A survey of Internet access and usage among undergraduates in an African university

Abstract

The study surveyed the use of Internet among undergraduate students at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. A total of 1000 questionnaires were distributed using a stratified sampling method to select the respondents. Ten faculties were covered. A total of 664 questionnaires were returned and all were usable. The findings revealed a high percentage use of the Internet. The access point for them is cyber cafes. The university library though linked to the Internet is yet to provide access to students. Respondents pay for the access time through their pocket money for food, books and assistance from friends. Their use of the Internet has not affected their use of the library. Some problems they face in their use of the Internet include slowness of the server and payment for the access time. The study recommends that the university should provide access points for students. The university library also should continue to aim at ensuring that it gets enough funds from the government and sponsors to be able to provide access points in the library for use by students and include the use of Internet in its library instruction course.     

我国大学生阅读行为现状的调查分析

从外在因素、内在因素、行为产出结果对大学生阅读行为的影响和图书馆在大学生阅读中的作用,调查分析了我国大学生阅读行为的基本状况,指出了存在问题并提出了建议。     

Internet access in libraries

Abstract

This article compares the newspaper coverage of Internet access in public libraries across two countries, Canada and Singapore. The aim is to discover some of the main concerns and themes that the press identifies with libraries, noting the differences between the two countries in this regard, and then to provisionally link these differences to certain structural characteristics of their respective societies and states. To achieve these aims I compare press coverage produced in terms of dates of publication, discourse producers, and discourse content. Implications of the findings for libraries and librarians are discussed.     

高校自然科学学报上网的实证分析

学报上网是高校学报适应时代发展的必然趋势.通过几个典型高校学报上网的实例,分析我国高校学报上网普遍存在的问题及其原因,并提出了解决高校学报上网不积极问题的办法.     

论高校图书馆与大学生公德教育

文章阐述了高校图书馆中大学生不文明现象的主要表现,提出高校图书馆加强对大学生公德教育的必要性,以及唤起大学生遵守图书馆公德意识的主要措施.     

地方院校图书馆在大学生人文素质教育中的作用

大学生人文素质教育已成为全球性高等教育的重要课题。地方院校图书馆应采取积极措施,发挥其在大学生人文素质培养方面的重要作用。     

User satisfaction survey and usage of an electronic desktop document delivery service at an academic medical library

In June 2000, the Biomedical Library at the University of South Alabama introduced Prospero, an electronic desktop document delivery service. From June 2000 to November 2002, Prospero delivered 28% of interlibrary loan requests and 72% of document delivery requests. In November 2002, the library conducted a user satisfaction survey of the Prospero service. Forty-two surveys were used. Fifteen responses were received from affiliated faculty, staff, and students, who generally expressed satisfaction with the service. Twenty-seven responses were received from unaffiliated users, comprised of medical libraries, individual users, and businesses. Based on the survey results, the library deemed the Prospero service a success. To better support users, the library's Web page was updated to include hardware and software requirements for successful use of the Prospero service, as well as screen shots of the Prospero process.     

高校学报开放存取情况调查

基于2013年版《中国科技期刊引证报告(核心版)》数据,对高校学报开放存取(OA)情况进行随机调查,分析高校学报OA的总体情况以及内容建设、服务功能、被链接的情况.调查结果表明,全文即时OA的高校学报占总数的62.2％,内容形式单一,服务功能不完善,被链接程度低.提出了相应的策略.     

Internet access in libraries: A comparison of press coverage between Canada and Singapore

This article compares the newspaper coverage of Internet access in public libraries across two countries, Canada and Singapore. The aim is to discover some of the main concerns and themes that the press identifies with libraries, noting the differences between the two countries in this regard, and then to provisionally link these differences to certain structural characteristics of their respective societies and states. To achieve these aims I compare press coverage produced in terms of dates of publication, discourse producers, and discourse content. Implications of the findings for libraries and librarians are discussed.     

