An assessment of the usability of the University of the West Indies (Mona, Jamaica) Main Library’s website

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian St. Patrick Duncan ◽  
Fay Durrant
Keyword(s):  
User Satisfaction ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Web Site ◽  
International Standards ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Master Of Arts ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide an assessment of the usability of the University of the West Indies, Mona, Main Library’s Web site by Master of Arts students of the Department of Library and Information Studies (D.L.I.S.) for the identification of major strengths and weaknesses of the site and to incorporate the results and participant feedback into a redesign that reflects users’ intuitions rather than those of the site developers and library staff. Design/methodology/approach – One method was used to collect data; Observation. Its instruments included a list of activities executed by students followed by a checklist, which reflected day-to-day usage of the Main Library’s Web site by Master of Arts students in the D.L.I.S. In addition, both usability heuristics and International Standards Organisation (ISO) guidelines were used to assess effectiveness, learnability, usefulness, functionality, navigability and user satisfaction. Respondent strategies used a sample size of five participants in the focus group sessions. Experimental strategies combined observation of five individual participants who performed the usability tests. Findings – The findings identified challenges in the site’s navigation, user satisfaction and learnability. Research limitations/implications – There can be further assessment, as this study did not speak specifically to students with disabilities or took into consideration the views of the librarians. Additionally, more ethnographic approaches are required to elicit distinctive Caribbean user behaviors. Practical implications – The study concludes that usability training should be incorporated into the culture of the library organization as well as more usability testing needs to be done on a more regular basis and on a more student interactive basis. Originality/value – The paper presents issues of usability and the impact of technology on information access, memorability, learnability and functionality of an academic library’s Web site.

A library at the touch of a finger-tip: an analysis of mobile library services at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian St. Patrick Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
West Indies ◽  
The State ◽  
Library Services ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the state of mobile library services available for students’ information needs at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. In addition, this study will determine the extent to which mobile services has helped the Mona libraries to have greater reach to students. Design/methodology/approach Surveys and content analysis were used to collect data. A comparative content analysis was used to highlight the strides made in mobile library services in universities across the world vis-à-vis the current reality in the Caribbean, specifically Jamaica. Findings The findings identified that there is a proliferation of mobile and internet users among university and college students and they are heavily using their devices for the furtherance of their educational attainment. Additionally, the findings indicated that libraries in the academic realm can benefit greatly from allowing their content to be accessible through these mobile devices, as it would also help with greater usage. Furthermore, this service is guaranteed greater support the distance programmes offered by these universities. Research limitations/implications This study will focus on assessing the state of mobile library services offered at the University of the West Indies, Mona Jamaica. This study will also determine the extent to which mobile services can help libraries to have greater reach to students and provide best practices for academic libraries implementing mobile service offerings to clients. This study will not attest to the financial feasibility of academic institutions to start such a programme. Practical implications The research excavated that the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, along with other academic libraries in the Caribbean are all not fully offering mobile library services to all their users. In addition, with the rise of technology and the proliferation of cell phones and other mobile devices, students (distance and onsite) expect a service that allows them greater access to the offerings of the university and their libraries. Originality/value This is the premier investigation of its kind into how the University of the West Indies Mona Campus has responded to the mobile library environment. The value of this research is in helping academic and university libraries in the Jamaica to identify the importance of leveraging the benefits of the dynamic technological era, allowing greater and wider reach through mobile library services proliferation and access to services. In addition, this study showed that academic libraries need to enhance services in a bid to provide greater support the teaching component of the university or college they serve.

scholarly journals The Effect of Protein Supplementation and Nutrition Counselling on Protein Catabolic Rates Among Persons with End-Stage Renal Disease on Maintenance Haemodialysis (P12-035-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Prout ◽  
Selby Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Protein Supplementation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The West ◽  
Maintenance Haemodialysis ◽  
Biochemical Variables ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives To compare the impact of protein supplementation versus nutrition education/counselling on protein intakes (indexed by normalized protein catabolic rates (nPCR)) among persons on maintenance haemodialysis. Methods An intervention study design was employed in this investigation. Participating dialysis centers were randomly selected and persons attending those centers were invited to participate in the study. Participants had anthropometry and biochemical variables recorded at baseline and on two occasion 1 month apart during each of the interventions. Persons in the intervention group (IVG) received a supplement containing 36 grams of whey protein daily for 6 weeks in. Following a 2-week washout period, they received personalized weekly nutrition education/counselling for an additional 6 weeks. The control group (NIVG) did not receive any supplementation or nutrition education/counselling. Both groups received received the routine facility care. Participation was voluntary. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee, The University of The West Indies. Results Sixty-eight persons (IVG = 32; NIVG = 36) participated in the study. There was no significant difference in the mean nPCR between IVG and NIVG at baseline (0.84 ± 0.17 vs. 0.84 ± 0.17 mg/kg; P = 0.76). IVG had significantly higher mean nPCR than NIVG during protein supplementation (0.95 ± 0.21 vs. 0.78 ± 0.15 mg/kg; P < 0.001) and nutritional education/counselling (0.87 ± 0.17 vs. 0.79 ± 0.18 mg/kg; P = 0.02 phases of the study. Among IVG, protein supplementation (+Δ 12.8 ± 3.0 mg/kg (±S.E.) but not nutrition education/counselling (+Δ 2.8 ± 2.7 mg/kg; P = 0.32) resulted in a significant increase in mean nPCR compared to baseline.with no significant changes in biochemical variables. Conclusions Among participants nPCR increased significantly with protein supplementation but not nutrition education/counselling without adversely affecting biochemical variables. Funding Sources Grant and Publication Fund, The University of The West Indies.

