Search

This study aimed to evaluate the opinions of the librarians of Semnan public libraries on information consulting and examine the feasibility and requirements of setting up information consulting services (ICSs) in public libraries, which has become even more important during the coronavirus pandemic. The present study adopted a survey method using the interview technique. The research population included all librarians of Semnan public libraries. The findings showed that more than 75% of the librarians of Semnan public libraries were willing to set up the ICSs in the public library. Librarians of Semnan public libraries believed that specialized human resources hardware and software facilities and funding are required to set up the ICSs in public libraries. knowledge and skills, personality traits, and communication and public relations techniques are mentioned as the characteristics of information consultants. According to the librarians, the ICSs increase the users of libraries, improve library services, provide job satisfaction for librarians, and increase income for the library. They considered these factors as the top benefits of setting up information consulting. Given the willingness of young librarians with less experience, who are educated in Library and Information Science (LIS), to set up the ICSs in Semnan public libraries, they have the potential to provide ICSs in libraries by setting up an information consulting desk. Training of these librarians can provide the necessary basis for setting up the ICSs and information consulting clinics, promoting the position of the LIS field in the community, and leading to the employment market for graduates of LIS. This is the first study on public libraries in Iran. The importance of the subject can be a prelude to launching information consulting services in Iranian public libraries during the coronavirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A smart self-service kiosk (SSSK) in a library ensures that users are able to access library services without the help of librarians regardless of the location. An SSSK is web-based and allows library users to access library services remotely. Library users are able to check the availability of information resources, the location of the information resources, and the number of copies of a particular information resource in a particular library. This study sought to investigate the provision of information services at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) Library with a view to suggest a framework for implementing an SSSK. It could be like a point-of-sale self-service touch-screen kiosk check-out, like those used in supermarkets up and down the country, an information point in a tourist attraction, or a kiosk in an airport that allows people to check in without joining a counter queue. An SSSK would be different for every specific field, depending on the specific planned application. In the field of library and information sciences, an SSSK would be used to search for the availability of books, the location of books and to check a book in and out of the library. For this study a literature review was conducted to demonstrate a need for a framework which involves the provision of information services through an SSSK at the NUL Library. The study identified the need for an SSSK to provide reference and information services at the NUL Library. This includes searching for the availability of information resources or just books like elsewhere, the location of such information resources, as well as the self-checking in and out of information resources in the library. The library users through the web portal of the SSSK would also be able to access the library services remotely. The study proposes a framework to provide information services through a SSSK at the NUL Library. It is hoped that the proposed framework may serve as a benchmark and guideline for the provision of information services through a SSSK at the NUL Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than seventy online studies were reviewed to identify awareness, usage, satisfaction, and challenges of using information resources and services in academic libraries by users. The main objective of this study is to review the literature on information resources and services regarding awareness, usage, impact, challenges, satisfaction levels of users of various academic libraries. The study includes research papers published in national and international journals and other sources available on the internet. A review of various studies revealed that users use library resources and services for various purposes. Studies reveal that most users are satisfied with print resources, but they face problems while accessing online resources due to lack of skills to use these resources. Most students today rely on online resources, but a lack of training prevents them from getting the information they need. Most of the studies have suggested that the library should play an important role in providing information literacy program and user studies at regular intervals in their institutions to provide better library and information services to the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries play a key role in the promotion of user centered services through the provision of information resources and services for the information needs of the library clienteles. With the emergence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the traditional library services have no place in satisfying the curiosity of the library users. Library users are gradually keeping away from the use of the library and less value are attached to the library. This paper looked at the traditional and hybrid services that are easy to access and more convenient for the library users as a way of promoting clientele centered services in academic libraries. The study recommended that academic libraries should introduce and employ strategic services in order to attract the library users to the library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College libraries are integral part of higher education institutions and they play an important role in raising the standard of education. The study was conducted at Sri JCBM College, Sringeri to assess users’ awareness and utilization of library resources and services. