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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2018

Priyanka Pradeep Wadekar and Shubhada Prashant Nagarkar

The purpose of this paper is to know-how the university libraries are managing online databases, especially from the Maharashtra state of India. The focus is to study the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to know-how the university libraries are managing online databases, especially from the Maharashtra state of India. The focus is to study the difficulties and challenges faced by the university librarians.

Design/methodology/approach

In this descriptive research, survey of 15 university libraries was conducted. Seven universities are subscribing online databases apart from databases accessible under national consortia. A comprehensive questionnaire comprised of 16 sections and total 47 questions was designed for data collection. Personal contacts helped to a great extent to get back the questionnaire.

Findings

The study revealed that the university librarians are trying to cope up with the management of electronic resources. Major challenges are unawareness about the life cycle of electronic resources, lack of standard procedures, collection development and preservation policies, failed to conduct user information need surveys, negotiation skills, competencies of staff and so on.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of the present research was to study the current practices of management of online databases subscribed by the university libraries in Maharashtra. Other types of electronic resources were not considered in the present study. It was found that out of 15 universities only seven universities subscribe the online databases apart from the databases provided by UGC-INFONET. Therefore, the data from these seven libraries were considered for analysis.

Practical implications

This study will provide the guidelines for managing online databases in academic libraries.

Originality/value

Very few studies are conducted to study the management of online databases by university librariesin India.

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2013

Xianjin Zha, Jing Li and Yalan Yan

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…

1110

Abstract

Purpose

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.

Design/methodology/approach

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.

Findings

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.

Practical implications

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.

Originality/value

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.

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2004

Lesley M. Moyo

Developments in information technology have led to changes in the mode of delivery of library services, and in the perceptions of the role of librarians in the information‐seeking…

1539

Abstract

Developments in information technology have led to changes in the mode of delivery of library services, and in the perceptions of the role of librarians in the information‐seeking context. In particular, the proliferation of electronic resources has led to the emergence of new service paradigms and new roles for librarians. The Gateway Library at Penn State University (PSU) is an electronic library in transition, with new technology‐based services evolving to address the ever growing and changing needs of the academic community. It facilitates access to and navigation of electronic resources in an integrated technology environment.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2015

Sung-Shan Chang, Shi-Jer Lou, Shuenn-Ren Cheng and Chin-Lang Lin

The primary purpose of this paper is to integrate unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and website service quality, compiling it into a usage behavioural…

1895

Abstract

Purpose

The primary purpose of this paper is to integrate unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and website service quality, compiling it into a usage behavioural model for university library electronic resources.

Design/methodology/approach

Using structural equation model technology to verify model fit. Questionnaire surveys are the main research methodology in this study, in which fourth-year university students and second-year Master’s students in six Taiwan public and private universities are the research population. This study uses a cluster sampling, releasing 1,206 questionnaires, and retrieves 1,089 valid questionnaires, for a valid retrieval rate of 90.3 per cent.

Findings

The conclusions are: this study has good fit in the model, and is applicable for the UTAUT; the pairs of variables are correlated; public or private and school type have partial significant mediating effect; website service quality has a significant positive influence on behavioural intention; performance expectancy and social influence both positively affect behavioural intention; facilitating conditions positively affect use behaviour.

Originality/value

Empirical research results and suggestions are provided for the relevant departments for practice and future academic research.

Article
Publication date: 22 June 2010

Ming‐der Wu and Shih‐chuan Chen

This study aims to answer the following questions about humanities graduate students: what are the characteristics of the documents cited in their theses? Where and how do they…

1992

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to answer the following questions about humanities graduate students: what are the characteristics of the documents cited in their theses? Where and how do they obtain those citations? Do students use and cite electronic resources? Do students favour electronic resources over paper versions?

Design/methodology/approach

The study's participants were 20 humanities graduate students. Following an analysis of the citations in their theses, list‐checking and follow‐up interviews were conducted.

