Digital Commons Network^™

Usability Analysis Of Homepage Of Websites Of National Libraries In Asia, Paramjeet K. Walia, Monika Gupta

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper aims to study the usability features of selected national libraries’ websites of Asia with regard to their general features of website, URL, window title, date and time, navigation, content, search and graphic and animation. A usability evaluation checklist was designed on the basis of guidelines given by Neilson and NIC (National Informative Centre) which was grouped into eight major criteria. After evaluating the homepage of selected websites under study it was found that the National Library of Japan is at rank number one among 23 national libraries of Asia and National Library of Maldives at the bottom rank. …

Cataloging And Classification Skills Of Library And Information Science Practitioners In Their Workplaces: A Case Analysis, David A. Cabonero, Russell B. Dolendo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information resources are useless when access is not provided. This fundamental function is within the concept of cataloging. Thus, cataloging is an essential process that provides access to all acquired information resources of the library for it allows people to find information needed for their personal and professional growth and development. It also provides access points to information resources in a way that users will be able to find the need information or resources.

With this, the study determined the cataloging and classification skills of library and information science graduates which is centered on assessing the cataloging and classification skills …

Application Of Marketing Strategies And Mix To Digital Information Services (Dis): Nigerian University Libraries Perspectives, Alice A. Bamigbola

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: This paper aims at identifying the available digital information products/services (DIS) and marketing strategies employ for these services in Nigerian Universities.

Design/methodology/approach: Case study research approach was explored. The university libraries websites were analysed, email and telephone interviews were conducted with the System Librarians in charge of DIS.

Findings – The DIS in university libraries in Nigeria are on the increase compared with what it was three years ago. The available DIS are CD-ROM, Internet Search, open access institutional repositories (OAIR), E-resources, E-books, E-journals, Online Reference Services, and computer laboratory. The marketing strategies employ for DIS by …

Internet Access And Use Among Undergraduate Students Of Bowen University Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria, Aderonke O. Otunla

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examined the internet access and use among undergraduate students of Bowen University Iwo, Osun state, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used. The population comprises of 4,800 undergraduate students out of which 300 students were randomly selected from various faculties, 298 questionnaires were correctly filled and analyzed. The result of the findings shows that all respondents access and used the internet. Major access was through their mobile phones with 52.7%, only 6.4 accessed through University Digital centre while none from the library. Respondent used internet daily with 68.9%, 41.6% used internet between 7-9 hours a week and experience …

Open Access Literature Productivity Of Physics: A Doaj Perspective, Aswathy S, Gopikuttan A

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The World Wide Web has introduced new vistas for scholarly publishing which can be accessed online via internet. DOAJ is the most accepted and authoritative list of scholarly, peer-reviewed, fully Open Access journals. This study aims to analyze the contribution of open access literature in the subject physics through DOAJ. Directory of Open Access Journals covers literature contribution of a wide variety of subjects, countries and also different languages. Study analyses Indian contribution to DOAJ, institution-wise categorization, language-wise distribution.

Fundraising In Academic Libraries: A Case Study Of Selected Academic Libraries In Southwest Nigeria, Ronke Anke Olurayi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

This study examines fundraising in academic libraries as a global problem. This has become imperative since what these libraries receive from the government through their parent institutions is not sufficient to maintain and sustain library services and operations. Academic libraries in Nigeria have resorted to other ways of raising funds for their libraries due to world economic recession and inflation which has hampered them from effectively and efficiently meeting their set objectives. This study therefore investigated fundraising in selected academic libraries in the southwest of Nigeria in order to ascertain their sources of funds, how adequately it is received, …

An Assessment Of Information Needs And Characteristics Of Users Of Oyo State Public Library, Nigeria, Shuaib Agboola Olarongbe, Olusegun Samuel Adepoju Mr., Hawwa Bolanle Akanbi-Ademolake Mrs., Taiye Austin Pedro Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information is a resource that is naturally needed in all human endeavors. One can readily infer that information is indispensable in human life, hence a basic human need, which has an over-riding significance to all and sundry. Meanwhile, no country in the world can progress without providing free public library services to the citizens. However, this study is an examination of the information needs and characteristics of users of Oyo State Public Library, Nigeria. It investigates what constitutes the information needs of the library users, what services and resources are available in the library to meet their needs, what are …

User Education And Information Handling Skills As Determinants Of Information Resources Use Among Undergraduate Students Of The University Of Lagos, Nigeria., Olatokunbo C. Okiki