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire and personal visits to the said college library. Convenience sampling technique was used to collect the data. Seventy structured questionnaires were distributed and 52 duly filled questionnaires were returned back, the response rate is 76.04%. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (16.0) and Excel. The study revealed that the majority (86%) of the users are visiting library daily. The study revealed that majority of the users have awareness on almost all the services provided by the library. The majority of the users always use internet browsing service (50%), Reference service (44.23%) and Book bank facility (40.38%) while they visit the library. The users were satisfied with various resources and services provided by the library. The study suggested to provide a separate digital library with the adequate number of computers with high speed internet connectivity, Wi-Fi, access to more number of e-resources including CDs/DVDs and online journals to the users in the library. The library needs to explore innovative methods by making use of technology in reaching out to users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New product development is an omnipresent challenge to modern libraries in the information age. Therefore, we present the design and selected results of a comprehensive research project aiming at the systematic and user-oriented planning of academic library services by means of conjoint analysis. The applicability of the analytical framework used and the expressiveness of the attainable results are demonstrated by means of two surveys complementing each other. Both surveys together are representing the opinions of more than 3500 academic library users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rural dwellers need timely, accurate, pertinent and reliable information for sustainable rural development. However, in Nigeria it is estimated that over 70% of people are living in rural areas who are mainly non-literate people who cannot read and write in any language. It is against this background that this article sought to investigate the forms of information sources and services utilised among rural dwellers from public libraries in the North-West zone of Nigeria to find out whether they are relevant and appropriate to the nature of this group of people. Objectives: The study aimed at investigating the forms of information sources and services utilised among rural dwellers from public libraries in the North-West zone of Nigeria for sustainable rural development. Method: Wilson's 1981 model suggests that information-seeking behaviour arises as a result of a need perceived by an information user, who, in order to satisfy that need, makes demands upon formal or informal information sources and services. Hence, the model was adopted to underpin the current study. A structured questionnaire was designed and personally administered to the study participants. The quantitative data were analysed using the SPSS software and descriptive statistics. Results: Despite the fact that most of the rural dwellers in the North-West zone of Nigeria are non-literate people, it is evident from the results that there is utilisation of various forms of information sources and services from public libraries. The predominant forms of information sources utilised among rural dwellers from the libraries were printed materials, posters, flyers and audiovisuals. However, the forms of information services provided to rural dwellers by the libraries were traditional library services and awareness campaigns about government policies. Conclusion: The study revealed that utilisation of public libraries' information sources and services among rural dwellers in the area under study revolved around printed materials and traditional library services. It is evident that most of the library users among rural dwellers were those who were literate, as the non-literate people who were the majority did not patronise the libraries. Thus, this study will assist authorities of the public libraries in the area under study to provide relevant and effective information sources and services to rural dwellers for sustainable rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the challenges of the twenty-four library services in Kenneth Dike Library at the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Nigeria. It mentions that Kenneth Dike Library at the University of Ibadan has started the twenty-four library services in July 2011 to expand the scope of information service delivery to all the potential users of the library. It found that the library lacks staff to effectively manage the teaming library users who turn up at night to make use of the library.

