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Article
Publication date: 9 December 2022

Angeliki Garoufali and Emmanouel Garoufallou

With the technological innovation dominating higher education, the university libraries, as physical spaces, continue to play a crucial role in connecting students with knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

With the technological innovation dominating higher education, the university libraries, as physical spaces, continue to play a crucial role in connecting students with knowledge. The emergence of the “Learning Commons” serves as a catalyst in the design of library spaces, renewing libraries’ roles and missions and making them popular to Millennials for new reasons. This study aims to record Greek librarians' views on the current situation in Greek academic libraries regarding physical space design, services provided and the existence of the “Learning Commons” model characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted through an online survey structured questionnaire (closed-ended, five-point Likert scale, multiple-choice and statements questions). This study population comprised librarians working in 37 academic institutions and colleges. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The research questions were answered using variables creation and the tests, t-test, ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis. The groups of questions were tested for their reliability using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

Findings

In total, 186 librarians responded to this study. The responses revealed that participants were willing and ready to accept and support a different approach to academic library physical spaces use, according to the shared learning spaces model. However, this requires changes in the organization's vision, further growth and evolution. Although recently most Greek academic libraries have made significant progress in developing their services to function as information and digital hubs, they do not function as learning collaborative hubs, since the “Learning Commons” model is not reflected in their buildings.

Originality/value

The creation of new academic libraries according to the “common” model is a rapidly evolving issue that affects Greek libraries. This paper highlights the characteristics of libraries that should be adopted in the modern era, the new roles of academic librarians and the importance of an appropriate design of the physical space to achieve optimal learning outcomes. At the same time, this paper is one of the few that illustrates librarians', and not users', perceptions of these changes. This paper is a good research example, and the methodology for measuring this type of context could be used by other future research approaches in other countries.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 December 2022

Sunitiya Thuannadee

This study aims to identify library service dimensions at the Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand, examine the effect of perceived quality on overall satisfaction…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify library service dimensions at the Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand, examine the effect of perceived quality on overall satisfaction and determine the library service's improvement priorities.

Design/methodology/approach

The modified service quality (SERVQUAL) questionnaire was administered to SUT faculty and students. The perceived quality of service attributes was determined by comparing the perception of the actual service received with the expectation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was utilized to classify the service dimensions, and proportional odds ordinal logistic regression was employed to examine the impact of perceived quality on overall satisfaction. The improvement priorities were determined using the importance–performance analysis (IPA).

Findings

EFA suggested four service dimensions of the SUT library services: collection and access, organizational service, service delivery by staff and library as a place. The perceived quality of all dimensions positively affected overall satisfaction. However, the “library as a place” had a nonsignificant effect on faculty satisfaction, while the “collection and access” had a nonsignificant effect on student satisfaction.

Originality/value

In the context of library services, few studies have examined the effect of perceived quality on satisfaction and investigated improvement priorities using IPA. This study addresses these research gaps and provides deeper insights into the faculty and student perspectives on the university library services.

Details

Library Management, vol. 44 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 October 2021

Armondo R. Collins and Kathryn Crowe

The project was conducted to learn how the services of the digital media commons (DMC) impact and support student success. Data were collected to learn how faculty perceive the…

Abstract

Purpose

The project was conducted to learn how the services of the digital media commons (DMC) impact and support student success. Data were collected to learn how faculty perceive the instructional support program, how patrons perceive the quality of the services and how students use the services, technology and the space that the DMC occupies. The results will be used to improve services and instruction and to inform the future direction of our instruction support service post-COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

The project included three phases. First, a survey was sent to faculty who had brought their class for an instruction session to gain input on how they perceived the impact of the instruction and follow-up services on the quality of media projects. The second phase was a customer service survey implemented in the area to learn how patrons used the spaces and technology, what types of projects they completed in the DMC and their satisfaction with the assistance they received. The third phase employed student focus groups that followed up on the information from the survey to pinpoint how students perceive that the DMC impacts their academic success.

