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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the information quality of e-government websites by university-education citizens of Bangladesh. It also investigated citizens' demographic and Internet related variables associated with perceived information quality ratings and the validity of the underlying factor structure of information quality dimensions. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted to assess information quality of e-government websites among a sample of university-educated citizens in Bangladesh. Descriptive statistics were obtained to examine respondents' ratings on information quality of these websites on a five-point Likert scale. A multiple linear regression model was applied to determine the effect of demographic and Internet use variables associated with information quality ratings on e-government websites. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to determine the underlying factor structure of information quality dimensions. Findings: The findings revealed that the ratings on most information quality items were close to 4.00 on a five-point scale, indicating a generally high information quality of Bangladesh e-government websites. Out of 20 information quality dimensions, value-added and authority were the two top-rated information quality dimensions while security, completeness, reliability, advertisement, relevance and ease of use were the least rated dimensions. The results of multiple regression suggested that gender, age and the device used for accessing the Internet were significantly associated with information quality of e-government websites. The CFA results indicated that information quality dimensions corroborate the factor structure of information quality dimensions used in earlier studies, although the model fit statistics were not fully validated. Research limitations/implications: The focus of this study was confined to university-educated citizens in Bangladesh. Therefore, the results of this study may not be generalized to other demographic groups in Bangladesh or elsewhere. Practical implications: This paper can provide guidelines for developing high-quality, informative and citizen-centric e-government websites and suggest ways on how these websites can be evaluated for information quality. Originality/value: This study is the first to examine the information quality of e-government websites from the citizens' perspective in Bangladesh. The findings of this paper can assist responsible government agencies in making the websites more informative and useful for a diverse group of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which the major public university libraries in Bangladesh are meeting students' service expectations through analyzing LibQUAL+ core items. Design/methodology/approach: The survey data were obtained from students using a paper version of the questionnaire consisting of LibQUAL+ core 22 service items at four top-ranked public universities in Bangladesh. Students rated the items on three service levels each using a nine-point scale: Minimum level, Desired level and Perceived Level. Descriptive statistics, i.e. mean and SD were obtained and service adequacy gap (SAG) scores between perceived and minimum levels were computed to see whether the libraries are meeting students' minimum expectation. Non-parametric Wilcoxon sign rank test was conducted to examine the differences between minimum and perceived scores. Finally, Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were conducted to see the effect of students' demographic variables on their ratings on minimum and perceived scores. Findings: The findings revealed that the service performances of major university libraries are lagging far behind from students' minimum expectation (minimum > perceived). There are significant differences between minimum and perceived scores. Significant differences are also found in students' gender, age and enrolment level concerning their ratings on minimum and perceived service levels. Practical implications: The result of this study analyzes the service quality of major university libraries in Bangladesh. These findings can be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the library services. Originality/value: LibQUAL+ has been used mostly in academic libraries in developed countries but this is for the first time a paper-version of the instrument was used in university libraries in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the current status of public universities in Bangladesh in terms of library resources and services, IT infrastructure and training requirements for the establishment of a centralized, networked electronic library for the universities in the country. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted in March-April 2012 to ascertain the level of library automation practices, access to online resources and IT facilities utilized by the public universities in Bangladesh. The survey questionnaire was distributed through post and emails directed to the university librarians. The librarians were also asked to identify the type of IT-related training they had and the type of training they require. Findings – The survey results indicate that there are insufficiencies in library resources, automation practices, access to online resources and IT facilities in the universities. Although the use of computer and network technologies in older universities is reasonably high; newer universities are lagging far behind in the latest technology applications. The results also suggest significant training needs by the librarians across all areas of electronic information processing. Originality/value – This is the first time an attempt has been made to assess the readiness of the public universities in Bangladesh for implementing IT-based information services. The paper also proposed a framework for implementing an integrated electronic library for the universities in the country to offer them better access to a wide range of online resources and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the pattern of electronic information resources use and satisfaction with university-paid resources by the faculty members in eight public universities in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach - An online questionnaire was used to assess the contemporary use of, and satisfaction with, university subscribed electronic resources by the faculty members. The major constraints faced by them in accessing online resources were also identified. To analyze the influence of demographic characteristics on overall satisfaction with e-resources, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were carried out. The constraints faced by the faculty members were tested