African Journals Online: improving awareness and access

Indigenous journal publication is vital to the well-being of the African research enterprise in ways that the high-profile initiatives of Western publishers have, so far, failed to address. This paper describes the scope and development of African Journals Online, a free service which provides online access to the tables of contents and abstracts of scholarly journals published in Africa, backed by a document delivery service and managed by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications.     

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.     

Research data management at an African medical university: Implications for academic librarianship

The study investigates and provides results on the current status of research data management at a medical school in a developing African country. The study focusses on four aspects of research data management: generation; preservation and backup; competencies; and challenges. Quantitative data collected using a questionnaire from 84 health researchers and 16 librarians was complemented by qualitative data gathered through conducting structured interviews with the Director of Research of the university. The study results provide the research community with a better understanding of research data management perspectives amongst health researchers in a developing country. This could help research data management stakeholders to adopt better strategies for championing research data management activities in this particular country and in other developing countries. The study notes that the current research data management status creates an opportunity for an academic library to consolidate and fortify its widely viewed natural role in research data management. In view of the findings, the study proposes that the adoption of research data management policies is essential in inspiring the conceptualisation, popularisation, adoption, and operationalisation of various research data management activities within the African university environment.     

Non-librarian health professionals becoming librarians and information specialists: results of an Internet survey

OBJECTIVES: To obtain basic information about non-librarian health professionals who become librarians and information specialists. METHODS: The survey was a Web-based questionnaire. A non-random sample of persons was obtained by posting messages to several large Internet electronic discussion groups. Individuals who met the selection criteria and were willing to participate filled out a Web-based form designed using common gateway interface (CGI) programming. RESULTS: 118 forms were analyzed. Three subgroups of participants were identified and statistical comparisons among these groups were carried out for many of the quantitative questions. Information concerning reasons they left their original field; factors influencing their choice of the field of library and information science; reactions of family, friends, and colleagues; and interactions with patrons and other information about this group was obtained and summarized. A health sciences background was seen as helpful in the new career as information specialist. Most people were happy with their new profession despite negative reactions from colleagues, relatives, and, occasionally, patrons. Feelings of regret and abandonment of their patients were noted by some. Many persons did not know that peers had made similar career changes. CONCLUSIONS: A health sciences background imparts an expertise in both the vocabulary and subject matter of medicine that non-biomedical individuals would not ordinarily have. Although becoming a librarian may be perceived as a very positive career change for an individual, societal opinion and pressure can make such a career change difficult. Nevertheless, participants in this survey demonstrate a high level of satisfaction with their new careers and are quite happy with their work.     

Chinese researchers' perceptions and use of open access journals: Results of an online questionnaire survey

This paper reports the results of a survey on Chinese researchers' perceptions and use of open access journals (OAJs). A total of 381 Chinese researchers from different universities and disciplines were investigated through an online questionnaire survey in August and September 2018. The results showed that most Chinese researchers are familiar with and have positive attitude to OAJs. They know OAJs mainly through their peers, colleagues, and friends. PubMed Central, PLoS, and COAJ (China Open Access Journals) are the most well‐known OAJ websites among Chinese researchers. As for use, most of the respondents read and cite OAJs frequently and have experience of publishing in OAJs. However, they strongly prefer to use OAJs indexed in reputable databases (e.g. Web of Science, WoS) when making publishing decisions. Significant differences can be seen among disciplines, with researchers in HSS areas using OAJs less frequently than researchers from other disciplines, although they have the same positive attitudes and are equally well informed about them. Younger researchers preferred to rely on prestigious institutions and authors when using OAJs.     

利用开放存取提高高校自然科学学报的影响力

简介国内外开放存取的历史和现状.根据高校学报的特点论述高校学报适合进行开放存取的理由,并提出了高校学报进行开放存取的构想:由高校自然科学学报研究会牵头,统一研究、协调学报网站的建设,推动全文上网,并在此基础上建设"分散储存-集中检索"模式的中国高校学报检索数据库.