Users are increasingly expecting services to be available outside traditional venues and time frames. Clearly, not all library functions and services can be performed all the time, but a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) tool is one function that can be. Librarians at Notre Dame decided to create a searchable FAQ database as a method to efficiently reach users at their time and point of need and as a way to provide instant, virtual feedback to common questions. The content for the FAQ database was derived from the analysis of over 3000 chat and email questions collected over the course of three years' use of Docutek, an email and chat reference software. The process of coding the questions as well as the technological solutions employed to create a searchable database of frequently asked questions is described. A link to the FAQ appears on the ND Libraries Ask-A-Librarian page and has already seen much use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service to pro se patrons continues to be one of the core issues facing law librarians. The current downturn in the economy makes this issue more critical than ever. This article provides one way to better meet the needs of this growing class of law library patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patron use of the Internet may appear to overwhelm the public library's traditional role. This is often the case at the Colonial Heights Branch of the Sacramento Public Library. Fortunately the services which are required to support Internet use complement those required to assist patrons with the print and media collections. This essay recounts the important, primarily personal ways in which a branch library in a low socio-economic neighborhood reinforces its traditional informational and instructional role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some library users come in the door knowing exactly where to go, with clearly defined and communicated needs. However, many more enter the library on an exploratory mission and often stop at the first service desk that catches their eye. In many libraries, this point of first contact is a security or general information desk, not a full-service reference desk. This opens the question, are users being served effectively and their expectations being met? During the first several weeks of the fall 2003 semester, staff at the service desk closest to the front door of a large academic library recorded the specific questions asked by library patrons and their responses. This data was subjected to qualitative analysis techniques and revealed some trends in what current students are seeking when they initially come into the library. The results are useful for managers to consider in establishing appropriate staffing models (such as who should work at this desk), developing relevant training, and planning service desk and collection spatial configurations. This article presents the results from this study and explores possible factors that managers should take into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the effective behaviors of reference librarians during the chat reference interview, with particular emphasis given to whether the service users would feel more satisfied when librarians adopt the behaviors recommended in the revised "RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Providers." The data analyzed for this study consisted of 422 chat reference transaction transcripts and corresponding user surveys obtained from a public library system that participated in a nationwide chat reference consortium. In six of the ten behavioral types observed, the users perceived the service as more satisfying when librarians demonstrated the behaviors suggested in the revised guidelines than when they did not. Five of these behaviors--receptive and cordial listening, searching information sources with or for the patrons, providing information sources, asking patrons whether the question was answered completely, and asking patrons to return when they need further assistance--were revealed as strong predictors of user satisfaction. These findings demonstrated that the RUSA behaviors are effective in increasing user satisfaction, suggesting that the guidelines can continue to be used as an effective tool for both staff training and service assessment in chat reference services. This report concludes with recommendations for further improvement of the guidelines and agendas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the success of Internet access via search technology, such ease of access is still not available in Web archives, as a greater amount of relevant contextual information is essential in accessing Web archives. The degree of relevance of the contextual information has to be customized to suit research on culture and heritage study over time. Information scientists have long been struggling to find a system that can help them organize Web archives so that users can have access to complete and coherent collections. Lessons can be learned from archivists who have an established tradition of linking materials to its origin and ownership or what is termed provenance. In this paper, we demonstrate how Web Annotation for Web Intelligence, more than just an intuitive way of expressing one's thoughts on the materials under study, is in fact an appropriate tool for cataloguing Web archives in order to ensure a high quality of access for users. Informed by the theory of Records Continuum, a demonstration of access to archived Web materials will be presented. We then recommend an effective way of allowing the continual organization of Web archives based on several design principles for a Web annotation system. This system would preserve the evidence and context of the cataloguing process. Such a tool would also help facilitate collaboration among information professionals in organizing complex Web archives. Implementing the recommended Web annotation system will help ensure better-quality archives with more evidence and contextual information preserved within the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The privacy and confidentiality of library use are often at odds with efficiency in and customization of library public services. When librarians make decisions about services and privacy, they should consider strategic approaches to defining and discussing privacy and become familiar with the law of library privacy and their ethical commitment to privacy in library use. A wide range of library services and efficiencies threaten privacy and introduce the potential for secondary uses of personally identifying information collected by the library. Market failure for privacy weakens the value of consumer surveys and consent as substitutes for librarians' choices between privacy and services. Compromises such as those outlined by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee offer reasonable approaches to libraries and librarians struggling with the uncertainties that characterize the challenge of meeting both service and privacy interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the LibQUAL+™'s instrument, fundamental assumption and research approach and proposes a functional/technical model of academic library effectiveness. The expanded view of library effectiveness complements LibQUAL+™, which emphasizes it to be dependent upon users' experience of service delivery, as LibQUAL+™ recognizes. The broader model shows that effectiveness depends upon an academic library's operations, the constituency groups it serves, the types of value provided to them, the models for funding libraries, academic libraries' obligations and library users' need for professional information assistance. Supplementing LibQUAL+™ provides a basis for demonstrating both immediate and cumulative academic library effectiveness.

