An Investigation into the Knowledge and Use of Electronic Library Resources in Jamaican Community Colleges

ABSTRACT

This study used a quantitative survey to investigate the knowledge and use of online databases and the library's online public access catalog by final-year business associate degree students in five selected Jamaican community colleges. The study sought to determine students’ knowledge of electronic library resources, their value for electronic and print resources, the purposes for which students use electronic library resources, the influences on student use of electronic library resources, and the effects of training and instruction. Results from the study indicated that students are increasingly using Internet search engines for research purposes rather than online databases. Results also indicated that electronic library resources such as the OPAC are being underutilized by community college students. It was evident that proper instructional guidance is needed and welcomed by students. The findings of the study are critical to the implementation of policies and procedures geared toward sensitizing school administrators, library professionals, and other stakeholders to the benefits of increasing students’ knowledge and use of electronic library resources. Data will aid administrators in strategic planning and investments pertaining to these resources, and provide recommendations to improve knowledge and use of these resources within libraries. The research illustrates the special needs of community college students in Jamaica, particularly relating to needed instructional programs, in an effort to impart knowledge and promote the use of electronic library resources in these colleges.     

The Citation of United Nations Information Resources in International Relations Literature

ABSTRACT

This study examines 17,138 citations in 358 journal articles published in the United States in the field of international relations (IR). The United Nations accounts for 282 (32.2%) of the 877 references to information resources of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and its publications were cited more than twice as often as those of both the European Union (EU) or World Bank. This dominance is only partly based on the UN's importance as an object of research: though only 15 (4.2%) of the selected articles deal extensively with the United Nations, its publications were cited in 79 (22.1%). The EU, by comparison, is the subject of 37 articles, but its publications were cited in only 36 (10.1%). This demonstrates the relevance of UN information resources to a broad range of topics in IR.     

Analyzing Food Science Research for Publishing Characteristics as a Model for Understanding the Needs of Researchers

Abstract

This paper provides a methodology to study the characteristics of the research output from a university department. The faculty publications and their cited references over a 10-year period were used as the basis for this study to identify their publishing patterns and the types of material they are publishing; a core set of journals and other resources they are publishing in and citing over this period; the characteristics of the journals in which they publish and cite; the degree of openness of their publications and their citation advantage; and the age of resources that are referenced.     

Mapping the literature of health care management: an update

Objective:This study aims to identify the core journals cited in the health care management literature and to determine their coverage in the foremost bibliographic databases used by the discipline.Methods:Using the methodology outlined by the Medical Library Association''s Nursing and Allied Health Resource Section (NAHRS) protocol for “Mapping the Literature of Nursing and Allied Health Professions,” this study updates an earlier study published in 2007. Cited references from articles published in a three-year range (2016–2018) were collected from five health care management journals. Using Bradford''s Law of Scattering, cited journal titles were tabulated and ranked according to the number of times cited. Eleven databases were used to determine coverage of the most highly cited journal titles for all source journals, as well as for a subset of practitioner-oriented journals.Results:The most highly cited sources were journals, followed by government documents, Internet resources, books, and miscellaneous resources. The databases with the most complete coverage of Zone 1 and 2 were Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and PubMed, while the worst performing databases were Health Business Elite, ABI/Inform, and Business Source Complete.Conclusions:The literature of health care management has expanded rapidly in the last decade, with cumulative citations increasing by 76.6% and the number of cited journal titles increasing by nearly 70% since the original study. Coverage of the core journals in popular databases remains high, although specialized health care management and business databases did not perform as well as general or biomedical databases.     

A Three-Step Approach to Marketing Electronic Resources at Brock University

SUMMARY

Marketing of electronic resources at Brock University is done according to a marketing plan that is aligned with the mission and goals of the institution. This chapter describes measures taken to understand user needs, promote electronic resources, and evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the collection and marketing. It includes sections on the use of surveys, instruction, Web sites and e-mail in marketing. Five key suggestions for marketing electronic resources are offered in the conclusion.     

Profiles in Resource Sharing: Tom Bruno

Abstract

Health sciences libraries are expanding services that use online technologies to support teaching, research, and clinical care needs. Saint Louis University's Health Sciences Center (SLU HSC) Library has developed strong, user-centered, online services in interlibrary loan, bibliographic instruction, and electronic reserves. The authors present their successful experiences in using electronic technologies to improve library services.

