Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Library Display 2.0: Evolving From Monologue To Dialogue, Ilishe Mikos, Brandy R. Horne, Kari D. Weaver

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Generally created by individual librarians and anchored to a physical space, library displays are often static, limited, and fleeting. However, these displays can evolve into wider, more affective, multi-dimensional, 21^st century, virtual spaces by incorporating collaborative discourse between multiple librarians, by reaching out to the community for content, and by using technological tools, such as email, Google Drive, Google Images, QR codes, and social media. This paper presents a case study of the life of a library display from inception through execution. By pooling the skills, experiences, and stakeholder networks of two librarians and an MLIS intern, the library’s …

Academic Librarians Perception And Attitude Towards Marketing Of Library Services In Delta State, Nigeria, Azuka O. Chegwe, Sebastian E. Anaehobi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

This study examined academic librarian’s perception and attitude towards marketing of library services in Delta State, Nigeria. The design of the study is descriptive survey. The population consists of 146 academic librarians in Delta State, Nigeria. Four research questions guided the study. The research instrument for the study was questionnaire. Out of 146 questionnaires administered, 138 were retrieved and analyzed using arithmetic mean, simple percentage. The major findings of the study were as follows: Academic librarians have positive perception and positive attitude towards marketing of library services; academic librarians are faced with some challenges such as casual approach of …

User’S Perception Of Services Quality Of The Central Public Library Bahawalpur, Shakeel Ahmad Khan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study aimed at investigating the user’s perception of services quality provided by the Central Public Library of Bahawalpur. Survey among library users was administered and data was collected with the help of questionnaire. Findings of the study revealed that the Central Public Library of Bahawalpur is offering good quality of services for its users. Respondents were satisfied with different library services including, library books, journals, dictionaries, encyclopedias, Internet services, special collection, periodical collections, reference service, adult education program, reading room facility, library environment, opening hours and attitude of library staff with the library users. Respondents demanded e-resources of information …

Effective Library Provision In Ghanaian Communities: Case Study Of Dunkwa–On–Offin Branch Library, Emmanuel Kobina Dadzie, Raphael Kwame Kavi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Public library is an integral part of the community. It has the social obligation to serve the whole community. This study examined the effective library provision in Ghanaian communities, in order to ascertain the problem of low patronage of community libraries in Ghana. The population for the study comprises registered and non-registered patrons of the facility. From the total population of 300, a sample of 100 respondents were drawn and used for the study. Out of the 100 questionnaires administered, 96 were completed and returned. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data using frequency counts, tables and percentages. The findings …

Influence Of Computer Literacy On Postgraduates' Use Of E-Resources In Nigerian University Libraries, Daniel Abubakar, Airen Adetimirin

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated how computer literacy predisposes postgraduate students to use e-resources. The survey research design and multi-stage sampling technique were used to select 2726 postgraduate students from 16 Nigerian universities. A questionnaire and computer test was used to collect data and data was analysed using percentages and Pearson’s product moment correlation. The postgraduates’ computer literacy level was average (56.3%). They used only few of the e-resources in their libraries and the frequency of usage was low (weighted average X = 2.45). Computer literacy had positive relationship with postgraduates’ usage of e-resources that was positive, very strong and significant (r= …

Collaboration In The Iberoamerican Journals In The Category Information Science & Library Science In Wos, Alexander Maz-Machado, Noelia Jiménez-Fanjul, Maria José Madrid

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This article presents a bibliometric study about collaboration in the Iberoamerican journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) within the category Information Science & Library Science. It has been found that the rate of authors per article is 2, 24, it has been calculated the collaborative index (CI) and the degree of collaboration (DC) from 2006 to 2014 and even though both CI and DC have increased, this rise has been small. Furthermore, international collaboration in the articles is minimum and almost all of it revolves around Spain.

Relationship Between Library Resources And Research Productivity In Five Nigerian Health-Based Research Facilities, Chigozie Simeon Ugwuona Dr., Virginia Winsell Dike Professor

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study of the relationship between library resources and research productivity in five Nigerian health research facilities was conceived majorly to investigate the relationship existing between these two variables. The study employed a descriptive survey design to undertake a population of 198 research staff in the five research centres (out of this number, 166 were actually used). Questionnaire and observation check list were used to collect data which were presented in tables and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient (r) was applied to determine the relationship while hypothesis was tested with t-statistics at 0.05 probability level. …

Assessment Of Library Resources And Programmes In Unity Schools In Nigeria, Nkechi, Anthonia Idoko