The article examines technologies used to provide library patrons with the same kind of success in finding information as achieved with Google searching. It is recommended to simulate Google, and then move beyond Google. One technology that allows libraries to emulate the "do not make me think" environment provided by Google is federated searching. With this kind of searching, users can access article's indexes, the library's online catalog and locally developed or Web databases all at the same time. Another technology, faceted browsing or search clustering, allows the user to narrow down their search results contextually.

Purpose - To identify which library service Design/methodology/approach - Surveying experts in Pakistani libraries, a questionnaire was administered to determine both the types of library services that could generate and the viability of charging for library services. Findings - Out of 32 identified information services, 12 were identified as excellent candidates for the fee-based model. Another 16 were identified as having a better than 50 percent chance of success. Originality/value - Identifies a minimum of 28 library services that may generate funds for Pakistani libraries if they are changed to a fee-based model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relais international Inc. would like to take this opportunity to introduce our latest product, Relais ILL. Instructional technology stands out amongst the array of Products we have to offer as this product has been designed with the smaller library and interlibrary loan department in mind. Relais interlibrary loan combines the sophistication and automation of Relais Enterprise with ease of installation and implementation. Relais interlibrary loan is ideal for a wide range of libraries that are looking to streamline and automate their interlibrary loan operations. For a cost-effective and integrated solution to your request management needs, use Relais ILL. Use Relais ILL: to automatically search a range of catalogs via Z39.50 and use the results to automatically build a routing list, requests are sent out automatically, as ISO interlibrary loan transactions to libraries in the order you specify, stay in touch with patrons using predefined messages or create your own message on the fly. The task of delivering documents between sites has always been a staff intensive undertaking for libraries clue to physical distance, searching for locations for the requested document. availability of the requested document, as well as many other potential obstacles. Relais International Inc. is striving to overcome these barriers by offering swift and efficient Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan. Relais ILL's features include high levels of automation, tracking of requests, patron communication, and a plethora of possibilities to help simplify the interlibrary loan process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To show that many of the old ways in which people think about libraries are not based on fact, but rather on fiction. Many ideas that library managers hold to be truths are, in fact, baseless assumptions about library operations. Design/methodology/approach - Uses six examples of how library management often applies old approaches to the detriment of the library's future. After describing these examples, the truth about them is revealed as each one is examined and their fallacies are laid out. Findings - There are many assumptions that play in managing a library. Some of these are not based on fact and, as such, need to be discarded. Originality/value - Challenges managers to seek out the facts rather than base library policy on assumed truths. Even paradigms that may have once been true are not necessarily valid in today's library environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses seven measurable criteria that he accepts as defining a "great library": Great libraries provide measurably superior service; have great funding; train and retrain their staffs; integrate their virtual, place and outreach services marketing; serve both the weakest and the strongest among their constituents; provide constituents with education and entertainment; and use virtual tools to offer a full range of timely information and services. These measurable characteristics define a modern library, the library that users want. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few years, the MIT Libraries has been focused on how to turn declining reference statistics, new modes of technology, users' increasing needs and expectations, and constrained staff resources into a robust and valued reference service. A two-year experiment based on chat technology raised questions about future reference service. This article describes how library staff worked together to envision a future of reference at MIT that would incorporate the values of reference, needs of the users, and infrastructure of the Libraries. The final product was the Reference Vision, which now guides all of our new reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre los servicios ofrecidos por la Biblioteca Nacional de Francia. La autora comenta sobre el uso de las salas de lecturas y a distancia de la biblioteca, incluyendo la sala de investigaciones bibliográficas, de audiovisual y de literatura y arte. También se considera la multitud de servicios para los usuarios de la biblioteca.