Findings

The data gained from the research indicated that (1) the teaching program provides important instruction for media projects, (2) the DMC provides important services and technology that contribute to student success and (3) The DMC space is an important destination for students as a learning space.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this case study is limited by the size of sample groups surveyed and the presumed veracity of their responses. The implications of our results do, however, align with reported trends experienced by peer institutions.

Practical implications

This case study can be used by colleagues from other university's and learning environments to improve their space and instructional support offerings.

Social implications

Digital learning and work environments are increasing across the country due to society's demand for multimedia literacy instruction and technical support. This research will serve as a reference point for institutions starting and/or assessing the direct impact of digital spaces on student success and learning outcomes.

Originality/value

Although there are many studies on the impact of academic libraries' services, space and resources on student success, few specifically address the contributions of academic library digital media services on student achievement. This project fills that gap and will serve as a model for future research.

Details

Performance Measurement and Metrics, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-8047

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 28 March 2022

Elizabeth Kline

Investment in graduate education is costly in various ways so completion success is a big concern for universities and stakeholders. Largely the graduate educational landscape…

Abstract

Purpose

Investment in graduate education is costly in various ways so completion success is a big concern for universities and stakeholders. Largely the graduate educational landscape moves along a commonly structured path from acceptance to graduation. Despite many having successfully attained the award, the research literacies that signal doctoral achievement remain obscure and scholars continue to struggle with developing clear and tangible measures for the competencies that represent attainment of the degree. Feedback gathered from faculty at a large research institution through a series of semi-structured interviews illustrated the challenge departments have to effectively communicate what it takes to get through graduate education. As a result students still have a difficult time understanding the complexity of graduate training. This study views graduate education from the lens of intellectual journeys, as opposed to the research lifecycle, as a way of uncovering distinct disciplinary discourse practices and offering libraries critical points to align services using this framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is highly flexible and adaptable to many contexts besides graduate education. This study takes a different approach from previous studies in its framing of discussions with academic faculty, using journey maps, to focus on the intellectual journeys of graduate students. Faculty from different disciplines participated in one-on-one, hour-long interviews. Discussions were audio recorded, transcribed, and then coded into NVivo. Iterative review on the data continued until themes emerged. The data gathered were used to compile a detailed map of the processes and requirements that make up graduate education. This approach to the data helped to identify what faculty perceive as the greatest struggles for graduate students and provide evidence of the key places within the intellectual journeys of graduate students.

Findings

This paper provides a discussion of graduate student personas revealed through intellectual journeys, assesses the issues students encounter, shares critical time points and key places within these intellectual journeys where significant development occur, and suggests how libraries can and should connect with graduate committee members to establish missing support structures. Practical suggestions for library support are given for the areas where students struggle most. These critical services can be aligned to key developmental phases that will not only positively impact the time to completion but also retention.

Originality/value

First, the methodology discussed is highly flexible and adaptable to many contexts besides graduate education. Second, librarians adopting this methodology can generate their own editable journey maps not only to offer the most critical services but these tools also double as visual communication and negotiation tools for graduate students and their mentors during graduate training. Third, previous research has suggested that the most instrumental factor for graduate students completing their degree was the concept of forward progress. Framing the graduate experience and orienting library graduate support through the lens of disciplinary intellectual journeys achieves an action-oriented approach that supplements and addresses structural inequities by providing consequential support at meaningful points in a student’s journey thus allowing students to make forward progress and ultimately lead to faster completion rates.

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2021

Qiandong Zhu

Focusing on two particularly challenging issues facing Chinese academic libraries – space constraints and the trending of digital scholarship services, this paper aims to explore…

Abstract

Purpose

Focusing on two particularly challenging issues facing Chinese academic libraries – space constraints and the trending of digital scholarship services, this paper aims to explore which spaces students and faculty wanted and how to leverage low-use spaces and growing digital scholarship services to build the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) to meet their demands.

