Factors affecting users' intention to use mobile health services of public libraries

Mobile health services are a new direction for public libraries development. However, it is unclear which factors affect users' intention to use the mobile health services of public libraries (MHSPL). Integrating the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology theory along with trust and privacy concerns. This study proposes a conceptual model to investigate factors that affect users' intention to use MHSPL. The conceptual model is empirically examined, and the hypotheses are tested using a survey sample (N = 415). The findings indicate that users' intention to use MHSPL is directly influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and trust. Trust also mediated users' intention to use MHSPL, leading to an indirect effect of social influence and privacy concerns. Additionally, people with different experiences using MHSPL have significant differences in their intention to use MHSPL. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of users' behavior of MHSPL and can help facilitate and improve health services provided by public libraries.     

Searching and Browsing the Dewey Decimal Classification in an Online Catalog

In the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Online Project, subject searching and browsing of DDC Schedules and Relative Index were featured in an experimental online catalog. The effectiveness of this DDC in an online catalog was tested in online retrieval experiments at four participating libraries. These experiments provided data for analyses of subject searchers' use of a library classification in the information retrieval environment of an online catalog. Recommendations were provided for the enhancement of bibliographic records, online catalogs, and online cataloging systems with a library classification. In this paper, subject searchers' use of the subject outline search capability of the experimental online catalog is described. This capability was unique to the experimental online catalog and all other online catalogs, because it referred searchers to online displays of the classification schedules based on their entry of subject terms. Failure analyses of subject outline searches demonstrated its specific strengths and weaknesses. Users' postsearch interview comments highlighted their experiences and their satisfaction with this search. Based on the failure analyses and users' interview comments, recommendations are provided for the improvement of the subject outline search in online catalogs.     

Romanization in Cataloging of Korean Materials

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes cataloging rules for Korean materials focusing on the McCune-Reischauer (MR)¹ system, the Korean romanization scheme currently used in the United States. This system has been used for a long time in many Western countries, and was officially adopted by the Library of Congress (LC) for use in the cataloging of Korean language materials. Considering users' information-seeking behavior and searching abilities, however, the MR system has many drawbacks for increasing users' ability to retrieve information. This paper analyzes bibliographic records in academic libraries, the LC, and the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) to identify the issues and problems of the MR system. A user survey conducted demonstrates that the MR system is not a user-customized tool based on users' searching ability. Several solutions are suggested to overcome the limitations of the MR system.     

An evaluation of book availability in Taiwan university libraries: A resource sharing perspective

This study is intended to answer the following questions: Have university libraries in Taiwan acquired books recommended by selection aids? Can university library collections in Taiwan sufficiently fill users' requests? Do libraries of different collection sizes process users' requests in an unbiased and efficient manner?This study employed interviews and document delivery tests. Librarians from 15 university libraries were interviewed to investigate their thoughts on ILL services. Samples from Choice and Bowker's Global Books in Print were searched for through the online catalogs of 148 university libraries. This study concludes that resource sharing will not operate in an equitable way if most user requests are only directed towards a small percentage of Taiwan's university libraries. Without an adequate quantity of volumes in the library collections of any region or country, resource sharing cannot be realized.     

An Information Access Model at a Distant Branch Library

Abstract

Academic branch libraries located at a distance from the parent institution often face unique challenges in meeting users' needs for scholarly information. This is especially true for distant branch libraries that do not have a specialized function or collection, but who often face the challenge of meeting users' needs for scholarly materials across a wide array of academic disciplines. This paper discusses the definition of academic branch libraries and the information access plan developed for the Regents Center Library at the University of Kansas Edwards Campus, located some 40 miles from the main parent institution, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. In addition, a discussion of the mission, academic programs, and special user characteristics of the Edwards Campus that impacted the development of the information access plan is included. Finally, the factors that affected and will continue to affect the plan, along with methods for managing the implementation of the plan, are provided.     

Proving Value and Improving Practice: Using System Data to Analyze User Behaviors

Today's library systems collect and supply a wealth of transaction data. The unobtrusive data collected by these systems can help us understand our users' search and information-retrieval behaviors. Analyzing user behaviors challenges or reinforces our practices, and the changes we make should not be simply consumer preferences but based upon the analysis of usage patterns and search behavior. Institutions of any size can use a cyclical grounded theory model to look at the unobtrusive data that is available from systems such as WorldCat Local, Google Analytics, and others to reveal our users' information-seeking behaviors.

