Digital Commons Network^™

Scientometric Mapping Of Remote Sensing Research Output: A Global Perspective, Murugan Chinnaraj, R. Balasubramani

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper presents a quantitative analysis of remote sensing, in terms of research out put throughout the world during 1975 – FEB 2010. During that period, 1188 papers have been published and the cited references have been 30654. The average number of publications published per year has been 38.07. The highest number of paper (119) was published in the year of 2009. The USA topped the list with 473 (39.8%) publications, followed by UK with 128 (10.8%) publications, India with 93 (7.8%) publications respectively. The highly productive authors are Kaufman YJ with 13 (1.1%) publications, followed by Wagner W with …

Content Analysis Of Agricultural Issues Reported In Two Nigerian Daily Newspapers, E.A. Awojobi, O.A. Adeokun

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study used two widely read Nigerian newspapers (Punch and Guardian) to assess the extent of daily newspapers involvement in disseminating agricultural information. Samples of the newspapers between 2007 and 2010 were analysed for daily reportage, space allocation and types of stories published. All data collected were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. Results showed that 70%, 78.8%, 66.3% and 60% of the newspapers evaluated did not report any agricultural issues in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. Among those that reported agricultural issues, majority reported 1-2 stories per day representing 21.3%, 28.8%, 25% and 36% of total sample size in …

Access To Media Resources As Predictor Of Adolescents’ Attitude To Sexual And Reproductive Health Practices In Selected Non-Governmental Organisations In Nigeria, Sunday Olusola Ladipo, Adewale Adeduntan Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated the influence of adolescents’ access to media resources on attitude to sexual and reproductive health. The survey research design was adopted while the questionnaire was used as the major instrument of data collection. Sixty copies of questionnaire were administered on the adolescents that were purposively selected from the three organisations chosen for the study while only 52 copies were returned with useful responses. The findings of the study revealed that the adolescents make use of electronic media resources more than other categories of media resources such as print and oral media resources.The study established a significant relationship …

Mentoring As A Career Strategy For Mid-Level Public Library Managers: A Selective Review Of Literature Involving Methodology And Cross-Disciplines, Janine Golden

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Management career development is of significant importance in public libraries. How this is achieved for the middle-level manager is one of many debated topics by library administrators. Currently, leadership and management workshops, seminars, and institutes are some techniques provided by the library organization and are being used to assist with the manager’s organizational learning processes. Today, at the forefront of organizational initiatives is mentorship which has resurged as a leading employee development tool. This review of the literature highlights historical and current resources that focus on the process of mentorship as another strategy for the career development of library managers.

Departmental Libraries At The University Of Peshawar: Current Status, Services, Issues, Challenges And Prospects, Amjid Khan, Rubina Bhatti

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the current status; collection; services; use of information technologies, budget and sources of budget in the departmental libraries at University of Peshawar. Questionnaire was distributed among the population of all library professionals working in departmental libraries (N=36, 100%) with the response rate of (N=28, 80.2%).SPSS (Version 19) was used for quantitative data analysis. Study identified that the respondents were to some extent satisfied with the present departmental library’s collection and budget. Inadequate information technology; lack of automated catalogue; lack of barcodes on books; lack of OPAC and automated circulation services; lack of Indexing …

Citation Patterns In Educational Science Theses At The University Of Córdoba, Alexander Maz-Machado, Manuel Torralbo-Rodríguez, Mª Pilar Gutiérrez-Arenas, Francisca Morales Sillero

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper analyses citation patterns in 30 doctoral theses in the field of Education Sciences, submitted at the University of Córdoba (Spain) between 1997 and 2010. A preference was found for citing books as opposed to articles. The most widely-cited journal was a Spanish education-specific publication, Enseñanza de las ciencias. Only a small number of journals from the stock of periodical publications held and managed by the Faculty of Education Sciences Library were cited.

The Challenges And Frustration Of Software Adoption In Nigeria Libraries: A Survey Of Some Selected Libraries, Ibrahim Ayandare Ayankola

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The article presents the result of a survey on the challenges and frustrations of software adoption in Nigerian libraries. This is done through questionnaire administered to some selected libraries that cut across academic, research and seminary libraries. Many libraries are now moving towards in-house development of new software to meet their requirements and to provide efficient services. It is hoped that frustration of adopting software will soon fizzle out and libraries would be in for problem free software era.

