Obstacles Confronting Postgraduate and Undergraduate Students in Utilizing and Accessing Academic Library Resources: A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 74-81
Author(s):  
Boniswa Ngcongolo ◽  
Akeem Adewale Oyelana
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Library Resources

scholarly journals Testing an Academic Library Website for Usability with Faculty and Graduate Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Z. Emde ◽  
Sara E. Morris ◽  
Monica Claassen-Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Front Page ◽  
Federated Search ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Search Tool ◽  
The University ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
New Discovery

Objectives - This usability study was developed to observe faculty and graduate students’ reactions to a recent redesign of the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ website. The redesign included new navigational features, introduction of a federated search tool, a quick search box on the front page, and research subject pages. The study also provided the opportunity to observe the practices of faculty and graduate students in locating and retrieving information on the Libraries’ website. Methods - Ten participants (five faculty and five graduate students) representing diverse disciplines were solicited for the study. Participants were required to access the Libraries’ website to answer a series of questions regarding new and updated features of the website. Observational analysis using Morae™ software was conducted and interviews with each participant provided details of their opinions on how these new features would influence their research and teaching activities. Results - Most of the participants either did not notice or ignored the major website changes. Links to and locations of commonly used resources (e.g. catalogue; databases; e-journals) had been changed minimally, and the faculty and graduate student participants gravitated to those familiar features to complete tasks. Prior to the study, participants had not accessed the new discovery tools; however, once previewed, responses to the tools’ utility were generally favourable. After using the federated search tool on a familiar topic, several participants noted that, when directed to databases they had not previously considered, they were able to locate citations they had missed in the past. Observers noted pitfalls in navigating the site such as inconsistent underscoring of links, ambiguous terminology, and unclear icons meant to expand subject heading lists. Unexpected searching behaviours were observed, including inconsistent and lack of conceptual understanding in searching for e-journal content. Conclusions - This study provides evidence regarding the usability of a library website with a population already familiar with library resources. It demonstrated that faculty and graduate students are not interested in experimenting with new discovery tools but are amenable to their potential value to undergraduate students. The recent trend toward minimizing content and links on websites satisfies this population, one which is already comfortable with the basic attributes of a library’s website.

Availability and Accessibility of Information Resources in an Academic Library: Pathway to Sustainable Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 8-11
Author(s):  
Kolawole L. Folasade
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Research Assistant ◽  
Power Failure ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This study was carried out to determine how availability and accessibility could bring about sustainable development in perceived academic performance of polytechnics’ students using Ibadan Polytechnic as a case study. Survey design was used with structured questionnaire and observation as instruments for data collection. The questionnaire was administered with the aid of a research assistant. From the findings, it was revealed that textbooks and dictionaries were readily available in the library while electronic books and journals were not accessible. The study also revealed lack of enough electronic resources, lack of enough computers to access Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and power failure as some of the challenges to availability and accessibility of library resources. Some recommendations were made based on the findings.

scholarly journals No textbook cost general education pathway: an effort to increase retention at Central Washington University

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-522
Author(s):  
Maura Valentino ◽  
Geri Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Education Curriculum ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Education Curriculum ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
General Education Requirements ◽  
Washington University

Purpose This study aims to describe a project that aims to give students a choice to complete their general education requirements without purchasing a textbook. Design/methodology/approach In total, 26 faculty, teaching in the new general education curriculum, at Central Washington University were given stipends to eliminate expensive textbooks and use free to the student resources such as open educational resources (OER) or library resources. The data was collected on student savings and student and faculty satisfaction with the program. Findings Many paths were created through the general education curriculum, so a student may easily finish these requirements without purchasing a textbook. The data from this case study coincide with the literature on the subject. Faculty found it fairly easy to replace their required textbooks with pedagogically sound, free resources. Students were relieved to have some financial relief and found the resources to be good. The student’s biggest complaint was that faculty often use very small portions of expensive required textbooks. Research limitations/implications This is a case study and the results are limited as such. This is one university and one general education curriculum. Also, if an academic library wants to replicate this case study, some funding is required. Practical implications Students struggle financially and alleviating the costs of textbooks is one-way librarians can ease that burden. Social implications Students struggle financially and alleviating the costs of textbooks is one-way librarians can ease that burden. Originality/value There have been some case studies written about OER, where 8 or 10 courses are replaced. There are studies written about zero-textbook-cost degrees at community colleges, but this case study explores a textbook-cost-free general education program at a state university.