The author's model shows how system-generated data can be a part of an assessment strategy for ongoing improvement that can be implemented by small academic libraries. By articulating inputs consisting of goals, users, and performance indicators, and by utilizing a grounded-theory approach, libraries can observe behaviors that can inform, as well as reveal, outputs.     

Recent developments in American medical libraries and at the Institute for Scientific Information*

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Evaluation of digital libraries: Criteria and problems from users' perspectives

Digital library research has developed over the past decade, but little has been done on the identification of evaluation criteria, especially from users' perspectives. This article identifies users' criteria and applies them to the evaluation of existing digital libraries. Forty-eight subjects were instructed to develop and justify a set of essential criteria for the evaluation of digital libraries. At the same time, they were requested to evaluate existing digital libraries by applying the criteria that they were developing. A compilation of criteria developed by participants show that usability and collection quality were the most important criteria for evaluating digital libraries. Service quality, system performance efficiency, and user opinion solicitation were also deemed essential criteria. The author further compares digital library evaluation criteria identified by users and researchers and applied in previous research. The article reveals problems in current digital library design and development, discusses suggestions for improving digital library design, and presents areas for further research.     

Comparison between user affinity with digital libraries and virtual communities

There is ongoing discussion about the value and reliability of information produced by experts and organized by digital libraries in universities versus information produced by the crowd in virtual communities. This study compares users' perceptions of digital libraries and virtual communities in terms of affinity. In this study, affinity with digital libraries or virtual communities is defined as the degree of importance that users place on digital libraries or virtual communities. Data collected from 334 users of digital libraries and virtual communities were used for data analysis. The statistical method of 'compare means' is employed. We find the mean of affinity with digital libraries is significantly larger than that of virtual communities, suggesting users are likely to perceive higher levels of affinity with digital libraries than with virtual communities. More analysis oriented to different groups is also conducted. The findings and their implications are discussed.     

Library Space Assessment: User Learning Behaviors in the Library

As an essential department at a higher education institution and an informal learning space, little is known about how academic libraries contribute to student learning on campus. The Olin Library sought to learn the role of library space in our users' learning. We surveyed users about their learning behaviors in a specific space prior to a scheduled renovation and then in the same space after. We wanted to determine how the renovation changed users' perceptions of their learning behaviors in that space.     

Encouraging Better Graphic Design in Libraries: a Creative Commons Crowdsourcing Approach

A dearth of published literature about graphic design in libraries reveals that little attention has been focused on librarians' visual communication abilities and the impact of print and Web publications on users' interaction with library services and collections. This case study examines one approach to improving the quality of graphic design in libraries. Through a combination of social media and accessible cloud-based storage, Librarian Design Share, a crowdsourced archive of library-related visual materials, highlights exemplars of visual communication in libraries and makes designs freely available for adaptation under a creative commons license.     

Making the digital turn: Identifying the user requirements of digital scholarship services in university libraries

This paper reports on a research study aiming to identify the user requirements of digital scholarship services (DSS) in university libraries. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, a case study approach was adopted as the overarching methodology. Wuhan University Library (one of the top university libraries in China) was adopted as the case study. Specifically, a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach was employed for the case analysis. A qualitative study was performed aiming to identify and qualify users' DSS requirements. The analysis of qualitative interview data pointed to 17 DSS requirements under five themes: formulating research ideas, locating research partners, writing research proposals, conducting research, and publishing results. Subsequently, a quantitative Kano model analysis was undertaken to validate, verify and prioritise the DSS requirements identified. Based on measuring individual requirements' priority, DSS requirements were classified into four types: must-be, one-dimensional, attractive, and indifference. Finally, a set of strategic suggestions for DSS development were devised. This paper is of interests to library and information science researchers, as well as library managers and professionals. Although the data were collected from a university library in China, the research findings provide useful insights and implications that can be shared across international borders.     