Journal articles are provided, often the same day as requested through interlibrary loan, and delivered in electronic format using OCLC's ILLiad program. First-year SLU medical students now complete a self-paced, all online, Health Information Resources course that targets the most relevant biomedical resources, reduces student study time, and is viewed as a model for the entire curriculum. ERes, the electronic reserves program, allows faculty to provide course materials that are accessible at the convenience of students 24 hours a day. These online programs are examples of using electronic technologies to better support user needs for excellent library services.     

Books Effectively Censored: Discrimination at a University Library: Alumni the Target

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study performed on the interlibrary loan patron request records at the library of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, an urban commuter college with a specialized curriculum. The findings suggest that the increasing availability of electronic full-text resources has had a significant impact on the volume of faculty and graduate student interlibrary loan borrowing of nonreturnable, photocopied materials. This appears to be the case across disciplines and regardless of the currency of the needed materials. The downward trend in demand for these materials may be outpacing actual full-text availability. This may suggest that content is being replaced with convenience. This could have implications for reference librarians and their role in the research process. Declining demand may also provide interlibrary loan librarians and their staff opportunities to alter their services and develop new skills.     

The impact of library instruction: do first-year medical students use library resources specifically highlighted during instructional sessions?

Objectives:

The research sought to determine if first-year medical students consulted and cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions.

Methods:

Students attended a library resources instructional session. Resources that pertained to the students'' assignment were demonstrated and discussed. The students created a report including citations from relevant literature. The citations were analyzed and categorized as: a resource discussed at the instructional session, a resource found on the course LibGuide, a library resource, course material, or some other resource. All citations were subcategorized as print or electronic.

Results:

Three years (2008–2011) of data analyzing 2,983 citations showed that 49.55% of all citations were from resources discussed during library instructional sessions; 21.86% came from resources with links on the course LibGuide; 77.51% were from library resources; and 90.68% came from electronic resources.

Conclusion:

Students cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assignments. The percentage of all citations coming from resources highlighted during the instructional sessions or found on the course LibGuide indicates that library instruction had an impact on the students'' work.

Highlights

• Review of the literature shows that instruction about library resources accompanied by clear guidelines on scholarly research methods and resources provided by course instructors have the biggest impact on the quality of cited materials in student bibliographies.
• Graduate medical students cited library resources more frequently than nonlibrary resources for their assigned coursework.
• Graduate medical students cited materials and resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assigned coursework.

Implications

• Instruction about library resources tailored to medical students'' assignments impacts the resources that the students consult and cite for their assignments.
• Using the information gathered from citation analysis to modify teaching plans can impact the effectiveness of library instructional sessions.

     

Best of the Web

Abstract

E-commerce is one of the most popular current business topics. This chapter includes core resources of general news, how-to sites, e-commerce technology sites, business-to-business sites, statistics, and academic research centers.     

Outreach to Distance Learners

Summary

It is the responsibility of any institution offering distance education programs to provide library resources and services for its students. In contrast to traditional students who can find the library on a campus map and go there, distance learners need orientation in order to “find their way” to their library. Librarians must be proactive in their efforts to make the library visible and accessible to these students. Library resources and services must be made available in ways compatible with the needs of students in these programs. The processes of designing, marketing, providing and evaluating appropriate library services demand continuous outreach to the distance education community.     

Basic Marketing and Promotion Concepts

SUMMARY

Librarians need to embrace marketing and promotion to better understand customers' needs and to communicate with them regarding the services libraries offer. This chapter discusses basic marketing concepts and adapts them to the non-profit library environment. The marketing process, including the development of a marketing plan and the utilization of the marketing mix to develop tactics for promoting library services, is reviewed. The chapter lays the groundwork for subsequent articles, where authors employ these promotional techniques to develop and implement successful campaigns for promoting electronic resources.     

Electronic vs. Print Reference Sources in Public Library Collections

Summary

The evolution of electronic sources has had a significant impact on reference collections in libraries, and public library reference collections are no exception.

Evaluating, selecting, and organizing sources to meet the needs of public library users has always been a fundamental role of public librarians. However, now they have the added responsibility of evaluating electronic resources and deciding whether the electronic sources will supplement or replace traditional paper reference sources. Issues of authority, accessibility, cost, comfort, and user education must be carefully weighed during this evaluative process.     

