improving the efficiency of SNS use in university libraries and promotes scientific research achievements and social services in universities.

Online survey and statistical analysis were conducted to collect the number and types of SNSs used by 112 libraries in Chinese universities under the “211 project”. This study used microblog as an example and analysed the distribution of SNS use in different types of university libraries. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the factors related to microblogs, such as number of followings, followers, posts and published articles.

SNSs changed the information utilization behaviour of users. Survey results show that an increasing number of university libraries are using SNSs. These sites are mainly microblogs and WeChat. The proportion of the number of SNSs applied by comprehensive universities and science and technology universities was higher than that of other types of universities. Results of multiple regression analysis using microblogs showed that the number of followers has a significantly positive effect on the number of published articles of the university.

This study has three main limitations. First, data collection is incomplete, which easily causes the error of analysis results. Second, the overall status of SNS use in libraries is lacking in accurate understanding, which indicates limitations in terms of the analysis and conclusion. Finally, the research scope was narrow and only studied the situation of libraries using microblogs. Future research should focus on the data collection and sorting, make comparative studies of different periods of data, conduct cultural studies on the user usage perspective and conduct research on the application of different social network platforms in libraries.

The use of SNSs has brought new challenges and opportunities to university libraries because of rapid development of the internet and the scale of expansion microblogs. Moreover, microblogs have become an important platform of university libraries for self-promotion and marketing. This study proposes methods and measures for promoting the SNS popularity of university libraries, enhancing their content and increasing the role of SNSs in their interaction.

Statistical analysis was conducted to analyse the status of SNS use in university libraries and the data of SNS use in different types of universities. Effective measures were offered to address the issues found in the study. The results confirmed that the number of followers has a significantly positive effect on the number of published articles of the university, which could improve the enthusiasm of university libraries in using SNS, enhance the efficiency of information service and strengthen the use awareness of the teachers and students.