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 Working together: library value at the University of Nottingham

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Creaser ◽  
Susanne Cullen ◽  
Ruth Curtis ◽  
Nicola Darlington ◽  
Jane Maltby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Research Staff ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Together ◽  
The University ◽  
Library Value

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring together the findings of two studies investigating the value of academic libraries to teaching and research staff in higher education institutions. The Working Together (WT) project was an international study, funded by SAGE Publishing, investigating the value of academic libraries for teaching and research staff in the USA, UK and Scandinavia. The Raising Academic Impact (RAI) project was an initiative of the University of Nottingham (UoN) aimed at increasing the impact of academic librarians in departments across the university by assessing perception and awareness of current library services and future needs of academic staff. Design/methodology/approach – The WT project was conducted during Spring 2012, comprising a series of eight case studies and an online survey exploring the case study experiences and findings within their wider regional and academic context. One was conducted at the UoN, and included the RAI project. The RAI project was originally a four-phase initiative conducted by academic librarians at the UoN. The first phase, which is reported in this paper, consisted of a survey of teaching and research staff, distributed in summer 2012, investigating awareness, uptake and value of existing services, as well as demand for new library services. Findings – Determining the value of academic libraries is a challenging task as very little evidence (beyond the anecdotal) is collected. Perceptions of library value vary greatly between what librarians think the value of their library is to academic staff and how academic staff actually value their library. Information literacy and study skills teaching are greatly valued by academic staff. Despite current efforts, research support is still limited, owing to a cultural barrier hampering greater collaboration between libraries and academic staff in this area. Communication and marketing are keys to increase the value of academic libraries to teaching and research staff. Originality/value – This paper presents the key findings from the two studies in parallel. It is anticipated that these discoveries will be of interest to the wider library community to help libraries develop services which are closely linked to the needs of teaching and academic staff.

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.

scholarly journals The mobile future of university libraries and an analysis of the Turkish case

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 120-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gulcin Kubat
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Library Services ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Library ◽  
The Future ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this study is to search for any evidence for university libraries that are accessible by mobile technology in Turkey as relevant models of the future; having regard to the fact that smartphones will very soon become the standard means by which the internet is accessed, and the rates of connection from mobile devices will supersede those which are computer-based. Design/methodology/approach In the study, both domestic and foreign literature surveys were undertaken to determine which mobile library services are offered in university libraries. Thirty random central libraries of both private and state universities were selected from across the seven regions of Turkey. To gather data, a 26-question electronic survey was generated and e-mailed to the library managers. The questions were based on findings regarding the mobile library services provided by university libraries around the world. Findings By examining the survey results, it was determined that Turkish university libraries utilise a comparable level of mobile technology and demonstrate a similar level of care with regard to the services they offer. There are mobile sites (separate sites or mobile sites as applications), mobile library catalogues, short messaging services, chat rooms, consultations via instant messaging tools, mobile device-lending services, and augmented reality and QR code applications. Research limitations/implications In Turkey, the structures of university libraries operate under variable conditions because of the lack of established standards. This causes negative results for the delivery of library services. For this reason, university library standards should be set practicable as soonas reasonable, considering the social/economic and cultural structure of the country. Practical implications Owing to the transformative effect technology and the internet have had on services information and communication technologies, infrastructure has been added as a sixth element to the five traditional library items, namely, building budget personnel collection and users. Globalisation through the web has resulted in the individualisation of services and the slogan content is king has been changed to the customer experience is king. Fundamental library services are being adapted to allow mobile technology access, and this approach best reflects the new slogan. Therefore, the university library of the future may well be the one entirely based on mobile technology. Social implications Mobile devices lead to new forms of engagement with student learning; so academic libraries are expected to be strong partners in the teaching and learning processes of their institution. Originality/value The hypothesis of this study is that a university library accessible by mobile technology will be the model of the future, and its purpose is to search for any evidence for which the university libraries in Turkey are prepared to meet this challenge. This study is also meaningful because there have not been any study of Turkish university libraries in terms of mobile library services to users. This paper is the first time that a comprehensive study has been made of current mobile technology-based services, and is also the first comparison of the applications in Turkish university libraries. Additionally, paper synthesises developments and provides suggestions for the future.

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.

Home grown: the development and structure of urological training in the Caribbean

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-172
Author(s):  
Satyendra Persaud ◽  
Lawson Douglas ◽  
William Aiken ◽  
Belinda Morrison ◽  
Lester Goetz
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Training ◽  
General Surgery ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
The West ◽  
Training Plan ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Urological Training ◽  
The University

Training in general surgery at the University of the West Indies commenced in Jamaica in 1972 and urology training followed just over a decade later. Since then, the ‘Doctor of Medicine’ diploma offered by the university has also expanded to include the Trinidadian campus. Most urologists in the English-speaking Caribbean are, in fact, graduates of this programme. Residents follow a two-part training plan and two years of core surgical training are followed by four years of urology training. Despite the tremendous regional impact of this training programme, there is a lack of awareness of its existence among the wider urology community. This article reviews the history, development and structure of urology training in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Caribbean Literary Historiography and the Jamaican Literary 1950s

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-180
Author(s):  
Ronald Cummings
Keyword(s):  
West Indies ◽  
English Department ◽  
The West ◽  
Literary Historiography ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Literary Archive ◽  
And Function ◽  
The University ◽  
Role And Function ◽  
Key Questions

This essay utilizes an alternative politics of directionality as a way of reentering the mid-twentieth-century Caribbean literary archive. Rather than focusing on Windrush as the main orienting point, this discussion examines and regrounds what events and institutions in Jamaica might tell us about the literary 1950s. Beginning by rethinking the historiographical gaze toward London, the author then raises key questions about what the narrative of the founding of the English department at the University College of the West Indies and the work of Focus magazine in Jamaica might tell us about the development of literary culture in the Caribbean. The author ends by thinking about how a focus on returns might also help us to rethink the decade. The essay examines instances of migrant returns, through which people recrossed the waters, and explores literary remittances that saw the role and function of the London scene being debated and contested within the region.

Managing research data at an academic library in a developing country

IFLA Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamin Renwick ◽  
Marsha Winter ◽  
Michelle Gill
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
The West ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The University

Managing research data has become an issue for many universities. In the Caribbean, the St Augustine Campus Libraries at the University of the West Indies are keenly aware of the need to support researchers in this regard. The objectives of this study were to identify current practices in managing research data on the campus and to determine a possible role for the Campus Libraries. A pilot study of 100 researchers on the campus was conducted. Analysis of the 65 valid responses revealed that while researchers owned data sets they had little knowledge or experience in managing such. This low level of awareness is instructive and validates a role for the Campus Libraries to play in supporting researchers on campus. The Campus Libraries need to sensitize researchers about what data planning and managing research data entail as well as provide technical assistance with actual data storage.

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.

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