Improving Research and Learning in Higher Education in Portugal: Digital Resources,E-Books,and a Discovery System as Enabling Factors for Students

ABSTRACT

This article describes a library's implementation of digital resources for research, teaching, and learning at a higher education institution in Portugal. A school specializing in education and teacher education established strategic performance areas related to digital resources for the fulfillment of its mission, which included some functions of the academic library. The library implemented a discovery system, and the school invested in a wider range of resources, including e-books, both acquired and institutionally published. The library's training programs were also revised to promote the new system and electronic resources. This case study describes how an academic library in Portugal responded to institutional needs, illustrating how libraries everywhere must connect to the larger vision and demonstrate value through technologies, integrating digital and print resources to provide access built around users' needs.     

Meeting Changing Information Needs of Illinois Firefighters

Abstract

The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) Library, established in 1990 to support instructional teaching and research, continued to support the academic programs in the Institute while initiating and developing its Outreach Program in 1998. This program provides library and information services to Illinois fire departments and firefighters throughout the state. Since establishing the Outreach Program, the IFSI Library has accumulated more than 7,000 entries in a “Reference Request Database.”

This paper reports and analyzes the data, including request methods, delivery methods, types of requests, and types of resources. Trends indicate a change over time in request and delivery methods. Different regions of the state and different user groups have begun to use the library. The research can serve as a model for designing, developing and evaluating outreach reference service in a special or small library dedicated to meeting the information needs of remote library users.     

Availability of Works Cited in Recent Law Review Articles on LEXIS,Westlaw, the Internet,and Other Databases

SUMMARY

In this study, a group of recent law articles was examined to determine the proportion of cited resources that are easily findable online. Searches were conducted in databases such as LEXIS and Westlaw, and on the Internet, for full-text versions of every source cited in seven articles. The results have been broken down into 13 categories, including “federal cases,” “books,” “foreign law,” and “legal periodicals pre-1990.” Not surprisingly, coverage differs widely between the categories. Overall, the study found that 77% of the 1,984 citations in the articles reviewed are available online. The article concludes with a general discussion of why the percentage is likely to increase in the future.     

The Past,Present, and Future of Research in Distance Education

Abstract

The articles published in four prominent distance education journals between 1997 and 2002 were categorized and the references cited were tallied. The study provides an opportunity to examine research topics, methods, and citation trends. The results can be used to review current research trends and to explore potential research directions.     

Demand for E-books in an Academic Library

ABSTRACT

Rather than create a collection solely to support distance learners, libraries should consider the needs of all customers when developing a digital library. The acceptance of digital libraries is dependant upon the conversion of resources to an electronic format that is easy to use and is fully searchable. While electronic journals are widely accepted by most academic library customers, the delivery of online books has had a very different acceptance rate. Rather than support the sequential reading of books, electronic books are commonly used to find information and can be particularly well-suited for reference purposes. This article will provide insight into the history of e-book models and evaluate the usage statistics of a large electronic book collection in an academic library.     

Partnership as a New Paradigm for Reference Librarians in African Studies

SUMMARY

This article examines the changing paradigms of reference librarianship as they relate to the study of Africa. It discusses important issues to do with the role of the reference librarian in assisting future scholarly research. Particular attention is given to how electronic resources are influencing the nature of Africana reference services and collection development. Given the problems faced in accessing information from Africa, emphasis is also placed on how partnerships between U.S. and African libraries and scholarly institutions can help improve information access in and about Africa.     

FROM THE EDITOR

Abstract

This paper reports on a survey of faculty perceptions of the role of the library in online distance education. The study is second in a series of related studies exploring The Pennsylvania State University's library services to patrons at a distance. In 2004, faculty of the World Campus (Penn State's online distance education program) were surveyed on their perceptions of e-learners' research needs. The faculty responded to questions on how their students access research information for their courses, whether they require their students to use the library as part of their courses, and their expectations of the library as an academic support service. The survey revealed that 60% of the responding faculty supply all of the required research information to students in their courses, and 62% do not require students to use the library as part of their course(s). The study concludes that online, distance-education faculty members have minimal to moderate expectations of the library in supporting their teaching and their students' research needs. Moreover, the study shows a significant lack of faculty awareness of existing library services and resources available to the e-learning community.