Findings

The results showed that these humanities graduate students cited considerably more print materials than electronic resources. Most of the documents cited were supplied by the university library. Only a small proportion of the documents were available in electronic format either from the university library or from the internet. The availability ratio of journals was higher than that of books. Students' acceptance of e‐journals was higher than that of e‐books.

Originality/value

The findings of the study could help researchers and librarians gain a better understanding of how humanities graduate students use electronic resources.

Details

Online Information Review, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1468-4527

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Shamshad Ahmed and Anam Amjad

The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the satisfaction level of researchers with electronic resources as well as the uses, purposes, reasons and problems faced by them in…

2223

Abstract

Purpose

The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the satisfaction level of researchers with electronic resources as well as the uses, purposes, reasons and problems faced by them in using of these resources in the context of Pakistani Universities.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper opted for a quantitative study using a questionnaire for survey. Response rate was 80 per cent and data were analyzed from 261 researchers of two universities of Pakistan. Five-point Likert scale ranked from “Dissatisfied” (5) to “Extremely Satisfied” (1) was used to evaluate the satisfaction level of researchers.

Findings

The paper found that mostly researchers were “Very Satisfied” with electronic resources though they faced problems in using of these resources.

Research limitations/implications

Research scholars from Faculty of Arts, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, and Bahauddin Zakariya University of Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, were included in this paper.

Practical implications

This paper advances knowledge about the current status of the use of university library electronic resources, helps librarians in Pakistani university libraries understand the information need of the researchers more specifically, and provides some guidelines for the efficient and effective use of these resources.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils the identified need of researchers and indicates how researchers can utilize electronic resources in a better way.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 31 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2021

Geeta Dadu Dhiwar

The present study was conducted to find what practices Pune city's management institutes are following for managing their online databases. Essentially, the purpose of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The present study was conducted to find what practices Pune city's management institutes are following for managing their online databases. Essentially, the purpose of the research was to study librarians' awareness about the life cycle of electronic resources and how to manage their life span, so that the data in use do not go obsolete.

Design/methodology/approach

This experimentative study was based on a structured questionnaire designed to discover whether librarians of Pune's management institute followed the recommended six-step process in managing the life cycle of institutes' electronic resources as proposed by Jill Emery and Graham Stone in their Techniques in Electronic Resource Management (TERMS).

Findings

Our study revealed that the librarians are not following any fixed protocol and are managing electronic resources in an ad hoc manner as per their own discretion. A majority are not even aware of the six steps the TERMS model prescribed for managing electronic databases.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of the study is to find the current practices of management of electronic resources at management institutes / colleges affiliated to Savitiribai Phule Pune University. Institutes which are not subscribing any database other than databases provided by UGC-INFONET thus got excluded from the study.

Originality/value

A comprehensive literature review revealed that although such studies have been carried out elsewhere in the world, there is nothing specific to the Indian scenario. This study aims to plug that information gap.

Details

Library Management, vol. 42 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 March 2022

Fredrick Otike, Asmaa Bouaamri and Ágnes Hajdu Barát

This research study investigated the perception of the international students on the role of the university libraries in Hungary during the COVID-19 online learning period, the…

Abstract

Purpose

This research study investigated the perception of the international students on the role of the university libraries in Hungary during the COVID-19 online learning period, the research study sought to establish the level of fulfillment the university libraries had on international students’ information needs. This study was necessitated by the fact that most of the international students came from different backgrounds and cultures.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a quantitative research approach; the study used the online survey tool Google Forms, data were collected from three universities in Hungary that hosts most international students, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest University of Technology, and Economics (BME) and Budapest Business School Faculty of Finance and Accountancy (BGE). The targeted sampling population was 60 international students comprising 30 postgraduate and 30 undergraduate international students; a simple stratified random sampling method was used to collect the data. The findings were analyzed using the descriptive statistics method.