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study assessed Library User Resources and Programmes for Library Skill’s (LS) acquisition in Unity Schools of South East Nigeria. In conducting this research, survey research design was adopted and out of a population of 29,358, multiple-stage sampling technique was used to select a sample of 1,212 that comprised of 480 JSI students, 469 SSIII students and 263 staff from the 12 Unity Schools under study. Two research questions guided the study. Observation check-list and questionnaire titled Library User Education Questionnaire (LUEQ) were the instruments used for data collection. These instruments were validated by five experts. Reliability co-efficient of 0.91 …

Growth Of Literature In Higgs Boson: A Scientometric Analysis Of Scopus Database (2005-2014), Soumen Teli, Asish Maity

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper analyses the growth pattern of Higgs Boson literature during 2005-2014 (10 years). The socups database has been used to retrieve relevant data. Total number of publication has been identified as 4359 records contributed worldwide over a period of 2005-2014.The distribution of publications based on the year of production, country wise productivity, document type of the publications, Major subject categories , authors whose contribution is in the maximum level were studied. The organizations contribute Higgs Boson research have also been studied.

Librarian Actions To Develop And Sustain Human Research Subject Protection: A Pilot Global Study, Charles J. Greenberg, Sangeeta Narang

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The Institutional Review Board (IRB), also known as an Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), is the most widely adopted process to insure human participant protection. The IRB system is overburdened as human research studies and human participation has dramatically increased without a corresponding increase in reviewing clinicians or ethics staff. Librarian involvement in the IRB process is evident but uneven and unstudied on an international scale. A literature review and international survey attempted to provide professional practice context and librarian reflection on the extent of their involvement, roles, and responsibilities in the IRB or IEC institutional process. Survey results reveal that …

How Access To Plant & Animal Books Affects Participation In Conservation Activities, Dustin Ingram, Hassnaa Ingram

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Public libraries are an important resource for communities. Access to plant and animal books impacts a communities’ ability to learn about their environment. In this study, the number of plant and animal books available to people through local libraries in northern Kentucky, and neighboring counties in Ohio and Indiana were counted and a survey assessing one’s preferences and likeliness to participate in conservation activities was distributed to local residents. Based on the collected data, a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) was found between access to plant and animal books available at local libraries and the likelihood of people to participate in conservation activities. Further analysis was performed between the total number of shelved plant and animal books at local libraries, the total number of shelved juvenile plant and animal books and the shelved adult plant and animal books, and the total number of plant and animal books in libraries compared to the local household income and number of households near a library. This study found that people that read books about plants and animals were more likely to participate in conservation activities associated with their book preference. This study also found that people living in low-income communities with fewer households are less likely to participate in plant and animal conservation, as compared to higher-income communities with a higher number of households. Additionally, this study found that lower income areas have fewer plant and animal books on the library shelves than higher income areas. Consequently, study results suggest that if more plant and animal books were made available to low-income areas and areas of biological importance through libraries, people may be more likely to conserve the wildlife around them.

Internet Accessibility And Use Of Online Health Information Resources By Doctors In Training Healthcare Institutions In Nigeria, Grace A. Ajuwon

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

The internet is an important source of information used to produce, store, process, and disseminate information. This study examined accessibility to and use of internet health information resources among doctors in training healthcare institutions in South-West Nigeria.

Methods

The study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods for data collection. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analyzing the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency counts, percentages, charts, mean and standard deviation.

Results

The mean age of the respondents is 34.0 ± 4.46 years and 69.0% were males. The majority (93.5%) hold …

Information Behaviour Of Final Year Students Of Mzuzu University In Malawi., Maloto G. Chaura Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract.

This paper presents findings for a research study which investigated the information behaviour of final students of Mzuzu University in Malawi. Even after being imparted with necessary skills in how to search and locate relevant information, the author observed that students still find difficulties to find information that they require.

A paper based questionnaire was designed and administered to two hundred and fifty four (254) final year students belonging to the five faculties of the University of which two hundred and forty three (243) responded to the questionnaire A mixed method questionnaire survey was used. Stratified sampling in which …

Social Science Research Landscape In South Asia: A Comparative Assessment Of Research Output Published During 1996-2013, Surinder Mohan Dhawan, Brij Mohan Gupta, Ritu Gupta

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract - The paper analyses composition and dynamics of social sciences research output in five South Asia countries as reflected in publications indexed in Scopus international bibliographical database and as summarised in Scimago database. The study which covers publications and citations data for the years 1996-2013 reveals that social sciences research in South Asia appears to be growing exponentially, doubling in publication size every six years. Within the confines of South Asia region, there is a great social science research divide between nations that publish papers in bulk and those that publish very little. India alone published prolific share (84%) …

