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The purpose of this paper is to explore key issues involved with opportunities, challenges, and future developing trends of delivering dynamic and distributed web‐based academic library information resources, services, and instructions for library users in the digital age.

Based on the typical web‐based, three‐tier client/server architecture, this paper explores ten key issues how to leverage quality library user services in the digital age: roles of academic libraries; funding support; information resources; information access; information services; instructions and trainings; impacts of cutting‐edge technologies and emerging technologies; web contents management and knowledge base; assessment and evaluation; and Librarians. Also discussed are the next‐generation web‐based client/server library information architecture and services in the foreseeable future.

With the rapid development of the internet and the world wide web, information exchange and information distribution can be transformed either by disparate formats or by dynamic channels. Knowledge, competence, and skills cannot follow up with the rapid advances of science and technologies. Many library users need assistance to access, locate, convert, synthesize, and evaluate information effectively and efficiently. It is very imperative for libraries and librarians to design, develop, enhance, implement, and deliver high quality user‐centered information services, resources, and instruction at the fingertips of library users.

Target readers who include librarians, instructors, trainers, consultants, managers, IT specialists, executives, and other professionals who are involved with developing and delivering distributed library user services via the internet will find this article of value.

This research aims at conducting a survey of web‐based services offered by Asian national libraries.

To do this, 23 accessible and English language web sites of national libraries in Asia were studied. Direct observation and a checklist including six general services were used for data collection and data evaluation, respectively. In order to determine the detailed services provided by national library web sites, five web sites of the greatest and historical national libraries in the world with appropriate geographical distribution were taken into account.

National Library of Singapore had the first rank in providing its services via a web site for users and was the only national library in Asia that provides more than half of its services (52.29 per cent) via the web site. The national libraries of seven countries: Japan, Malaysia, China, Iran, Israel, Seri Lanka, and Kyrgyzstan provide web‐based services in the range of 25‐50 per cent, respectively in descending order. And the web sites of Asian national libraries (ANLs) were far from ideal and optimal as an online service provider.

Asian National Libraries must use the web facilities for achievement of their target goals and provision of their information services in the best manner. It is also suggested that these libraries should make high use of both traditional library tools like bibliographies and web‐based ones including web forms, chat, videoconferences, and so forth to meet their goals and ideals.

This study provides a unique insight into the situation of provision of web‐based services offered by national libraries in selected Asian countries.

An e‐mail survey of seven Arabian Gulf university libraries was conducted in order to ascertain which types of Web‐based services they offer to users. The study specifically looked at the provision of access to Web‐based services such as catalogues, search engines, forms, etc. through the respective library Web sites. Findings showed that almost all libraries are offering Web‐based services to users in one way or the other. This paper also discusses ways to improve and reinforce provision of such Web‐based services, including effective methods of creating awareness and delivering the orientation and training necessary to create a positive environment for change. Finally, the results of the study may be helpful especially to librarians of the Arabian Gulf libraries in enhancing or developing quality web‐based services.

This paper aims to discuss the present status of using new generation web technology, social media and Web 2.0 features among the technological university library websites in south India. It seeks to assess the library websites as a primary platform and one‐stop portal for information services and to examine how much library websites are effective in providing web‐based information services.

The library websites of the technological universities in south India were evaluated on the basis of a relative weight checklist. The criteria for the checklist were drawn on the basis of availability of websites for library, resource discovery tools, access to scholarly content and Web 2.0 tools. The various issues and challenges in adapting new web technologies in the academic environment are discussed.

Using the current web development technologies and deploying for mainstream web information services is not widespread as web information services are yet to take off widely in academic libraries. The majority of university libraries are found to be working in the conventional library settings and the diffusion rate of web information services is relatively low.

As this is an assessment of the existing online information infrastructure facilities of the engineering universities in south India, the awareness of web‐based information services, their viability, and service values can be enhanced. More emphasis to improve upon the current learning, online educational facilities and benchmarking electronic information services for sustainability is highlighted.

This paper aims to demonstrate work undertaken by Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) Library in an effort to integrate Web 2.0 technologies in its functions to enhance the quality of its services in Tanzania.

The study conducted an exploratory questionnaire survey to assess user requirements among undergraduate medical students at MUHAS, developed Library 2.0 services, conducted training and created awareness.

The paper shows that Web 2.0 technologies can be implemented effectively according to university goals, user's needs, deployment of user friendly tools, and capacity building among librarians and users. Students positively supported the adoption of Library 2.0 services at MUHAS. Library 2.0 services improved the quality of MUHAS library services, despite various challenges related to infrastructure, awareness, literacy, inadequate staff, security and ownership of Web 2.0 services.

The study findings may not be widely replicated because this article is based on a case study of the integration of Web 2.0 technologies into the library functions of MUHAS. This study did not examine the use of Library 2.0 applications among library users (such as faculty and students) which could illuminate further the case study.

Most academic libraries in Africa have not yet adopted Web 2.0 technologies to improve their services. The user preferences, technology adoption, and challenges faced from the present study can help other libraries to plan and integrate their Library 2.0 technologies in their services.

MUHAS Library offers a practical example of how Web 2.0 services can be adopted to enhance the quality of academic library services in an African context. This paper is of significance to academic libraries that are still considering their options with regard to the application of Web 2.0 technologies.