scholarly journals The legacy of George L. Beckford’s plantation economy thesis in Jamaica

1995 ◽  
Vol 69 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Besson
Keyword(s):  
Land Reform ◽  
West Indies ◽  
World Economy ◽  
The West ◽  
Late Professor ◽  
Plantation Economy ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Persistent Poverty ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

[First paragraph]Plantation Economy, Land Reform and the Peasantry in a Historical Perspective: Jamaica 1838-1980. CLAUS STOLBERG & SWITHIN WILMOT(eds.)- Kingston: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 1992. 145 pp. (Paper n.p.)This interdisciplinary collection focuses on the integration of Jamaica's classical plantation economy with the world economy, and the impact of the plantation economy on the peasantry, land reform, and agrarian modemization in Jamaica from emancipation in 1838 up to 1980. The eight papers comprising the volume were, as a one-page editorial "Introduction" outlines, presented at a symposium at the University of the West Indies, Mona, and are dedicated to the late Professor George Beckford whose work on persistent poverty in plantation economies championed the Jamaican peasantry. As such, the book is a welcome addition to the literature on the Caribbean plantation-peasant interface. However, the chapters are uneven in quality, with some reflecting analytical weaknesses and a lack of historical depth. Typographical errors, grammatical mistakes, and poor documentation are also noticeable. In addition, contrasting perspectives emerge among the contributors and this is not addressed by the editors.

Students’ choice and evaluation of information sources at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus

2016 ◽  
Vol 117 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 279-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Kean ◽  
Godfrey Walker ◽  
Maureen Kerr-Campbell ◽  
Faith Mckoy-Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Original Research ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
The University

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the kinds of resources used by students at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus, to start their research and to find out their perception of the quality of the resources they use. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was distributed manually to undergraduates, and the responses were collated and analysed using Excel software. Findings – The findings revealed that Google was the resource most likely to be used by respondents to start their research, and the resource least used was the librarian (ask a librarian). Originality/value – This represents original research for the Mona Campus. It is important in helping the library to understand an aspect of the research habits and preferences of the undergraduate community it serves and will help the library in further decision-making, as it seeks to build awareness among the undergraduate population, of the library resources available to them.

Map cataloguing training at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 340-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yacoob Hosein ◽  
Portia Bowen-Chang
Keyword(s):  
Team Teaching ◽  
West Indies ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Structured Approach ◽  
Collaborative Efforts ◽  
Teaching Setting

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a study of a structured approach at map cataloguing training by a team of cataloguers at the Alma Jordan Library of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a case study which underscores the value of the experiences of cataloguers at training themselves in a particular cartographic format. Findings – The collaborative efforts of the cataloguers facilitated the further development of institutional expertise and provided the required skills set for increasing bibliographic access in a specialised format. Originality/value – The paper brings to bear the uniqueness of the cataloguing of Caribbean cartographic materials in a team-teaching setting which serves as a model for other academic libraries and information centres.

Training cataloguing professionals at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine: part 2

2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 748-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yacoob Hosein ◽  
Portia Bowen‐Chang
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Effectiveness Of Training ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of cataloguing training for professionals at the St Augustine Campus Libraries of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, with emphasis on the cataloguing of special formats and the overall importance of continuing education.Design/methodology/approachThe research methodology is based on a questionnaire which involved the use of a rolling survey for the periods 2005‐2007 and 2007‐2010, and utilized a five‐point Likert scale.FindingsThe findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of cataloguing training in the quest for professional development amongst librarians and also serve to highlight the need for greater collaboration between libraries, library schools and library associations.Practical implicationsThe paper considers effectiveness of training in cataloguing and thus of the skills adopted in practice.Originality/valueThe study brings to the fore the importance of structured training for cataloguing professionals over a five‐year period. It also provides further insights into bridging the gap between entry level and working cataloguers in a developing country.

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