Prospects And Challenges Of Prison Libraries In Ghana: A Case Study Of The Nsawam Medium Security Prisons., Christopher Mfum

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

The study explored the provision of library services at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison in Ghana. Incarcerated people are confronted with isolation and are often faced with limitations of personal choices and quality decision making. Library services remain an important service in every society that values freedom. The prison library is one of the few places that offer solace and escape in the extremely regulated lives of prisoners. The report is the result of a study into the information needs of prisoners and the resources and services that are available for this special population. A total of 100 male …

Public Health Information Service In The Northern Region Of Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study, A.K.M. Eamin Ali Akanda, Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Public health information service plays a crucial role in upgrading the health status of the population of any country by providing valuable information on issues like health, sanitation, nutrition and family planning.Bangladesh, with one of the highest concentrations of non government organizations in the world, has been grappling with many health related problems including weak and insufficient infrastructure, corruption, population explosion, lack of health professionals, lack of awareness, etc. Although the organizations working in the region are making considerable efforts for reaching out to the larger cross-sections of rural people, their efforts are hampered by various socio-economic problems and …

Open Access Initiatives: A Boon To Academic Libraries, Anupama N. Joshi, R M. Vatnal, Manjunath G. A

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract:

The article gives the meaning and definition of open access. It throws light on emergence and development of open access initiatives and various declarations in the world. The types of open access and their characters are given. The gradual increase of journals in DOAJ is shown. The impacts of OA are various facts of the academic community and the challenges for OA are dealt. The OA initiatives in India are listed.

Web Impact Factor (Wif) And Link Analysis Of Indian Institute Of Technologies (Iits): A Webometric Study, Rabindra K. Maharana, K.C. Panda, J. Sahoo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper examines and explores the web impact factor through a webometric study of the present 16 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) of India. Identifies the domain systems of the websites; analyzes the number of web pages and link pages, and calculates the simple web impact factor (WIF), self link web impact factor and external web impact factor of all the IIT. Also reflects that some IIT have higher number of web pages, but correspondingly their link pages are very small in number and websites fall behind in their simple, self link and external link web impact factor.

University Libraries In Kerala: A Swot Analysis For Marketing, P.K. Suresh Kumar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In view of the social, economic and technological changes, University libraries have begun to realize that marketing of information products and services is an integral part of administration. On account of information explosion, the technological revolution and escalating library costs are responsible for encouraging the university library profession to develop a professional marketing approach in its operations and services. This paper makes an objective analysis of the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of four university libraries in Kerala viz. Kerala University Library (KUL), Mahatma Gandhi University Library (MGUL), Cochin University of Science and Technology Library (CUSATL) and CH …

Information Needs And Seeking Behavior Of Law Faculty Members: A Survey Of The University Of Peshawar And Its Affiliated Law Colleges, Ghalib Khan, Rubina Bhatti

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This article reports the results of a study of information needs and seeking behavior of the law faculty members in the University of Peshawar and its seventeen affiliated law colleges, Khayber Pakhtookhawa (North Western Frontier Post NWFP, Pakistan). Their preferences regarding various information sources, channels, methods, library use patterns, convenient study places, satisfaction level and problems encountered by them in their information needs and seeking have been explored though quantitative survey. A structured questionnaire was designed and distributed among one hundred randomly selected law faculty members. The response rate was 86%. Results of the study revealed that majority of the …

Present Status Of Library Cooperation, Networking, And Resource Sharing In Bangladesh: Web-Based Library Cooperation For Access To World-Wide Information, Mirza Mohd. Rezaul Islam

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries have been cooperating and collaborating on collection building and resource sharing for many years. The cooperation was based on inter-library loan and preparation and publication of union catalogue. But the ways of cooperation in building resources and access to information resources was not easy and effective. Library cooperation for access to information resources was limited to the formation of networking among the libraries having homogeneous interest. Like many other countries, Bangladesh also formed networks of libraries of different disciplines of knowledge, which could not sustain due to lack of appropriate communication system. To ascertain the status of collection of …

Perceptions Of Information Professionals About Knowledge Management In The Information Institutions Of Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study, Md. Abul Kalam Siddike, M Nasiruddin Munshi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The main purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions of information professionals about Knowledge Management (KM) in Bangladesh. The study was conducted through survey using a pre-structured questionnaire. A short, well-structured both open and close ended questionnaire was sent 80 information professionals who had been working in different libraries of Bangladesh by post. The respondents were selected from each division of Bangladesh (30 respondents from Dhaka division, 10 each in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet division). We received 40 responses and the response rate was 40 percent. The results of the survey show that 90 percent of …

The Use Of Google And Yahoo By Internet Users In Nigeria, Obiora Nwosu, Isaac Anyira

