Search

Purpose – The present study aims to investigate the experience, contribution and opinions of users of respective institutional repositories (IRs) developed in India. Design/methodology/approach – The survey method was used. The data collection tool was a web questionnaire, which was created with the help of software provided by surveymonkey.com Findings – It was observed that 85.94 percent of respondents (154) were aware of the IR facility/service and 14.05 percent (26) were not aware of IR. More than half of the respondents, i.e. 52.43 percent (97), learned about the IR service through links provided on institutions' websites. About 36.21 percent of the respondents had not contributed to any type of repository, while 25.94 percent of respondents had contributed to their IR. A higher percentage (16.76 percent) of respondents felt it was an "easy and fast way to communicate research results". The majority of the respondents, i.e. 113 (61.08 percent), were willing to deposit symposium/conference/seminar papers. The most important reason for contribution was found to be preservation of documents for the future. Peer review was very much acceptable as a quality control mechanism. More than half of the respondents (57.84 percent) wanted to provide open access without any barrier for their ideal repository. Research limitations/implications – Only users of the respective Indian institutional repositories are studied, and the findings are compared with other studies. Originality/value – This is the first detailed study focusing on the users and their experience of institutional repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to study the impact of internet search engine usage with special reference to OPAC searches in the Punjabi University Library, Patiala, Punjab (India). Design/methodology/approach – The primary data were collected from 352 users comprising faculty, research scholars and postgraduate students of the university. A questionnaire was designed as the data collection tool to obtain information on the impact of the web on OPAC. The data thus collected were analysed with the help of the SPSS (version 14.0) statistical package to present the findings in percentage and ranking formats. Findings – The study revealed that the information-searching behaviour of academicians was changing significantly in the web environment. A large number of users explored the web to garner relevant information for academic purposes. The majority were influenced by search engines because they also used OPAC, like the search engines. It is also clear from the study that internet search engines not only affected OPAC users in developed countries, but also impacted upon the less developed countries like India. Thus, it is more a battle of survival and sustainability for the OPAC vis-à-vis its close contemporary the web-search engine. Originality/value – This is a pioneering work in India studying the impact of web searching on OPAC users. Keeping in perspective the approach of twenty-first century users, the present research suggests recommendations for designing a user friendly OPAC that entails simplistic search strategies for university libraries of India and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – University libraries are increasing their e-book collections. The purpose of this study is to investigate graduate students' usage of and attitudes towards e-books at National Taiwan University. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 20 graduate students from the fields of humanities, social sciences, science and technology, and medicine were interviewed. Findings – The results indicated that graduate students used e-books mainly for the purposes of study and research. Monographs were the type of e-book that students used most often, followed by textbooks and reference tools. While they appreciated the convenience of using e-books, students mentioned several limitations. They liked the keyword search function of e-books. Most of the time, graduate students browsed a few paragraphs or pages online and then printed out copies for further reading. They also borrowed the corresponding paper versions of the e-books from the library. Students preferred that university libraries supply both the electronic and paper versions. In certain aspects, students' use behaviour was found to vary among disciplines. Originality/value – This study highlights multiple aspects of graduate students' use behaviour with respect to e-books. The findings could be used to enhance e-book collection development in university libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify the features that international student users prefer for next generation OPACs. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 16 international students of the University of Sheffield were interviewed in July 2008 to explore their preferences among potential features in next generation OPACs. A semi-structured interview schedule with images of mock-up screens was used. Findings - The results of the interviews were broadly consistent with previous studies. In general, students expect features in next generation OPACs should save their time, be easy to use and relevant to their search. This study found that recommender features and features that can provide better navigation of search results are desired by users. However, Web 2.0 features, such as RSS feeds and those features which involved user participation were among the least popular. Practical implications - This paper produces findings of relevance to any academic library seeking to implement a next-generation OPAC. Originality/value - There have been no previous published research studies of users' preferences among possible features of next-generation OPACs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the various web metrics tools that are available, and to indicate how these might be used in libraries. Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes ways in which web metrics can be used to inform strategic decision making in libraries. Findings - A framework of possible web metrics is provided that can be adapted for use as appropriate in libraries. Originality/value - The paper offers assistance to any web site manager in planning new developments, given limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Web 2.0 provides an exciting set of tools for librarians to help their students become more information-literate. Design/methodology/approach - Recently, information overload and Web 2.0 have led librarians to adopt practices labelled as Library 2.0. Information literacy can be the key to affecting the learning attitudes and characteristics adopted by the users, caricatured as the "Web generation". Web 2.0 tools provide new, interactive ways to engage them. The literature is reviewed to provide examples of librarians using Web 2.0 tools to improve the information literacy of their users. Findings - Librarians are embracing Web 2.0 as it becomes more mainstream and experimenting with the tools to supplement their information literacy interventions. Many of these are being well received but their quantity and measures of their impact on learning have yet to be assessed. Originality/value - The link between information literacy and Web 2.0 is novel, encourages constructive learning and enables respected educational methods (e.g. reflection) to be used in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the use of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 technologies so that librarians can combine open source software with user-generated content to create a richer discovery experience for their users. Design/methodology/approach - Following a description of the current state of integrated library systems (ILS) and the developments with Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 technologies, examples are given of library suppliers and libraries which are making use of these technologies. Findings - Libraries are moving away from the traditional, vendor-sourced library catalogue software in favour of open source software that can be tailored to meet the community's needs by the people who are most familiar with those needs: library staff. Open source products and some vendor products outside the traditional ILS market allow libraries to pool data created by users: tags, reviews, comments. This allows the smallest libraries to harvest richer data than those of their own communities. Originality/value - The paper provides a "snapshot" of current developments in this fast-moving area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present an evaluation of The Glasgow Story (TGS) digitisation project, funded by the UK's National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund digitisation (NOF-Digi) programme, and a critique of the evaluation process itself. The paper emphasises the need for user impact evaluation and for results to be brought into the public domain in order to substantiate the claimed benefits of digitisation projects and programmes and inform ongoing digitisation activity. By critiquing the evaluation methods used the paper also hopes to contribute to the development of good practice in evaluation methodology. Design/methodology/approach- Questionnaires, focus groups, data logs, online surveys and feedback forms were used to gather user responses and make impact assessments. Findings - The paper suggests that whilst the evaluation can point to some positive impacts that justify the project's innovative approach, practical constraints on the evaluation and methodological flaws ultimately limit the value of the results. The paper concludes that effective evaluation of digitisation needs to extend beyond individual projects, or at the very least, employ generic evaluation tools that facilitate comparison between different projects and approaches. Originality/value - Few digitisatian projects attempt to assess their impact and fewer still make their results available. As one of the larger NOF-Digi projects, the results from the TGS evaluation provide a unique window on one of the major digitisation initiatives in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]