This purpose of this paper is to present the current state and use of the web by university libraries in India and to examine the web‐based library services offered by some university libraries in different sections via their websites with the help of web‐based library automation software.

A survey was conducted through a structured questionnaire circulated personally among university librarians and the response rate was 100 percent. The responses received from the respondents to 22 questions are presented in the form of tables and figures and analyzed using a simple method of percentages.

The findings show that many of the surveyed university libraries are yet to exploit full potential of the web forms, and are lagging behind in effective use of library website. A few libraries offer innovative web‐based library services in different sections. This study identified specific ways in which the web helps university libraries to improve and develop innovative and creative web‐based library services. Some key improvements and developments are: there is an urgent need to develop dynamic library websites and incorporate relevant Web 2.0 based services including web forms in each web‐based library service; apply semantic technologies and ontologies; adopt next‐generation internet (IPv6); and provide multi‐language support content. This study also examined institutional characteristics and resources dedicated to web‐based services.

The geographical area of the study was restricted to 20 university libraries in India.

To highlight the potential of web services for libraries.

A brief description of web services is followed by a discussion of the importance of web service standards and the role of initiatives to encourage the development and use of such standards in libraries.

Web services offer many advantages to the library community, but the majority of these advantages will only be realised if web services are standardised.

This paper is a call to the library community to prevent the proliferation of proprietary web services by supporting the development and use of standard web services.

The purpose of this paper is to examine and demonstrate the extent to which university libraries in Africa are bridging the information gap through the use of web 2.0 systems, including challenges and prospects.

The review adopted a combination of various data collection methods and approaches, including current academic literature, document analysis, desk review guides and reports on university libraries.

Review results indicate that few university libraries in Africa have embraced the use and application of web 2.0 systems. It is regrettable that web 2.0 is not new in libraries, although many African university libraries have not adopted the concept. Web 2.0 systems, including blog, delicious, YouTube and Facebook among others, are no longer a preserve of commercial organizations.

The review involved university libraries in Africa because of their perceived role in creation, management, preservation, transmission or diffusion and utilization of information and knowledge. University libraries provide information services to support research, teaching, learning, and community activities of respective universities.

University libraries in African countries face various challenges in implementation of web 2.0 systems. Web 2.0 systems have proved to be useful in addressing issues and challenges of open, distance and e‐learning programmes. Information professionals should support implementation and use of relevant web 2.0 systems.

Across the globe, university libraries are increasingly using web 2.0 systems to support, promote and extend information services to their patrons. In the modern information world 2.0, it is important for university libraries to identify relevant web 2.0 systems and integrate them into mainstream library and information services.

The review provides useful insights regarding the use and application of web 2.0 systems in university libraries in Africa.

The present study was carried out with the intention of examining what type of instruction applications and help tools have been used to serve clientele via academic library websites and web pages, and how Sri Lankan academic libraries instruct and help users via their library websites and web pages.

A sample study comprised only 14 academic library websites and web pages out of 223, which were accessible and necessarily presented instruction applications and help tools. Two coding sheets were prepared separately for instruction and help to include classified data, and then the frequency counted from each category by browsing the sample recorded in the coders for analysis.

The results confirmed that the quality of academic library websites in Sri Lanka in providing online instruction and help was dependent on different variables. The development of above online services remains in its infancy. Most important instruction applications and help tools have not been utilized by the majority of websites in academic libraries. Inaccessibility of such services via the library web reflects not only their malfunction in online instruction and help, but also onsite services of some areas in academic libraries.

Nonexistence of websites or web pages and lack of enough information in library websites caused the exclusion of most of the libraries in the country from inclusion in the sample; this in turn affected this study by limiting it to academic libraries only.

The majority of recommendations originated from the study can be generalized for both web and online service development of any type of library in Sri Lanka.

The deficiency of research on library websites in Sri Lanka provides no clear image regarding the existing situation of online library services. Thus this study contributes towards addressing this gap in the literature and features distinctiveness within the available literature.

This research aims to use the Oriental Institute of Technology Library (the OIT Library) in Taiwan as a case to introduce some of the mobile web services which can be provided by a library, as well as to investigate and discuss the first two mobile web services offered by the OIT Library, the due‐day reminder and renewal‐request services, at length. Furthermore, the performance evaluation of the two services is conducted.

This research employs system logs and patron questionnaires to understand the effectiveness of, and patron satisfaction toward, the two services.

Results of system log analysis show that the usage of the two services improves the average number of overdue occurrences, average amount of overdue fines, average amount of overdue fines per transaction, and average overdue rate; furthermore, the use of the services also indirectly increases the number of items borrowed by patrons, which corresponds with the questionnaire analysis as well. Results of questionnaire analysis show that 71.3 per cent and 87.5 per cent of the respondents are strongly satisfied with the due‐day reminder and renewal‐request services, respectively.

As a case study, this research provides a direction on designing mobile web services for a library. In addition, it points out how to evaluate the performance and patron satisfaction of mobile web services through system log analysis and patron questionnaire.

This research increases the understanding of what mobile web services can be offered by a library. In addition, many previous studies only describe certain kinds of mobile web services without showing their efficacy; however, this research evaluates the efficacy of two mobile web services in the OIT Library by an unobtrusive system log analysis, which is then complemented by a patron questionnaire.