Design/methodology/approach

The participant observation method was used in the launch stage of the space redesign from May 2016 to October 2018. The usage analysis method was used to reveal the use of the renovated spaces and assess the success of the space redesign when CDS was open to users between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018. The usage was gathered from the space reservation system.

Findings

A hybrid academic service center combining information commons, a collaborative workplace, social spaces and digital scholarship services, the CDS is able to meet the complexity and diversity of users’ needs and fulfill the mission of its university in the context of insufficient funds, space and specialists. While it approaches the goal of the space redesign project, some deficiencies remain to be addressed in the future design and service plan, including separating quiet and noisy areas, flexible arrangements and business process reengineering.

Practical implications

This study shows a hybrid academic service center can meet the complexity and diversity of users’ needs, despite insufficient funds, space and specialists. To ensure sustainability, digital scholarship services should adapt to local users’ needs and expectations. While the author’s patent service and subject development analysis are local and popular with the users and sectors in his university, they make their services somewhat different from those of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members.

Originality/value

This is one of the few, recent studies on space redesign incorporating digital scholarship services in a well-known academic library in China.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 49 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2023

Megan Vladoiu, Pnina Fichman and Jieli Liu

This article examines if there is evidence of racial or gender bias in email reference services in American public and academic libraries.

Abstract

Purpose

This article examines if there is evidence of racial or gender bias in email reference services in American public and academic libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a two-by-two study design and an unobtrusive data collection, the authors conducted two studies in which the authors sent 1,960 email requests to 505 academic and public libraries. Requests in both studies differed in the perceived identity of the user as indicated by their name, and the counterbalanced method was utilized to control for intervening variables. Based on content analysis of the responses, the authors examined the statistical significance of the differences by race, gender and race by gender.

Findings

Overall, the authors found equitable service to users regardless of their race and gender; at times, however, there was evidence of favorable service to the White female in academic and public libraries and to the Black male in academic libraries.

Originality/value

There is little research into potential bias in email reference services in both academic and public libraries in the United States of America. Yet, following the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020, there has been an increased focus on racial equality in library services and the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics was modified accordingly. The authors' study makes significant contributions to the increasing body of research on racial and gender equality in online library services.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 51 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 31 March 2019

Joon-Heon Song and Hee-Cheol Moon

Considering the proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs) worldwide, this study develops and empirically tests a conceptual model to explain the impact of CEO attitudes on the…

Abstract

Considering the proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs) worldwide, this study develops and empirically tests a conceptual model to explain the impact of CEO attitudes on the intention of exporting firms to utilize FTA preferential tariffs. Based on a survey of 221 exporting small and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses. Results show that perceived usefulness and organizational learning partially mediate the relationship between CEO attitudes and intention to use FTA schemes. This study deepens our understanding on the firm’s internal process for utilizing FTA preferential tariffs.

Details

Journal of International Logistics and Trade, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1738-2122

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 March 2023

Dong-Heon Kwak, Derek L. Nazareth, Saerom Lee, Jinwoong Lee, Greta L. Polites and Deborah Erdos Knapp

Drawing upon the consistency literature, the theory of visual rhetoric and social judgment of warmth and competence, this study examines the determinants and impacts of perceived…

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing upon the consistency literature, the theory of visual rhetoric and social judgment of warmth and competence, this study examines the determinants and impacts of perceived interface design consistency in the context of charity websites.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify design factors of perceived interface design consistency, this study separates charity website interface design into two aspects: main appeal design (i.e. appeal quality) and peripheral design (i.e. image type). The authors designed a two (appeal quality: low vs high) × three (image type: control vs adults vs children) controlled lab experiment to investigate the effects of various interface choices. A total of 217 subjects participated in the experiment. The authors used structural equation model (SEM) analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

This study found that appeal quality and human images increase perceived interface design consistency. The authors also found that the relationship between appeal quality and perceived interface design consistency is moderated by image type. Finally, the authors showed that perceived interface design consistency increases perceived warmth and competence of charity websites, which in turn affect intention to use the website for donations.