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper investigated the use of Google and Yahoo in retrieving relevant information resources by Nigerian Internet users. It was found that Nigerians prefer the search services of Google to Yahoo. This is because with Google search engine, they are able to retrieve the exact information that they need; they obtain more relevant and adequate information resources than Yahoo; Google is easier to use than Yahoo; and Google retrieves faster than Yahoo. Most Nigerian Internet users have personal access through their mobile devices such as mobile phones, lap tops, palm tops etc. It was therefore recommended that Google should incorporate …

Job Openings For Library Professionals In Pakistan: A Content Analysis, Ghulam Mustafa, Munira Nasreen Ansari

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of the study is to discover the status of the job market for library professionals in Sindh Province, Pakistan, and to examine the job titles used in advertisements. Content analysis was applied to discover the status of the job market. LIS professional vacancies from 2004 to 2008 in four leading newspapers were analysed. There were 282 announcements during that time. Findings of the study reveal a lack of consistency in job titles. Academic librarianship predominated in the LIS job market during those years. Most of the job titles do not address the requirements of the job market. This …

The Availability And Persistence Of Web Citations In Iranian Lis Journals (2006-2010), Amirhosein Mardani, Mahmoud Sangari

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

To discover the current situation and characteristics of Web citations accessibility, the present study examined the accessibility of 4,253 Web citations in six key Iranian LIS journals published from 2006 to 2010. The proportion percentage of Web citations increased from 11% in 2006 to 30% in 2010. The most widely cited top level domains in URLs include the .edu and .org with respectively 37% and 23%. This study provides further evidence that organizations Websites have become increasingly vulnerable to URL decay .The results show that only 3,467 Web citations remain accessible in 2011, of which 71% allowed easy and long-term …

Sfx, Information Needs, The Academic Library, And Its User, Keren Barner, Sharon Tal

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

Libraries need an efficient way to manage their diverse electronic resources. At the same time, they need a tool that provides users with easy access to those digital items. Guaranteed simple and reliable access to full text sources (depending on existing subscriptions of course) is one of the main concerns of libraries in the digital age. The tool that supplied the solution to this problem is the OpenURL link resolver. (Ponsford, Stephens & Sewell, 2011).

Today, SFX by Ex Libris is the most widely used OpenURL link resolver (Robertson &. Soderdahl, 2004). This article examines whether SFX can be …

Lis Curriculum Review Using Focus Group Interviews Of Employers, Khalid Mahmood

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

The employers of library and information science graduates are many and varied in nature. Designing an LIS educational program for diversified needs and expectations of the employers is very difficult. Library schools are always expected to get input from the consumers of their product about their changing expectations and needed skill set of the graduates. IFLA guidelines (2000) and ALA standards (2008) for LIS educational programs also acknowledge the employers’ right to know whether a given program is of good standing. They recommend the involvement of employers in planning and evaluation of program goals/objectives and curriculum. They also recommend …

A Review Of Problems And Challenges Of Library Professionals In Developing Countries Including Pakistan, Shakeel Ahmad Khan, Rubina Bhatti

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

“A librarian is a person who looks after the storage and retrieval of information. In a workplace, the librarian is usually a professional who is trained and educated to deal with information in a wide variety of formats and settings” (WordiQ, 2010). Librarian helps users to navigate into the voyage of internet and evaluate information efficiently. Librarian offers a helping hand for users to find out the required piece of information and to use it for personal and professional purposes (BLS, 2011). Due to the advent of Internet, World Wide Web and proliferation of online catalogue, the role of …

Preservation And Conservation Issues In Selected Private Universities In South-West Nigeria, Miracle Eka Njeze

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

Librarians the world over are tasked with the responsibility of acquiring, processing, disseminating this information to users, and due to constant exposure of clients to these materials the rate of degradation increases. Every library is prone to two kinds of deterioration: biological deterioration caused by insect attack/fungi growth or environmental deterioration caused by extreme dampness, wide fluctuations of relative humidity, variations in temperatures, light and atmospheric pollutants (Maravilla, 2008).

Library materials consist of media, non-book and non-print resources. Examples of media resources include computer hard-drive, databases, library software; non book materials include CD ROMs, audio and video tape, while …

Workers Training Programmes In Two University Libraries In Nigeria, M. A. Adeniji, G. A. Babalola, Moses A. Adeniji

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

The most valuable resources in Nigeria higher institutions are the human resource; these personnel serve as a major factor in success or failure of various citadels of learning. Human resources in higher institution according to Alani (1993) are the lecturers, librarians, administrators, technical and unskilled personnel. These human resources co-ordinate and process other material resources to produce educational output. The academic staff is directly responsible for teaching and research and they form the bulk of personnel engaged in institutional services, while the administrative, technical and other staff provide a supporting service to the academic staff.