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study set out to find out the impact of user education and information literacy handling on information resources use among undergraduate students at the University of Lagos as it relate to use of information resources in library. Two hundred and two questionnaires were randomly distributed to library users. The data gathered were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result revealed that different responses were given on their mode of skill acquisition ranging from program organized by librarian, trail and error, friends etc.; and the information resources used vary from individual respondents. The majority of the respondents indicated that …

Management As Sine Qua Non To Productivity In Any Organisations, A Study Of Public Libraries In Niger State, Nigeria., Olatokunbo C. Okiki

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examimed effective management as the basic and indispensable condition that must be met for enhanced productivity in any organisations with specific reference to public libraries in Niger State, Nigeria. Survey research design was used for the study . Total enumeration technique was used to cover all the 77 librarians that were found in the five public libraries in Niger State used for the study. The libraries used for the study are those located in: Minna, Kotangora, Bida, Lapai and New Bussa. The data gathered were analysed with simple descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages. Part of the …

Open Archives Initiative Protocol For Metadata Harvesting, Dublin Core And Accessibility In The Oaister Repository, Michael Peake

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper examines the use of Dublin Core as a minimum metadata standard for Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting in terms of its impact on end user experience in the OAIster repository. Specifically the study looked at the use of controlled vocabulary searches versus non-controlled vocabulary searches, as well as the impact of Dublin Core on the granularity and consistency records. Searches were performed in OAIster using Library of Congress Subject Headings and Name Authority Files, as well as non-controlled vocabulary searches for the same terms. The study concluded that controlled vocabulary searches are good for retrieving relevant …

Ict Skills And Computer Self-Efficacy Of Research Students: The Case Of Institute Of Pure & Applied Biology And Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan, Muhammad Naushad Sabzwari, Rubina Bhatti, Bashir Ahmed

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In the current changing higher education environment research students need to possess ample skills related to use of computer and different ICTs for education and research purposes. This study aims to investigate the awareness, usage and impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for information, education and research purposes among the Botany, Zoology and Biotechnology research students of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. For this purpose, data was collected from students involved in research, in order to get information and awareness about their competencies and skills in ICT and other searching and data analyzing tools. The literature review shows that most …

Evaluation Of Entrepreneurship Awareness And Skills Among Lis Students In Universities In South East Nigeria, Felicia Ugwu, C.N. Ezeani

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examined the entrepreneurship awareness and skills among Library and Information Science (LIS) students in two Nigerian Universities. In Nigeria, the overcrowded job market is forcing thousands of graduates into unemployment and its associated consequences of kidnapping, drug addiction, youth restiveness and general poor standard of living. This has made it imperative that graduates be equipped with skills that are required to achieve self-reliance. With appropriate skills, LIS students as information professionals will be at the vanguard of information generation and reaping its employment opportunities in libraries, companies and corporate organizations. Specifically examined in this paper were the level …

Impact Of The Internet On Research Effort Of Academics At Abia State University, Uturu, (Absu), Cpc Onwubiko

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper is on the impact of the Internet on the research effort of academics at Abia State University Uturu. The Internet has become an invaluable tool for teaching, learning and research. The benefits are so enormous that there is no sphere of life without the Internet application. This is certainly true for tertiary institutions. Premised on this consciousness, the descriptive survey research method was adopted in carrying out the study, with the questionnaire as the sole instrument for data collection. The study was guided by six objectives. The findings of the study revealed that there is no felt need …

Content Analysis Of Journal Literature Published From Uk And Usa, Paramjeet Kaur Walia, Manpreet Kaur

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper aims to identify the types of research papers/articles, current trends in the choice of subjects, being included in the Library and information science (LIS) journal literature published from UK and USA. The study also aims to find out the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on LIS subject fields. A content analysis of 165 research papers and journals articles published in the year 2008 in six LIS journals was conducted. Findings indicate that 93 (56.36%) of the articles out of the total 165 were research based. The variation is found with regard to coverage of core subject …

General Structures, Literatures, And Problems Of Libraries: Revisiting The State Of Librarianship In Africa, James Afebuameh Aiyebelehin

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The society we live in is in constant need of information to solve its problems. The library serves as the agency responsible for the collecting, processing, managing and disseminating of this information in various formats to meet the varying needs of the users. Information may be needed for education, entertainment, socio-cultural development etc. It is therefore the duty of the librarian to ensure that there is availability and accessibility to the required information whenever it is needed. This paper looks at the nature of libraries, the structures of libraries, the literature of libraries and common problems plaguing the delivery of …