Findings

The study established that most international students never relied on their university library electronic resources, when accessing electronic resources they mainly accessed using Google search engine, this feedback can be associated with the fact that most students never attended library orientation and neither did they have information literacy training during the lockdown. Students experienced the following challenges, lack of adequate study literature, the language barrier in accessing some information, digital information illiteracy, etc. The recommendation of this study is that there is a need to offer frequent literacy studies, provide more digital resources and enhance more and easy accessibility of information resources.

Research limitations/implications

The research was confined to strictly using online survey tools due to the fact that students were isolated everywhere in Budapest, and the COVID-19 guidelines of 1.5-meter rule and social distance were still in force during the time these data were collected.

Originality/value

The study brings new limelight on the struggles international students in Hungary endured during the COVID-19 lockdown, and their perception of the role of university libraries, it equally establishes significant roles of the universities library in supporting international students.

Details

Library Management, vol. 43 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2023

Chia-Chang Huang, Ching-Jung Chung, Yi-Ting Wu, Po-Ting Hsu, Jen-Feng Liang, Ying-Ying Yang and Jie Chi Yang

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a digital medical library, including department-based electronic journal access, library training course participation and scholarly…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a digital medical library, including department-based electronic journal access, library training course participation and scholarly publications.

Design/methodology/approach

The data on full-text electronic journal access, participants of library training courses and scholarly publications were exported from a digital medical library database during 2017–2021. In addition, electronic journal access and library training courses were divided into high-level and low-level groups, while scholarly publications were divided into physician and non-physician groups.

Findings

The scholarly publications had a positive correlation to library training courses and electronic journal access. Furthermore, scholarly publications showed a significant difference between the high-level and low-level electronic journal access groups but not between the high-level and low-level library training course groups. Scholarly publications and electronic journal access had positive correlations for both the physician and non-physician groups. Scholarly publications and library training courses, and electronic journal access and library training courses had positive correlations only in the non-physician group.

Practical implications

The importance of electronic journal access for scholarly publications is suggested based on the findings of the present study. The training courses held by the medical library had a positive effect on scholarly publications for the non-physician group.

Originality/value

The current study provides insights relevant to the electronic journal access of library-supported scholarly publications among medical departments. These results can serve as a reference for medical library development planning and decision-making in the future.

Details

The Electronic Library , vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 July 2020

Seyyed Habibollah Mirghafoori, Hossein Sayyadi Tooranloo and Sepideh Saghafi

In this way, the aim of this study is to expand and evelop the application of this technique in FMEA to rank failure modes of ESQ of academic libraries in an intuitionistic fuzzy…

Abstract

Purpose

In this way, the aim of this study is to expand and evelop the application of this technique in FMEA to rank failure modes of ESQ of academic libraries in an intuitionistic fuzzy environment. Assessment of electronic service quality (ESQ) of libraries is significantly important according to their major roles. It should be noted that the ESQ has a significant impact on customer satisfaction, which improves organizational performance. Accordingly, low ESQ means waste of organizational resources and poor user satisfaction. So, there is a dire need to reflect reasons inducing failure modes in academic library ESQ. Thus, investigation of failure modes affecting academic library ESQ is highly important. One solution in this area is utilization of the intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) as one of the widely used methods for prediction and identification of failure modes.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study in terms of objective is applied and in terms of the type of method is descriptive-analytical. The research sample included four experts of Yazd academic Libraries (Iran). To collect data, three types of questionnaires were distributed among experts. The purpose of the first questionnaire was to identify and reach an agreement on e-library failure modes. Type II questionnaire was used to determine the importance of identified risk factors and Type III questionnaire was used to prioritize the factors.

Findings

Results indicate that the difficulty of using websites, lack of provided information feedback to users and lack of links on the website to users' are the main priorities for improving ESQ in the studied academic libraries.

Originality/value

In this approach, the Intuitionistic fuzzy Elimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution method were used to rank failure modes in academic library ESQ within the FMEA framework.]

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