Originality/value

The authors’ findings provide novel insights for theory on consistency and interface design and practical implications for charity website designers by identifying determinants and consequences of perceived interface design consistency.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 July 2021

Dong-Heon Kwak, Saerom Lee, Xiao Ma, Jaeung Lee, Khansa Lara and Alan Brandyberry

Mobile loafing, or non-work-related mobile computing, is deviant workplace behavior that can reduce productivity and increase cybersecurity risks. To thwart mobile loafing…

Abstract

Purpose

Mobile loafing, or non-work-related mobile computing, is deviant workplace behavior that can reduce productivity and increase cybersecurity risks. To thwart mobile loafing, organizations often adopt formal controls that encompass rules and policies. These formal controls can serve as a phase-shifting event. Phase shifting is a process where individuals reevaluate and revise their perceptions of the regulation of deviant behaviors. Despite the importance of understanding this process, little research has examined the announcement of formal controls as an impetus for phase shifting. The primary objectives of this study were to induce a phase-shifting perception in an organizational setting and explore its determinants and moderating role in the context of mobile loafing.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors proposed and tested a model using two-wave data collected from 231 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers. To test the research hypotheses, they used covariance-based structural equation modeling and logistic regression.

Findings

The authors found that peer's mobile loafing and neutralization positively influence mobile-loafing intention before and after the announcement of formal controls. This research also shows that the higher an employee's neutralization, the likelier they perceive the announcement of formal controls as phase shifting. Also, the authors found that the moderating effect of phase-shifting perceptions functions in such a way that the relationship between T1 and T2 mobile-loafing intention is weaker when employees perceive the announcement of formal controls as a phase-shifting event.

Practical implications

The authors’ results provide managers with useful insights into effectively using formal controls to mitigate employees' deviant behavior. To effectively use formal controls, managers should articulate formal controls that can trigger employees to revise their perceptions of counterproductive workplace behavior policies.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first in information systems research to empirically examine the announcement of formal controls as a phase-shifting event and explore its antecedents and moderating role in the context of deviant workplace behavior in general and mobile loafing in particular.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 18 April 2022

C. Christopher Lee, Hyoun Sook Lim, Donghwi (Josh) Seo and Dong-Heon Austin Kwak

This study explored moderating effects of employee generations on factors related to employee retention and motivation in the workplace.

11049

Abstract

Purpose

This study explored moderating effects of employee generations on factors related to employee retention and motivation in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a survey instrument and collected the survey data via Amazon Mechanical Turk. After filtering out bad responses, the authors ended up with 489 sample cases for this study. The authors used structural equation modeling for data analysis.

Findings

Evidence showed that only transformational leadership was significantly related to retention of Generation X employees and only work–life balance had a significant relationship with intrinsic motivation. For Generation Y employees, transformational leadership was the only factor affecting their retention while both transformational leadership and autonomy showed significant impacts on their intrinsic motivation. Generation Z employees reported that only transformation leadership affected their retention while transformational leadership, corporate social responsibility and autonomy were significantly related to their intrinsic motivation in the workplace. All three generations showed statistical significance between intrinsic motivation and employee retention.

Practical implications

This study could help business practitioners increase employees' work motivation and retention.

Originality/value

First, our results revealed interesting similarities and differences between generations in terms of the factors that affected employees' retention and motivation. Second, this study proved that employees' generation affects the impacts of transformational leadership, CSR, autonomy, WLB and technology on their motivation and retention in the workplace. Third, the results of our study also showed that employees of different generations are intrinsically motivated by different factors, proving the importance of considering generational differences in motivation literature.

Details

Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-3983

Keywords

11 – 20 of 43