Modern Trends In Library And Information Science Education In Nigeria: Challenges And The Way Forward, Abdulganiy Okanla Ahmed

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

There had been developmental changes in the society because of its dynamic nature. In view of this, the traditional method of discharging responsibilities in most fields of human endeavour is gradually going into extinction and thus, the need to move along with times. This paper therefore focuses on the challenges of modern trends in Library and Information Science Education in Nigeria. The paper discusses the nature and constraints of information service provisions traditionally. It further accounts for historical antecedents of Library and Information Science Education in Nigeria. It also examines the challenges of modern trends in Library and Information Science …

Home Pages Of Ten Leading Global-Asian Academic Library Websites, Safie Tahmasebi Limoni, Mitra Ghiasi, Ali A. Razavi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

A website’s homepage is a gate to its content, and accuracy of structure is important. This is especially more important on academic library websites that are places for searching for general and specific information.

This is based on a survey-comparative method using researcher-made checklists. The population consists of ten leading global-Asian academic library websites confirmed by webometry site. Findings include three factors: search engine available on the first page (P = 0.000), available page for electronic resources separately (P = 0.003), image attraction (P = 0.002), and the bond between a library webpage and non-academic libraries (P = 0.001). There …

Survey Of Information Technology In The Libraries Of Tabriz University, Khatoun Kabani, Dariush Matlabi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study explores the use of information technology in the twelve libraries of Tabriz University. The research method is descriptive survey, using data needed collected through questionnaires distributed to the people responsible for the libraries. Results show that the most popular hardware includes computers, tape recorders, television, and opaque projectors. Popular Internet applications include search engines, email, blogs, news groups, conferences, chat rooms, and discussion groups. Library services include document delivery, selective dissemination of information, electronic message boards, online catalogues, and current awareness services. Obstacles to using information technology include: cost, lack of familiarity with resources, not enough trained staff, …

Mapping Marketing Library Services Related Literature In Lis Open Access Journals, Anna Kaushik

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Open access initiative explores the new way to access scholarly literature free of cost which published in diverse online journals on different subjects. This study aims to identify growth and publication patterns of marketing library and information services related literature published in LIS open access journals by various bibliographic points of view. The results of the study demonstrated that maximum quantity of articles published in marketing library services, most productive year count as 2002 and huge amount of articles focused on library marketing theme. Results further revealed that wide spectrum of articles published in foreign open access LIS journals by …

Information Literacy Skills: A Survey Of The Transition Of Students From Secondary To University Education In Edo State, Nigeria, Christopher O. Ukpebor, Daniel Emojorho

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This is a survey of the entry-level information literacy skills of first year students. It is a step towards understanding the prior information literacy knowledge of first year students at the University of Benin, and has broader implications for how librarians understand readiness for library research as well as for the future development of information literacy programmes at the secondary school level. Lack of understanding of prior knowledge by university libraries is in itself a barrier to engaging students in the research process in their first year, as it may result in programs that do not inspire students. Methodology adopted …

Digitization Of Library Collection In Developing Countries: The Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library Experience, K.O. Jagboro, B.O. Omotayo, W.A. Aboyade

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper describes the digitization of library collections at the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in response to the contemporary global trends. The digitization process, one of the earliest in the Nigerian universities, began in 2003 with a focus essentially on abstracts of masters’ dissertations and doctoral theses, as well as newspaper collections of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The exercise became imperative due to high demand and heavy usage of newspapers and theses by both staff and students for research and learning purposes. The paper further examines the timely intervention of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and …

The Role Of Information And Communication Technologies In Ghana’S Rural Development, Michael Sakyi Boateng

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold tremendous potential for rural development in Ghana in the areas of agriculture, health, Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), and education. Using the theoretical sampling method,this paper takes a closer look at the ICT scene in Ghana from 2000 to 2011 with emphasis on the role of ICTs in rural development.The paper also draws attention to the efforts made by past and present governments of Ghana to solve the major problems facing ICTs development in Ghana. Investigations from the study revealed that ICTs play major roles in the socio economic development of rural areas …

Service Evaluation In Special Libraries Of Bahawalpur: A Comparative Study Of Gct, Qmc, And Ucet, Mahe Bushra Asghar, Farzana Shafique