Helping The Adult Learner Succeed: How Community College Libraries In Massachusetts Are Serving This Growing Population, Katherine A. Turcotte

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Education is something that is valued more each and every day. A growing number of people in today’s society realize the importance of education and the increasing need to return to school. As the number of adult learners continues to rise, so too does the need to reach out to this population to make sure they are being presented with the appropriate tools and resources needed to succeed. Because it is theorized that adults (those age 25+) who return to school are likely to enroll in a community college, rather than a four year university, this study looks specifically at …

Theft And Vandalism Of Books, Manuscripts, And Related Materials In Public And Academic Libraries, Archives, And Special Collections, Silke P. Higgins

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

While book theft and vandalism in public and academic libraries, as well as archives and special collections, are not considered a modern problem, they have, in recent years, become a matter of increasing concern to these institutions. Easy access to materials housed in multi-story libraries difficult to effectively supervise; the online presence of archives and special collections detailing the contents of their collections to attract researchers and visitors; and a seemingly growing number of persons willing to express their personal convictions and beliefs by removing or destroying items from public and private collections, are among the primary reasons for the …

The Materials-Centred Approach To Public Library Collection Development: A Defense., Matthew Kelly

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

How selection of materials, understood as subject knowledge, should occur for non-fiction collections in public libraries has been polarized along an axis of user demand and intellectual rigor for many decades. Attempts to synthesize these various approaches have, largely, failed to do justice to either tendency. This paper is formulated as an encomium to the materials-centered approach and looks to uncover what is lost when librarians choose to focus in extremis, on the role of the user in the building of subject knowledge for a comprehensive civil society-oriented collection.

Pieced Together With Love And The Dublin Core, Sarah L. Feldhaus

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of using Dublin Core to create records describing three-dimensional objects especially quilts - containing 20 original Dublin Core records created from a personal collection of quilts made by Julie Feldhaus, Howard, South Dakota. It also questions if there is any benefit when creating records for such objects.

Distance Learners' Familiarity With The Concept Of Digital Library: A Case Study Of Virtual University Of Shiraz, Iran, Rahim Alijani, Ali Akbar Khasseh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This survey examines the familiarity of students at Virtual University of Shiraz (VUS), as a first virtual institution in Iran, with the concept and importance of digital libraries. To do this research, a descriptive and survey methodology was used. Students of Virtual University of Shiraz in comprise the population of the study. Findings showed that more than 66 percent of distance students are not familiar with the concept of digital library. They believe that lack of a well-structured digital library has had a negative impact on the academic achievement of students of Virtual University of Shiraz. Students have also expressed …

Assessment Of Quality Of East African Governments Websites And Support To Smes In Business Information Provision, Constant Okello-Obura

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The electronic presence globally through the Internet has revolutionized the way businesses are conducted and managed. To expand the markets and improve on productivity, the global appearance is vital today. This is not only making many business entities to create websites but also governments world over to rethink on their e-global visibility. This study based on desk research approach to data collection with guided observation and assessment guides assessed the quality of the websites of East African Government Ministries responsible for trade, the provision of Review business information to SMEs through East African Ministries of Trade websites and recommends appropriate …

Awareness And Usage Of Electronic Databases By Geography And Resource Development Information Studies Graduate Students In The University Of Ghana, Gladys Kwadzo Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness level and usage of electronic databases by graduate students in the University of Ghana. The focus was on graduate students of Departments of Geography and Development Resource, and Information Studies. Questionnaire was used to collect the data. The findings were that students were very much aware of the databases available to them as indicated by 96.9%and 93.8% indicated to use them. The studies has also established that majority of students knew about the databases from their lecturers and most of them accessed from the central library. Despite the claimed usage …

Influence Of Business Information Use On Sales Performance Of Smes In Lagos State, Adebowale Ojo, Sydney Akinsunmi, Oluwatimilehin Olayonu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are crucial drivers of every nation’s economy. However, reports suggest SMEs in Nigeria have not performed creditably well in terms of sales. Hence, they are yet to contribute to a large extent to the economic growth and development of the country. Considering that business information is an indispensable resource in overall business performance, one is forced to question the availability and utilisation of business information by SME owners. This study examines the influence of business information use on the sales performance of SMEs in the information technology sector in Lagos State. Employing a survey …

Awareness And Use Of E-Journals By The Scientists Of Csir-Institute Of Genomics And Integrative Biology (Igib), Delhi, And Indian Institute Of Chemical Biology (Iicb), Kolkata, India: A Comparative Study, Jamal Qasim, Abdul Mannan Khan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this paper is to compare the level of awareness and use of e-journals by the scientists of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi and Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata, India- both centre of excellence in their field of research and premier Institutes of 39 laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - India's largest research and development organization. The paper is based on the results of a well structured questionnaire administered to all the scientists of the two under study institutes for the purpose of data collection supplemented by interview and …