scholarly journals Mobile Applications in Academic Libraries

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Jamie Saragossi ◽  
Laura Costello ◽  
Kathleen Kasten
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities presented by mobile applications in the context of an academic library collection. This emerging format raises important questions about selection, acquisition, access, instruction, outreach, and evaluation as these practices have been applied to traditional resources. A more nuanced understanding of the content and format of mobile applications informs a collection development strategy for discovering, acquiring, and maintaining these resources. The development of an outreach program that includes liaison activity, instruction, and research consultations is also explored as a way to drive users to these new resources. Using Stony Brook University Libraries as a case study, this paper discusses the potential of mobile applications as academic library resources plus practical ways to promote usage and enhance academic engagement.

scholarly journals Proposing of a model for introducing environmental psychology Indexes in the design of bookless academic library in Iran with a case study approach

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezou Aghaei Kutanaei 1* ◽  
Ghasem Omidvar 2
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Psychology ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
T Test ◽  
Internal Space ◽  
Statistical Population ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Space Design ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Art And Architecture

Today, it is necessary to use bookless libraries due to the increasing addition of new scientific articles and documents to previous sources and other related problems. This study aimed to propose a model for introducing the environmental psychology indices of the bookless library for Art and Architecture faculties by studying a case study at the Faculties of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Azad University, Tehran South Branch. This research, based on its nature, subject and objectives, used quantitative method. Statistical population of the study was the students studying at abovementioned faculties. Stratified random sampling method was employed to select the participants. The study was carried out in eight steps. In the first step, library resources such as books and reputable scientific articles were used for collecting the basic data. In the second step, reputable articles were used to find scientific design indices. In the third step, some indices were selected from the obtained indices for the design, and a questionnaire was prepared based on them. In the fourth step, the opinion of the supervisor was used for assessing the validity of the questionnaire, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used for measuring the reliability of the questionnaire. In the fifth step, questionnaires were distributed among the students and their agreement to each index in the design was questioned. In the sixth step, the data obtained from the questionnaires was divided into three groups of variables: environmental psychology, internal architecture and digital equipment and furniture, then the data was analyzed by SPSS. The seventh step dealt with the hypotheses. Kolmogorov Smirnov Est, one-sample t-test, independent t-test and one-way variance analysis was used to test the hypotheses. In the final step, the results were obtained to prioritize the indices of internal space design. The results showed that indices with a mean more than 4 were mentioned as core indices, and indices with a score of more than 3.5 were considered as important indices. Finally, it can be concluded that the mentioned indexes will provide a desirable environment for designing a bookless library.

Leveraging student expertise for niche services

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-306
Author(s):  
Tara Radniecki ◽  
Mitch Winterman
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Employee Satisfaction ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Employees

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate using student employees with expertise in niche areas to provide library services outside the traditional scope of full-time library employees. It examines a case study where an academic library employed undergraduate students to assist users in makerspace-related work and, more recently, graduate students to assist users in data analysis. This paper will determine whether such students can provide satisfactory service to users. Design/methodology/approach This paper includes a background of the services, including hiring, training and assessment. The methodology for assessment includes analyzing user-created booking data, student employee consultation data and user feedback surveys to determine user and student employee satisfaction with the services. Findings The findings report high usage numbers and overall high user and student employee satisfaction with the two services, suggesting that student employees can be used effectively in such a way. Originality/value Although libraries often use student employees for lower-level library tasks, these results suggest libraries with limited resources and full-time staff should consider using student employees to provide specialized consultations, especially pertaining to software and other technologies.

Marketing of academic library resources and services

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raysh Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Market Segmentation ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Marketing Mix ◽  
Societal Impact ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Web Marketing ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Physical Features

Marketing is important for any organization that provides services to consumers. Marketing allows an organization to inform, remind, or persuade the consumer by sharing information about goods or services, community involvement, or societal impact. Simply stated, these efforts encompass anything libraries do to let the community know who they are, what they do, and what they offer. The goal of marketing is to keep the product in the minds of the customer: in the case of libraries it is to keep the customer aware of the library, to provide them with knowledge about the library’s physical features, resources, services, programs, and events, and to let them know about the benefits libraries offer. Marketing benefit the library by increasing usage, educating users, and increasing or at least maintaining a positive perception of the library.This paper discusses about functions ,elements, different strategies of marketing, marketing mix,market segmentation and web marketing in detail.

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