Libraries play an important …

Gender Differences In Computer Literacy Among Clinical Medical Students In Selected Southern Nigerian Universities, V. E. Ikolo, R. B. Okiy

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

Information Technology (IT) has had a positive impact on health care delivery system worldwide, particularly in the areas of disease control, diagnosis, patient management, teaching and learning. Anuobi (2004) pointed out that man has scientifically placed himself in an environment that is global and digital, which predisposes him to constant use of information, its location notwithstanding. Shanahan (2006) believes that the health care industry is in a state of constant and rapid change and due to the increase in scientific knowledge and rapid technological advances, there has been a growing emphasis on the physicians need to efficiently access, retrieve, …

Access And Awareness Of Ict Resources And Services In Medical College Libraries In Puducherry, S. Dhanavandan, S. Mohammed Esmail, M. Nagarajan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is widely considered as the most important revolution humankind has experienced since the industrial revolution and the development of movable type printing techniques. A country's development depends on the extent of use, speed of access, and skilled application of ICT systems. Computer and communications technologies have drastically changed the entire human activities including library and information field. Now a days -libraries are deeply engaged to modernize operations & activities to provide fast, integrated, interactive and comprehensive services. In the same direction with IT thrust the concept of digital library has emerged substantially. Various universities …

Use Of E-Journals By Students And Research Scholars In The Department Of Botany Of Aligarh Muslim University, Shajarul Islam Khan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

Abstract

Keywords: e-journals, consortium, online journal, library consortia, database.

Scope

The scope of the study has been limited by following construction.

1) The study is limited to the students and research scholars of the department of botany.

2) For this study a questionnaire was framed for users. The sample of questionnaire was distributed among 100 users of the department of botany.

3) It includes aspects like purpose of visiting the library and which type of services provided by the library and users satisfaction level of these libraries.

4) The main focus of this study is to know the usage …

Promoting Open Access To Research In Academic Libraries, Priti Jain

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

"A commitment to scholarly work carries with it a responsibility to circulate that work as widely as possible: this is the access principle. In the digital age, that responsibility includes exploring new publishing technologies and economic models to improve access to scholarly work. Wide circulation adds value to published work; it is a significant aspect of its claim to be knowledge. The right to know and the right to be known are inextricably mixed. Open Access can benefit both" (Willinsky, 2010). Increasingly, this capacity to close the gap between developed and less developed countries through access to information becomes more …

Alleviating International Students' Culture Shock And Anxiety In American Academic Libraries: Welcome, Ahlan Wa Sahlan, Anyeong Hae Sae Yo, Bienvenidos, Huan Ying, Sanu Da Zuwa, Shalom, Swaagat Hai, David Koenigstein

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

In 2009, more than 3.69 million students attended college outside their native country. (OECD 2011, 318) The largest percentage, 17%, or 623,119 of these students, chose to come to American universities. (Institute of International Education 2010a) The next three most popular destination countries were the United Kingdom with 13%, France with 8%, and Germany, also with 8%. (Bhandari 2009) International students and their families contributed $18.77 billion to the U.S. economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses. The three largest recipients were California with $2.834 billion, New York with $2.296 billion, and Texas with $1.2585 billion. (NAFSA 2011) The …

Digital Librarians And The Challenges Of Open Access To Knowledge: The Michael Okpara University Of Agriculture (Mouau) Library Experience, Chimezie Patrick Uzuegbu, Faustinus U. Mcalbert

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

The development of Internet technology has provided academic and research institutions with a very high level of visibility on the web. As a result, teaching, learning and research is widely improved in the global society today. The intellectual call for knowledge and information dissemination by countless organizations and educational meetings has given birth to a terminology called open access. This initiative is aimed at bringing the knowledge society to a state of free access to all kinds of information and learning material using the Internet and ICT tools. The library plays an important role in sustaining the open access …

Growth And Development Of Architectural Engineering College Libraries In Haryana, India, Rajender Kumar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction

Architectural engineering education plays a vital role in the building community and educates future leaders in planning and design of outdoor space. Information is a key element for any kind of research and development. Libraries help accelerate knowledge, creation in collaboration with educational and research organizations. The library helps improve collections, maintains, preserves, and organizes documents, cooperates with other institutions and is a link between information sources and users (Ku, 1996). Today’s libraries focus on electronic publications to provide rapid access to information and save storage space for traditional resources (Thakur, 2003). The pillars of the development of libraries …