Information And Communication Technology Adoption And Use Among Students Of A Nigerian University For Distance Learning, Akimkunmi Oluseun Omotosho Mr., Elizabeth Bukunola Lateef Mrs., Oyintola Isiaka Amusa Mr., Taoffik Olatunde Bello Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigates the use of ICT for distance learning by students of the National Open University of Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted for this study and the main instrument for data collection was questionnaire. Copies of the questionnaire were administered on students of the National Open University of Nigeria, main campus, Lagos. Findings from the data analysis revealed that the level of ICT use among the respondents was high and; easy accessibility to most of the ICT facilities needed for distance learning is identified as the major factor responsible for the high level of usage of ICT …

Identifying Open Access Articles Within The Top Ten Closed Access Lis Journals: A Global Perspective, Jayati Chaudhuri, Sarah Baker

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Librarians have embraced the open access movement. They work to raise awareness of issues surrounding scholarly communication, to educate faculty about authors’ rights, and to help implement and maintain institutional repositories (IRs). But for all of the research and commentary from librarians about the importance of IRs and of making research freely available, there still exists the glaring contradiction that few librarians and Library and Information Science (LIS) authors provide free access to their own research publications. In this study, we will look at the open access availability of articles from the top 20 closed access LIS journals and discuss …

Barriers To Information Seeking By Secondary School Students In Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, Chidinma Onwuchekwa Ogba

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper investigated barriers to information seeking in Secondary School Libraries in Ado-Ekiti by using Kuhlthau’s framework of intermediation with Harris and Dewdney’s principles on information seeking. A random sampling technique was used to select five Private Secondary Schools (out of twenty Private Secondary Schools) in Ado-Ekiti while saturation sampling was used in selection of participants for this research. A Case study design using focus group discussion, observation and unstructured interview methods were used. A focus group discussion (group interview) was used to gather data separately from JSS II and SSS II students in each school; it was recorded using …

Impact Of Ict On Job Satisfaction Among Library Professionals Working In Nmims Deemed University, Mumbai, Ravi N. Bellary, Shivanand Sadlapur, Ramesh R. Naik

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Today libraries are growing up in a digital world and provide variety of hi-tech tools for access e-information from the library. Our study finding presents the impact of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) on the job satisfaction among library professionals of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Deemed University The present study targeted 13 library professionals. It is found that majority of the respondents were required training on latest developments in the library field.

Reading For Pleasure Among Junior High School Students: Case Study Of The Saint Andrew`S Anglican Complex Junior High School, Sekondi, Raphael K. Kavi, Samuel N.B. Tackie, Kwabena A. Bugyei

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study focused on investigating reading for pleasure among Junior high school students. The research methodology adopted for the study was the case study approach. A total number of 93 respondents comprising 87 Students, 5 Teachers and 1 Headteacher participated in the study. Questionnaires were administered to solicit information from the respondents, whilst an interview schedule was used for the Teachers and Headteacher of the school. The findings suggested that majority of the respondents do not read for pleasure, they only engage in reading primarily to pass their examinations and not so much for their personal development, fun, or to …

The Readiness Of A State College For The Establishment Of A Digital Library, Velon Wagayan Alicmas, Bonifacio Vega Ramos

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study looked into the readiness of a state college for the establishment of a digital library. In particular, it assessed the knowledge of the respondents about digital library and its uses, digitization process, and electronic resources services. It also evaluated the extent of adequacy and availability of physical resources, adequacy of professional librarians and qualities of library staff, financial resources, library collections, information technology resources and the prospects for a digital library.

The study applied the descriptive-evaluative method of research. Three hundred fifty three (353) students and ninety seven (97) faculty and employees from both campuses comprised the four …

Research Focus And Trends In Nuclear Science And Technology In Ghana: A Bibliometric Study Based On The Inis Database, Elizabeth Ama Agyeman Ms., Albert Bilson Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The peaceful application of atomic energy was introduced into Ghana about fifty years ago. This is the first bibliometric study of nuclear science and technology research publications listed in the International Nuclear Information System (INIS) Database, originating from Ghana. The purpose was to use the simple document counting method to determine the geographical distribution, annual growth and the subject areas of the publications as well as communication channels, key journals and authorship trends. The main findings of the study were that, a greater number of the nuclear science and technology records were published in Ghana (598 or 56.57% against 459 …