in relation to their opinions on overall satisfaction using chi-square tests. Findings - The results showed that faculty members are not generally satisfied with the current level of university subscribed e-resources. They identified limited number of titles, limited access to back issues, difficulty in finding information, inability to access from home, limited access to computers and slow download speed as major constraints. These constraints do affect e-resources use in the public universities. However, these constraints are mainly related to the poor IT infrastructure and limited access to e-resources, which may also lead to other constraints such as an unwillingness to use the resources regularly and consequently low satisfaction with such resources. Originality/value - This is the first time an effort has been made to assess the use of university-paid online information resources by the academic community in Bangladesh. This study could be used to assess faculty needs for electronic resources which may also lead to a more dynamic interaction with such resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This is the second article focusing on rural library services in Bangladesh. The main aim of this paper is to empirically measure the performance and impact of rural library activities in northern districts of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach – The study was carried out separately in ten rural communities with library facilities. Background data about library collections were collected. Point-of-exit interviews with library users were carried out to gather their opinion on library collections, performance and impact. Findings – The point-of-exit interview highlights the users' demographic characteristics, their library use and information needs, and their opinion on library collections, performance and impact. The constraints faced by users in using these libraries are also identified. The results show that most users are generally satisfied with the performance and impact of these libraries. Originality/value – This paper is the first attempt to measure empirically the performance and impact of rural library activities in Bangladesh. The authors expect more research on impact assessment of rural library activities in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the library services available to rural dwellers and a summary of focus groups discussions (FGD) conducted in northern districts of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is divided into two sections. The first section describes rural library services in Bangladesh. The second section discusses the results of FGDs carried out separately in ten rural communities in northern areas of Bangladesh. Findings – The results of FGDs highlight the general information needs of rural communities, their reading, listening and viewing habits and awareness of rural library activities. The findings suggest that the rural libraries largely meet the informational needs of the local community and play a crucial role in the educational advancement of local people. Originality/value – This is the first time an effort has been made to assess the impact of rural library activities using FGDs in Bangladesh. This paper shows that FGDs could be an effective way to assess the impact of rural library activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The main aim of this paper is to assess Dhaka University students' perceptions of ease-of-use and their satisfaction with University Library's online public access catalogue (DUL OPAC). Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire was developed and used to collect data on students' demographics, online catalogue use and their perceptions of ease-of-use and satisfaction with OPAC. In order to analyze the influence of students' demographic and individual characteristics on their perceptions and satisfaction, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were carried out. Findings – The results showed that students are overwhelmingly satisfied with the DUL OPAC. Although there are some differences in students' perceptions of and satisfaction with the university OPAC, a formal task-based usability testing and adopting a user-centered design can ensure the usability of the OPAC in the future. The paper suggested some heuristic guidelines for designing interfaces for online catalogues. Originality/value – This is the first time an effort has been made to assess students' perceptions of and satisfaction with a library OPAC in Bangladesh. The authors feel this study may encourage more such research on usability evaluation of OPACs in Bangladesh and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a user-centred design and evaluation methodology for ensuring the usability of IR interfaces. The methodology is based on sequentially performing: a competitive analysis, user task analysis, heuristic evaluation, formative evaluation and a summative comparative evaluation. These techniques are described, and their application to iteratively design a prototype IR interface, which was then evaluated, is described. After each round of testing, the prototype was modified as needed. The user- centred methodology had a major impact in improving the interface. Results from the summative comparative evaluation suggest that users' performance improved significantly in our prototype interface compared with a similar competitive system. They were also more satisfied with the prototype design. This methodology provides a starting point for techniques that let IR researchers and practitioners design better IR interfaces that are both easy to learn to use and remember. The paper concludes with some principles of interface design for IR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an empirical study on novices' learning and retention with the Web-based interface to the Web of Science. The study evaluates the performance of novice searchers in initially learning to use the search interface and in later use. A brief survey was carried out with typical users of Web IR systems at Loughborough University, Great Britain. The questionnaire was used to gather data about the Web IR users, the frequency of their use and the type of queries for which they search IR systems. Novices came one at a time for the experiment. The data gathered from both learning and retention sessions were analysed according to the performance and satisfaction measurement criteria. The data showed that novices were generally more satisfied with the Web of Science in their initial learning session. Their attitudes towards the search interface changed greatly in the retention stage of the experiment. Study showed that novices' subjective satisfaction with the Web of Science interface decreased from initial learning to retention.