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was conducted to reveal the current status of services in the Quaid-e-Azam Medical College library (QMC), Government College of Technology library (GCT) & University College of Engineering & Technology library (UCET) at Bahawalpur. The data were collected through questionnaire survey of library users along with interviews of special librarians. This study was confined only to the three special libraries of Bahawalpur. The data collected were analyzed and conclusions were drawn. The analyses revealed that services provide by the special libraries of Bahawalpur were not up to the mark and users were not satisfied with the quality of services. …

Social Implications Of Icts: Views Of Academic Librarians In Nigeria, Michael Onuchukwu Okoye

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper tries to explore social implications of ICTs, their positive impacts and potential dangers. In addition, the study examines some important imperative factors that sustain favourable social implications as well as critical factors that pander to unfavourable social implications of ICTs. Descriptive survey method was adopted. Population consisted of 88 academic librarians who are working in four Federal University libraries in South East Nigeria. A 59-item structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was face validated and the reliability of the instrument was established through Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient. Eighty-eight copies of the questionnaire were delivered to …

Faculty Use Of University Library Resources: A Study Of Tai Solarin University Of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, Nigeria, A.O. Simisaye

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) former Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE) was upgraded into first University of Education in Nigeria in 2005. when Tai Solarin University of Education was established in2005, alibrary started with it with the mandate of providing, organizing and making available print and non-print information resources for students, and faculty, non-academic and academic community to aid teaching, learning and research. Since the establishment of the University and notable changes in the library status and efforts made so far in meeting information needs of its users (Students, faculty and non-academic staff and academic community), there has …

Information Technology As A Medium Of Inter-Organizational Knowledge Sharing, Fatemeh Nooshinfard, Leila Nemati-Anarak

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Nowadays knowledge is one of the most important strategic resources in organizations. Knowledge sharing is a mechanism for people to capture, disseminate, transfer and apply useful knowledge. In this regard knowledge sharing has become a strategic issue: as a source of funding for university research and as a policy tool for economic development. So collaboration between universities (centers of science) and research organizations (centers for practice) can play an important role in the field of knowledge sharing, as such, understanding the perceptions of how knowledge is shared between organizations is very important in their implementation of KM. Therefore this paper …

Content Organization In Websites Of Agricultural Universities In India: A Web Analytic Study, Kothainayaki Suresh, S. Gopalakrishnan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The website of a university is a platform to exhibit the courses offered by the institution and also about the research activities carried out by that university. Beyond providing high quality content, a site also needs to organize that content in a way that makes it accessible to visitors. Prioritizing the content is one of the best ways to make sure the visitors are finding the information the site wants them to find, and that they want to find. Thus, the location of web objects in the University websites is a key for the success of that website. Hence, a …

Trends And Practices Of Seeking Online Information Sources: The Case Of Science Faculties Of A Developing Country, Muzammil Tahira, Kanwal Ameen, Rosa Alinda Alias

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose – This study reports the trends and practices of seeking online information sources of Science faculties of a university of developing country. The focus was to explore their trends and practices of accessing and using online sources in both modes, i.e. Open Access (OA) and Subscribed Access (SA) to meet their academic and research information.

Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative design of research, based on a self-completion structured questionnaire survey was used. Surveyed population consisted of whole full time S&T teachers working in the 25 institutions/colleges/departments of all four S&T faculties viz. Sciences, Life Science, Engineering & Technology and Pharmacy of …

A Macro Sketch Of Users’ Needs, Satisfaction, And Library Performance: A Survey Of University Libraries In Pakistan, Farzana Shafique, Shafiq Ur Rehman, Khalid Mahmood

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This is a survey of large public sector university libraries of the Punjab Province and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) of Pakistan. The basic purpose is to get a broader understanding of users’ perceptions about the library services. The survey is based on a questionnaire containing both open and close ended questions. The data were collected through mail, e-mail and personal visits. The study reveals that although respondents have shown their overall satisfaction with the library services, but the analysis of the data about users’ satisfaction with major library services shows that they were not fully satisfied with their respective library …

Scholarly Electronic Journals: Availability And Use In Universities In Nigeria, E.D. Chigbu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Current print journals have become scarce commodity in university libraries of the developing countries serials have become a scarce commodity in university libraries of developing countries. This is because of the high cost of these materials. In Nigeria the situation is worsened by the high exchange rate of the Naira to foreign currencies. Electronic journals have come as a better, cheaper alternative to the print format. Knowledge seekers and information professionals need to be familiar with the use of this novel resource format. This research explored the availability and use of electronic journals (e- journals) in the University of Nigeria, …