Social media as a platform in academic library marketing: A comparative study

Social media like Facebook have become popular tools for different organizations like libraries in marketing practice. To build relationships with library users, libraries hope social media can engage its user communities actively with their collections, services, and activities. This paper aims at evaluating the effectiveness of using social media as a platform in marketing through a questionnaire on the Facebook page of the University of Hong Kong Libraries (HKUL), comparing the perspectives of students and faculty members. Both the current situation of HKUL's Facebook page and the reasons affecting users' interest and participation in the page are evaluated, in order to suggest better strategies for the library to deal with the needs of library users in the future. Other university libraries can also gain new insights from the study.This research has the following key findings: 1. The marketing practices of HKUL's Facebook page generally did not receive adequate attention and reactions from users; 2. Students were more engaged than faculty members in HKUL's Facebook page, as students use more varieties of library services than faculty members; 3. User needs, social media content, and interactions generally affected user acceptance of the library's Facebook marketing.     

Determining the Effectiveness of Digital Reference Services in Malaysian Academic Libraries

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of digital reference services in academic libraries in Malaysia. It focuses on the awareness, usage, users' perception, library's performance, perceived needs, issues, and problems faced by students. The research methodology employed was a case study approach that combined three data collection methods: questionnaires, interviews, and content analysis.     

Technology and customer expectation in academic libraries: A special reference to technical/management libraries in Karnataka

Technology has transformed the way people live. Current day information seekers are empowered with multiple choices of information sources and libraries no longer remain the primary centre for information seekers. With diminishing time and geographical barriers the world has become a global village and information seekers are stressed with time constraints. It is the duty of library and information professionals to address these tech-savvy library users' needs and align their services to satisfy them.

Recently, the author of this paper conducted a research study on the “Impact of technology on quality of services in technical and management libraries in Karnataka” sponsored by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, New Delhi. The study was approved in 2005 and the final report was submitted to the government in 2007. This paper carries some of the results of this research study conducted by the author in Karnataka state in Southern India.     

Research-embedded librarians at a Saudi University: Assessment of actions,awareness, perceptions,and impact

This article examined the research-embedded program implemented in 15 libraries at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University campus using multiple quantitative and qualitative assessment instruments. The quantitative measures included reference statistics obtained by gathering research-embedded librarians' (RELs) actions, as well as a web-based survey, which was administered to determine users' use of and satisfaction with RELs and services. The qualitative measure involved asking respondents to complete individual REL evaluation forms. RELs spent approximately 18,240 h to perform 5383 transactions of different research support services. Over 61% of users reported being aware of their RELs, 81.6% of whom were satisfied with services provided. The majority of faculty agreed that RELs treated them with respect, were responsive, and provided information in a logical manner. The overall satisfaction with services was encouraging; low user awareness of the embedded services suggests the need for marketing the program. This study demonstrates the value of academic librarians to their institutions beyond traditional work.     

Electronic resources and services in Pakistani university libraries: A survey of users' satisfaction

This study is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic resources and services in Pakistani university libraries on the basis of users' satisfaction. A survey method was employed to conduct the research. Using convenience sampling, eight university libraries; four each from Islamabad and Lahore including two from the public sector and two from the private sector having IT applications, were included in the users survey. The total population (i.e., 40,236) of library users was very large; therefore, a reasonable, manageable and convenient sample of 800 library users, including 100 users each from the eight libraries was selected. A semi structured questionnaire was designed to collect data, while a five-point Likert Scale from 1 (Dissatisfied) to 5 (Extremely satisfied) was used to measure the satisfaction level of the respondent. The study concluded that Pakistani university libraries are offering effective electronic resources and services to their users.     

Understanding University Library Users' Mistreatment of Books

This paper analyses university library users' attitudes towards book vandalism in order to develop a basis for intervention. Using a customer oriented approach data was collected from users who attended an academic library exhibition on vandalized books at a University campus. Respondants were asked both for their reactions to the vandalism as well as to suggest measures to solve this problem. Punishment and surveillance were most frequently mentioned as preventative measures although users also recognized the utility of the exhibition in increasing awareness of book mutilation. Further implications of social marketing for libraries are also discussed.     

Book Circulation Per U.S. Public Library User Since 1856

ABSTRACT. Underappreciated data concerning libraries' holdings and circulation over the past century and a half offer insights into the behavior of libraries and their users. Book circulation per public library user indicates an outcome of users' demand for books and libraries' supply of books. From 1856 to 1978, library users borrowed from U.S. public libraries about 15 books per user per year. From 1978 to 2004, about 25% of book circulation shifted to audio‐visual circulation. Over about a century and a half, library book circulation per user shows no strong, long‐run trend either up or down. This outcome suggests that libraries have adapted to maintain the stability of their operation and that library borrowing practices are well‐embedded in popular life.